Florida GOP Chair Jim Greer to Resign

Jim Greer, the embattled chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, is expected to resign, according to the St. Pete Times. He was up for re-election to the post Saturday, but it now seems state Sen. Jim Thrasher will take the helm of the party. Update: It's official. Read his letter of...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

January 5, 2010

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Jim Greer, the embattled chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, is expected to resign, according to the St. Pete Times. He was up for re-election to the post Saturday, but it now seems state Sen. Jim Thrasher will take the helm of the party. Update: It's official. Read his letter of resignation here.

Greer was never the most popular figure in certain factions of the party, but the final shoe dropped last week when a baker's dozen of loaded fundraisers signed an open letter calling for a change in party leadership.

Greer was elected in 2006, and was Gov. Charlie Crist's pick for the position. Let's look back at some of his accomplishments:

He highjacked the news cycle this fall with his ridiculous assertion that President Obama's address to schoolchildren was "indoctrination," only to admit the speech was fine after he actually read it.
Under his leadership, the party ran into a few financial mini-scandals involving personal charges on AmEx cards and more recently a deficit in party spending.
He was an early supporter of electing Michael Steele to head the national party, which has turned out hilariously.
He pissed off a bunch of conservatives by making early endorsements in the 2010 Senate and gubernatorial races and by, as some saw it, trying to purge conservatives from leadership positions.
He is well known for breaking into song, especially Elvis tunes. Thanks, thanks a lot.

Thrasher is expected to take the helm. A former speaker of the Florida House, Thrasher was a big-time lobbyist who's been hounded by ethics violations.

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