Republicans For Reform

[Walter857]

Hello, first time here for me, but just got this letter in the mail from Bruce Bent under the banner Republicans For Reform.

Really lit into Joe Mondello.

He makes a convincing case for change, anyone feel the same way? What do you think? Did anyone else get this letter, it was sent to "Republican Committee Members".

Walter,
Baldwin

[no name]

But, even though change is warranted, Bent is the LEAST credible source to espouse it.

I have not seen the letter, but Bent and Mondello have a personal animosity.

Bent, however, has no standing or credibility in the matter.

He is not a real Republican. Anyone that's ever met the man will agree that there's a screw loose.

He was less than forthcoming to get the R nod, and then tanked it big time.

Any credible opponent to Suozzi would have lost, but would probably have done well enough to at least hold Parrola and maybe pick up a Legislativbe seat.

Bent should be ashamed of himself for what he did and how he ran (or failed to run) his race. It is hard to believe that he really tried. Maybe he thought if he lost badly enough that Mondello would have been replaced. I just can not think of another logical reason why he would have run the way he did.

Anyway, He's a loser and few if any Republicans will follow his call. He displayed open contempt for the hard working R rank and file. He thinks his s**t don't stink.

It will take someone of more credibility and stature to move Mondello out, or Mondello himself.

That day is probably not that far off, but Bent won't do it.

[Postman]

Bruce Bent is at it again.

Giving it right back to Greg Peterson in his latest attack on the discredited Nassau GOP leadership.

The troops are getting nervous and want a change in leadership.

Power To The People!

[People person]

I'm all for power to the people, but Bruce Bent and the everyday committteperson have nothing in common.

He never was a committeeperson, never obtained a signature let alone walk as a candidate.

Give me someone who a have faith in and I'll listen. This guy was rude to severla people as a candidate last year. He can take all his money and find a new hobby.

Power to the real people, not some rich snob!!!!

[RR3]

Absolutely right about Bent. He is not the right person for the job.

John DeGrace on the other hand...

[RJM]

You mean John Disgrace don't you.

The man run out as Mayor of Valley Stream,
The man who holds the only GOP patronage job left in Nassau County, despite having little or no education beyond High School.
The man who advised a certain Eric P. throughout his career (including faking being a County Lawyer in order to obtain sexual favors from poor clients).

You mean that John DeGrace.

Yes, make him County Chairman indeed! PERFECT!

[RR]

I mean the Jjohn DeGrace that has consistently delivered for candidates running in and around Valley Stream.

I mean the John DeGrace that is a decent human being to all people, regardless of party affiliation.

I mean the John DeGrace who wins more elections than he loses, unlike Joe Mondello.

I mean John DeGrace who has always done right by the Party faithful and has never left the trenches for the sunny pastures of Old Westbury.

Hope that clears things up.

[Suspicious Minds]

As for John DeGrace, anyone who knows him knows he is a truly decent man. I think most people on both sides of the fence would agree.

As for the pathetic personal attack on him earlier, must have been someone John outsmarted(though he doesn't have that Ivy league education you must).

DeGrace took the Village back after losing it. He was smart enough to see the demographics and put together a fusion ticket to win. Talk about forward thinking.

And he has won several races with local candidates who were supposed to lose.

He a guy who promotes inclusion.

As for the Bent letter it was all over the place.

Starts with insults. Then contradicts himself by saying he received no help only to add that candidates faxed him schedules during the campaign. The only person he didn't blame for his loss was the person who looks at him everday in the mirror when he shaves(wait, maybe he is shaved by his butler)

Rich people need to find something else to do with there money instead of buying power!!

[no name]

And, he's fundamentally dishonest. Anyone that was anywhere near him during his run knows that he has a true disdain for the rank and file GOP. He thinks, and said, that they should all be fired. He has no respect for the hard work and dedication that he is now supposedly in awe of. He doesn't care for the committeemen and women or club members. He is only trying to convince some of them to support him. He's trying to use them. But if you have met the man, you have an easy time believing that he's capable of saying and doing anything to see to it that his personal hard on for mondello ends in putting Joe out to pasture.

While that is a goal that is shared by many, including many in the leadership and rank and file, no one believes that Bent is the saviour of the party. Everyone believes (except for bent and Hoey) that Bent did very serious damage to the party by his non-existent and disingenuous campaign.

Whatever he says in his letter to Petersen, he WAS offered assistance and turned it down. He WAS invited to events and mostly did not show up. The party DID hold a fundraiser for him and raised much more than the $3000 that he claims he received form "party regulars". His effort was the worst that I've seen in almost 50 years of involvement. It is almost as if he intentionally tried to embarass the party further.

And, if he did spend anywhere near the $1mm he claims, I think it was the worst $ spent ever. No ads to speak of. No mail plan. I only got 2 pieces from him, one right after the nomination, and it was a soliciation from his fund comapny. the other was in the last week of the campaign far after the race and the fate of thousands (and more than a few of his ticketmates) was already decided.

No, Bent is not the answer. unfortunately, though, he seems bent (no pun intended) on being a part of another embarassing fiasco. The GOP should expcet that this time next year (and just past) he will have tried to run committee slates in certain areas that he feels are vulnerable due to lax leadership. I guess he hopes to make the 2003 convention in September a contested one, and that will not be good for the party. Maybe the leadership issue will be well settled by then w/ some sort of divine intervention by the Governor or something.

