Melbourne Republican Nominates Obama

It seems one of our own Brevard residents has received the rare honor of nominating the Democratic nominee for President...and he's a Republican veteran.

Watch It:



From the Florida Today:

DENVER -- Brevard County's Mike Wilson was supposed to be one of the unknown speakers who fill the pre-primetime hours at the Democratic National Convention, but he wound up nominating Barack Obama for president today.

For a registered Republican, who has no intention of changing his registration, it was a rare honor. And it all started with a $5 donation that Wilson made last year, when the Obama campaign ran a little contest offering dinner with the Illinois senator to four donors chosen at random.

...

He said Obama would see to it that members of the service "get the medical care that they deserve." He added, "if you do what you always did, you'll get what you've always got."

"America needs new leadership in the White House, and that leader is Barack Obama," said Wilson. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my distinct honor, as an Iraq war veteran, as a lifelong Republican and as a proud citizen of this great democracy, to nominate the next president of the United States of America, Barack Obama!"

I would encourage you to read the entire article on Florida Today's website before it disappears behind the subscriber firewall.

Other local media are covering this, including the TCPalm, which covers the Treasure and Palm coasts:

...

Wilson, 33, an Iraq war veteran separated from the Air Force in 2004, was selected for the honor after meeting with Obama over dinner a year ago. Three donors to the Obama campaign were flown to New Hampshire and were allowed to ask the candidate anything they wanted. Wilson said he was impressed with Obama’s sincerity.

“Nothing seemed canned,” he said.

Of his speech, Wilson said, “Basically, I’m going to share my story. My experience as a veteran. My vision of why Senator Obama should be the next president of the United States.”

....

Wilson is not the only Republican who has come out full-heartedly in favor of Obama. Former Iowa Republican Congressmen Jim Leach has endorsed Obama and spoke at the Democratic Convention, current Fairbanks Republican Mayor Jim Whitaker has endorsed the Democratic Senator from Illinois, and former Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee (who was also the only Republican Senator to vote against the Iraq war) is supporting Barack Obama --- just to name a few. The Obama campaign has started a neat page, Republicans for Obama to showcase his support from the other side of the aisle.

While the media obsesses over the false "Democrats divided" narrative, Republicans from all across the county --- and here in Brevard County --- are joining with Senator Obama and speaking up for change.

Democratic Primary Results

Congratulations to the winners of the August 26th Democratic Primary! Including yesterday's primary winners and those Democrats who did not have a primary, we have a strong ticket going into the November 4th Election. The Young Democrats are 100% committed to ensuring a united Democratic front here in Brevard County. Without further ado, here's the 2008 Democratic slate in Brevard:

U.S. Congressional District 15 - Stephen Blythe

U.S. Congressional District 24 - Suzanne Kosmas

Florida Senate District 24 - Kendall T. Moore*

State House District 29 - Wes McCarville*

State House District 30 - Amy Tidd*

State House District 32 - Tony Sasso*

State House District 80 - Neal Abarbanell*

Property Appraiser - Larry Hughes

Sheriff - Gary Young

Supervisor of Elections - Frank Greico*

Tax Collector - Laura Dils

Brevard County Commission District 1 - Robin Fisher

Brevard County Commission District 3 - Ed Geier*

Canaveral Port Authority District 5 - Peter Nichols*

* candidates who had no primary

Official results can be found the Brevard Supervisor of Elections. For state and federal races, check the complete results on the Florida Division of Elections website.

The Young Democrats also extend a deep and sincere "thank you" to the candidates who were defeated in yesterday's primary. Not long ago, Brevard Democrats had trouble finding one candidate for an election - let alone allowing Democratic primary voters a choice for the nomination. Your work leading up to the primary has made our party stronger, and we are thankful for your efforts.

