CALLING FL VOTERS!! Help Us Fight Unreal Dirty Tricks to Stop FL Hometown Democracy!

One thing that unites citizens of both parties, at least in my city, is the topic of urban spawl and uncontrolled development. You would never believe it, but Florida really does have a state comprehensive growth plan that local governments are supposed to abide by in their own growth management plans.

Unfortunately, changes can be made to these plans relatively easily. RIGHT now, all a developer has to do is persuade a majority of a city or county commission to grant a change (easy enough with the right campaign contribution). Often this change is made with NO citizen input, and BOOM, another strip mall or unfinished condo.

(What I really enjoy is driving down 17-92 and seeing the vacant, boarded up shopping centers on either side of a patch of trees---and then seeing that lone patch of trees torn down to build yet another vacant strip mall.)

The Florida Hometown Democracy Amendment will mandate a referendum for any comprehensive plan amendments approved by the city and county commissions. In other words, the VOTERS OF THAT COMMUNITY are the final word.

Sensible?? Intelligent?? Your damn skippy it is.

Logically, our elected officials are doing everything they can to STOP THIS MADNESS.

On a radio call-in show last week on NPR, an opponent of this measure was trying to tell people that voters would have to vote on EVERY new building that gets built (a HUGE lie). Then he went on to say that this would hurt the vulnerable big developers. THAT was rich--big developers crying VICTIM!

That line of attack doesn't work, so they resorted to something more sinister. The "honorable" John Thrasher, former GOP Speaker of the FL House, sent out this letter to people who have already signed the petition. This takes LYING to a new level. Get this:


If you read their proposed Constitutional Amendment (it’s reprinted on your PETITION REVOCATION FORM) you will also notice that it turns all power over use of Florida’s lands to certain “electors.”

Guess who the “electors” will be. The “special interests” and their slick lawyers will rig the system to put our future in the hands of their cronies. Their “electors” will decide our fate and the fate of Florida.

Unless you want higher property taxes, higher utility bills and Florida’s scenic beauty destroyed by Big Developers, you will certainly want to revoke your signature from their petition.

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? The "electors", folks, are the "VOTERS" of the COMMUNITY!!
I wish we were the “special interests”, but those are the the big developers we are fighting against.

Unbelievable! I often wonder how these people can live with themselves. If your position is so weak you have to lie by taking the position on the other side, maybe you ARE on the wrong side! Let me make this clear: you know they don't have a leg to stand on when the Developer Lobby starts crying about our beauty being destroyed by BIG DEVELOPERS!! But they can't win on their merits. (Please let us continue uncontrolled development by pumping money into elected officials coffers). So they must pretend they are with us in opposing...them?

But it gets even better.

The Developers are now putting forth their OWN petition that reads very similar to the petition for Florida Hometown Democracy. I saw this petition at several places (it's GREEN, whereas the real one is WHITE) and thought GREAT! Grassroots is working! IT's a SCAM! Click here and see the fake one.

If you read closely, you will see how this is actually an ALTERNATE petition that is worded to UNDERMINE and SUPERCEDE the FL Hometown Democracy petition. The developer petition is a petition to just let you petition. Under their amendment, you could have a referendum on a comprehensive plan change if 10% of the electorate goes to the supervisor of elections and then signs a petition saying you want a referendum on a plan change. Although they wouldn't mind if this one passes, it's designed to siphon off votes from people who otherwise would vote for the REAL one.

Dirty Tricks at its best.

Let's NOT LET THEM WIN.

Florida voter, there is many things you can do to stop this.

First, Print out and sign a Petition: Click here. Get your friends, family, and coworkers to sign as well. The deadline IS FRIDAY!!!

Donate or Volunteer. Any help is needed. 1-866-779-5513.

Write a letter to the editor or post on your blog. Please include the phone number and/or website: http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/. The link to the petition is http://www.floridahometowndemocracy.com/documents/FHD_Petition2-Final.pdf

Time is running out, and the Big Developers and their cronies are doing everything in their power to sabatoge our effort. Once these green spaces are gone, they are gone for good.

Please help. Thank you.

Who should the Seminole Republican vote for?

I, along with many Florida Democrats, switched parties to vote in the GOP primary Jan. 29 so our votes would count--since the GOP only took half their delegates, but the DNC took all of them. I plan on switching back after the primary. (Although I may hold on to this affiliation through November, just to make sure my vote counts.)

I would love to rant about being bombarded with GOP commercials and GOP candidate visits, while the Dem candidates storm across the most GOP state in the union. I would love to rant about the DNC saying the candidates refusing to talk to swing voters in an important state is all about principle, but in the same breath saying they ARE allowed to take as much campaign money as they want from the state. But that's not what this is about.

I realized something very important. Who the hell am I and other Dem voters who registered GOP going to vote for?

If I were in Michigan, I would vote for Romney to keep him in the race like Kos suggested. Simple. Let him spend his fortune bashing the GOP frontrunner.

In South Carolina, I would vote for Fred Thompson. He is going after Huckabee with a vengence. I think it would be wonderful to keep him in the race to split the evangelical vote for as long as possible.

