Cheney helps raise $180,000 for GOP, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller

FORT WALTON BEACH, Apr 26, 2008 (Northwest Florida Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- -- As U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller fielded the last of the day's questions and the campaign posters were being pulled off the wall, Ann Czonstka found a couple of cushioned chairs and propped her feet up.

Like most of the 70 or so people who paid $100 to hear Vice President Dick Cheney stump for Miller at the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds, Czonstka had waited about 2 1/2 hours for him to take the stage.

She said it was worth it.

"He always gives you an uplifting, serious conversation about where the nation is and where it needs to be going," said Czonstka, who lives in Bluewater Bay.

Cheney focused his discussion on three main topics: tax cuts, staying the course in the war on terror and, with particular emphasis, Miller's value to Northwest Florida and the country.

He called Florida's 1st District congressman "a common sense conservative Republican."

"This district is represented by one of the finest members of the U.S. House. We need to make sure Jeff Miller returns to Washington," Cheney told the crowd. "I can't think of a stronger advocate for veterans or a greater champion for our military."

Cheney said Miller understands the importance of keeping troops in Iraq and Afghanistan until democracy has been safely established there.

"From those who demand a hasty retreat from Iraq, we've heard very little concerning what comes afterward," he said.

Failure in the war on terror will only occur if Americans cut and run, Cheney said. That would cost the country the respect of its allies and embolden its enemies.

"It would bolster the belief that America doesn't have the stomach for battle," he said.

Cheney boasted that the tax package the Bush administration promoted and pushed through the Congress had helped the United States stave off recession in 2003. He said that a Republican majority is needed in Congress to make permanent the tax cuts implemented then.

"I think you can count on Jeff Miller to do the right thing for his constituency and his country," Cheney said. "He understands that during tough times people do best by keeping more of their own money."

The vice president spent only about 20 minutes on stage and left the building immediately after his speech. That left Miller to take press inquiries and bask in the attention of his staunch supporters.

Zena Corbin was one of a four-person contingent that had driven from Washington County to show their support for Miller.

"We love Jeff Miller over in Washington County," she said. "When we were told we'd have the opportunity to see him and hear the vice president, we couldn't pass up the opportunity."

While the size of the crowd was disappointing to some, Miller said fund-raiser organizers had managed to raise about $180,000. That far surpassed the goal of $100,000.

The dollars will be split equally between Miller's campaign and the Republican National Congressional Committee.

Miller said he was "very humbled" by Cheney's kind words, but added that the vice president's message on the war on terror was more important.

"Obviously the current leadership in the House feels very differently than we do," he said.

Although a number of local officials skipped the fund-raiser, their absence was offset by an enthusiastic group of students from the Okaloosa-Walton College Republican Club who volunteered at the event.

For many of them, it was their first glimpse of real-life politics.

"I'm pretty excited," said student Sean Chaloupka. "It's cool. You're meeting the congressman and the vice president."

Although Cheney slipped out without shaking hands with them, they did have a photo taken with Miller.

Chaloupka didn't seem to mind missing the hand shake.

"It was a lot of standing," he said. "But it was worth it."

Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin can be reached at 863-1111 Ext. 1435.

To see more of the Northwest Florida Daily News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nwfdailynews.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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