Message from Chairman Bradley Maxwell:

As July winds down and we are filing our very first Federal Campaign report I thought it would be a good time to report to everyone on the successes of the past quarter.  We are pleased to report that in the Second Quarter of 2011 we raised more than 18,000 dollars.  For those keeping score at home that is more than we have raised since 2006 and back then there were some election year pass throughs that helped pad that number.  With that taken into consideration we just closed one of the most successful quarters in our local party’s history! 

This did not happen overnight; the effort to turn the Leon County Republican Party from a dinner club into a full fledged political party has taken hard work and has not been met without some resistance.  This focus and work paid off over the last few months as we netted a profit in excess of 10,000 dollars for our Lincoln Day Dinner. We also created a federal account and have been able to secure almost 9,000 dollars in it for use in helping to elect Republican Candidates in 2012.
 
Our work is not over, though. The Primary Election where non-partisan elections (City and County Commission races, specifically) are placed is just 13 months away!  We hope that you will all focus on working to help make the Leon County Republican Party stronger and more effective this year. We have an opportunity to bring some level of ethics and common sense to our City, increase conservative voices in Leon County, and to ensure that President Obama is not given another four years to mortgage our future by spending money we do not even have. Not to mention that we can vote Bill Nelson into retirement and send a Conservative Republican to join Sentator Rubio in representing Florida in the U.S. Senate.

We want you all to get involved and take an active Role in the Party.  Like us on Facebook, follow us on twitter @leongop, and visit www.leongop.com for more on our activities and those of the local republican clubs in our area.  Also we would encourage you all to join our Ivory Tusk Society and become a sustaining member of our Party with your donation.
 
All the best,
Bradley Maxwell, Chairman

This week I was invited by Republican Party of Florida Chairman Dave Bitner to attend a meeting in Orlando with leaders of the Tea Party in Central Florida.   The meeting was the idea of Chairman Bitner to further open up the lines of communication with Tea Party activists and GOP members.  The conversation and input from these folks was instructive and important to the national dialogue that is going on about the future of America.

I found Tea Party leaders to be intelligent, enthusiastic patriots who have had enough of business as usual in politics.  Their central focus is the excessive and bloated Federal government and politicians who do not live within the guiding principles of our Founding Fathers.  There was also much talk about the problems of State government and the need to reign in spending.  I told them that in many respects the Tea Party (not to be confused with the Tea Party political party which is a shell created by leftist activists designed to siphon votes) is one of the best things to happen to the Republican Party since Ronald Reagan.  The Tea Party, which is a political movement, has breathed life into the GOP and held Republicans accountable for their votes in Congress and in the Florida Legislature.

These Americans who have organized the Tea Party movement nationwide understand what is at stake:  our constitutional form of government & democratic free enterprise system that has given the United States the greatest standard of living in the world.

Our Republican Party is committed to working with the Tea Party towards the goal of electing Conservatives who understand the proper role of government.   Towards this aim the key concept must be: Unity in 2012!

On June 17^th, the Leon County Republican Party held one of its most successful Lincoln Day fundraisers in recent history featuring Governor Rick Scott.  Most folks do not know what efforts go into putting on a successful political dinner and fundraiser.

Scheduling a good speaker that will draw a crowd, putting together a business plan, marketing, catering, and most important selling tickets! Such an undertaking can only be achieved through the leadership of a person who can make things happen and get people focused and working as a team.  In this case, Leon County GOP Chairman is that person.

Chairman Bradley Maxwell has led our local party to new heights by getting members of the Leon County Republican Executive Committee to work together in harmony because he sees the bigger picture:  winning elections.  Early on, Bradley put together a cohesive group of dynamic and energetic local Republicans who volunteered countless hours to plan and put on Lincoln Day 2011.  From the initial launching of the marketing website  https://lincolnday2011.com to the great evening that occurred last Friday, Bradley steered the local party to new heights.

There is no such thing as an annual Republican of the Year Award in Leon County, but if there was my nominee would be :  Leon County Republican Party Chairman Bradley Maxwell!

Well done, Mr. Chairman!

I am incredibly humbled and honored to be the new Treasurer of the Republican Party of Florida. I look forward to doing my part to steer the Republican Party in the right direction as we win in 2012 and beyond.