But here in Florida, I'm torn. If Romney wins MI, and Fred wins SC, I would be tempted to vote Guiliani. That way, you have a 5-tier race. Of course, since Guiliani has pinned ALL of his hopes on Florida--and I REALLY am terrified of a Guiliani presidency--this could be a chance to shoot that SOB down once and for all.

Some are voting for Huckabee because they assume he will be the most easily defeated in the General. He is in over his head, and he is nowhere in states without a lot of Bible thumpers. But I think he is too affable and too dangerous. He is probably the only one that would make me pine for Guiliani, so I can't risk him winning. Any of the GOP players will make it close, and although I think Obama or Hillary will trounce him--I can't risk it.

Of course, if I don't play the "weakest link" game, I would just go with the only GOPer who's tolerable. For me, that would be McCain. At least he has a history of some bipartisanship, and he doesn't pander. Sure, he's an idiot he declared Baghdad safe with 1,000 bodyguards. Sure, he kissed Bush's ass after his team push-polled him about having a "black daughter". Come to think of it, I can't vote for his sorry ass either.

Ron Paul? He's just a nut. A racist lunatic who I can't bring myself to vote for.

Maybe I'll just write-in John Edwards or another Dem.

GOP Deserves Huckabee

I say this because they created him. I have said in previous posts that they just use the evangelical sheep for votes and then ignore them after the election. That is why gay marriage was on the agenda just a few months before the Nov. 2006 election when they saw the writing on the wall. (Too little too late--it didn't work.)



The GOP throws abortion, gay marriage, and dead women on respirators out there to motivate these folks--but their agenda is and always will be taking care of Big Business, Big Oil, and the SuperWealthy. Cutting taxes for the rich has always been what they have fought for time and time again. Under Bush, the burden has been completely placed on the working middle class while the rich enjoy their lowest tax rates in American history. Click here, here, here, and here. (PS--rent Maxed Out from Blockbuster this weekend.)

This has NEVER been about promoting "family values"--re: evagelical beliefs on abortion, gay marriage, and euthanasia. (Sidenote--notice "helping the poor", which unlike these issues, is mentioned in every book in the Bible, was dropped from list.)

The evangelical voters are to be used, not actually catered to.

But what happens when an evangelical actually buys into this crap and thinks he's really a part of all of this?

You get Mike Huckabee.

I have said previously that he was getting shunned by the establishment, which includes Pat Robertson and his ilk. And now he has actually won something and is a real contender. John McCain is the establishment candidate, Rudy is acceptable--but Huckabee? That was NOT supposed to happen. And you know what? The establishment is not letting this happen. The attacks from the right have begun, and he will not be the nominee.

I am not one for making predictions, but I promise you the nominee for the GOP will be McCain or Guiliani. You can take that to the bank and cash it now.

By the way, I am not the only one who said this. The VoteMaster at www.electoral-vote.com said the same thing in a brilliant post. (Click the link to see all the hyperlinks):

The bashing of Mike Huckabee--from the Republicans--has begun. See here, here, here, here, and here. Not a peep from the Democrats. They like Huckabee. They think he's in over his head and will be easy prey in November, in the unlikely event he gets that far. It's the Republican establishment that hates Huckabee. The reason is clear but the media are scared to talk about it. The truth is what the current administration really cares about is tax cuts, expecially big ones for the rich. What was the first thing George Bush after Jan. 20, 2001? Tax cuts, including lowering the top marginal rate from 39.6% to 35%. If you are making $10 million a year, that's $460,000 extra in your pocket. After Bush's 2004 victory, he said that the election gave him political capital and he intended to spend it. So what did he do? He spent two months traveling around the country trying to sell a plan to privatize (read: phase out) social security. He didn't spend two months trying to get a constitutional amendment banning abortions or forbidding same-sex marriages. He could have, but didn't want to spend his political capital that way. Even when pleasing the Base was cheap he didn't do it. Remember that his long-time friend, Harriet Miers, was his first Supreme Court nominee, and he asked her to withdraw only after the Base protested loudy. The Republican party's dirty little secret is that upper management really doesn't care much about the social issues; they care about taxes. They trot out the social issues just before each election to whip the Base up into a frenzy and conveniently forget about them after winning. Huckabee is a real threat because he sincerely believes in the Bible. He's not just making it up to get votes. He's become their Frankenstein monster and must be eliminated. [emphasis added]

PS--To add something, you and I got a tax break as well. It amounted to a little under 40 dollars. The Oil companies, who are raking in the largest profits in human history, got "needed" tax breaks worth millions. When these trailer-park hicks wise up to this, the party will be over. The GOP is counting on keeping them ignorant. We will see what happens.


In the meantime, I am really enjoying watching the GOP establishment squirm over Huckabee. They deserve him.

Who will win the Iowa Caucus?

Cross-posted on Daily Kos:

The latest polls show a dead heat (Statistical tie) between Hillary, Edwards, and Obama. Let's take a quick poll this Glorious New Year's Day...

Remember, this is who you THINK will win, not who you want to win.


Keep in mind that it's normally 100,000 people who vote in the Hawkeye Cauci, and it's important to note that supporters of any candidate who does not meet the 15% threshold will have to make a SECOND CHOICE.

