Fields: Bigots Cripple Local GOP
BY SAM FIELDS
Once again the Republican Party has allowed its core bigotry to interfere with a natural alliance.
This time it was a secret vote of The Broward Republican Party.
By 158-11, the party’s central organization rejected Muslim Nezar Hamze, who is director of the Florida branch of Counsel of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). He was seeking a seat on the Broward Republican Executive Committee (BREC).
It was a rejection that the Republican crowd loudly cheered.
He was the only candidate on the slate to be rejected.
He was the only candidate who was shouted down when he tried to speak.
He was the only one asked to identify his religion.
The questioning of Hamze was not spontaneous.
According to disgruntled Republican bloggers, BREC Chairman Richard Lee DeNapoli changed the voting rules to assure the Hamze candidacy was treated like a public stoning with the inevitable result.
Capo di tutti Capo DeNapoli ran the meeting like it was the back room of the Bada Bing Club. (OOPS! Was that anti Italian?)
You don’t need to look very far to see that tons of Muslims are small businessmen who are a natural fit for the GOP. But GOP bigotry will make sure that never happens.
And Muslims are not the only group.
Every economic reason calls for Gays to be Republicans. Overwhelmingly childless, with higher than average incomes, they have way more disposable income than the average American. And many gays are more likely to resent paying school taxes to educate the offspring of “breeders”…as they call the folks on our team.
But the GOP’s wacky fundamentalist religious beliefs makes it impossible to welcome “Sodomites” into their midst.
(Note to The Log Cabin Republicans: You make about as much sense as a “Martin Luther King Klaveran of the KKK”.)
Less obvious, but equally fervent, is GOP/Evangelical hostility to Mormons. A Harris poll found that 54% of Evangelicals (read Republican core voters) had a problem with a Mormon President. And that’s the ones that would admit it.
In practically every issue Mormons and the GOP are on the same page. The one exception for the party of the “No New Taxes Jesus” is the notion that Mormons believe that, along with The Old Testament and The New Testament, there is also a “Very” New Testament. It tells how Jesus showed up in America and hung with the Indians. And that is the “turd’ in the punchbowl that “real” followers of Jesus will never forgive or forget.
Hamze should now understand that the GOP is a White Christian party with a sprinkling of “Honorary Aryans” like Allen West, Herman Cain and Joe Kaufman.
(Special note to Kaufman, a Jew: Hardcore Christian GOPers don’t see Christ killers as actually White.)
Honorary Aryans will be tolerated as long as they toe the latest GOP hate line…and they do. West’s anti-Islamic speeches sound like he has plagiarized from KKKer David Duke.
In the case of Hamze, it was Kaufman who is reported to have raised the initial hue and cry that Hamze was the incarnate of Osama bin Laden.
So the GOP can now add Muslims to the NWNCNNA (Non-Whites, Non Christians Need Not Apply) list. That group already included Blacks and Hispanics.
In the 1960’s the Party of Lincoln aligned with defecting segregationist Southern Democrats, the scion of the Confederacy. They are now the GOP political base. Don’t be surprised if one day BREC meetings institute “White” and “Colored” water fountains!
With exception of elderly Cubans, the GOP has alienated Hispanics with their lynch mob mentality toward anyone whose complexion is one degree on the wrong side of cornstarch. Rick Perry has recently found out that anything short of summary execution is considered soft on illegal aliens. (Read: “the little brown ones.”)
Arguably many Blacks and Hispanics are not in the economic pond that the GOP fishes in. But Muslims, Mormons and Gays are a perfect fit…if the GOP would drop their “White, Christian, Heterosexual Only” policy
September 28th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Joe Kaufman has been an embarrassment to the Jews of Broward for years. This extreme right wing Republican is out of step with the majority of Broward Jewish community, including every Republican Jew and Israeli I know.
He is a bigot who brands every Muslim a terrorist. Mr. Kaufman would fight his imagined wars against Muslims to the last Israeli and American, while he stays home and makes speeches. Veterans like me are not so quick to call for wars and military actions against anyone.
Kaufman needs to get a job. The GOP and the media should ignore him.
September 28th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Apparently Mr. Fields has a problem with everyone who doesn’t think like him. The tool he uses is the simple mischaracterization of anyone and anything that does not fit into his delusional self-representation of the ideal world. Phenomena outside his area of experience or control trouble him. He is not being intellectually dishonest or disingenuous in any way. He really believes these things he is writing. Pathological is the first word that comes to mind. Followed by sociopath. He appears to be completely and totally indifferent to those he hurts with his ideas. Just a thought.
