Could the Florida state senate drive 55?

Sometimes, celebrities from other fields get into politics. It's not unheard of and, often, it's a logical step from name recognition in another pursuit to being elected to office. Occasionally, those celebrities come from sports, as when former FSU and NFL football star Peter Boulware ran unsuccessfully for the state House as a Republican in 2008.

But now another even more prominent name has surfaced in a Tampa-area state Senate district...and this time, he's a Democrat.

Derrick Brooks [(right)] earned a reputation as a dominant linebacker and fearsome tackler for the Buccaneers.

But could he bring down a Republican opponent in a state Senate race?

Some Florida Democrats think so, and they're courting him to run for the District 12 state Senate seat.

When asked about it, Brooks said this: "I'm not at liberty to talk about that right now."

When pressed, he said that ever since then-Gov. Jeb Bush appointed him to the FSU Board of Trustees, people have questioned him about his political aspirations. If he does run, he said, it won't be a secret. "I'll let everyone know," he said.

"It's an interesting proposition, isn't it?" said Susan Smith, who chairs the campaign committee for the Hillsborough County Democratic Party.

(Yes, that's the Florida Progressive Coalition's own Susan Smith quoted there!)

So far, no Democrat has declared for the District 12 seat, currently held by Republican Victor Crist, who is term-limited out. As an FSU trustee and a well-known figure in the Tampa area -- not only for his gridiron exploits but also for having started a successful charter school and being an outspoken advocate on education issues -- Brooks certainly is an attractive option for the Democrats. Will he run? Only time will tell ... but I'm wagering that he will.

Paula Hawkins (1927-2009)

It may seem odd to longtime readers of Blast Off! to see an obituary to a Republican here, let alone a fairly favorable one. But I have personal reminiscences of Paula Hawkins, who died on Friday at the age of 82, and while I no longer agreed with her politically, I always thought of her as a good Floridian and a fine person.

Hawkins (right, with President Reagan and iconic Florida congressman Claude Pepper) served one term in the U.S. Senate and it happened to coincide with my junior and senior year in high school in Broward County. At the time, I was a loyal Republican (like my parents), and although I wasn't old enough to vote, I supported Hawkins and many of her positions, which were colored significantly by her Mormon faith. I have met many members of Congress over the years, but Paula Hawkins was the first: I met her while participating in the Close Up government studies program in Washington, D.C., in 1983, and I remember her as charming and informative without being condescending to a bunch of kids. She invited us to visit the Florida House, a Capitol Hill residence owned by and dedicated to the people of Florida doing business in or touring the nation's capital, and I remember marveling at (of all things) the free orange juice available there. I regularly stopped by the Florida House, America's only "state embassy, even as a D.C.-area resident in the late '80s and I always credited Sen. Hawkins with bringing it to my attention.

Paula Hawkins was a dyed-in-the-wool conservative who once described herself as "feminine" as opposed to "feminist" and who opposed the Equal Rights Amendment as contributing to the "downfall of the father's responsibility to support the family." Nevertheless, I always respected her and am sorry to witness the death of yet another icon of my childhood.

Crist: backpedalling from Obama as fast as he can

I find it difficult, if not impossible, to believe that President Obama was making a two-day trip to Florida and the state's governor didn't know about it. But that's Charlie Crist's story and he's sticking to it:

Gov. Charlie Crist is a busy man, trying to do his job as Florida's chief executive and run for a U.S. Senate seat at the same time.

But it surprised Tallahassee reporters when the governor said he didn't know President Barack Obama was in the state Monday to honor sailors and Marines at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, less than 200 miles from the Capitol.

"Where was he?" Crist asked Tuesday. "First I've known of it."

While the president was saluting the nation's fighting men, Crist was visiting the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood for a 40th anniversary celebration with tribal leaders.

[...]

Crist got a second chance to talk about his decision to ignore Obama's visit, but instead said again he wasn't aware of the Jacksonville stop.

"Explain that comment? Is it unclear?" Crist responded after being asked a couple of hours later following a Cabinet meeting. "I didn't know that he was in the state."

Asked a third time, Crist said he was aware that Obama was coming, but didn't know the itinerary.

White House spokeswoman Gannet Tseggai said Tuesday that Crist's office was notified of the president's Florida visit.

Obama was in Arcadia on Tuesday to announce $3.4 billion in spending for the nation's power transmission system to foster new technologies and compared it to the development of the national highway system a half century ago.

Crist said he didn't join Obama because of Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, although he rescheduled an earlier Cabinet meeting to travel 400 miles to join Obama at the February rally in Fort Myers.

Bullshit. Gov. Crist certainly knew the president was visiting the state -- in fact, he contradicted himself when he answered the third question above. And people wonder why Crist is losing ground to Marco Rubio.

