RCPB Co-hosts Palm Beach Gardens Candidate Forum on 2/25

Three Takeaways from the Sunshine Summit

The Sunshine Summit, last weekend’s gathering of the Republican grassroots in Orlando, brought together 14 of the 15 candidates currently competing for presidential primary votes, along with most of the Senate candidates.

Unlike the events of the last two cycles in 2007 and 2011, which featured both televised debates and straw polls, this was mostly a candidate showcase – each was given 20 minutes to make their case. The extreme number of candidates this time, and the fact that Florida does not vote until March 15 – after 26 states will have already assigned their delegates, probably reduced attendance at the event. Still, there were upwards of 1000 in the hall, and the media presence was considerable. CSPAN covered the event live, and lots of recognizable on-air personalities could be seen roaming the halls.

External events played a role in what transpired, as reaction to the Paris attacks on Friday were integrated into the Saturday speeches, or in the case of Chris Christie, dominated their remarks. And the Democrat debate on Saturday night offered a unique opportunity to compare all of our contenders to Hillary Clinton and her two pesky sparring partners.

All the candidates remarks can be seen streaming on CSPAN.

After watching all the debates and attending the Heritage Action Event in South Carolina (with 10 of the candidates), I thought I had a good idea of the dynamics of the race and who was on my short list. That said, I left Orlando with a few new insights.

1. The outsiders have captured the imagination of large portions of the Republican base, even at an event comprised mostly of “insiders”.

As an event sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida, with a large number of blue-badged party officials in attendance, I expected a great deal of support and enthusiasm for the “favorite sons” Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, and less for the outsiders Trump, Carson, Fiorina, and (some would say) Ted Cruz. This was clearly not the case.

While Jeb and Marco have strong support, it was the outsiders who were the rock stars.

Ted Cruz laid out the red meat with a flourish and hit all the hot buttons from Obamacare to the border, the Iran deal, a flat tax, and support for Israel, to thunderous applause.

Donald Trump, avoiding any criticism of his rivals this time, took on illegal immigration (need a Dream Act for Americans), winning again, incompetent leaders, and suggested that college students should be taught about the first amendment. The response was widespread and overwhelming.

Ben Carson, after a quiet start discussing his upbringing, lit into an extensive litany of all the things he would do if he wanted to “destroy America” – all of which Obama has put into motion. His was the most complete and devastating attack on the incumbent President of all the candidates and the crowd responded with enthusiasm.

Carly Fiorina, the last speaker of the event, focused on the Paris attacks, the feckless and dangerous foreign policy of Obama/Clinton, and what she would be doing about ISIS. It seemed like Margaret Thatcher channeling Winston Churchill and left no doubt that she would be a serious and effective commander-in-chief. The response was loud and enthusiastic.

2. Almost all of the Republican contenders are displaying the vision, determination, skill and experience that could believably repair the damage that 7 years of Obama have wrought. Clinton is clearly not in the same league with these people, in spite of her over 25 years on the national stage, and tenure as Senator and Secretary of State.

One thing that has become obvious to many people is that there are many kinds of relevant experience besides being an elected official. The office of President is a unique job, unlike any other, and it takes a generalist to oversee a diverse set of tasks, a communicator to inspire the country and lead it in a positive direction, and a visionary to see our potential as a people and set the wheels in motion to carry us forward. Governors, Senators, Business Leaders – all have skills that are relevant to the job, and all of the candidates now in the race have been successful in their lives and bring serious qualifications and abilities to the table.

Some would say that the terrible state that the country is in – anemic growth, unsustainable debt, corruption at all levels, an abdication of world leadership – is a result of professional politicians and insiders (lobbyists, big donors, etc) having screwed everything up. Hillary Clinton, who is unarguably the stereotype of all those things, would represent more of the same, as could be seen on the debate stage in Des Moines. It was apparent in Orlando that our candidates (to a greater or lesser extent), reject the status quo and will lead the country in a different direction.

3. The weeding out process is going to be long and arduous, as very few of these contenders can be counted out, despite their current standing in the polls.