That’s the thing about democracy, the vote is based on the individual. One man one vote is the mantra of the census taker and political strategist. So the idiot, the derelict with no visible means of support, the legally blind, deaf, dumb and undetected but insane, the Alzheimer’s victims, the socially dependant, sociological rejects and dropouts have the same vote as the well heeled lawyer, the fathers and mothers with children, the teachers, policemen, firemen, paramedics and government planners and workers, the informed property owner with a vested interest in the tranquility and proper comportment of the affairs of the government. All votes count the same, no matter the status of the individual voter.
A well-regarded and notable local pollster called one group of voters “empty eggs” that is with the shell of a voter but nothing inside. Clueless, registered, non-voting members of our society make up about 20% of he electorate. These are the people who changed their behavior in the last presidential election when promised free healthcare and an expansion of magnanimous government. These are the people who gave the dems a landslide in 2008, but didn’t show up in 2010 and will not show in 2012 because of unfulfilled promises. Sorry Sam, the dems reign has gone capput… or is that your real problem?
September 28th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Does this Joe Kaufman has anything to do other than preaching hate??
September 28th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
as i have said they pander to the religious talibans, christian, jewish etc, anyone on the lunatic hating edge. who is joe kaufman, mormons are a little wierd but what religion isnt…. keep it up sam if you can
September 28th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
It is amazing how many of the Islamic faith tend to identify with conservative republican ideals. Moments like this are priceless as the fringe ideals of the party become mainstream.
A rambling irrelevant posting on “one person one vote” wont change the message the party sent. As far as the criticism of a magnanimous government, repubs had no problem with gifts from the government in the form of drug company subsidies and no-competition drug, oil company subsidies, tax cuts for the rich of the rich,
September 28th, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Sounds like Mr.Hamze has a discrimanation suit against the Broward republican Party. i mean from your reporting he was asked about his religion, to the only one to be rejeted etc. Where was money bags Dr,Zacahriah doesn’t he basiclly contol the show w/ his million dollar political parties etc. Hopefully he was not at this meeting because he was cleaning up that dirty hospital he runs(4th floor ring a bell). Anyhow this man just because he’s Muslim evidently should not disqualify him from this organization.
September 28th, 2011 at 5:04 pm
The big tent we used to work for has shrunken to include only those defined pure by a small minority of the party.
Richard DeNapoli is the worse thing that ever happened to the BREC. It is a good thing that many voters will vote for Republicans despite the inept leadership, if you can call it that, of DeNapoli. I wonder if his personal photographer, who is paid for by the party, got pictures of this latest fiasco by him.
September 28th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
I’m sure Mr. Fields can respond himself, but what was that from Mr. Ledbetter? I haven’t read so much meaningless word puffery in a long time. He provided absolutely no comment on the actual point and issue being raised by Mr. Fields. It’s a free country, and Mr. Ledbetter can write what he wishes, but that is that last time I’ll waste a few seconds of eye and brain power reading him.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Why do you care Sam? If the GOP is so screwed up, it should be an easy win for the Democrats. Right?
Ever think that there might be some moderates who aren’t particularly fond of CAIR? Oh that’s right, it’s only the extremists that think that way.
I also love watching the lefties backpedal and spin on the race issue. It’s tough to portray every Republican or Tea Party supporter as a racist when they support guys like West and Cain. Doesn’t matter, stick with the racist argument and call those guys “Uncle Toms” or “Honorary Aryans.”
Keep focusing on labeling everyone you disagree with as an extremist. We’ll see if those views are “extremist” or “maintstream” after the next election.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Kaufman is a bigot, as are many in the GOP. That is a big reason why the Republican party has become weak. Instead of being the party of inclusion, many Republicans have no tolerance for and shrilly exclude too many people that would otherwise share their views.
September 28th, 2011 at 8:47 pm
Fields, why don’t you do some research on CAIR first. You weren’t even at the meeting and you write this lengthy rant. Hamze was rejected simply because he has been a vocal opponent of Allen West, Adam Hasner and other Republicans. Do a google search and you will see. And yes, your comments about DeNapoli’s Italian heritage are wrong.
