Allen West Endorses a former Brigadier General in the FL GOP District 13 Special Election

Former Congressman and Fox News Contributor, Allen West, is weighing in on the upcoming special election in Florida’s 13th congressional district. West is backing Brigadier General Mark Bircher over ” David Jolly, Young’s former general counsel and lobbyist; and Kathleen Peters, a pro-choice state representative.”

West cited Bircher’s recent quote, and announced his support on his website here.

“Instead of spending the rest of my life complaining, even if I were to fail, at least I wouldn’t have to say ‘what if?’ I want this job. I want to do the best I can.”- Gen. Mark Bircher.

While Jolly will have to overcome the hurdle of being a D.C. lobbyist, Peters will have a tougher time of overcoming her shortcomings.

As we posted earlier this week, Peters supports the controversial Common Core education standards conservatives like West and Senator Marco Rubio oppose. Peters also does not support a full and immediate repeal of Obamacare, as Jolly, Bircher, Rubio, West, and others all do.

And then there is the fact that she is backed by left-of-center Republicans, who at one point, were all Charlie Crist Republicans, working hard to defeat Senator Marco Rubio in 2010.

If Bircher can defeat Jolly and Peters, he would then have to face off against former Florida CFO, Democrat Alex Sink, in the March special general election.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on The Shark Tank.

Ronald Reagan was the TEA Party!

Newly re-elected Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) on CNN’s Jake Tapper show stated, “I’m a conservative. I’ve governed as a conservative in this state, and I think that’s led to some people disagreeing with me in our state, because it’s generally a left-of-center, blue state.”

But is Christie truly a conservative?

Republicans, like Christie, often quote Ronald Reagan when speaking about conservatism. In September 2011 Christie spoke at the Reagan Library, his topic was “Real American Exceptionalism“. Christie focused on Ronald Reagan’s stand against striking air traffic controllers in 1981. Christie said, “The air traffic controllers, in violation of their contracts, went on strike.  President Reagan ordered them back to work, making clear that those who refused would be fired. In the end, thousands refused, and thousands were fired. I cite this incident not as a parable of labor relations but as a parable of principle. Ronald Reagan was a man who said what he meant and meant what he said. Those who thought he was bluffing were sadly mistaken.  Reagan’s demand was not an empty political play; it was leadership, pure and simple.”

“We tend to still understand foreign policy as something designed by officials in the State Department and carried out by ambassadors and others overseas. And to some extent it is. But one of the most powerful forms of foreign policy is the example we set. This is where it is instructive to harken back to Ronald Reagan and the PATCO affair. President Reagan’s willingness to articulate a determined stand and then carry it out at home sent the signal that the occupant of the Oval Office was someone who could be predicted to stand by his friends and stand up to his adversaries. If President Reagan would do that at home, leaders around the world realized that he would do it abroad as well.  Principle would not stop at the water’s edge,” noted Christie.

Reagan’s policies were based upon in what has become known as his “three legged stool”. Some call them the “Three Pillars of Conservatism”.

Kevin Price from Renew America writes, “If you know of Ronald Reagan, you are likely to be aware of his ‘three legged stool.’ Reagan developed a success formula to build winning coalitions that was as simple as it was brilliant. A sample of that simplicity and one of the hallmarks of Reagan’s policies was his ‘three legged stool.’ Reagan’s policies were built on three ideas; free enterprise, strong defense, and pro-family social policies. He chose these three because they, of course, reflected his own values, but he also realized that each of these ideas have enormous appeal on their own.”

Reagan was a man of principle, true conservatives are as well. Compromise on matters of principle is foreign to conservatives. Conservatives intuitively know that compromise on principles is the art of losing slowly.

J. Matt Barber from Christian News Today in his column “The Complete Conservative” writes, “I recently attended the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration hosted by the Republican Party of Virginia. It was co-sponsored by, among others, the Ronald Reagan Institute for Conservative Leadership. Michael Reagan, the oldest child of the man widely considered our greatest modern president, was the keynote speaker. Mr. Reagan said something that I think concisely sums up the core values shared by the ragtag millions who comprise the Tea Party movement. ‘People often ask me if Ronald Reagan would have supported the Tea Party,” he said. ‘Ronald Reagan was the Tea Party’.”

Speculation about who is the frontrunner for in the 2016 presidential Republican primaries has begun. The media always frames the Republican selection process as a need to run as a conservative in order to win the primary but run as a moderate in order to win the White House. That strategy was unsuccessful for both John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Price wrote, “Today, the common cry from economic conservatives is that they are the only ones with a message that matters to the voting public. After 40 years of Roe vs. Wade, we have two generations who only know a country with abortion on demand, they argue. Secondly, many conservatives have grown suspicious of ‘the military’ leg. They believe that just as the government has gotten suspicious in its domestic spending, it has also lost its bearings when it comes to defense and has found itself being internationalists with muscle. Essentially, ‘the three legged stool’ is being replaced by a pogo stick. A single area of interest and concern — the economy, being the springboard for political success.”

Price concludes, “The reality is the ‘three legged stool’ tripled the reasons why one would vote Republican. If the GOP provides the only means to protect traditional families, Christian conservatives will support it, regardless of the other legs of the stool. I think the same can be [said] of the other parts of a coalition that made the Republican Party very successful. If the stool is dead, the fortunes of the party may be also.”

Has the GOP adopted a “pogo stick” as the only path for political success? If so, losses as far as the eye can see may occur, as they did in Virginia, a state that could have elected the conservative Ken Cuccinelli.

Barry Goldwater wrote, “I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!”

It not the economy stupid, its the three legged stool!

RELATED COLUMNS: 

Tea party peeved with GOP over governor races, says Ken Cuccinelli was robbed

Christie Sued on His Victory Day

 McConnell Debt Plan: Press Release Conservatism

The Republican Establishment Lost Virginia

Look to Cruz, Not Christie

Black Voters Are Now Up for Grabs

I had an extensive conversation last week with a prominent Republican political operative about next year’s congressional elections.  This operative is one of the godfathers of Republican politics and has played at the highest level for more than 30 years.

