Month: November 2009

The Republican Party of Florida has a penchant for issuing “press releases” on wacky topics. At the drop of a hat, they’ll issue a release that just quotes wholesale from some media report that pertains to something that they automatically assume their readers will understand. These guys are so deep “inside” that the only context they have is the RPOF.

It’s kind of like that old saying: If you’re not the lead sled dog, the view never changes.

The most recent blurt by RPOF Chairman Jim Greer was this “release” that was ripped [off] from the St. Petersburg Times Buzz Blog. The release is reproduced here as it appeared in my inbox (sans the RPOF logo, etc.):

November 6, 2009

Crist Has ‘Extremely High’ Confidence In Greer

Gov. Charlie Crist says he stands by Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer…

“Extremely high” is how Crist described his level of confidence in Greer. “There’s always a tendency to have different factions in society,” Crist said Friday, “and so some people are going to be happy and some people are going to be disappointed. I think that’s the natural flow of things, really.”

“I know he is a tireless worker,” Crist said of Greer, his hand-picked choice for party boss who was first elected by a margin of a dozen votes. “He’s dedicated to trying to help the party do better and broaden the appeal to minorities. I just think he’s done a great job.”

This actually was in response to calls for Greer’s resignation as state party chairman by his fellow party members. U.S. Representative Jeff Miller called for Greer’s resignation based on the chairman’s expressed bias toward full-time Senate candidate and part-time governor Charlie Crist. Oh, and some scandal involving some Twitter chicanery.

[…]

The House health-reform bill passed by just three votes late Saturday night — a real squeaker that might well have gone the other way if Sarah Palin, Dick Armey and the Tea Baggers hadn’t bigfooted the special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District and handed the House Dems a bonus new member just four days before the big vote.

Democrats needed 218 votes and got 220. One Republican, Rep. Joseph Cao of New Orleans, a Democratic stronghold, voted with them. All 215 of his GOP colleagues voted no, as did 39 Democrats.

But Democratic whips would have had a harder time getting to 218 if Dede Scozzafava, the Republican nominee in NY23, had won the election, instead of the Democrat, Bill Owens. With Scozzafava onboard on Nov. 7, Republicans would have needed just one additional Blue Dog vote instead of two to kill the bill. And with the margins even tighter than they were, the pressure on Rep. Cao not to betray his party would have increased by an order of magnitude or two.

With Scozzafava, Cao and just one more Blue Dog on board, health reform would have died in the House.

[…]

If you missed Carl Hiaasen’s send-up of Sarah Palin’s autobiography via a fictional letter from her publisher, here are the high points. We just wish the part about John McCain duct-taping her mouth was true. Enjoy.

(Confidential response of Sarah Palin’s book editor to the first draft of her upcoming memoir, “Going Rogue”):

Dear Sarah,

Thank you for turning in the manuscript so quickly. I thought only Stephen King could crank out 400 pages in four months! Seriously, there’s some terrific material here, and all of us at Harper Collins are thrilled to be publishing your life story.

Before we move ahead, the fact-checking department has asked me to pass along a few notes and comments that may require some revisions on your part.

1. Eric Clapton spells his last name with a C.

More significantly, his publicists tell us that you were not the inspiration for Layla, and that he doesn’t recall ever having an affair with you.

Is it possible you’ve got him confused with another rock star?

2. The mainland of Russia is indeed visible from parts of western Alaska during favorable weather conditions in the Bering Straits. Considering the ridicule you endured over this issue during the campaign, your desire to set the record straight is understandable.

Still, 78 pages is a big chunk of the book. Perhaps it’s possible to deal with the I-can-see-Russia controversy a bit more succinctly.

3. Our researchers can find no evidence that Tina Fey belongs to the Taliban. Could you send us the sourcing for that reference?

4. John McCain’s campaign staff is vehemently denying the incident you describe in Chapter 13. Perhaps you could provide our legal department with the names of persons who actually witnessed the senator placing the duct tape over your mouth.

5. Even though you quit with 18 months remaining in your term, your achievements as Alaska’s governor will be of great interest to your readers and political supporters.

How about expanding that section of the book to a full chapter?

…9. Our copy editors are still struggling to sort out the many colorful characters in your manuscript. In one chapter the children are called Bristol, Piper, Track, Willow and Trig, yet only 44 pages later they appear as Caribou, Cessna, Herring, Juniper and Scrod.

Maybe you could check with Todd and get back to us on that.

10. “Mexican” is not a language. (See manuscript page 188).

…14. Tony Blair was the prime minister of Great Britain. Tony Orlando is an American pop singer. (See manuscript page 341).

…keep up the great writing, Sarah. We can’t wait to read the finished book!