Republican chief Greer's hurricane charity pledge: long on talk, empty on cash

The new state party finance reports came out last night and there's a huge $10,000 hole in the Republican Party of Florida's expenditures: Charity help for Hurricane Gustav victims.

Quite an oversight, considering the great press RPOF chairman Jim Greer won from Florida papers to the Washington Post to the Newark Advocate to Roll Call to Congressional Quarterly, which all reported his solemn pledge during the Republican National Convention to help folks in the Gulf Coast.

Consider this Sept. 1 headline and quote from the The Fort Myers News Press: "We're here to give our thoughts and our prayers to our fellow Americans in the Southern states," Greer said. "This is not our finest hour, this is our most appropriate hour. Florida gets it once again. We lead the states in showing that we are concerned."

RPOF spokeswoman Erin Van Sickle acknowledged Saturday that, in the rush of the campaign season, the party's staffers forgot to donate the money. She said RPOF would hand-deliver a check on Monday to the Red Cross.

Greer has been under fire among some party insiders and John McCain campaign staffers for the way he has run RPOF during the campaign season. While cash was tight from April to August, Republican party donors bellyached when the party rang up $552k in credit card bills and $300k in air-travel bills, a good chunk of which were for Greer, who often air commutes to Tallahassee from Oviedo and to all points around the state. But he's clearly not the only party member uses charter jets.

The airfare bills since then have decreased: $66k. The credit-card bills are bigger: $829k. Much of that money was for the convention.

Greer, hand-picked by Gov. Charlie Crist for his post, has started to "disappoint the governor," according to two top Republicans close to Crist. If (a big if) McCain loses Florida, Greer could have a tougher time hanging on to his job, much less becoming RNC chief as he has sought.

In this latest report period, the Florida Democratic Party outraised the Republican Party of Florida $20m to $8.1m, a huge advantage that looks far less huge when you account for the sheer amount of out-of-town Democratic Party money (including $5m from Obama) that flooded Florida: $15m.

Take that outside money away and RPOF has a $3m edge. RPOF has way more corporate contributions; FDP has far more from unions and loads of small ($5 and $8) contributions from average folk. A few companies/ groups are hedging their bets like FCCI, FPL, enviro-commodities broker Paul Tudor Jones and lobbyist Guy Spearman.

Comments

[John Warren]

Our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is the best future leader for this nation, not Senator Barak Obama. Our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is also would be better at leading our nation in the future after a McCain Presidency than Senator Barak Obama would be in leading our nation in the future starting in January 2009. There are great reasons our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin would be a better future leader than Senator Barak Obama. The greatest reason for our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin's is ideology. Our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is conservative in that she is pro life, marriage, guns, low taxes, low government spending, small government, unintrosive government, traditional and judeo Christian values, Bible reading and prayer in our public schools, and military spending.She is also pro free and private enterprize. Senator Barak Obama is a liberal who is anti every thing that I have described that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is pro about or for. A second reason that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is superior is because of experience. As a governor she has two years of executive administrative governing experience that Senator Barak Obama does not have. A final reason that our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin is superior is because of political accomplishments. When our soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin came to office she accomplished 3 major things which are as follows: she showed great leadership in the 3 following areas: government reform, the state budget and the economy, and wise use of natural resources. She reformed government by standing up to the big oil companies by breaking up the monopoly on power and resources. She insisted on competition and basic fairness which ended the control that the oil companies had on the state, and thereby returning control of the state back to the people. She also stood up to the special interest and lobbyist, and produced major ethics reform. She lead well in the state budget by generating a surplus which came about by vetoing a half billion dollars of wasteful spending, ending the abuses of earmark spending by congress, and by getting rid of the private jet, the chef, and the chuffer. Economically under her leadership she brought about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history. She also suspended the state fuel tax, and when oil and gas prices went up dramatically, and filled up the state treasury, she sent a large share of that revenue back where it belonged - directly to the people of Alaska . On natural resources she has shown great leadership by beginning a nearly forty billion dollar natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence. When the last section of the pipeline is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart. Senator Barak Obama has done nothing, so please vote John McCain for President and give to our beautiful soon to be Vice President Sarah Palin the opportunity that she deserves leading the nation into the future after a John McCain presidency. When our soon to be Vice President does lead the nation as President after a John McCain presidency,she will be the greatest President that we have ever had. Finally she is smarter than Senator Barak Obama

Thank You

John Warren

[Obama? NOooooooo]

Know Obama? my opinion: Obama was created by the radical left wing palestinian group/ socialist-communist... who was send to Harvard and methodically prepared to become a government official and eventually (Now) a presidential candidate. In other words..he , Mr Obama will give us a 911 from inside out/ he will destroy our family, our way of living, corporate america (which feed all of us), our freedom (look at Joe the plummer); what can you expect from a president that will cut help to Colombia (anti-narcotics), become a friend of Hugo Chavez and the Cuban regime etc etc.. Our country is not ready for such stupidity... voting for Obama? definitely NO! Mc Cain is not the best candidate but at least we know WHERE HE IS COMING FROM! I voted McCain!

[Obama? NOooooooo]

Know Obama? my opinion: Obama was created by the radical left wing palestinian group/ socialist-communist... who was send to Harvard and methodically prepared to become a government official and eventually (Now) a presidential candidate. In other words..he , Mr Obama will give us a 911 from inside out/ he will destroy our family, our way of living, corporate america (which feed all of us), our freedom (look at Joe the plummer); what can you expect from a president that will cut help to Colombia (anti-narcotics), become a friend of Hugo Chavez and the Cuban regime etc etc.. Our country is not ready for such stupidity... voting for Obama? definitely NO! Mc Cain is not the best candidate but at least we know WHERE HE IS COMING FROM! I voted McCain!

[Obama? NOooooooo]

Know Obama? my opinion: Obama was created by the radical left wing palestinian group/ socialist-communist... who was send to Harvard and methodically prepared to become a government official and eventually (Now) a presidential candidate. In other words..he , Mr Obama will give us a 911 from inside out/ he will destroy our family, our way of living, corporate america (which feed all of us), our freedom (look at Joe the plummer); what can you expect from a president that will cut help to Colombia (anti-narcotics), become a friend of Hugo Chavez and the Cuban regime etc etc.. Our country is not ready for such stupidity... voting for Obama? definitely NO! Mc Cain is not the best candidate but at least we know WHERE HE IS COMING FROM! I voted McCain!

[captain cucamonga]

Wall Street is holding America Captive People. Wake up !!!!! Wall Street is strangling America to scare us into voting for Barrack Obama. Slick Willie is getting his palm greased by Barrack Obama’s corrupt Wall Street Blood Money. This is a magic trick to scare us people. Wall Street has hurt us and so has Barrack Clinton.

[captain cucamonga]

I can’t believe American citizens will not use their heads to put two and two together. Where is Barrack Obama getting all of this money for advertisements. Don’t be afraid people, the wall street melt down is a magic trick to put us in fear to vote for Barrack Obama. Wall Street is greasing Bill Clinton’s palm also for his money shot Endorsement of B.O.. The wall street meltdown happened in a timely manner before the election. Wall Street has robbed American citizens purposely to sway an election. B.O. is a gentle lamb in wolves clothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[captain cucamonga]

That 5 million dollars for Barrack Obama’s 30 minute commercial is corrupt money from companies on wall street that have purposely ruined American citizens lives by creating financial turmoil. This is all by design to sway votes toward Obama. Wake up people, the wall street meltdown just so happened right before this election? Regardless our votes don’t count. The U.S. election is as corrupt as many third world countries.