Negron Signs Going Up

The First District Court of Appeal ruled that signs can go up saying a vote for Foley is a vote for Negron, if they also say a vote for Mahoney is a vote for Mahoney.

The appellate court both upheld and reversed parts of the lower court which granted an injunction stopping signs from being posted in polling places in counties in the 16th Congressional district.

The order prohibits the Secretary of State from posting its signs, which only mention Negron for Foley. The Judges said those signs "suggest favoritism on behalf of the Republican candidate."

Waiting to hear whether or not Democrats will appeal.

UPDATE: The Democrats won't appeal the ruling.

Comments

So, the Democrats' effort to hide the truth from voters has failed!

Karen and Dems should be ashamed for even trying such an offensive tactic!

NEW RASMUSSEN POLL

http://www.pollster.com/governor.php

Check out the side area with the latest polls. Its not posted on Rasmussen or Real Clear Politics yet, but it has been completed.

Crist 52%
Davis 41%

Gene and liberals, do you see the writing on the wall yet?

Assume that is NEGRON.

More good news for Charlie and the Republicans!

[concerned]

NATIONAL NEWS

Opponent outs GOP candidate for Fla. governor (Gay)
Crist has denied rumors, opposes gay marriage

By PHIL LAPADULA
Friday, October 20, 2006

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — In 1985, Max Linn participated in a three-month program called Leadership St. Petersburg that focuses on grooming future leaders in business and politics. One of his classmates in the program was Charlie Crist, who is now Florida’s attorney general and the Republican nominee for governor.

Linn, who is running against Crist on the Reform Party ticket, said there were only about 20 people in that 1985 class.

“So you got to know everybody,” he said.

According to Linn, during the course of conversations with Crist he learned that the future attorney general is gay. The two talked about “what would happen if [Crist’s sexual orientation] comes out” during a political campaign, Linn said.

Linn kept quiet about Crist’s supposed gay secret for more than 20 years until he launched his third-party bid for governor. Then, on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day, Linn outed Crist on WFTL, a South Florida radio show.

“Charlie, come out, come out from wherever you are,” Linn said on the radio show.

Crist has repeatedly denied rumors that he is gay. When Miami radio host Jim DeFede asked Crist if he is gay in July, Crist responded, “The point is, I’m not. There’s the answer. How do you like it? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, as they say on Seinfeld. But I just happen not to be.”

In January 2005, Crist denied rumors that he is gay during an interview on WQYK, a country music radio station based in Tampa. During the interview, Dave McKay, co-host of WQYK’s “Randy and Dave Show,” asked Crist, “Are you a homo?”

Crist responded, “No man. No, I love women. I mean, they’re wonderful.”

Crist, 49, was married for seven months in 1979, but otherwise has lived a single life.

Repeated calls to Crist’s campaign headquarters late last week and early this week were not returned.

In an interview this week, Linn stood by the statements he made about Crist on the radio show. He said he was a registered Republican for 20 years before recently switching to become an independent. Linn said he contributed money and did volunteer fund-raising for two of Crist’s past campaigns, including his unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate in 1998.

A matter of ‘honesty’

Linn said he has no problem with gay candidates running for office, but he thinks they should be open about their sexual orientation. The recent Mark Foley affair and the scandal involving former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevy have highlighted the dangers of running in the closet, he said.

“When you lie about it, that opens you up to extortion and bribery,” Linn said. “That’s what happened with McGreevey.” He referred to McGreevey’s book, in which the former New Jersey governor detailed how his closeted life made him vulnerable to an extortion attempt.

Linn said it’s also “a matter of integrity and honesty” for a candidate to disclose their sexual orientation to voters.

Linn claimed that Crist’s sexual orientation is an open secret in Tallahassee, much like Foley’s was.

“In my opinion, it’s widely known throughout the Republican Party that Crist is gay,” Linn said.

Josh Earnest, communications director for Crist’s Democratic opponent, Rep. Jim Davis, said the Democrat has no plans to make Crist’s sexual orientation an issue.

“We believe the most important issues relate to Crist’s public record and his failure to fight for lower property taxes, lower property insurance rates and better schools,” Earnest said.

He also compared Crist’s record on gay rights against Davis’, noting that Crist supports a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage while Davis opposes such an amendment.

