Joyce Kaufman Highlights December Meeting

Our December meeting featured WFTL Radio host Joyce Kaufman who gave us a somewhat subdued analysis of our current state of affairs.

What has been wrong with our message for the last 30 or so years that continue to see the devaluing of life?

The 2024 election, described once again as “the most important in our lifetime” is just that – it will decide if we are going to still have a country.

Referring to the recent Congressional testimonies by the Presidents of Penn, MIT and Harvard, Joyce pointed out the absurdity of their responses to the anti semitism on their campuses. While mobs of students are free to chant “from the river to the sea”, as if genocide was part of the curriculum, we remember how quickly they mobilized against the police when George Floyd was killed.

Through a series of anecdotes involving the liberals in her own family, she pointed out how much of our troubles stem from the things that we are not allowed to talk about such as religion, abortion and living a moral life. It is only going to get worse if we don’t stand up and start having these conversations. One of the reasons she supports Donald Trump is that he is unafraid to talk about anything, and tells us the truths that many do not want to hear.

Asked a question as to “what should the message be?”, her reply was the economy. Are we better off now than under Trump? Most would say no, regardless of their party affiliation. If we can agree on that then we can agree that we need a change of leadership.

Also at the meeting was Charles Bender, CEO of the Place of Hope, the club’s designated charity for this year. Charles described some of this year’s activities and their expansion into other parts of the state.

Comedian Eric Golub, who was selling books and other materials at the event and will be our speaker next month talked about Comedy as a political force, and gave us a taste of his performance.

Candidates included Page Lewis (SB1), Andrew Gutmann (CD22), and Matt Luciano (WPB district 5).

PBC Chair Kevin Neal at October Lunch

Republicans are far outpacing Democrats in voter registration in Florida and we have clearly moved into position as the second largest Red State after Texas. Chairman Neal began his presentation at our October lunch with these positive trends, also noting that Florida is the home for Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, the two dominant players in presidential politics. (Note: Palm Beach county is now D+8.6, 5 points better than going into the 2020 election. Statewide it is R+4.6, also 5 points better). Kevin described the massive migration of conservatives to Florida and the other red states as “live free or move”.

So statewide and in the county we are in good shape to pick up some of the seats that were close in 2022. There are also about 90 seats up for grabs at the municipal level. With filing dates coming up in November for the March elections, the party needs people to step up and run for these seats.

As we move into 2024, Kevin suggests that we all register to receive vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots. You can still vote in person if you wish, but having the VBM ballot is a backup plan. VBM is the method most prone to fraud, but the rules in Florida have been tightened (drop box monitoring, ID requirements, limits on ballot harvesting), and as long as the process exists we should take advantage of it. The most powerful way to fight fraud is to turn out for a landslide result – more votes for our side than they can overcome by cheating.

He suggested that we can’t stop our scrutiny of the process as there is some indication that in 2020, Trump got a lot more votes in Florida than reported.

Also at the meeting was a number of candidates for 2024 races: Deb Adeimy and Andrew Gutmann for CD22, and Page Lewis for School Board district 1.

Donald Trump wins RCPB Straw Poll

The club hosted a forum on September 26th to contrast Florida’s two presidential candidates, former President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis which included a straw poll.

After an introduction by Fred Scheibl who highlighted the unprecedented nature of this 2024 election, Willy Guardiola (“Christian on a Mission”, “Trump Corner” rallies, anti-abortion activist) explained his personal connection to Donald Trump and why he needs to be re-elected. Then Joe Budd (“Trump-45 club co-founder, 2 time Congressional candidate) outlined why he thinks it is time for Ron DeSantis to take the reins of our country.

The coming election is unique to say the least. The twice impeached front-runner who has been indicted four times by a corrupt DOJ and vindictive prosecutors in New York and Georgia is the left’s worse enemy. They are willing to trash the rule of law, the first amendment, lawyer-client and executive privilege to prevent him from re-taking the white house. The media has dropped all pretense of fairness or impartiality. Leftists in the states are trying to keep Trump off the ballot with the 14th amendment, and there are unresolved election integrity issues, even in Florida. Despite all that, he has a majority in most national polls and in one, beats Joe Biden by 10 points.