He wanted to talk with me about the Black vote in light of President Obama being in the White House.  He is not one of the Republicans who subscribes to the notion that the Black vote is not worth going after and he also thinks that current party chair, Reince Priebus, is leading the party in the right direction with his “Growth and Opportunity” initiatives.

This operative asked me how I would advise our congressional leaders and governors who are up for reelection next year. The first thing I would suggest they do is to sit with Priebus and his chief of staff, Mike Shields, to discuss how the “Growth and Opportunity” initiative can be replicated on a state and congressional district level. In the short term, this helps with their immediate reelection; in the long term, it begins to lay the groundwork for the 2016 presidential election.

A two-for-one is pretty good in any business deal. Our congressional leaders have little to no interaction with Black Republicans or the Black community.  This is a very serious strategic mistake.  Republicans have little appreciation for how disillusioned the Black community is with President Obama.  Black physicians are apoplectic at how Obamacare is negatively impacting their medical practices; HBCUs are in open rebellion against the Obama administration’s policies that are devastating their student enrollment; Black entrepreneurs  are being shut out of federal procurement opportunities and are having very difficult times with access to capital from the very banks his administration has bailed out.

These three issues – healthcare, education, and small business – play to the strengths of our party; so why we are not taking advantage of this huge opening Obama has given us is mind-blowing.

There are several national organizations within the Black community that focuses on these three issues and I have had discussions with each of their executive boards.  They are very open; no very enthusiastic about the possibility of establishing long-term relations with the Republican Party if and only if the party is willing to address their concerns with policy solutions.

They each have their own ideal solutions, but are willing to enter into a dialogue to see if the Republican Party can find common ground with them that will lead to legislation that they can support.  Many of these organizations have leaned left politically, so their willingness to engage in substantive dialogue with the Republican Party is a tectonic shift in the political landscape.

Priebus has shown a respectful understanding of that shift.  He and his staff have been masterful in building relations with prominent Black organizations that have long been ignored by the Republican Party.

Priebus hosted a luncheon in August commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.  In attendance were Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League; Hilary Shelton, head of the NAACP’s government relations office; and Wade Henderson, head of Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.  Yes, you heard me right, they were Priebus’ personal guests for the event.  Priebus also attended the NAACP’s national convention last  summer and was warmly received by those wanted to take pictures and talk with him.

Priebus is also seeking to re-engage seasoned Black operatives such as the legendary Bob Brown and Kay James.  These are people who understand policy and the optics of policy.  Over the past several years, these veterans have been pushed aside for these millennials who have little to no appreciation for those who paved the way for them.  Priebus understands that both must be engaged if the party is to make lasting inroads into the Black community.

So, Obama is driving away the Black community and the Democratic Party, but our congressional leaders have not given them a compelling reason to move to the Republican Party.  If they come up with policy solutions that address the three above issues, Blacks are willing to listen and engage; but it has to be on a substantive level.

Priebus has given the blueprint; Christie has proven that it works.  Congressional Republicans and Republican governors, can you hear me now?  

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a Washington, D.C.-based public relations/government affairs firm. He can be reached through his Web site,  www.RaynardJackson.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @raynard1223. 

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared on Black Press USA.

Is a Libertarian Party in Florida’s future?

Click on the image to read the full report.

Debra Caso, a Florida resident and member of Freedom Advocates, in an email writes, “It is time to look at our political choices a little more closely. Principle over Party and issues we can agree on across the board. Are you better off today than you were 16 years ago? If you work for the government you probably are richer but your rights have been radically attacked by the R and D party. Candidates start at the local level and they go right up to Congress!  Congress has failed America. RD Party is 2 sides of the same coin, we need a second party.”

Caso is energized because of the 2013 American Values Survey: In Search of Libertarians in America published by the Public Religion Research Institute on October 30th.

So is Alex Snitker from the 1787 Radio Network. In his column “There Are 2,595,586 libertarians In Florida” Snitker writes, “In Florida, there is only one way for a political party to reach major party status. That is [by] having 5% of registered voters be registered in your party. In the 2013 American Values Survey, “In the Search of Libertarians” a clear path was laid on how the Libertarian Party of Florida can achieve major party status in our state. There are 11,798,121 registered voters in Florida. If this poll is correct this means that there are 2,595,586 libertarian or libertarian leaning voters in Florida. For the Libertarian Party of Florida to reach major party status we need 589,907 to be registered Libertarians.”

For a larger view click on the image.

The 2013 American Values Survey presents an interesting picture of the political landscape in the United States.

The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) states, “According to a newly developed Libertarian Orientation Scale, less than 1-in-10 (7%) Americans are consistent libertarians, and an additional 15% lean libertarian. At the other end of the spectrum, an equal number of Americans are consistent communalists (7%), and an additional 17% lean communalist. A majority (54%) of Americans have a mixed ideological profile, falling in between libertarian and communalist orientations.”

“Compared to the general population, libertarians are significantly more likely to be non-Hispanic white, male, and young. Nearly all libertarians are non-Hispanic whites (94%), more than two-thirds (68%) are men, and more than 6-in-10 (62%) are under the age of 50,” reports PRRI.

PRRI found, “Generally speaking, libertarians are more opposed than white evangelical Protestants, those affiliated with the Tea Party, and Republicans overall to government involvement across a range of economic policies, such as raising the minimum wage, Obamacare, and increasing environmental protections.”

For a larger view click on the image.

The PRRI survey found that “Unlike economic questions, on which libertarians are generally aligned with other conservative constituencies, libertarians have a more distinct profile on social issues.”

  • Nearly 6-in-10 (57%) libertarians oppose making it more difficult for a woman to get an abortion, a proportion identical to the general population. By contrast, strong majorities of Republicans overall (58%), Americans affiliated with the Tea Party (58%), and white evangelical Protestants (68%) favor making it more difficult for a woman to get an abortion.
  • Seven-in-ten (70%) libertarians favor allowing doctors to prescribe lethal drugs to help terminally ill patients end their lives. Americans who identify with the Tea Party are closely divided on this question (49% favor, 51% oppose). By contrast, strong majorities of Republicans (58%) and white evangelical Protestants (70%) oppose this policy.
  • More than 7-in-10 (71%) libertarians favor legalizing marijuana. By contrast, approximately 6-in-10 Republicans (61%) and Tea Party members (59%), and nearly 7-in-10 (69%) white evangelical Protestants, oppose legalizing marijuana.
  • Unlike most other social issues, libertarians remain socially conservative on same-sex marriage. While a majority (59%) of libertarians oppose same-sex marriage, they are significantly less opposed than Republicans overall (67%) and than other conservative-leaning groups such as Tea Party members (73%) and white evangelical Protestants (80%).

