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Florida Democrats are holding a contest to design an anti-McCain bumper sticker, hoping to forever link the Republican presidential nominee with the current White House occupant. Designs are due May 11. Details here.
But let's open it up a bit. What are some ideas for a snarky Obama sticker? How about Hillary Clinton?
With her chances of winning fading, Hillary Clinton sent Barack Obama a letter Thursday imploring him to ask the Democratic National Committee to make all of Florida's and Michigan's delegates count towards the presidential nomination.
Most of Florida's congressional Democrats also sent DNC Chairman Howard Dean a letter asking him to help ensure a decision is made by May 31, when the Rules and Bylaws Committee meets to hear an appeal of Florida's case. The state lost its delegates for holding its primary on Jan. 29, a week earlier than party rules allowed.
Meanwhile, at about the same time those letters were released, the Associated Press caused an uproar by reporting that the DNC, the Florida Democratic Party, Obama and Clinton were "on the verge" of striking a deal for seating some portion of Florida's 211 delegates.
It turned out to be wrong, however.
AP: BURBANK, Calif. -- Former President Jimmy Carter says delegates from Florida and Michigan should not be counted at the Democratic National Convention because they "disqualified themselves." On "The Tonight Show" Wednesday, Carter also warned of a disaster if party insiders try to wrest the nomination from the candidate with the largest number of votes and state victories.
"It would be a catastrophe for the party," Carter told Jay Leno.
If Obama wants to eliminate one of Clinton's last rationales for staying in the race, and if he wants to curb the considerable skepticism about his interest and ability to compete in America's biggest battleground state, he should start mending Sunshine State fences and speak out about counting Florida's votes.
"That could potentially open the floodgates for superdelegates to come on board if he was that gracious and that comfortable in his inevitability to win the nomination,'' said Bob Buckhorn, a Democratic consultant in Tampa who backs Clinton. "It would go a long way to ease the anger that remains over Florida's votes not counting."
More here.
Dan Gelber, one of Florida's wannabe super-delegates, blogs his endorsement of Obama: "...Doesn’t he have a Jewish problem? Yes, but only because the Internet doesn’t have a truth key. Don’t believe everything you read in a viral chain email. As an American Jew, a strong and secure Israel is a paramount concern of mine. Not a single fiber in my body worries that Sen. Obama will not cherish Israel with the same fervor I would expect of any American President. Anyone who says otherwise is simply trying to exploit passions for Israel for partisan gain – and that is truly endangering to Israel....
Rules are rules and all that. But Barack Obama has all but clinched the 
nomination, Hillary Clinton can't catch up in delegates or popular vote even if Michigan and Florida are suddenly counted 100%. So why doesn't the presumptive nominee take the issue off the table, make nice with the Sunshine state, and join Sen. Bill Nelson's call to fully seat Florida's delegation based on Jan. 29 but only give delegates half a vote? More specifically, cut that half so she nets 19 delegates rather than a measly 6 that would keep her campaign complaining about disenfranchisement.
Obama campaign manager David Plouffe: "Obviously there's a lot of discussion about remedies in Florida and we've expressed openness to those. I think the Clinton campaign has been less willing to consider anything other than full seating of the delegates and so we're hopeful that dialogue will continue. And again I don't think the results of Florida and Michigan are going to be used in any way to overturn the outcome of this election. ...
Bruce Cotton has collected over 1,000 petitions to have his name placed on the ballot for state House District 51, held currently by Democrat Janet Long.
“Bruce’s efforts were remarkable,” said Doug McAlarney, Cotton’s campaign consultant and a former Deputy Director for the Republican Party of Florida House Campaigns. “I’ve seen many hard-working candidates over the years, but Cotton is definitely playing for keeps. Now is the time for the Republican Party to move forward, united for victory in November.”
From the Rothenberg Political Report: "Feeney’s profile 
appears similar to some of his colleagues who lost in 2006, in districts that Republicans normally win easily. But the congressman’s supporters believe he’s handled the issue far better. Democrats went out and recruited Suzanne Kosmas, whom they believe will be a strong challenger to the congressman. The former state representative is proving to be a terrific fundraiser and should be a more than credible candidate for voters concerned with Feeney’s ethical questions.