The governor is trying desperately to extricate himself from the mess he created for himself with the wingnuts who control the GOP in Florida when he accepted federal stimulus money and appeared with the president in February. But when he pulls stunts like this, it just makes him look petty and equivocal.

Heckuva job, Charlie. You just keep digging, now, y'hear?

GOP still has glaring historical error on website

Okay, maybe I'm too pedantic for my own good. But if I were running a website for a major political party, especially a site for which the party paid $1.4 million, I'd want to make damn well sure everything on the site was correct and accurate, wouldn't you?

Apparently the Republican National Committee, which produced a brand-new GOP.com absolutely riddled with errors, doesn't agree. Remember the historical mistake I told you about a couple of weeks ago, where they mistakenly identified Republican U.S. Sen. Hiram Revels of Mississippi, the first African-American member of that august body, by his middle name: "Hiram Rhodes?"

Well, guess what? It's still wrong.

click on image for larger version

I included the oh-so-cute bit about the president's visit to Florida today just to show you that I got the screen capture today; it's not manipulated in any way. Go see for yourself (you may have to hit F5 until you see "Rhodes").

Are you kidding me? They've had two weeks to fix it. After all the grief they took for putting up a piss-poor website, and after all the time someone must have expended trying to get everything right, they still haven't fixed an image that will show up on every page as a header at one time or another?! Not to mention ... I publicized this two weeks ago. It's not like it would be a surprise if they were, you know, paying attention.

Man, the RNC is dumber than I thought.

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EDT: Is it 2010 yet?

We're still more than a year away from the 2010 election, but things are really beginning to heat up here in America's Wang™ despite the cooler temperatures. While the gubernatorial race between state CFO Alex Sink and state attorney general Bill McCollum hasn't really hit its stride yet, there are plenty of fireworks to keep Florida political junkies interested in the U.S. Senate and state AG races.

On the Republican side, the Senate race finds Gov. Charlie Crist still comfortably out in front, but former state House Speaker Marco Rubio is exploiting a few chinks in the Guv's armor. Crist has been working hard to shore up his conservative credentials, but Rubio continues to win straw polls of party faithful in counties across the state. People have scoffed at me, but I've been saying for months that Rubio has a solid shot at winning the Republican nomination, and it's the disaffected conservatives who still run the state GOP who are flocking to him ... and those very same conservatives are the ones who are most likely to vote in the Republican primary next summer. Rubio has an uphill battle, but once the rank-and-file Republicans know who he is, they seem to like him pretty well -- and that spells trouble with a capital "T" for Empty Chair Charlie.

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek has enjoyed near-exclusivity in his drive for the nomination, with only a challenge from the likeable yet heavily outnumbered Kevin Burns realistically standing in his way ... until recently. Suddenly, former Miami mayor Maurice Ferre has thrown his hat into the ring ... but there are serious questions about where Ferre's loyalty really lies. Why is Ferre surrounding himself with Republican operatives and Democrats who have worked for Crist in the past? It's an important question, and it deserves an answer ... and you'll get some answers on this afternoon's edition of Blast Off! Radio.

We'll also point and laugh at the Republicans in the state Attorney General race, where GOP voters have an unenviable choice between a Palinesque quitter and an ethically-challenged lieutenant governor -- Holly Benson and Jeff Kottkamp, respectively -- as their nominee for Florida's chief law enforcement officer. The irony is rich ... and so is the schadenfreude!

Of course, we'll undoubtedly have the usual look at health care reform and what's going on in Washington, but we'll also talk some today about the offshore drilling debate in Florida and why you won't "pay less" if we "drill here" and "drill now." We'll discuss the absolutely idiotic "birther" movement and explore why such an utterly false and discredited allegation keeps getting attention (hint: we don't have a liberal media!), and we'll revisit our old friends in Pace, Fla., to see what's next on the horizon in the Christianist assault on the Constitution.

It's sure to be an hour full of insight, intrigue, and hopefully a little insolence. But, as always, you make the show work with your calls, chats, emails, and tweets. It's unbelievably easy to be a part of the show -- in fact, you're just a click away:

TIME: 4:00 pm Eastern TODAY

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So, what's stopping you? Please join me today for Florida's best online radio show, Blast Off! Radio, for a unique and entertaining look at the issues facing the state, the country, and you.

(cross-posted at FPC Blog)

Maurice Ferre: GOP plant?

There's an old saying: where there's smoke, there's fire.

Former Miami mayor Maurice Ferre's recent, sudden, and somewhat unexpected entrance into the Democratic U.S. Senate primary race in Florida to take on presumptive frontrunner Kendrick Meek is generating a lot of smoke around the state ... mostly because of the curious company Ferre keeps.

