Here’s where sh*t stands – the ‘who’s running where in Florida edition
People ask me all the time, how’s business in the political consulting industry. To which I respond, “It’s like being in the bubble gum business…it’s blowing up.”
Get it?
Anyway, like the bubble gum business, the political consulting industry is a burgeoning field, if the number of candidates jumping in (and, sometimes, out) of races.
Here’s where sh*t stands, in terms of who’s recently got in or out of a race in Florida.
The best/worst news of the day is that Alex Sink is considering another run for Governor, according to Captain Obvious Steve Bousquet.
“Some days I wake up and I think, ‘Why couldn’t I find those extra 60,000 votes?’ ” Sink says. “And with a great sense of regret that we didn’t get the Democratic turnout, particularly in South Florida. It was very low. But then the next day, I wake up and say, ‘How in the hell did I come so close?’ “
You couldn’t find those extra 60,000 votes, Alex, because you offered an incoherent message and ran a terrible campaign. Your message was incoherent because you’re an avowed moderate with a background in banking forced to carry the Democratic flag. You did little to attract African Americans or gay rights activists, two of the Democratic Party’s pillars, to your campaign. You did not take public financing for reasons unbeknownst to anyone outside of your immediate circle. And your GOTV operation was non-existent.
When the St. Petersburg Times wrote a list of ten things Sink could have done differently, I think they edited out forty other suggestions.
Of course, everyone is getting their popcorn ready for a Charlie Crist vs. Alex Sink Democratic primary, but it remains to be seen if Charlie really wants to run. He really does seem very happy in private life. But if he did run, he beats Sink in a walk, especially if Sen. Nan Rich also runs and splits the South Florida and women’s vote with Sink.
But Crist vs. Sink wouldn’t be until 2014, let’s focus on the exciting races we have in front of us.
In Congressional District 6, Jacksonville City Councilman Richard Clark is asking St. Johns County voters to send him to Congress.
Others in the race include former Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse CEO Craig Miller, a Republican, who dropped out of a U.S. Senate race to run for the seat and Jacksonville lawyer Ron DeSantis, also a Republican. GOP state Rep. Fred Costello, R-Ormond Beach, has been mentioned as a possible candidate.
Miller recently has made some fundraising hires, bringing abroad Gretchen Picotte and Rick Porter.
There is a race is emerging for CD 16 – Vern Buchanan has a fundraising edge over Keith Fitzgerald, though, the Sarasota Herald Tribune reports.
A note from CD 17: Allen West has hired Chris LaCivita.
In another exciting Congressional race, for CD 22, Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs is running for Congress, setting up Democratic primary battle with Lois Frankel. The Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man writes, and has video, here.
See, there’s so much going on in 2012, why are we even worried about 2014 yet? (So says the guy who prays each night that Charlie Crist gets into the gubernatorial race.)
I think people might be looking toward 2014 because they realize that in Florida, at least on the state level, the 2012 election will not result in any noticeable change in the political landscape. Regardless of how redistricting pans out, there is really no scenario under which the Republicans will lose control of the state House or Senate (although no matter what happens, it is all but certain that come November, their supermajority in the Legislature will be gone). Even with completely fairly drawn maps finalized in time for strong candidates to emerge (something that is looking increasingly less likely), the best Democrats would be able to manage this year would be to significantly increase the size of their minority delegation. 2014 however, could be a different story. Then, if Democrats play their cards right, they could be in a position to take control of at least one chamber of the legislature and (unless something happens to save Scott) will win the Governor’s race. The thought of getting rid of Scott alone makes a lot of us eager for 2014!
I’d like to see Iorio run in 2014, Sink had her chance and lost. I’m not going to be as harsh as Peter, but she did blow some opportunities.
LargoProgressive, Democrats have got to get angry by 2014. I understand this year we are focussing on Obama and Nelson so the state legislature might not be the highest priority. But 2014 is clear for a complete readjustment in Tallahassee. Again, Democrats need to get angry and transfer that anger into votes, lots of votes. And if 2012 is a big year for Democrats in both state houses, then that is a bonus.
I totally agree. Iorio would be my dream candidate, but I’m not sure she’d run. And if we want to win, Democrats will need to not only recapture the passion we saw on the local level in 2006 and 2008 (and had all but evaporated by 2010) but take it even further.
Also the next time Democrats win big, we need to anticipate the rabid conservative obstruction and backlash. To be honest the teabaggers were a surprise, I really thought the election of Obama and more Democrats in 2008 would change the country for the better, but some people couldn’t handle that (or a black president). We need to counter their propaganda and create our own coalition. We already have the Occupy/99% movement to grow on. In addition I propose a “Good Person Coalition”, a coalition of liberal groups like unions, climate scientists, teachers, activists, environmentalists, ACLU lawyers, etc who are tired of being treated like s*** by the right. Just throwing that idea out there.