A majority (53%) of libertarian voters say they always vote in primary elections, a rate comparable to white evangelical Protestant voters (48%) and Republican voters overall (50%) but significantly lower than the participation rate among Tea Party voters (62%).

As the 2014 election cycle begins calls for a third party tend to grow. Will there be a Libertarian Party in Florida? Time will tell.

VIDEO: The global threat of a Red (Marxist) on Green (Islamist) alliance

Tom Trento, National Security Expert, Director of The United West.

Tom Trento, National Security Expert, Director of The United West.

Tom Trento, Florida talk show host, author and internationally known speaker on national security issues, spoke at the Villages TEA Party on September 17th. The topic was the global threat facing the United States, our allies and Israel. Trento covered topics including Syria, Iran, the 9/11 remembrance and the threat to Western civilization posed by a new/old alliance. This Red (Marxist) and Green (Islamist) alliance has strengthened recently with the reemergence of the role of Russia in the Middle East.

Trento takes questions from the TEA Party members and put into perspective what is happening in this and previous administrations. Please watch Trento’s presentation (video courtesy of The United West):

ABOUT THE UNITED WEST:

The United West is dedicated to defending and advancing Western Civilization against the kinetic and cultural onslaught of Shariah Islam, so that America remains a land of freedom, justice and opportunity grounded in the principles of our Constitutional Republic.The United West has taken up this challenge because the ever increasing forces of darkness, whether political, social, or philosophical seek to destroy, subvert or subjugate all that Americans hold to be right and true.The United West will succeed in this mission by educating, training and activating Americans to stand on proven principles, guide public opinion and amend public policy so that leadership is selected on November 6, 2012 which affirm the canons of jurisprudence.

Specifically, TUW educates and activates freedom minded people, wherever they may live, to effectively develop strategies and tactics which propagate the exceptionalism of Western Civilization over against the totalitarian choke-hold of shariah Islam. Immediately, our objectives include the mobilization of Americans and Europeans to stand firmly for the defense and protection of the State of Israel.

The United West combines top-shelf academics with a military-grade activism to distinguish itself from every counter-jihad organization. There is no other nongovernmental organization like it, in the world. Visit TheUnitedWest.org to learn more.

Exclusive Interview with Candidate Richard DeNapoli (FL-Dist. 74)

WDW sat down with Richard DeNapoli, candidate for FL-District 74. As the 2014 election cycle heats up it is important for voters to know the candidates. WDW will continue to interview candidates and elected officials to educate voters.

DeNapoli served as a prosecutor in Orange County, Florida for a short time after law school, prosecuting third degree felonies, before returning to South Florida to care for his grandmother when his grandfather passed away in June 2003.

In addition to being a Licensed Attorney, Realtor, Mortgage Broker and Notary, DeNapoli is also a Certified Financial Planner. He worked as a Trust and Investment Officer for five years at Northern Trust on a team with $1.8 Billion assets under management providing services to high net worth individuals. Prior to joining Northern Trust, DeNapoli had a successful law practice.

What sets DeNapoli apart is his work in Broward County, FL to insure voters rights are protected.

In November 2011 DeNapoli sent an open letter to Dr. Brenda C. Snipes, the Supervisor of Elections in Broward County, about early voting locations. DeNapoli, the then Chair of the Broward Republican Executive Committee (BREC), found that all of the Broward County early voting locations were in heavily Democratic areas. DeNapoli in his letter noted, “Research in numerous scholarly journals has shown that the greater the distance from a voting site, the greater exists the likelihood of non voting. The incidence of early voting is highly sensitive to the location of the early voting location.” Due to his efforts one of seventeen early voting locations was placed in a heavily Republican location.

But DeNapoli was not finished.

In May 2012 DeNapoli and BREC officials, “[C]onducted a search of the Social Security Death Index (“SSDI”) for Broward County for the 2011 calendar year as obtained through www.GeneaologyBank.com.  The search was conducted from May 13-19, 2012.  The results revealed that 9,960 Broward County residents had passed away during the 2011 calendar year.  BREC officials then checked 2,100 of these names without regard to party registration against the Broward SOE’s website: 481 deceased individuals cross referenced by name, birth date, city or zip code were still listed as “active” voters according to the Broward SOE. This is 23 percent of the deceased persons examined.” The featured photo above is of DeNapoli holding the stack of dead voter registrations in Broward. Photo courtesy of the BREC.

It is always interesting and notable to see any political party or politician scrub the voter roles of dead people – Republicans and Democrats alike.

Danita Kilcullen, TEA Party Fort Lauderdale, sent this comment to WDW – FL, “Richard DeNapoli was a fantastic Chairman of the Broward Republican Executive Committee.  He brought tens and tens of new memberships and put his own money where his mouth is. Especially memorable was the evening when CAIR’s South Florida Leader, Nasar Hamze, after months of heckling and creating chaos at Allen West’s Town Hall meetings, decided he would join BREC.  What Richard did to prevent this was maverick and read much like a Perry Mason courtroom drama.  When he tells you he’ll fight for you, that is exactly what he does.”

To learn more about Richard DeNapoli click here.

EDITORS NOTE: WDW will be keeping an eye on those running for public office in Florida. Stay tuned.

Smoking gun: Pinellas commissioners conceded on term limits in 2000

Philip Blumel from Florida Term Limits Blog reports:

A smoking gun has been uncovered in the Pinellas term limits case and the defendant’s’ fingerprints are all over it.

You may recall that Pinellas County Commission and constitutional officer term limits passed with 73 percent of the vote in 1996, but the county refused to insert the amendment into their charter as clearly required by the law due to its alleged constitutional ambiguity.

