Profile | Javier Manjarres
Website | CRA-CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN ALLIANCE
Author's Latest Posts |
- More ghoulish shenanigans coming out of Florida
- US Senate candidate Marco Rubio strikes again!
- Rubio Clobbers Crist In Yet Another Straw Poll
- SE Republican Club takes aim
- Broward GOP Chair hammers 'the Messiah'
More»
US Senate candidate Marco Rubio strikes again!
By Javier Manjarres | 10/27/09 | 04:30 PM EDT | 14 Comments
The long anticipated speaking engagement at the Broward Republican Executive Committee (BREC) by US Senatorial candidate Marco Rubio turned out to be quite an event. A record crowd of more than 400 showed up to .jpg)
see the future Senator speak last night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Back in August, the BREC lost control of its meeting when a supporter tried to both make and have a motion for the BREC to conduct a straw poll for its members’ preference for the Party’s nominee in the US Senatorial race between Governor Charlie Crist and Fmr. Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio. Miami Herald- No Straw Poll in Broward
Rubio supporters were expecting a bit of chicanery by certain BREC leaders that shall remain nameless (for at least a couple of paragraphs), and there was an attempt to take away some of the limelight away from Marco Rubio- but these silly antics are only undermining what little is left of the BREC’s credibility.
Several weeks back, GOP officials reached out to your humble correspondent to try and influence Rubio to postpone his speaking engagement before the BREC. I of course told them that it was a stupid move, and that doing so would infuriate Rubio supporters, so they backed off. Their next ploy was to use the threat of a cancellation- word was that they were going to cancel Marco because it was somehow more important to have a meeting concerning "corruption throughout Broward County" Come again?
But the silly antics continued. The idea was floated that the October meeting would consist of Rubio speaking in addition to a meeting on Broward corruption, this time with ‘other’ speakers. Then there were threats that BREC were going to close the meeting to all except actual members, only to have this plan thwarted at the 11th hour!
All of these shenanigans preceded the BREC meeting. Now, to the main event. Prior to his speaking engagement, Rubio was asked to speak freely, but not take questions from the crowd-something he is known to do after every speech he gives. The reason for this, as I was told, was because the BREC was afraid that questions would be asked of Rubio that would in some way embarrass Governor Crist.
Let’s not forget that the Cato Institute- the conservative institute that Governor Crist boasts about in his recent .jpg)
radio ad- has just issued a not very complimentary postscript regarding their earlier Gubernatorial rankings, stating that Governor Crist's so-called fiscal conservative record is not really so fiscally conservative and responsible after all.
Back to the event. Right before the Chairman was supposed to introduce Marco Rubio, he stopped himself and acknowledged the newly Crist appointee to the Broward County School Board, Kevin Tynan- a long time Crist supporter. So I ask myself, why couldn’t Mr. Tynan be announced after Rubio spoke? Why was he acknowledged just as Rubio was set to be announced? Let's count this as a slight.
But it gets better. Chairman Chip LaMarca then lacklusterly introduced Marco Rubio as just the Former Speaker of the House, and omitted the fact that he is also a US Senatorial candidate. This was odd since the whole meeting was premised on the controversy regarding the Senate straw poll between Rubio and Crist. If you think this was simply an oversight, you would be mistaken. This was no oversight at all, it was fully intentional. With all due respect to LaMarca, this was a tad bit disrespectful.
Marco Rubio went on to give yet another inspiring speech that was met with cheers, whistling and standing ovations. At the conclusion of the speech, half of the crowd got up and left! Out in the lobby, droves of people signed up to help out the Rubio campaign, and before the event was over, all of the campaign's bumper stickers were gone.
Next month, Governor Crist is expected to address the Committee on November 23rd. Could it be that the BREC will stack the meeting? Will the BREC plant enough questions in the crowd to the Governor's liking? Will the Governor even take questions from the crowd? Will the BREC close the meeting? Who knows. But one thing is certain- the BREC hierarchy and the Republican establishment are shaking in their boots, because a tsunami of support for Marco Rubio is about to sweep them out to sea.