Until the first delegates are selected in the Iowa caucuses on February 1, the polls will be unreliable, as most likely voters appear to be making tentative selections. Many people, until they have to commit, will lean to the candidate that meets their ideological goals, appears to speak “for them”, says the “right things”, or wins debating points. When the rubber meets the road though, issues of electability, consistency, honesty, ethics, contrast with the Democrat candidate, and other issues will rise in importance. As this year is unusual in the number of candidates and the widespread dissatisfaction with elected officials, predictions are hard.

Some weeding out has already begun, as few would expect Lindsey Graham or Jim Gilmore to become the nominee, and two candidates have already left the race. But all the rest have ardent supporters and judging by the enthusiastic response at the summit to most of the candidates, there are many “acceptable alternatives”. It is truly a deep bench.

Public Hearing on the County Budget – What to expect

Magna Carta: Eight Centuries of Liberty

Conservatives and Republicans frequently cite the “rule of law” and “constitutional government” as the basis of our exceptional country, and point to the founding documents – the constitution and Declaration of Independence as defining a new direction in human history. These documents were not created from whole cloth however. We owe much to the British declaration of rights under King John in 1215 – the Magna Carta.

As Daniel Hannan wrote in the Wall Street Journal in May, to mark the 800th anniversary of that document:

“It was at Runnymede, on June 15, 1215, that the idea of the law standing above the government first took contractual form. King John accepted that he would no longer get to make the rules up as he went along. From that acceptance flowed, ultimately, all the rights and freedoms that we now take for granted: uncensored newspapers, security of property, equality before the law, habeas corpus, regular elections, sanctity of contract, jury trials.”

See the full article HERE.

Join us on September 23rd at Bear Lakes to hear PBAU Associate Professor of History Doctor Wes Borucki explain why this document is so relevant today.

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Dr. Borucki, who has taught at PBA since 2003, specializes in the antebellum South, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Colonial America, and presidential history. He teaches undergraduate history and humanities and also serves as a faculty member in the Frederick M. Supper Honors Program. Dr. Borucki’s first book, George H.W. Bush: In Defense of Principle, was published in early 2011 by Nova Science Publishers as part of its First Men: America’s Presidents series. His second book, Ronald Reagan: Heroic Dreamer, was published as part of the same series in 2014.

The history of sports is one of his side interests: his article “Moving on Up?: Whether Leaps to Division I-A in American College Football Benefit Universities” was published in June 2015 in The Journal of Sports Management and Commercialization; and in 2003, his article, “You’re Dixie’s Football Pride: American College Football and the Resurgence of Southern Nationalism,” was published in the journal Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power.

Dr. Borucki has written book reviews for The Journal of Southern History, The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, and The Alabama Review. He had the honor of serving as both a junior fellow and senior fellow in The University of Alabama’s Blount Undergraduate Initiative, in which he taught the freshman sequence of this interdisciplinary studies program that is similar to PBA’s humanities core program in its subject matter. At Alabama, he served as editor-in-chief of the journal Southern Historian in 1998-1999. He is a contributor to Oxford University Press’s Encyclopedia of African American History, Macmillan Press’ multi-volume Civil Rights in the United States, and the Gale Group’s Women in World History. His dissertation, “Yankees in King Cotton’s Court: Northerners in Antebellum and Wartime Alabama,” was the basis of presentations at the Families at War Conference at the University of Richmond, the Alabama Studies Symposium in Montgomery, and local historical group meetings for the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s Speakers Bureau. Dr. Borucki is a long-standing member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and is currently the secretary of the vestry of Redeemer Lutheran Church in West Palm Beach. He served as a lay delegate to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s convention in St. Louis in 1998 and to the LCMS’s Florida-Georgia District Conventions in 2006 and 2015.

Dr. Borucki has a B.A from Michigan State, an M.A from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and a Ph.D. from the Univerity of Alabama.

Apply Now for the 2015 Anne Roberts Scholarship

The Republican Club of the Palm Beaches’ Scholarship was named after a long-standing and active member of our Club, Anne Roberts.

The Anne Roberts Memorial Scholarship is available to any Republican undergraduate or graduate student seeking to further their education. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or above and plan to attend an accredited college. Applicants must be Palm Beach County residents and registered (or pre-registered under 18 yrs. of age) Republicans. Current members may refer applicants for this scholarship. The deadline for this application is June 1. The winner will receive $500 to be sent to the school they will attend. Award will be presented at the monthly luncheon June 24, 2015.