The county commission and the five constitutional officers sued the voters to get the amendment overturned. The district court denied them, upholding the constitutionality of the term limits.

The constitutional officers continued their suit and requested authorization to add the Pinellas County Commission to the appeal. However, the minutes of the 5/30/00 county commission meeting — uncovered via a FOIA request on behalf of plaintiffs in the ongoing case to force commissioners to comply with the law — clearly show that the Pinellas County Commission chose not to participate.

According to the above document, County Attorney Susan H. Churuti advised the commission of their options and the process of becoming appellants. But, the document says, “following discussion, Commissioner [and current defendant Karen] Seel moved, seconded by Commissioner Parks and carried, that the county commission do nothing and let the ruling stand.”

The constitutional officers went all the way to the Supreme Court, alone. This is why only constitutional officer term limits were reviewed in the split 2002 Cook decision that declared constitutional officer limits to be unconstitutional. The Florida Supreme Court never tackled the issue of county commission term limits until 2012 when it unanimously declared them to be constitutional. For good measure, the Supremes overturned Cook at the same time, declaring without ambiguity that charter county voters have the right to impose term limits on their public servants.

Since then, 10 of the 11 charter counties with county commission term limits are obeying the law. Most of them always did. Only Pinellas — after losing at the district level and then at the Florida Supreme Court — continues to defy the voters and the law.

ABOUT FLORIDA TERM LIMITS BLOG

Philip Blumel is president of U.S. Term Limits, a single-issue advocacy group based in Fairfax, VA, and a certified financial planner working out of downtown West Palm Beach, FL.

Black American citizens file “Articles of Impeachment” against Obama

NBRA Chairman Frances Rice, Esquire

The National Black Republican Association (NBRA) based in Sarasota, FL, headed by Chairman Frances Rice, filed Articles of Impeachment against President Barack Obama with the following language:

We, black American citizens, in order to free ourselves and our fellow citizens from governmental tyranny, do herewith submit these Articles of Impeachment to Congress for the removal of President Barack H. Obama, aka, Barry Soetoro, from office for his attack on liberty and commission of egregious acts of despotism that constitute high crimes and misdemeanors.

On July 4, 1776, the founders of our nation declared their independence from governmental tyranny and reaffirmed their faith in independence with the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791.  Asserting their right to break free from the tyranny of a nation that denied them the civil liberties that are our birthright, the founders declared:

“When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”  –  Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

THE IMPEACHMENT POWER

Article II, Section IV of the United States Constitution provides: “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

THE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT

In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, Barack H. Obama, aka Barry Soetoro, personally and through his subordinates and agents, in violation or disregard of the constitutional rights of citizens and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has prevented, obstructed, and impeded the administration of justice, in that:

ARTICLE 1

He has covered up, delayed, impeded and obstructed the investigation of the Benghazi Battle.

Specific conduct includes: (1) failing to adequately secure the US Consulate and the CIA annex in Benghazi; (2) failing to send a response team to rescue embattled US citizens in Benghazi; (3) lying to the American people about why the US Consulate and the CIA annex were attacked in Benghazi; and (3) hiding from the media and congressional investigators the Central Intelligence Agency personnel and other wounded US citizens who were on the ground in Benghazi by scattering them throughout the United States, forcing them to adopt new identities and subjecting them to monthly polygraph tests.

Benghazi Battle elements that are under investigation:

On September 11, 2012, the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, the US Consulate and the CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya was targeted in a premeditated, preplanned attack launched without warning by Islamist militants.

Footage of the attack broadcast in real time showed armed men attacking the consulate with rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades, assault rifles, 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine guns, truck mounted artillery, diesel canisters, and mortars.  It was not an act of savage mob violence, nor a spontaneous protest in response to an anti-Islamic video on YouTube.

In that attack, four American citizens were killed:  US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens; Information Officer Sean Smith; and two embassy security personnel, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, both former Navy SEALs.  Ambassador Stevens is the first U.S. ambassador killed in an attack since Adolph Dubs was killed in 1979.

ARTICLE 2

He has disclosed secret grand jury material by exposing the existence of a sealed indictment of one of the Benghazi attackers in violation of  Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure that clearly states: “… no person may disclose the indictment’s existence except as necessary to issue or execute a warrant or summons.’’

ARTICLE 3

He has authorized and permitted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a division of the Justice Department, to conduct Operation Fast and Furious, wherein guns were sold to Mexican drug trafficking organizations that were used to kill innocent Mexican civilians and two rifles sold to a smuggler in January 2010 ended up at the scene of the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in December 2010.

ARTICLE 4

He has authorized and permitted confidential income tax returns information from the Internal Revenue Service to be provided to unauthorized individuals, organizations and agencies.

ARTICLE 5

He has caused investigations and audits to be initiated or conducted by the Internal Revenue Service in a discriminatory manner, including harassment and intimidation of conservative, evangelical and Tea Party groups applying for non-profit status between 2010 and 2012.

Elements of this illegal conduct include the facts that: (1) the head of the Internal Revenue Service tax-exempt organization division, Lois Lerner, admitted during a telephonic press event that illegal targeting occurred, then invoked her Fifth Amendment right and refused to answer questions before Congress about the targeting out of fear of self-incrimination; (2) two other career Internal Revenue Service employees stated that they acted at the behest of superiors in Washington — Carter Hull, a retired Internal Revenue Service Attorney and Elizabeth Hofacre, an employee of the Cincinnati IRS office which oversaw tax-exempt applications; and (3) Carter Hull stated that he was directed to forward the targeted applications to, among others, one of only two political appointees in the Internal Revenue Service Chief Counsel William Wilkins.

ARTICLE 6

He has (1) authorized and permitted the National Security Agency to conduct or continue electronic surveillance of over 300 million average Americans; (2) given access to National Security Agency surveillance data to other intelligence units within the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Secret Service, the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security in violation of the law; and (3) conducted the surveillance of average Americans unconstrained by Congress, the United Supreme Court or the US Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court which has, to this date, functioned as a rubber stamp, having approved every request made of it in 2012 and rejecting only two of the 8,591 requests submitted between 2008 and 2012.