"This race isn’t in the regular conversation about the most vulnerable House seats nationwide, but talking to Republican operatives, there is plenty of nervousness about this race."
HIALEAH — In a packed social center in the heart of South Florida's most Republican city, elderly Cuban-American voters warmly greet a congressional candidate.
The city's longtime former mayor, Raul Martinez, is a familiar face. But he's no Republican.Instead, he is leading a Democratic challenge that hopes to break the Republican stranglehold on Miami's large Cuban-American vote in congressional elections this fall. More here.
Hillary Rodham Clinton wanted a "game changer," but Tuesday may prove to be a game ender. Even though Clinton eked out a victory early today, her momentum was halted. Her last grasp at the nomination now may hinge on counting Florida's officially meaningless primary.
"The last month has been an exercise in denial, and the only thing that's been accomplished is her attempt to hurt Barack Obama,'' said Fort Lauderdale lawyer Mitchell Berger, veteran Democratic fundraiser and Obama supporter. "Tonight should show the superdelegates that there's no question that Sen. Obama has withstood the body blows and has shown not just by what has happened but by the way he has dealt with it that he is able to appeal to us in a better way than just division," Berger said.
More here.
U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens, one of Florida's would-be super delegates, says he's not inclined to choose between Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama yet, because neither is actively working to seat Florida's Democratic delegates. "It makes no sense to reward Barack or Hillary without Florida," he said.
But he has talked with both of them, and says his district appears split: In a poll commissioned for his campaign last month, Clinton and Obama were running about equal. As has been the pattern elsewhere, Clinton polled better among traditional working-class Democrats, while Obama's strength came from middle- and upper-income Democrats, as well as independents and a small number of Republicans.
His mixed rural, suburban and urban district runs from Palm Beach County through the belly of the state to the Gulf Coast.
The RPOF came up with this nifty illustration to honor the Floridians who recently picketed the DNC, and we needed an excuse to post it. So here are two views from uncommitted would-be superdelegates from Florida about the importance of Democrats getting a nominee soon:
U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd thinks it would be fine for the Obama/Clinton contest to continue to the convention: "I'm in no rush to decide, and I don't think the fact that the primary battle is continuing hurts the party. If anything it may help the country understand the two candidates a little better."
DNC member Janee Murphy of Tampa hopes the the DNC rules and bylaws committee resolves Florida on May 31: "My whole focus is having a campaign here in Florida to secure the 27 electoral votes for whoever the nominee is. In my opinion August will make it tough for us to put together a campaign. The grass roots people need to have the resources now to start gearing up for the general.
Gary Shay, a DNC rules and bylaws committee member from California, told Democrats in his state he is confident Florida's delegate mess will be resolved when the committee meets May 31, though Michigan remains murkier:
"What I anticipate will happen is that—and I have not received any communications from anybody, this is just my own thoughts on the matter—that the superdelegates will likely be seated from both states. That Florida will be seated with a half delegate for each pledged delegate based upon the January results. The concept there being that there must be some punishment for violating the rules, and at the same time, excluding those two states is very difficult, and as far as Michigan is concerned, that’s anybody’s guess. I have no idea what is going to happen with them."
Continue reading "Insider prediction: FL delegates to get half votes" »
Politico: "For the first time, the number of Hispanic Democrats in the state is expected to exceed the number of Hispanic Republicans. ... The significance of the numerical flip is mostly symbolic, but it's a powerful symbol at a key moment: Quietly, Democrats are debating whether to mount a full-out, expensive challenge to Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, in Florida, or essentially cede its 27 Electoral College votes to theGOP. "
4/30-5/1 robo poll of 623 registered Florida voters by War Room Logistics of Gainesville: John McCain 47%, Barack Obama 40% (independents - 45% McCain, 38 percent Obama); McCain 44%, Hillary Clinton 45% (independents 39 McCain, 39 Clinton).