RCPB Scholarship application 2015

Previous Years Winners

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In 2014, our previous undergraduate recipients kept up their grades to receive additional scholarship: Dylan Brandenburg, John Clark, Jason Ferrara, and Daniel Kozell. Because of the generosity of our club members, we were able to add a fifth recipient, Hanna Matry, a junior at UF majoring in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering and a member of the University’s Rocket Team in the NASA Hybrid rocket competition.

2013 was an expansive year for our scholarship program, with 6 recipients. They went to Elizabeth Cayson, a county employee who is attending Walden University in Illinois remotely, and Danielle Madsen, who recently graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic and is working at a TV station. Three Florida State students received grants including John Clark (3rd year), Dylan Brandenburg (1st year) and Daniel Kozell (2nd year), and Jason Ferrara who is attending the University of Alabama received his third year scholarship.

In 2012, there were 5 scholarships awarded: James Schackelford in his 3rd year at Florida Atlantic University and Daniel Kozell entering Florida State University. We continued to follow John Clark, Jason Ferrara and Shirley Schaff.

In 2011, there were four scholarships awarded. John Clark attending Florida State University, Jason Ferrara attending University of Alabama, Shirley Schaff attending Northwood University and Kimberly Twoey attending Palm Beach Atlantic University.

In 2010, one scholarship was awarded to Cindy Morris, mother of 5, in her final year with 3.7 GPA at Palm Beach Atlantic College School of Education with endorsements in special education and English and a second language.

The second 2010 scholarship was awarded to James Shackelford, majoring in accounting at Florida Atlantic University. With his passion for politics, he is active in student government and volunteered for Allen West and Marco Rubio campaigns. After receiving his masters in Finance, James plans to attend law school.

The 2009 recipient, Nicole Vega, from Berean Christian High School, aspired to be a civil engineer. After much mentoring by several Club members, Nicole has changed her studies to major in Communications with a minor in Political Science at Palm Beach State College.

RCPB Scholarship application 2015

Lt. Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera at Frenchman’s Reserve

Phone Banking – Every Tuesday from Now to the Election

Come join your associates from the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches every Tuesday at the GOP Victory Center, and make calls for Rick Scott.

The race for Governor is expected to be very competitive, and Charlie Crist needs a big showing in Palm Beach, Broward and Dade to prevail – help Rick Scott take the fight to him on our home turf.

The GOP Victory Center is on the sixth floor of the Regions Building (4 floors up from GOP HQ) at 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd, Suite 650, and will be open from 10:00AM to 8:00PM. Light refreshments will be served.

To aid in scheduling, please contact Anita Carbone ( anitahcarbone@gmail.com ) and let her know when you will be coming.

Anne Roberts Scholarship to be Awarded at June 25 Lunch

Please Join us for the awarding of the 2014 Annual Anne Roberts Scholarships.

Presenting the awards for the club will be former Congressman Mark Foley. In the early days of the scholarship, Mark’s contributions allowed us to follow the students throughout their entire college years.

Also at this meeting, we will hear from PBC GOP Chair Anita Mitchell who will bring us up to speed on “Anita’s Rules for Winning – GAME ON!”.

Then Anita Carbone, who is running the Victory Center this year for the Palm Beach Republican Club, will tell us about the exciting volunteering opportunities up on the 6th floor.

Please join us and celebrate the day with our young scholars.

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Former Congressman Mark Foley was born in Newton, Massachusetts. He attended Palm Beach Community College from 1973 to 1975. He served as city commissioner for Lake Worth, Florida, in 1977 and as vice mayor from 1983 to 1984. He was a member of the Florida state house of representatives from 1990 to 1992 and a member of the Florida state senate from 1993 to 1995 until elected to Congress from the (then) 16th district. He resigned from the House in 2006.

County Party Chair Anita Mitchell was elected without opposition to replace former Chair Ira Sabin who resigned last September. Mother of West Palm Beach Commissioner Kimberly Mitchell, she has helped raise money for a variety of GOP candidates over the years, including Mitt Romney and Rick Scott, and has been a long-time member and leader of the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches.

