CRYSTAL COAST TEA PARTY PATRIOTS
MEETING MINUTES OF
23 OCTOBER 2012
Meeting was held at Roland’s Barbecue in Beaufort, NC
Meeting called to order at 6:05 by Chairman BOB CAVANAUGH
Pledge of Allegiance led by BILL GRIFFITH
Invocation by MARY ANN GOFF
Attendance: 34
BOB welcomed BILL GRIFFITH and his lovely wife, PATTY back. It has been a while since he has made a meeting. (Applause) BILL has been working the Board of Elections for the Republican Party in Beaufort. Also, EULA PARKIN, MADELINE SCHAW, ROMA WADE and EDITH (when she feels up to it) have also worked Beaufort voting site. (BOB said he had seen EDITH today and she reported that she had had her first treatment and had tolerated it quite well. He also said he heard that half of Beaufort was now wearing pink underwear – in support of her fight.) RICK and MARY ANN GOFF have also been working the Beaufort site. BOB said from the results he had been receiving that Beaufort had somewhere around 2,300 to 2,400 voters so far that had turned out. STEVE BEST, SCOTT CARPENTER, HOWARD and PEGGY GARNER, and RUTH PARKER have been working Fort Benjamin Park in Newport which has had a real good turnout also. STEVE reported that when he left at 4:30 today 1,829 had voted there since voting started last Thursday. WAYNE WILLIS reported that the Davis Fire Department had not had any such turnouts there. He did say they had twice as many voting as they had in the primary. Maybe a couple of hundred so far. Good news is 2/3 of them are Republicans and he knew them. RO THOMPSON, KEN and DIANE LANG, JIM and PAT NALITZ, are working the polls at Cape Carteret.
FRED DECKER reported on checking out the voter list he had gotten last week. Three on there were military; however, at the first house he stopped at he was told the man was in Afghanistan, but the person he was talking to had a different last name. At the second house, he was told they had never heard of the person listed on Fred’s list and the third house (and third name) had a for sale sign on the front yard. He said he was going to challenge these three names (who had requested absentee ballots).
BOB said he had received a report on Onslow County, for Thursday and Friday, had a count of the voters that had turned out, 45% of the voters were Democrat, 36% Republicans, and 17% Unaffiliated. Carteret County, including Thursday, Friday and Monday, 49% of the early voters were Republican, 24% were Democrats and 21% Unaffiliated. He said he personally thought the Unaffiliated were going, overwhelmingly, Republican. Craven County Thursday, Friday and Monday had 47% Democrat, 35% Republican, and 17% Unaffiliated. HOWARD said Bill Smith had stopped by during the middle of the afternoon today and said he understood state-wide the Democrats are outvoting the Republican 2 to 1. BOB said he saw that email. Greg Lewis sent that out over the weekend. That does not include Monday and Tuesday. BOB said he thinks Republican Conservatives for the most part wait and vote on election day. LYN BAKER said she had been making phone calls from GOP Headquarters and all the Independents that she had called so far, only two have said no, they were voting Democratic. She said they were not nasty, they just were stating their belief. LUKE KUKULINSKI said he had only had 2 also. LUKE said we need to remember that during the primary 30% of the Democrats voted ’no preference’ for president. Statewide was 2%. BOB said he thinks a lot of Democrats will vote or be voting for Romney but just not telling the world. He also said he was amazed at how many people did not know about having to vote for the president and judges separately. Those working the polls agreed. Many thanked us and said they really appreciated us letting them know.