During this election process, I had the pleasure to meet and talk with many of you around the state of Florida. Listening to your concerns and sharing in your passion to elect Republicans, I am thankful for your support and encouragement. In particular, I am thankful for the support of the College Republicans of Florida State University. These young leaders are the future of our state and party, and their enthusiasm is contagious.

I cannot wait to get to work for you – the great people of Florida. Let’s get to work!

J.C. Watts for President of the United States of America

Yes, I asked the question of former Congressman J.C. Watts who spoke at our local Leon GOP Day event today!

J.C. Watts exemplifies all that is right with the conservative and Republican movement in America. He gave an inspiring speech that expounded on the need for a strong defense, traditional values, faith, and the need to control deficits. He described the evils of earmarks in the federal budget as well has the basis of his political beliefs i.e, his faith.

So when it was time for Q & A before the + 100 crowd, I asked the first question “Congressman Watts, you should run for President of the United States. Why don’t you?” I never expected him to say “Yes” right then and there….that would have made the national news. Instead, I got the best answer I could have hoped for under the circumstances…he talked about his family, his business, and how busy he was….fine…I ‘ll take that for an answer for now. Later in his answer, he said “but I haven’t ruled another run for office one day.” — That’s as good as it gets!

Many of you agree with me that the GOP has put forward some lackluster candidates lately for President. We have this habit when deciding the primary nominee to think “give it the the next guy he’s waited long enough.” Let’s be bold! Let’s think outside the box for 2012 !

I haven’t seen a candidate who inspires people like J C Watts and explains our core GOP principles better…since….Ronald Reagan.

As the hotel emptied from the event and everyone was nearly gone I went to get my car. As I left the building out came J.C. Watts to get his rental car. He shook my hand again and asked me what I thought of the U.S. Senate race in Florida and told me what a good event we had just had upstairs. In response, I informed him “If in the future he learns of a Draft J.C. Watts for President website on the internet I’m the guy in Tallahassee he needs to send his guys to shut it down.” J.C. laughed and said “Oh ok, so I ‘ll just tell them go get Jeff!”

Notice he never said “No” to running for President.

We need someone who inspires Americans. People keep wishing for another Ronald Reagan. My first vote for President was for Reagan in 1984 as an FSU student. There will never be another Reagan.

How about a J.C. Watts?

In politics, there is always conflict. This is an unfortunate fact of life.

Some battles are worth fighting for, namely, the right of voters to support and vote for the candidate of their choice. All political parties suffer from “insider syndrome” where a small insular group of elites try to “run the show” or “call the shots.” Some are good at achieving forward progress in a political movement. Others are just there for their self aggrandizement, promotion of one’s career, “resume building”, or purely socializing. Some it’s all ego.

However, there are those of us in the Conservative Movement that like to get things done.

One person is Jesse Dyer, a student and Chairman of the Florida State University College Republicans. Since his election in April of this year the Club has regularly held meetings throughout the summer, set up information tables in the FSU Student Union, assigned members to work on various local campaigns, organized precinct walks, raised money, brought guest speakers to campus, and even urged members of the College Republicans to join the Leon County Republican Executive Committee. Jesse is emblematic of all that is good in Republican Party politics today.

He is a breath of fresh air in comparison to the small button-down elitist country club crowd that views GOP politics as a closed club. These small groups are found in varying degrees in all levels of the political culture. They are comprised mainly of the socially ambitious.

Unlike the elitists, Mr. Dyer has a work ethic. He is also an intellect who promotes not only thought, but encourages it. He conducts a regular Republican “Coffee Club” at All Saints Café, then turns around and walks precincts for a local candidate the next day. He’s a “do-er” not a talker. Which are you?

Having been a student Republican activist myself at FSU during the Reagan Revolution I am thankful to God that I have lived long enough to see a student leader who is all about action.

Let me add that in addition to Jesse, there is a whole army of active College Republicans over at FSU now. These students do not support lazy idle political chatter, talk without action, or intellectual tyranny. The feistiest among them are some Cuban-American students who know from history why it is important to fight those who would punish you for your beliefs. There is an entire island in the Caribbean devoted to suppression of thought.

I have no doubt in my mind that Jesse Dyer and the FSU College Republicans are going to be the reason we get this Country back on track.

They understand why we fight.