“some people couldn’t handle that (or a black president).”
Screw you, and your ignorant, hateful, and baseless accusations.
I wish it *was* baseless, I really do, but unfortunately there is a little bit of truth to it. In 2008 I was doing phonebanking for the Obama campaign, and I did have people tell me “hell no, I ain’t voting for that [n-word].” Like it or not, at least some of the opposition to President Obama is based in racism (although, to be fair, not quite as much as some of us on the left have contended).
Ignore him, he’s been doing that to me for years. Projection is all the right has. We rightly call them ignorant, they call us that. We rightly call them hateful, they call us that. We call them baseless, they call us that. Et cetera, they get away with it because they can say whatever they want. You can’t fix stupid, but you can outnumber it though.
“(although, to be fair, not quite as much as some of us on the left have contended)”
That is exactly my point. As, according to the one who’s name I refuse to mention, EVERYONE on the right is a racist. EVERYONE who disagrees with him is a racist. EVERYONE who opposes Obama is a racist.
That sort of ignorant blathering get extremely tiring after a while… and had even went as far as inciting violence in the past.
“That is exactly my point”
..and I should have also added, as PROVEN by his last post above.
Quit trolling and accept the truth. Much of the right’s beef with Obama is related to his race, can you at least accept that fact?
“Much of the right’s beef with Obama”
…and there you go again. Can you at least accept that fact?
NO! Why?
The mentalitly of “I’m right, you’re wrong, I’m the good guy, you’re the bad guy. Why? Because I SAID SO!”.
It gets EXTREMLY tiring after a while hearing your full-of-yourself rhetoric.
..and NO, most of the right’s disagreement with Obama is NOT due to his race. Saying so is simply ignorant. But then again, look at who I’m talking to.
Oh, and you can take your “trolling” and jam it where the sun don’t shine. Why? BECAUSE I SAID SO!
See… TWO can play at that game as well.
And that’s very childish of you, no offense to children. Learn to be reasonable and maybe people will respect you. Can you at least admit SOME of the right-wing hatred of Obama is due to his race? Let’s start small, baby steps.
All anyone needs to know about Albert Cirrus’ own racial bigotry is on display in the comment section of a previous post on this website. The article is titled, “LG Jennifer Carroll salutes Tea Party.”
http://saintpetersblog.com/2011/05/lg-jennifer-carroll-salutes-tea-party/comment-page-1/#comment-223630
@K, case and point, and touché.
@WhateverTheFrickYourNameIs,
“Learn to be reasonable”
…do you even hear yourself talking? NOPE!
Oh come on K, I’m not going to allow you to pull that crap on me again. I’m not going to stand for this “you call us racist, so we are going to call you racist for some reason as well” projection, you can’t win. Nice try.
I’m actually glad you brought that old post up because it re-reminds me of what craziness I have to respond to sometimes and that makes me stronger. Being called racist and bigoted by racist and bigoted people for calling out racist and bigoted people, fun. Then there is this gem:
“Yes, I saw a confederate flag,but does that mean the owner is racist? Not necessarily.”
Ha ha ha! My point exactly that people will defend true racists while smearing good people like myself for calling out true racists.
“by racist and bigoted people”
Go f#$% yourself, nimrod.
Someone REALLY needs to slap some sense into that full-of-yourself and hate-filled hard head of yours. Matter of fact, with a demeanor such as yours, I’d bet my last (Obama) dollar that someone (or several people) at some point in time haven’t already tried.
“smearing good people like myself”
“I’M THE GOOD GUY, YOU’RE THE BAD GUY! Why? BECAUSE I SAID SO!”
(Again, refer to “Go f#$% yourself, nimrod.” above).
A-BS-C quotes from the previously linked thread (and that’s only a FEW of them). Biggoted ignorance and stupidity abounds:
A-BS-C: “to a bunch of sexist and racist thugs. Teabaggers don’t deserve to be saluted, they deserve contempt.”
A-BS-C: “The teabaggers are a bunch of racist idiots, that is a fact.”
A-BS-C: “A black person joining [---snip ignorant comment---] does not make them independent and free thinking, it makes them shameful.”
A-BS-C: “then your current and future views on racism are irrelevant.”
A-BS-C: “There is only one kind of racism and that is conservative racism.”
A-BS-C: “And the teabaggers support a handful of black Republican politicians (Carroll, West, Cain, etc) to pretend that they aren’t racist.”
A-BS-C: “No you are full of crap. Like I said, your views on racism are irrelevant, I’m not going to waste any more time in this thread replying to nonsense.”