EULA PARKIN said she had been told that Ken Humphrey had been bragging that he had registered 10,000 illegal Mexicans to vote. A lot of comments were made as to how true anyone there felt this was. Just Humphrey trying to stir things up just as he had been doing since the polls opened last Thursday. WAYNE said when they opened up Thursday, Ken Humphrey was on the scene at Davis Shore. He instructed his surrogates that they were to pick up the Democrats signs when they left for the day because it seemed that someone was stealing Obama signs. WAYNE said he played the fiddle the whole time Ken was complaining, knowing how many of our Republican signs that had been destroyed or removed. ERIC BROYLES said has anyone noticed how we can not keep Romney/Ryan signs on the causeway. WAYNE said they have been taking the Republican signs up every night before they close down for the day. BOB said he had been thinking about buying a bunch of big stickon “N”’s and sticking them on the Obama signs in front of the “O”bama. Discussion of the various encounters our people had had with Ken Humphrey since last Thursday: PEGGY said when she and HOWARD got to the polls Thursday, STEVE had already set up his tent right next to Clint Rowe’s wife’s tent and they had put up signs from the left of Mrs. Rowe’s tent across to the right of the TEA Party tent. Later a couple of ladies supporting the Democratic side came up and set up a tent to our right. Some of our signs were now right in front of their newly erected tent. One of the ladies came over and asked PEGGY if it would be alright if they moved our signs. PEGGY told them she had not put them up, but felt it would be perfectly alright for them to move the signs down some. Later a white headed man came up with two Obama signs and put one on each side of our table. PEGGY looked at him and said “Now that’s not very nice. We didn’t do anything like that to your ladies”. He picked up several Spencer (Clint’s opposition) and put one sign by Mrs. Rowe’s tent and took the others and went down the road leading in to the polling site and placed them in front of Clint’s signs. (A lady from the Democratic tent told PEGGY that he was Ken Humphrey and apologized for his actions.) He then came back, took pictures of the signs and then got right in HOWARD and STEVE’s faces and dared them to touch the signs he had put up. HOWARD said he lost his cool and called him a bad name. He was sorry he did, but he had had about all he could take. Tuesday morning he came in before HOWARD and PEGGY got there and put up another Obama sign right in front of the TEA Party sign we had taped to our table. He informed STEVE that he had reported us to the Raleigh Department of Elections, Beaufort Department of Elections and also to the ladies inside to polling place and if any of us touched one of his signs he would smear the TEA Party’s name all over the front page of the paper. Since we all had been told to avoid any confrontation with this man, STEVE didn’t say anything to him. When BOB came by a little later he told STEVE to take one of the chairs he had brought for us to sit in under the tent and put it in front of the Obama sign…..empty chair!!…where it remained the rest of the day. Ken Humphrey did not confine his animosity to just Davis and Newport, he visited each of the polling places and pulled pretty much the same mess at Beaufort and Cape Carteret. He so wanted to get something started.
BOB said PEGGY had brought a bunch of the TEA Party handouts tonight and SCOTT had also brought a bunch but his had not been cut apart. PEGGY was asked (and volunteered) to take most of the uncut ballots and cut them apart and bring back next week. Most did not want to use scissors to cut them apart.
FRED said he had a list of any voter in the county who has an out of the area telephone number and he plans to check the active list right after the election. If any of them voted here (and he has the address where these phone numbers from). BOB said he needed to give that information to Jane Delancy on the voter integrity project and you can contact them through their web site. They have the folks that can do all that. FRED said Pat McElraft said if he could get her some date on folks that had voted in more than one place, she would take it to the legislature and use it to encourage support for the Voter ID.
SCOTT showed us a copy of an actual ballot sheet that had been marked as a TEA Party member would have marked it and then had laminated a few of them. We had been using them as examples at the polls to show people what we were talking about on how to vote for president, state offices and judges as we handed them the TEA Party ballots. SCOTT planned to have more (hopefully at least 10) made up for the other polling spots. He told BOB that if he came by Fort Benjamin tomorrow he would give him some to take to the other polls.
