Say what you like about former Governor Charlie Crist, and you can say plenty.
He flip flops like a freshly caught trout on the issues.
He treats each term of public service as a rung on the ladder to the White House.
and then they’re is always this….(this blog’s favorite clip…ever)
That will never get old.
As much as you can tease Charlie Crist about those things and the fact that if he would have stepped aside for Marco Rubio last year and stayed in the Republican party, he might be ahead ofBill Nelsonin the polls. Instead, he’s currently an Independent and working for one of the biggest Democratic fundraisers in the country. So, yeah there’s a lot. One thing he did do right?
He married his wife Carole.
Former Florida First Lady Carole Crist
She looks like a movie star and she’s also the latest high profile addition to the Democratic Party. Her explanation? She feels more comfortable with them. That’s fine, gotta follow your heart but her transition leads to the next question.
When will Charlie Crist switch to Democrat? After he does, will he take on current Governor Rick Scott in 2014?
It all makes sense on paper. Send the spouse in to do a little networking, some recon, gauge the mood and report back. Governor Scott is vulnerable and Charlie Crist would be a better candidate for the Democrats than say former Florida CFO Alex Sink who was caught in “textgate” and voted the worst candidatein the country. Crist would also be able to raise more funds than former AG candidate, Miami attorney Dan Gelber.
Make no mistake, this is the first step Charlie Crist is taking to run for office again.
You either love him or hate him. It’s been said a thousand times, in a thousand different blog posts, and newspaper articles.
While I don’t hate politicians, as misguided as some may be, Alan Grayson certainly disagrees with me. Forget his policies. When he took the house floor, he would set bi-partisanship back years. Choosing to use his time for ridiculous theatrics over honest attempts to get things done. You’ve seen him before, “Die Quickly” about the Republicans plan for health care. Calling a Washington lobbyist a “K-street Whore” and of course the Taliban Dan ad which featured heavily edited footage of current Representative Dan Webster, which was slammed by the media and pundits on both sides. It might have lost him the race.
This blog’s opinion of Alan Grayson? He’s about MSNBC and HBO, and not about representing us in Washington.
Still, he’s one of the most controversial figures in Florida and this morning on WKMG he was the guest on Flashpoint and spent time talking to Lauren Rowe. His interview can be seen here.
Grayson gets interviewed all of the time on national television but a sit-down on the local level has been rare. Especially, since he lost last November. Here are some talking points from the interview and some friendly rebuttal.
2:45- “We have no plan to create jobs.” What about the recent Obama American Jobs Act? Alan Grayson has often shown frustration with this administration when it doesn’t go to the mat with Republicans in Washington. The leader of his party has a plan. Is he on board?
5:11- “No one ever hires or not hires somebody based on their tax rates”- You’re telling me that a business owner in this economy who’s already afraid of hiring and taking financial risks, doesn’t take into account what his taxes are?
8:45- “What happened to me as well as to 62 other members of Congress last year was that Democrats didn’t vote”- Ok, he’s right but if you’re raising all of this money, how come you can’t get out the vote?
14:35- Alan Grayson brings common views with Ron Paul and bringing home troops, Grayson’s only bi-partisan “chip”- How can Grayson continue to bring up ONE example of bi-partisanship in his whole body of work? Because there isn’t any more examples, he chooses to pick fights with the other side rather than work with them. He also fails to mention troop draw downs in Iraq. Only 3000 will remain by Christmas
17:50- Grayson brings up that he is running for congress in the new district and that Val Demings is running against Daniel Webster. When asked who is the competition in the new district, Grayson brings up a former Conservative candidate who ran against Sandy Adams- That would be Verizon executive Karen Diebel. I’ve worked with Karen in the past and she would be a far more capable lawmaker and job creator working in Washington.
Karen Diebel
19:18- Alan Grayson endorses Ron Paul- Ok, it’s not exactly an endorsement but, I’m just sayin’
Listen, it’s easy to sit back and pick apart an interview like this but, I’ve said it dozens of times. Alan Grayson is a unnecessary obstacle to getting things done in Congress. He’s not going to change and Democrats would be wise to find another reasonable solution to take the district.
Have a great Sunday!