52% said Gov. Charlie Crist is doing a good or excellent job, and 47 percent said fair or poor. 51% said the economy was the top issue, followed by the Iraq war at 15%.
Continue reading "FL Poll: McCain beats Obama, not Clinton" »
With qualifying done for federal candidates, it looks like these are Florida's most vulnerable incumbents: Democrat Tim Mahoney, and Republicans Vern Buchanan, Tom Feeney and Ric Keller. Also we’ll keep an eye on three Miami-area seats held by Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart will face, Cuban-American Republicans facing their first strong Democratic challenges in years.
At this point Buzz wouldn't bet heavily against any of these incumbents losing. How competitive most of these races wind up depends on the national climate come fall and what's happening at the top of the ticket. If national Dems had to pick one top target in, our sense is it would be Feeney. Obviously Mahoney is the GOP's sights.
State Democratic chairwoman Karen Thurman is expected to attend, but not necessarily speak.
BROOKSVILLE -- Just weeks ago area Democrats salivated at the opportunity to take on Republican Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite in this fall's congressional campaign.
They sensed an unparalleled chance at unseating the three-term incumbent by riding a generally optimistic feeling among Democrats and highlighting Brown-Waite's latest gaffe where she called Puerto Rico and Guam residents "foreign citizens."
But, as the field solidified after Friday's filing deadline, it appears no party-backed Democrat will challenger her for the District 5 seat.
For the first time in over 20 years, there are more registered Democrats in Pinellas County, the birthplace of the Florida GOP, than registered Republicans. Democrats had been gaining steadily in recent months, and are now on top 233,240 to 233,181.
"That’s awesome," said county Democratic chair Toni Molinaro. "In Pinellas County, we’re pretty tired of the same old, same old, it’s not getting us anywhere."
Though the GOP has been the stronger party in Pinellas for 50 years, the parties have changed leads several times. The last time Democrats were ahead was the general election in 1984. And the GOP still enjoys a cash and organization advantage.
"We expected it," said GOP chair Tony DiMatteo. "It's not indicative of how a party of a district will perform in November."
Former presidential candidate and OH Rep. Dennis Kucinich is circulating a plan to fix the Florida and Michigan delegates mess, reports CQ: "...The plan would base the distribution of delegates on polling conducted by three firms, one selected by each campaign and a third chosen by the other two companies. Delegates would be apportioned based on the composite findings of the three polls. None of the firms could have previously been employed by either campaign..."
Start measuring those vice presidential mansion drapes, Charlie Crist. Quinnipiac University's latest swing state poll shows Hillary Clinton beating McCain in Florida 49 - 41 percent, while McCain gets 44 percent to Barack Obama's 43 percent (moe +/- 2.6). She's also handily beating McCain in PA and OH.
Sen. Steve Geller, a potential super-delegate, says he's not jumping to any conclusions and will wait until he sees polling in key states like FL, PA, and OH around the end of May to decide whether he's for Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. Obama may have the nomination nearly locked up, but the view from Seymour, Ind. was grim: "Hillary Rodham Clinton's longshot bid to overtake Obama for the nomination suddenly seems not so far-fetched. But more clear, and sad, is the sense that this presidential race is now doomed to be mired in race, that Obama's promise to bridge racial divisions may be shattered.
"How did we get from point A to point B?" Mary Ann Pardieck, a law firm administrator and Obama supporter in Seymour, glumly asked Tuesday. "Point A was this wonderful, hopeful period around Iowa when it seemed like we could get beyond all that," she said. "Now we've progressed into this morass. The campaign has degenerated into these conversations I don't want to be having and which I don't think are helpful to the country." More HERE.
Someone forwarded us this witty spoof penned by a House majority office staffer late last night: "BudLight Presents: Real Men of Genius
Today we salute you, Mr. Democratic Unnecessary Debater of Legislation.
[Mr. Democratic Unnecessary Debater of Legislation!]
Getting elected may have made you famous in your tiny district, but speaking on the House floor for hours upon hours in opposition to a bill to let kids play ball will make you infamous.