September 28th, 2011 at 11:17 pm
@Lynda – Yes the GOP is weak, but the Dem’s are weak, too. If you don’t believe it just look at the poll numbers. The main problem is that both parties seemed to run by ideologues. The problem with ideologues taking control of a political party is that there can be no inclusion beyond some prescribed limit. Ideals are a representation of perceived perfection and so to deviate from an ideal is a seen as surrendering political virtue on the guillotine of pragmatism.
September 29th, 2011 at 8:52 am
Thanks Sam for looking into this.
Years ago, I was one of those tiny minorities in the GOP . I really was a compassionate conservative who wanted the party to figure out how to cover all Americans with health care like those free market Swiss do as well as back up their talk about getting an education to lift up your bootstraps by funding education and respecting educators.
I also wanted the GOP to respect those who work by raising the minimum wage to match inflation adjusted earnings and figure out how to get health care coverage and dignity for lower wage earners.
The problem was that the GOP was by intelligient design or gasp, evolution, morphing into the out of control crazy train that it is now.
From my perspective as a real compassionate conservative, the final straw was the endless stream of vile and racist emails about Obama appearing daily in my email box. Having white skin seemd to release this hidden urge among many of my friends who used the N word about Obama and his wife freely.
That “Big Tent” from afar Jack Kemp spoke about has turned into a big Klan hood when you get real close.
September 29th, 2011 at 9:11 am
From what I remember from my time in the BREC, new members are always voted on. All the names are read and the members usually vote yea or nay. Sometimes, however, there are times when a motion is made to vote individually on prospective members, not the whole group together. What is wrong with a ballot instead of a show of hands or a voice vote?
Face it, Hamze has no business on BREC, and was only trying to disrupt the organization. If I were to change my party affiliation and try to join the Dem Executive Committee to disrupt it or make it more likely for a Republican to win elections, should I be excluded?
September 29th, 2011 at 11:13 am
Funny how this story doesn’t say much about Mr. Hamze. There’s no doubt that there are bigots in the BREC, just as there are in the DEC. Funny how this story doesn’t talk about that. I’m assuming the writer is a Democrat and didn’t want to give both sides of the story.
We are all bigoted. It’s just a matter of not letting it manifests itself pathologically. Mr Fields, what’s that Yiddish word for African Americans? Schvatzers?
September 29th, 2011 at 11:24 am
Nice cartoon about the GOP Big Tent.
http://jonathanschmock.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/092010-big-tent-party.jpg
September 29th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
For the record, the previous comment was not from me.
First of all, I have never been nor would I ever be a member of BREC. I have been a member of the DEC for more than 30 years. Additionally, I do not write anonymous posts on blogs like cowards do. I use my real name. And I would not interfere with Republican efforts to destroy themselves. By the way, anyone who is a registered Democrat or Republican should be welcome on that Party’s Executive Committee if they win election or live in a precinct without a committee person & apply for an appointment, so long as they are willing to sign a loyalty oath. If they violate that oath or Party bylaws, they can be removed from the Committee through due process. (Note to Republicans: you may want to look up the term “due process”. You don’t seem to understand what that fundamental aspect of democracy is). Party bylaws include prohibiting supporting a candidate not registered in your Party who is running against someone from your Party in an election. The person must have done something first. It is inappropriate to remove someone because you believe they will do something wrong. While that kind of profiling might be perfectly acceptable to Republicans, it would not be in the Democratic Party.
If someone wants to disagree with or take a shot at me, fine, I can take it, but have the guts & decency to use your real name. I dare you.
September 29th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Sam:
You have a point and actually gave me an idea.
To show how narrow minded the Rs are and how enlightened and open-minded the Ds are we should have a Muslim with a name like Abdullah Abbas try to gain entry into the Democratic Club of say Century Village.
I am sure that there will be many tears of joy from the members and the vote would be unanimous!
September 29th, 2011 at 3:19 pm
DearAt least
For twenty five years they let an Italian Catholic run the club CV Demo Club (Trenchi).
How about judging people by their character and ideas rather than their race or religion or sexual orientation?
Is that too much to ask from the GOP?
September 29th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
So Jack…
You say “Party bylaws include prohibiting supporting a candidate not registered in your Party who is running against someone from your Party in an election. The person must have done something first.”
I see no exception for non partisan judicial races. So when your worked for uber Republican Hurley against his registered democrat opponent, were you not in violation? Or when you have done the same in other races. Jack if you are just honest and say you are willing to work for whoever pays you, I could actually repsect that. To portray yourself as a party loyalist and then work with people who are republicans, makes you look like the phoney most in this county think you are.
