Congressional Update from Brian Mast
Sunday brunch at Grandes Bella Cucina featured district 18 Congressman Brian Mast, fresh from a great week in DC where he attended the White House event for Wounded Warriors. Regarding President Trump he said “You can see the love in his eyes” as he gave hugs to the wounded veterans.
In his update, Brian mentioned some good things in the farm bill – specifically the work requirement for welfare, and the provision that each welfare program must be applied for separately. (Currently, one enrollment gets you approved for all of them). It will be decided on a party line vote of course.
He mentioned that the Congressional office in the VA Hospital is now open for business, ready to receive veterans who want to discuss issues.
Attending a tech conference in Miami, Brian observed journalist John Harwood raising the issue of the so-called impending “blue wave”. Brian thought this was a bad question as it only addresses party and not policy. (You may remember John Harwood as the moderator of the Republican primary debate where the candidates got so fed up with his bias that they ignored him for most of the evening and asked each other questions :-). There will be no blue wave said Brian confidently. With the tax bill and improving economy we will do quite well.
During a brief question and answer session, Brian addressed Brightline (he challenged their tax exempt bonds in a committee hearing), and problems with getting legislation through the Senate.
Regarding the fact that he is facing a primary challenge, he responded “this is not my seat, anyone can run against me if they wish.” Brian will face Dr. Mark Freeman and Dave Cummings in the August Republican Primary.
Former CIA Agents to Speak at RCPB
ARE YOU CAPTIVATED by ESPIONAGE? Do you read Spy Novels? Real Life INTRIGUE ? (Ted Bell, Daniel Silva, Nelson DeMille, Ken Follett, John le Carre’)
Bring your Friends May 23 to hear from TWO former CIA secret agents who have walked the walk and lived the life for 10 years—- Joseph and Michele Rigby Assad—who met in school in central Florida, graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic College, finished graduate studies at Georgetown, Washington DC, and were sent by the CIA after 9-11 to countries whose names had to be redacted from Michele’s book, “BREAKING COVER”, for protection.
On May 23, the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches will host these two former agents, authors of “Breaking Cover”, at the Holiday Inn Airport. All members of RCNPB are invited.
Joseph and Michele Rigby Assad
Former CIA Authors of “Breaking Cover”
For more information, and to RSVP please click here.
Brian Mast to Speak at April Brunch
Ken Abramowitz at March Brunch
Los Tres Amigos 2018
Los Tres Amigos, for the third year running, were the highlights of our February meeting at Grande’s Bella Cucina.
Michael Barnett, PBCGOP Chair and vice chair of RPOF, was fresh from his recent Oval Office visit for the Black History Month event, where he rubbed elbows with Herman Cain, Alveda King and others.
The county GOP is in great shape he reported, raising lots of money. Lincoln Day was sold out in December, even without announced speakers, but it will be a great lineup. Sarah Palin will be the headliner, with guests Diamond and Silk, James O’Keefe, and Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA.
Michael gave us an update on outreach activities and reported that the local Haitian community is still supporting the President, in spite of media attempts to drive a wedge over alleged comments, because he keeps his promises. The Puerto Rican evacuees – estimated at over 300,000 and settling around the I4 corridor from Osceola to Hillsborough counties, are a toss-up. About 90% are expected to settle permanently and many have registered to vote – but there are more Independent registrations than either Democrat or Republican. The African American community is harder, but Trump carried a larger percentage of that group than a typical Republican and the Economy will help in the 2018 election cycle.
Next up was attorney James D’Loughy, who (with Sid as plaintiff) is suing Palm Beach Gardens over the misleading ballot questions for the March election. James was a city council candidate in 2013, jumping into the race to speak out about dirty politics, and one of the driving forces that put term limits on the ballot in 2014. That measure passed with 80% of the vote and all 5 current council members were able to run and win because of it. Now that same council has decided that they really want more terms than permitted, and want to be able to run again when their limits are up – a measure that they have placed on the March ballot to “let the voters decide”. The city is using large amounts of taxpayer money to promote a YES vote on the four questions in a misleading way – part of the reason for the lawsuit. James suggests you vote NO on all four questions.
