Presidential 5 Florida Republican Convention

Radio program listener and Space Coast Tea Party activist Don Forward was at this weekend’s P5 in Orlando.  He wrote this report:

There is no way to explain all that went on in Orlando at the Presidential 5 Florida Republican Straw Poll event Thur thru Sat.  This was a great event for the Florida Tea Party movement. 

The base for us was the “Suite Tea” Suite that was in the Peabody Hotel.  This was a joint effort of around 20 Florida groups, including Titusville Patriots.  The suite turned out to be a phenomenal success.  We had 4 Presidential candidates speak and just numerous state and local officials, special guests, etc.  It was almost non stop action and most of the time the 3 rooms were much to small for the crowds that came.

The highlight was the Friday breakfast put on by Americans For Prosperity and Suite Tea with the featured speaker being Andrew Breitbart.  Anita (ACORN exposer) (ed. Moncrief) and Brandon (worked with Black Panthers) were outstanding speakers.  I would not want to be in their shoes for one minute, even right now after all they have done back against ACORN and the Black Panthers.  Andrew was great.  What made the event nice is that Titusville Patriots had one of the best reserved tables for the event and was filled with various Patriots from Brevard.

Did you know that there was a Slate reporter at the Suite Tea suite? His name was David Weigel and  I was sitting right in front of him when I told someone I was leaving to go to the Freedom Works at Denny’s.  He asked if he could walk with me, I didn’t know who he was.  As we went out the door he told me and gave me his card and I told him that I have not read Slate in over a year. “Why?”  I just couldn’t agree with anything I read. We talked about the tea party movement on our walk to Denny’s. 

We sat right across from three black men with the Fredrick Douglas Federation, one was head of the group from Alabama and the other two were co-leaders of a Tea Party group in Birmingham.  Very interesting.  David talked to them both and typed like mad. 

Bottom line, look for David Weigel’s post soon in Slate.

While walking back from Denny’s to P5, I saw Dick Army of Freedoms Works walking by himself so I went over and walked/talked back to the hotel with him.  We talked about the tea party movement and especially what we were were doing at the event. I tried to get him to stop by Suite Tea but he never did come.

Just some of the very interesting people I ran into at the Suite Tea suite.  What a great event, especially the Friday breakfast by AFP/STS, what a program.

The downer for the event is that I had to come home Saturday morning during the Rick Perry breakfast.  The agenda for the day stated that the Straw Poll would be between 4:30-6pm so I drove all the way back there and arrived at 5:30pm only to find out that the voting had started and ended by 4:30pm.  As I walked into where the Brevard Delegation was seated, I passed by Sen. Had by The Bad Thad Altman sitting right behind the Space Coast group.  To think that that good for nothing got to vote and I didn’t just made me even madder.

I will be doing ANYTHING I can to vote Had by Thad Altman out of office!!  Join me in the effort and support James DeCocq to replace him.

I’m not going to end in such a sour note, but I sure was mad that I spent $160 and didn’t get to vote.  So, I will end by saying that, “Trust me, the tea party movement was a fantastic success this weekend, I love my country and state even more for the experience but I have even a greater respect for the my fellow Patriots, the old friends and the many new Patriots I met, and even some Republicans that stood up PROUDLY as part of the tea party movement in the midst of many RINOs.”

One more thing – the biggest crowds were for Herman Cain, without a doubt.  Rick Perry has shot himself in the foot with his stand on illegals.

One more…nah, I’ll tell ya more some other time.

God Bless American and the Titusville Patriots.