Political consultant Anita Carbone is the 2014 manager of the GOP Victory Center for the Palm Beach Republican Club, and has been a board member of the PBC GOP. She has served as a field coordinator on the campaigns of many local politicians, including former Congressman Allen West.

Apply Now for the 2014 Anne Roberts Scholarship

The Republican Club of the Palm Beaches’ Scholarship was named after a long-standing and active member of our Club, Anne Roberts.

The 2009 recipient, Nicole Vega, from Berean Christian High School, aspired to be a civil engineer. After much mentoring by several Club members, Nicole has changed her studies to major in Communications with a minor in Political Science at Palm Beach State College.

In 2010, one scholarship was awarded to Cindy Morris, mother of 5, in her final year with 3.7 GPA at Palm Beach Atlantic College School of Education with endorsements in special education and English and a second language.

The second 2010 scholarship was awarded to James Shackelford, majoring in accounting at Florida Atlantic University. With his passion for politics, he is active in student government and volunteered for Allen West and Marco Rubio campaigns. After receiving his masters in Finance, James plans to attend law school.

In 2011, there were four scholarships awarded. John Clark attending Florida State University, Jason Ferrara attending University of Alabama, Shirley Schaff attending Northwood University and Kimberly Twoey attending Palm Beach Atlantic University.

In 2012, there were 5 scholarships awarded: James Schackelford in his 3rd year at Florida Atlantic University and Daniel Kozell entering Florida State University. We continued to follow John Clark, Jason Ferrara and Shirley Schaff.

2013 was an expansive year for our scholarship program, with 6 recipients. They went to Elizabeth Cayson, a county employee who is attending Walden University in Illinois remotely, and Danielle Madsen, who recently graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic and is working at a TV station. Three Florida State students received grants including John Clark (3rd year), Dylan Brandenburg (1st year) and Daniel Kozell (2nd year), and Jason Ferrara who is attending the University of Alabama received his third year scholarship.

The Anne Roberts Memorial Scholarship is available to any Republican undergraduate or graduate student seeking to further their education. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or above and plan to attend an accredited college. Applicants must be Palm Beach County residents and registered (or pre-registered under 18 yrs. of age) Republicans. Current members may refer applicants for this scholarship. The deadline for this application is April 30.The winner will receive $500 to be sent to the school they will attend. Award will be presented at the monthly luncheon June 25, 2014.

RCPB Scholarship application 2014

Vinyard and McClure at February RCPB Lunch

After our very successful District 18 Candidate Forum last month, we are looking for another big crowd to hear two important speakers discuss how federalism is working in Florida, with more local control over our own state and less coming from Washington. Both of these speakers will show how locally controlled community oriented programs are superior to big government controls.

Secretary Vinyard was appointed in 2011 by Governor Rick Scott to tackle one of Florida’s most challenging problems: sustainably managing Florida’s wetlands, Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. He will speak about our State’s efforts to conserve and protect its world-renown natural resources in a sustainable, fiscally responsible way without undue control from Washington bureaucrats. His extraordinary efforts to date represent a tremendous example of the ways that more limited and localized government by the people can be superior to centralized planning on a national level.

Dr. Bob McClure heads the James Madison Institute, a Florida nonpartisan public policy research organization that has operated since 1987. Dr. McClure will elaborate on the same principles of Federalism as they apply to school choice. He will talk about some of the ways that our State and local communities can promote a more effective and efficient educational system, independent from the sorts of centralized policies advanced in Washington. Dr. McClure has written numerous papers and is widely published both in Florida and nationally on a variety of policy issues. His dedication to public service is reflected in his various past and present memberships on groups such as the Florida Elections Commission, the State of Florida Education Strategic Planning Council, the Florida Advisory Council of the National Center for Policy Analysis, the Florida Committee for the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights, and on the Editorial Board for the Journal of School Choice.

This will be another great program, so we hope you will be able to join us.

Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below

or by emailing info@pbcgop.org, or by calling 561-855-0749.
Please respect Club rules: Cell Phones Silenced, Business Casual Attire, Please No Jeans

Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
213 -29th Street West Palm Beach, FL 33407

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