Video from the event:
TAGS: javier manjarres, marco rubio, charlie crist, cra, conservative
| 
|
14 Comments | Related Topics »Sarasota County (FL) | Palm Beach County (FL) | Miami-Dade County (FL) | Hillsborough County (FL) | Alachua County (FL) | FLORIDA
RECOMMENDED SITES
Comments
<!--[if gte mso 9]>
Normal
0
false
false
false
EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>
<![endif]-->
"Back in August, the BREC lost control of its meeting when a supporter tried to both make and have a motion for the BREC to conduct a straw poll"
The loss of control was in no way a representation of the BREC. It was a direct reflection of Patrick Castronovo's lack of knowledge in parliamentary procedure. Followed by the author of this article and his CRA buddies acting in a way that was exactly what those against the straw poll were trying to avoid. They called names, cursed, and even spit on the floor.
"Several weeks back, GOP officials reached out to your humble correspondent to try and influence Rubio to postpone his speaking engagement before the BREC"
I bet these are the same ghost "GOP officials" that forced Eddie to resign... You all have no problem with saying names, so let’s hear them. That is, if it’s true.
"So I ask myself, why couldn’t Mr. Tynan be announced after Rubio spoke?"
What makes your snuggle buddy more important than a local official... In essence, Rubio only can hold as much clout as Marion Thorpe. Just because someone is running for an office, doesn’t make them the center of the world.
"Marco Rubio went on to give yet another inspiring speech"
Did we hear the same stump speech that he gave the last 6 times I saw him?
- reply
|Well, Javier:
Now I understand why Mr. Tynan and another gentleman talked throughout Marco's entire speech... even after being asked by two people to please stop. I was in the back of the room, straining to hear Marco, and the unending dialog was disrespectful to the speaker and irksome to those near-by.
Will Gov. Crist be limited to the same short amount of speaking time as Marco, with no question-and-answer session -- Marco's strength -- with a similar, lame introduction as Mr. Rubio.
Danita
- reply
|Danita,
It is discouraging to hear your comments. Kevin Tynan has put much of his life into getting Republicans elected in Broward, as well as cleaning up the courts while serving the Trial Bar.
As for Speaker Rubio being limited in time, he spoke for as log as he wanted to speak. We talked earlier in the day and he aske for 5-7 minutes. Of course, I told him that he was welcome to take longer.
Possibly due to the talking the in the back of the room, you could not hear my introduction, but it was a bit diffrent than Javier's account, as you can see:
"And now on to our speaker:
He is just coming from teaching at Florida International University in Miami. With his busy schedule, we are providing him the time to speak and are respectful of his time as he is on an early flight tomorrow morning and wishes to see his children tonight.
He is the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, having served in the 2007 and 2008 Legislative sessions. He was first elected to the House as a Republican in a special election on January 25, 2000, from the 111th district.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Honorable Marco Rubio!"
So, you can see that I am fair to all of the candidates and do not play the politics that the others might have you believe. You can ask my friend Allen West about that.
Finally Danita, I would think that someone that has been there to welcome your son home from battle, and honor him on our "Heros Wall" would garner little more respect from you. Am I wrong?
- reply
|Wow! This man Marco Rubio is Fantastic! I think we just saw a young Ronald Reagan right in front of our eye's! Wow!
- reply
|Let me tell you that I was leaning tords Gov.Crist but after we just saw Mr.Rubio speak... We now know that our vote is with Marco Rubio! What a class act and a great candidate! This guy 'Marco' is going to be a super star in our party! I can see him running against Obama and beating him soundly!
- reply
|To the "Writer" of This Article,
As the Chairman of the Broward GOP, I must set your vague recollection of the events straight. I was asked by a longtime member of the BREC that was concerned that we would have the Governor speak first, then do an endorsement, thereby eliminating the opportunity for the BREC members to hear Speaker Rubio’s speech. Of course I told “AGM” that I would never do that. It was not in the spirit of our party. On a side note, I just wish that the same person that requested our “fairness” was kind enough to respect our meeting after the speech, especially when she is deeply involved in Broward Politics.
In an effort to include this “writer” in the process, we spoke in confidence about the issues that are facing Broward County. He explained that they were not in a rush and furthermore, with his fundraising schedule, Speaker Rubio was unable to make the September meeting where he was scheduled to speak.
The issues that are made to be “silly” are the fact that Broward County faces a rash of public corruption by its elected Democrat officials (School Board and County Commission.) This translates into numerous appointments by our Republican Governor. This is far from “silly.” There was also no “ploy” to cancel our meeting.
What is described as silly acts to take away the “limelight” is preposterous. Speaker Rubio had a busy schedule and was not planning to arrive until right around 7:00 PM. Unfortunately, he did not arrive until almost 7:30 PM. What were we to do…not start the meeting until then? He is a professional and he understood what the honor of announcing a Republican School Board Member meant, especially a friend. He has also earned the right to receive a standing ovation.
