Winner and loser of the week

Winner of the week: Charlie Crist. It’s been a long time since Crist hasn’t had a politically rocky week, so this qualifies as terrific news: The governor showed up at a local Republican party gathering, in Broward, and for a change actually received an enthusiastic welcome.

Loser of the week: Maurice Ferre. Anybody out there see signs of life in the Democratic U.S. Senate campaign of former Miami mayor Ferre? All we see are occasional press releases reacting to things that happened days earlier. The next fundraising reports will help determine whether Ferre is the Kevin Burns of the Democratic primary.

Comments

[Crist 2010]

Crist for Senate 2010

[Crist for himself---always]

Crist is about anything but Florida and it is clear that when he wins we lose. ABC...Anybody But Crist.

[state farm agents blog]

6:57= insurance agent! Yep, wait till he gets to DC, your exemption from anti-trust laws will go bye-bye! Way to go Charlie!

[MARCO for Senate]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/columnists/unstimulating-charlie-why-rubio-should-win-the-gop-87832.html

[In The Know]

I got a call from some of the attendees down there and they said Crist read a good speech. Guess he's trying a new speech for Pinellas county next month. I'll worry when he figures out how to use a telapromter.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

You can't re-invent your record-not in a GOP primary, we pay attention!

GO MARCO 2010!!!!!!!!!

[Witness]

Arnold and Charlie I guess two RINO's are better than one.

[Not Kottkamp ?]

Kottkamp and his "campaign" come up with a ploy to morph into Mr Good Boy, but it backfires and ends up just reminding everyone why he needs to pull garbage like this. Ouch.

More reminders this week when the Ethics Commission comes back to either spank him or fail in their mission. Either way, his reign as Loser of the Week will continue as his failures are once again front and center.

Dan Gelber owes it to the people of Florida to save us from the worst thing that could happen to the Attorney Generals office. The consumer wins with a D as AG .

[Monday January 11, 2010]

Monday January 11:

Pinellas GOP Straw Poll.

The official end of Charlie's campaign for US Senate.

[Clearwatermike]

It appears that Crist has at last begun a strategy to defeat Rubio in the Republican primary. Going into Broward County with its 243,743 registered Republicans with only 14.95 of them, Hispanic, is a first step in counteracting Rubio's heavy Hispanic base in Miami-Dade (70% Hispanic). Neither Broward or Palm Beach County have been receptive to candidates from Miami. It is there that Crist can begin to build the vote necessary to defeat Rubio.

[...---...]

9:18 -- yawn...it got old after the first week.

[Only in the wishful thinking of the St. Pete Times is Gov Crist the winner of the week, the real winner is Tim Tebow]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/os-senate-crist-rubio-20091128,0,7206769.story?page=1

A 2010 primary expected to be a cakewalk for the governor is now being cast as a struggle for the soul of the state's Republican Party. Like the District 23 congressional race in New York, it has erupted onto the national scene, as über-conservatives try to nudge the party to the right.

Crist, they argue, is a Democratic enabler — a Republican who endorsed the hated federal-stimulus plan and literally embraced President Barack Obama when he showed up to deliver the money.

The better choice, they say, is Marco Rubio, the boyish former Florida House speaker who presents himself as a Jeb Bush Republican ready to fight the administration hammer and tong.

[Crist scripted speach]

Scripted Crist speaks at the Broward GOP
Posted November 24th, 2009
by Javier Manjarres 12

The long awaited appearance of Governor Charlie Crist at the Broward Republican Executive Committee finally came to pass last night. In front of a crowd of about 300 people (Yes, 300-including press, security and the BREC board) the Governor gave another one of his not-so-memorable speeches. Just another speech, just another day, in the life of the sitting Governor of the state of Florida, right?

For the record, I, your ever humble and lovable correspondent, did not pose for a picture with Governor Crist, as misstated by Chairman of the BREC Chip LaMarca earlier today on the Joyce Kaufmann Show. So to set the record straight, here’s my insta-take on what transpired last night @ the BREC.

Governor Crist began his 20 minute speech bashing the Obama Administration for the out of control spending that has been going on for since January. Come again? Could he be referring to the ‘porkulus’ plan that he endorsed and promoted with our beloved President, Barack Hussein Obama?

The good Governor went on to read the rest of his talking points from the sheet of paper he was reading from. Yes, he was reading from a prepared statement. Funny, but I don’t remember his nemesis, fellow U S Senate candidate Marco Rubio, reading from a prepared speech when he spoke last month in front of the same committee.

But even before Charlie delivered his somewhat uninspiring speech, the Governor mulled over the points in his prepared speech with several people who were offering him advice on what to add or subtract from his remarks in a hotel room a few floors above from where the BREC meeting took place.

As Governor Crist exchanged greetings with well-wishers upon his entrance into the room, I asked him if he would be interested in one-on-one debates with Marco Rubio. He replied, “I don’t know.”

The room was filled with old faces and faces that normally do not attend any of the monthly meetings. Many of the attendees were Crist appointees and long time political allies. There were however, a good number of Rubio supporters in attendance that were instructed to keep a very low profile. One group of people that were noticeably absent were the BREC’s “activists”, as I call them. I was contacted by many of these activists earlier in the day and told that they would rather stay home instead listening to more empty rhetoric from the Governor.