A-BS-C: “Democrats and liberals as humans are not immune from charges of racism, people make mistakes.”
“I’M RIGHT, AND YOU’RE WORNG! I’M THE GOOD GUY, YOU’RE THE BAD GUY! Why? BECAUSE I SAID SO!”
(Again, refer to the “Go f#$% yourself, nimrod.” above).
I know I’m not suppose to feed the trolls like you, but it’s hard not to.
And what the heck is an “Obama dollar?” Did you just create a new currency? Are you going to answer that or just keep rambling the same nonsense in every post? This is the kind of irrational crap I have to put up with, it gets annoying after a while.
“I know I’m not suppose to feed the trolls like you”
Again, take your “trolls” and “feed the trolls” comments, and jam them up your ass.
“And what the heck is an Obama dollar? Did you just create a new currency? Are you going to answer that or just keep rambling the same nonsense in every post? This is the kind of irrational crap I have to put up with, it gets annoying after a while.”
…and out of ALL of my NUMEROUS talking points, that was the ONLY one that you (in your simple mind) could respond to? Again, when confronted with cold hard facts (ESPECIALLY about your OWN biggotery and hatefulness), you back away with nonsensical gibberish.
CASE AND FREAKIN’ POINT (and now I’m done with your ignorant blather)!
Albert Cirrus:
There is obviously a fundamental difference in the way you and I approach American politics and more specifically, an individual’s capacity for independent research, analysis and reason.
I have engaged you for more than a year on this forum with great futility and patience. Futility because very few, if any people, will be influenced by our debates. Patience because you have shown little or no maturity in our discourse. No matter how respectful I have been, or how detailed in my comments, you absolutely refuse to provide any substantive and thoughtful counter-point. Inferring that I am a bad person or calling me a racist or fascist is not responsible political discourse nor does it exhibit your understanding of the subject. Furthermore, it is a stain on the ideology which you purport to defend.
I will compliment you on your consistency as you have a specific pattern, which underlies each of your responses.
First, rather than focus on each individual as an independent being, you subdivide the population into specific subgroups: women, African Americans, Hispanics, Tea Party, Republican, etc.
Second, you assign predeterminations about how people in these subgroups should think or behave. I believe this is presumptuous and shows your insensitivity towards free thought and individual liberty. You are not alone – it is a common mistake for many who subscribe to the theory of modern liberalism.
Third, these presumptions are surely the root of your hostility towards anyone who doesn’t comport with YOUR world view and why you regularly insult them on this forum. This closed-minded position prevents you from understanding why an African American would join the Tea Party movement; a feminist would define herself as a conservative; or a GLBT would join the Republican Party.
Finally, when you are challenged with a detailed explanation of ideology and a request for more information, you claim projection. In this particular case, I simply referred the reader to a previous post. As I stated in my introduction, I believe each reader has the individual capacity to read your own words and decide for themselves whether my characterization of you is right or wrong.
I swore I was done with this thread (and all of his rhetoric),
“or a GLBT would join the Republican Party”
…but, I just HAD to add, I know EIGHT personally.
Of course, needless to say, the Nameless One will argue/debate (translation: spew his hatred) that they are “sellouts”, “bigots”, “ignorant”, or “fools”.
You know K, I really don’t care anymore. You can stop pretending to help me while at the same time insulting me. I know how to think for myself and I know the ugliness of conservatism, Republicans, and teabaggers. I don’t need anymore lectures from you about how I don’t really know anything. You and the “Me troll” are alike, at least he doesn’t pretend to be helping me, he just spews his stupidity at me.
And another thing. I don’t take joy in calling people racist/sexist/bigoted/homophobic/Islamophobic/xenophobic/etc. I honestly wish we lived in a world without that crap. But every week I see that kind of ugliness come out of conservatives and I have to call a spade a spade. If anything, I have been too reluctant with my calling conservatives racist/sexist/bigoted/homophobic/Islamophobic/xenophobic/etc. If I was less reluctant, I would call them “racists” every second of every day, but that would drive me crazy, so I show restraint. Just pointing that out and if conservatives don’t like it, they can stop being racist/sexist/bigoted/homophobic/Islamophobic/xenophobic/etc.
Ironic, given that your last comment comes on the same weekend (February 25, 1870) we honor former (Mississippi) Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels who was the first African American to serve in the United States Congress. He was a REPUBLICAN.
Your constant accusations of Republican racism also come on the same weekend that the “St. Petersburg” Times featured a lead story about Glenton Gilzean, the governor’s recent appointment to the Pinellas County School Board. Mr. Gilzean is the only African-American serving on the Board. He was appointed by current Florida governor, Republican and Tea Party favorite, Rick Scott, who not coincidentally also chose African American Jennifer Carroll to serve as his Lieutenant Governor.
