Headline Surfer photos / Gov. Rick Scott speaks to the 400 attendees of the Lincoln Day Dinner at the Daytona Beach Resort and Conference Center in Daytona Beach on Friday, the annual fundraiser for the Republican Party of Volusia County. Robert Littleton, vice president of the Greater Volusia Young Republicans, wrote this column.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- What can one expect from a fancy political event? The Volusia County Republican 2013 Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday featured an impressive speaking lineup, which included Gov. Rick Scott and keynote speaker Congressman Ron DeSantis with County Chair Jason Davis as the master of ceremonies.
A who’s who of Volusia County Republican politics were there mingling about with other elected officials, donors, volunteers and such like Mori Hosseini, the owner of ICI Homes, who introduced the governor. The same old thing, different day. But this one was unlike any other I have been to. There was a hidden purpose to the dinner: A subconscious thought that motivated every conversation and chit chat that occurred that night.
A who’s who of Volusia County Republican politics were there mingling about with other elected officials, donors, volunteers and such like Mori Hosseini, the owner of ICI Homes, who introduced the governor. The same old thing, different day. But this one was unlike any other I have been to. There was a hidden purpose to the dinner: A subconscious thought that motivated every conversation and chit chat that occurred that night.
There was an unusual ease as people strolled from one table to the next, one side of the room to the other. Why? It wasn’t a rallying cry.
Any event I went to before the election had to drum up support and enthusiasm for the candidate running. Meet and Greets to accomplish name recognition and a face to face talk was what was on the minds of staffers and candidates alike.
It wasn’t about raising money. The elected officials weren’t congregating around donors in an effort to illicit cash, next year they can do that.
Now don’t get me wrong. The Republican Executive Committee of Volusia County definitely made a chunk of money off of the dinner and I know that’s what they want to do. The Lincoln Day Dinner is the biggest fundraising opportunity for any REC. But again that is typical, nothing new, the same as any other.
The real purpose of this dinner ? To celebrate! To give a pat on the back! A big thank you!
Even an election night victory party is more of a relief than a party.
The 400 in attendance at the Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday night could just relax and they did just that. Deltona city commissioner Webster Barnaby gave an excellent invocation that was full of passion and warmth. The absence of worry on any face were filled with genuine smiles. All were able to talk amongst friends, not having to worry about a statement being skewed out of context. Jokes were made about the ridiculousness of the protesters outside the Daytona Beach Resort and Conference Center for Gov. Scott.
The 400 in attendance at the Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday night could just relax and they did just that. Deltona city commissioner Webster Barnaby gave an excellent invocation that was full of passion and warmth. The absence of worry on any face were filled with genuine smiles. All were able to talk amongst friends, not having to worry about a statement being skewed out of context. Jokes were made about the ridiculousness of the protesters outside the Daytona Beach Resort and Conference Center for Gov. Scott.
Orange County didn’t vote for Mitt Romney, but Volusia County did. In Volusia county, our congressmen are John Mica and Ron DeSantis. Orange and Osceola counties are represented by Alan Grayson. Allen West, a rising star in the Republican party, lost in South Florida. Other counties didn’t pull the kind of voting muscle Volusia had on election night.
I will conclude acknowledging two facts: One, everybody at the Lincoln Dinner knows that more effort, time, money and work are needed to protect our gains and to secure more seats. But two, everybody in that room knows that on the night of this special dinner, we accomplished a lot.