In the post-Foley political landscape, more people are arguing that exposing the truth about closeted gay politicians is in the best interests of the public. For example, in an Oct. 13 opinion piece published in the Los Angeles Times, gay columnist Michelangelo Signorile blamed the media for not outing Foley.

“The media enabled a man overwhelmed by the destructiveness of the closet to ultimately implode in the halls of Congress,” Signorile wrote in the column.

Will the Foley fallout cause more voters to have doubts about Republican candidates who are even rumored to be gay, regardless of whether or not they are?

Andy Eddy, communications director for the Broward Log Cabin Republicans, doesn’t think so. First of all, Eddy questioned just how “closeted” Foley was, noting that the former congressman was known to attend gay events with his boyfriend.

“When [Foley] accepted the Gold Medallion award from the People With AIDS Coalition of Broward, he was there with his boyfriend and made it clear to everyone that it was his boyfriend,” Eddy recalled. Furthermore, Eddy noted that Foley was identified as gay by several publications including New Times, the Advocate and the Washington Blade during his aborted Senate campaign in late 2003 and early 2004.

Eddy said he thinks the Foley scandal will be “temporarily counterproductive for gay Republicans.” But he thinks voters will eventually realize that Foley’s inappropriate behavior with teenage pages “had nothing to do with his sexual orientation.”

Eddy questioned Linn’s credibility and motives in outing Crist in the governor’s race.

“He seems to be doing it for political gain,” Eddy said. “If someone is outed because they’re attacking the community, that’s a different story. But to out a person for any kind of personal or political gain, I think is wrong.”

Eddy thinks Crist may be telling the truth when he says he’s not gay.

“He could be bisexual,” Eddy said.

In a written statement, Patrick Sammon, executive vice president of the national Log Cabin Republicans, said the group is opposed to outing.

Despite persistent rumors about his sexual orientation that date back to his first campaign for elected office, Crist easily defeated Tom Gallagher for the Republican nomination in September and has since opened up a big lead over his Democratic opponent, Rep. Davis.

Recent polls have shown Crist with a substantial lead. He led Davis 54 to 38 percent in a Rasmussen poll of 500 likely voters that was released Oct. 2. A Survey USA poll released Oct. 12 has Crist ahead of Davis 54 to 41 percent.

Most of the polls have not included Linn. Poll figures were not available since Linn outed Crist.

Foley scandal changes
political dynamics

A Florida political science expert thinks that the Foley scandal has changed the political climate for closeted gay Republicans or, in Crist’s case, for a candidate whom many people believe to be closeted.

“The Foley scandal is likely to cause a demand for purity from the ‘theo-cons’[religious conservatives],” said Tony Smith, an assistant professor of political science with the University of Miami. “They are going to say, ‘You can’t be one of our standard bearers and be gay,’”

But the ultimate effect that the “outing” of Crist has on the governor’s race will depend on whether or not the mainstream media picks up the story, Smith said. As of press time, no major newspapers or TV stations had reported on Linn’s latest assertions about Crist’s sexual orientation.

“If the mainstream media doesn’t pick it up, voters will say that it’s just nastiness because the poor man can’t find a wife,” Smith said. “If it doesn’t get brought to the forefront of people’s conversations, then it’s still just an unproven rumor. But if the social conservative groups believe it, he’s dead in the water.”

Michael Albetta, president of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus, said he doesn’t think Crist’s sexual orientation is a legitimate issue in the campaign.

“A person should be judged on their job performance and not their personal life,” Albetta said.

Albetta said gay voters should compare Crist’s record on gay rights to Davis’. He contended that Crist is “two-faced” on gay rights, giving different answers on questions about his positions depending on who’s interviewing him.

Crist record on gay
issues a mixed bag

In fact, Crist’s record on gay rights issues appears to be a mixed bag. He opposes gay marriage and confirmed in an interview with the Florida Baptist Witness newspaper that he had signed a petition to place an anti-gay marriage amendment on the 2008 election ballot.

But during an interview with radio talk-show host Jim DeFede in July, Crist said civil unions for gay couples were “fine” with him. In the same interview, Crist said he was undecided about whether or not to repeal the state’s ban on gays adopting children.