Never mind the error-prone, amateurish campaign announcements, like Ferre's "premature election" email last week or another email I received the other day that boldly declared (quoting the campaign's own press release), "The Ferre Campaign announced fundraisers in Miami, Fishers Island, San Juan, New York City, Los Angeles, Denver and Sante Fe." (Um, Maurice ... it's Santa Fe. "Santa" as in Claus. "Saint" in Spanish -- a language with which you should be quite familiar. Plus, Santa Fe is in New Mexico, not Florida ... which reminds me, only two of those five fundraisers are actually in, you know, the state you want to represent in Congress.)

No, there's more than badly written emails here. For one thing, Maurice has an influential friend in longtime Republican strategist Roger Stone, a resident of Miami. Stone, the architect of (among other things) the infamous "Willie Horton" ads for George H.W. Bush in 1988 that effectively derailed Michael Dukakis' candidacy, actually is an old pal of mine, too -- I neglected to follow up on it here at the blog (and I wish I had), but a year ago when I did my on-air pre-election pundit gig for the European cable network Sky News, I went mano-a-mano (psst, Maurice ... that's Spanish, too!) with the estimable Stone on continent-wide television, analyzing political advertising -- a bit of a David vs. Goliath scenario, sure, but I didn't totally crap my pants or anything.

Anyway, Adam Smith of The Buzz delved into the Stone-Ferre connection a few days ago:

I didn't take Miami resident Stone especially seriously when he predicted months ago that another Democratic U.S. Senate candidate would emerge and very likely beat Kendrick Meek for the nomination. So when former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre jumped in, I wondered about his relationship with Stone, who has a reputation for being in the middle of bizarre political theatrics- from the "Brooks Brothers riots" that shut down the Miami-Dade recount in 2000 to the Al Sharpton presidential campaign in 2004.

"Roger Stone is a friend of mine for many, many years, and he has been for many years an adviser...He talked to me about this race about a year ago and said you need to keep an eye on this race,'' said Ferre, who also stressed that Stone is not advising or directly involved in his campaign.

Stone - who has previously worked alongside several of Ferre's Democratic consultants - said the same thing: "I'm a Republican. I'm not switching sides." Stone said he backs Charlie Crist, even if it doesn't always seem that way. "Maurice Ferre is a very old friend of mine with whom I have strong regard. I urged him to start looking at this race before Charlie Crist was a canddiate...I have always believed that Democratic nomination could be worth having for a candidate for broad appeal."

"Stone is not advising or directly involved in his campaign." Okay. Indirectly, though? It would be irresponsible not to speculate....

But wait -- there's more. Ferre's campaign manager, Todd Wilder, had worked on Rod Smith's unsuccessful bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2006, but after Jim Davis won the primary, Wilder switched over to support Charlie Crist through a 527 (in Florida, they're known as "ECOs, " or "electioneering communications organization") called the "Coalition for Bipartisan Progress" (CBP) However, not only did Wilder's group support the GOP candidate -- Crist -- in 2006, but subsequently they've been in bed with a lot of other right-wing groups with oxymoronic names like "Families for Conservative Values" and "People for Integrity in Government." So Wilder raised money for Charlie Crist and now he's managing Ferre's campaign for the Democratic Senate nomination ... where the GOP nominee is none other than Charlie Crist? Where there's smoke ....

Seriously, this raises significant issues about the Ferre campaign. What is the significance, if any, of Ferre's connection to a major GOP strategist, Roger Stone? And why is a Crist supporter managing Ferre's Senate campaign -- a campaign in which, if he won the Democratic nomination, he would face Crist in the general election?

You don't suppose they're trying to soften up Kendrick Meek for what is likely to be a hard-fought nail-biter of a general election, do you?

Well, all I can say is, where there's smoke ....

Premature election?

Got an email overnight from the Maurice Ferre 2010 campaign. He's the former Miami mayor who somewhat belatedly has tossed his hat into the ring for the open U.S. Senate seat next year.

Here's the email, in its entirety save for a curious link to an op-ed Ferre had published in the Miami Herald last month:

With Florida not getting our fair share back from Washington, Florida needs a pro not a rookie in the US Senate says Democratic US Senator MAURICE FERRE

Um, you're not a senator yet, Mr. Ferre -- nor, I might add, are you particularly good at punctuation. But good luck with that ....

Is Harry Reid becoming a vertebrate?

While watching Democrats from the state House to the White House roll over and play dead in the face of Republican opposition, even when the Dems are a supermajority (I'm looking at you, Congress), I've often wondered whether the folks on the Left (such as it is today ... kind of center-left, but I digress ....) would ever grow a backbone ... especially U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Could it be happening now?

