J-J photo blogging, part 2

Here's a compendium of pictures from tonight. The ones of the speakers seem grainy because I was sitting damn near in a different area code from the dais; therefore, I took pictures of the large screen nearest to me. I guess they still came out okay, though ...

Former U.S. Attorney General and Florida gubernatorial candidate Janet Reno speaks with an attendee at a reception before the banquet.


Former Democratic congressman and 2006 gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis.


Obviously, this picture of Rep. Davis didn't come out the way I intended ... but don't you think it's kinda trippy?


31-year-old Dave Aronberg, the youngest member of the Florida Senate.


Florida's highest ranking Democratic state official, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.


Rep. Corrine Brown with Sen. Bill Nelson.


Christine Jennings, whose race in Florida's 13th Congressional District still is facing judicial review.


My congressional crush, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. (Deb! Call me!)


Speaker Pelosi takes center stage.


Madame Speaker.


It was practically a flash mob trying to get a picture with or autograph from Rep. Pelosi following the banquet. (She's in there somewhere, I assure you.)


The divine Ms. P. with an admirer.

Is Crist really the anti-Jeb!?

Yes, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has an "R" beside his name. I voted for Jim Davis in November, and I'd do it again. Crist still has a lot of Republican in him (and you are free to take that any way you want).

But he's showing signs of not being a Jeb! Bush clone. I speculated on this some time ago, and Crist is proving me right:

Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to unveil a plan this week to restore the civil rights, including the right to vote, of hundreds of thousands of convicted felons who have fulfilled their sentences.

Crist has scheduled a special meeting Thursday of the state Board of Executive Clemency, which could vote on a plan that automatically would restore civil rights for as many as 80 percent of all felons who have been released from prison.

"Everybody deserves a second chance," Crist said Monday.

The Republican governor pledged during his campaign to undo the Civil War-era law that denies most former convicts their civil rights -- which include serving on a jury and obtaining a host of occupational licenses -- unless they complete a slow and sometimes impossible application process. Florida is one of just three states [Kentucky and Virginia are the others -- Ed.] that impose such a restriction.

Tolerance and sensibility from a Republican governor of America's Wang™? Could it be?

I'm not ready to go all pro-Crist, but even a dirty fucking hippie like me has to admit that Charlie is a damn sight better than his predecessor.

Let's get ready to rumble

Debate Fever is sweeping Blast Off!, and it's that time of year in Florida.

First up, U.S. Senate candidates Bill Nelson and "Krazy" Katherine Harris, tonight at 8:00 pm at Nova Southeastern University in Davie. This time, they'll be on the same stage at the same time.

Tomorrow night, it's the epic first showdown between Jim Davis and Charlie Crist, also at 8:00 pm at NSU. The two will meet again in Tampa next Tuesday night, October 30, when the moderator will be none other than Chris "Tweety" Matthews of MSNBC's "Hardball." Gee, that oughta be a show.

Because I have rehearsal tonight, I won't be able to watch the Nelson-Harris debacle debate (maybe I should set the DVR ...), but I'll see about live-blogging the gubernatorial debate tomorrow night. Stay tuned ...

Both debates may be viewed live online at BeforeYouVote.org.

Crist: "Won't comment" on targeted calls with extreme message

The Florida GOP is nervous.

They're pulling out all the stops to get their guy elected governor. The latest is a series of recorded, targeted phone calls with a far-right message:

During the call, Crist can be heard telling voters, "I support a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriages, and I oppose adoption by gay couples. I also support the ban on human cloning, and I want to ensure the right to display the Ten Commandments in public places."

Obviously, the intent is to shore up the base and GOTV. The recipients of these calls are unlikely to vote for Jim Davis, but given the Republican scandals of late, I suppose whoever paid for the calls (the article is unclear) is concerned that their base might just stay home.

Now, I'm not saying Crist is gay: although the blogosphere has been abuzz about that prospect, but these calls are mighty suspicious in light of such allegations. If he is gay, his positions are hypocritical and abhorrent. If not, he's still out of the mainstream on this, even in Florida.

Keep working and keep giving. Jim Davis for governor.

UPDATE: Davis behind by only 5 points

As an anonymous commenter pointed out, and as my Davis campaign e-mail stated today, the absolute newest poll in the Florida governor's race shows Davis trailing Crist now by only 5 points, at 46-41. Compare this to the last poll from the same firm (Rasmussen Reports), which had Crist ahead 54-38.

The trends are breaking the right way at the right time. Keep working and keep giving.

Davis still trails in latest polling

Although Jim Davis has managed to close the gap a bit, Charlie Crist still leads the Florida gubernatorial race by 11 points, according to the latest poll released yesterday.

It's a healthy lead, but slightly narrower than the 15-point margin Crist enjoyed in the poll last month.

Since that poll, Davis has started running TV ads so many voters have gotten more acquainted with him.

Still, Crist ads outnumber the Davis spots 3-1 on NBC 6 [in Miami] and most television stations across the state.

When I met Rep. Davis a few weeks ago, I learned that there was going to be more of a television presence for him in the weeks leading up to the election. There simply hasn't been enough money, though, and the wealthier Crist campaign has been bombarding the airwaves with ads.

Unfortunately, while I truly believe Davis would win the election on the issues, this race, like so many before it, may well come down to two co-dependent things: money and name recognition.

Take a moment to help Jim Davis close the gap even further.