Outgoing state Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher worries that the GOP "is taking our Hispanic friends for granted."
Reaching out, at least rhetorically, to the nation's fast-growing voting bloc has emerged as Talking Point No. 1 with Republicans these days. Yet, Thrasher's appeal was tinged with irony.
The only Hispanic to speak during the RPOF's chairman election on Saturday was state Sen. Anitere Flores, who delivered the nominating speech for Sarasota County party chairman Joe Gruters.
Flores' appeal fell on deaf ears as Gruters finished a distant third in the five-way contest.
Likewise, Gruters' call to reach out to "tea party and 9/12 groups" landed with a thud. It was the one and only mention of the conservative grass-roots network that helped to propel Rick Scott to victory -- and it got zero applause.
Though party leaders pay ceaseless lip service to "grass-roots," they're not necessarily in sync with the conservative base. That disconnect was on display in Orlando last weekend when party delegates elected Dave Bitner chairman.
Of the five candidates, Bitner was the most Tallahassee-centric. The former four-term state representative-turned-lobbyist resides in neighboring Jefferson County, hardly a hotbed of Hispanic diversity.
Adding to the insider intrigue, Bitner's fifth wife, Wendy, now handles the lobby list (wink, wink).
Bitner was the least specific about his plans for the party -- and no one seemed to mind. While Deborah Cox-Roush struck an independent and increasingly combative pose ("I don't owe anyone anything") and Sid Dinerstein relentlessly recited his "seven steps for ethical health," the delegates just yawned.
Gruters was praised during the gubernatorial campaign by Scott, who said, "We all know that the next chairman of the Republican Party ought to be Joe, because he has done such a wonderful job in Sarasota."
Tony DiMatteo strove for street cred with the party faithful when he read a laudatory letter from Marco Rubio. DiMatteo was the first RPOF hopeful who dared to jump off the Charlie Crist bandwagon and support Rubio for U.S. Senate.?But none of this mattered.
Though the governor is the titular head of the party, Scott evidently sensed he was outgunned in the chairman's race and did not reiterate his praise for Gruters in Orlando. DiMatteo, it turns out, was never a contender.
Bitner, wrapping himself in the flag of matrimony and faith, testified to delegates before the vote that the two most important people in his life are "my wife and Jesus Christ."
Infused with the requisite emotion, a choked-up Bitner kept his remarks brief and generic prior to the vote. After the ballots were tallied, he said, "I took the high road."
Did Bitner's gauzy strategy sway the delegates on Saturday -- or were their minds already made up? Since few, if any, were willing to be quoted before the election, it's hard to know for sure.
It's also difficult to gauge the impact on Hispanic Republicans going forward. Flores, who owes her Judiciary Committee chairmanship to Senate President Mike Haridopolos, isn't saying either way.
Rick Wilson, a Tallahassee-based GOP media strategist, predicted, "Bitner will do well. He understands the needs of the party and has both the political and fund-raising skills to get us in a strong position.
"Given that Florida is the battleground state in 2012, I think he was absolutely the right choice."
Tea partiers are less enthused.
Tom Tillison, a leader of the Central Florida Tea Party Council, said, "The RPOF is still dominated by the old-guard establishment.Is it then surprising that they elect one of their own?"
Tillison added: "I just don't see this position having all that much relevance in the bigger scheme.The real power of the RPOF rests with[House Speaker Dean] Cannon,Haridopolos and the big-money supporters-- and Rick Scott to some degree, but the extent of his power is yet to be determined."
As for party leaders' relationship to the tea party movement, Tillison said, "At best, they see the tea party as a necessary evil, and at worst, a thorn in their side.At the state level, the RPOF takes full credit for all the success in November."
While suggesting "it's still party before principle" at the RPOF, Tillison nevertheless noted, "I do think progress has been made in the past year.The tea party has also developed some good relationships within the RPOF, so there arepositives."
Doug Guetzloe, spokesman for the Florida TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party, won't give Bitner & Co. the benefit of the doubt.
"He won't rock the boat with the RPOF rulers -- Cannon, Haridopolos and Thrasher. The culture of corruption will go further under radar. The names may change but the game's the same," said Guetzloe, who was booted out of the party by Jim Greer.
Does the ghost of Greer live on? On the political website, Shark Tank, Javier Manjarres wrote Sunday:
"Theconsensuswithin Republican circles is that,even though there is a new chairman at the helm of the party,the GOP grass-roots is concernedthat many Greer-Crist era cronies and staffersstill entrenched at the party couldprove to be an obstacle in Bitners move for transparency."
--
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or (772) 801-5341.