You, bastion of the filibuster, take to the floor, yelling into that microphone like a Red Sox fan at Fenway in the bottom of the ninth, projecting to everyone in attendance that you're fully prepared to waste their time and shatter their eardrums....
DNC Chairman Howard Dean on Meet the Press sounded to us more sympathetic to Barack Obama's position -
no way can Hillary Clinton net a bunch of delegates out of Fl's officially meaningless primary - than Clinton's count all the votes stance. Dean: "First, you've got to respect the voters. The voters of Michigan and Florida were not the people that screwed this all up. It was politicians. Secondly, you have to respect the candidates. They went in on a set of rules that everybody voted for, including Michigan and Florida, before they changed their mind, but -- and so you can't really change the rules and alter the course of the race. And thirdly, you got to respect the 48 states that did respect the rules."
Dean said he expects Michigan will have some say in the nomination ultimately, but there's no indication he has any more sway with members of the rules and bylaws committee taking up challenges from the states than he did with the Democrats who set primaries in FL and MI. He also brushed off criticism of his handling of MI and FL.
From the print BUZZ: Palm Harbor marketing executive Jim Hannagan says he has spent nearly $10,000 of his own money leading FloridaDemandsRepresentation.org, mobilizing Democrats to demand that the national Democratic Party recognize the votes in Florida's officially meaningless Jan. 29 Democratic primary. He's helping organize rallies across Florida, including one in St. Petersburg on Saturday, and he will be among 10 busloads of ticked-off Floridians planning to picket the Democratic National Committee in Washington on Tuesday.
"We want to let the DNC know that Florida voters are not going to take this sitting down, and we want our votes to be counted," said Hannagan. "The rules of the few should never outweigh the votes of the millions."
Funny thing about that: Pinellas elections records suggest Hannagan didn't even bother voting Jan. 29. The records say he didn't request an absentee ballot, he didn't show up at an early voting site and he didn't vote at his Palm Harbor precinct on primary day.
Continue reading "Did count-the-votes activist even vote?" »
UPDATE: Seems Katz is wrong on this, according to Karen Finney at the DNC. There is no prohibition on RBC members working on campaigns (Donna Brazile didn't step down while working for Al Gore), although Katz, the only Floridian on the panel, is right that he can't vote. The rules say a member can't vote on a challenge "arising in his or her own state."
So that's one less pro-Obama vote on the committee, but we're thinking it's somehow fitting that Florida's vote won't count on whether or not Florida's votes should count. Phil Singer at the Clinton campaign weighs in on the jump.
So now that the DNC’s rules and bylaws committee has agreed to consider a couple of appeals to reinstate Florida’s delegates to the national convention, accusations of conflict of interest are surfacing.
Rules committee member Allan Katz, a top Barack Obama fundraiser, says he may call on a couple prominent committee members, Harold Ickes and Tina Flournoy, to recuse themselves from the May 31 vote because they are working for the Hillary Clinton campaign.
"If your’e being paid that would normally be considered a conflict of interest,’’ said Katz, who said he may also be precluded from voting because he is a super-delegate directly effected by the decision. That would also eliminate Michigan Democratic party chairman Mark Brewer.
Continue reading "Conflicts of interests on DNC rules panel?" »
Three days before the final voting in the Democratic primary, the DNC's rules and bylaws committee will take up Jon Ausman's challenges to the committee's stripping FL of all its delegates. The committee members will have an informal dinner in DC Friday, the 30th, and then take up the issue most of the next day.
Most nose counters think more RBC members are Clinton backers than Obama backers.
From DNCer Jon Ausman: "DNC Chair Howard Dean has asked all the superdelegates to declare their preferences as soon as possible. After Howard Dean announces his preference, I will think about making up my mind and announce mine.
"My choice will be based on the following three criteria: one, which candidate is most likely to get 270 electoral votes and win the Presidency; two, which candidate will help us pick up US Senate seats; and, three, which candidate will help us pick up US Representative seats in the House."