Grayson will be back on the campaign trail next year..
Friday afternoon, in front of loyal supporters, Linda Stewart kicked off her campaign for State Senate District 19.
Conditions were perfect for an announcement at Lake Eola and with her family by her side, Stewart declared her candidacy and vowed to bring jobs to the district as well as put education first and protect the environment. Here is her speech.
Stewart and I had a few minutes to talk and she told me that she was ready to take the same issues she fought for here in Orange County to the next level in Tallahassee. When asked about working with the Republican super majority in the state’s capital, she spoke of her accomplishments working side by side with former Republican Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty.
She joins a crowded field of fellow Democrats running in district 19 which includes Victoria Siplin (incumbent Senator Gary Siplin’s wife), as well as current State Rep. Geraldine Thompson who is leaving due to term limits, along with several other candidates. No Republicans have filed to run in the “blue” district.
We’ll keep you posted on her and the other candidates as the race moves forward.
Linda Stewart and her family at a perfect afternoon at Lake Eola
Stewart emphasized jobs, education, and the environment during the kickoff
Stewart brings a loyal base of support to the race.
Thank you to Stewart and her supporters for the invite! I cover events on both sides and if you’re running for office, I want to talk to you.
Webvids can be effective. You’re basically turning Youtube into a political weapon and aiming it’s millions of potential viewers at your opponent.
The video still needs to look good though. Governor Rick Perry’s team has to know that.
I could have made this ad on my laptop…
The timing is right on. Unemployment stayed at 9.1 for the second month in a row and Obama is looking more vulnerable than ever. Perry has got to try harder if he wants to save his campaign.
The ad could have been made on by an amateur on a laptop and tells us what we already know. 1 out of 5 for this ad
Last night the last big name in waiting set the record straight. She’s not running for President either.
Former Alaska Governor, VP candidate, and conservative favorite Sarah Palin is not running for President. She penned a pretty good letter that cited her family and vowed to help whoever the nominee is defeat Barack Obama.
There are at least a dozen other real reasons why she chose not to run. They range from everything like media faux pas to the controversial comments in her books. If she got in she would have commanded serious attention and she had the base there to raise money and get up and moving in time for Iowa. Her team probably looked at the hypothetical poll numbers. Including the one that said the majority of Republicans would not want her to run and made the call. The right call. She’s fine where she is now.
Her announcement along with Chris Christie’s no mean that this is it. If you’re Republican, you’re riding with this group of Presidential hopefuls.
The enthusiasm the donors have for this crop of challengers could best be compared with the anticipation of getting a tooth pulled by tying it to a string connected to the back of a Ford Pick-up, being driven by Rachel Maddow, and asking to her floor it.
Really!? This is it? Oh well…
Ultimately the party will unite behind whatever character win this primary and as the political war machines get fired up, most of the noise will be right here in Central Florida. A campaigning President Obama is much more formidable than the one we’re seeing now and as soon and the musicians and movie stars start getting involved it’s going to be a tough fight.
Sarah is out but in the end the real question, the key inquiry, the decision maker that will decide the election in 2012 will be.
The mastermind behind this ad was the Nobel Peace Prize winner and U2 front man Bono. He’s forever circling the globe recruiting for his humanitarian efforts. He paid a visit to Florida Senator Marco Rubio a few months back. Is there the possibility that you could see the Florida political favorite in an ad with Bono? Of course but don’t count on him dropping any F-bombs.
In closing, Colin Farrel probably drops the F word six time before his morning coffee.
Herman Cain is back in Florida today, returning the region that delivered him shocking victory less than two weeks ago. It’s remarkable what you guys have done for Cain. When he won the straw poll at Presidency V, RPOF delegates punched Herman’s ticket to the Tonight Show, The View, and the pop culture mainstream. He’s not a novelty candidate anymore.
He’s going to need your help again, you know.
Today, in the villages (not even 24 hours after Mitt Romney was there) he’ll be thanking the delegates and the support he’s received here and no doubt be asking for your continued efforts as the “Herman Cain Train” rolls on. You see, when Florida moved up it’s primary date it became part of the “path to victory” along with the other early states. You see, these other early states already have names on them.
