A Message from Mike Huckabee

I'm very proud to have supported Senator McCain and the only regret is that more Americans didn't share my conviction that he would have made an outstanding President. I not only recognize, but respect that we are a nation in which the people choose and tonight they have chosen Senator Obama. He was not my choice, but he will be my President and I will pray for him to lead this great nation with God's help and grace. He will face serious challenges to lead our country and he will need all Americans to give him a chance.

The campaign is over and now is the time for governing and leading. The Republican Party must now reassess where it is and where it is going. Our problem is not that our views aren't acceptable, it is that many in our party have abandoned the very principles that once drew Americans to trust us. Our party will be back with strength, but tonight we should all celebrate the historic nature of this election and put our country ahead of our party.

As disappointed as I am that we have lost the election, I can't help but feel that many courageous leaders of the civil rights movement look down from heaven tonight with a smile that the day has come when a man is elected without regard to his color. I salute President-elect Obama for his discipline and tenacity that has given our country the opportunity to witness this significant event.

Politics is not an event but a process. We sometimes lose the events but it never gives us the right to stop being faithful to our principles that enlisted us in the process. We shall live to fight another day.

With deep gratitude,

Mike Huckabee

Peter Boulware (R-Tallahassee) loses by 430 votes

Dear Friends,

If you don’t already know, the Leon Co Canvassing Board met today and counted the final ballots in our election. Unfortunately, we lost by 430 votes (0.5053%). Peter has already called Michelle to congratulate her on her victory. Peter also just released the following statement to the press:

“I would like to congratulate Michelle on her victory. It was a hard fought campaign, and I wish her the best of success as the State Representative for House District 9. I would also like to thank the thousands of supporters throughout the community that put their trust in me. I truly appreciate the support and hard work they put forth on the campaign trail.”

Like Peter said, thank you all for your support over these last 14 months. You are the reason why we came so close!

Sincerely,
J. Alex Kelly
Peter Boulware Campaign

A message from Governor Crist

Dear Friends,

This week we witnessed a truly historic election. We can never take for granted that here in America – we experience the peaceful transition from one leader to another.

Now that the people of Florida and our nation have spoken, it is time for our nation to unite and rally behind our leaders – and our new President-elect Obama – with one purpose – to strengthen our economy and increase opportunity for our people. It is time to focus on getting things done – just as we have done in Tallahassee.

I have been very privileged to work together alongside Republicans and Democrats. Together, we have accomplished much for the people of Florida. It is amazing what we can achieve when we keep our focus on the people who really matter – the people we serve – our boss.

This week I visited a small business here in Florida that is struggling because of the shape our economy is in. I want to continue working with both parties to bring that business and the many others like it relief and prosperity. We are moving forward in a bipartisan manner – not for the next election – but for the next generation.

God bless you and God bless Florida.

The #dontgo Movement and the future of the Republican Party

This summer in the middle of the heated debate over offshore drilling, The US Congress under Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided to take a recess and turn out the lights. House Republicans refused to leave. Without power they communicated via Twitter and the #dontgo movement was born. Two of the prominent members of this growing movement are Leslie Carbone and Eric Odom. I have included their reactions to the election here:

"Two hundred thirty-two years ago, the American colonies recast themselves as free and independent states with the words: “[T]o secure … rights, governments are instituted among men.” Eleven years later, delegates representing these states adopted a Constitution that established a federal government and explicitly listed what that government may do.

The quill pens with which the Constitution was drafted had scarcely been replaced in their wells before cries rang out for the government to venture beyond these enumerated functions and misuse its power to molly-coddle some at the expense of others. As early as 1794, Congress was asked to consider a resolution spreading $15,000 of taxpayers’ money to a group of French refugees. James Madison, remembered as the “Father of the Constitution”, shot down this early wealth transfer with the words: “I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.”

For roughly a century, Mr. Madison’s integrity lived on in his successors. But a depression in the late 1800s gave rise to the so-called Progressive Era, which called for government to ignore its charter and start spreading wealth around. Within a couple of decades, Americans would be saddled with that favored tool of the redistributors: a graduated income tax. In another couple of decades, the New Deal expanded government with a panoply of programs and interventions. Then the Great Society extended its meddling fingers even further, to the point where it is nearly impossible to live without being the double-sided culprit and victim of state-sponsored plunder, at once ravaged by the moral cancer that afflicts both master and slave.

