Jim Greer
On July 2, Republican Party of Florida chairman Jim Greer officially removed Deon Long from his precinct committeeman post with the Orange County Republican Executive Committee as punishment for Long’s attempted takeover of OCREC.
Back in December, longtime OCREC chairman Lew Oliver was re-elected by one vote over the insurgent Long, a Winter Park lawyer, but only after rejecting more than a dozen or so potential Long votes because they didn’t turn in paperwork on time. Long and his allies sued, but a court dismissed his claims.
Calling that election invalid – two OCREC members abstained, which in Long’s view means that Oliver didn’t get the majority he needed – Long held a sort of shadow meeting in February, at which he was elected OCREC chairman. Except he wasn’t, because the state party didn’t recognize his “victory.” Greer summoned Long to a grievance hearing in March, where Oliver presented his case that Long should be ejected from the local GOP. Long didn’t show.
Finally, last week Long received the not-unexpected decision in a terse, one-page letter: “I accept and adopt the [grievance committee’s] unanimous recommendation that you should be removed from the position of Orange County Republican Precinct Committeeman effective immediately,” Greer wrote. “Please govern yourself accordingly.”
Greer’s decision “doesn’t have any consequences,” Long says dismissively. He recently re-filed his lawsuit against OCREC. He’s all but announced his campaign for Congress against Suzanne Kosmas.
This evening brought word of yet another Republican being brought to the grievance committee. Will Pitts of St. John’s County. In his grievance letter he received it stated why he was being brought to the committee. Here are the reasons
- Attended a Pro-America Rally in Minneapolis hosted by the Campaign for Liberty and wore a “Ron Paul” button on my lapel after the Republican primary
- Attended an End the Fed (Federal reserve bank) Rally in Jacksonville
- Spoke or written things in a manner harmful to the GOP specially regarding RPOF Chairman Jim Greer and Gov. Charlie Crist by stating they are “pathetic and embarrassing” and other comments regarding Senator John McCain and President George Bush.
Is this really a party that I want to be a part of? I wouldn’t think all Republicans feel the same way Greer does. It would lead one to think he is on a little bit of an ego trip.
Eating your own does not seem to help the Republican Party either. With so much effort being put in by the GOP with Drive the Discussion round tables, and the listening tour it would seem that the party wouldn’t want to cause members to jump ship.
If Republicans want to get their party back it is time to stand up. We will not win in 2012 with the same people like Greer destroying the Republican Party.
Republicans are just coming off of a HUGE loss to Democrats. It would appear that the Republican Party would want to be in a BUILDING PHASE rather than a tearing down stage.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I have heard some talk that Sarasota County GOP Chairman Joe Gruters is being considered for the top spot at the RPOF in the near future.
Anyone hear anything? All I know is he help Vern Buchanan go from a victory in 2006 of +369 to a victory of +65,000 in 2008. With a trending moderate district, this is very impressive.
July 11th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Jim Greer, Is no conservative, he would do better to join the Democratic Party. My question would be why did he not attend the same events Will Pitts attended? This is where all the real Republicans were, why wasn’t he there? Greer is a traitor to the Party, our country, and the people. he should go after a job more fitting to his character, like selling used cars at a seedy car lot.
I say thank God for men like Will Pitts for working hard to put the Republic back in Republican.
Greer needs to be removed and prevented from ever holding any office in the Party or public office, he’s the scum of this Earth.
July 11th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I guess having an opinion is discouraged? And exercising your right to speak your mind? I am trying to imagine what the party is going to look like after all this turmoil from the top down, I just don’t see it having any potency.
July 29th, 2009 at 9:50 am
Charlie Crist is the consummate pol –his employment by the State is not a public service, he serves himself. Professional pols always put their careers first. Jim Greer is the typical political hack. In addition to their public records, my limited personal experiences with both have given me no reason to trust either one in any way. In the dispute with Ron Paul’s more fanatic followers who deliberately held a convention near and during the Republican Nominating Convention, the Repub Party was clearly justified in calling it an act of disloyalty to the Party. Ron Paul should declare his party loyalty and rally his troops to make it the free market constitutional party that it must be if we are to be a free and prosperous nation again. Or, he should form his own party, or, go back to the Libertarian Party. Fighting the party instead of working within it for libertarian/conservative principles is counter-productive and ends up helping the statists of the Dem party.
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 am
I think the Parties are the reason we are bankrupt and they must be ended. There is no moral or ethical basis to continue this or any party. Lets consider the so called house investigation into the sansom issue. It is a farce. The Republicans have greater challenges. Greer and his handful of big donors have hijacked the party. The stanaki Land deal for Mori Hosseini is one example of why Greer must go. I will not vote for anyone Greer endorses. Run Rubio and Dockery. LEts take the party back !!
August 4th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
I think the Republican party needs to clean house from top to bottom on the advisors and party leadership who caused the demise of 2006 and 2008. We need true conservatives who will get back to basics and stop using the party as cover for their water downed Democratic ideology. Jim Greer is a fake, Charlie Crist is a fake, and the party needs to stop being a social club and get back to work to make a change in 2010. Lincoln Day dinners and fancy $100 a plate meals will not revive the party, it’s time to start handing the reigns over to the younger generation to revive the party before it become extinct like RPOF’s current leadership.
September 24th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
This only tell Pitts side of the story. He was removed for breaking party rules. It’s as simple as that!
November 15th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
This comment is in reference to Republicans eating there own. I am under the firm opinion that if a so called Republican is not acting as a Republican then he is fair game. I feel the Republican Party has gotten away from its core values. Even G W Bush got away from his values, In his defense though he had a Democratic controlled House and Senate. I have received several surveys from the RNC. It seemed to me that they were questioning what there core values were. It the leadership doesn’t know what are CORE values are then we are in far worse shape than we may think. The one thing we don’t need is to reshape the RNC to be some Middle of the road party. There are more conservative in the US than any other group. What we are missing is how to reach out to the Minority parties that the Democrats continue to reach out to. Many of which share many of our core values but the Republicans alienate by being too firm in there stands. The RNC and the republicans should have real alternatives to the Issues that really are important to the people while maintaining our core values. This is not hard to do but we must have political guidance from our party leaders. If they don’t want to lead the way then they need to get out of the way.