Republicans Line Up to Challenge Grayson
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
By: Tom Parkinson

August 18, 2010 - Florida's primary election is less than one week away and this week on 90.7, we're looking at some of the Republicans who are challenging Central Florida's incumbent Democratic members of Congress. Today, we focus on the Republicans vying for the chance to run against Orlando's Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson in Congressional District 8.

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The outspoken Grayson has no competition in the Democratic primary but has attracted 7 Republican challengers. There are 4 front-runners based on endorsements and the amount of campaign money they’ve raised. 90.7’s Tom Parkinson caught up with them at a recent forum sponsored by the Central Florida Christian Chamber of Commerce.
Although their specific proposals vary slightly in the details, all 4 agree on the major issues for Republicans in this year’s primary.

Daniel Webster is a former State Senate Majority Leader and former State House Speaker from Orlando. He said he has a very simple solution for the country’s economic problems. "The way to stimulate the economy is to adjourn Congress until the Republicans take over.”
Webster says this only partly ‘”tongue-in-cheek.” He says the American economy is stalled because business people are paralyzed with fear.
“They’re afraid because of cap and trade. They’re afraid of what’s going to happen with health care.” Webster said, “They’re afraid because of what’s going on with the card check bill and other issues that have hit them like a tsunami. And so they’ve basically said we’re withdrawing until something gets some stability here.”

The other candidates echo that position and they also agree with Webster that reducing the deficit and curbing government spending is a top priority. 
The government program they want to target first? The federal overhaul of health care.
State Rep. Kurt Kelly of Ocala says that is one of the major reasons Republicans must unseat Congressman Grayson.
“I watched them as they shoved this down our throats.” he said, “They didn’t listen to the citizenry, they didn’t listen to their constituents and Alan Grayson got on the House floor and made that outrageous, egregious comment about Republicans want you to not get sick and then die quickly. So I’ve made a commitment immediately that I will repeal it but not just repeal it but replace it with what our founding fathers would have seen which is to offer market-based solutions.”
Solutions, Kelly said, such as allowing people to buy health insurance across state lines and encouraging small businesses to pool resources. The other Republican candidates all put forth similar ideas on health care reform. 
The District 8 hopefuls also agree that they want to end the nation’s dependence on foreign oil. Kelly said it’s a matter of national security.
“Some of the very same people who are sworn to kill us have their hands on the valve” Kelly said.

 
Orlando business owner Bruce O’Donoghue says the goal must be to develop America’s own energy resources including oil, gas, nuclear, solar and wind.
“Explore as many options and opportunities that are there. But the other thing is that technology has really advanced so we can still do offshore drilling and it can be safe.”
O’Donoghue says lack of oversight was the culprit in the BP oil rig disaster but he says oil drilling and nuclear energy can both be safely employed.
Again, the candidates are unanimous in their support of, not only offshore, but onshore drilling and exploring every possible resource to help cut the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
O’Donoghue also shares with his Republican counterparts a commitment to tougher immigration laws. He says Arizona’s tough new immigration policy was necessary to protect its citizens.
“They’re in crisis there and I suspect Florida is going to be in the same train of thought.” O’Donoghue said, “ We don’t want to be in crisis so we need to move quickly and adopt a similar law because the federal government’s not doing its job.”

 
He would find no argument with Todd Long on that issue. Long says he would push for an Arizona style immigration law in Florida and across the country. But, he says, he expects fierce resistance.
“The Democrats want 15 million new votes or 15 to 20 million new people to create their welfare state they’re envisioning.” Long said, “It keeps their power base growing. That’s why they’re so angry because that law was already working before it was even implemented.”
Long is an Orlando attorney who ran unsuccessfully against Republican incumbent Ric Keller in the 2008 Republican primary. Keller went on to lose that race to Congressman Grayson.
Long’s ideas on taxes go a little further than some of the other Republican candidates. He favors the so-called “Fair Tax” which would abolish all Federal income taxes and most other taxes substituting a national sales tax. He says offering business that incentive is one certain way to get the country’s economy growing and creating jobs.
“We want you to create wealth.” Long said, “Payroll tax is gone, income tax is gone. We’re not punishing you for savings, for investment, for creating wealth. Why are we punishing behavior that we need so badly in our nation right now? It makes no sense at all.”

The other Republican congressional hopefuls also favor fewer taxes, extending the Bush tax cuts and otherwise creating a business friendly environment.
In addition to those 4 candidates, Republicans Ross Bieling, Dan Fanelli and Patricia Sullivan along with Tea Party candidate Peg Dunmire also are in the race for the District 8 seat in Congress.
They also agree for the most part on all of the major issues.
The one point that each that each candidate emphatically stresses is that Democrat Alan Grayson must be defeated. And that’s also the only area where they strongly disagree: each one says he is the man who can beat Grayson in November.