And so the temptation to rely on the federal government, as a matter of first resort, has become so ingrained that the Republican Party as a whole has forgotten how to stand firm against it, and even that it should. Instead of pointing out that it is simply not the proper purview of government to protect people living below sea level from hurricanes or to bail out irresponsible banks and borrowers from the consequences of their own errors, Republicans embraced these impossible, inappropriate tasks, and many others.

The result was the insidious undermining of the GOP’s commitment to limited government, the free market, and strict construction, and the Party’s well-deserved loss of the trust of its constituents.

The Democrats, on the other hand, are not afflicted with this split-personality disorder. They believe in misusing government to serve their own absurd dreams of utopia. They’re consistent; their disastrous policies match their ludicrous beliefs.

The Republicans’ disastrous policies contradict their correct, purported beliefs.

And a consistent message, no matter how asinine, will beat a correct philosophy undermined in word and deed every time.

If the GOP is serious about pulling America out of the moral morass into which it has dragged her, it must start by recovering its correct principles and adopting policies and rhetoric that match them."

Written by: Leslie Carbone

Time for regime change


Tuesday night dealt a heavy blow to the free-market movement, but unlike a lot on the right, I see it as an opportunity for us to finally rally and move to the offensive position.

Being on offense is going to require a lot of work, and I believe we’re now in a perfect position to lead a major portion of the charge.

As mentioned on two radio shows last week, the #dontgo Movement is going live with the new website on Monday morning. We have a sleek new design that you’re all going to LOVE. And more importantly, the site has a lot of new community style features that will help us organize and work together as a single unit.

But before we unroll the new website, I would like to point out what I feel should be one of our first courses of action.

REGIME CHANGE

Many on the right, especially those in the GOP realm, claim to be “leaders” and refuse to give up their comfy positions of power. Our “leadership” in Congress has, to be quite blunt, completely failed on all fronts.

And now, when we need bold new leadership like never before, these same individuals are quickly scrambling to regain control and continue driving our movement in the wrong direction.

We simply cannot let this happen.

Starting next week, I propose we launch a widescale call/demand for any and all “leaders” who have failed us to get out of the way and make room for real conservatives to step up to the plate.

It’s time for much more than a movement. It’s time for a full scale revolution in the way the right functions. It has become apparent that Washington D.C. is not going to change anytime soon, so we need to bring our revolution OUT of the beltway and get local. We need to take the fight to our local school boards, our town councils, and our state legislatures.

We simply cannot allow our movement to be ran over by careless politicians who care nothing more than remaining in power.

We in the #dontgo Movement have quietly waited for the right time to step on to the battlefield, and I for one believe that time is now.

Please take the weekend to ponder ways we can work together to make politics local again, and let me know your thoughts and feelings.

On Monday, we come out swinging as a revolutionary Movement. We have a lot of work to do, so let’s get ready to get out there and do it.

Warm Regards,
-Eric Odom
#dontgo Movement

A Thank You message from Chairman Ted Haney

Our election night Victory Party wasn’t a victory for McCain, but it certainly was for Bay County Republicans. The hard work and extensive organization that produced hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers gave us a solid win in Bay County , in spite of a highly funded and well organized Democratic Party presence for the first time in many years. You responded to the leadership of Melissa and Jimmy, our McCain-Palin Co-chairs in magnificent fashion. Teresa was our whirling dervish that was everywhere at all times, pumping up the troops and checking off her lists. Glen and Alice were our go-to folks at HQ, along with a bunch of others who gave their time and enthusiasm to help out. I won’t try to name all the names, because there were so many helping I’d certainly miss someone. It was a team effort, and the team pulled it off. We were just shy of our 70% goal (less than 1%) and exceeded our goal of 52,000 votes for the ticket by 4,000. You’ve done a terrific job and you can be proud of your efforts and the results..

We’ll have our regular Board meeting this coming Monday night at HQ at 6:00 PM. All of you are welcome to attend as we plan the agenda for our final meeting of this year (November 27) prior to the election on December 1. I think I’ve made you all aware that I don’t intend to seek the office of Chair of the REC for the next term. My goals when I announced for the office two years ago were to bring us together by overcoming past differences, pursuing common goals of electing local and state Republicans, and supporting our National ticket. You gave me the honor of allowing me to represent you, and I owe you all a great deal for that privilege. I can’t say “mission accomplished”, but we’ve progressed, and it’s time for someone else to lead the REC.