ARTICLE 7

He has authorized and permitted the Department of Justice to wiretap and secretly obtain two months of telephone and e-mail records of Fox News Reporter James Rosen and over one hundred Associated Press journalists.

ARTICLE 8

He has thwarted Congress by (1) failing to enforce all or parts of laws duly enacted by Congress, including the Defense of Marriage Act, the No Child Left Behind Act, and the Affordable Care Act; and (2) after Congress refused to pass his Dream Act, unilaterally issuing an executive order directing immigration officers to no longer deport an entire class of illegal immigrants who came here as children, regardless of individual circumstances, and to give them work-authorization permits.

ARTICLE 9

He has violated the Constitution when, on January 4, 2012, (1)  he bypassed the U. S. Senate to appoint three members of the National Labor Relations Board, actions that were ruled unconstitutional by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit which affirmed previous decisions by the Court of Appeal for the D.C. Circuit and the Third Circuit; and (2)  he bypassed the U. S. Senate to appoint Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

ARTICLE 10

He has intimidated whistleblowers and brought twice as many prosecutions against whistleblowers as all prior presidents combined.  Egregiously, while refusing to prosecute anyone for actual torture, he prosecuted former Central Intelligence Agency employee John Kiriakou for disclosing the torture program.

Wherefore Barack H. Obama, aka Barry Soetoro, by such conduct, warrants impeachment and trial, and removal from office.

The Articles of Impeachment have been sent to President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Boehner, House Minority Leader Pelosi and the full Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives for action.

About The NBRA

Our vision is that black Americans will become power players in the political arena so that they can seize control over their own destiny and move into our ownership society through small business and home ownership.

MISSION:  The mission of the National Black Republican Association (NBRA) is to be a resource for the black community on Republican ideals and promote  the traditional values of the black community which are the core values of the Republican Party:  strong families, faith in God, personal responsibility, quality education, and equal opportunities for all.

GOAL:  The goal of the NBRA is to return black Americans to their Republican Party roots by enlightening them about how Republicans fought for their freedom and civil rights, and are now fighting for their educational and economic advancement.

OBJECTIVES:  The objectives of the NBRA are to conduct a nationwide grassroots educational campaign in black communities; champion school choice opportunity scholarships to give black parents educational options and access to a quality education for their children; and provide training and resources for grassroots activists and candidates for elected office.

Contact us by mail to:

National Black Republican Association 
4594 Chase Oaks Drive
Sarasota, FL 34241-9183

About Frances Rice, Esquire, Lieutenant Colonel, US Army (Retired)
President NBRA

Frances Rice joined the Army in 1964 as a Private and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel after 20 years of active service. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Drury College in 1973, a Master of Business Administration from Golden Gate University in 1976, and a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1977—all while serving in the US Army.

During twenty years of active duty in the US Army, Frances served in a variety of positions, including commander of a WAC company, adjutant of a basic combat training brigade, a prosecuting attorney, and chief of the administrative law division. She also served as a special assistant to the Army Judge Advocate General and an adviser to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity.

Subsequent to her military career, Frances worked for the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, serving first as a member of that company’s “think tank,” and then as a government contract advisor. She later taught Business Law for the European Division of the University of Maryland in Brussels, Belgium.

Frances became politically active in 1982 and served as a member of President Ronald Reagan’s Private Sector Initiatives Task Force. She worked as a volunteer in the campaigns of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, as well as Governors Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist and Rick Scott.

Frances is active in the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Sarasota County. In 2005, she became a co-founder and Chairman of the National Black Republican Association, an organization that is committed to returning African Americans to their Republican Party roots. Recently she was honored as the Volunteer of the Year by the Republican Party of Sarasota County. Governor Rick Scott appointed Frances to the Government Efficiency Task Force in July 2011 for the task force’s one-year duration.

Among the awards she received during her military career is the Legion of Merit, the second highest honor that can be bestowed upon a non-combatant. In 1987, she was accorded the distinction of being one of America’s top 100 Black Business and Professional Women by the editorial board of Dollars and Sense magazine.

RELATED: 

Benghazi attorney: What Obama just did absolutely illegal, impeachable

Impeachable Offenses: The case for removing Barack Obama from office

Court rules Obama acted illegally; Harry Reid says it ‘means nothing’

Obama Gives Congress Obamacare Relief – Illegally

Obama’s Unconstitutional Steps Worse than Nixon’s

173 cases of alleged interstate voter fraud in Florida & Maryland

True the Vote (TTV), the nation’s leading voters’ rights organization, today announced new research findings of interstate voter fraud in Florida and Maryland. Florida and Maryland state election authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice were formally notified of 173 cases of voters casting ballots simultaneously in both states during federal elections.

“These 173 cases represent True the Vote’s continued effort to expose the fragility of our absentee voting systems,” True the Vote President, Catherine Engelbrecht said. “Last year Pew Research found that 2.75 million Americans were registered to vote in more than one state. We are unfortunately continuing to see the consequences of that startling statistic. True the Vote calls on Florida, Maryland and federal officials to investigate our latest research.”

Key Facts & Data Points

  • Voters were identified matching full name, date of birth and residential address.
  • True the Vote was able to study federal voting histories from 2006 to 2012.
  • Cases of double voting by cycle
    • 2012: 10
    • 2010: 9
    • 2008: 17
    • 2006: 137
  • Most common Florida counties (cases)
    • Escambia (28)
    • Clay (10)
    • Duval, Pinellas, Volusia (9)
  • Most common Maryland counties (cases)
    • Anne Arundel (33)
    • Montgomery (18)
    • Prince George’s (17)
  • 11 individuals double-voted in multiple federal election cycles.
  • 12 married couples were identified double voting, some in multiple cycles.

Federal and state laws were potentially violated as a result of these activities. Federal law, specifically 42 U.S.C. § 1973i(e) clearly states that voters cannot cast more than one ballot in the same election.

True the Vote’s research follows a series of similar findings in Florida, Ohio, New York and Rhode Island, triggering criminal investigations between the states in late 2012. TTV coordinated its research with Annapolis-based Election Integrity Maryland.

