Orange Republican executive committee members Nick Egoroff — suspended for four years — and Ax the Tax activist Doug Guetzloe — suspended 13 months, two years of probation — both plan to file legal appeals to overturn the sanctions.

“This is nothing but trying to take out the groups opposing Jim Greer’s leadership,” Egoroff said.

Egoroff said a a host of other Greer critics from all over Florida suffered the same fate, accusing them of supporting non-Republican candidates or just being “detrimental” to the party. He expected that same group to file a class-action lawsuit against the party to get the probation and suspension terms killed.

Some in this singled out group have come to call the whole episode a Florida Republican Party “purge.”

“This is clearly a party purge,” Guetzloe said. “Party purges were popular with Stalin, Hitler and now Jim Greer all denying free speech.”

Guetzloe said he will tap long-time legal advocate Fred O’Neil to file a First Amendment lawsuit against Orange Chairman Lew Oliver, and possibly other local GOP officers.

“This is just really painful to me, because I’ve put a lot of work into this party,” Egoroff said.

Egoroff and Guetzloe have been at odds with current Orange GOP Chairman Lew Oliver, who filed the grievance complaints against the two dissidents. Another Oliver critic, Deon Long, had already been removed from his party post by the state.

Steele relested this statement:  statement said the probation was a price he was willing to pay for standing up for his principles.

Later by phone Steele said that if the state party hoped to “stifle” his activity with the official punishment, “that’s just not going to happen.”

“We can’t be stifled in Brevard County,” Steele said. “It’s unified the party here.”

Charlie Crist & Marco Rubio

With a calm shrug or a smile, Gov. Charlie Crist and his supporters haven’t seemed too rattled about all the buzz, blogs and straw polls that show conservatives seem more fed up with him and more fond of his Republican rival in the U.S. Senate, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Privately, though, Crist seems a little more worried.

Though he’s well ahead in fundraising and support in the polls, Crist and his campaign staff have been calling Republican party chiefs throughout the state to figure out why some conservatives are fed up with him, how to defend his decisions, and how to turn on the charm.

Brevard County Republican Executive Committee Jason Steele got hit by the charm offensive two weeks ago as he vacationed in Aruba. He missed a call on his cell phone from an unknown number, dialed it back and started chatting with the friendly and familiar-sounding guy on the other line for a few moments before he realized it was Crist.

“The governor is paying attention, he’s spending a tremendous amount of time reaching out. That’s positive,” said Steele

“It’s good when you have a primary. It forces politicians to pay attention and listen more closely to what people are saying.”

Steele said the governor has a chance to communicate his commitment to conservatives by making a good pick to replace U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, who’s retiring.

But at the time Crist was calling, he wanted to know whom Steele favored to fill a Fifth District Court of Appeal vacancy, which was part of a judicial controversy that riled conservatives. Steele recommended Circuit Judge Bruce Waldron Jacobus, who could have been appointed months before. But Jacobus is white as were the other shortlisters, and Crist held out for a minority slate of candidates until the Supreme Court said no.

So Crist picked Jacobus Aug. 4 (eschewing two women, incidentally, which seems pretty common for Crist, according to this Orlando Sentinel piece.)

Steele called Crist the next day to say thanks. And Crist started to ask him about his problems among conservatives. Steele said he conservatives thought Crist’s made too liberal a pick in tapping James E.C. Perry (who used to sit on the 18th Circuit with Waldron, by the way) to the Florida Supreme Court.

“Jason, I don’t know if you know, but Justice Perry was a Jeb Bush appointment. If was he right for Jeb Bush, why isn’t he right for you?” Crist asked.

Steele mentioned the stimulus. Crist said he had to aggressively seek the money because it was best for the state.

“It was tough to argue with. Even though I hate it, the stimulus package, it’s a good point,” Steele says.

Still, Steele persisted, saying it seemed to many that Crist wasn’t conservative enough.

“I’m as conservative as any governor. I’m chain gang Charlie. I’m pro-gun. I’m pro life,” Crist said. “He used the Charlie Crist charm. He’s got work to do and I think he’s doing it.”

Hillsborough’s Republican Party Chair, Deborah Cox-Roush, said the calls and temperature-taking from Crist is nothing new. “He’s always reaching out,” she said.