The battle’s lost, but the war’s just beginning. That’s trite, but I think it is a war, a war of world views. I believe most of our citizens accept the Christian world view, but we’ve not been very diligent in explaining or supporting it. The view that Senator Obama has may be called many things, but it’s not Christian (by my standards) and it’s certainly not based on freedom or free enterprise. Let’s take back our Country, not for power, but to restore it as the America that God has blessed in the past and seek His blessings once again.

Ted

A Thank You from Jim Greer

Fellow Florida Republicans,

I want to thank each of you for your hard work and dedication to our Republican Candidates throughout Florida. Much has and will be said about this past election. Our grassroots volunteers worked harder than ever before; exceeding our goals and even passing our 2004 voter contact efforts. It is unfortunate that Florida was not able to provide a victory for John McCain, but still Florida Republicans have much to be proud of.

The Republican Party successfully pushed back the Democrats’ attempt to gain significant wins in the State House, Senate and a majority of Congressional seats in Florida. Despite the Democratic Party’s best ground game effort ever seen and a top of the ticket win, together, we stemmed the tide, won most races, defeated Democrats, picked up a Congressional seat and demonstrated that Florida’s voters continue to support our Party’s principles by passing Amendment 2 and defeating Amendments that would have raised taxes.

Even the media throughout Florida has reported in many stories that Republicans in Florida did quite well given the current political environment and that the Florida Democrat Party’s attempts failed.

Listed below are just a few quotes from various media outlets:

Sun Sentinel – “Notching Florida's 27 electoral votes for Obama hardly helped Democrats down the ballot. The Florida Legislature and its congressional delegation are essentially unchanged, still firmly in Republican hands. And in Broward, Republican Sheriff Al Lamberti appears to have won in a county that voted for Obama at a two-to-one clip.”

Lakeland Ledger – “”The Democratic tidal wave that swept the country on Election Day generated barely a ripple in Florida's capital, where Republicans maintained a nearly two-to-one grip on the Legislature. Factor in an overwhelming victory for a constitutional ban on gay marriage, and Florida conservatives were gleeful on Wednesday.

St. Petersburg Times – “Democrats Blew Florida…the biggest surprise of Tuesday’s results may be how poorly, other than Barack Obama, Florida Democrats performed… But despite the anti-GOP climate, they did not pick off a single incumbent Republican in the Legislature and ultimately may net just one state House seat. Two words: Pa Thetic.”

I am honored to serve as your Chairman and believe that the future of our Party is bright, and while the nationwide election results of the top of the ticket were disappointing, we have many success stories this past Tuesday in Florida that we together can be proud of.

Warmest Regards,
James A. Greer, Chairman

Concession Speech by Sen. John McCain 11/4/08

MCCAIN: Thank you. Thank you, my friends. Thank you for coming here on this beautiful Arizona evening.

My friends, we have - we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.

A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him.

Please.

To congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.

In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.

This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.

I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too.

But we both recognize that, though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.

A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters.

America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States.

Let there be no reason now ... Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day. Though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.

Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain.

These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans ... I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.

It is natural. It's natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again.

We fought - we fought as hard as we could. And though we feel short, the failure is mine, not yours.

AUDIENCE: No!

MCCAIN: I am so...

AUDIENCE: (CHANTING)

MCCAIN: I am so deeply grateful to all of you for the great honor of your support and for all you have done for me. I wish the outcome had been different, my friends.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We do, too (OFF-MIKE)

MCCAIN: The road was a difficult one from the outset, but your support and friendship never wavered. I cannot adequately express how deeply indebted I am to you.

I'm especially grateful to my wife, Cindy, my children, my dear mother ... my dear mother and all my family, and to the many old and dear friends who have stood by my side through the many ups and downs of this long campaign.

I have always been a fortunate man, and never more so for the love and encouragement you have given me.

You know, campaigns are often harder on a candidate's family than on the candidate, and that's been true in this campaign.

All I can offer in compensation is my love and gratitude and the promise of more peaceful years ahead.