Willy referred to the outstanding Trump record – “Making America Great Again” at least until Covid came along and threw the world into chaos, and the awesome experience of being in the crowd of 800,000 for the January 6th rally in Washington (before anything happened at the capitol). Trump is needed again to repair the damage done by Biden’s leftist minions.

Joe explained that although he still loves Trump, he finds the drama exhausting. Trump could have accomplished more if he had picked the right team or fired the ones that proved to be working against him. He contrasted that to Governor DeSantis who has actually fired the “bad ones” – SOEs Susan Bucher and Brenda Snipes, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, and a couple of rogue prosecutors. He touted the Governor’s conservative record – a CPAC 93 when in Congress, and how the 6 week abortion ban puts him to the right of Trump. As far as the polls are concerned, Joe pointed out that we don’t have national primaries and the results in Iowa and New Hampshire (which he thinks DeSantis can win) will change the dynamics of the race.

The attendees were asked to complete a straw poll ballot after hearing the speakers, and they were collected and tallied during the Q&A session which followed.

The results:

For President
Donald Trump	53%
Ron DeSantis	37%
Nikki Haley	5%
Vivek Ramaswamy	2%
Chris Christie	2%
Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Others	0%
For Vice President
Nikki Haley	24%
Kristi Noem	13%
Vivek Ramaswamy	13%
Tim Scott	11%
Kari Lake	11%
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.	8%
Kim Reynolds	5%
Matt Gaetz, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump	1 vote each

There was also one vote for the ticket of Ann Coulter and Megyn Kelly.

Also at the meeting was candidate Deb Adiemy, running for Congressional District 22.

The 2024 Presidential Primary – Why this one is different

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Representative Mike Caruso at June Lunch – Grace Templeton Receives AR Scholarship

Our June lunch featured a session review from District 87 Representative Mike Caruso.

This year’s legislative session moved the ball on the Conservative Agenda in a big way, passing many core issues with party line votes. Thanks to a unified Republican super majority, we now have an expanded voucher program, constitutional carry, illegal immigration restrictions, limits on investing in companies that are pushing ESG, $700M for affordable housing, improvements to election integrity, and a 6 week abortion ban.

Rep. Caruso spoke of the long workdays churning out this product under the strong leadership of Speaker Paul Renner who used to command a battleship while in the Navy. The key task, passing the $117B budget, provides funding for our priorities yet still finds room to add to reserves. Fiscally responsible, it is 1/3 the size of the New York budget with 2 million less residents. Some of the bills that Mike personally drove or were especially significant included:

• HB269 “Public Nuisances” – increases penalties for anti-semitic actions such as projecting swastikas on the sides of buildings. The Governor (with Mike in attendance) signed this one in Israel and it passed both houses unanimously.
• HB295 “Substance Abuse Service Providers” – limits the use of controlled substances by rehab facilities
• HB783 “Opioid Abatement” – Using money from the opioid settlement to set up an advisory council to regulate opioid use in the state
• HB1087 “Child Support” – brings state law into synch with the federal equivalent
• HB543 “Public Safety” – removes the requirement for a concealed carry permit (Constitutional Carry)
• SB102 “Live Local Act” – Affordable Housing – use $750M of Sadowski fund
• HB1 “Education” – Significantly increases the availability of vouchers for alternative schooling
• HB1069 “Education” – extends ban on classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender to eighth grade (from 3rd)

Following Representative Caruso, Club Scholarship Chairman Bette Anne Starkey presented this year’s Anne Roberts Scholarship to Grace Templeton. In her remarks, Grace relayed her experience being home-schooled from 4th grade through High School and her plans to study English at Southeastern University. Her career goal is to teach English abroad to non native speakers. She is also planning an internship in the area of information assurance, a topic she is pursuing as a minor.

District 94 Representative Rick Roth was also on hand to talk about his new role as the elected Vice Chairman of the PBC Republican Party. He discussed the “balance” of having two businessmen as Chair/Vice Chair, and two old hands to provide institutional memory in the Secretary and Treasurer seats. Plans include revamping the regional director system and recruiting new members.

