The Republican Party Platform is the Test for Florida RINOs - FNR Editorial

The Republican Party Platform is the Test for Florida RINOs 

By now, you are well familiar with the term “RINO.” When a person espouses being a Republican, but doesn’t uphold the Party Platform, they earn the moniker RINO. The RINOs’ deception destroys the brand of the GOP and reduces its ability to be a viable voice against the assault of the Left and the Democratic Party.

Here in Florida, when we think of that description, we mostly think of our “representatives” in Washington, D.C. 

But taking a look on the state level, we find RINOs in the Florida legislature - and RINO legislature leadership stalling pro-Party Platform bills through two methods. 

DOA: Republican Party Platform Bills

The first method is to send the bill to a committee to be scheduled for a legislative hearing. The Chairman/Chairwoman has the power to withhold putting it on the agenda to be heard, allowing it to “die in committee.” It’s a simple way of disposing of Republican Party Platform bills. 

The second is to send the bill to a committee chaired by a Democrat, who will never schedule it to be heard, letting it “die in committee.” Simple disposal of party platform bills with the added bonus of blaming Democrats for blocking the bill. 

Both strategies appear to have been implemented in Tallahassee against pro-Republican Party Platform legislation.  And it’s not just Florida. That’s how they do it in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House.

How in the world, one might ask, has any Democrat gotten appointed as Chairman of any committees with a Republican majority in the Florida House and the Florida Senate? 

Every session, the Florida Senate President and the Florida House Speaker appoint at least one Democrat to chair a committee in what appears to be a shell game for scrapping “inconvenient” Party Platform bills. How long has this been going on?  Has anyone asked the Senate President or the Florida House Speaker why they would appoint a Democrat to any Chair? Why would the Republican Party leadership give an inch to the party hellbent on destroying America as we know it? We would love to know the answer to that question. And since the Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson is running for Commissioner of Agriculture this year, he’s making the rounds statewide speaking at events, ask him why he appointed a Democrat to Chair a Florida legislative committee. We need to hear the explanation.

Presumed Integrity

Republican voters must use critical thinking skills and discernment when deciding who to vote for in the primaries. We have to stop granting “presumed integrity” to elected officials and political candidates. These folks need to prove themselves to us, the Republican voters. And we as Republican voters have to start looking past the “R” behind their names and the slick talking points. Just because someone is part of the Republican Party doesn’t make them have integrity or qualify them as on our side. Some candidates switch parties to run in heavily Republican areas because they know they cannot win as a Democrat in that district. Other candidates only view politics as a business, not statesmanship or duty. We need to start digging deeper, asking smarter, better questions, carving out time to really know who we are voting for instead of providing “presumed integrity” to every Republican candidate. We have been too trusting and too nice. We need to be wise.

Voting Records and the Republican Party Platform

Let’s take a look at the pro-life issue which is a cornerstone of the Republican Party Platform. How does Florida stack up? Shockingly, Florida has been among the states with the highest number of abortions in the country, in line with New York, New Jersey and Maryland. Abortion was legal in Florida up to 24 weeks until April 22nd, 2022 when Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill banning abortion after 15 weeks.

The best the Republican Majority Florida legislature could come up with was a ban after 15 weeks gestation? Abortion is still legal now in Florida into the second trimester. Twenty three other states passed “heartbeat legislation,” which will go into effect this summer with the Supreme Court opinion for Dobbs v. Mississippi. It is predicted that opinion will kick the issue of abortion back to individual states to decide. When that happens, Roe will be overturned and those twenty three states’ heartbeat legislation will become law.

Florida won’t be among them. 

One has to ask, is the Florida Republican Party even really pro-life? 

There have been multiple pro-life bills introduced in the Florida legislature every session. But in at least the last four sessions, the GOP leadership appears to have had a gentlemen’s agreement to pass only one pro-life bill per year. ONE. 

Last year, the “Parental Consent” was the pro-life bill de jour after three decades of allowing underage girls to obtain abortions without their parents’ consent. How many of them were coerced by their rapists, pimps, or traffickers to have abortions, destroying the evidence of crimes against underage girls?  The Parental Consent bill was introduced every year from 2018 until 2021 when it was finally passed. Imagine how many young women could have been protected in the past three years had the Florida legislature put the protection of minors above their plan of one pro-life law per session.  

These are the actions of Chamber of Commerce-type Republicans who treat their elected positions like a business, instead of representing the People of Florida.  

Why We Must Stand Against RINOs Within the Party

The GOP Platform issues define the Republican Party. The Preamble of the Platform says, “With this Platform, We, the Republican Party, reaffirm the principles that unite us  in a common purpose.” 

Read the full Republican Party Platform here: https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/docs/Resolution_Platform_2020.pdf

Republicans loyal to the Party must take action. At political forums, club meetings, and other events where candidates appear, Republican voters must be prepared by having first researched the incumbent representative’s voting record, and second, by being prepared to demand answers for votes against the Party Platform. Their voting record is what really counts. What matters is not what they say at meetings because politicians will say anything. What really matters is their voting record. Their voting record shows whether or not they are adhering to the Republican Party Platform.

Florida District 16 Congressman Vern Buchanan’s record of voting against the Party Platform is staggering. Buchanan has voted against the Republican Party Platform time and time again every single year he’s served in the U.S. House. Buchanan has voted in favor of gun control violating his oath of office and breaking with his constituency. 

See page 20 for the Republican Party Platform on Gun Rights: https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/docs/Resolution_Platform_2020.pdf

The second example reveals Buchanan has voted in favor of every budget increase, further skyrocketing the national debt. Adding to the national debt is in direct opposition of the Republican Party Platform. 

See page 16 for the Republican Party Platform on National Debt:  https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/docs/Resolution_Platform_2020.pdf

Because of his voting record, the conservative non-profit, Heritage Action, gives Buchanan a 60% lifetime score on his votes compared to the average House Republican at 89%. You can view Buchanan’s voting record for each congressional session at https://heritageaction.com/scorecard 

Up for re-election this year, Buchanan is campaigning at events and clubs.  Be ready to ask him the hard questions about his voting record against the Republican Party Platform. Find more information on how other Florida legislators have voted: 

• The American Conservative Union Foundation, Florida: http://ratings.conservative.org/people?state=FL

• Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida Scorecard:  https://rlcfl.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/2022-RLCFL-Scorecard-FINAL-v5-2022-0404.pdf

It is up to us, Republican voters, to remove RINOs from office. Simply having an “R” behind their name does not qualify them. Only supporting the Republican Party Platform does.