Since no poll shows Richardson, Dodd, Biden, Kucinich, or Gravel anywhere close to 15%--their supporters will most likely have to make another choice between the top three.

If you can figure out the second choice for these supporters, I think you will have a good idea of who will win on Thursday.

The only thing I can promise is the winner will make the victory seem more important than it is, and the losers will do the opposite. I know--not much of a prediction.

OK--let's have some fun....

Click HERE for the poll.

Biggest FL LOSER of the Year: MEL MARTINEZ!

The results are in.

Lot's of close calls this year. I'll start at the bottom.

5. Rep. Tom Feeney always makes my list because he is corrupt and a creep, but he did nothing this year (And I really do mean NOTHING--voting against poor kid's health care, voting against changing course in an endless war, etc.) So he's just on the bottom.

4. Rep. Ric Keller, who promised a term-limit of six years which would have ended in January. This means that we would not have had to put up with his pandering and bad judgment this year. The good news--he will be beaten next year. Maybe he can get a job mowing lawns in Iraq.

3. Rep. John Mica, (my own Congressman), who can always be counted on to tow the line for Bush no matter what, justified Bush's support for corrupt militia leaders in Iraq who have tortured and killed to --wait for it--wait for it---Bill Clinton. That's right, Bill Clinton also had scandals, including an "impeachment"; therefore, he is just as bad. Though what really irritated me this year was that he personally told me that Rush Limbaugh was taken out of context, and it was really Harry Reid's fault for making noise about it. I emailed him the full transcript and asked him to tell me exactly how Rush was taken out of context. That was October--still waiting for a response.

2. Fl. State Rep. Bob Allen, our own "Larry Craig", who actually offered a blow job to an undercover officer in a public park men's room. (As is typical, Allen received an almost perfect score from the Christian Coalition of Florida for his family-values opposition to abortion, gays, and pornography.) And as is typical with a GOP politician, why not make a very bad situation a HELL of a lot worse? First, he tried to play the "I'm a legislator" hand, which never works. Then, he decided to add racism to the mix--saying he only offered himself for sex because he was terrified of the big black man. He would be number one, but he really is a minor player, and at least he had the decency to resign when he realized he had dug himself a hole and it was hopeless. (More than I can say for Craig, or the prez for that matter).

1. MEL MARTINEZ. What a bonehead. What a LOSER. He was picked by Bush to head the GOP because of his skin color to win over the coveted Hispanic vote, and perhaps to stop the blood-loss caused by the most incompetent, corrupt administration in history. As point man for the GOP, Martinez felt the need to support EVERYTHING Bush wanted to do. Two problems:

• Not a smart strategic move for a politician to tie yourself to a sinking ship. His formerly high approval ratings are now down with Bush's. Rightfully so.


• It let the people of Florida know that Bush came first, NOT the citizens who put him in office. Not smart.

I knew he had problems when the relatively conservative Orlando Sentinel printed blistering rebukes calling out his lies after he wrote an article repeating Bush's talking points on S-CHIP. But the real problem was when he tried to corral support for Bush's immigration bill. He lost a lot of GOP support on that. And with no support from Dems or Independents--who was left? Mel bolted after just 10 months--the Bush curse sealing his fate for the next election. MEL MARTINEZ, who had a promising career, decided like many before him to sacrifice himself at the altar of BUSH. Bush has ruined a lot of careers, but no one's anchor was more firmly tied to Bush then Martinez. He should be glad that he's not up for re-election this time, but it won't matter. He will be gone.

Mel Martinez, biggest Florida loser of the 2007. Congratulations.

What is "Seminole"?

Taking a short break from politics for this week. I'll return next week. In the meantime, I will tout a store in our own county that is unique, fun, and people from all political stripes should visit. (PS-I'm not getting paid for this. But I do want to give my support to a local Seminole business owner)

I drove past this store many times and finally decided to go in. I wanted an antique map of Florida to hang in my office and figured this would be the place. I dragged my wife to the Map and Globe Store, located in Sanford, FL. Although she didn't want to go, she was glad she did. The owner of the store has visited every continent and virtually every country. She is a cartographer who publishes many official maps for the state; but she collects antique maps and globes as a hobby. Her unique globes are all around the store--some are exquisite; others are funny (such as the one with Disney characters from their native lands); and then there is the 70s globe that becomes a bar. It has other interesting items:

• There is a wooden map of the world, where each nation is made out of wood indigenous to that country (with the exception of Antarctica).
  
  
• There is the United States Map made out of state licesnse plates.
  
  
• There is the map of Florida where each city is a fun drawing of something unique (it even has UCF's new football stadium)
  
  
• There is a collection of different world maps that each attempt to accurately capture the spherical globe. (The most common is the "Good God Greenland map", which shows Greenland on par with Africa. The most accurate is the Peters map, which scrunch up the continents)
  
  
• OLD, VERY OLD Florida maps. Interestingly, the maps of the 1800s are sealed in plastic, but the VERY old ones, such as one from the 1600s, you can touch as much as you want. The reason? The very old maps were printed on parchment, made from animal skin--not paper.

It made me want to learn some more about where I live.

Quick question: How many counties does Florida currently have?

If you said two, you would have been right 150 years ago. Florida was divided into just two counties in 1845: St. John's on the right and Escambia on the left. Today, it has 67.