Copies of the research referral letters to the U.S. Department of JusticeFlorida Secretary of State and the Maryland State Board of Elections have been made available to the public.

RELATED:

Letter to DOJ Election Crimes Division (Scribd)
Letter to Florida Secretary of State (Scribd)
Letter to Maryland State Board of Elections (Scribd)

ABOUT TRUE THE VOTE:

True The Vote (TTV) a nonpartisan, nonprofit grassroots organization focused on preserving election integrity is operated by citizens for citizens, to inspire and equip volunteers for involvement at every stage of our electoral process. TTV empowers organizations and individuals across the nation to actively protect the rights of legitimate voters, regardless of their political party affiliation. For more information, please visit www.truethevote.org.

Voto Honesto (TTV) es una organización sin fines de lucro, no partidaria, enfocada en preservar la integridad en las elecciones y operada por ciudadanos para ciudadanos, ara inspirar y equipar a voluntarios para envolverse en cada una de las etapas del proceso electoral. TTT capacita a organizaciones e individuos a través de la nación para activamente proteger los derechos de los votantes legítimos, sin importar a que partido político perteneces. Para más información, por favor visite  www.votohonesto.org.    

Online Survey: Which of the Ten Commandments do politicians violate most?

Daily headlines report on politicians who have fallen from grace. From San Diego to New York the list grows. The sins committed are always used for political gain by political opponents. Religion has become politicized and politics has become a religion for some.

Americans are questioning the morality of our elected officials.

The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and the Brookings Institute released their 2013 Economic Values Survey. PRRI and Brookings state, “Our new research shows a complex religious landscape, with religious conservatives holding an advantage over religious progressives in terms of size and homogeneity,” said Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. “However, the percentage of religious conservatives shrinks in each successive generation, with religious progressives outnumbering religious conservatives in the Millennial generation.”

The PRRI and Brookings note, “Religious progressives are significantly younger and more diverse than their conservative counterparts. The mean age of the religious progressive population is 44 – just under the mean age in the general population of 47 – while the mean age of religious conservatives is 53. Twenty-three percent of Millennials (ages 18-33) are religious progressives, while 17 percent are religious conservatives. Among Millennials, there are also nearly as many nonreligious (22 percent) as religious progressives. Conversely, 12 percent of the Silent Generation (ages 66-88) are religious progressives, while 47 percent are religious conservatives. One-in-ten (10 percent) of the Silent Generation are nonreligious.”

Are politicians merely a reflection of us?

The Torah Exodus 20 contains the Ten Commandments. Please take our online survey and pick the commandment you see being violated the most by politicians.

To view the results of the survey click here.

2 Timothy 3:1-11 BOOKS

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”

See it at YouVersion.comhttp://bible.us/31/2ti.3.1.books

RELATED COLUMNS:

Do you live in on of America’s “Most Sinful” cities or one of the “Saintly Cities”?

Fact Check: Does the Bible really support rape and polygamy?

Open primaries coming to Florida?

Many citizens are concerned that both major political parties have become too powerful. A growing number see Democrats and Republicans as driven by winning at all cost, too friendly with special interests and using a closed system for picking candidates for public office. One group of citizens from Sarasota, Florida is trying to break this “axis of party power” by having open primary elections for elected officials in Sarasota County, Florida.

According to their website OpenOurElections.com, “We are a local group of Republicans, Democrats, Independents and others who have come together to Open Our Elections to all Sarasota County voters.”

OpenOurElections.com has initiated a petition to place an amendment to the Sarasota County Charter on the 2014 ballot. The proposed charter amendment states:

Add a new Subsection 6.5B under Article VI of the Sarasota County Charter:

Subsection 6.5B Non-Partisan Election of County Officers

The members of the Board of County Commissioners and Charter Review Board and the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Property Appraiser, Tax Collector, Supervisor of Elections, and Sheriff shall be elected on a non-partisan basis. Names of all candidates shall be placed on the ballot without reference to political party affiliation. The term nonpartisan shall be as defined by state law; provided that nothing therein shall impair the constitutional rights of freedom of speech, press and association.

Sarasota is one of 20 charter counties in Florida. According to the Florida Association of Counties, “In 1968, the electors of Florida granted local voters the power to adopt charters to govern their counties.  Charters are formal written documents that confer powers, duties, or privileges on the county.  They resemble state or federal constitutions and they must be approved, along with any amendments, by the voters of a county.”

The rationale for the OpenOurElections.com petition are:

As with all elections, traditional local elections have candidates of various parties vying for the opportunity to be an elected official of Sarasota County. Usually a candidate of each party, for example a Republican and a Democrat, chosen during a primary (August) faces the opponent of the other party in the general election (November).

In a case where there are only candidates from one party running for a given county office, the winner of the primary becomes the elected official. In this situation, according to Florida State law, ALL registered voters, regardless of party, can vote in the Primary for that office.

However, that same state law also includes a ‘loophole’ that allows someone to close the primary to all other voters. It allows for people to file as ‘write-in’ candidates, usually someone who claims they have no party affiliation, for the General Election for a given office. By having someone as a ‘write-in’ candidate, the Primary will become ‘closed’ to all voters except those of the one party. In effect, this locks out more than half of the registered voters in Sarasota County from voting for our local officials and having a say in who makes the government decisions that affect our quality of life.

This situation occurred with the election for the Sarasota Supervisor of Election race in 2010.

According to OpenOurElections.com, ‘This ‘loophole’ has been used several times and both Republicans and Democrats have been guilty of using this tactic to manipulate the elections.”

WDW – FL will be following this initiative.

Study: Voters fleeing Republican Party, tired of “lesser of two evils” argument

Breitbart reports, “A new study by the Frontier Lab, a conservative market research group, found that Republican voters who leave the party do so because they are are tired of being told to vote Republican as the ‘lesser of two evils’. The study, ‘Switching Behavior: Modeling disaffiliation from the Republican brand’, is published on the group’s website and applies scientific methods of qualitative research to the GOP’s most urgent problem.”

One Republican in Venice, FL is among them.

