Jim Greer

Greer Apologizes To Obama For GOP Racism, Recants Critique Of Socialist Indoctrination School Speech

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 14, 2010, 11:40AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

Florida's school children are getting a lesson in how the political winds affect the political backbone today. Last year, Jim Greer, then the chair of the Florida Republican Party, was happy to, as he says now, "placate the extremists who dominate" the GOP and publicly accuse President Obama of orchestrating a socialist plot by addressing the nation's public schools via video.

Today, he's apologizing for ever saying any such thing, and calling members of his former party racist.

It seems that after a year which saw Greer get booted from the GOP and disgraced by scandal, he's had a change of heart with it comes to the president using his office to encourage and inspire the nation's pupils. In a statement sent to Florida reporters today, Greer completely apologizes to Obama for slamming his 2009 speech. Greer says the vitriol he threw Obama's way -- and the national kerfuffle it caused -- was part of his efforts to appease the party's extremes. (What's more, Greer suggests that it's now the GOP that's promoting ugliness, saying that "many" Republicans "have racist views.")

Unlike last year, Greer says his kids are excited about hearing Obama's speech to schoolchildren today.

"My children and I look forward to the President's speech," Greer says.

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Florida GOP

Crist On Greer Case: 'I Do Not Feel Complicit'

Ben Frumin | June 2, 2010, 12:36PM

Governor Charlie Crist (I-FL)

Gov. Charlie Crist said today that while he's "disappointed" about the news that his ally Jim Greer had been arrested, he doesn't feel responsible for Greer's actions.

"I do not feel complicit," Crist said.

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Jim Greer

GOPers Taking Florida Shakeup In Stride

Eric Kleefeld | January 6, 2010, 8:34AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

So what to make of yesterday's resignation by Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer, who has been a close ally of Gov. Charlie Crist? Does this mean that Crist has been heavily damaged in his Senate primary against the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio? Interestingly, Republican sources we spoke to said this wasn't actually true -- that in some ways it could be good news for Crist, simply by virtue of having ended an ongoing controversy.

One county chair said that the Greer resignation was actually bad news for Rubio, who's enjoyed considerable success running as an outsider candidate. "I've heard from some Rubio supporters who are disappointed to see Greer go," the chair said. "It's harder for him to run as an outsider now." Another chair said that the resignation helps Rubio "a little," but could help Crist more.

"Maybe it's a benefit [for Crist]," Palm Beach County chair Sid Dinerstien said. "The Governor knew this was going to happen eventually, and now he can put it behind him."

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Jim Greer

Greer Announces Resignation As Florida GOP Chair -- And Slams Right-Wing Critics On His Way Out

Eric Kleefeld | January 5, 2010, 2:01PM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

On a conference call with reporters just now, Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer officially announced his resignation, effective on February 20. He took the opportunity to tear into his right-wing critics for wanting a smaller party and accused them of pulling apart the GOP itself in order to take him out.

Greer is an ally of Gov. Charlie Crist, a relative GOP moderate who is being vigorously challenged in this year's Senate primary by the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio. Supporters of Rubio had been accusing Greer of mismanaging party funds and of being biased in Crist's favor, all of which Greer has strongly denied. In his resignation, Greer said he could no longer put the party through this divisive process -- but he clearly didn't mind taking some parting shots on the way out.

"As you know, there is a great debate in our party on the direction, moderates vs. conservatives, whether we should have a big tent or a small tent," said Greer. "And while I have made it my utmost concern to try and keep those arguments and discontents out of the Republican Party of Florida, over the last six months there has been a very vocal group within our party that has become very active in seeking an effort to oust me as chairman. They have distorted facts, they have talked about misspending of money, when the facts have been shown over and over and over that that's not true. They have talked about my support of Gov. Crist for the U.S. Senate race. They have, as they say, thrown everything up against the wall as they possibly can, to either embarrass me or embarrass the Republican Party of Florida."

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FL-SEN

Tea Partiers Get A Win: FL GOP Chair Stepping Down

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 5, 2010, 12:50PM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

On a conference call with reporters in a few minutes, Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer is expected to step down from the chairmanship Gov. Charlie Crist gave him in 2007. The move leaves Crist without one of his most important allies, and supporters of Marco Rubio with real hope they can defeat Crist in this year's primary.

It's hard to overstate the importance of this resignation to the national GOP landscape.

Florida is shaping up to be the epicenter of the intraparty GOP war in 2010, and the resignation of Greer suggests the battle is tilting toward the ultra-conservatives on the tea party side of the line. Ever since Crist entered the Senate race, Rubio backers have accused Greer of turning the state party into an arm of the Crist campaign. Crist and Greer are longtime political friends, and Greer made it clear from the get-go that he supported Crist over Rubio (he promised to run the party objectively, however.) Rubio backers began to attack him and call for his resignation. Now -- over Crist's objections -- they appear to have gotten their wish.