Mondello is better than Bent any day. But there are others that can and should step forward after Nov 5th and make sure that the Nassau GOP is set in the right direction sooner than later.

ne final word to my fellow GOP rank and file lifers: Do not be fooled by Bent's claims to be on your side. He has a persoanl vendetta that he wants to settle w/ Mondello and he's trying to use us as pawns. He has no chance to be a successful GOP leader. His race for county exec is enough eviden to show that he's a phony and a fake and can not be trusted. even if you think that Joe has to go, Bent is NOT the answer. The party will right itself and new leadership will emerge. Let's not get foolishly led to believe that this guy bent is the answer.

[Rudy Fusco]

John DeGrace is loved by many who take the time to get to know him or otherwise have the pleasure of working with him; myself included.

He is an excellent leader. He is a wonderful caring person. He deserves admiration and respect from others on both sides of the aisle, and for the most part, he gets it.

[RJM]

All Hail to John DeGrace, the latest and greatest hope of the defunct Nassau GOP.

Been around the committee long enough to have picked up a few tricks on bamboozling the likes of newcomers.

DeGrace=More Of The Same!

[Rudy Fusco]

I have known John DeGrace both personally and professionally for over twenty years. He is as genuine as I have already stated.

RJM. You are wrong.

[RR3]

RJM can say what he likes. There is a large contingent of rank and file Reps from Elmont and Levittown working to drum up support for Degrace.

[Piping Rock]

Bruce Bent's latest letter, received at my home yesterday, was a fitting response to the previous assault on his integrity by Greg Peterson.

In it, Bent makes some excellent come backs, like the lack of GOP support for an outsider (how dare the committee turn it's back the party's own nominee - perhaps we need a chairman who supports Republicans).

His case for change is more convincing than ever, and while I had my doubts previously, I'm for change right now!

Let's start talking about the process that will be used and the timing of the leadership change schedule.

[RJM]

Someone named Fusco (must be a recipeint of GOP funding or seeking GOP funding for an ego trip of his own design) alleges that my view of DeGrace is inaccurate.

Well, no it's not.

John DeGrace (or "DisGrace") as he's known among a large contingent of Republicans within village boundaries view him simply as Carbon Paper for the Nassau GOP. There isn't a position that emenates from the leadership that John doesn't repeat verbatim.

Anyway, his current job as Comissioner of the Republican minority in the County Board of Elections (if a low work/high pay patronage position can even be called that) is just the latest in his life long tethering to the public nipple. Some consider it as Welfare For White Guys. He and his family (well, what is of it) has been on perennial life support courtesy of the public taxpayer for decades.

Enough of the status quo, has-been, sputtering machine types. The future of the party shouldn't lie in taking Cog B off the replacment shelf when Cog A cashes in and moves to a million dollar N. Shore home.

We need an entirely new direction -- which begins with widescale and deep seated election reform, starting with the embarrasement that is Dan Frisa and his petition challenges, but not ending there.

Reform now,
Reform again,
Reform forever.

[You don't know what your]

That N. Shore Snob? Must be describing the current county chairman aren't you.....

As for 50 year resident of VS.

Let me ask you this.

Is VS better than it was 50 years ago?

Thank you Republican Party leadership of John DisGrace & Crew like you Rudy Fusco.

If idiots were for sale you'd be bought up by the GOP, then again you are bought and paid for.

Back to the need for deep and widespread party reform. Will the likes of John DeGrace deliver the goods, or bring in bland boxes of oatmeal?

That's what I thought.

[Rudy Fusco]

I'll take another shot at this but I don't expect to change your mind RJM. You have an ax to grind and are what old timers often call " capodoste ".

John is an executive committeeman. He has a say and a vote on what the county committee does. So does every executive committeeperson. Unless you are in on every vote taken ( and I seriously doubt that you are...in fact I can tell by the content of your remarks that you are not) you would not know how each and every committee person votes. Yet you insist on blaming John D for all your angst with the party. Open your eyes pal. Give credit where credit is due and be careful who you throw stones at.

A Lawyer friend of mine has a little prayer hanging on his office wall. It reads: Lord, today let my words be soft and tender...for tomorrow I may have to eat them".

Try to remember that.

[jj]

shoulds like a former friend of John's who never amounted to anything but a backstabber!!! Right rjm, nice life you have.....

[Seaford R]

How many of you have read Bent's newest letter?

Among my buddies here in Seaford, we think he's got some valid issues.

What say you all?

[no name]

What valid issues? Read my post above. The only thread of truth at all is hat it is time for a chnge.

He's completely wrong (or making up) the rest.

[jj]

Hey Seaford R, come on what kind of R are you that you will even refer to Bent's letter, we know things must change but Bent as a party candidate was a diaster, snob and looked down on us. Let's do us all a favor and stop referring to his letters, he is spending more now then he did on his campaign, that should tell you what he is like. I fully agree with you that we must move on for the better of the party but not with Bent.

[Westbury Manor]

Time to move on,

How about the committeemen/women telling their "leaders" they insist on a leadership change and to call a convention for Thursday October 10th at 8PM where nominations for a new chairman/woman will be accepted followed by candidate statements and a closed ballot vote.

First order of business of the reconstituted leadership will be to put the kabash (by telling the Senators to reform the laws) on guys like Dan Frisa screwing around with democratic means of giving regular republican voters a say in the nominees of their party.

No wonder Republicans have abandoned us, lack of leadership and our candidates taking away their right to vote.