Katherine who?

The Republican ticket is touting unity in a fly-around today featuring Jeb Bush, Tom Gallagher, Charlie Crist, Bill McCollum and Tom Lee. Conspicuously absent is the lady at the top of the ticket - Katherine Harris. The one-big-happy-family GOP team naturally denied any slight to their U.S. Senate nominee.

"I wish she was (here),''said Crist.

"I was told there was to be a flyaround by state cabinet and governor hopefuls,'' Bronson explained outside a Cuban restaurant in Hialeah.

UPDATE: “The Republican Party seems afraid of its own shadow,” said Florida Democratic Party spokesman, Mark Bubriski. “Katherine Harris and Charlie Crist both won the right to appear at the top of their ticket, yet the Republican Party acts like she doesn’t even exist.”---Joni James

Comments

[indierik]

Who's Charlie kidding? He'll probably hook Harris up (unknowingly) to a GPS unit to ensure they are never in the same county.

Crist is probably thinking...."damn, I have to do a flyaround with these boneheads? A has been, a 4 time loser, two guys are are going to get stomped in their Cabinet races and Bronson. Get me out of here!!"

Look at the Gov/Cabinet ticket. Crist, McCollum, Lee and Bronson. Can you get anymore boring? Four middle aged, wind bag rotarians sure to do anything but inspire voter turn out.

Crist, McCollum, Lee, Bronson?

That sounds like an excellent Cabinet to me! The Dem slate just isn't as qualified or experianced for this level of govt.

I didn't say they weren't qualified, I said they are boring as hell. Although I am not sure I want McCollum, who used to correspond with Joe McCarthy informing on his classmates and teachers at Hernando High School, protecting civil rights in this state.

Way to go Jeb !

You managed to create one of the biggest disasters the RPOF has ever witnessed.

Davis, Campbell, Sink and The other guy ... Yawn, Blowhard, Circus Freak and The other guy ...

No way man! McCollum is exactly the perfect fit at the perfect time for Florida AG.

Boring as hell? This is politics, not the E! channel you chowderhead.

boring? sure - ok, they're boring. totally. please stay on the sidelines while the rest of us voters who find their boredom perfectly acceptable cast our votes.

simpleton.

[formerKHstaffer]

You have no idea the tantrum and rant KH is throwing at her staff right now for not being on the plane with the Republican ticket. She is blaming her staff for not getting her on the plane when the nominees are ALL running from her like a madcow diseased bovine. It is YOUR fault KH for not being on the plane, NOT your staff's!

Who will be LG?

[IN THE KNOW]

LISA CARLTON WILL BE THE Lg UNDER CRIST. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST!

It's not my fault!!!!!!!!!!! It's my worthless, stupid, piece of s**t staff who are so disloyal to me!!!!!! They are getting paid by the Nelson campaign to destroy me!!!! Why isn't anyone listening to me???????

[bigdaddy]

I have known Charlie a very long time and he is one of the sincerely nicest guys you will ever meet or know. The Party folks are controlling the plane and they will never allow her near the other candidates because they fear she will drag them down. I was also told that she has said so many cruel and ugly things about Party staff and leaders that have gotten back to them that they do not want to help her. Both of these can be overcome if she shows an organized campaign without any hiccups and reaches out and tries to reestablish a relationship with Party leadership.

Though Carlton is a good senator and person, she will add nothing to the ticket except being a female, since she too is from West Florida like Crist. The person will need to be from South Florida.

um, In the Know....there have actually been others to say that on this blog site and others for some time....way to be up on it. You are likely to be correct, just not the first one to be correct. Thanks, though.

[In The Know]

cahrlie's victory is so huge, he doesnt need nor want anyone who "brings" anything to the table. Theres nothing left to bring. he ran a general election campaign and won 67% in the primary..he will therefore do very well regardless of who the running mate is.

this is not a guess..its a fact..Lisa carlton is it!

Class size thanks Jeb.
Insurance out of control thanks Jeb
Kathrine Harris, thanks Jeb.

Let see what happens once he leaves office.

[Chad]

IN THE KNOW: I think that Lisa Carlton would be a good LG candidate for CC but I don't think that she could deliver either the North Florida voters, the Legislature or the true conservative base of the party the way that Speaker Alan Bense will. My prediction is Alan Bense will be at least offered the LG position before anyone else, he has said several time though that he wanted to get out of politics (that is why he did not run in the US Senate Primary).

[anotherformercampaignstaffer]

I know for certain katherine is going crazy with anger, and calling people at the RPOF and the candidates themselves sh*tty names. Instead of trying to build bridges with people she continues to be self-destructive and burn them down, over and over.

CHAD...ARE YOU HANGING CHAD BY ANY CHANCE?LOL

[Bush is to blame]

Glad to see others realize Jeb Bush is to blame for the Katherine Harris fiasco. Great governor. Lousy party leader because he doesn't have the *&#! to take a risk. Thanks for giving us Nelson Jebbie. Now go back to Miami and try working on getting your family out of jail/rehab.

[In The Know]

Ladies and gentlemen..our LT Governor Lisa carlton!

It is a doen deal!

Harris was told that a tree fell on the hangar and there would be no flight today. She is radioactive and will be through November. She is not on the plane because they do not want her on the plane. They do not want to be seen with her. They want nothing to do with her. There is no upside and all downside by being seen or photographed with her.

[Omerta]

Anyone know which counties TG won?

Bense for Crist's LG. I also like John Peyton, for the N. Fla. vote.