I am also - I am also, of course, very thankful to Governor Sarah Palin, one of the best campaigners I've ever seen ... one of the best campaigners I have ever seen, and an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength ... her husband Todd and their five beautiful children ... for their tireless dedication to our cause, and the courage and grace they showed in the rough and tumble of a presidential campaign.

We can all look forward with great interest to her future service to Alaska, the Republican Party and our country.

To all my campaign comrades, from Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter, to every last volunteer who fought so hard and valiantly, month after month, in what at times seemed to be the most challenged campaign in modern times, thank you so much. A lost election will never mean more to me than the privilege of your faith and friendship.

I don't know - I don't know what more we could have done to try to win this election. I'll leave that to others to determine. Every candidate makes mistakes, and I'm sure I made my share of them. But I won't spend a moment of the future regretting what might have been.

This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life, and my heart is filled with nothing but gratitude for the experience and to the American people for giving me a fair hearing before deciding that Senator Obama and my old friend Senator Joe Biden should have the honor of leading us for the next four years.

Please. Please.

I would not - I would not be an American worthy of the name should I regret a fate that has allowed me the extraordinary privilege of serving this country for a half a century.

Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant. That is blessing enough for anyone, and I thank the people of Arizona for it.

AUDIENCE: USA. USA. USA. USA.

MCCAIN: Tonight - tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or Senator Obama - whether they supported me or Senator Obama.

I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.

Americans never quit. We never surrender.

We never hide from history. We make history.

Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you all very much.

Notes for Poll Watchers

DO the reporting. DON’T be what’s reported.

Get there early and scope things out. Stay outside the 100-foot area, except to report a problem to the polling place deputy. (Exit pollers ARE ALLOWED within the 100-foot area.) Don’t wear any campaign stuff, and don’t have any campaign stuff on your vehicle. Take pens, paper, water, snacks, watch, camera. (You may prefer to use a voice recorder instead of taking notes.)

Look for behavior that isn’t normal:

n Someone hanging around within the 100-foot area after voting

n Out-of-state license plates

n Same car driving around the area

n Someone sitting in a car and not getting out, especially two people

n Someone trying to talk to the elderly or non-English speaking voter

Other activities that may be reported if persistent:

n Yelling at voters from outside the 100-foot area

n Use of microphones or megaphones outside the 100-foot area to speak to voters

n Any behavior that harasses voters

n Exit pollsters who mention a candidate’s name

n An over-abundance of exit pollsters

IMPORTANT: All vocal threats or threatening behavior should be reported immediately.

Signs that a person is doing something he knows he shouldn’t be doing:



n Picking at his clothes

n Sweating

n Agitation

n Nervousness



If you see something that you think should be reported:

n Write down the time of day

n Make notes about the behavior

n Write down distinguishing marks—tattoos, t-shirt logos, hats, hair length, etc.

n Write down the license plate number, if applicable

n Write down names and phone numbers of witnesses

n If necessary, take a picture

Do NOT confront anyone. Do NOT do anything illegal. IMPORTANT: Recording someone’s voice without his or her permission is illegal.

Report a potential problem to the polling place deputy standing just outside the polling place entrance. Allow a reasonable amount of time, 15 to 30 minutes, for the problem to be resolved. Report ALL troublemakers, Democrat AND Republican, but don’t over-complain. If someone else reports a problem, try to get that person’s name and phone number and the details of his/her complaint.

Call Dan Estes to let him know you have reported a problem. Dan’s #s: 624-7873 / 303-1905. If you can’t get through to Dan, call Teresa Eaton at 832-5689.

Be diligent and professional, use common sense and stay safe. God bless you for doing this important job!

Rudy at the Red Elephant @ 7 pm Sunday 11-2

By S. BRADY CALHOUN / News Herald Writer

PANAMA CITY — Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and one-time presidential candidate, will appear in Panama City Sunday.

Giuliani is scheduled to speak at the Red Elephant restaurant on State 77, said Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City. The event starts at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

GOP officials added the event to Giuliani's schedule yesterday after seeing strong support for Sen. John McCain in the Panhandle, Patronis said.

"You have got the potential for voters in the Panhandle ... to counteract some of the weaker parts of the state," Patronis said. "It shows well for Bay County that they want to consider us as one of their stops."