Battleground Brevard: Primary Races to Watch

Somewhat lost in the excitement of the Democratic National Convention is Florida’s primary for local, state, and federal office. This primary is especially important here in Brevard County, where more Democrats are running for office than any time in more than a decade. In the last two years, our local party has become energized in ways we couldn’t imagine just a few short years ago. The Democratic resurgence in Brevard became clearly visible with the hard-fought victory of state Representative Tony Sasso in the District 32 Special Election in March.

In this vein, I would like to announce the creation of a new series “Battleground Brevard,” which will take an in-depth look at every contested partisan race in Brevard County from the U.S. Congressional races in Districts 15 and 24 and our races for seats in the state legislature, down to our county commission races. Our first edition will come this weekend after the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention and will consist of an overview of the races in Brevard County. Additionally, we’ll review the structural changes and trends in Brevard, which have produced one of the most competitive counties in the state. For now, we list the (contested) Democratic primary races to watch in Brevard County. We’ll come back late tomorrow night with the final slate of Brevard Democratic Candidates.

U.S. Congressional District 15

• Stephen Blythe
• Paul Rancatore

U.S. Congressional District 24

• Clint Curtis
• Suzanne Kosmas

Sheriff

• Mose Alexander
• Gary E. Young

Property Appraiser

• Larry E. Hughes
• Charlie Sitton

Tax Collector

• Laura Dils
  
• Carie Exline

County Commission District 1

• Robin Fisher
• Maureen Rupe
• Al Yorston

Non-contested races: Democratic nominations for State House districts 29, 30, 32, and 80; supervisor of elections; and county commission district 3 are uncontested. These candidates will be listed with our slate tomorrow. Unfortunately, the races for Clerk of Courts, State House District 31, and County Commission District 5 have no Democratic challengers. Primary voters will decide the election for these seats tomorrow. Democrats are still set to have the most extensive slate of candidates in Brevard County in many years.

On the Republican side, some primaries to watch include

• Supervisor of Elections: There are four candidates competing for the Republican nod including Beth Allen, the wife of infamous former state Rep. Bob Allen.
• State House District 30: Republicans Tres Holton and Rich Workman face off for the right to run against Brevard Democratic Chair Amy Tidd
• Property Appraiser: Incumbent Jim Ford, who has overseen an office rife with alleged corruption -- including the lowering of property values for political allies-- faces three Republican challengers, including county commissioner Helen Voltz.

Voters will also decide two non-partisan judicial races and a school board race (District 3). Additionally, the top two school board vote earners in each of School Board Districts 4 and 5 will go on to the November 4 ballot.

Remember to vote tomorrow! As we await the primary results, make sure to check the Florida Progressive Coalition blog for updates from Florida delegation to the Democratic National Convention.

Upcoming Election Information

Hello Young Democrats,

This is an informational memo on critical upcoming election dates. The August 26th primary is in less than two weeks and the November 4th Presidential Election is fast approaching.

This post contains a list of all the upcoming election dates, early voting opportunity dates, and voter registration and absentee request deadlines. I will also include links to online Florida voter registration forms and an online absentee request form for Brevard County. Please save it so you can reference it later and distribute to others. For more information you can always go to the Brevard Supervisor of Elections website.

Important Upcoming Election Dates:

8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday August 11 through Saturday August 23 (excluding Sunday August 17): Early Voting for the August 26th Primary*

• August 20th: Last day to Request an Absentee ballot for August 26th primary election **
• August 26th (polls open 7am to 7pm): Primary Election***
• October 6th: Deadline to Register to Vote in Florida in order to participate in Presidential Election ****
• 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday October 20 through Saturday November 1 (excluding Sunday October 26): Early Voting for November 4th Presidential Election*
• October 29th: Last Day to request an absentee ballot for the November 4th Presidential Election**
• November 4th (polls open 7am to 7pm): General Election***
• 
  

* The early voting locations are as follows:

• Titusville: Government Complex-North, 400 South Street, 1st Floor
• Merritt Island: Central Brevard Service Complex, 2575 N. Courtenay Parkway
• Viera: Government Center, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Bldg. C
• Melbourne: South Brevard Service Complex, 1515 Sarno Road
• Palm Bay: South Mainland Service Center, 450 Cogan Drive SE

Please see the Brevard Supervisor of Elections early voting website for more information and standard ID requirements.