Regional Director of Turning Point Action Drienna Sixto was on hand to speak about their upcoming event in West Palm Beach, and three candidates introduced themselves – Andrew Gutman (CD22), Bill Reicherter (HD90), and Gary Warner (Westlake City Council).

2024 – The Year of the Palm Beach Elephant

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Representative John Snyder and WIN Founder Sue Trombino at February Lunch

John Snyder, who was just re-elected to House District 86 (Jupiter, Tequesta and Martin County north to Stuart), will discuss “Hot Topics and Forecasted Legislative Updates for the 2023 Session”.

Sue Trombino, CEO and founder of W.I.N. (Women Impacting the Nation) will discuss her podcast and vision. The W.I.N mission is to educate and equip women and men with knowledge of God’s truth about issues that impact our faith, family and freedoms, and to support those who take a stand for those Judeo-Christian values upon which our country is founded.

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John Snyder is a member of the Florida House of Representatives, elected in 2020 to represent the 86th district, which covers portions of Palm Beach County and Martin County. Born and raised in Martin County, John attended Indiana Wesleyan University, where he graduated with Bachelor’s in Marketing. John honorably served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2015, John founded ESI Works, a recruiting and payroll company that specializes in healthcare and education staffing. John is the current Deputy Majority Leader and serves on six committees in the Florida House including the Civil Justice Subcommittee (Vice Chair), the Judiciary Committee, the Health & Human Services Committee, the Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, and the Water Quality, Supply & Treatment Subcommittee. John currently resides in Stuart with his wife Brittany, and their two daughters.

Sue Trombino was born in Caracas, Venezuela and has had a vast exposure to world culture from having been raised in Central and South America, Africa and Europe. This diverse upbringing has given her a unique perspective on America and fostered an appreciation for the Judeo-Christian values upon which America was founded.

Sue holds many things dear about the United States of America, one of which is the armed services. They are a great source of pride for her and her family as her father, mother, and brother all served this country with honor. Her dreams, passions, love of America, and love for the Lord are the driving force in all that she does.

Sue founded Women Impacting the Nation (W.I.N.) in the fall of 2005 because she felt called to make a difference. Her passion for empowering people with God’s truth and her strong love of America are the principles upon which W.I.N. is built. They are the driving force behind Sue’s tireless commitment to make a difference. It is her passion to embolden every Christian and American to get involved in saving the moral compass of America. You will often hear Sue ask, “What does God say?”

Sue is a professional speaker at seminars, forums, conferences, rallies, and church events. She has been a Bible Study Fellowship leader and is a graduate of the Chuck Colson Centurion Program.

Commissioner Sara Baxter and Sid Dinerstein Highlight December Lunch

What is a winning campaign strategy? Candidates who are newcomers to the political process will tell you they can win against the odds because of their particular background. They may have run businesses, or are professionals of one kind or another, or plan to identify with “the working man”. These newbies for the most part lose their elections because they underestimated the difficulty of raising money, reaching voters and crafting a coherent message. Political insiders, particularly incumbents, have overwhelming advantages in doing these things.

So how did Commissioner Sara Baxter overcome the odds? Winning by 5% while running as a Republican in a D+7 district against a well funded Democrat insider should make us all sit up and take notice. Clearly she knows how it is done, and at our December lunch, she told us.

With a war chest of about $100K (considerably less than her opponent), she didn’t waste it on a bunch of consultants to tell her what to do (a typical rookie mistake). As a small business owner, she already had the skills needed to identify her market and get her message out in an efficient way. She drew on a lot of free advice from the best minds, while taking advantage of a decade of experience in social media marketing. She also started early and worked very hard. Using video to tell her story, she was able to achieve the “touch every voter 7 times” principle so effectively that voters were asking her for new videos to watch.

Unlike the typical newcomer who may say they have the business skills to win but ultimately fall short, Sara actually managed her campaign as a business – with a budget and marketing plan to achieve a business objective – winning the race.

With that kind of skill on the dais, the other six commissioners better pay attention. I expect we will see a seismic shift at the county in the next couple of years.

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Our other speaker was Sid Dinerstein who gave us a sobering assessment of the election just past on the national level.

