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Florida’s Next Governor Might be a Democrat After All

Trish

The latest Quinnipiac University poll shows a dramatic change in the Florida governor’s race. Democrat U.S. Rep. Jim Davis is in a statistical dead heat with Republican State Attorney General Charlie Crist. The poll shows 46 percent support Crist, 44 support Davis, and 11 percent say they might still change their minds.

”We are seeing a candidate for what he really is…But it’s not going to work. We’re not stuck on stupid.”

For someone who seemed like a shoe-in the day after the primary, Crist has been unprepared for the going to be this tough. His early commercials stressed that a vote for Crist would be the next best thing to being able to vote for term-limited Jeb again.

Until Davis started pointing out some flaws in Jeb’s policies. Then Charlie — dare we say it — flip-flopped.

…Crist’s late-season conversions, coincidentally or not, target issues that Davis has been using to make inroads into Crist’s sizable lead in the polls…

”Life’s a journey,” Crist told The Miami Herald editorial board this week, explaining why he changed his mind on felons’ voting rights…

The felon-vote issue was accompanied this week by another zigzag, when Crist said he wants to allow flexibility in the way the high-stakes FCAT test is handled…

Those are all positions that Democratic opponent Jim Davis has staked out. They are also contrary to Gov. Jeb Bush’s approach — which Crist had earlier said he supported.

As the poll shows, everybody’s not buying it.

”We are seeing a candidate for what he really is — one who will do whatever it takes to win an election,” said [Democrat] Rep. Dorothy Bendross-Mendingall of Miami. “But it’s not going to work. We’re not stuck on stupid.”

And as Crist tries to distance himself from his soul-mate Jeb, he’s gotten a little taste of the big guy’s famous temper.

Some background: Crist’s ads have focused on the fact that Davis has missed votes (mostly minor ones that House Republicans have sewn up) during his campaign. After Jeb cancelled a cabinet meeting in order to give Charlie more time to campaign (Editor’s note: we’re positive Jeb would have cancelled the people’s business for a Democrat too. Not!), you could hear the testy in Jeb’s tone from here.

Citing an article in The Palm Beach Post in which Crist said he never asked for the cancellation, Bush said, “So what the heck, let’s have it.”

Finally, Florida newspapers this weekend, while still not offering proof Crist is gay, focused on his status as single and childless.

[Crist] seems to be missing one key ingredient: The typical politician pictures with his adoring wife and cute offspring.

…So does Crist’s lack of a family affect his qualifications to serve as governor?

After all, as a bachelor he has the time to devote to the demands of the office, without taking time away from his own wife and children. The same way Catholic priests can be single-minded in their devotion to their parish, Florida will get a governor who is committed full-time.

…we can’t help wonder, without those family experiences to hone skills that are also important in the political venue, can a person do as good of a job at governing and dealing with the Legislature?

Nice insertion of the priest image there. Did everyone get that? But wait, another paper took it from a different angle.

If voters choose Charlie Crist as governor, Florida won’t have a first lady. But it will have a first father.

Crist’s best friend, football-watching buddy and financial adviser is his 74-year-old father, the original Charles J. Crist, a politician in his own right who passed on his name to his only son.

You get the idea. All Davis needs now is more money since Crist’s millions have him outgunned with a deluge of ads. If you live in Florida, or if you just have some cash sitting around, go to the Davis web site and give. Hurry, the cut-off date is Nov. 2. Do it now.

Bush Lies to ABC News: Our Position Has Never Been to ‘Stay the Course’ in Iraq

Jon Ponder

If a normal president were caught telling an obvious, bald-face lie in an interview on one of the big three Sunday news programs, it would be big news. But the media has simply stopped taking seriously anything President Bush says — everything that comes out of his mouth is dismissed as spin. That’s a shame because the country needs to know that our president is a congenital liar:

STEPHANOPOULOS: James Baker says that he’s looking for something between “cut and run” and “stay the course.”

BUSH: Well, hey, listen, we’ve never been “stay the course,” George. We have been — we will complete the mission, we will do our job, and help achieve the goal, but we’re constantly adjusting to tactics. Constantly.

ThinkProgress has a round-up of quotes from the president in which he advocates “staying the course” in Iraq:

BUSH: We will stay the course. [8/30/06]

BUSH: We will stay the course, we will complete the job in Iraq. [8/4/05]

BUSH: We will stay the course until the job is done, Steve. And the temptation is to try to get the President or somebody to put a timetable on the definition of getting the job done. We’re just going to stay the course. [12/15/03]

BUSH: And my message today to those in Iraq is: We’ll stay the course. [4/13/04]

BUSH: And that’s why we’re going to stay the course in Iraq. And that’s why when we say something in Iraq, we’re going to do it. [4/16/04]

BUSH: And so we’ve got tough action in Iraq. But we will stay the course. [4/5/04]

ThinkProgress has a video of Bush caught on tape telling the lie.

Is Kerry Contributing to Another Election Loss?