St. John's County was divided up several more times, which includes a giant county that streched from Central to South Florida called Mosquito County: (in yellow):



When Florida became a state, Mosquito County was renamed Orange County (better for tourists), and was further cut up into Volusia, Brevard, and Osceola County.

Orange was still pretty populated. It was getting too big--so on April 25, 1913, the top portion split into Seminole County. It was named after the tribe of Indians native to Florida. (There is talk today of Orange breaking again into the western portion, but the map today is pretty set.)

By the way, the Seminole County museum is also located in Sanford. It's free admission if you'd like to check it out some time. Sanford is the county seat of government. The historic area is featured on the top right of this blog's title bar; and the newer portion (to include the new courthouse) is seen on the top left.

Well, that's the Seminole portion of the Seminole Democrat (Republican). Hope you learned something. Visit the museum and the store for more info.

Next week, I'll return to focusing on the rest of the title....

Who the Running Mates WILL Be...(and other certainties)

Quick post here. I know who will win the primaries, what the ticket will be on both sides, and who will win...


1. Hillary and Rudy. There. It's official. You can take that to the bank. Look over my analysis, but it's pretty much set.

2. Rudy will pick Huckabee to be his veep. It's pretty much already decided. No other contender comes close to what he needs to make a package palatable for a disenfranchised base. (He actually wants McCain, but he knows that's stupid.) Heart Huckabee. Take that to the bank.

Hillary is tougher, but I am 98% certain she is going to pick Ted Strickland. Popular governor of Ohio who took over from the most corrupt GOP governor in that state's history. That seals the deal--since FL will probably go red again (it will be close), Hillary needs Ohio and Pennsylvania. She has PA sewn up, and this will ensure an Ohio victory. It's already leaning her way, but she won't take chances. She is too smart.

The only way I am hedging is because she WANTS to pick her friend Wes Clark. That would be a good choice since he's likable and gives strong military credentials. But she won't.

WHO IS GOING TO WIN?

Hillary/Strickland will beat Rudy/Huckabee. It will be a lot closer than people realize, but it will happen.

How Stupid Are Fox Viewers?

Robert Greenwald:

I remember very clearly the daily fearmongering led by FOX as they cheered for war with Iraq. The 24/7 images, sound effects, yelling and threatening were an ever-present drumbeat for war. We had to invade, and we had to invade now.. anyone who didn't see that was a traitor. They viciously attacked those of us who worked to get out the truth.

And it worked well..

CNN's Christiane Amanpour:

"My station was intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers at FOX News."

This footage blew my mind...




Amnesia is prominent in my new party. Many who watch Fox have forgotten they've been led down this road before. Let's remind the folks at the "liberal" networks that this time, they actually do their job--OK?

http://foxattacks.com/iran

We Republicans Are Sneaky, huh? Dirty Tricks Caught on Video

If you have to misrepresent or lie to support an issue, then perhaps you should think whether it's a valid issue to begin with.

There is a real crime going on in California. My relatives there tell me they are being harassed by petitioners to "help children with cancer"--and that they must sign the forms in triplicate. The last form, ALWAYS covered by a stack of others and big rubber band, is the so-called "Fair Elections" act, which will gar-un-tee 22 electoral votes to the Republican Party. That initiative is always either poorly explained, not mentioned at all, or out and out lied about. Each is a violation of state election code. I am hearing the same thing over and over.

See it here.

Join http://www.nodirtytricks.com/

JUST ONCE, I would like a fair election where my party doesn't try to steal the White House...

Analysis of the Presidential Race

First the Dems. It's go-time for Obama and Edwards. They are within the margin of error or close to it of Clinton's lead in Iowa. If Obama or Edwards win Iowa, they can carry the momentum into N.H., and it will also ruin her aura of inevitability. If Clinton wins Iowa, it will be near impossible to stop her train. My money is still on Clinton, but it is not the sure thing it was two weeks ago.

By the way, it's a three-way race. The others (Biden, Gravel, Kooky, even Richardson) are already done for.

The GOP race is far, far more interesting. There is essentially a five-way race happening. The latest polls in Iowa show Romney and Huckabee. Rudy leads nationally, including the big states and the swing states, but none of the early states. Folks, this is a big deal. No prez has lost all three early states (IA, NH, and SC) and gone on to win the primary. What happens here effects the other states. This time in 2003, Dean was the sure thing. In California, he was leading in double-digits over his rivals. Kerry was under 5%.

But after New Hampshire, the numbers pratically reversed in Kerry's favor.

If Rudy loses the first three, I can promise you it will change the dynamic of the race. This is what Romney is counting on.

If not Rudy, who? I don't think Romney will be able to pull it off. He has poured tons of money (most of it, his own) into Iowa and New Hampshire, but he can't buy his way into this. For the rest of the nation: he trails badly. Yes, the Mormon question is somewhat of an issue, which is unfortunate. (You think conservatives would give a break to a religion that is completely American.) However, it is much more the fact that he flip-flopped on every major issue: gay rights, stem cells, guns, and abortion. People can't stand a panderer--Rudy was wise not to follow his footsteps on that matter.

