Dems: Gibbons a 'Republican puppet mayor'

Riffing off Gov. Charlie Crist's endorsement of Deveron Gibbons for St. Petersburg mayor, the Pinellas County Democratic Party has this message on its Web site:

Help Stop the Republican Puppet Mayor

"In order to control the City of St. Petersburg, the GOP establishment is getting behind Republican lobbyist Deveron Gibbons.  

"Gibbons, who is best known for his work promoting Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, hopes to deliver St. Petersburg for Bill McCollum and other Republicans next Fall.  Over the last several years, as a lobbyist, Gibbons has fought against the type of change that our state and country required.

"Florida needs to elect Alex Sink Governor and Democrats to other statewide and local offices.  Our city, state and country need leaders who know that the failures of the past should not be repeated.  If you would like information on some of the Democrats running for Mayor, check out our website."

"Please donate to support a Democratic Mayor for the city St. Petersburg."

-- David DeCamp, Times staff writer

Comments

[Shock and Awe]

And the first shoe drops. Ouch!

[Confused]

i thought this was a non-partisan race?

[stpetersblog]

Deveron - they are gunning for you. That means you are winning!!!!

[Non-Partisan? HAHA]

Confused: Non-partisan is a myth. The Republicans have been financing "non-partisan" candidates for decades, and now the Demosplats are starting to do the same thing.

Non partisan is just an excuse to blow smoke at the voters and keep them in the dark.

[ashamed to be a dem]

The Pinellas County Democratic Party is a joke. The "Romney Conspiracy" they unsuccessfully tried to spread a few months ago was pathetic. If they think the Republican establishment is as tactical as the Dems claim, we liberals have far more to worry about than this mayoral race.

[Yip!]

Although the “Non-Partisan” tag is indeed a myth, the PCSEC is not anywhere near ready to challenge the PCREC in funding these races. These limpsticks couldn’t fund a trip to the coke machine, let alone a campaign for Mayor. Hell, they’re barely hanging on to their headquarters.

Ramsay and the new PCSEC are proving to be a boatload of smoke-n-mirrors.

[Can't Stop Deveron and McCollum]

Who are the Democrats kidding they can't stop Deveron Gibbons or Bill McCollum.

And so, what if Deveron Gibbons worked to defeat Obama - good for him.

[Yip!]

Deveron Gibbons will not win this race, and will have absolutely nothing to do with the Pinellas County Stonewall Executive Committee.

You twizzlesticks need to get over yourselves… and lift the damn seat back up when you’re done in the bathroom at headquarters. Men aren’t supposed to sit while they p… freaks…

[stpetersblog]

Sometimes you just have to let nature take it's course and let people like Gibbons and Crist win and wait for another day to fight your fight. You can't stop momentum.

[ttfn]

Wait until the Stonewalls get ahold of Gibbons and see what happens

[Sap]

"Sometimes you just have to let nature take it's course and let people like Gibbons and Crist win and wait for another day to fight your fight."

Or you can convince them to hire Lil' Pete as a campaign advisor... look what it did for Bennett!

[stpetersblog]

Yes. Hire me to be your campaign manager and will bring you to your knees quickly and with little pain.

[The Real Alex]

Alex Sink has been a total failure as Florida's CFO + she was president of Bank of America Florida during much of the lending to unqualfied borrowers. This is the same Bank of America that is borrowing $45 billions in bailout funds.

No thank you to the failure that is Alex Sink.

[kettle]

pay-day loans. black man stealeth from black man.

[The Bank]

Actually BOA didn't have much bad debt at all until it bought Countrywide and Merril Lynch. Especially not way back when Alex worked for them in a position that didn't decide countrywide lending policy. Which at that time was good and remained fair to average compared to every other bank until the aforementioned acquisitions.

Not to defend Bank of America who makes it share of mistakes. But this isn't one and so don't try to pin a "non-existent" problem as something that happened on Alex Sinks watch.

[:(]

How do any one of you know if Deveron Gibbons is going to do any of the things that the DEM fundraising letter claims. I'm a DEM, and if it was me, I would be wooing Deveron to become a DEM.

Of course, that would be too logical...

[Paul]

Non partisan my @#$%^&*.\

Why not put their name in a hat and just draw a name.

Maybe they could arm wrestle for the job

[Why does the mayor have to be black]

Is Deveron Gibbons trying to be in the next Outrage Movie with Charlie Crist?
Do they like each other?

[Keepin' It Real!]

It's always interesting to see who Pinellas Democratic chief Ramsay McLauchlan chooses to target in his fund-raising riffs.

Aiming his latest round of darts at St Petesburg Mayoral fund-raising leader Deveron Gibbons appears to raise some potential troubling questions for local Democrats:

Why not write something positive instead on the PCDEC website about the Party's announced candidates for Governor, US Senator, Attorney General, Congress (Charlie Justice is running for Bill Young's seat in the 10th CD) and Mayor of St Pete?

And how well does he expect the Party's trashing of a highly credible and highly visible local African-American candidate like Deveron Gibbons to play among the loyal (?) base of African-American voters in St Petersburg?

Just wondering ....

[GOP Blogger]

I agree with Mr. Real, please don't attack Republican Lobbyist Gibbons or Bill McCollum.

[Zen Master]

Just because someone is a visible black man doesn't make them a good candidate.

If Ramsey failed to speak out agaisn't those candidates that don't share our Democratic values then he would be wrong. "Keepin it real" seems to think the black community doesn't care about any issues at all, only skin color. That is what shouldn't play well.

Wagman and Foster both seem to have decent support in the black Community. Don't assume Gibbons has a lock on it. He may well get a higher number of voters of color but it will not be 70% or better. In fact I bet its like 40% with the other 60% going to other candidates. A formula that doesn't look good for him.

[Yip!]

"If Ramsey failed to speak out against those candidates that don't share our Democratic values then he would be wrong."

Now THAT... is the funniest and most ill-informed comment I've read here. Clearly the Zen Master is noting shy of a Verbal Masterbater. Obviousely you haven't the first damn clue about Pinellas politics and the elected Republicans in drag, who call themselves Democrats.

Then again, you ticklethroats recruited the “Losing Slate in ‘08”, and I completely expect you’ll “Do it again in ‘10”

[Yip! Supported Buddy Johnson]

It isn't like the Democrats had to think too deeply to see that the GOP is behind Deveron Gibbons.

My only question is why are Republicans are abandoning Foster?

[duh]

So they can say they have a Republican African American Mayor. They can then use him as proof that they are a diverse party. Watch - he will be all over Faux News.

[deveronomics]

When will Mr. Gibbons explain giving the president of St. Pete College a $60K salary increase paid from the college's foundatiuon scholarship money at a time when it had to lay off employees and worry everyone remaining about significant pay cuts?

BTW, the president contributed $500 to Mr. Gibbons campaign, duh.