On the jump we're pasting much of Ausman's latest mass e-mail, because he has a good a sense as anybody on what's doing with his challenges to get Fl delegates restored
Continue reading "Superdel Ausman:I'll declare when Dean does" »
The Florida Democratic party has taken out online ads with Roll Call, Florida Today, the Fort Report, and BrevardCountyMoms.com (The Daytona Beach New Journal refused it) depicting Tom Feeney as corrupt.
"For a full year now, Tom Feeney has refused to come clean with Floridians about his unsavory relationship with a convicted felon, Jack Abramoff. The fact is that Feeney went on a lavish golfing trip to Europe paid for by this super-lobbyist instead of doing his job for the people of Florida," said Mark Bubriski, spokesman for the Florida Democratic party, which has taken out online ads in . "The odds that 2008 ends up being Tom Feeney's last year in Congress, whether because of electoral defeat or legal recourse, increase with every passing day."
The full release is here.
Nearly 1.75-million Democrats voted in Florida's officially meaningless presidential primary, and it remains to be seen whether Florida will send any delegates to the national convention. But in this Twilight Zone of a campaign, a more cosmic question arises: Do the Florida votes actually exist?
In Barack Obama world the answer is no. Clinton's 295,000-vote victory margin in Florida is basically imaginary. The candidates chose not to campaign in the state, the argument goes, so the votes should be purged from the minds of any uncommitted superdelegate.
On planet Hillary Clinton, those Florida votes are as real as the White House itself. We cannot pretend a record turnout of voters never happened. More here.
Hundreds of activists from across Florida are planning to picket the Democratic National Committee next week, demanding that the DNC recognize the state's Jan. 29 primary and give Florida a say in the Democratic nomination. "It's Democats and Republicans saying how dare these parties decide what votes should count and what shouldn't.They may have a right to organize and create rules but what they cannot do is take away my right to have my vote count,'' said Millie Herrera, president of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus in Florida, who might find a judge or two who would disagree.
With funding from the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), some 10 busloads of picketers are expected in DC April 30, and Herrera insisted that it is not a pro-Clinton effort. The coalition of groups with the quaint notion that Democrats should want to count all the votes includes LULAC, the Hispanic caucus, the Florida Voter League, the Southern Leadership Council, and Florida Demands Representation.
For years, Sen. Dave Aronberg has tried to close an elections law "loophole" and halt a particular elections game played by both parties, when it comes to primaries and write-in candidates.
Aronberg's efforts to prevent write-in candidates from closing primaries got a first full floor debate on Wednesday but failed on an 18-18 vote, in what might be the closest vote to hit the Senate this year.
Continue reading "Write-ins can continue to close primaries" »
Is the DNC's rules and bylaws committee going to finally step up and act on the pending appeals by Jon Ausman, arguing the rules require some of Florida's delegates be seated, or wait for the credentials committee in July or August?
Sen. Bill Nelson ain't optimistic: "They're just slow-walking this thing, they're dragging it out. There's been no leadership to try to resolve this issue going back to last August, and as a result we are where we are, so nothing's going to be done until basically you have a winner."
But Ausman, after venting the other day, says he's talked to "a lot of people" familiar with the matter and now thinks Florida will get a hearing in about six weeks: "I think the rules and bylaws committee is going to try to handle this before it gets to the credentials committee,'' he said.
Barack Obama campaign manager David Plouffe today on the Florida/Michigan delegate mess: "We think the fairest outcome again is a splitting of the delegates 50/50, which would allow them to be seated but we're listening to other proposals. But the Clinton campaign seems to be not in favor of any resolution except for the most extreme one, and I don't think a fair reading of that would suggest that's a good outcome. We're the party now that's most interested in some resolution. The Clinton campaign simply wants the results of those contests to be ratified, and they're not going to be...."
Continue reading "Plouffe: Clinton blocking FL resolution" »
On Morning Joe, Bill Nelson said the DNC has "slapped Florida around enough now" and responded to whether Hillary Clinton should consider dropping out if Barack Obama gets within 5 points in today's PA primary.
NELSON: "There will be pressure for her to do that. But if her win is 8 to 10 points, it's a blowout. And she's going to have new life."