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FL-SEN

Florida GOPers In Civil War

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 6:46PM

Clockwise from left, Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer, Rep. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Center Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

The Florida Republican Party organization is now in the midst of a civil war, with the latest shoe to drop being that embattled party chairman Jim Greer has called for a special executive committee meeting, in response to a request that he be ousted as chairman -- but at the same time, he's telling his enemies that the motion itself isn't allowed under the party rules.

Greer, an ally of moderate Gov. Charlie Crist, has come under fire by intra-party critics who accuse him of mismanaging the state GOP's finances. For his part, Greer is putting the blame for this controversy on allies of former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, the more conservative challenger against Crist in the Senate primary. And Greer has accused these critics of "slander," "libel," and even "treason" against the Republican Party!

Now Greer has sent out his new letter (available after the jump) calling the meeting, but declaring its raison d'etre of ousting him to be against the party's rules. "Chairman Greer is agreeing to call the special meeting in conjunction with the already-scheduled annual meeting to discuss a variety of issues the board has expressed interest in discussing -- one of which is to rescind his election as Chairman," Florida GOP press secretary Katie Gordon Betta explained to us. "By this letter, the Chairman is pro-actively informing the members that one of their intended motions is not permitted under party rules, in order to avoid confusion at the meeting in January."

Yes, this letter should probably help to avoid confusion, and will clear a lot of things up. But that's not all. Crist has also lost the support of some key GOP Congressmen in his Senate bid -- but nobody is exactly sure why.

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Jim Greer

Florida GOP Chairman Digs In, Accuses Opponents Of 'Slander,' 'Libel' And 'Treason'

Eric Kleefeld | December 22, 2009, 9:46AM

Former Florida Republican Party Chair Jim Greer

Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer, an ally of moderate Gov. Charlie Crist, has sent out a letter to party committee members insisting that he will not resign -- and lambasting supporters of the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio in the Senate primary, accusing them of "slander," "libel," "treason" and all manner of other bad deeds against the GOP in their efforts to bring him down.

The letter, sent out last night in the midst of calls for Greer's resignation, makes for some very interesting reading as part of an intra-party slugfest:

What has transpired in the last week has been nothing short of slander and libel by a group of people bent on the destruction of the Republican Party. A coordinated campaign of misinformation, complete with late night phone calls and e-mails filled with rumors and innuendo, all in attempt to create the appearance of chaos at a time when the party is laser-focused on defeating Democrats.

...

Now, if I may, I'd like to talk about these recent calls for my resignation. They all have one thing in common, and it is not geography, ideology or good intention. It is treason that for the sake of personal ambition that members of this party are airing dirty laundry and even budget and strategy plans publicly to serve their selfish interests.

Check out the full letter, after the jump.

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Jim Greer

Florida GOP Chairman, Crist Ally, Fighting Calls For Resignation

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2009, 12:21PM

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R)

The Florida Republican Party is facing serious internal divisions over the Senate primary between moderate Gov. Charlie Crist and the more conservative former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, with state party chairman and Crist ally Jim Greer denouncing calls from the right for his resignation.

"The governor has told me I'm not to consider resigning,'" Greer told the St. Petersburg Times. Greer denounced his critics: "People have a specific political agenda - to destroy me, to destroy the governor, and to destroy the party." He further slammed them as "non-inclusive purists" who want to remake the GOP as an "anti-Crist party" -- which would certainly be an odd thing for the party to be, an institution opposed to its own incumbent governor.

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FL-SEN

Florida GOP Denies Rumor Of Chairman Leaving In Crist Campaign Shake-Up

Eric Kleefeld | December 16, 2009, 5:32PM

Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R)

The Florida Republican party is strongly denying a rumor that state party chairman Jim Greer, a close ally of Gov. Charlie Crist, would be resigning soon as part of a shake-up in Crist's Senate campaign.

The rumor was reported by the conservative Florida-based site Irreverent View.

"There is absolutely no truth to this," Florida GOP press secretary Katie Gordon Betta told TPM.

Jim Greer

Florida GOP: Keep Obama Out of Our Schools!

Eric Kleefeld | September 2, 2009, 2:53PM

President Barack Obama

I just spoke with Florida Republican Party press secretary Katie Gordon, regarding state party chairman Jim Greer's denunciation of President Obama's upcoming national address to schoolchildren on Tuesday. Gordon stood by the party's press release -- and said that children should not be subjected to what she said is a clear attempt at political indoctrination by the Obama administration. Indeed, she said parents should be able to opt-out their kids from the speech.

The Department of Education's press release says about the address: "The President will challenge students to work hard, set educational goals, and take responsibility for their learning. He will also call for a shared responsibility and commitment on the part of students, parents and educators to ensure that every child in every school receives the best education possible so they can compete in the global economy for good jobs and live rewarding and productive lives as American citizens."

But Gordon says there's a lot to be worried about. "I think that's certainly the concern, is that we don't know what this speech is about," said Gordon. "There's no advanced copy being given to parents, teachers or principals. I think that's certainly our concern, because if you look at the teaching tools that are being provided, it's certainly extremely biased."

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