I think you are proving my point. The fact that out of the thousands of black politicians you find a few Republicans while the majority are Democrats. Their numbers are small enough that I can consider them “sellouts” to a racist party and they only exist as a human shield against accusations of racism (and it seems to be working since you got fooled). But I’ll tell you what, if enough black people start to switch to the Republican Party, I might change my viewpoint, is that fair? Until then, Democrats will continue to see 90-95% of the black vote in almost every race and Occams Razor should lead a rational person to believe that is the result of Republicans having a race problem.
And you bring up Hiram Rhodes Revels being a Republican, another fallacy. Yes Republicans used to be less racist than before and they had Abe Lincoln, but somewhere Republicans decided to go full racist mode and they have turned against civil rights. I believe if Revels and Lincoln were alive today, I’m 99% sure they would be Democrats. IMHO because civil rights is a liberal issue, liberal Democrats should retroactively take credit for every civil rights accomplishment made by a Republican. And vice versa too, every act of racism committed by a Democrat should be retroactively blamed on conservative Republicans. And I think it’s fair because most racist “Dixiecrats” switched to the Republican Party when Democrats fully became the party of civil rights. So any talk about Democrats being the party of racism and the KKK is moot and irrelevant. And it is projection because Republicans are the more racist ones now.
“and the ‘Me troll’”
Again, jam your dumb-assed “troll” comments where the sun don’t shine.
“at least he doesn’t pretend to be helping me, he just spews his stupidity at me”
I have absolutely —NO— freakin’ desire WHATSOEVER to “help you” in the least. But rather, I’m simply calling “a SPADE a SPADE” (waitaminute… isn’t that phrase based in racisim as well?). If I’m any sort of “ist” at all, it’s a “moron-ist”.
I have absolutely NO tolerance whatsoever for two-faced, double-standard, and hateful morons like yourself. One who CONSTANTLY preaches about being “tolerant”, but is one of the MOST hard-headed and INTOLERANT ones around.
On numerous occasions, you have insulted me, my family, as well as ENTIRE regions and populations of the country with your biased, hateful, foolish, and ignorant opinions… that is, as long as they are conservatives, and NOT liberals! But, that sort of demeaner by you is simply a given (refer to “two-faced, double-standard, and hateful morons like yourself” above).
In other words… PRACTICE what you FREAKIN’ PREACH, BUGNUT!
You know, it’s a strange thing…
Why is it that people who are such MAJOR A-HOLES, think everyone ELSE in an a-hole, except for themself??? Maybe I should apply for some sort of government funded Obama research grant for that one… hey, it would be one job “saved or created”.
Then again, the psychs already have an official name for that “affliction”… “Anti-Social Behavioral Disorder”. In other words, an A-HOLE!
(Me playing the liberal-card)
…that poor, poor, man can’t help it, he suffers from “Anti-Social Behavioral Disorder”.
I still have yet to read one of your points that I can consider coherent. That’s why you are a troll, you don’t even attempt to make sense, you just spew whatever comes to your mind.
“you don’t even attempt to make sense”
Yeah, I know… you are SO much more educated and informed than I, SO much more intelligent than I, and I’m just SURE that you know what’s “good” for me (unlike my ignorant slober-down-the-chin conservative way of thinking and opinions).
Liberal ELITISM in it’s absolute TEXTBOOK form!
“you just spew whatever comes to your mind”
And yeah, I SPEAK MY MIND. Of course, I JUST KNOW that you hold your tongue and show restraint, right? Yeah, riiiii—–ggght……
Definition: “Troll: – “In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.”
In your own words:
Albert Blu Cirrus: “The teabaggers are a bunch of racist idiots, that is a fact.”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “There is only one kind of racism and that is conservative racism.”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “And the teabaggers support a handful of black Republican politicians (Carroll, West, Cain, etc) to pretend that they aren’t racist.”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “No you are full of crap. Like I said, your views on racism are irrelevant
Albert Blu Cirrus: “Not only are these gun nuts cultists, but they are to an extant terrorists.”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “What an idiot!”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “Conservatives are plain stupid”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “is a rich f#$%”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “is a fat f#$%”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “never forgive, never forget”
Albert Blu Cirrus: “The sign is mostly white and the faded message is incoherent. The person reads it and says, And they have a Republican Party!”
…and the list goes on and on and on and on and on, and is WAY too much to post in a single message.
…and I almost forgot:
ABC: “You can’t fix stupid”
Isn’t that a quote from one of those Blue Collar Comedy guys? You know, one of those “ignert racist Suthern Rednecks” that you so despise?
I don’t even know why I’m feeding this troll. Sorry Peter for allowing this troll to fill your blog with crap. I’m done here.