Here's what the campaign reports through 3/31. Impressive:
$9,138,833. 52,173 donors. 96,292 contributions. March: 17,905 donors. 22,320 contributions. 94% under $200.
STORY HERE: "There’s obviously a stall going on. .... They’re treating Florida worse than their own dog,’’ said Jon Ausman of Tallahassee, who five weeks ago filed two appeals with the Democratic National Committee’s rules and bylaws committee, arguing that the committee overstepped its authority in stripping away all of Florida’s delegates to the national convention.
For weeks, Ausman said he has been unable to get calls returned the prominent co-chairs of that committee, Alexis Herman and Jim Roosevelt, or any word on how the committee will proceed. Either they want to wait until a candidate drops out of the race or don’t want to admit they made a mistake in punishing Florida so severely for setting a primary earlier than the DNC allowed, Ausman said.
Continue reading "DNC stalling FL, hoping Clinton drops out?" »
The Rothenberg Political Report's latest U.S. House ratings of competetive races pegs Tim Mahoney's CD 16 seat as a "pure tossup"; Tom Feeney in CD 24 as "leans Republican"; Ric Keller in CD 8 and Vern Buchanan in CD 13 as "Republican-favored." Rothenberg apparently isn't seeing much vulnerability yet for the Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart or Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.
Sen. Ted Deutch wrote to DNC chairman Howard Dean today saying the "surreal dispute between the DNC and Democrats in Florida and Michigan risks becoming a political tragedy." He's asking for the party to count the votes, seat the delegation, but cut its weight in half.
"This is not a new proposal; it is an obvious resolution that has been overlooked or ignored," he wrote. Check out the letter here.
re: Clinton's St. Pete Times interview:
"Senator Clinton has proven that she will say or do anything to win and, in this case, is saying something that is flatly not true. If Clinton truly cared about the Michigan and Florida delegations being represented at the convention, she'd support efforts to resolve this matter today with an even split of the delegates. While she continues to play politics, we'll continue to work to achieve a fair resolution," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.
In an exclusive interview with the St. Petersburg Times, Clinton offered her most extensive remarks on the delegate problem and pushed back at the Democratic National Committee's philosophy of having the campaigns approve a settlement.
"I don't think it's up to Sen. (Barack) Obama or me to dictate any resolution. I think it's up to the DNC to decide how to proceed, and I would hope that it would do so recognizing what's at stake,'' Clinton said in the interview late Sunday. "It would be tragic if we came out of this process ignoring the will of 1.7-million Floridians, setting us up for a very unhappy electorate in the fall, giving Republicans this incredible argument they could make against us."
House speaker Marco Rubio won't run for Miami-Dade mayor - "even though he would win," predicted FIU's Dario Moreno on a panel for the Florida Political Science Association meeting in St. Pete today. Moreno happens to do polling for Rubio.
Moderated by USF's Susan MacManus, the panel included Moreno, USF-St. Pete's Darryl Paulson, UCF's Aubrey Jewett, and yours truly. Among the consensus conclusions: Hillary Clinton would be a stronger candidate in FL than Barack Obama; Charlie Crist is unlikely to get tapped for VP; Democrats will pick up a few legislative seats (though Moreno predicted Luis Garcia will lose his). Three out of four guessed that John McCain will be the next POTUS.
Florida legal circles were spinning on Friday at news of Justice Raoul Cantero's resignation and already people started floating names.
His departure marks the first of three appointments Crist will get to make, because Justice Harry Lee Anstead, 70, and Justice Charles Wells, 69, have to retire next year due to age restrictions in the Constitution.
Here's a speculative list of names of folks who may or may not ask to be considered by the Judicial Nominating Commission: First District Court of Appeals Judges Ricky Polston, Clay Roberts and Phil Padovano.
Other possibilities include Crist’s former chief legal advisor Chris Kise and former U.S. Attorney Roberto Martinez
who is on the State Board of Education. And even Miami Republican Sen. Alex Villalobos who was an early Crist supporter.
Who else?