“Haven’t taken a position yet,” Crist told DeFede.

But in his Oct. 12 interview with the Florida Baptist Witness, Crist was asked, “Do you support repealing the ban on homosexual adoption?”

Crist answered, “No.”

When the Baptist Witness asked Crist if he supported civil rights protections on the basis of sexual orientation, Crist responded, “I support civil rights protections on the basis of people. I believe that we need to fight discrimination that is based on race, sex, creed, national origin…” But he never mentioned sexual orientation.

In a follow-up question, the Baptist Witness interviewer asked Crist, “To be more precise about it, the homosexual lobby is pressing for civil rights on basis of sexual preference or sexual orientation, they would say. Do you support that agenda?”

Crist answered, “No, it’s not an agenda item that I support. But I support civil rights to fight discrimination.”

Crist has come out in favor of anti-bullying legislation that includes specific protections for gay students. He is also a strong supporter of hate-crimes laws.

John Marble, spokesperson for the National Stonewall Democrats, said it’s important to point out that Crist has not acknowledged being gay.

But, he added, “It’s always a disservice to voters for candidates to run in the closet. It underscores a certain level of dishonesty that they think is OK with their constituents. I think the gay question is a fair question for reporters to ask a candidate. I don’t think reporters should be afraid to ask the question.”

Washingtonblade.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ4DyPTEJ6A

And that Dem that had to back out last election because of health reasons - there were NO signs.

Disgusting Republican shennanigans. btw folks, Foley didn't want to run - he wanted to retire from the House and become a KStreet lobbyist.

5:00

Are you sure Foley didnt want to retire from the house to become a Page street lobbyist?

:)

MORE SIGNS GOING UP AT POLLING LOCATIONS

A vote for Foley is a vote for Negron
A vote for Mahoney is a vote for Baloney
A vote for Harris is a vote for God
A vote for Crist is a vote for gays
A vote for Lee is a vote for Jethro Clampett
A vote for Sink is a vote for Eng and Chang
A vote for McCollum is a vote for Mr. Green Jeans
A vote for Bronson is a vote for his incredibly hot wife
A vote for Campbell is a vote for soup

[jaguar]

The Democrats prefer an ignorant voter. Shame on them for opposing the informational signs. The decision makes it very clear who the real candidates are. Now we can take this seat out of the "hotly contested' category and put it back into the "safe Republican" category. How delicious if the Ds come up one seat short of taking the House when Negron wins!

The Democrats thought they could fool voters.

5:02 that's entirely too funny and yet so damn creepy!

one seat short = GOP still loses 14 seats = pure Republican incompetence

4:39 looks like they jumped the gun, don't see the Rasmussen Poll at the location indicated, maybe they weren't supposed to release yet. I don't see can you tell me if I'm looking the right location.

A real democracy requires voters to actually know who the candidates on the ballot are.

How insulting for the Democrat Party (ironically) to oppose the core philosophy of our nation's electoral system!

5:13

I know they sure did but they never admit it to ..oh no they would never do that they are the democartic party the party of fairness.... if the tables were turned OH MY GSOH there would have been a riot..Jesse Jackson would have been here and the ACLU in a minute

5:19

exactly double standard as usual,but this time they did get away with for a change.

5:17

Look at the scroller portion on the right, "Most recent polls". Scroll down to governor.

A vote for Bilirakis is a vote for Fred Flintstone

A vote for Busansky is a vote for debating

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2006/governor/fl/florida_governor_race-54.html

Now its on Real Clear Politics.

5:18 is right!

and all of these stupid Democrat lawsuits just help Negron even more name ID.

the Dems are idiots!

Signs don't matter in this district. The people know. Mahoney is winning.

Mahoney ain't winning. He is a paid and registered lobbyist and a legislator to boot.

It is a close race, but the district is majority Repub and they would rather have a tired old man called Shaw than a scoundrel like Mahoney Baloney

So Ron Klein is running against Foley? err. Negron.... or is it Mahoney v. Shaw or Shaw v. Foley.

Man, gerrymandering is a bitch.

80% of republic party voters would still vote for foley if he were still running.