First, I read over the weekend that Sen. Reid, a notorious weak link in Democratic leadership (maybe the fact that he's Mormon and anti-choice might have been a clue, Dems?!), came out* in support of next weekend's National Equality March in Washington and elsewhere.

click image for larger version

In all seriousness, it's nice to see Sen. Reid take a prominent stand on something so important. Particularly as rumors swirl about President Obama taking another look at Don't Ask, Don't Tell -- remarkably, also at the behest (in part) of Sen. Reid -- it's time to stop treating the GLBT community as second-class citizens and end what really amounts to the last legally permissible discrimination in America today.

Meanwhile, in the ongoing debate over health care reform, where Sen. Reid also is playing a critical role, there are reports that the president is working hard behind the scenes to preserve a public option ... without which health care reform really is no reform at all.

The Los Angeles Times reports that President Obama is quietly trying to shore up support for some form of a public option. "In the last week, however, senior administration officials have been holding private meetings almost daily at the Capitol with senior Democratic staff to discuss ways to include a version of the public plan in the healthcare bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) plans to bring to the Senate floor this month, according to senior Democratic congressional aides. Among those regularly in the meetings are Obama's top healthcare advisor, Nancy-Ann DeParle; aides to Reid; and staff from the Senate Finance and Health committees, both of which developed healthcare bills."

Previously, the Obama administration has relied on a bipartisan group of governors to support his various legislative initiatives; but on health care (in particular Medicaid), he could find bipartisan opposition as state governments worry about how to pay for an expansion of Medicaid.

[...]

[Sen. Max] Baucus [(D-Mont.)] and Reid are “approaching a breaking point” over inclusion of the public option in a final Senate proposal. While Reid “deferred the issue” to Baucus over the summer, the leader indicated last week “that he is prepared to join Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who both pushed a public option amendment that failed in a committee vote last Tuesday.”

Reid and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), also a strong supporter of the public option, indicated that in order to attract centrist Democrats wary of the public option, that they would be open to “[wrapping] the controversial elements of reform in a politically attractive message to the centrists’ conservative-leaning constituents. That could include the addition of provisions aimed directly at problems or issues in each Senator’s state, such as tweaks to state funding formulas for federal programs, aides said.”

The public option ought to be non-negotiable, Sen. Baucus' insurance-company-funded opposition notwithstanding. In short, you only need 51 votes, so Baucus and colleagues Sens. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) basically can take their votes and shove 'em.

Regardless of what happens from here in these vital issues, it's nice to see Harry Reid finally doing what his office requires him to do: lead the Senate Democrats. Let's hope it continues.

---

* Pun most definitely intended.

It's Senator LeMieux

In a move that comes as not much of a surprise but could prove detrimental to Gov. Crist's own Senate hopes, the governor shortly is expected to nominate has chosen his former chief of staff and campaign manager, George LeMieux, to fill the remainder of U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez's term.

We all knew that Crist would choose someone who had no designs on staying in the Senate seat that the governor covets, so that eliminated a number of potential GOP candidates who would have had to give up their current positions or who still had higher political aspirations (see, e.g., Daniel Webster). But the selection of LeMieux brings to mind the old "spoils system" -- you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours -- and while LeMieux surely is nothing more than a placeholder for the next year or so, the appointment is perceived by at least one leading Florida Republican as "only slightly less damaging than appointing himself."

This can only be good news for Rudy Giuliani Marco Rubio, whose strong performance in county GOP straw polls to date shows Crist's weakness among party loyalists. While Crist continues to lead statewide polls and, not incidentally, the fundraising race handily, there's still a long way to go, and I think Rubio is savvy enough and wingnutty enough to make some political hay from this Senate nomination.

Time will tell ... but the early line from here is that Crist doesn't do himself any favors with this pick.

Mel bids farewell

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) announced today that he will resign from the Senate "effective on a successor taking office to fill out the remainder of [his] term." Martinez gave essentially the same reason for this decision that he gave when he announced last December that he would not run for reelection in 2010: like most Republicans these days, it seems, he wants to spend more time with his family. (While that euphemism from a Republican usually means "I'm facing imminent indictment," I actually tend to believe Mel on this one.)

Martinez's name had been thrown around for a number of education related positions in the state, notably president of Florida International University and chancellor of the state university system (SUS), but both of those positions recently were filled, by former SUS chancellor Mark Rosenberg and former Florida Atlantic University president (and lieutenant governor) Frank Brogan, respectively. So I guess we don't really know yet what's next for Mel ... but the more interesting question is: who's next for the Senate from Florida?

Florida law stipulates that the governor declare an election to fill the vacancy at the next general election -- which already was going to happen anyway -- and in the meantime, appoint a replacement. Of course, Gov. Charlie Crist already is running for Martinez's seat in 2010, but even though there appears to be no legal impediment to the governor appointing himself, or resigning and allowing Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp to appoint him, it seems unlikely he'll do that, as Politico already has reported. For one thing, the big knock against Crist from Democrats is that he's "cutting and running" from the governor's office while Florida is facing an economic crisis, and if he went to Washington now, he'd just reinforce that perception. Secondly, Kottkamp is a political disaster, and Republicans undoubtedly want to keep him as far from power as possible.