September 29th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
oooops
September 29th, 2011 at 5:07 pm
As I’m sure you realize, I was referring to partisan races. If you read Buddy’s blog, I find it hard to believe that, whoever you are behind the cowardly cloak of anonymity, you also know that judicial races are totally different than all other races. You just want to take a shot at me for whatever reason you may have. But that’s what I would expect of a gutless coward who would never have the nerve to say to my face what you say while hiding under a rock.
September 29th, 2011 at 7:06 pm
Dear “No Thanks” (above)
It took me about a 30 second Google search to find the loyalty oath for members of the Democratic Executive Committees in Florida.
I am nit a Shifrel fan, but I do like to point out situations where the over confident are clueless (as in your case).
Here is the loyalty oath of the Florida Democratic Party in pertinent part:
“nor will I support any non-Democrat against any Democrat in any election except judicial races…”
Whoops!
September 29th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
Hey Easy…West and Cain aren’t racist…they just are appealing to people who see the left as the supporters of lazy people……..and in their mind those people are heavy black women…yeah racist
September 29th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
What about all the democrats who voted for Crist in the Governor’s race?
September 29th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
Senate race….sorry
September 30th, 2011 at 8:00 am
This is getting confusing.
The local GOP goes after a Muslim as a terrorist while our Moooooslim President has the next in line to Al Queda , Anwar al-Awlaki killed by US labor.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44727191/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/
Didn’t Bush Jr outsource the capture of Osama instead of using domestic USA sources.
GOP Congressman Peter King does not seem to be so nuts and suffer from non stop Obama Derangement Syndrome as the current crazy train leaders of the GOP do.
“For the past several years, al-Awlaki has been more dangerous even than Osama bin Laden had been. The killing of al-Awlaki is a tremendous tribute to President Obama and the men and women of our intelligence community,” he added.”
Wait, the latest from Cheap AM talk radio brains making the platform for the GOP is that Michelle Obama is eeeevil for going to Target.
Please GOP, keep this up, I want Obama in 2012.
September 30th, 2011 at 9:03 am
Wait, you are comparing an Italian-American like Commissioner Amadeo Trinchitella to a finctional person named Abdullah Abbas?
You state that: “For twenty five years they let an Italian Catholic run the club CV Demo Club (Trenchi).”
What rock are you living under? Most Italians are Catholic and most Catholic Italians are DEM. I am not but I resent your comparison of a man who did great things for his community and YOUR PARTY.
September 30th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Geeze, Fields…all you’ve got to do is google NEZAR HAMZE and you will see all of his very public confrontations with Allen West. That’s the real reason he wasn’t voted in. It had nothing to do with him being a Muslim. This was all a publicity stunt orchestrated by Hamze and the blogger you referenced, who has made trouble for the local GOP for years. Hamze even said that the blogger recommended he join. Of course you’d actually have to do a little research to come up with this info. But you’re just lazy and want to write a liberal screed about how the GOP is racist.
September 30th, 2011 at 2:54 pm
For the record @Shifty Shiffrel, being disruptive and, on occasion, an obstacle to our own victory are qualities most of us in the Democratic Party possess inherently and would hardly be grounds for dismissal/rejection. That’s just just how we roll.
September 30th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Dear Lazy,
Allan West is a bigot. Hamze refuses to support the bigot. The BREC sides with the bigot.
Back at the 1964 Democratic National Convention two slates appeared for Mississippi. They were regular Dems and the Mississippi Freedom Party which was made up of Black Dems and their supporters.
This last group had been denied membership in the regular party in part because they would not support racist bigots like Sen. James Eastland.
The BREC not only supports bigots like West, they are cheering him on.
Have you thought about next going after the Lutherans?
September 30th, 2011 at 5:42 pm
# 25 & #26 above:
Uh, eh , ah you didn’t understand the context.
I was speaking of Democrats (and could apply to Republicans as well)who are on Executive Committees (where they then have to take loyalty oaths).
Obviously, a voter whether Democrat or Republican who is NOT on an E.C. does not take a loyalty oath and thus is not under any obligation to support any party candidate.
October 1st, 2011 at 12:10 pm
@ Pickin: I don’t know who you are, but I am a card carrying Sicilian Italian Catholic and everyone I know of MY ilk is Republican or Independent. Maybe that is because they are also educated.
