Republican Leader Concedes GOP Is “A Wreck,” Slams Governor
BY BUDDY NEVINS
A well-known Broward Republican activist blamed Gov. Rick Scott’s “bad political personality” for the local party’s problems and conceded the county GOP organization was “a wreck.”
“I agree – BREC is a wreck…We are all handicapped by a governor with a bad political personality,” according to an e-mail from activist Scott Spages, a leader of Broward’s GOP religious conservative wing.
Spages was referring to the party’s governing organization, the Broward Republican Executive Committee or BREC.
In the e-mail to GOP club president Gene Robinson and widely distributed, Spages defended the embattled Broward Republican Chair Tom Truex. Robinson had criticized Truex in a blast e-mail earlier this month for harming Republican’s election chances due to his lack of leadership.
This Republican Party squabbling must be gladdening the hearts of Democrats!
What I found particularly interesting is the criticism of Gov. Scott in writing. Criticizing an incumbent Republican governor is not something you see often in a widely distributed e-mail written by a GOP activist.
Also surprising is that Spages called the party organization “a wreck,” but blamed it on Truex’s predecessors.
Spages was described by a BREC member as “Truex’s consigliere.”
A member of the local Republican Party’s far right religious wing, the same BREC member said that Spages was one of the recently departed “Pastor Bob Coy’s top lieutenants” at Calvary Chapel.
He also is a leader of the church’s Faith Forum, a political education group that uses materials from the extremist wackadoo John Birch Society, a group that sees conspiracies everywhere.
So here is Spages’ e-mail defending Truex:
Hi Gene-
I agree- BREC is a wreck- but Tom inherited that, he didn’t create it. It will take 4-8yrs to rebuild the local party, because of so many yrs of neglect. Your letter stuns me- I won’t even get in to the contradictions and short sightedness. Just curious- who do you see as the savior??? There is none.
I love you man, but this was born of frustration [yours- but we all have it]- not of prayer. Why don’t you try supporting him for a year or two, before rushing to judgment? And he has an openly hostile Vice Chair [she lives 2 blocks from and I was the one who got her involved], which I have never seen before, who wants his job with Chad as her puppet master. How would that work out?
Wake up buddy, there’s no easy fixes here.
Tom will get the job done, in time.
One other note- we are all handicapped by a governor with a bad political personality. Is that Tom’s fault too?
Thank you,
Scott Spages
April 15th, 2014 at 5:04 pm
This conversation is “inside baseball” stuff, and better left out of the public eye. That said, the concerns inside Broward leadership is out there. Hopefully this discussion will get to the floor of the next meeting, where members can stand and express their views. Chairman Truex has some work to do as the issues have come up by his doing.
April 15th, 2014 at 5:45 pm
In Shock that Truex & Spages have maligned several past Chairman, accused them of self dealing, and now we learn they hold Governor Scott in low regard.
Failure to fund raise, driving away nearly 200 members of the committee, and running meetings as dictator is classic destructive behavior. Awed here that the members seem to willingly tolerate such behavior of their top leader.
April 15th, 2014 at 6:18 pm
I am not astonished at Scott Spages’ response, particularly his insistence upon using, “prayer” to make his point and seemingly present himself more righteous than Gene Robinson. Normally he uses the word, “Grace,” to quixotically make the rest of the plebian Christians feel like pagans. Are we to think that, as Earthlings, we are not to become frustrated with or even mad at leadership? I am fighting mad. Hey, Scott, how about that Obama administration? Ever get a little peeved-off?
If my information is correct, the former BREC Chair brought in 400 additional members, gathered sponsors to cover each of our monthly meetings, and spent plenty of his own money on candidates. To my thinking, he was exemplary, and how about how he handled those CAIR infiltrators? We have lost 187 members since the beginning of this Chairman’s reign.
Truex, good family man, good Christian, has ducked and mishandled many of the procedures during the past several months of meetings to create “frustration” and ultimate chaos among the BREC membership. Especially frustrated is the more conservative faction of BREC, to the point of claiming, ” disenfranchisement!”
Mon Dieu, Spages sounds like the democrats who are still blaming Bush for Obama’s blunders and dangerous philosophies. But for him to make reference to the quiet, genteel personality of our Governor is the worst of the worst. In so doing, he has done exactly what he set out to criticize in his speech.
As for what the democrats think of us… Who cares? I consider this a righteous fight.
Danita Kilcullen
BREC Member
April 15th, 2014 at 6:30 pm
Out party lacks strong leadership. We should be focusing on our economy. Instead we are trampling on women’s rights, and fattening the wallets of private companies contracting with the State. The whole Charter movement is total bullshit. I never thought I would vote Democrat, but this I have no choice but to vote for Crist. Out party deserves better than that crook and liar Rick Scott
April 15th, 2014 at 7:32 pm
Your local party is crumbling at your feet and where is Chip LaMarca the only Republican elected official Iin Broward County?….no where to be found as Rome burns.