The only thing certain is that the appointee will be a Republican, so watch for the hopefuls to line up quickly. In the meantime, we thank Sen. Martinez for his service. Even though he's a Republican, his vote for the Sotomayor nomination and support for relatively sensible immigration reform -- both of which went against the tide of his own party -- shows that he's not a total tool, and for that we all should be grateful.

UPDATE (8:51 pm 8/7/09): At least one article refers to Martinez's resignation as "clearing a path" for Crist. I think it's a little early to say that, but the article does reveal a couple of early favorites for the short-term appointment: former Florida secretary of state Jim Smith and former governor Bob Martinez, both (of course) Republicans. Stay tuned ...

Charlie Crist: careening to the right

I knew all along that as soon as he announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was going to have to move to the right in order to burnish his conservative credentials in the primary battle against former state House Speaker Marco Rubio. After all, Rubio is trying to position himself as the true conservative Republican candidate, in an effort to cast Crist as too moderate. But I didn't really think ol' Charlie would move so far right so quickly.

Yesterday, when Crist signed into law SB 360, thus pleasing the corporatist Republican powers at the expense of regular Floridians like you and me, he showed that from this point forward, we can expect him to fall all over himself to prove that he's a worthy successor to the disasters legacies of folks like Jeb! Bush (whose seat he occupies) and Mel Martinez (whose seat he wants).

Of course, this isn't an isolated example. Just last week, he did the politically expedient thing with regard to the state budget. Never mind that the budget already cripples the state's public education services among other things: Charlie sought to win some votes by vetoing the 2% pay cut for state employees -- looks populist, but it's not*, because it helps the few (state employees) at the expense of the many (the rest of us) -- and, more egregiously, he buckled to pressure from the NRA and gun nuts and restored $6 million in spending for a program that expedites delayed firearms permits. Clearly, the governor must think that pissing off the NRA is no way to win the GOP Senate nomination over Rubio, let alone the Senate seat itself.

All I'm trying to say with all this is that if you're walking with Gov. Crist, stay away from his right side ... because otherwise, you're liable to get run over.

---

* I imagine many, including Bill Cotterell of the Tallahassee Democrat, disagree with me and see this move as counter to conservative doctrine, because it helps rank-and-file government workers; my take, though, is that it was more politically motivated -- to get votes -- than altruistic and generous. In short, I don't trust Charlie Crist.

Jefferson-Jackson Dinner 2009: liveblogging, page 3

Rep. Corrine Brown is speaking now. I forgot that she always starts speaking by saying, "God is good," waiting for the response "All the time," then she says "All the time" and people respond "God is good." The response was, well, tepid.

Anyway, she's talking about education, focusing on how Florida ranks 50th in public high school graduation rates. She met with Gov. Crist and discovered he did not even apply for a funding waiver from the federal government that would have meant literally billions of dollars. She says she is determined to work on changing Florida's direction.

Rep. Allen Boyd speaking now: "the most important function of our federal government is to make our homeland secure. We have the strongest military in the world ..." I'm not surprised to hear Blue Dog Boyd speak on this topic ... then again, they may have saved it for him, since each member of Congress is speaking about a different topic. He recounts how he returned from Vietnam to "an ungrateful nation." Therefore, we must make sure that those returning from war now are taken care of ... "but unlike the other party, we realize that will take money."

All Dem members of the state House have taken the stage. Looks a little crowded up there -- there are over 40 of them. Of course, they still represent less than a third of the entire House because of the completely disproportionate GOP majority under which we suffer ...

UPDATE (6:50 pm 5/30/09): Florida's Democratic state senate delegation just appeared on stage, or (as Mario Piscatella said) at least those who are running for higher office. Sen. Nan Rich spoke on their behalf ... sorry, I drifted for a while, so I wasn't really listening. So sue me.

Now there's a lull with music (no, I'm not the DJ, although I would have done it if asked) as they prepare for, well, I've really no idea what exactly. I'm sure it's going to be Very Exciting, though. Stay tuned.

Crist is in for the Senate. Now what?

I'm a little late to the party, I know ... but as you know unless you've been living under a rock for the last few days, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has announced that he's running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Republican Mel Martinez. This sets up a vicious primary fight on the GOP side, featuring Crist taking on neoconservative whackjob and former Florida House speaker Marco Rubio ... and Rubio went on the offensive almost immediately yesterday with this online ad trying to position himself as the true conservative candidate:

Of course, Rubio's difficulty, beyond the mere fact that Crist is arguably the most popular figure in Florida politics since Jeb! Bush, is that his brand of conservatism is anachronistic and generally disdained by most voters -- yes, even here in Florida, as last year's presidential election proved.

