Posted on 10/06/2010 6:08:01 AM PDT by Servant of the Cross
Crazy old Alan Grayson is enjoying the spoils of a third party candidate who insists that she’s not a third party candidate.
Peg Dunmire is running for Congress under the name of a political organization called the TEA Party. Under this designation, Dunmire is winning six percent of the vote in Florida’s eighth Congressional district against Democrat Alan Grayson and Republican Daniel Webster, according to a recent poll. Florida political operatives say she could win as much as ten percent on Election Day simply because Florida conservatives will see the word “TEA” on the ballot and vote for her.
Whether it’s six or ten percent, Dunmire is squarely within striking distance of Republican Dan Webster. After all, Dunmire’s supporters are conservatives — people who will choose to vote for her instead of Webster. Democrat Alan Grayson can simply sit back, relax, and let the Republican base divide itself.
Dunmire, a 63-year old grandmother and consultant, is resentful at the suggestion that she might be dividing the base, or that she is the member of a subversive third party. This is in sharp contrast to most third party candidates who will typically be frank about simply trying to push certain issues or influence a major party candidate in a given contest.
“You’re repeating exactly what the Republican mantra is: going to siphon off the votes, you’re going to be a spoiler,’” she said in an interview, when asked about the possibility of her splitting the vote. “That’s Republican jargon, that’s their view.”
Dunmire claims that the Republican Party is more intimidated by a third party called the TEA Party than they are of Democrat Alan Grayson winning re-election.
“This two-party system is only about power — not about solving our country’s problems. It is power, power, power,” said Dunmire. “What I talk about is taking power away from the legislators and giving it back to the people. And that is absolutely not what the Republican Party wants to do.”
Lew Oliver, Chairman of the Orange County Republican Party in the 8th District, is incredulous that Dunmire is so opposed to a two-party system, because she ran in the GOP primary there until it became clear that she was going to lose.
“This apparent revelation (that the two-party system is about power) only struck her when it became clear that she was going to lose miserably within the two party system. So she effectively took her marbles — the tiny few of them she had — and went home,” said Oliver.
“She is a miserable failure as a candidate, and her ego has driven her to a third party, so she can remain relevant. She has no chance of winning.”
Webster puts it a little more simply.
“Any vote that’s not for me is a vote for Alan Grayson,” he said.
The TEA Party is planning a mail drop of almost two hundred thousand pieces and have already placed tens of thousands of calls on Dunmire’s behalf, according to Doug Guetzloe, the main consultant for the TEA Party and Dunmire’s campaign. Guetzloe claims the TEA Party has almost a million dollars in the bank, most of which is going towards Dunmire’s campaign.
The TEA Party of Florida is running about twenty other candidates for various state and national races, in addition to supporting Dunmire. Official Orlando Republicans claim that Grayson has funded some or all of these candidates, possibly with the help of Doug Guetzloe, the manager for the TEA Party and Dunmire’s campaign. But there are no paper trails to back up these claims.
It’s true that Guetzloe has been kicked out of the Republican Party for openly endorsing liberal Democrats in certain races. It’s also true that Fred O’Neil, who has made major donations to Dunmire’s campaign, spent time as a Democrat and an Independent before hooking up with the TEA Party in central Florida. But Guetzloe maintains that he would not want to vote down the line with the Republican Party because they don’t always represent what he believes.
“Right now, the Republican Party is basically walking on eggshells. They’ve lost their core values, they’ve lost their base, ad the only reason people are voting Republican is because it is the lesser of two evils in most areas,” said Guetzloe.
Dunmire agrees, complaining that Webster supports the wasteful Florida high-speed rail project, and supports double taxation via highway tolls.
Oliver has something to say about that.
“My favorite phrase in politics, the one that I repeat every single day, is very, very clear,” he said, referencing Ronal Reagan. “Someone who agrees with you eighty percent of the time is a valuable friend and ally, not a twenty percent traitor.”
“To nitpick one or two votes, whether or not they are horrendous or not, someone who has a 37-year history of lowering taxes, being fiscally responsible, honorable service, and is respected by everyone in the process… to nitpick two issues is certifiably insane. The solution is what… a raging lunatic liberal Democrat?”
“Any vote that’s not for me (Webster) is a vote for Alan Grayson,”
The Florida Tea Party party was organized, and the name stolen, by ultra liberal/democrat Doug Goetzloe (sp) to disrupt the Republican party.
Well, the constituents of that district will get the representation they ask for and deserve. If Grayson happens to win he will still have to run again in two years. Maybe at that time common sense will prevail...
Well, there ya go.
Folks, how's that third party/"don't just vote for the guy who has an 'R' after his name" working out for ya now?
All it takes is one ad from the REAL Tea Party exposing this lady. Why aren’t they doing that?
Aren’t there pictures floating around of this lady with Grayson?
Sounds like that phony in Nevada trying to split the vote.
Except that the Nevada one has one percent.
What does the TPM of FL have to say about this?
So you advocate uninformed voting, eh?
That’s turning the argument on its head. This subterfuge (by the liberal side, if I understand the situation clearly) is NOT the raison d’etre for the (real) TEA party.
The (real) TEA party exists because a lot of republicans are simply morphing into dem wannabes in the positions they take.
Add the word, “opportunist” to Goetzloe. He is a consultant, pure and simple, and is NOT driven by conservative ideology, either fiscally or morally. He’s working for grayson, and that should say plenty, especially how much he’ll get in the spoils if grayson should win. Dunmire should back out, and she knows Webster is a true conservative. Ego at 65 in someone who thinks they will shake up washington, never having done anything else of equivalent status. Webster has in Tallahassee.
I was really surprised to hear Anderson Cooper tear into Grayson last night. Anderson was calling him on his false Webster ads. Grayson looked like the fool that he is.
No. If I were doing that, I'd be encouraging people to vote for the guy with the TEA by his name - which is what the article acknowledges a lot of stupid idiots might end up doing.
Frankly, at this point, we need to stop screwing around. When we have good conservatives running on the Republican ticket - as we do in this race - then it's time to drop the "Tea Party Party" or whatever other third party may be the spoiler du jour nonsense and consolidate around the Republican candidate. "Conservatives" who refuse to do so are just helping the Democrat.
Interesting comments following the article.
Florida ping
Runnin’ scared!
I'm sorry, but that kind of blanket statement is not helpful or accurate. He'd have to earn my vote. It's not automatically here because he has an "R" beside his name. McCain has one of those too, and look at what a democrat he is when he's not running for reelection.
I agree. The problem with this, however, is that the TEA party in this instance appears to be a DEMOCRAT invention, designed to confuse the uninformed.
Consolidating around the R candidate works when the R is acceptably conservative. But this year we are seeing a number of high-profile RINOs that can't support a conservative R, unlike past years when the RINOs were nominated and conservatives "sucked it up" and "took one for the team".
In the end, I believe we will agree that an uninformed electorate serves only the party that represents itself as a donkey. (I'll not use the 3 letter word I'm thinking out of politeness! ;-P)
That’s part of, but actually citizens are sick of both political parties, and they want “some grownups” in the room!~..
JS
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