Thompson is a dud. He is rejected by Dobson and many cultural conservatives--and if he doesn't have them, then what's the point? That's why he entered the race! Anyways, he is sinking fast. He waited too long to get in, and he certainly hasn't impressed anyone.

I was willing to write off McCain, but is actually rising. He is now leading in South Carolina and rising in New Hampshire. You could argue he retooled his campaign, but frankly, this is more a dissatisfaction with Rudy/Romney than anything else. I predicted long ago he would win because he is the establishment candidate. He was supposed to take the path of Bob Dole: Prove yourself electable, then prove yourself loyal. There were more worthy opponents of Bill Clinton in 1996, but it was Bob Dole's turn. So he got the nod in 1996.

McCain proved himself in the 2000 election, then became loyal (to a fault) to W. It was his turn, and Bush turned over the key to his apparatus. The problem is that McCain was originally liked because of his independent streak, and now he is seen as Bush's lapdog. He was the biggest cheerleader for Bush, the war, the surge, and immigration reform. None have proved popular.

The darkhorse in the GOP race is Huckabee. He is leading in Iowa or coming in second depending on the poll. He was a popular Southern governor, and a Baptist minister. He would be palatable for most social, religious, and economic conservatives.

The problem is he can't catch a break.

First, Robertson endorsed Rudy to the chagrin of Huck supporters. How a thrice-divorced, gay supporting, taxpayer-funded abortion proponent got the nod is more of a desperate attempt by Robertson to stay relevant than anything else. (Didn't he agree with Falwell that people like that caused 9/11??)

The second blow came from the national Right to Life. It has a large core of grass-roots volunteers who could have really helped Mr. Huck instead of blowing it all on Thompson. Ironically, they actually said "I heart Huckabee" was much better with their core issue, since he opposes all abortion instead of just saying it should be determined by the states like Thompson. Nonetheless, they went with Thompson because he was more "electable".

Yeah, the GOP race is much more fun to watch. I'm taking bets...

You Capitulating Bastards!

I'm GOP now, so I can bash the Democratic Congress:

Glenn Greenwood (salon.com):

Every time Congressional Democrats failed this year to stop the Bush administration (i.e., every time they "tried"), the excuse they gave was that they "need 60 votes in the Senate" in order to get anything done. Each time Senate Republicans blocked Democratic legislation, the media helpfully explained not that Republicans were obstructing via filibuster, but rather that, in the Senate, there is a general "60-vote requirement" for everything.

How, then, can this be explained?

The Senate confirmed Michael B. Mukasey as attorney general Thursday night, approving him despite Democratic criticism that he had failed to take an unequivocal stance against the torture of terrorism detainees.

The 53-to-40 vote made Mr. Mukasey, a former federal judge, the third person to head the Justice Department during the tenure of President Bush . . . Thirty-nine Democrats and one independent [Bernie Sanders] opposed him.

The so-called "60-vote requirement" applies only when it is time to do something to limit the Bush administration. It is merely the excuse Senate Democrats use to explain away their chronic failure/unwillingness to limit the President, and it is what the media uses to depict the GOP filibuster as something normal and benign. There obviously is no "60-vote requirement" when it comes to having the Senate comply with the President's demands, as the 53-vote confirmation of Michael Mukasey amply demonstrates. But as Mukasey is sworn in as the highest law enforcement officer in America, the Democrats want you to know that they most certainly did stand firm and "registered their displeasure."

This on the heels of Nancy Pelosi FINALLY, one year later, showing a small spine by telling the president no more war funds this year unless he withdraws some soldiers. Of course, it's an empty threat because the war is fully funded throughout the year. But it's a change since she is used to giving in to EVERYTHING he wants.

I told my former Democratic colleagues not to worry, that Nancy will change her mind once Bush starts calling them names. (weak) But I didn't even have to wait for that. Phony Democrats are already worried about taking such a brazen stand of an empty threat and are worried about standing up to the hick 23% of Bush/war supporters--these cowards are expressing doubt on this course. Yes. Better to give our manipulated moron-in-chief a blank check.

Idiots.

I don't have to defend you bastards anymore. And I don't want to hear crap about switching to the opposition party. I may have switched temporarily as a protest; but you bastards are the ones doing our bidding.

You guys disgust me.

the seminole democrat is now the seminole REPUBLICAN?

SAY WHAT?

That's right, folks! I have officially switched my party affiliation to the Grand Old Party. The party of guns and gays (the closeted kind). The party of GOD--well, the one that hates Mexicans, fears Arabs, and loves the superrich. The party of big oil, big business, and big polluters.

I suddenly have an urge to blame foreigners for our problems, take money from the middle-class to give to the wealthy, cut healthcare for our children, cut benefits from our soldiers, surrender our constitutional freedoms, and start a war without thinking.

Speaking of which, one of the big perks in my new affiliation is that I no longer have to think. No matter what reprehensible policy is being pushed; no matter what pro-family legislation is being blocked by my fellow Republicans--all I have to do is repeat the talking points given out to me by the GOP spin meisters. Being a member of the party of no consequences means that we have professionals who spin what we do to you week after week (as opposed to what we are doing FOR you). I may be rusty, but I promise that if I can't defend the indefensible, then I will just use the backup argument:


1. "Why do you hate God?"