BOB discussed the problems they were having in Jacksonville about having a TEA Party preferred listing printed in the local paper. Since they did not have enough monies to pay for the ad, TOM AUSTIN had paid for the ad out of his pocket. Apparently someone did not like the fact that the TEA Party had decided to back only one candidate and that candidate was a Democrat, so they had reported them to the State Board of Elections and they had immediately called TOM and wanted a list of all the donors, a copy of the ballot to see if any election laws had been broken. Either one of the current Republican County Commissioners, who might be upset that the TEA Party had not recommended them, or a Democratic candidate was unhappy. The paper did require TOM to put at the bottom of the ad ’paid for by TOM AUSTIN. TOM has sent a copy of the ballot (made up like ours) and is waiting to hear back. Depending on how things go in Jacksonville, they might possibly organize as a PAC (political action committee). Means having to fill out paper work. BOB hopes we can continue as we are currently. The people who were attempting to work the polls in Jacksonville, were getting so much blow back from the Democrats who were just swarming around people as they came through to vote they got discouraged. By the time the voters got through that crowd of Democrats, they just hurried pass the couple of TEA Party members who were trying to talk to them about their candidate also. However, they said a surprising number of people that showed up with the TEA Party ad ballot and they said they had gotten them from their churches.
BOB asked if we, at the Fort Benjamin Park, had gotten those 200 ballots to that preacher that had asked for them and if we had found out which church they had come from. PEGGY said she had given him 100 the day he asked and had sent 200 more the next day; but when the guy came by to pick them up he only needed 100 more since we had already given him the previous 100. HOWARD said the guy that had come by to pick them up said he was with “The Sanctuary Church” which is close to Faith (Gramercy). HOWARD said we come by every Sunday morning going and leaving Faith and that church is always packed.
CLAYTON GILLIKIN wanted to know if anyone had heard anything on the Lenoir County Democrats going inside the polling building and handing out information while voting was going on. He said he understood another empty chair was being set up in Carteret County. BOB said KEN LANG had two empty chairs in the back of his truck…one for Obama and one for Biden. Someone said he needed a high chair for Biden. BOB said someone sent him an email that offered proof that Obama attended the university. It showed the graduating group sitting there in their cap and gowns and one empty seat.
BOB wanted to know who liked the debate last night and who thinks Romney should have gone after Obama on the Bengazi issue and others. Many wished he had been more confrontational, but others felt he was more presidential the way he ended up handling it. BOB said he too thought Romney played it very smart. He had to know that all during the debate practice, Obama had been coached on all the ‘right’ things to say, that Romney would not have a way to fact check and show the audience who what right and who was lying. RUTH said Obama kept poking and poking at Romney, trying to get him in the gutter with him (Obama) but Romney was too smart to fall for his ruse.
HOWARD said he had read where Romney had met with Billy and Franklin Graham and it looks like they have semi-endorsed him. He feels that will throw a lot of support to Romney. SUSAN RYNAS said she had heard that a lot of people that had not planned to vote for Romney because he was Mormon, had changed their minds after hearing that Billy Graham was in favor of Romney.
ROMA WADE arrived late and gave a report on Beaufort Board of Elections polling results. He said they had had a very good time working the polls and had gotten in real good with the Democrats. The first day he was there a truck drove up and Ken Humphrey got out so he walked down the other side and was talking to a lady and Humphrey raised his voice at him (ROMA). ROMA said he waited until the lady and others got by and he got Humphrey off to one side and very gently said to him “Don’t you EVER raise your voice to me again!” ROMA said he had on a TEA Party shirt and a guy walked by and said that group is ruining the world. That we had ruined the United States. We are smothering and everything here is embers and he kept going on and on and ROMA said he just sat there and listened and waited until he got through and said “Thank you for your comments” and turned around and walked away. He said he asked the lady inside if he could come inside the ‘zone’ wearing his TEA Party shirt, but not carrying any papers, or talk to anyone about politics. She told him yes. He said he walked in and had somebody from the TEA Party yell at him to get out of there. He told that member to never yell at him again. He was not a mean man but he was not a dog. Other than that they have had a great time with voters coming over and getting a copy of our handout. He has no idea how many copies he has handed out since last Thursday. ROMA said he did need somebody for tomorrow because he had a job he just had to get done and could not work the polls. He said he felt good about the election so far. He felt the Republicans had made an excellent showing so far voting.
BILL GRIFFITH said he had been there just about every day with ROMA and ROMA has done a great job dealing with the voting public. He doesn’t stop all day. BILL said he had a bad back and had to sit down a lot but ROMA was on his feet constantly, meeting voters coming in to vote and greets them coming our with a little song. He could not imagine their precinct without ROMA.