October 1st, 2011 at 4:22 pm
So what do you have against Javier Manjarrres of The Shark Tank? It was well within his right to recommend this alleged terrorist to join BREC. Sam Fields wasn’t at the meeting and doesn’t know what happened. When Hamze stated that Javier Manjarrres recommended him, he denied it and nearly crapped his pants when proof was provided.
October 1st, 2011 at 7:09 pm
Allen West a bigot? Riiiiiiiight….
and CAIR are the GOOD GUYS!
Nice to have so many fools in one forum. Keep ya from playing in traffic.
October 2nd, 2011 at 11:56 am
Did Joe Kaufman ever have a real job? Did he ever own a business? Did he ever create a job? Does he know what it’s like to work hard and pay a mortgage? Answer is… No,No,No and NO! Plus,his house was left to him from a decease relative. This guy is a one trick pony! And he want’s to be our Congressman? Does Joe know what real work is really like? What business experience does he really have? How can Joe help me get a job in this bad economy as a Congressman if he never had real life experience in the business sector? Joe, I think you are great with you’re volunteer work with “American’s against hate” but to be our Congressman? Well…
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:11 pm
Word is that Joe Kaufman and his buddy Charlie Crist Republican Chairman of Brec, Richard DeNapoli are working together behind closed doors? Hey Chairman… I thought you are not so pose to take sides in a Republican primary?! I guess you RINO’S always stick together.
Kaufman = A Charlie Crist Republican.
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:52 pm
* West is not a bigot. He has his beliefs, as he is entitled to do.
* Fields is all partisan. Except when he runs for Judge. Then he crawls on his belly to the GOP clubs with the best of them.
* Richard DeNapoli is a spineless weasel who orchestrated a complete change of procedure to avoid taking the heat for letting Nazir in and allowed what amounted to a public lynching. The Democrats are lucky he’s the GOP Chair of Broward County.
October 2nd, 2011 at 5:06 pm
District 20 Voter @ 10/2
Are you totally clueless? Joe Kaufman didn’t even support DiNapoli during the BREC elections – he was with Narang. Get with the program and enough with the Charlie Crist Republican crap – when you apply it to Kaufman you show yourself to be a fraud.
October 2nd, 2011 at 8:28 pm
Joe Kaufman steered carefully away from both Jay Narang and Tom Truex. We all knew he was going to cury favor with the Spiness Wonder of Hollywood, Chairman “Mao”. And behold! He did Mao’s dirty work last week!
For somebody who started a group called “Americans Against Hate”, Kaufman sure spewed up a lot of hate at that meeting!
October 3rd, 2011 at 8:33 am
I hate hate.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:57 am
i repeat, who the hell is joe kaufman, any relation to joyce kaufman of radio fame.
FROM BUDDY:
Here is Joe Kaufman’s bio from his congressional campaign website.
http://www.kaufmanforcongress.com/?page_id=7
He is running against Karen Harrington and Joseph Goldner the Republican primary and Democratic U. S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the general election.
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Orserver keep it up with your lies.
Joe Kaufman sent out an email endorsing Narang in November 2010. And Kaufman and Hamze have been at odds for years.
NEXT!
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:06 pm
# 38, you write: * Richard DeNapoli is a spineless weasel who orchestrated a complete change of procedure to avoid taking the heat for letting Nazir in and allowed what amounted to a public lynching. The Democrats are lucky he’s the GOP Chair of Broward County.
How does this even make sense??? Nezar didn’t get let in…that’s what Manjarres wanted. The Dems are lucky to have Manjarres doing their dirty work by attacking the Broward GOP constantly.
October 4th, 2011 at 2:15 pm
[Not] Real BREC MEmber: DeNap[oli didn’t want Nazin in. Nobodu really did. But DeNapoli didn’t want to take the heat alone for excluding him. So he orchestrated the circus where he can say it was the committee’s will. In other words, like a spneless weasel, he threw his own conmmittee under the bus.
October 4th, 2011 at 7:49 pm
Keep trying to have it both ways 2:15
DeNapoli catches the heat no matter what – his name is in the article above. According to you, either he’s a dunce or a mastermind – Sounds like your just obsessed with him. The only one who calls themselves a Republican who thinks this was poorly done is Hamze’s backer Manjarres. The committee was happy to reject Hamze 158-11. And we all know Manjarres likes to make the news with his publicity stunts. Oh wait, there are those 11 oother people that might agree w Manjarres.