5:39

ummm I dont think so, maybe you are thiking of your party and they already did...remember

[James]

If Charlie Crist is elected on November 7, 2006, and is then "publically outed" sometime between then and November 2008, like what happened to New Jersey's Governor last year? Because that would most certainly happen. Then the Evangelical voters in Florida would become so disgusted with the Republican Party that they would stay home on election day in 2008. Thus Hillary Clinton takes Florida's 27 electoral votes and the Presidency. So the question is- would you prefer Jim Davis be elected Governor of Florida in 2006, or Hillary Clinton be elected President in 2008? Also, what about all of Crist's flip-flops? Charlatan Crist has flip-flopped more in the past two weeks than John Kerry did during his entire Presidential campaign. Crist is also a career trial lawyer, as is his running mate Jeff Kottkamp, and Crist flunked the Florida Bar Exam twice before he finally passed. Is Crist qualified to be Governor of Florida?

5:48.... true item: a dade republic party official told a reporter for local abc affiliate that rudy crew (the black schools chief) is the one who should be the one apologizing to arza.

i'm not making this up. reporter repeated the statement to the republic party official, to verify the statement, which she repeated on air.

such are the crazed republic party leaders.

oh, apparently they were all attending a crist event somewhere in dade.

No one will care when Crist comes out. 90% of republic party will still vote for him against a democrat.

Negron will win. Shaw is running against Klein.

5:58, only in dade county. Its like another country. Wouldn't use dade county as reflective of ANY Political Party. Question, is Miami-Dade part of the US.

Crist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ4DyPTEJ6A

Charly Crist has been linked to a male staffer for Katherine Harris. Go on Huffingnton's Blog for details. The wheels are coming off.

[James]

There is a 90% probability that Hillary Clinton will be the Democratic Nominee in 2008. There's a 90% probability that if he's elected Governor, Charlie Crist will be publically outed as being gay before November 2008. And if that happens, there's a 90% probability that most of Florida's Evangelical voters will stay home on election day 2008 and Hillary Clinton will ride Florida's 27 electoral votes into the White House. Assuming you went to college and took Statistics, you should know that to find a Conditional Probability you must multiply all of the individual Probabilities together.
Thus for this question we take:
.90 x .90 x .90 = .729 = .73
So there is a 73% Probability that Hillary Clinton will win the Presidency in 2008 if Charlie Crist is elected Governor of Florida in 2006.

Charlie Crist IS GAY?!? OH MY

Now, how do we explain that to the children? The Republicans hate homosexual people, think we should have no rights, and yet, they'll cast a vote for a gay man to lead their state? So they'll vote for him, they just wouldn't want him as part of the family, have dinner with him, go to church with him, consider him a "best friend", travel with him, vacation with him, have him as a neighbor - but they'll vote for him to govern their home, state, workplace, schools, colleges, etc. ????

Are these people idiots??! WTF? Oh yeah, they're against stem cell research because it will "kill" an embreyo, but its okay to flush it down the toliet when the "donors" don't want it anymore. Poetic justice folks, you reap what you sow.

Thanks Dems for the PR

Also a vote for Dick Cheney is a vote for waterboarding!

HEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH - Howerd Dean quote

I don't see ANYTHING wrong with what Foley did. The guy was 16 and Foley should not have resigned. This was not a child. I don't want to vote for Negron, I want to vote for Mark Foley.

[Davis on brink of victory]

If you were watching the debate Tuesday night, you saw what we know to be true Jim Davis is the clear alternative to more of the same. He was effective and drove home his message of change for the better. Try as he may, Charlie Crist just cant defend the status quo, which has brought us skyrocketing property insurance rates, exorbitant property taxes, and failing schools.
Many newspapers agree. And one newspaper, Florida Today, endorsed Jim today:

St. Petersburg Times editorial: Davis Spoke More Clearly And Specifically About The Issues

Jim Davis had a good night Tuesday night, and Charlie Crist had an average one. In the first televised debate between the candidates for governor, Davis spoke more clearly and specifically about the issues that matter most to Floridians: taxes, education and homeowners insuranceHe put his best foot forward Tuesday night. [St. Petersburg Times editorial, 10/25/06]