I happen to respect both Our Governor and Our Former Speaker of the Florida House. That is why I announced him as "The Honorable Marco Rubio," out of respect for the title that he will carry for life. I also gave a brief history of his accomplishments in the Florida House. I would not consider that “lackluster.”
Your concept that our BREC meeting was entirely scheduled for the premise of the U.S. Senate race is entirely off base and flat out wrong. We are in a fight for the Governor’s Mansion, the highest office in FL. We also have critical races for all of the Florida cabinet positions, State Senate races, State House races and many other local races. In addition, there is the corruption issue and our long term goal in registering Republican voters. Just so I am clear, the meeting where Governor Crist will speak, will not be all about this race either. I look forward to announcing our new Republican County Commissioner at that one!
Regarding the questions, through a personal conversation with Speaker Rubio, it was at his suggestion that he would speak and not do Q&A. I also happened to know that there were some people there with questions that would be very difficult to answer. Remember, this is not a club meeting or luncheon. Our goal is and always will be to give the BREC members an opportunity to hear the candidates in this race…that’s it.
Your personal attacks on me, former Chairman Tynan, and anyone else do not show well for your support for a man that has already earned the respect of many. You do your candidate a disservice when you do things like that.
As for anyone else confiding in this author, think again. He apparently does not know the meaning of the word “confidential.”
In the end, I put my head down last night, knowing that you would likely write something like this. However, it did not matter as I was doing what I said that I would do. I know Speaker Rubio knows that and so does everyone else that attended the meeting.
- reply
|Chip, There wereng any personal attacks made-only questioning a few things I took issue with. As far as the confidentiality you speak of, I did not break the silence. Several other BREC members or non-members had called me to discuss the same issue. They themselves spoke to others about it as well. I kept my mouth shut until now. As far as the closed meeting issue, a BREC member told me this was a possibility 3 weeks ago. Furthermore, Amy Sherman of the Miami Herald last night, asked my opinion on this matter. How did she find that out? I was told to keep it underwraps. I did. There was a leak and it wasn't me. Again,there is no personal attacks on you or Mr. Tynan. I am only criticizing specific actions by you in you capacity as BREC Chairman. No harm, no foul. All is good. BTW, just got my phone back. I will call you tomorrow about the flags sitting in my truck. How was the vino in Nappy Valley?
- reply
|Javier, great article. Marco at his best.
- reply
|Jerry, you said that we cursed and spit on the floor. Sad to hear that you would say such a thing. I had my mother my grandmother and my pastor who happens to be pastor Dozier that was next to me at that brec meeting. Pastor Dozier was behind me. We would not of done such a thing! Plus we filmed the event because we knew people like yourself would lie and make up things. Seems to me you need your Ba-Ba! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa! Tell me, when Crist gives his speach at BREC... Is he going to try and tell us he is a true conservative that he wants us to believe sooooo badly! Because we have heard that same stump speach 6 thousand times! But nice try! :)
- reply
|After I heard Marco Rubio speak I then donated to his campaign! i never heard him speak before but my friend took me to the event and the man is one of a kind! Thank "GOD!" we the republican party have him! I hope and pray that liberal Crist does not win! Go Marco!
- reply
|Illegal immigration and amnesty are both paramount issues Mel failed at. If Rubio hopes to garner votes he owes it to the voters to answer questions.
Ya I know he says as they all do, that he is against amnesty of illegal immigrants. Yet in the same breath he says we need further immigration reforms of our existing laws. You know the laws that are never enacted on.
Much like the amnesty illegal immigration bills in committee he never brought out while speaker of the house. Is that not the job of speaker of the house to keep the bills moving?
- reply
|No there was no questions because Marco was told not to! Marco is against amnesty he has said it a million times! Why dont you and your 10 people in the constitutional party take a long walk on a short pier! You guy's allways talk tough but get no where! Lol!!! Go Rubio!!!! And Chip.... Relax..... :)
- reply
|The GOP has been hijacked by moderates, which are nothing more than liberals hiding inside the closet. I want a senator that will represent my conservative values. Marco Rubio gets my vote.
- reply
|Looks like Mario has bought the same spam list that Charlie Crist's Senate campaign is using. All the spam from the Rubio campaign starts off "Supporter," Yeah, right. I wouldn't pee on him if he was on fire. Does that make me a supporter? Don't vote for spammers.
- reply
|Post new comment