Jon Ponder

John Kerry led the Democrats to defeat in 2004 — is he doing it again right now? Kerry has a campaign war chest of $14 million, and yet he has only contributed $15,000 to Democratic candidates this year. Two weeks and a day from voting, the polls show that there are new opportunities opening upfor Democrats in districts that were thought to be safe for Republicans.

Those Democrats need money — now. If Kerry holds onto his cash in 2006, we can — and will hold him responsible for losing another national election to the GOP:

As he campaigns extensively on behalf of House and Senate candidates, Senator John F. Kerry is under increasing pressure from Democratic Party leaders and activists to tap his $14 million campaign account and spread the money around to help the party’s efforts.

Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, has given less than $15,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee since the beginning of 2005. Though he has helped candidates in a variety of other ways, his last major financial contribution to the DSCC came a month after he lost the 2004 presidential election, when he used $1 million in leftover campaign funds to help the committee retire its debt.

Do the right thing for your party, John.

If Andy Rooney Is Against You…

Trish

What does it mean for the Bush team when Andy Rooney uses his slot on 60 Minutes to ask, “What in the world are we doing in Iraq?” Hey Jon, you and everyone else in later time slots should tune into the the last three minutes of the show tonight. Believe me, it was accident that I caught it but I’m glad I did. Talk about the tide turning…

I just checked, and the transcript is up on the the CBS site.

I’d like to talk to you about something you probably don’t want to be talked to about.

Someone – and I guess it’s President Bush – has to tell us what in the world we’re doing in Iraq now. I don’t think any of us know. We did the right thing getting rid of Saddam Hussein, but what are we doing there now?

The Pentagon never tells us anything. Usually reporters and cameramen let us know quite a bit but it’s so dangerous for them in Baghdad now that even they can’t show us much of what’s going on.

So far almost 2,800 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq. I say “almost 2,800” because there is no exact number. It changes by six or eight every day. That’s how many of our young men get killed? And for what? Just tell us, Mr. President. For what? It hasn’t even been good for Iraq; it certainly hasn’t been good for us. The whole world thinks less of us for what we’re doing there.

This little war is costing us $2 billion a what? I forget, a day, a week, a minute? It’s the kind of money I can’t even imagine.

President Bush should stand up there in front of us on television and do the hardest thing of all for any president to do. Tell us the truth. He should just say “Americans, there’s something I have to tell you. You trusted me to be your leader and I thought I was doing the right thing when we went into Iraq. Well, I hate to admit it but I was wrong. I’m sorry but we never should have gone in and now we should get out.”

Well, I’m not holding my breath until President Bush says that because I’ve never heard him admit he was wrong about anything. It isn’t something presidents do. I don’t recall hearing Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter admitting they were wrong either.

I was asked to keep this short tonight. Fortunately it’s easier to be short when I’m serious. Funny takes longer.

Are the Bushes Moving to Paraguay?

Jon Ponder

Get out your tinfoil hats, ladies and gentlemen.We have incoming and it is a doozy. Via Wonkette and Bring It on, here are the facts:

  • According to Project Censored, the U.S. military moved into Paraguay last summer: “Five hundred U.S. troops arrived in Paraguay with planes, weapons, and ammunition in July 2005, shortly after the Paraguayan Senate granted U.S. troops immunity from national and International Criminal Court (ICC) jurisdiction. Neighboring countries and human rights organizations are concerned that the massive air base at Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay is potential real estate for the U.S. military.”
  • First Daughter Jenna Bush has recently returned from a 10-day visit to Paraguay. She went under the auspices of UNICEF, but reportedly met with the American ambassador, James Cason. She arrived Oct. 9, and was planning to stay about 10 days.
  • President Bush has recently purchased nearly 100,000 acres of ranchland in Paraguay, the poorest country in South America. The source of this information is Prensa, a state-owned news service in Cuba, which is a bit dubious.

Whoah! Is President Bush afraid of a coup? Or maybe he has done something so heinous that he knows he’ll be exiled when it is revealed. So many possibilities.

If there’s any truth to it, I would just say adios, el presidente, and Paraguay ain’t far enough.

A Story of Iraq, Katrina, and a Dismembered Girlfriend

Trish

I can’t get the report about the guy who dismembered his girlfriend in New Orleans and then committed suicide out of my head.

I am a hundred percent in the personal responsibility camp but it seems, even to me, like this story is evidence of the very bad karma George Bush has loosed upon our country

After Hurricane Katrina, Zackery Bowen and his girlfriend Adriane Hall appeared in news stories as examples of young people who had pressed on in the battered city despite evacuation orders and a lack of power and water.

Their story came to a disturbing end this week: Bowen leapt to his death from a hotel, leaving a note that led police to a French Quarter apartment where they found a woman’s charred head on the stove, limbs in the oven and torso in the refrigerator.

