Peter Schorsch - page 1817

Why let a national tragedy get in the way of a campaign fundraiser? That appears to be the logic of Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti, who plans to go forward with a movie night fundraiser on Monday at which donors will watch ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ In case you have been living under a rock the past four days, a gunman opened fire at a sold-out movie theater in Aurora, Colorado which was showing the new Batman movie. Twelve people were killed…

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The Times has released its endorsements for the Florida House and Senate. In an earlier post, I asked whether these endorsements matter much in GOP primaries. Sure these endorsements might make the candidates feel better about themselves, but it is doubtful the support of a newspaper viewed with skepticism by many, if not most, likely Republican voters will help. All in all, the Times‘ endorsements in these races are far less effective than its recommendations in races where candidates don’t have…

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This week, female voters in Sate Senate District 24 were sent a direct mailpiece critical of candidate Tom Lee for a 2003 divorce.  The mailer also likened him to Hillsborough Property Appraiser Rob Turner, embroiled in a controversy for sending porn to an employee. It’s been well-documented by now that the mailer is the responsibility of allies of Lee’s opponent, Rep. Rachel Burgin. One might think Burgin would disavow any connection to such a disgusting personal attack — one so vicious it…

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Tampa Bay Times: For a better Florida Senate “Two experienced Republican House members are vying for District 17, which covers northwest Hillsborough and east and centralPasco. John Legg and Rob Wallace both spent eight years in the House and were term-limited out. Legg of New Port Richey is completing his final two-year term. Wallace of Carrollwood represented a northwest Hillsborough district from 1994-2002.” Bradenton Herald: More Manatee County funding for indigent mental health care “A mental health care crisis confrontsManateeCounty.…

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Susan Schulten found a fascinating timeline, created in 1880, of American political party history up to that point. She explains the above image: Notice how much the chart resembles a a river. The metaphor is useful — the wider the river at any spot, the more “powerful” the party at that time. I’m particularly impressed by the representation of the turbulent 1850s, when the Whig Party disintegrated and the Republican Party was founded. A much bigger, complete version of the timeline is here.…

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Florida lawmakers are fond of passing resolutions that mean relatively little. So here’s an idea for a new resolution: Declare mid-July as “Dog Days in Tallahassee.” But while the capital saunters through humidity and swarms of mosquitoes, campaign action is picking up in legislative races across the state. Redistricting and the exodus of longtime lawmakers have helped create a collection of marquee election battles. The campaigns took a nasty turn this week when a mail piece attacked the personal life…

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James R. McDonough was the secretary of the Florida Department of Corrections from 2006 to 2008. He was tapped by Gov. Jeb Bush, for whom he’d worked as Florida’s drug czar since 1999. McDonough moved to DOC after Bush fired Secretary James Crosby, who later went to prison for taking kickbacks. His no-nonsense style proved the antidote to scandal at DOC. He fired or demoted dozens of prison officials and instituted random drug tests and mandatory fitness programs for employees.…

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