BOB said we need to understand that not just here in Carteret County but all over the nation there is going to be voter intimidation, voter obstruction, so just minimize any interaction with people like Ken Humphrey, because he is just waiting for somebody to get in his face so he can fire off some letters to the editor. I understand that he has already sent some letters off to the editor and has a phone call into the Board of Elections complaining about the TEA Party. STEVE said Ken had told him he had contacted the Board of Elections in Raleigh also. BOB said he felt that there were people like Ken all over the United States just trying to intimidate people. He feels there will be a lot of court challenges coming out on November 7. He thinks it is going to be a close election on the popular vote, but he thinks Romney is going to win the Electoral College vote, but he is sure there are going to be at least a couple of court challenges in some of the states, like Florida again, possibly Ohio and multiple re-counts all over the place.
JERE GEURIN said he would like to thank those members last week that donated $128.00 to the We Care mission. That enabled him and Sam Sanford to be able to pay to mail 9 ½ boxes to send to the troops in Afghanistan. All told we mailed about 88 packages at the Morehead City post office last Wednesday. He wanted to offer a personal thanks for the generosity to all those who helped. So far We Care has mailed 2650 boxes.
STEVE said a nice black lady came out to vote today and she not only took one of our TEA Party ballots but gave STEVE a tract from her church (Grace) and said most of their congregation was black but the biggest majority of them were voting for Romney. (Applause)
LIBBY BROWN passed out more of her cards (the power of one cards) encouraging you to talk to 10 other voters and get them to talk to 10 more each asking them to vote for Romney and Ryan. She would like those working the polls to take a handful and pass them out. Also she was concerned because she saw so few Newby road signs.
WAYNE said he was impressed with what RUTH had said last week about passing out our ballots in the restaurant where so worked to customers that asked for them, so he was doing the same thing down east to waitresses he knew were Republicans and asking them to do the same thing.
ERIC said next week would be our last meeting before the election and wanted to know if BOB had enough signs so that all the precincts could have a TEA Party sign to tape to their tables. BOB said he had plenty and would pass them out next week. ERIC wanted to know if NANCY BOCK was going to be here next week with the Constitutions and flags. He would like a flag to tape up at his polling table. BOB said he had the address labels to put on the pocket constitutions and we will need to do that next week at the meeting.
RO said Michelle Obama was telling everyone it was just as important that they vote for Obama as it was just as important at Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation! BOB said that reminded him of when he was a kid and his teacher who was a nun, gave them an assignment. He did not write it down but figured he would remember so when he got home he asked his mother if she knew anything about the Constipation Proclamation. That was when he learned what constipation meant.
LIBBY BROWN said a friend of hers was telling her that this lady she knew heard that her children were pushing Obama for president, so she called them all together for a big meal and told them if Obama went back in office this would be the last meal they had together and she would not be leaving any of them anything, because if Obama did go back she wouldn’t have anything left to leave.
Discussed several commercials and ads now being shown or heard and their impact on the viewers and listeners. We were encouraged to go see “Last Ounce of Courage”. It is currently being shown at the Station Theater. STEVE has ordered that movie and he should have it after December 1, and will be showing it at his ‘Cave Theater’. Also discussed the fact that several movies “Determinator”, Atlas Shrug, 2016, etc. could all be seen on line. Atlas Shrug Part II is coming out in November. Someone said it was already out and playing last weekend.
RO said there was some discussion going on now about having an election night get together at Rucker John’s. There will be a whole lot more room there than at the GOP headquarters and they have good size Tvs we can watch.
BOB said don’t forget the Veteran’s Day Parade will be held right after the election. You will need to buy your candy and the day after Halloween will be perfect and the cheapest.
Not sure if it was because everyone was tired from being at the polls all day, or just so much enthusiasm abounding; but the last few minutes of the meeting, everyone was talking at once, laughing telling jokes and excited about the upcoming election. Hope we can keep the momentum going.
Meeting adjourned at 7:27 pm.
Minutes submitted by Secretary PEGGY GARNER.