Still, the primary election is setting up to be a true humdinger of an electoral battle. My take is that Crist will win the general election handily -- if he gets that far. But despite his popularity, Crist has taken some real political hits from his own party for welcoming the Obama administration's stimulus money and, more generally, just for not being as open to strapping on the swastika armband like the more conservative wing of the GOP.

If Rubio can marshal those wingnut forces and get them behind his candidacy with money and time -- and votes -- he could upset Crist in the primary. But if he does, I believe he's going to be hammered in the general election by whoever emerges on the Democratic side between U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek and state Sen. Dan Gelber ... neither of whom stands a chance, in my estimation, against Crist. Bottom line: Florida remains a deeply divided state, but although the extremes on both sides are noisy, it's usually the moderates who win out. Moderate Republicans (and Democrats) probably will carry the day for Crist in the general election if he's in it ... but are their enough moderates in the GOP to overcome the wingnuts in a party-specific race?

Anyway, barring some unforeseen, Foleyesque misstep between now and next year, I think it boils down to the Republican primary. Will the more extreme GOP voters (and Florida has a whole mess of 'em) stay ideologically consistent and vote for Rubio? Or will they realize that their party's electoral chances overall are far better with Crist in the general and hold their collective noses to vote for him, in order to keep that Senate seat red? Only time will tell ...

Discovering the Rubiosaurus

Scientists this week uncovered a previously unknown species of dinosaur through fossilized remains announcing their candidacy for the U.S. Senate in Florida. Christened the Rubiosaurus, this new species is characterized by prehistoric attitudes, outdated viewpoints, and extinct perspectives ... to wit:

Rubio, a Miami-area lawyer, left the House last year after serving two years as speaker. He is a charismatic public speaker whose conservative message is well-received at Republican events. He has spent the past few months appearing at Republican dinners and other gatherings, including a "tea party" tax protest last month.

He has been critical of the federal stimulus plan and federal bailouts, saying Washington shouldn't be as heavily involved in the economy. He also says the current administration is using taxes to redistribute wealth.

Rubio also said he wants to push for a constitutional amendment that would require the federal government to balance its budget.

Rubio believes some Republicans are becoming indistinguishable from Democrats.

Yeah, those tea parties were rousing successes, weren't they? That's okay, Marco: just keep saying that Obama is a socialist and push for more deregulation, since that worked so well during the last adminstration, and the Obama=socialist charges stick like eggs to Teflon. This guy may be only 38, but politically he's a true dinosaur.

It's kind of funny to see Rubio throw his hat* in the race before Gov. Crist has made his decision public ... Rubio vowed not to be scared of Crist, but it does seem like a Pyrrhic gesture at this point, given that Crist's Senate candidacy seems pretty likely (at least from where I sit).

Hey, Marco, did you ever consider that Republicans may be aligning themselves more with Democratic principles because most Americans prefer Democratic principles? But, you know, good luck with your campaign. You're gonna need it ...

---

* While typing that, I initially wrote "throw his hate in the race." Guess I need an appointment with Dr. Freud ...

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EDT: the Easter Bunny wants a bailout

What's the difference between Easter eggs and WMDs?

Well, you can search for both, but the eggs actually exist.

And on that note, it's Monday again, so it's time for yet another exciting edition of Blast Off! Radio, today coming to you live from another one of those undisclosed locations. I'll be broadcasting live from a large "university town" in the Deep South ... I could tell you more, but I'd have to kill you ...

Kidding, of course. Anyway, despite the change in locale, you'll find all the accustomed snark and substance that you have come to dread expect from the Suckiest Show on the Internets. Today, we'll be talking Florida politics first and foremost, as the clock is ticking on the 2010 Senate race and the question on everyone's mind: is Charlie gay running? And will his lieutenant governor's latest peccadilloes affect his fortunes at all? Of course, we'll look outside of Florida, too, and examine the continued -- and puzzling -- fascination with Sarah Palin among Republicans, as well as her latest bout with sensibility (here's a hint: she lost). There will be plenty more, of course, plus your calls, emails, and chat participation!

Now, how can you be a part of all this excitement? It's easy, fun, and free:

TIME: 4:00 pm Eastern TODAY

Click here to listen

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So make a point of joining me this afternoon ... or the Easter Bunny gets it. (Kidding!)

Led by Palin, Alaska Republicans want a do-over

Sure, it's odd for a blog in America's Wang™ to cover something in Alaska. But if you know me, you know I never miss a chance to make fun of Sarah Palin. (And it's oh, so easy to do!)

