Loyalty Oaths are an interesting issue to the RPOF. The Loyalty Oaths under Jim Greer (former RPOF chair appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist and felon) was used to get rid of uppity grassroots who gain too much control of their county party organization.
Recently, the current RPOF chair, Lenny Curry used the Loyalty Oath to remove a county chair that supported non-Republican candidates and harassing/preventing Republicans from the "TEA Party and 912 groups" from joining the Executive Committee. This is good example of proper enforcement.
This recent proposal is in stark contrast to the a 2009 court case REPUBLICAN PARTY OF MIAMI-DADE v. DAVIS where the court sided with Davis saying that submitting loyalty forms to the local elections department is sufficient to comply with the GOP requirement. This especially applies when the county GOP uses the county elections department to run the REC Election and as a depository for the required forms of the REC Election. As a requirement of due process, the county GOP has to inform ALL registered Republicans in the county to the election requirement of how to submit the loyalty oath.
If the RPOF approves this proposal, the ramifications and expense to the RPOF and for conservative grassroots could be extreme as this would draw the entire grassroots into a lawsuit that could leave the RPOF with a Pyrrhic victory. Imagine what a negative and demotivating message this directs to the grassroots.
25 State House and 2 State Senates races finished in November with less than a 10 point difference and some with margins much smaller than 5 points. The RPOF cannot afford to disrupt the reorganizing of our county-level party organizations. The current make up of the Florida House is REP 74, DEM 46. The strength of the Obama machine that delivered huge votes in Florida, the potential of Charlie Crist running as a DEM for governor and the high-profile investigations of US Rep. David Rivera are real threats to consider facing Florida Republicans.
Apparently, SCW Liliana Ros has a few personal issues with members within the Miami-Dade REC and now she is involving the RPOF to achieve a personal victory that could seriously cost the FL GOP.
It's one thing if she wants to protect her REC from a grassroots that she has no control over and to keep a lid on things while David Rivera gets through his issues...
It's another thing for the RPOF to shoot itself in the foot, let the wound fester and then allow gangrene to set in eventually leading to death if untreated.
Instead of the RPOF removing regular REC members, maybe it is time for them to start removing belligerent State Committee members like SCW Liliana Ros who regularly harasses the grassroots and works to shrink the Party rather than to do anything to build it up.
Semper Fi
unfortunately for the REC, this type of behavior, as disruptive and counterproductive as it is, isn't surprising. is it a wonder Miami Dade Republicans can't win an election? instead of concentrating on solutions to the very real challenges we face as a community, we are instead forced to waste precious time and resources settling disputes and assuaging the egos of our "elected" REC leaders.
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