-- Jennifer Liberto and Lucy Morgan
The birthplace of the Florida GOP, Pinellas County, is on the verge of turning Democratic blue. The latest voter registration statistics show there are only 805 more Republicans in Pinellas than Democrats. Back when Al Gore and George W. Bush essentially tied in Florida Pinellas had nearly 30,000 more Republicans than Democrats.
"He'll be very formidable if he's the nominee. I think he's very engaging, and obviously has a tremendous following," Gov. Charlie Crist said of Barack Obama today, while stressing he would never underestimate Clinton's ability to come back.
But asked about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy, the potential vice presidential candidate said Obama "didn't handle it great" but declined to elaborate or weigh in on whether Obama should have left the church. "He should do what he thinks is right for him. ... That's obviously been a difficult situation for him. Some of the comments I've seen the pastor make are hard for me to imagine."
In his visit to the St. Pete Times editorial board below, Crist also had some friendly fencing with Paul Tash, the Times' editor, Chairman and CEO over the guns at work bill Crist is expected to sign. See below.
State Sen. Jeff Atwater reports raising a whopping $512,000 in Jan and Feb, before the session started. His chief Democratic rival, former state Sen. Walter "Skip" Campbell reports raising $70,000 in the quarter and loaning his campaign $100,000.
"I know we’ll face continued attacks from the Democrats and special interests as the campaign goes forward, but with the continued support of our grassroots fundraising network I’m confident we’ll have the resources to prevail against them in the election,” said a statement from Atwater, who as the designated senate president for 2009 should not be at a loss for people willing to write checks.
Hillsborough County political consultant Vic DiMaio has refiled his lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee over its decision to strip Florida of its delegates for holding an early primary.
This time DiMaio has added a claim that he faces reverse discrimination because of the DNC decision. His suit argues that, by letting South Carolina and Nevada vote early in an attempt to ensure racial diversity in opening contests, the DNC is discriminating against him and other Florida voters.
Marc Ambinder thinks Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is the most likely pick for John McCain ("Some people close to McCain say McCain had pretty much made up his mind (for Pawlenty) a year ago"). Others who "have a shot:" Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, and, as a wildcard, Colin Powell.For Barack Obama, Ambinder mentions Tom Daschle, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, Chuck Hagel.
UPDATE: Ambinder responds to a Florida Democratic party release jumping on his comments: "Educative guesswork and reporting do not equal access to McCain's brain. Gov. Crist may well wind up on Sen. McCain's short list, but my sense, at the moment, is that while McCain likes and appreciates Crist, he does not believe that Crist has enough experience to be vice president."
Frankly we can't really tell because it's often tough to tell who speaks for whom. Officially the Clinton camp position is "count every vote in FL," and officially the Obama camp position is, "We'll talk, but a fair solution would be divide the delegates evenly."
Meanwhile, Clinton supporters like Bill Nelson say the DNC should divide the Florida delegation in half - net Clinton 19 delegates - while prominent Obama supporters in Florida are talking about a deal that might perhaps net Clinton 6 or 13 delegates. Except they say the Clinton campaign won't budge from fully counting and seating the delegation based on Jan. 29, to net 38.
Chairman Dean I know has asked both sides to come together and we've said, "Where and when,' " said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa, an Obama backer. "And the next thing I hear (from the Clinton campaign) is, "We're not interested.' "
Continue reading "Is Obama blocking a delegate deal or Clinton?" »
In honor of her fundraising jaunt through Florida, the RPOF chairman weighs in: "“Throughout his campaign, Barack Obama has completely isolated himself from the people of Florida, failing to meet with Floridians face to face for a substantive discussion of critical issues as we head into the Presidential Election this fall.
“I understand that Senator Obama may finally grace the state of Florida with his presence in the coming weeks. However, Florida Democrats should have some serious questions for him when he gets here—like how he can stomach using Florida as an ATM, while failing to take a stand for the inclusion of the votes of 1.7 million Floridians in the selection of the Democrat nominee for President.
