Dunmire Campaign Use Of Sarah Palin Photo Misleading To D8 Voters
By Tom Tillison
Orlando Political Press
The Peg Dunmire campaign released a television commercial this past week that ends with a photo of Dunmire standing next to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. In addition, a Dunmire campaign email went out today through TownHall.com which prominently features the same photograph.
Peg Dunmire is running for Congress in Central Florida’s district 8 on a third party ticket, joining Republican candidate Daniel Webster in taking on incumbent Democrat Alan Grayson. Dunmire is running under the Florida TEA Party political party, which was registered by then Democrat, Fred O’Neal.
The Florida TEA Party political party has had a contentious short history since filing with the state last year. It is currently involved in a lawsuit brought against it by various members of the actual tea party movement, who were told at one point by O’Neal, Chairman of the TEA Party, that the use of the term ‘tea party’ must have his approval. The TEA Party political party has never had the support of the state’s very active tea party movement, nor do any of the TEA candidates.
“The [party] appears to be an organized effort to confuse and mislead conservative voters and is not a part of the real tea-party movement,” according to Don Hensarling, the Florida director of the 912 Project.
The photo in question was taken at the Orange County Republican Executive Committee Lincoln Day Dinner held on March 12, 2010. At the time, Dunmire was a registered Republican running in the district eight Republican primary.
It was not until the following week on March 18, 2010 that Dunmire announced that she was changing her party affiliation to the Florida TEA Party, as noted in a story posted on TheLedger.com – http://www.theledger.com/article/20100324/NEWS/100329873?p=1&tc=pg
The continued use of this photo in campaign material easily implies that Sarah Palin supports Dunmire’s candidacy, although, Palin posed with dozens of attendees the day of the event. Also, it is questionable whether Palin would have posed with Dunmire at all had she been aware of Dunmire’s third party intentions. During an interview with CBS, Palin said, “we have a two-party system, they’re going to have to pick a party and run one or the other: ‘R’ or ‘D’.”
As of this date, Palin has not issued any formal endorsement in the D8 race.
With the history of the Florida TEA Party in mind, is this effort to associate Dunmire with Palin an attempt to mislead the voters in district 8? Is this a continuation of the use of confusion and deceit to prop up this new political party and it’s candidates?
Last month, World Net Daily rejected the Florida TEA Party sponsorship of it’s Taking America Back conference held in Miami.
“We are returning the money this group paid for sponsoring the conference and rejecting its participation,” said Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND. “This event and the tea-party movement are not about making money. They are about changing the direction of our country. It’s clear to me that the Florida TEA Party…has an agenda all its own.”
What is also clear is that virtually all local tea party activists see Dunmire’s campaign as an attempt to split the conservative vote and ensure an easier path to victory for Alan Grayson. What is particularly troublesome is the financial connections that have been discovered between the Grayson campaign and individuals associated with the Florida TEA Party. Connections that are largely being ignored by the media.
Come November, the voters of district eight must do their due diligence and know who the candidates on the ballot are. In the end, we get the government we deserve, although, two more years of Alan Grayson is a very steep price to pay.
ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND –
Background on who Doug Guetzloe is:
http://www.veoh.com/collection/Floridareport/watch/e135448YESYHf4Ehttp://www.wftv.com/news/10072833/detail.html
In July 2010, a Grand Jury said Expressway Authority paid Guetzloe “hush money”:
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/24262734/detail.html
Doug is a “Convicted Criminal” (see blog post here for links to news stories):
http://www.sunshinestatesarah.com/2010/06/more-trouble-for-convicted-criminal.html
Doug’s Sentencing is coming up in October 2010:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-08-28/news/os-doug-guetzloe-sentencing-set-20100827_1_doug-guetzloe-new-sentencing-date-sentencing-hearing
Recent Developments, ties to Alan Grayson:
http://www.clickorlando.com/video/24036623/index.htmlhttp://www.clickorlando.com/politics/23982225/detail.html
Central Florida Tea Party Council Press Conference on Thursday, June 24, 2010:
http://www.clickorlando.com/politics/24022668/detail.htmlhttp://wdbo.com/localnews/2010/06/cops-called-to-tense-tea-party.html
http://www.wftv.com/news/24021993/detail.html
The grassroots tea party movement is suing the TEA Party political party:
http://www.clickorlando.com/news/22277795/detail.html
OrlandoPoliticalPress.com Stories:
http://www.orlandopoliticalpress.com/2010/06/23/grayson-ads-placed-by-florida-tea-party-consultant-questioned/
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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