Adam Smith, St. Petersburg Times: Davis Came Off As Sharp, Substantive

Davis came off as sharp, substantive and better-equipped with specifics than Republican Attorney General Crist Davis has dramatically improved Davis scored points when he repeatedly pressed Crist for not supporting tax relief for businesses and rentersHe may have made a strong impression on some of those strangers Tuesday, and gave his supporters reason for excitement in the final stretch. [Adam Smith, St. Petersburg Times, 10/25/06]

Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel: Davis Edged Out Charlie Crist

Davis looked as calm and confident as ever tonight. And I think he left the stage having edged out Charlie Crist. I think Davis's message resonates a lot louder. [Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel, 10/25/06]

Miami Herald: Davis Was Prepared

Davis was prepared. Davis offered a catchy defense of his record in Congress: It's not just about showing up. It's about standing up. Charlie as attorney general has done nothing to stand up to the insurance companies. [Miami Herald, 10/25/06]

Palm Beach Post: Davis Was More Aggressive

Davis was more aggressive than he had been in the Democratic primary[he] went through the encounter with barely a hitch. [Palm Beach Post, 10/25/06]

Daytona Beach News-Journal: Davis Would Bring About Changes In The State

During the debate, Davis presented himself as the candidate who would bring about changes in the state and repeatedly criticized Crist for wanting to stay the course. [Daytona Beach News-Journal, 10/25/06]

Sun-Sentinel: Davis Labeled Crist As Stay The Course

Davis labeled Crist as the candidate for voters who wanted to "stay the course." Davis said he was the candidate for people who wanted the state to do better, while Crist is part of the Tallahassee establishment controlled by special interests. [Sun-Sentinel, 10/25/06]

Additionally, Florida Today announced their endorsement of Jim Davis for governor. They said, Davis' positions on issues important to Floridians are superior. And his track record of taking on tough fights against special interests is what's needed to break the headlock of one-party Republican leadership that's far too beholden to deep-pocket lobbyists. Click here to read the entire endorsement.

With a tie in the polls, Jim's amazing performance in the debate, and yet another newspaper endorsement, we have the momentum to carry us to victory on Election Day.

8:44

I see you are pasting Davis website talking points from where they cut and paste sections of many newspaper articles that made it look like Davis won the debate. You may fool the un-researched, but you wont get past me, and i will call you out on this blog.

The melbourne paper is a nothing paper serving almost no one. Check out the last 5 polls, Crist is up 9% to 14% in ALL of them.

Mason Dixon, Crist up 11%
Cromer, Crist up 11%
AIF, Crist up 14%
Strat. Vision, Crist up 9%
Maj. Op. Research, Crist up 12%
Rasmussen, Crist up 11%

Get ready for GOVERNOR CRIST.

[Robert T.]

7:44, good post. James, I agree with most of what you say. Keep up the good work. I'm a Republican too but I'll be voting for Davis and probably Nelson as well. The Republican slate is very weak this year in Florida. A Governor Crist would be a disaster waiting to happen for our party.

[Robert T.]

I meant to type 7:41, good post. Not 7:44.

Robert is an obsessive compulsive idiot. He corrected his little mistake though, even though he missed the big one.

[Zhombre]

Governor Jim Davis of Florida will be a worthy successor to Governor McBride and Governor Mackay.

James,

Holy CRAP, if Crist outs himself and resigns, does that mean we'd get stuck with a lunatic like Kottkamp? Jesus wept--please, nobody out Crist till 2010.

I do have to admit, the whole B.S. the Dems pulled in FL-16 was pretty scummy. Put the damn Republican candidate on the ballot, fer Chrissakes--they'll lose without Foley's "help."

[republidum]

Any repudlicants who don't know Foley is gone, and Negrone is running, will not be able to read the signs anyway.

The real sign should read, "A vote for Negrone is a vote for the former head of the YOung Democrats. A vote for Mahoney is a vote for a former Repblican. And a vote for Emmie is a vote for a former Democrat."

[Jason Wetherington]

We know Crist will lie about this. But has anyone asked Jason Wetherington about whether he and Crist are lovers?

[Charlie Crist]

The media will leave me alone on this. Just look at Foley. The papers knew and helped him cover it up. I'm not worried bc the St. Pete Times loves gay guys like me. The media won't touch this, believe me, they would have run it already.