Anyway, as you probably know from various news reports, former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), affectionately known hereabouts as The Biggest Asshole in Congress™, caught a lucky break this week when Attorney General Eric Holder declined to pursue further a federal indictment stemming from his conviction in D.C. court on seven felony counts of fraud last fall. This occurred just before the general election, in which now-Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat, narrowly defeated Stevens.

But now Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R-I'll Get Back To You On That) and the state's GOP are asking for a special election on the grounds that those nasty convictions made people vote for Begich, and that the felonious Hulk (right) really would have won the election, really, he would have! Honest! I mean it! Waaaaaaaahhh!!

"Alaskans deserve to have a fair election not tainted by some announcement that one of the candidates was convicted fairly of seven felonies, when in fact it wasn't a fair conviction," Palin said in a Thursday interview with the [Anchorage] Daily News.

The governor said she does not want to "split hairs" on whether Begich should resign or not but agrees with the Republican Party's call for a special election.

[...]

Begich fired back Thursday, saying that although he believed it was clear there was misconduct during the senator's trial, he stepped into the race "long before Senator Stevens' legal troubles began, because Alaskans were looking for a change and a senator as independent as Alaska.

Sarah, I see your lips moving, but as usual, I don't hear anything ...

You don't get a do-over on an election just because circumstances change later on! How stupid does one have to be to think that it would even be possible? Apparently, just as stupid as Sarah Palin. I mean, even future-Attorney General John Ashcroft didn't whine about wanting a do-over when he lost his 2000 Senate race to Mel Carnahan at a time when Carnahan happened to be deceased. Point is, you Just. Can't. Do. It.

Palin and the Alaska GOP look even more ridiculous (if that's possible) because the other two members of the state's congressional delegation, Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Rep. Don Young -- both Republicans -- recognize that there won't be another election (at least not till 2014).

"In light of the good news yesterday, I am sure many of us wish we could turn the clock back to last November," said Begich's Senate colleague, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. "Unfortunately, that is not an option."

[...]

"The seated senator there, Mark Begich, will be in the Senate, he will do a good job," Young said in the Fox interview. "It's just sad that Alaskans were frankly hoodwinked into malfeasance of office work by the Justice Department itself."

And there's the cherry on top, thanks to Rep. Young: the alleged "malfeasance" was committed by the Bush Justice Department!

So, Gov. Palin, here's a nice, hot cup of shut the fuck up for you. Seriously, go shoot a moose or something ... I mean, after you're done with your little tantrum.

UPDATE (10:01 am 4/5/09): Not only is a do-over impossible legally and practically, but it's absolute folly to suggest that Stevens' legal troubles were the sole direct and proximate cause of his electoral defeat. My friend Barry in Alaska reminds us that polling before July 28, 2008, the date Stevens was indicted, showed Begich highly competitive with Stevens, and many of them had Begich in the lead by as many as nine points. Yet another reason Palin needs to STFU posthaste.

(Thanks also go out to Barry for my first laugh of the day, for the image I've stolen from him shown at right.)

Gov. Crist: you win some, you lose some

It's been an interesting week for Florida governor Charlie Crist.

On Monday night, he attended the Miami Heat's game to make a few remarks in honor of their retired star player, Alonzo Mourning, whose number was raised to the rafters that night. The always classy Miami crowd booed the governor.

Now, I'm no huge fan of Charlie Crist ... but I'll acknowledge that he's a damn sight better than his predecessor. (Of course, a bag of dirty diapers would be preferable to Jeb! Bush.) However, I can't help but wonder whether the Heat fans booed him because he's Republican or rather, as I suspect, because he's not Republican enough.

As you may recall, Gov. Crist accepted on behalf of the state of Florida (properly, in my opinion) federal stimulus money that some of his fellow GOP governors refused, and he's played nice with Democrats from Washington to Tallahassee. This is, naturally, treasonous behavior in the eyes of the wingnuts who disproportionately fill the stands for professional sports these days, since they believe anything that smacks of cooperation with that dirty black Muslim Obama represents the purest form of evil.

But today, Charlie got a little redemption, in the form of an ever-widening door to a U.S. Senate seat in 2010. Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) sent a letter to the governor today that reads in pertinent part:

Based on ongoing press speculation, I know that you are giving serious consideration to the question of whether to seek re-election, or whether to instead seek election to the United States Senate.

As you contemplate this decision, I want to let you know that I have decided not seek election to the U.S. Senate in 2010, and that I will instead seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

I also want you to know that, as you contemplate your own political future, I will be your strongest supporter and champion -- regardless of whether you seek re-election or election to the Senate.

I'm on record as saying that Charlie Crist will win whatever office he seeks next year, whether it's reelection as governor or a trip to D.C. Rep. Mack likely knew this, but he still stood to gain a lot of far-right support in a primary contest against Crist and, depending on how things went between now and next summer, he still had a decent shot at the nomination. Mack's stepping aside now leaves an unencumbered path for Crist to gain the GOP nomination for the Senate -- and likely election two Novembers from now.

