Charlie Grapski’s Line in the Sand

Charles Grapski makes some very disingenuous statements on his blog(link here) trying to convince Republicans in Alachua County that he has their best interest in mind. He says ,” Apologies to the many registered Republicans who do not share the Alachua County Republican Party's and the Republican Executive Committee's enthusiasm and support for Mr. Calderwood's approach and tactics and the actual conduct of government business and politics in the City of Alachua”. Reading that you would believe(sic) that Mr. Grapski was the epitome of graciousness and sympathy. Nothing could be further from the truth. He throws up a classic case of smoke and mirrors to his true agenda.

Let us look at the time line for this war of words between Grapski, Commissioner Byerly, the ALA and the rest of the world including the Republican Party. On May 6, 2006 Mr. Grapski had this to say when he is talking to his Far Left colleagues :

“Folks, I am not exaggerating when I say that this was a stolen election in Florida. And this has national significance - and particularly for the Democrats and their presidential aspirations.We all know how Florida's election was, well, manipulated in 2000. But it has not stopped - and Florida, above all, needs to be reformed.Florida is one of the key electoral college states - being one of the largest. And Alachua County is one of the two remaining Democratic strong-holds in the state. However - the Republicans (and locally the developers - who are often Democrats nationally but vote Republican locally) are engaged in a very strategic effort to try and find a way to take over Alachua County for themselves.And the City of Alachua has a key strategic element in this. They are in control of that city. Literally in control - there is no semblance of legitimacy or democracy - it is run by a cabal of individuals and they use it effectively as their private plantation (indeed one of their new housing developments - and they have a large number that have now been "approved" is called "Plantation Oaks" - aptly named)”.

Now I, as a Republican, was both amused and dismayed by these comments. His spread of this quote to all the Far Left blogs like MoveOn.org and his appeal for $10,000 for his legal fund should have the average Democrat asking if he isn’t really a Green Party candidate since he has aligned himself with Michael Canney, Co-Chairman of the Alachua Green Party. All Republicans in the county should take notice of Mr. Grapski’s ability to talk out of both sides of his mouth. He has declared war on the city of Alachua and all Republicans.

Don’t be fooled by his ability to breeze into town, talk loud to gather a crowd and try to sell his snake oil to the masses. Like the snake oil salesmen of the past you only get a product that stinks and leaves a bitter after taste.

Posted by Bud Calderwood