The contest to elect a chair for The Republican Executive Committee of Palm Beach County has become wicked and nasty, and it’s one side spewing hate, anger, and venom.
The Wayne Posner side.
Ms. Dagmara Ragone, a REC member, and Posner supporter, sent out a nasty and hateful email attacking Linda Stoch, a Michael Barnett supporter. The former chair of the local party, Sid Dinerstein, was outraged and slammed Posner and Ragone in a return email.
Barnett has been the Chair of The Palm Beach County Republican Party since 2013, and now, after the most successful election night for Republicans in Palm Beach County since I’ve lived here, he’s being challenged, which is fine.
Candace Rojas leads another faction, but I’m not sure it’s an actual faction. Aside from her initial announcement a few weeks ago, and a few cryptic QAnon posts by Rojas on social media, I haven’t heard anything from the Rojas group.
I have a professional relationship with Barnett, but it’s not like we go bowling together.
I’ve been friends with Dinerstein for twenty years, but I don’t know Linda Stoch. Stoch is on the board of directors of the Republican Executive Committee and the Special Events Coordinator, which primarily involves fundraising.
I talk to many Republicans, and the word on the street is that Stoch is a successful fundraiser and a tough woman. The challenging woman part doesn’t bother me. Anyone who has known me for more than five minutes knows I’ve been close friends with some of the toughest and (not saying Stoch is, though) meanest Republican women in South Florida over the last twenty years, so I don’t consider that a negative.
Stoch is Jewish, and while I don’t believe everyone who says something stupid about Germany or Nazis is an anti-semite, I have never heard a Republican call another a “Nazi.”
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I object to the word ‘Nazi” not just because it’s a feeble comeback used by weak-minded people who lack the ability to form coherent arguments; it also implies much more than being a tyrant or authoritarian. It implies the person would be willing to commit genocide.
There’s simply no way to escape that calling anyone Jewish a “Nazi” reaches a level of viciousness that isn’t acceptable in politics, even more so when it’s directed at a fellow patriot fighting the good fight.
I also strenuously object to this “godly” nonsense spouted by Ragone. I’m a pro-life Catholic, and I’ve worked with Republican Atheists, Muslims, Jews, Orthodox Jews, Born Again Christians, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, etc. They were okay in my book as long as they mostly believed in the politics I believed in. I didn’t care if they worshipped the damn moon. Not my business.
Being “godly” is not a requirement to belong to the Republican Party.
I’ve tried to stay objective and not take sides in this election, and I still don’t think I have taken a side. I texted Wayne Posner at 4:15 PM today, Sunday, November 27, 2022, to ask him to respond to this controversy, and I’ve not heard back from him.
The comment war has been raging between the two sides on my post, Loyalists of PBC Republican Party Chair Mike Barnett Strike Back at Wayne Posner. Many of the comments violate the commenting rules, but I’ve allowed them, so no one could say I was censoring them.
So many comments are vicious and untrue, and just about all of those come from the Posner side or people purporting to be from the Posner side.
Barnett, Stoch, and the board may be tyrants, authoritarian, and bullies. I have no idea if they are or not, but that’s all fair to say in a political battle, but they’re not Nazis, and they are not crazy.
I save a lot of social media posts in files, some people send me, and some I stumble across and save. I don’t publish most of them, I’m not looking to hurt regular people, but it’s instructive for my readers to see the name of the file I’ve ended up putting all the Posner supporters in:
Of course, not all Posner supporters deserve to be in the “Crazy Town” file, but so many of them do; that’s what I named the file.
I warned everyone in Loyalists of PBC Republican Party Chair Mike Barnett Strike Back at Wayne Posner that I’m not the Palm Beach Post. I’m interested in what Republicans say, so “consider your public statements carefully.”
Newbies-there are no secrets in politics. Everything gets leaked, either by your “friends” or your enemies.
Sid Dinertsein’s response to Ms. Dagmara Ragone:
Ms. Dagmara Ragone:
“…you (Linda Stoch) seem like a NAZI arm of the board…”
With these words you have disqualified yourself from participating in any REC activities. You a now a pariah. In my 27 years of involvement in the REC, no Republican has ever called another Republican a NAZI; and we’ve had many passionate disagreements. The only time the NAZI analogy comes up is when demented Democrats accuse Republicans of being NAZI’s. You have crossed a line from which there is no going back.
Wayne Posner:
I am the only member of the REC who contributed to both of your Jupiter City Council campaigns. I thought that your business background would be good for Jupiter and, eventually, the REC. I was wrong. You flunked the Leadership test. One of your supporters called one of our volunteers a NAZI. It was incumbent upon you to denounce the slur, and make it clear to the entire REC that Ms. Ragone will never be part of your administration, and is an embarrassment to all of us. Your response: CRICKETS. You preach Leadership. You practice CLUELESSNESS. Ms. Ragone is a bigot. You are now her enabler. Neither of you should be near any part of any Republican organization.
Respectfully,
Sid
On Saturday, November 26, 2022, 01:48:00 PM EST, Dagmara Ragone
Hello all dear fellow Children of God,
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. I did.