So, Charlie, you may have been booed by a bunch of fat cat hoops fans ... but you can probably laugh about that all the way to the U.S. Capitol.

Travelogue

I'm on the road today, on the long (but eminently worthwhile) trek up America's Wang™ from Teh Glans™ to Teh Taint™ (how about that imagery, folks?!). Naturally, I'm missing a pretty huge political news day.

I'd love to share my thoughts about President Obama's nomination of Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) to be Commerce Secretary (I don't like it), Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's statement that he'll decide about running for the U.S. Senate after the current legislative session ends ... in May (I'm nonplussed), former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle's (D-S.D.) decision to withdraw his name from consideration for secretary of Health and Human Services (I'm disappointed), and the persistent rumors that Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) will resign from the Senate before his term expires to become the president of Florida International University (I'm cringing). Hell, I'd settle for being able to give you links to all of that.

But, as I'm writing from my Blackberry as I hurtle northward on I-75 (maybe you saw the DFHmobile between, say, Gainesville and Lake City?), it's rather impractical. (Yeah, and not all that safe, either, I know -- but at least I'm not doing my makeup at the same time.) So I'll do my best to catch up on all this stuff later.

In the meantime, I'll just remind you that Google News is your friend. Thanks for your patience.

Blast Off! Radio today at 4:00 pm EST: Are we all socialists yet?

So, has Drunky McStagger emerged from his hole yet and seen his shadow?

You know, it's funny -- Barack Obama has been president for nearly two weeks now, and I have yet to be forced to gay-marry anyone or to join a collective. What gives? Rush told me that we would all be socialists as of 12:01 pm on January 20! Isn't he always right?

He's not? Oh. Well, never mind ...

But of course, you can listen to a show that is always right ... or left, as the case may be: Blast Off! Radio! I'll be back with you this afternoon, as always in Rant-O-Phonic® sound, to discuss the latest in the world of politics in America's Wang™ and throughout the country. Today, we'll be pointing and laughing at former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom, whose resignation as speaker continues to make waves (and news), and we'll look some more at the U.S. Senate race in Florida, where the candidates are lining up to make their runs. Naturally, we'll also have our weekly examination of the Failed Obama Administration™, as well as your calls and participation!

So how do you listen and participate, you ask? Well, you probably know by now, but just in case, check it out:

TIME: 4:00 pm Eastern TODAY

Click here to listen

Call in number: (646) 716-7543

E-mail: blastoffradio-at-gmail-dot-com

There's plenty of room for you and yours on the show today, so please make plans to join me this afternoon for the show. And remember, as always, there's never a cover charge for Blast Off! Radio. Talk to you later!

Is it 2010 yet?

Hard to believe that 2009 has barely started and we're already getting into the silly season for 2010, particularly regarding the U.S. Senate race here in America's Wang™.

With Jeb! Bush and Alex Sink taking themselves out of contention, it's turned into a real free-for-all. Naturally, the Chief Wanger™, Gov. Charlie Crist, leads the way among Republicans. His popularity is as high as that of the President right now ... should Charlie strike while the iron's hot?

The poll found that 67 percent of Floridians view Crist favorably, 21 percent unfavorably. Obama is viewed favorably by 66 percent and unfavorably by 16 percent in the survey completed on the eve of his inauguration.

"No one has surfaced as a likely Democratic opponent for Gov. Charlie Crist and that's not surprising, given how well he is thought of by Floridians," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "It's impressive at this time of national Obamamania that Gov. Crist's favorability rating is slightly higher than that of the new president.

"Of course, it's still more than 21 months until the 2010 election, but Charlie Crist looks like a very strong candidate for reelection."

Assuming, of course, that Gov. Crist is seeking reelection as governor ... but what about the Senate?

The interesting thing that no one seems to have mentioned yet is that should Gov. Crist seek the Senate nod, that opens up the governor's chair. And one name that comes up repeatedly for that role on the Democratic side is ... Alex Sink. Currently the highest-ranking Democrat in state government, CFO Sink is a leading candidate to win the office her husband, Bill McBride, sought a few years back ... which probably would set up kind of a win-win situation. Stay with me on this one for a moment:

Say Crist seeks reelection ... then it's a decent bet, if not a certainty, that the Democratic candidate (maybe Rep. Kendrick Meek?) wins the Senate seat. But if Charlie goes to Washington (I'm assuming he's unbeatable right now, although I know that could change), then we quite likely could end up with a Democratic governor. I don't think in this current climate, the GOP wins both races.

So, look for the union label silver lining, folks: while we still may be stuck with Charlie, something good is likely to come of it, one way or the other.