2. "Why do you hate America?"


Man, what a sweet gig!

But I guess I should explain WHY I am no longer a Democrat.

First, unless you’ve been living in the cave with Bin Laden, you know that the DNC has voted to take away our delegates--and thus our votes for the primary. Why? Because the GOP-controlled state legislature voted to move the primary from late March to January 29.

(After the Supreme Court took our right to vote away, we Floridians are a tad sensitive about things like that.)

I know Dean is upset that us Dems here think we should have at least as much clout as South Carolina, the most GOP state in the union, and the right, white states of Iowa and NH, but the answer should be a better primary system, like a regional or national primary—-NOT to disenfranchise the voters of an important state by taking ALL of our delegates away.


But Dean didn’t stop there. Dean strong-armed the candidates to agree not to campaign here to really stick it to Florida. AND LEST YOU THINK this is all about principle, the DNC says its perfectly acceptable to take as much campaign money as they want from the state. Nice.

The GOP, seeing the internal strife and backlash, decided to take the more sensible approach and cut their delegates by 50%.

So Floridians are faced with a choice—have our vote count some, or have our vote count for nothing.

The solution was simple: Switch to the GOP for the upcoming primary!

Vote for the GOP candidate you can at least stand, OR, vote for the GOP candidate you think will most likely be defeated by the Democratic candidate. At least you’ll be making a difference.

Since the top-tier Dem candidates agreed to not campaign here but take our money—I’m not too keen on voting for any of them anyway in the Democratic primary.

AFTER the primary, I will probably switch back to being a Democrat. (I really do want my vote to count however, so maybe after the general election?) This is not only legal, according to state elections supervisors, this is a movement that they are currently experiencing. You can switch as much as you want.

If enough Floridians do this, this will make our point, our vote will count for something, and then we can go to work to doing what we should be doing in the first place: Working with the DNC to stop the GOP from winning the state’s 27 electoral votes!!!

If the DNC would wise up and target the GOP instead of their own foot soldiers in a major, swing state , (for the crime of wanting a say in our next leader), we might just pull off 2008. My fellow activists have worked their tail off to require paper ballots for 2008, to get good people to run, and to fight the GOP machine here. I hate having to fight my former party's leadership-—especially one that promised they would "count every vote." But here we are.

And unlike the National DC Dems, I don't back down.

The problem is deciding which GOP candidate to vote for. I am really not cynical enough to vote for the weakest candidate---I will probably end up voting for Ron Paul. Yeah, he's a nutcase, but at least he is the only sensible one of the bunch when it comes to pulling our troops out of moderating a civil war for a thankless, corrupt, and inept Iraqi government.

This is the only way I can think of to make my point to the DNC, but not hurt the Democrats in 2008. If you live in Florida— I invite you to join me.

It's so pretty over here. Soooo...very...pretty.....

Well, That Was Fun

Dorworth won. Congratulations to Chris and his family. Please don't bulldoze what's left of our green areas in Seminole--no matter how easy they make it for you.

Good effort, Steve. Outspending an opponent 100-1 does have an effect; but Steve, I implore you next time: Use Netroots!! It is one of the few advantages you can have over a well-funded Republican in a GOP-leaning district.


PS-Registered voters--you suck. NO, NOT for voting GOP--for NOT VOTING!!! The guy in my precinct, which has thousands of people--told me only 101 bothered to show up to vote the entire day. Pathetic. These State Reps really do have a big say your taxes, your schools, your environment, your life--you'd think you could take exactly 4 minutes (I timed it) to vote. Let's do better next time.

DC Dems Sure Aren't Listening to Me, you IDIOT

From CNN:

Bush called on Congress to pass spending bills for the military that include provisions for troops in the war zone, saying they should spend more time listening to the threats of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and "less time responding to the demands of MoveOn.org bloggers and Code Pink protesters."

Because of clueless overload, I can put aside your ignorance that there is no such thing as a MoveOn.org blogger. What I am upset about is how in the hell you or any puppet on the right can honestly say that the Democratic House and Senate leadership are listening to us. If they were, the troops would be home, you would be impeached, and America would have restored faith in their government!

Who would you rather have lead? This bunch has capitulated to everything you have asked for--quaking in their boots of your rabid 23% following...




And the capitulation continues....


Mukasey will most likely be our new AG for having met the high standard of not being Gonzales and the true fact that we could get even worse. You have a knack for always picking the worst candidates to serve, but all you had to do was throw a temper tantrum and actually promise that NO ONE would serve as AG if the Democrats stood up to you.

A real politician with spine would have stood up to you and called your bluff. But not them.

You have been getting a free ride since last November!! Pelosi and Reid immediately took impeachment off the table--after you lied to me to about going to war--(a more impeachable offense I do not know). But I forgave them because I figured they would have their hands full trying to get our troops out of Iraq.

Maybe they foolishly thought you would finally listen to reason after the election; and stop your "strategery" of doing the same thing over and over and over again until we achieve "victory".

Nope.

It soon became clear that the only way to end this tragedy was to cut funding. Buuuuuut Pelosi announced that that is off the table as well. In fact, just two months after the election, you were able to send MORE troops to serve as gun fodder for the Iraqi civil war!