Upon his exit from the room, Governor Crist was asked if he would support the Obama stimulus plan again, he replied “yes, I would do it all over again”. Enough said.

All in all, it was a good night for the Broward GOP, who is trying to regain some face that was lost over this past summer. The Broward GOP did perform very fairly in regards to not showing favoritism to Crist over Rubio as the majority of the Committee board is supporting Governor Crist.

[Specifics, please]

9:18, just what "failures" of Jeff's will be "front and center"? How about educating the rest of us. It seems to me that the matters that Jeff has been responsible for have had strong outcomes: Space Florida (the replacement to the Shuttle), Children's Cabinet (autism treatment), Office of Adoption (a record number of adoptions out of DCF), etc. Gelber and Aronberg are both great candidates, but that does not make Jeff an underachiever. Well, 9:18, let's hear it, to what do you refer?

[Crist will win]

After all of the attacks have been launched...and the smoke has cleared the day after the Primary...Crist will still be standing.

[After the Florida voters read the truth and the facts are known Marco will win]

Conservatives flee Crist for Rubio

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2009/11/conservatives-flee-crist-for-rubio.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+news%2Fpolitics%2Fpoliticalpulse+%28Central+Florida+Political+Pulse%29

[Election is a lifetime away]

We have 9 months until the Primary. Many things can happen...one that is certain to happen is that Crist will continue to be Governor..this give him a distinct advantage in earned media. Rubio's tenacity is paying off however. He has put himself in the position to run again in two years. Look for Rubio to lose to Crist 54-46% in 2010 then turn around and beat LeMieux 56-44 in 2012.

[...]

And from the Palm Beach Post some good advice

Cerabino: Tips to Tebow: IGNORE Crist, pass on politics

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/cerabino-tips-to-tebow-ignore-crist-pass-on-89008.html

[Ouch]

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/lemieux-ought-to-know-he-s-a-seat-869790.html

[terminator]

crist scripted speech:
don't be fooled by the large turnout. Lamarca and his cronies actually called and personally invited (begged) the "regular" BREC members to attend to make it look legitimate.
have no illusions, the corrput BREC is still solidly controlled by sychophants led by Frenchy Lemieux and his merry band of miscreants (Shane Strum, Kevin Tynan, Sharon Day, Eddie Pazzouli, Jim Scott, Maureen Jaegar, Levi Williams, etc.)
they are just trying to make it look as if they have turned the page from their previous corrupt activities but they are still the same rotten REC they've always been and will do an endorsement for Chuckles before summer break.
I heard Scott Rothstein warmed up the crowd by giving Chuckles introduction!

[ersatz]

On a broader level, the logic underlying the selection of the winner and loser of the week is, well, questionable. Usually winning entails something more than merely not losing.

[Quit misleading , Mr. Kottkamp]

Mr Kottkamp or someone who knows an awful lot about his campaign has publicly asserted :

"matters that Jeff has been responsible for have had strong outcomes: Space Florida (the replacement to the Shuttle), Children's Cabinet (autism treatment), Office of Adoption (a record number of adoptions out of DCF)".

I am sorry, but they have to be kidding us. Look what Mr Kottkamp is taking credit for:

-the replacement to the shuttle
-autism treatment
-a record number of adoptions out of DCF

We have heard warnings that Mr Kottkamp would campaign like this. They were right, it has already started.

Shameful.

[...]

More on the integrity challenged "winner of the week" and his "seat warmer"

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/lemieux-ought-to-know-he-s-a-seat-86790.html

LeMieux ought to know he's a seat warmer

By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009

Somebody ought to explain to George LeMieux that he isn't a real U.S. senator.

Oh, sure, they let him in the Capitol, and he gets to vote and mingle with the real senators.

But LeMieux is a real senator in the same way that a valet parker is the real owner of the Jaguar he gets to drive from the front of the luxury hotel to the nearby parking space.

LeMieux is Gov. Charlie Crist's valet parker, and lately, LeMieux's been acting like the Jaguar belongs to him.

Somebody ought to tell him.

This week, fake-senator LeMieux left the seat he is warming in Washington to come to South Florida, lamenting our "culture of corruption."

"We need to do something about it," LeMieux said. "It makes us look bad."

Just a friendly place-holder

I'll tell you what else looks bad. Appointing your loyal chief of staff (LeMieux) to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate seat that you (Crist) want for yourself next year.

Oh, if only real U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez didn't go rogue, becoming too bored to finish his first term.

That left Crist the task of naming a successor to the job he wanted for himself.

Crist could have appointed himself to the vacancy, but that would have looked really, really bad. So he did something only made him look really bad: Picking LeMieux, who was also his former campaign manager .

LeMieux's primary qualification for becoming an unelected member of the nation's top elected legislative body is that he will be a friendly place-holder for the man who appointed him and not run for his own seat, something a real senator would do considering how cushy the job is.

So you'd think LeMieux would have the humility to just clam up for the 16 months, realizing that he's just the bookmark, not the book.