WDW – FL received the following in an email dated July 3, 2013 from Kathy Bolam:

Sadly, today at the Board meeting of the Republican Club of South Sarasota County, I made the following statements…..

I have been actively involved with the Republican Party since 2007. I have always been a Republican. I have watched you all work hard, giving your all to get Republicans elected. But, how has that worked for us? Are we as a nation, state or even county, better off than we were 5 years ago? Those we elected have betrayed the Constitution (Buchanan, Rubio, violated our morals (Nancy Detert), refuse to act on behalf of the 2nd Amendment (Sheriff Knight), allow contracts that benefit developers (Commissioners). It seems the goal of the Republican party is to elect Republicans….not to elect people who will lead ethically, and uphold our Constitution. I have seen you all work hard, but I haven’t seen too many Republicans following up on those we have elected…..via personal visits, attending County Commission Meetings, Charter Review Board Meetings and Town Hall. If we don’t monitor their performance, then they feel empowered to do as they please.

I saw the deplorable treatment given to Ron Paul last year at the Convention, I saw the injustice meted out to Linda Long, I’ve seen Mr. Waechter’s manipulative words at the Charter Meetings and County Commission Meetings, I see Rubio and Buchanan violating the Constitution. I saw in the 2012 August Primary that only 10 % of voters elected the Supervisor of Elections. To me that disenfranchised 90% of the voters and was a sham perpetrated via Victoria Brill and denied citizens equal rights at the ballot box. I see the Party more important than the Constitution. Therefore I plan on changing to an Independent voter.

I have enjoyed my relationship with this club and find no fault therein, but I have to be honest to myself and cannot continue as a Republican. Let me know to whom I should turn over the records, etc. I will miss all the good people and friends of the South County Club, but I just can’t continue to be loyal to the Republicans standards when are leaders have not been loyal to the Constitution.

Since 1972 there has been significant growth in Florida of Independent voters. Both political parties are losing voters. Since 1972 the Republican Party has grown by 430%, the Democrat Party by 197% and Independents have grown by 2,489%.  The total number of registered voters has grown by 339%.

The Florida Division of Elections provides the below infographics to show changes in party affiliation since 1972:

Year Republican Democrat Other Total
1972 974,999 2,394,604 117,855 3,487,458
1974 1,035,510 2,438,580 147,166 3,621,256
1976 1,138,751 2,750,723 204,834 4,094,308
1978 1,178,671 2,812,217 226,299 4,217,187
1980 1,429,645 3,087,427 292,649 4,809,721
1982 1,500,031 3,066,351 299,254 4,865,636
1984 1,895,937 3,313,073 365,462 5,574,472
1986 2,038,831 3,214,753 377,604 5,631,188
1988 2,360,434 3,264,105 422,808 6,047,347
1990 2,448,488 3,149,747 432,926 6,031,161
1992 2,672,968 3,318,565 550,292 6,541,825
1994 2,747,074 3,245,518 567,006 6,559,598
1996 3,344,036 3,774,809 1,077,812  8,196,657
1998 3,327,207 3,731,367 1,268,133  8,326,707
2000 3,474,438 3,853,524 1,552,434  8,880,396
2002 3,610,992 3,956,694 1,756,873  9,324,559
2003 3,577,179 3,880,342 1,808,963  9,266,484
2004 3,954,492 4,322,376  2,199,569  10,476,437
2005 3,954,304 4,276,512  2,241,102  10,471,918
2006 3,920,201 4,196,608  2,268,797  10,385,606
2007 3,826,836 4,138,604  2,241,161  10,206,601
2008 4,106,743 4,800,890  2,504,290  11,411,923
2009 3,967,472 4,637,354  2,459,541  11,064,367
2010 4,042,393 4,611,335  2,562,010  11,215,738
2011 4,061,224 4,552,483  2,622,454  11,236,161
2012 4,263,587 4,821,859  2,953,125  12,038,571
May 2013  4,194,220 4,717,750  2,933,883  11,845,853

Editorial: Is Rubio the new face of “Progressivism”?

Florida has a penchant for growing and electing Republicans who morph into big government “progressives”. The most recent example is Marco Rubio. But he is not the first and certainly will not be the last.

Before Rubio there was Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist.

Jeb is the brother of George W. Bush, the “compassionate conservative” President. Compassionate conservative came to mean during Bush’s second term “progressive big government”. Remember it was former President  Bush who dramatically expanded Medicare (Part B) and bailed out the banks. Government stimulus is an ongoing program created by a Republican President and expanded under the current administration. G.W. Bush famously said, “I’ve abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system.” Jeb and G.W.’s father former President George H.W. Bush signed the Agenda 21 Treaty.

Charlie Crist soon after being elected governor adopted California’s carbon emission standards by issuing an Executive Order imposing them on all Floridians. Crist morphed from being a Republican, to a Progressive Independent and is now a registered Progressive Democrat. It is expected Crist will challenge Governor Rick Scott in 2014.

Jeb has visions of following in his father’s and brother’s footsteps. He has embraced President Obama’s Common Core education initiative, which will enrich Jeb and his family. In September of this year he will award the Liberty Medal to Hillary Clinton. Jeb will present the award on the eve of the deadly Benghazi attack in Libya. The Liberty medal is awarded by one of Jeb’s many foundations.

Rubio willingly became the face of the progressive goal of amnesty with the passage of the immigration bill this week. There is a pattern. While Rubio was Florida Speaker of the House he supported the REAL ID and failed to strengthen immigration laws in Florida. Many were concerned that Rubio would be pro-amnesty but he reassured Floridians that he would not during his 2010 campaign. In 2010 Rubio stated, “’an earned path to citizenship,’ such as his opponent Gov. Charlie Crist, former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain had advocated, was nothing more than a ‘code for amnesty’.”

Fast forward to this week. Greg Gutfeld, co-host of The Five on Fox News, said, “For politicians [like Rubio] immigration is more about bodies than borders.” Republicans, like Rubio, are becoming more and more progressive in their views and now actions. Many conservatives say the Republicans have compromised their principles on key issues, which according to Slade O’Brien from Florida Americans for Prosperity, “Is the art of losing slowly.”