Omerta-
Tom Gallagher won the "huge" counties of Calhoun, Gulf, Holmes, Jackson, Union and Washington. haha. Charlie Crist won the remaining 61 counties. Brett Doster's micrvotertargeting strategies worked very well for Tommy G!

Funny, the counties that Gallagher won could have very easily been substituted for the actual location in Georgia where they filmed Deliverance. Coincidence? I think not!!!

OK folks, three quick questions for IN THE KNOW and whomever else thinks they are:

first of all, can anyone name the LG nominees who ran with the last two losing gubernatorial nominees?

ok, now ask yourself if anyone who doesn't breathe the buzz blog remembers their names ?

Last question ... ask yourself how many of those people who can't remember their names remember their home areas?

I have never understood geography as an LG criterion.

Lisa Carlton will be LG -- Nancy Detert will be tapped to fill Lisa's seat until 2008 election. Or Charlie is considering giving Nancy Detert the LG job..

L.G. ANSWERS:
Tom Rossin (2002)
Rick Dantzler (1998)

LG picks like these guys did no damage to a ticket (same for Jennings and Brogan). Candidates learned a lesson when Jeb went with Tom Feeney in 1994 and his far right views clearly cost Jeb enough votes to have determined the outcome of the election.

The first (and only) rule for LG's: Do no harm.

Besides, when was the last time you ever heard anyone say something like "I really like Jeb a lot, but I've got to vote for McBride because Tom Rossin comes from my county?"

[Omerta]

Thanks 3:38

Okay, not to kick a man when he is down, but here are the winning county results and what TG/Brett got for spending 18 months and $10 million:

Union, website not found
Washington, results not found
Gulf, 538 votes TG, 478 CC
Calhoun, 171 TG, 144 CC
Holmes, 373 TG, 281 CC
Jackson, 1006, 884 CC

So, for the 4 counties TG won I could find results for, TG won by 301 total votes. This in a primary where about 900,000 votes cast. I have said it before, Brett will only run County Commission races from now on.

5:19, thank you for illustrating my point! all this business about geography this, geography that is silly. it's far more important to have a dynamic candidate who complements the nominee than to choose someone at the expense of those criteria who is from another part of the state.

[Chad]

Geography will play more of a roll in this election than ever before because of the fact that both candidates are from the same location and need help in North Florida (CC) and South Florida (JD). However the most important thing for an LG is Legislative experience and the ability to deliver votes, which is why Toni Jennings was chosen to replace Frank Brogan. Jennings is the only two time president of the senate and knew the people to deliver the votes; just as Bense now does.

any more news about CC's alleged child? What a low blow that story was.

[bigdaddy]

This is a debacle of a decision. By not including Katherine, the story is now about not including Katherine. The people actually attending the fly-around stops are all the hardcore Republicans, the base, the only people currently supporting all the statewide candidates including Katherine, and they want to see her. It was not a wise decision, clearly not thought through. Having said that though, I can understand the Katherine-fatigue that they have. The Party folks are tired of her ugly statements about them and their staff (that always get back to each of them. She needs to learn the political world is small and everyone talks to one another so they know almost immediately what she has said about them), they are tired of her campaign's frequent and constant missteps, and of course they fear that those missteps will continue and spread down the ticket. All those concerns can be changed but there has been no indication that they will be.

[hcb]

A question: why doesn't the republican party simply say to her, "we disavow you," kick her out (there must be some membership rule that applies) and appoint a replacement as if she died? That would be a lot better than trying to get her to quit by ignoring her and treating her in ways that look foolish and vengeful.

hcb - sort of like, "I divorce thee, I divorce thee, I divorce thee?"

I believe that if you are legally registered as a voter in a particular party, you have the bucks, meet the minimum criteria (i.e. must be US born to be president) and follow the rules, you can run for anything.

Of course Katherine was a registered voter both in Tallahassee and Sarasota at the same time, but I don't think that's enough to do it.

Jeb Bush for US Senate!

bigdaddy - "She needs to learn the political world is small . . ."

Katherine Harris has been elected to state and national office for a decade. If she hasn't learned by now do you think she every will?

[bigdaddy]

Most people can change but her track record to date would indicate otherwise. Unfortunately her past treatment of others has finally caught up with her and people are taking their shot at her, which quite frankly, is understandable. There is always a saturation point where the abused lashes out against the abuser.

[hcb]

Well - maybe not as simple as "I divorce thee, etc" but surely there is some mechanism available for saying "we don't recognize her as the party's candidate." That would be a principled stand that might be controversial but, at least, recognized as principled if explained.

I don't mean she couldn't run. I mean, simply, she couldn't be the Republican candidate. For example, isn't "Republican Party" protected by trademark and copyright laws? Can anyone simply take the label if he or she has the bucks to run? Can I take the republican label and announce I am going to return the republican party to the KKK? I know I can run, but as a republican? What happens if I run as a republican, win the primary and then announce I agree completely with the Democrat platform? I'm at least a spoiler, aren't I? Can I get away with that and stay on the ticket as the republican candidate?

Maybe it's time to go back to the smoke filld rooms ....

smoke filled rooms still exist

hcb - your questions are good. Probably need to be answered by an elections attorney or other expert. However, if done it would generate so much bad press. FLROP cannot afford that bad PR.

HCB-

People run under party names all the time that the party may not necessarily support. I think all it takes is being registered in that particular party. It's just up to the party then to publicly not endorse that candidate.

A similar situation happened in the 90s in Louisiana. It was probably a bit more extreme (essentially he was the Grandmaster at one point of the KKK). Ever hear of David Duke?