Another chapter in leadership in the LaMarca book Profiles in Courage.
Don’t have the book? it’s a free Kindle book, quick read, 1 page and it’s blank.
April 15th, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Some of you are going to assume I am Richard. Let me assure you I am not. I am, however, very happy for him that he and his family were able to get the hell away from the black hole that is BREC. When he was deciding to run for reelection I ask him why would you do that to yourself and your family. I am glad for him that he reconsidered but sad for Broward.
The fact of the matter is he was the best chair the BREC has had in many many years. Treux is a beard for the failed chairman of the past trying to pull the stings. It will probably cost one of those past chairman’s reelection as well.
April 15th, 2014 at 8:18 pm
Danita;
God’s long dead, haven’t you heard?
April 15th, 2014 at 11:19 pm
Until you folks properly identify yourselves, your responses mean little to nothing. Ana who? DeNapoli Fan, who? Where is Chip, who?
Can you not, please, be open in your discussion?
April 16th, 2014 at 6:15 am
Until the Republican Party returns to its base of conservative principles and core values, and stops pandering to the special interests, including the Amnesty forces, it will die a slow death. Rather that focus on results and successes of Rick Scott, his “personality” is the subject of contention. If we elect our leaders based upon their “personality” we will be forever doomed to failure. Americans( and some illegals too) elected their man Obama because they liked him and his personality. Obama was awarded a Nobel Peace prize not based on accomplishment, but because of his “likeability.” Look where that got our nation! Charlie Crist is sham, a used car salesman, and may have a attractive personality, but he has proved to be lacking integrity and bearing. Crist has switched political parties in order to be associated with the “popular party” at the time, and not based upon true conviction. Like kid who wants to be associated with the “in crowd,” Crist lacks identity and bearing. That’s not the type of leader that’s good for anyone.
April 16th, 2014 at 10:34 am
Thanks for reminding us Danita Kilcullen that the Broward Republican Party’s proudest moment in recent years is their exercising bigotry for which they were lampooned on the national stage by The Daily Show for ousting members who are not Christians.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/07/broward-gop-nezar-hamze_n_1191222.html
The Republican Party does not have a bigotry problem, it is rather a badge of honor that many within their party wear, I know I hear their candid conversations.
Members like Killcullen are the reason people are fleeing your party. She should be the one you kick out.
April 16th, 2014 at 11:33 am
Is stealing billions of dollars from taxpayers considered genteel? Rick Scott, mild mannered super villain.
Republicans who support a Governor who led a company that committed one of the largest frauds in US History have no moral high ground or compass.
It is clear you will support anyone to do your dirty work.
April 16th, 2014 at 12:04 pm
It’s always a real hoot to listen to one Christian try to out Christian another Christian.
A regular Christian ho-down.
And then there’s me, just your regular militant atheist sort of guy, wondering if any of these Christians have bothered to read the bible (like I have)… And if they bothered to read the bible, are they bothered by what’s inside that book?
To wit:
Joshua 10:13 — And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Now think about this for a moment… In order for the Sun to stand still, that means the Earth would stop its orbit, and it order to do that, the Earth would have to stop rotating.
Bad. News. For. You. And. I.
You see, here in Florida, at this latitude, if the Earth stopped rotating, you and I would continue rotating to the east at a rate of about 825 mph.
Quite a bumpy effing ride.
When the bible was belched forth, folks back then had no idea about celestial mechanics, orbital mathematics, or the such. They believed the Earth was the center of the Universe.
The book of Joshua was estimated to be written around 600 BCE, and the heretical concept of the Earth in orbit around the heavenly body known as the Sun didn’t occur for nearly two millennium later.
April 16th, 2014 at 1:14 pm
Real problem with Truex is that he wanted to become Brec chair because of some notion that it would lead him to being appointed as a judge. He never had a history of volunteering to assist with party events so had no idea of what it takes to raise $ for the party. The factual points made by Gene in the prior article are on point. Membership is down. Money lacking. Meetings are not organized and frankly quite boring.
April 17th, 2014 at 7:44 pm
Dear Scott Spages.
I’m wondering … since you are a god fearing man (pun!), can you explain to us why you’ve lived with the same man since the late 90s?
No that there’s anything wrong with that … I’d just assumed you’d be more like a Democrat.
April 18th, 2014 at 12:46 am
Since BREC is so broke that we may not be able to rent space for meetings, I volunteer use of my closet. Plenty of room in here…