Former state Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, one of the candidates national Democrats are most excited about in Florida, reports raising more than $300,000 in the last quarter and has more than $550,000 in the bank for her campaign against U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney. We haven't seen his latest numbers, but he had $455,000 on hand at the start of the year.
"I am extremely humbled by the outpouring of support I have received from Floridians who are ready for change in Washington," said Kosmas. "People are joining our campaign because they want a representative who is in line with their priorities and who can find common-sense, effective solutions to the challenges we face."
Well, that's the theory from former Republican U.S. Rep. John LeBoutillier: "...(John McCain) needs to wait to see what the Democratic ticket looks like first because that ticket will signal their electoral strategy. For example, if Obama wins the nomination and picks Bill Richardson, then we know he is going for the Southwest region - New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado - full of Hispanic voters - plus McCain’s own Arizona and California (strongly Democrat anyway).
"Or Obama may go for Florida Senator Bill Nelson and try to take the Sunshine State out of the GOP column. In that case McCain might take Florida’s popular new governor, Charlie Christ (sic), who helped propel McCain to victory in January in the GOP primary there. That would make Florida the key to the whole general election race.
"So, until the Democrats pick both their nominee and ticket - don’t forget that as the ‘out’ party they go first - McCain should wait to make his decision."
For all the talk of hyper-energized Democrats raising big money, voting in huge numbers and swelling voter registration rolls, Buzz is struck by how often we talk to Democrats unenthusiastic about both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. That's especially true in north Florida, where huge Republican margins can snuff any Democrats' chances statewide.
The latest example? Taylor County Commissioner Rudy Parker, one of Florida's would-be superdelegates, who voted for John Edwards in the primary and said he hears little excitement about the Democratic choices in his neck of the woods. Asked if he would feel compelled to vote for whover has the most popular votes and pledged delegates, Parker said not necessarily. He'd have to factor in a host of factors and mostly consider who's the strongest candidate, a question he can't yet answer.
"In the end, I want to be for the one that's got the best chance of winning. I'm afraid we're going to do what we always do and nominate someone who can't win,'' Parker said.
Congressman Ron Paul’s supporters in Pasco County are complaining about Bill Bunting, Pasco County's GOP chairman who is also known for his work on guns issues. Bunting hauled three Paul supporters to the front of a room at a recent GOP meeting, publicly questioned their party loyalty and wouldn’t give them precinct appointments they had applied for.
“He questioned what our intentions are,” said Sofie Lefebvre who blogged about the experience Saturday. “He felt that because we support Ron Paul, he doesn’t believe we would support John McCain.”
Bunting’s response: So what?
“That’s their problem, not my problem,” he said. “The Republican Party of any county works together as a party. Once we’ve secured all the votes necessary to designate the nominee, that’s the candidate all of us should support.”
-- Chuin-Wei Yap, Times Staff Writer
The Florida Democratic party is jumping hard on this Herald story, sending a release liberally sprinkled with the c-word (corruption):
"TALLAHASSEE - Despite budget cuts that will gut education, healthcare and law enforcement, Republican Speaker Marco Rubio "quietly slipped tough-to-spot language in a state budget plan last week that helps a friend and political money-man bid on a major fuel contract in a $265 million turnpike overhaul proposal."
"Does he have no shame? The only people 'better off' with Rubio's budget are Rubio and his political friends. It takes incredible contempt for the people of Florida to corruptly slide millions to a wealthy friend while millions of regular folks are hurting because of the recession he helped create," Florida Democratic Party spokesman Alejandro Miyar said. "...Rubio's pattern is disturbing and reeks of corruption."
Senate ethics and elections committee will consider on Tuesday a bill to sort of open up Florida's presidential primaries. Sen Paula Dockery's bill would allow those registered with no party affiliation to vote in either the Republican or Democratic presidential primaries.
Her bill has picked up an interesting team of co-sponsors: Democratic Senators Dave Aronberg, Larcenia Bullard, Charlie Justice and Republican Senators Mike Bennett, Jim King, Alex Villalobos, Charlie Dean, Rudy Garcia, Dennis Jones.