Yes, if it were a movie I would be hiding my eyes during this part, but the obvious details aren’t all that’ve been bothering me. I am a hundred percent in the personal responsibility camp but it seems, even to me, like this story is evidence of the very bad karma George Bush has loosed upon our country.

[Bowen] served in Kosovo and Iraq as a military policeman, earning several medals including the NATO medal and the Presidential Unit Citation, which is awarded to military units that have performed a heroic act in the face of an armed enemy.

After his discharge, Bowen returned to New Orleans, where he was hired at several bars because of his good looks, charming manners, and long blond hair…

A fellow bartender told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that after downing rounds of Miller High Life and Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, Bowen would grow depressed when talking about his military service, indicating that there was an overseas incident involving a child that haunted him.

New Orleans is the perfect backdrop in this horror screenplay. After all, the town with one of the richest histories in America was rendered a practically Biblical backwater after the Bush administration left its residents to die and its structures to crumble.

Alligators have been dragged from abandoned swimming pools. Foxes had to be removed from the airport. Coyotes are stalking rabbits and nutria…in city streets. And armadillos are undermining air conditioning units.

In the year since Hurricane Katrina drove out many of the people of New Orleans, wild animals have been moving in. Some were blown in by the winds or redistributed by the floodwaters. Others were drawn by the piles of rotting garbage and by the shelter afforded by all the abandoned homes and tall weeds.

Responsible for killing his girlfriend and himself: Bowen
Responsible for sending Bowen to Iraq and ruining his life: Bush
Responsible for ruining the formerly great American city where the murder-suicide took place: Bush
Ruin, ruin, and more ruin: Bush

Maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way, and I’m sure Bush supporters will leave nasty comments deriding me for doing just that, but it seems to me that this story is one more indication that there are consequences for what Bush himself calls “evil doing.”

Karma is often misdefined by the My Name is Earl model of direct cause and effect. A more accurate definition is the very simple idea that whatever you create more of in the world is what you, and others, are more likely to encounter. It’s the law of mathematics.

While Katrina was still a fresh crisis, Republicans loved to say there was plenty of blame to go around, meaning none of the blame was theirs. I’m not for a second defending the acts committed by this ruined man in this ruined place. But sometimes a story is so bad that you have to really think about it. And on this one, I just keep ending up at the White House door.

Repug Proposes Unorthodox Solution to School Shootings

Trish

Who says the GOP is not the party of ideas? A Republican who wants to be the next superintendent of schools for Oklahoma has burned the midnight oil to come up with a plan to keep students safe in the event of a school shooting.

Or, judging by the plan itself, maybe it was something green with buds that he was burning. AP:

“There are some rifles not even Webster’s Dictionary will stop.”

A candidate for state superintendent of schools said Thursday he wants thick used textbooks placed under every student’s desk so they can use them for self-defense during school shootings.

“People might think it’s kind of weird, crazy,” said Republican Bill Crozier of Union City, Oklahoma, a teacher and former Air Force security officer. “It is a practical thing; it’s something you can do. It might be a way to deflect those bullets until police go there.”

Hey man, pass the bong this way. Oh wow, you know what we should do? We should, like, shoot some books and make a video!

Crozier and a group of aides produced a 10-minute video Tuesday in which they shoot math, language and telephone books with a variety of weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle and a 9mm pistol. The rifle bullet penetrated two books, including a calculus textbook, but the pistol bullet was stopped by a single book.

Crozier said the demonstration shows that a student could effectively use a textbook as protection in a school shooting.

For those not on drugs, it’s hard to respond to the idea seriously.

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokesman was skeptical.

“He probably needs to take a look at some ballistics tests,” Lt. Pete Norwood said. “There are some rifles not even Webster’s Dictionary will stop.”

Platitudes and Pralines: The Ice Cream Shop Photo Op

Jon Ponder

As we reported on Friday, President Bush celebrated “Character Counts” week by campaigning in Pennsylvania for GOP Rep. Don Sherwood. The congressman’s campaign is in a bit of trouble because he is a newly admitted adulterer and accused mistress-strangler.

After the speechifying, Karl Rove took the president and Rep. Sherwood out for a photo op. I guess the “mom and apple pie” shoppe was closed, so he opted for the wholesome goodness of an ice cream parlor:

During the quick stop, the president picked a cone filled with pralines and cream while Sherwood opted for a more conservative Styrofoam cup of vanilla ice cream.

Bush told [Paul Manning, the owner of the ice cream shop] that “hard-working people are the backbone of the country,” and to “keep up the good work,” Manning recalled.

The president and Manning exited the store ahead of Sherwood and company. A crowd of onlookers cheered and applauded as the president spoke of his dairy delight in a cake cone.

“This man knows how to make good ice cream,” the president said. A reporter asked to know what kind of ice cream the commander in chief preferred. “Pralines and cream; I strongly recommend it.”

All that stage-management, scripting and security, and yet the takeaway photo of the photo op is one of the president caught mid-bite, staring awkwardly at the floor, looking retarded.