I figured he'd just check in with Crist periodically to give him the measurements on the drapes, or to do some early reconnaissance on a Georgetown apartment for his past and future boss.

But instead, LeMieux is pretending he's a real senator.

Corruption: He knows all about it

In his defense, it's pretty easy to pretend to be a real Republican senator these days. You don't have to do anything but block out the past eight years and work the word "socialism" into every third sentence.

LeMieux spoke at a Forum Club of the Palm Beaches luncheon earlier this week, attacking health care reform by saying it would hurt Medicare.

"I'm afraid that taking all this money out of Medicare is going to decline Medicare as a program," he said.

For those of you keeping score, Medicare was the evil socialist program that was going to ruin America before it became the program we must protect from the latest contrived evil socialist program.

If LeMieux must talk, I recommend he sticks to that "culture of corruption" stuff. He's at least got some street cred there. After all, Scott Rothstein, the Fort Lauderdale lawyer who orchestrated what may be a $1 billion Ponzi scheme, was on hand to celebrate LeMieux's swearing-in as fake senator.

[Capitol Guy]

The only thing "shameful" is you 3:30. I've been around a long time and I have seen these type of moving target attacks by others many times before. They never work. Like any good second-in-command of a large organization, Kottcamp has quietly got things done without holding press conferences or seeking the limelight. Many of us watched him do the same thing in the legislature. Quiet, effective, no-nonsense leadership.

[Capitol Guy betrays himself]

If the truth did not work, you wouldnt feel compelled to react, Capital Guy.

Mr Kottkamp or someone who knows an awful lot about his campaign has publicly asserted :

"matters that Jeff has been responsible for have had strong outcomes: Space Florida (the replacement to the Shuttle), Children's Cabinet (autism treatment), Office of Adoption (a record number of adoptions out of DCF)".

I am sorry, but they have to be kidding us. Look what Mr Kottkamp is taking credit for:

-the replacement to the shuttle
-autism treatment
-a record number of adoptions out of DCF

We have heard warnings that Mr Kottkamp would campaign like this. They were right, it has already started.

Shameful.

[Dennis]

KottKamp, Crist,MuCollum...all the old tired do nothings will be voted way out...new blood,new thoughts, less greed & Ego is what is needed now...

[Just say NO to Chuck the Schmuck!]

"The governor showed up at a local Republican party gathering"

THAT'S A WIN?... perhaps if this empty suited schmuck actually showed up at work now and again... we could call THAT a win.

[Grasping at Straws]

Showing up at a Republican REC meeting - which shut down during the summer for fear a Motion to Censure Greer would pass, which endorsed him in 2006, which won't take a straw poll for fear Charlie will lose - that's NOT a win.

[DBPR still reeks of skank]

These are the questions I would like to hear asked of Holly Benson:

"Miss Benson, have you or have you not had multiple sexual relationships with married men?"

"Miss Benson, if so, did some of those married men include your fellow legislators, lobbyists and even your own employees?"

[DBPR still reeks of skank]

Would you be the same "Dennis" that is soooooooooooo close, or rather used to be soooooooooo close to Holly Benson?

[and sex is relevant because?]

Just because you can't have sex shouldn't mean you hold it against those who can.

[Susan S]

"...the Kevin Burns of the Democratic primary???"

That doesn't make sense.

[she has no class]

8:31 and 8:32 made me need to wipe another Kottkamp Bimbo eruption off of my screen.

[rockie]

what the hell is wrong with you people? stick to the issues and politics! this personal crap is helpful to no one and adds absolutely nothing to a constructive debate. grow the _uck up!

[John]

Who is Capitol Guy, is he Crist Dad ?
He is an idiot !

[John]

Who is Capitol Guy, is he Crist Dad ?
He is an idiot !

[Nate Silver of 538.com weighs in on Florida 2010: "Crist is not a good sharer."]

Nate Silver of 538.com weighs in on Florida 2010: "Crist is not a good sharer."

http://bit.ly/5HKitU

[The ghosts of DBPR]

If someone has affairs with unmarried men, it is not relevant. If someone has affairs with MARRIED men, it speaks to character, morals and ethics. Especially, if someone is a legislator at the time and has affairs with other married legislators and lobbyists. Worse, if someone is the head of an agency and they have affairs with married men who are EMPLOYEES, that is a severe ethical violation.

[The ghosts of DBPR]

Also, you notice she doesn't deny it, she just attacks.

[Josh]

...Look closely at the picture of Crist, he uses that picture at his campaign website...it's a picture from somewhere cold ...he must have been up north fund raising !!

[Specifics, please]

3:30/4:31, yes, I stand by my assertions. Why are they "shameful"? 9:18 noted how much of a calamity it would be to have Jeff's "failures" brought "front and center". So? What are they? I've seen Jeff handle many issues in a professional, competent, low-key manner. As Capital Guy blogged, maybe Jeff doesn't feel the need to hold a press conference every time he signs a piece of paper. If I have a misimpression of Jeff, then please do inform me!

[she has no class]

you have a misimpression of Jeff

There. You have been informed.

[she has no class]

you have a misimpression of Jeff

There. You have been informed.