1. First, let me tell you I have no bias in REC as I’m fairly new member (few months) and I just met Mr.Posner couple months ago. He is not my friend (although I would be honored to be Mr. Posner’s friend), buddy or anyone like that.
2. As child of God, fellow American and human being I would expect from all other people who call themselves Believers or “decent human beings” to love and respect each other.
3. So far I observed nothing but respect and humble approach from Mr. Posner in his bid for the Chair of REC.
In contrary to some COWARD or group of them who attack him hiding behind e-mail address created purely only to smear Mr. Posner.
Wow! just wow! Really??? Are you an adult?
Do you lack courage to say what you want to say in your own name as I do here? What skeletons are you hiding so you have to hid your name not to have OPEN ADULT DISCUSSION?
“One who has nothing to hide, hides nothing.”
4. I understand emotions are high as we are facing unprecedented attacks on our freedoms, human rights and Christian values in America. Many of us come to realization a lot was hidden from us. We were lied about many things, and many politicians who we believed to be Republicans, turned into Republicans In Name Only because their actions do not display Godly and Constitutional values.
As many of us came to this realization, many of us decided to rise up, step up and do something by joining “Republican” party or REC believing people already involved are the Godly, Constitutionalist Republicans.
Just to our shock to realize even on state, county and many times even city level “Republicans” words do not match their actions…. Instead of being Godly, Constitutionalist Republicans they are un-Godly, un-Constitutional and many times AUTHORITARIAN TYRANTS.
I want to believe that 12 years ago when Mr. Barnett was elected to SERVE (as PUBLIC SERVANT) on the board of REC he had good intentions and pure heart. However it is human nature, once you are “in power” for a longer period of time, to feel like you “own” that seat and become more and more authoritarian over the time, forgetting your position’s noble mission is to be a PUBLIC SERVANT, not a Tyrant.
Thats why idea of TERM LIMITS was born long time ago. Mr. Barnett is not the first human being after years in same position to start feeling he owns it…. I’m not sure why REC doesn’t have term limits, in my opinion this is wrong. We should have term limits in ALL elected positions.
Especially when you observe how cocky, authoritarian and entitled behavior of Mr. Barnett is towards REC members who have some Godly, patriotic, righteous ideas that dont fit his authoritarian agenda.
For that reason I believe we need entirely new board, because all current board members are known for some un-Constitutional actions against other REC members and just simple lack of love and respect to fellow children of God.
5. I was born in communistic Poland, I recognize communism and authoritarian way of governing when I see it.
6. “not Posner COWARD” either come out of the closet and have an ADULT CONVERSATION / DEBATE like a child of God would or sail into the sunset….
REC is an organization of ADULTS, Conservative and Republican ADULTS. Grow couple of testicles or buy on Ebay for faster results.
Republican party wasnt created on Constitutional values only, it was created on Judeo-Christian values (just as Constitution), if you dont believe in God and dont consider yourself child of God Republican party is really not the right place for you.
THE ONLY WAY TO REPAIR REPUBLICAN PARTY AND MAKE IT GODLY AGAIN IS BY HAVING OPEN DISCUSSIONS.
Majority agrees we do need major clean up within PBC REC and republican party in general. The deeper you look the more un-Godly and un-Constitutional dirt you are finding (sadly).
7. Note to REC notorious bully Linda Stoch: Linda, we live in USA we have :
* right to free speech (US Constitution – 1st Amendment)
* right to free and fair elections (US Constitution – 1st Article, 2nd Article, and all the Amendments that talk about elected officials)
* right to petition our elected PUBLIC SERVANTS to Redress our Grievances (US Constitution – 1st Amendment)In my few months at REC I noticed horrific and evil character of yours, you seem like a NAZI arm of the board…. We are sisters, we have same Father – God Almighty.
HOW CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT WOMAN???!!!! Don’t you know God sees everything you do and say (and think..)???!!!!!
Dont you realize one day (rather sooner than later as you are not a spring chicken) you will face Him and will have to answer FOR ALL THE AWEFUL THINGS YOU SAID AND DID TO GOD’S CHILDREN?
BULLYING, THREATS… There is no room for it in Republican party that SHOULD BE party of Godly values and lifestyle.
Drop to your knees… Repent, apologize to God first, then to all the people you bullied and threatened. And then definitely sail into the sunset….. REC will be much better place without your evilness.
There is only one way to fix all this mess we are in as REC and the nation. We have to absolutely turn 100% to God, live our lives and treat others only in ways God would want us. We have to restore God in our hearts and homes first, then in our society – REC included.
God will judge board members for their un-Godly actions towards other God’s children, they have right to repent and be forgiven by God and us.
But they must leave REC and let us Godly people restore it to what it suppose to be – Republican organization that stands up for God and Constitution not just at the beginning of the meeting with prayer and Pledge of Allegiance but through out 100% of actions during and between the meetings.
** English is my 3rd language so excuse any grammar mistakes.
Fellow Republicans, it’s terribly easy to get frustrated because you can’t control everything or help fix the country fast enough or because you personally dislike the people in charge. Been there and done that, but try and remember that you’re not just fighting for control of a volunteer Republican Executive Committee; you’re fighting for the future of your children and grandchildren, and they deserve your best, not your worst.
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