Today, Florida Republicans are breeding the next generation of progressive politicians. Heritage Action for America scorecard gives a lower than 60% rating to six Florida Republicans in Congress, including Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL 13), who leads the Florida delegation and sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Another of the upcoming “new progressives” in Florida is Senator Nancy Detert who was given an “F” rating on the Americans for Prosperity legislative scorecard.

Is seems to more and more Americans that both Democrats and Republicans are now two squads on the same team. The only difference is who has the ball.

Gone are conservative men of conscience like former Senator Barry Goldwater, American Politician and Senator, 1909-1998. It was Goldwater who wrote:

I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is “needed” before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents “interests,” I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can.

While Florida Republicans may embrace Ronald Reagan, and declare they are conservatives during their campaigns, it is their actions once elected that make their true beliefs clear. Is the public conscience in decline and Republican politicians just a reflection of the “new, new”; or are they the proximate cause of the moral and cultural decline in America?

That is the question.

Impact on Florida of the two Supreme Court rulings on voting

Voter fraud remains a problem in Florida. According to BallotPedia, a study conducted by the Florida Sun Sentinel in late October 2008 found:

  • More than 65,000 ineligible and duplicate voters on Florida’s registration rolls.
  • 600 dead people on the list.
  • 32,000 multiply-registered voters.
  • More than 33,000 convicted felons who should not be eligible to vote.
  • In the final five weeks before voter registration closed Oct. 6, Florida added more than 2,600 ineligible felons to the rolls.

The Supreme Court of the United States made two key rulings dealing with voting.

The first dealt with the Arizona law requiring those registering to vote show proof of citizenship.

Justice Antonin Scalia, who wrote the court’s majority opinion, said federal law “precludes Arizona from requiring a federal form applicant to submit information beyond that required by the form itself.”  If a Florida resident uses the Federal form, then that registrant must comply with all of the Florida requirements for voter registration.

The Florida Constitution states:

SECTION 3 Oath.—Each eligible citizen upon registering shall subscribe the following: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Florida, and that I am qualified to register as an elector under the Constitution and laws of the State of Florida.”

SECTION 4. Disqualifications.—

(a) No person convicted of a felony, or adjudicated in this or any other state to be mentally incompetent, shall be qualified to vote or hold office until restoration of civil rights or removal of disability.

Under federal law it is a felony to register and vote illegally. However,  in Florida enforcement of these provisions is left up to the local Supervisor of Elections and state attorney.

The second fundamentally changed the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

In an email to Florida’s Supervisors of Elections Maria Matthews, Esq., Director, Division of Elections, Florida Department of State, writes:

“[T]he United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Shelby County v. Holder, striking down Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act (“VRA”) as being unconstitutional.  Section 4(b) contained the coverage formula for determining whether a jurisdiction is subject to preclearance under Section 5 of the VRA. The Court did not strike down Section 5; however, the coverage formula in section 4(b) can no longer be used as a basis for subject­ing jurisdictions to Section 5 preclearance until Congress creates a new coverage formula (if it should so desire to do so).

The court’s decision means:

  • Florida’s five covered counties (Collier, Hardee, Hendry, Hillsborough and Monroe) are no longer covered by Section 4(b); therefore, they are not subject to the preclearance requirement in Section 5 of the VRA and need not submit changes affecting voting to the federal government for approval.
  • Collier and Monroe Counties will also no longer have to provide Spanish on the ballot. This is due to the fact that subsection 4(b) is incorporated by reference into subsection 4(f)(4) which was the basis for the minority language designation for these two counties. Therefore, until or unless they are designated in the future under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act by triggering census minority population thresholds or by court consent decree, these two counties do not have to provide the ballot and other election materials in Spanish.
  • Hardee, Hendry and Hillsborough counties are still designated as minority language designated/covered jurisdictions through their separate designation under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act. This means they still have to provide election materials including the ballot in Spanish. However, they do not have to submit anything to the federal government for approval.
  • All other counties in the State who are required to provide Spanish on the ballot and other election materials on the basis of a court consent decree (such as Osceola and Volusia) or on the basis of Section 203 designation (Broward, Lee, Miami-Dade, Orange, Palm Beach and Polk) must continue to do so.”

As Florida approaches the mid-term election cycle the issue of registering legal voters and legal voters voting will be raised. Those against following the federal and state laws argue by doing so it suppresses the vote. That is true – it suppresses the illegal vote.

Allen West: I May Challenge Rubio for Senate Seat (+video)

Billboard on I-75 in Ocala, Florida. Click on the image for a larger view

Joe Miller from Restoring Liberty reports:

Former U.S. Rep. Allen West said Wednesday that he hasn’t ruled out a challenge to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, even as the former congressman acknowledged that it would be a difficult and expensive road to take.

West, a favorite of conservatives who lost his House seat in 2012, said he’d draw on his faith to make a decision on a future political contest.

Read more.

Senator Rubio may be vulnerable due to his role as the “leader” of the Gang of Eight on immigration. He has lost support of conservatives. In Florida a billboard was raised showing the distrust of Rubio by at least some voters.

“When 20 million American citizens and legal workers are unemployed or desperately trying to find full time jobs it is both callous and irresponsible for Florida Senator Marco to sponsor an immigration bill that will flood the labor market with 33 million foreign workers over the next ten years,” said Jack Oliver of Floridians for Immigration Enforcement.

Allen West during an interview on WMAL radio says challenging Senator Marco Rubio in the 2016 Republican Florida primary election would be a daunting task:

Remember that Rubio faced a daunting task running  against former Governor Charlie Crist in 2010. Rubio faced a sitting Governor who at that time had a statewide approval rating of 70%, was flush with campaign cash and had already been endorsed by the Republican Senatorial Election Committee. Rubio won because he had the support of the conservative grass roots in a three way race (Crist became an Independent and ran as an “I”).

Déjà vu all over again?

RELATED COLUMNS:

Breaking News: Florida Patriot Groups feel betrayed by Senator Rubio
Rubio’s bill is more disturbing than his motives
Rubio declines to say whether he supports his own immigration bill
Marco Rubio’s approval ratings up despite immigration issues