But over in Pasco County, after Rubio walloped Crist in a straw poll of Republicans this summer, a Crist campaign staffer called county party chief Randy Maggard. He recounted the litany of Crist’s transgressions, including the Supreme Court pick and his literal embrace of Barack Obama and the Democrats’ stimulus package.

“That picture is etched in our minds. The base is really fed up with this,” said Maggard.

At ground zero for the Crist-Obama manhug, Lee County, the head of the party said Crist’s term has marked two years of disappointment. As a result, Rubio soundly beat Crist in a straw poll there, prompting a call from the Crist staff.

“The support for the governor has plummeted significantly,” Lee said. “A big reason might be that his governance has not been from the conservative side of the political spectrum, it has been left of center.”

Lee said the chat was friendly but honest.

“They were taking the temperature of Republicans,” he said. “I told them it has cooled substantially.”

–Marc Caputo

Jason Steele

In an ever-widening effort, the GOP party purge that began with the removal of Orange County Republican Leader Deon Long, the leading African-American Republican leader in Florida has now been extended to over a dozen other conservative GOP leaders from Pensacola to Miami.  It has just been learned that former State Representative, the Honorable Jason Steele, Chairman of the Brevard Republican Executive Committee has also been targeted for removal by a Greer appointed “grievance” committee that Greer boasted last week was “handpicked” to vote out his opponents.

Chairman Steele just released the following statement:

Brevard REC Chairman: Party Leaders Targeted by RPOF Bosses, Who is Next?

From the Desk of Jason Steele, Chairman, Brevard Republican Executive Committee

Brevard Republican Party

2525 Aurora Rd. Suite 105

Melbourne, Florida 32935

(321) 254-0073

URGENT!!!

Republicans Are being Targeted: You Could Be Next!

ACTION NEEDED NOW

It’s been more than a month of debate since Brevard County Republican Chair, Jason Steele, led his local party in voicing decent over the early endorsements of primary candidates by state party bosses, and statewide Republicans remain engaged in a battle for the soul of the Republican Party.

Following Steele’s announcement that his local party would not support primary endorsements by the state political machine, and the subsequent resignation of the Brevard Republican Executive Committee Secretary, Travis Clinger, who was asked to resign amidst allegations that he acted against his organizations vote to rebuke state bosses, RPOF has begun a purge of independent minded Republican leaders throughout the state.

Deon Long, one of the state’s most influential African American leaders, was recently removed and banned for life from participating in Republican Party activities, after he spoke out criticizing party big wigs for their attacks on Republican Liberty Caucus leader Will Pitts.

“This is the kind of witch hunt that will only serve to purge loyal conservative Republicans, and make room for cronies who will tow the line behind part fat cats and their pet candidates,” said Brevard Chairman Jason Steele. “In a time when we are working so hard at the local level to expand the outreach of the conservative message, we need leaders like Deon, and Will Pitts, and a hundred others. This is not the time to stifle debate by silencing the real leaders of our party.”

Steele himself has been notified that he is the target of a grievance alleging he violated the RPOF loyalty oath by his actions at the local level. “I have been and remain a loyal Republican, but I have not been, and will not be a mindless follower of the state ‘party line,’” said Steele. “We are engaged in nothing less than a battle for the soul of our party, and our nation, and I will not sit by and watch as voices are shunned for speaking out!”

Steele called RPOF actions a “purge” and said he and other leaders around the state would fight to see that every Republican voice counted, and that the party returned to the corps values that he said his organization was built upon.

“We live in a nation facing tough economic times, threats to our way of life are at home and abroad, and the world marches forward looking to us for leadership, and it troubles me that the party of Lincoln and Reagan is being decimated by a hand full of good ole’ boys looking to preserve their own power,” said Steele. “We have been the party of ideas, of true inclusion, and now we must remind every Republican of that, and we must call on each other’s strength and commitment to restore and rejuvenate our ‘Grand Old Party’”

If you feel as strongly as I do, Please contact us and help us take our party back. (321) 258-8993, or e-mail rfbjasonsteele@juno.com. Your help is vital if we are going to restore individual accountability to our party and our nation!

Sincerely,

Jason Steele
Chairman

Brevard Republican Executive Committee

http://brevardrepublicans.org/2008/12/15/hello-world/