St. Johns County GOP Committee Seeks to Expel Florida RLC Chair for Speaking Against George W. Bush
By Aaron - July 10, 2009 at 7:25 AM
Filed under Florida , GOP Party , Issues , News , Party elections , RLC Chapter News , RLC News , States , Take Action!
Filed under Florida , GOP Party , Issues , News , Party elections , RLC Chapter News , RLC News , States , Take Action!
Florida RLC Chair Will Pitts.
In what continues to be an ongoing battle between the Republican Party of Florida establishment and the Republican Party of Florida grassroots activists, the St. Johns Republican Party Executive Committee passed a resolution requesting the Republican Party of Florida Chairman (Jim Greer) have Will Pitts — elected Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida Chairman — “banned from attending Republican Party functions, including sanctioned clubs of the Republican Party”.
Additionally, they resolved that Mr. Pitts be removed from the party under Fla. Stat. 103.161. Under this statute, “An individual removed from office by the chair shall not be eligible to serve on the state executive committee or any county executive committee of the political party for a period of no less than 4 years from the effective date of the removal.”
In 2008, the Republican Party of Florida sent a letter to the Republican Liberty Caucus explaining that the RLC would have to refrain from using the word Republican in its title because the state party owned the word “Republican”. Of course, the RLC had previously been granted permission to use the word “Republican” and had the documentation to prove it, dating back well over a decade. That was just the first of the Republican Party of Florida’s many recent attempts to rid themselves of principled, liberty-loving Republicans.
So what did Will Pitts do that was so wrong that he should be removed from the party? He:
1. attended a a rally in Minneapolis hosted by the Campaign for Liberty and wore a “Ron Paul” button on his lapel after the Republican primary;
2. attended an End the Fed (Federal Reserve Bank) Rally in Jacksonville; and
3. has spoken or written words “harmful to the GOP” — especially with regards to RPOF Chairman Jim Greer and Gov. Charlie Crist by stating they are “pathetic and embarrassing” and regarding Sen. John McCain and President George W. Bush.
Will Pitts is a small businessman who, in 1996, founded his company, the WG Pitts Company, a construction and real estate development firm serving Northeast Florida.
On July 25, he will have to report to the Republican Party of Florida at 1pm in Kissimmee, or be removed from the party.
On the coversheet of the RPOF Grievance package was a copy of the county resolution. It is obvious that this grievance was orchestrated by State Committeeman Jon Woodard and State Committeewoman Becky Reichenberg despite being filed by a Bill Blythe. Not surprisingly, Wynona Mayer and John Stevens, who opposed Reichenberg and Woodard for their State Committee seats in 2008, were also named in the resolution to have removed form the Republican Party.
Last year, Reichenberg, Woodard, and former Chairman Bob Veit switched meeting dates and times and changed local rules to prohibit new members from joining the party that would not support them. Veit also said the Republican Liberty Caucus “represents narrow political philosophy … that had limited appeal to Republican voters no less all voters”.
But the establishment is clearly in control of the GOP. Under their leadership, the party has shrunk to only 23 percent of Americans self-identifying as Republicans. And they presided over the least popular, least effective Presidency in recent memory. Not only that — but the establishment has totally hijacked the Republican Party from the grassroots activists who made it so successful throughout the 1980s and again in the mid-90s.
Please contact Bob Veit, Becky Reichenberg, and Jon Woodard to express your disappointment with their efforts to reduce the size of the Republican Party.
Please also contact Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer and politely request that Mr. Pitts be permitted to continue his participation in the Republican Party of Florida.
On July 10th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Florida GOP Chairman Greer is known for his draconian techniques to force his way with rank and file Republicans. This man consistently forces more and more Socialist Republican candidates on to Florida Republicans and expects us to accept these individuals without debate.
Greer needs to resign from his position and take up Chairmanship in a party that better embraces his point of view, perhaps the local Marxist or Socialist parties would suffice.
Dave
On August 18th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
WoW, That is very surprising!!! Was Will Pitts expelled? As President of the Women’s Republican Club of St. John’s County, I want you to know that Greer also has asked our club to not use the word Republican, however our board has voted to continue to use the name since we have been chartered some 15 + years. However the State organization which we belong to, Florida Women’s Political Network, has recently removed the word Republican because of Greer and that it has only been chartered for two years.
Please let me know if you have any additional information in regard to this.
Thanks,
Cindy Fraher
On September 9th, 2009 at 9:37 am
IF the Republican party headed by Mr Greer accepts Public monies for any activities such as primaries, campaigns, supporting lists of who are and who are not members of republican party or any other sorts of activities then they have no right to exclude members of the public who are taxed to subsidize their activities.
They cant be both public and private at the same time – they must pick one.
If the Florida republican party does not accept any tax payer subsidy for any activities then they are private and may choose to accept or reject who they see fit.
On September 13th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
The Republican party has shifted to far to the left and are more in touch with the liberals then the conservatives of this country. It’s time to kick them all out of office, implement term limits, and regain control of our gov’t.
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson
On December 26th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Jim Greer represents the discredited Rockefeller-Javits-Lindsay and recently the Bush wing of the Republican Party. Will Pitts represents the renascent Robert Taft wing that threatens to sweep this party from under the thumb of the Bush wing and actually engage the enemy, the Democrats, with principles that the people understand.
With the Obama Presidency imploding before our eyes, this is an opportunity to re-establish a constitutional. It comes along rarely. Under the Jim Greers of the party, the Republicans may be able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, not just for the GOP but for freedom, which may just be in tome to save this country.
On December 28th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
I do not know of the authority of Mr. Greer to to remove anyone for representing their own views publicly much less because their views do not parrot his own, so called, republican views. It seems that both parties should have sought mediation before permitting such divisions from further dividing the party in St. Johns. It is indeed regretable that such differences have arisen.
Albeit a cause for such divisions along the lines of ideologies and party platform are understandable based on the relevant historic context of both conservatism and the values held individually by the constituents of the Republican Party locally. Bold colors are not just a theme for a catchy party advertisement, they reperesent the values of conservatism at its core.
The wishy washy moral relativism of liberal “group think” sound bites are no match for the power if rugged individualism that made our party and our country what it is today – The greatest nation on earth!
If personal prestige or the pursuit of a liberal agenda is the goal of anyone seeking membership in the GOP as an officer or candidate, they may get by for a while by deceiving a few just long enough to think they’ve fooled the majority, but as my Great Grandmother used to say – “You’d better be sure that it’s a fool that you’re fooling!”
And as for Mr. Obama 2008 was just the beginning of the end of socialism in America!