Tag: Florida

FDP Chair Karen Thurman Finally Wants to Spend More Time with Her Family

Trish

We’d like to be more gracious about this, but then again, we would have liked for Alex Sink, Alan Grayson, Ron Klein, Deborah Gianoulis, and so many others not to have lost. But things being what they are, let me just say, “Praise Jebus! Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman is stepping down!”

After many months of reflection and discussion with my family, our staff, and many of you, I have decided to retire as Chair of the Florida Democratic Party. In the coming months I look forward to not only spending more time with my husband, John, my children, and grandchildren, but also continuing to serve the Florida Democratic Party. I have pledged to do everything in my power to help ensure that the Chair we elect in the near future has a seamless transition and is ready to succeed in the role.

Don’t worry Karen, things will be fine without you. Please feel free to spend all your time with your family. You’ve done enough for Florida Democrats.

Charlie Gone Wild

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morrisonThe newly independent Gov. Charlie Crist (NPA – Fla.) is going rogue during his last weeks in office, starting with a possible posthumous pardon of the Doors’ lead singer, Jim Morrison.

“Stay tuned,” Crist told The Hill this week. “It’s something I’m willing to look into in the time I have left.”

Morrison, for those of you too young to be reading this post, was arrested in Miami on charges of exposing himself during a concert in 1969. It was a time of assassinations, shootings of college kids by National Guardsmen, inner-city riots, and pop stars dropping like flies from drug overdoses, so Morrison’s arrest was just one more crazy thing. In fact, it wasn’t even his first (or last) arrest.

Morrison arrived at the oversold gig looking the worse for wear, fired up from a day of drinking and a provocative play he had seen in Los Angeles the night before. He antagonised the crowd, and recordings certainly show he used some naughty words. He did take off his shirt, though, and he did ask if the audience wanted to “see his cock”, but it’s unclear if he did actually, er, show the audience his morrison. He spurred a stage invasion and got into a fight with the promoter. But the subsequent six-week trial was filled with contradictory testimonies and debates over “free speech”.

Morrison was ultimately cleared on charges of lascivious behaviour and, bizarrely, drunkenness, but he was convicted of profanity and indecent exposure. Sentenced to six months in prison and a $500 fine, he died on bail in Paris, pending appeal.

Charlie has previously expressed interest in clearing Morrison’s, and Florida’s, names by taking it all back after the fact. One wonders, though, what else is on Crist’s To Do list in his remaining days as governor. Can we revisit that whole Bush v. Gore thing, do you think?

Union Plans to Turn Out Latin Vote

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Despite being urged not to vote by a group with ties to the Bush White House and financing from GOP and pro-life leaders, Latinos will vote this year. So says Hector Figueroa, an officer with the Service Employees International Union-32BJ (SEIU), who claims most American Latinos are eager to cast their ballots.

Figueroa…says that almost 60 percent of Latino voters now say they are “very enthusiastic” about voting, up from 41 percent on September 6, according to the latest Latino Decisions tracking poll.

“There is a strong sentiment that those behind the Arizona law have been able to place candidates in strategic elections, and their election would be quite detrimental to our community. So in some ways it has galvanized attention. And Latinos want to be there at the polls and be counted.”

They want to be counted in spite of shameful ads like this one, run by the shadowy Latinos 4 Reform:

And if watching the ad itself doesn’t inspire Latino outrage at those who would cynically keep them out of the democratic process, SEIU volunteers will be working the phones on election day to turn out the Latino vote.

Vote, Even If It’s for Moderates. Hell, Especially If It’s for Moderates!

Trish

Here’s a great video produced by Progress Florida, but worth watching even if you live elsewhere. Remember folks, they are turning out the base this election. As Democrats and progressives, we can’t prove that the only way to get us to vote is to also appeal to our most extreme views. If you’re not enthusiastic about supporting moderate or even conservative Democrats, then you can’t complain when Republicans and tea baggers continue to trot out their most extreme candidates, the ones least likely to get anything helpful done in Washington or state capitals. Now go vote.

FL22: Tea Party’s Allen West Once Said GOP Was Corrupt, Now Schmoozes with Boehner, Takes Bucks from Bailed-Out Corporations, Lobbyists

Jon Ponder

West
West
One of the oddest aspects of the 2010 midterms is how swing and right-leaning independent voters seem to be so willing to overlook troubling character flaws in fringe candidates, as long as the candidates repeat the tea party’s false narratives about bailouts, the Stimulus and the size of government.

There is no better example of this in the House races than in Florida’s 22nd District where voters appear set to replace Democratic Rep. Ron Klein with Allen West, a former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel who was relieved of command in Iraq and forced to retire after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a policeman in his custody.

“Frustration and anger overcame his professional ethics and personal values, and he performed what he knew to be illegal and immoral acts,” according to a statement issued by the Army’s Fourth Infantry Division. In other words, he popped off under pressure and tortured a prisoner — just the personality type we need in Congress.

[…]

Verbatim

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It doesn’t bother him that maintaining tax cuts for the top 2 percent of income earners would increase the deficit by $700 billion. In his world, deficit spending is bad if it saves middle class jobs but good if it covers tax cuts for the wealthy.

— St. Petersburg Times editorial titled, “Rubio’s Rigid Ideology,” which ends, “Rubio embraces an inflexible ideology, not practical solutions. The Republican leaves no room for compromise or consensus — and that is what is wrong with Washington.”

Somebody Needs to Drop Out

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RubioCPAC
Marco Rubio, addressing the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) this spring. Like all tea baggers, Rubio denounced Pres. Obama's use of teleprompters in his speech.

It’s time for Kendrick Meek to drop out of the U.S. Senate race in Florida.

A new Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times poll shows Marco Rubio now leading, with 41 percent. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has the support of 26 percent of those queried, while Meek has 20 percent.

Meek can look forward to a lifetime of having earned the nickname “Kendrick Nader”

Why should Meek be the one to drop out? Two reasons. First, his numbers have been no better than they are right now from the beginning. Meek has consistently failed to sway large numbers of voters and there is no reason to expect that to change in the next nine days.

Second, were Crist to back out, Meek would stand virtually no chance of pulling Republican support. Crist backers who are registered “R” will vote “R.” On the other hand, many Democrats are willing to vote for the no party affiliated Crist if it means denying Rubio a victory.

The poll had a margin of error of 4.1 percent, so if Rubio stayed at 41 percent and Crist picked up Meek’s supporters (which he would very likely do), he would garner 46 percent.

Sadly, since early voting has already started, it might be too late even if Meek does decide to do the right thing and step away. Florida appears to be headed toward having a Sen. Rubio in its future. It’s a grim prospect, and Meek can look forward to a lifetime of having earned the nickname “Kendrick Nader” if he makes it happen.

Florida Gov. Candidate Rick Scott Doesn’t Know What You Mean

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In this footage from depositions that then-CEO tea Rick Scott gave when Columbia/HCA was under investigation for Medicare/Medicaid fraud in 1995, Scott makes Bill Clinton — who famously told investigators into his sex life that his answer depended on what your definition of “is” is — look like an over-sharer. Although Columbia went on to receive the nation’s biggest fine ($1.7 billion) for its guilt, and Scott was forced to resign to avoid criminal prosecution, investigators got farcically little cooperation from the man who now wants to run Florida “like a business.”