The third “Amigo” was former County GOP Chairman Sid Dinerstein, whose topic was “Honey, I shrunk the Dems!”
Invoking the “Gretsky Rule” (go to where the puck will be …), Sid was very upbeat about the 2018 and 2020 elections. “I’d run with a 4% GDP growth anytime.”
He believes that 80% of the 2020 votes are already “cast” – they were locked in with the Carrier Deal in December 2016, especially in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Dems have become the “no jobs” party and have shown they will not stand up for the working man in those states.
In 2018, he thinks Brian Mast will win by 20 points. The national Democrats listed CD18 as a target race, but only because it is a closely divided district (by registration) and he does not think they will pour money into it as there are other districts where the pickings are better. He then listed many of the things which have made the Democrats weak and shrinking:
- Voter Fraud – a foundation of their strategy, will be less effective because we are talking about it and the fraudsters will keep their heads down.
- Good Help – the association with Black Lives Matters, Antifa and other groups of paid, professional thugs
- MS-13 and Sanctuary Cities – Trump is leading on these issues and Obama was absent
- The NFL – stupidity on many levels
- Political correctness – New York has renamed Columbus Day, “Indigenous People’s Day” – angering Italians everywhere
- Doubling Down on the tax bill – the Dems still call a widely successful and popular program “Armageddon”
- DACA – Trump has the high ground on this and the Dems will abandon the Dreamers in favor of an “issue”
With all of these Democrat negatives, Sid thinks Trump will win in 2020 easily.
To wrap it up, Sid described the State of the Union as “Trump hearts America”, and paraphrased the best line of the speech: “Americans are Dreamers too – AGAIN”.
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Los Tres Amigos – 2018
Congressman Brian Mast at December Brunch
Representative Rick Roth visits the RCNPB
“We’re the party that fights for principle, and thankfully in public”. This is Rick Roth’s answer to why we can’t all get along in Washington and Tallahasee.
Over a fine buffet brunch at Grande’s Bella Cucina, Rick touched on a range of topics from noting the upcoming 500th anniversary of Martin Luther and the Reformation, what it’s like to be a freshman legislator (speak quietly and listen), those in the legislature that he admires (Richard Corcoran especially although Rick is supporting Adam Putnam for Governor), and the importance of never giving up.
Some ideas he is advancing are intriguing.
– Noting that many graduating high school students know much less about our history and government than those achieving new citizenship status, he proposes that passing the same test required in the naturalization process be a requirement for a diploma.
– Amendments to the Florida constitution, most of which are proposed by the legislature itself, should require a 2/3 vote to pass, a higher threshold than the current 60%. Since most voters don’t read the supporting material for ballot questions – just the question itself (if that), it would require more effort by proponents to educate the voters.
– The Sunshine laws make things difficult for county commissions and city councils to efficiently govern, since they cannot talk among themselves out of the public eye. A bill Rick is proposing would allow groups of officials to perform fact finding missions together, discussing the topics freely as long as the meetings are noticed and minutes are kept.
In closing, he explained the age-old method of influencing your government officials – visit their offices to get to know the staff, and GIVE THEM MONEY. Like it or not, people do remember those on their donor lists.
And summed up his approach to legislating as “Quiet, principled, get the job done.”
Also at the meeting, Sid Dinerstein reminded us all that the term limits that was imposed on Palm Beach Gardens Council by 80% of the voters in 2014 is being threatened by the new Council elected since then. The Council is proposing to increase the limit from 2 terms to 3, and allow people to run again after sitting out a term. If they proceed, it would appear on the ballot in March 2018 (by itself as no candidate is up for election in the municipals next year). With the expectation of an extremely low turnout, several hundred voters could overturn the will of the 16,000 that voted yes in 2014. Most of the members in attendance seemed to agree with Sid that this was wrong.
Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Maria Marino, a member of the club and a driver of the changes, was present and wished to rebut Sid’s allegations, but the discussion had to be curtailed as it wandered into other areas. Maria has been invited back to the December meeting to explain why she thinks tearing up term limits is a good idea.
Rick Roth at October 29 Brunch