Iowa belongs to Bachmann because she was born there
New Hampshire is leaning towards Romney
South Carolina was suppose to be Rick Perry’s (he declared there) but, that’s up in the air now.
Which brings us right back to the Sunshine State. The location of Herman Cain’s only significant victory thus far.
Unless Cain can score a victory in one of the previously mentioned contests he’s going to have win in Florida again to keep his campaign going. It’s not going to be easy, the public is taking a closer look at him. He’s “new” to foreign policy and like I’ve mentioned before 999 has got some strange math going for it.
It is possible. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve doubted him before and don’t intend on taking him lightly, at least here in Florida. So, sit back guys, you’re going to be seeing much, much more of Herman Cain in the next couple of months.
Cain will need to call on Florida again to keep his campaign going
Chris Christie has decided not to seek the Republican nomination for President
Let the “what ifs” begin.
What if we would have pressured him sooner?
What if Rick Perry’s tough experience scared him off?
What if he’s waiting for 2016?
It was a tall order for the big man from Jersey to fill. Drop everything, put together a team, and start raising money for a voting process that gets underway in about 100 days. Christie dominated the Sunday talkers this week with the conversation revolving around his style and appeal.
There was also accusations that he was *gasp* too moderate!
Concern his stances on immigration, 2nd amendment rights, and global warming wouldn’t play to conservative voters that have little patience on those matters.
So, Chris Christie is out. Republicans would be wise to ask themselves and even bigger question.
What do we do now?
Mitt is too plain. Rick is too unpredictable. Michele is falling off the map and even though he’s been tearing through the talk show cirucuit. Herman Cain is still broke.
This is as big and as good as Presidential choices for conservatives are going to get. Embrace the horror guys, you’re going to have to support one of these candidates.
Unless, you’re waiting for Sarah Palin to get in..
Depsite severe pressure from the GOP the New Jersey Governor will not be running for President
“If the President really cares about jobs, he’ll send the three trade agreements to congress and get them ratified”
That happened on Monday.
We’re talking about the free trade agreements with Columbia, Panama, and South Korea that could potentially bring thousands of jobs to the state. These agreements would drastically reduce tariffs and reduce red tape with country’s 3 biggest trade partners.
Forget Lebron, D-Wade, and Bosh…this is the real big 3 in Miami.
President Obama had this to say about the
“We’ve worked hard to strengthen these agreements to get the best possible deal for American workers and businesses, and I call on Congress to pass them without delay, along with the bipartisan agreement on Trade Adjustment Assistance that will help workers whose jobs have been affected by global competition,’’
Word…
Job creation in this economy is a war and Rick Scott won a battle. This was a no brainer and the President’s cooperation validates that.
While, the Governor is still has a lot of work to do, after you sit down with the guy and have him calmly explain his plan it revolves around overcoming legislative challenges and creating jobs in chunks. Sure, the big sweeping projects are easy jobs but, they’re not always financially responsible. This isn’t about spending a fortune for temporary job solutions it’s about green lighting the right projects to ensure we create quality jobs that will be permanent and save money down the road. Doing more with less
You could call it Moneyball Job Creation.
In case you missed it, here is the interview from a few days back where Scott brings up the agreements that passed on Monday.
In a Florida GOP Senate primary where the voters remain largely undecided, the internet slug match continues between former Senator George Lemieux and former State Rep. Adam Hasner.
This morning Lemieux’s team launched this webvid.
They also launched phonyconservative.com, a website that goes into the video’s talking points a little further. All while labeling Hasner as a moderate.
It’s great in a general election, it’s kryptonite in a primary. The video closes with “Watch his record not his talk”.
This race is an enigma with all of the candidates taking victories throughout the state. Hasner taking the CPAC-FL straw poll last week, former Army Colonel Mike McCalister is often second to undecided on the phone polls, and Lemieux holds the fundraising advantage.
All in the race to take on Bill Nelson who’s quietly fundraising and holds the advantage of being on the same ballot as President Obama.
Stay tuned,
The Awww Snap Meter: 3 out of 5
Well produced, and sources for talking points listed. A casual Republican voter who's never met Hasner would buy it.