For crying out loud, we couldn't even get the WEBB amendment passed to guarantee that our troops get badly needed rest!! Don't worry, Reid spared your Congressional supporters embarrassment for your party having to defend itself in a fillibuster.

And just ONE DAY later, after screwing over the troops, Reid and Pelosi allowed legislation to condemn a goddamned newspaper ad--giving your ridiculous distraction for the failed surge credibility.


Rep. Jane Harman's recent diary on this summarizes the problem we have. She pretty much said we needed to have a "veto-proof" majority in order to safeguard the Constitution. The thought of standing up to you never even entered her radar.

Sadly, her mentality is prevalent amongst many of our legislators.

Be afraid of Bush. BE VERY AFRAID.

He might call you a name.

His 23% of hick followers might not vote for you.

Best to capitulate--then maybe he will go easy on you.

Let's see how that is working. Here's FAUX News pundit and sometimes
"correspondent" John Gibson:

In a way, the president gave the Dems some cover with the people they most fear. At least he publicly credited them with bowing and scraping before the far, far left. That should keep the far, far left off their back for a little bit, even though the Dems in Congress have failed at every single errand the far, far left has sent them off to do: war hasn't ended; Bush isn't being impeached; Cheney is still in office.

By the way, they were laughing at them last night by releasing the Halloween pictures of Bush's dog dressed as Darth Vader. They always think of Cheney as Darth Vader, and he's not supposed to be able to take a joke.

. That's right. The DC Dems give in to everything you want, and they are still attacked and still blamed for listening to "us".

In fact, Congress' approval rating is the lowest in recorded history right now. (Which you love to bring up.)

Which brings progressives like this "MoveOn" blogger to ask:
WHAT THE HELL is our leadership in Congress getting out of captiulating?? IF they actually listen to us--stand up to you from time to time--and be the "fighting" Dems we were promised, then maybe your rants would be justified.

But don't worry, I won't hold my breath.

The Most Insecure Superpower Ever

Bill Maher makes sense:

In his new ad Mitt Romney warns us that Islamic terrorists are the worse threat we've ever faced. More then the Nazis? The Russians? The Red Coats?

He warns us that they want to establish an Islamic nation, to cover the whole world, including America. Well I want to be adopted by Angelina Jolie.

And you thought that people that were scared of gays and Mexicans were paranoid. Islamic terrorist taking over America, they can barely get across the monkey bars. Our defense budget is $600 billion a year. They're using guns they took off a dead Soviet in 1981. I think we can hold Charleston....



We are the largest and most powerful nation on the earth. The largest economy and the largest military. And we are made to act the fool by a few thousand cave dwellers who still put out their videos on VHS.

And that is the problem. Because of the incompetence that goes by the name George Bush we have become the most insecure superpower ever. We can't get anything right anymore. We can't take care of our own citizens after a hurricane, or plan for a war, or maintain our infrastructure, and our celebrity rehab facilities need some work.

As a species we are failing at survival trick number one. Prioritize the threats.

Environmental ruin is going to visit all of us in the coming decades in one way or another and when it does, I hope people like .... I don't know Lou Dobbs says to himself maybe if I was going to spend my whole career obsessing about one issue it should have been ... I don't know, global warming. My skin just fell off my face and what do you know, it really wasn't the fault of a Mexican.

Maybe Bush and his followers think we must be so frightened of terrorists that we need to shred our Constitution and surrender our freedoms---I don't

Daily Show Does Skit for Seminole Democrat!

I post under the name SemDem on DailyKos. I have gotten several recommended diaries this year, which is very humbling because they are read by thousands and read by prominent people. The last diary that was recommended caused a controversy because I entitled it Lynne Cheney Storms Off Daily Show. My thoughtful rebuttals of Lynne's arguments on the show were lost because everyone was focused on the title - (now I know how MoveOn felt).

It was plainly obvious to me that she stormed out. However, many people thought that I "smeared" Lynne Cheney and insisted that she did not storm off at the end. Since the majority thought I was wrong, I changed the title.

This caused heated arguments over the threads.

I still contend that she stormed off, and I felt vindicated by a skit on the Daily Show the very next day. Jon Stewart not only addressed it--he had a funny skit of where Lynne went on the commercial break.

HA! I said. VINDICATION! Some of the readers were unconvinced, however, and told me that the Daily Show probably did that skit because of my recommended diary. RIGHT! Like Jon Stewart or his writers would ever read one of my freakin' diaries!! YOU LOST< I WON, DEAL WITH IT!

Then I noticed these emails in my inbox. Just now.

A representative from the Daily Show contributed links the day I posted the diary that were meant for me to post in order for viewers to draw their own conclusions.


Then, the next day, Michelle Shildkret of 360i "on behalf of Comedy Central" forwarded me a skit the MOMENT it aired on the Daily Show:

Hi-



I wrote you yesterday, sending over the interview vids from Lynne Cheney’s appearance.



Due to the controversy surrounding her departure, The Daily Show has just released footage of what happened during the commercial break:

www.indecision2008.com/blog.jhtml?c=vc&videoId=111534



I hope that clears everything up for you and your readers. Indecision 2008 always aims to set the record straight. Please let me know if I can send over anything else.