** You can request an absentee ballot in Brevard County through the link below:

http://brevardelections.org/abform.htm

You can also call the SoE office(s) to request ballots or request them in person. For this information see here. You must be registered to vote to request a vote-by-mail ballot.

*** Finding your precinct and voting place

Your precinct and voting place should be listed on the back of your voter registration card if your address is up-to-date. You can also determine your precinct by going to the Brevard SoE website here and locating it by your street name. Once you have determined your precinct number, you can go to the Polling Places and District Assignments page find your polling place.

**** REGISTERING TO VOTE

The Florida voter registration form can be located on the Florida Division of Elections website:

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voter-registration/voter-reg.shtml

The form can be filled out on the computer, printed, and mailed in. Since the registration form must have an original signature, it must be printed and mailed. No means of submitting it electronically is available. Please see the eligibility and ID requirements for voter registration.

I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any further questions, either contact the SoE office or send me an email.

Brevard Young Democrats: Vote NO on 2!

Several months ago, before Florida's Amendment 2 gained enough signatures to be put on the ballot, the Brevard Young Democrats endorsed the Fairness for All Families Campaign, one of the pro-equality groups opposing the so-called "Marriage Protection Amendment." Now that Amendment 2's ballot placement is official, our organization has moved to explicitly oppose this discriminatory initiative. At our July 23rd general membership meeting, the Brevard Young Democrats unanimously passed the below resolution:

Resolution Regarding Florida's Amendment 2 on the 2008 General Election Ballot

Whereas:

Florida's Amendment 2 discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, and

Whereas:

Discrimination should never be written into the Florida Constitution, and

Whereas:

Similar amendments in other states have led to the revocation of domestic partnership rights for seniors, police, firefighters, and other public employees, and

Whereas:

The rights of both LGBT and straight individuals are threatened by this amendment

Therefore, be it resolved:

The Brevard County Young Democrats does hereby oppose Amendment 2 and encourages its membership and affiliates to vote "NO."

This Amendment threatens to write discrimination into the Florida Constitution, and is morally reprehensible. As noted in our resolution, similar amendments in others states have stripped seniors and public employees of domestic partnership rights. Amendment 2 is a wholesale government invasion into the private relationships of citizens and must be stopped. For more information you can see this page from the Fairness for all Families Vote No on 2 campaign, or this one from Florida Red and Blue.

Below I've compiled a list of the local and state organizations working to oppose Amendment 2:

PFLAG Melbourne:

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays promotes the health and well-being of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, their families and friends through:

Support, to cope with an adverse society
Education, to enlighten an ill-informed public
Advocacy, to end discrimination and secure equal civil rights

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays provides opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity and acts to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity.

Say No 2 (Florida Red and Blue):

Florida Red and Blue, the statewide bipartisan campaign fighting the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment, has launched the Say No 2 campaign, urging voters to Vote No on Amendment 2, which will be on the November ballot. Amendment 2 is also known as the "same sex marriage ban" amendment, but it's consequences and effects will harm ALL unmarried couples in Florida, whether they're gay or not.

The message of Say No 2 is simple: Say no to taking away rights, benefits and protections from unmarried couples, especially senior citizens. Say no to eliminating shared health care and pension benefits. Say no to someone else deciding who can visit you in the hospital. And say no to more government intrusion into your private life.

Fairness for All Families (Vote No on 2):

Fairness for All Families is a growing coalition that includes seniors, business leaders, consumer groups and social justice organizations who are joining together to oppose stripping away existing employee benefits while barring the passage of future measures to help Florida families.

Florida ACLU:

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida is freedom's watchdog, working daily in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend individual rights and personal freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Space Coast Progressive Alliance has a resource page on state and local GLBT issues and organizations.