With all the bad things that the Biden administration has done to the country, this was supposed to be our chance to reverse course. An overwhelming win – 50 house seats for example, would have put us on the road to recovery. Instead we barely limped across the finish line. Unless we can achieve a level playing field in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Arizona (which should be red states but are now dominated by Democrat electioneers) we will never again win a national election.

There is a lot of blame to go around – some of the candidates were not suited for their races, and the national Republican leadership (particularly Mitch McConnell) seemed to be working against our candidates in a number of ways. Sid believes McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and Ronna McDaniel are decent people, but they are not “warriors” and not suited to lead in these times.

Sid also opined about the presidential primary – he believes Ron DeSantis will definitely be in the race. The stars are aligned for him now and it will be impossible to pass that up. In a straw poll around the room on “who do you think will be the nominee”, the members picked DeSantis over Trump by a 3 to 1 margin.

We also had some holiday music at the event, with entertainer Bobby Fonseca.

Great Participation for Meet the Candidates

On Tuesday, September 27th, many of the Republican candidates on the November ballot joined us for quick introductions and to mingle with the members. Speaking for 4 minutes each, the enthusiasm and drive to succeed comes across strongly in this group as the Republican Party of Palm Beach County is fielding a diverse, capable group to compete in all the offices on the ballot.

Our candidates included:

Eric Ankner Senate 24	Steve Byers Senate 26	Mike Caruso House 87
Roz Stevens House 88	Daniel Zapata House 89	Dorcas Hernandez House 92
Saulis Banionis House 93	Sara Baxter Commission 6	Jennifer Showalter School Board 6
Vicki Franzese (for Dan) Congress 22

Pat Rooney at the May 24th Lunch

The May 24th meeting of the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches featured Pat Rooney, Jr. as our guest speaker. Pat is the President of the Palm Beach Kennel Club (PBKC) and has served our community in many ways including a six year stint as a State Representative in the Florida House from 2010 to 2016.

Pat’s topic was “Business and Government: Not Always on the Same Page.” Mr. Rooney began his presentation with an overview of the history of PBKC. The Club opened in 1932 and Pat’s grandfather Art Rooney bought the track in 1970. Dog Racing was one of the most popular sports in Florida from 1970 until the late 1980’s. Dog racing ceased in 2020.

Mr. Rooney discussed the factors contributing to the demise of dog racing including the states introduction of the lottery in 1986 and Indian Reservation gaming being legalized in 1987. Most recently the state convened its once in every 20 years Constitutional Revision Commission, a unique to Florida entity comprised of 37 selected individuals who propose amendments to the Florida Constitution. One amendment (Amendment 13) was placed on the ballot specifically eliminating dog racing at the end of 2020. It passed with over 70% of the statewide vote. Mr. Rooney questioned the legality of putting a specific taxed and regulated business on the ballot.

The Florida Legislature, at the direction of Governor DeSantis, recently negotiated a new compact with the Seminole Indians. This compact primarily would allow sports betting to take place throughout the state. However a district court judge found the compact in violation of another amendment which passed in 2018 (Amendment 3) which stated that only the states citizens through a referendum could expand gambling in the state. Mr. Rooney argued that since the bets would be taken on a Hard Rock App (property of the Seminoles) and since the servers for the app were on tribal lands, no citizen vote would be needed to ratify sports betting. However the district court disagreed and now the compact is on appeal and sports betting is in legal limbo.

Mr. Rooney further discussed the current viable parts of PBKC’s business: simulcast betting (authorized in 1991) where bets could be placed at PBKC on tracks across the country and poker (authorized in 1996). PBKC has the largest poker room in Florida at 64 tables. These two revenue streams have kept PBKC operational since the end of Dog Racing in 2020.

Business continually struggle with local, state, and federal regulations. Many regulations need to be reviewed to be business-friendly. For example, The Palm Beach Kennel Club can only have 3 outside events a year, and there doesn’t appear to be any Rhyme or Reason for this limitation.

For more than three decades, Pat Rooney, Jr. has been a successful businessman and respected community leader in Palm Beach County. Pat Rooney’s presentation was very informative and we appreciate his continued support. Pat has been a gracious host of the Paddock Restaurant for the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches.

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Note: We won’t be having a June lunch in favor of the President’s Council BBQ at the South County Civic Center on June 25th.

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