Thanks so much!



Michelle

Michelle Shildkret

360i on behalf of Comedy Central

OKAY, the writers did notice the diary--and apparently decided to do a skit about it.

Wow. I need to learn to check my email more often.

WESH News Declares GOP Victor Before Election!

WESH News, our NBC affiliate, had Gail Pascal Brown for the noon news segment give the results of the republican primary. For the record, right-wing Dorsworth beat the Orlando Sentinel endorsed Allen Roosa by a hair. (51%-48%) Which should make the choice for the election clear--Steve Bacallao.

However, Gail Pascal Brown of WESH instead decided to declare the race over. She said that Chris Dorworth was the new State representative for District 34.

To be fair, some good Democrats called and complained. But according to one of the callers:

I called and pointed out their error and was told that someone else had called too. Then their retraction later in the news was very lame...Even when she did the retraction she failed to mention that he now has to run in the general election against Stephen Bacallao [Democratic Candidate], and two NPs.

Great. They made the mistake that hurt Steve, and now they answer by giving his opponent more advertising. Dorworth just spent over 100 grand to win the primary, he can afford to get his own ads. No mention of Steve anywhere, not on the air, not on their website.

I wouldn't cut up if that was the only complaint. After all, our local NPR did the same thing, this morning--saying Chris Dorsworth will face three "opponents" this November.

But I do think that if you declare the race for the other guy when the election hasn't even started yet, you owe the Democratic candidate a name mention.

If you think this is unfair, or that Gail should probably learn what a primary is, contact them:http://www.wesh.com/station/290180/detail.html
.
The local news doesn't need to give any help to the GOP in deep red Seminole county.

Stop Bush Radical: Support Bacallao for FL 34!

I met and greatly respect Stephen Bacallao for FL 34. I especially like his views on growth management, something we are lacking here in Seminole County. (Currently, the philosophy is leave the abandoned, rundown shopping centers alone, but tear down the green forest in between them to build a new one.)

He is tough on crime, and smart on education and healthcare.

What our legislature DOES NOT need is Bacallao's opponent, another radical Bushie:



The rest of the country is moving away from these nuts--it's time we joined them. Even the Orlando Sentinel is endorsing the less partisan opponent for the GOP primary.

Democrats, we need to unite and win this. Bacallao won 40% of the vote last time in 2004, but lots of Dems didn't even bother to vote. Our legislature is not only overwhelmingly republican, it is filled with radicals that don't have our interests at heart.

It's pointless to fight if you don't even bother to vote.

Let's win it this time.

GOP Candidates Support Bush VETO on Health Care for Millions of Poor Children

You have to wonder what planet the rethug candidates are on.

How else can they be on the polar-opposite side of America (86 percent to be exact) and Congress on such an important issue.

Do you know how hard it is to override a veto?? But already, the Democrats have enough to do just that with the Senate and are a few votes shy in the House.

That speaks VOLUMES.

I expect insanity from Bush. He wants no money for health benefits for children, the troops, or life-saving research. (The money he says is "too much" is only a percentage, however, of what is given to shady contracters like Halliburton and Blackwater.)

What I didn't expect is that the Republican candidates for president support his veto. My question is, who do they think they are pandering to?

The fiscal conservatives? No Dice. First of all, 12 billion a week in Iraq is not sound fiscal policy. But Bush is hardly fiscally responsible. As Kerry put it:

This is the same guy who never met a Republican spending bill he couldn’t sign. Not one. $300 million bridge to nowhere? Pass the pork. Half-trillion dollars on the road to quagmire in Iraq? Bring it on. But a few billion a year for health care for millions of kids? Forget it.

Families? Nope, they support it. Doctors? Hospitals? Nope, they support it as well. GOP Governors? Nope, they strongly support it!! Insurance companies? No, they support it to!

Think about it. Only a very "unique" person can justify spending hundreds of thousands a minute in Iraq while saying you have to deny millions of children doctors' visits or medicine they desperately need at a minimal cost.

Dean:

As a doctor, I've seen our country's health care crisis first-hand.
I've seen parents that have to wait for their kids to get dangerously sick before they could take them to a doctor. I've seen parents struggle over important medical care decisions because they didn't know how to pay for it. And I've seen parents left in poverty because they had no other choice.

Take action: Bush is no longer accountable, but Congress still is. Put in your zip code (for Winter Springs, its 32708-5312) and let the GOP obstructionists know that if if they can't even do the right thing on something almost everyone agrees on, then they need to step aside.


http://www.democrats.org/page/speakout/RejectBush

Mel Martinez Lied in the Orlando Sentinel Today

Senator Mel Martinez wrote the Sentinel to try and excuse why he and Bush are fighting the bi-partisan S-CHIP bill, which would allow health coverage to 3.8 million low-income uninsured children. Mel parroted Bush's claim that the bill provides health care for families earning as much as $83,000 a year. But according to factcheck.org, under current law and this proposed legislation, the president retains the authority to set the ceiling. No state has close to $83,000--and by the way, Florida's ceiling is set at $41,300 for a family of 4.



Mel, one major illness could wipe out a family's finances. I think if we can find $12 billion a week for Iraq, then we can find the money to save our own children.