Most epic rap video cameo by a former Congressman EVER

This is amazeballs. Earlier today, Jack Keller, an attorney friend of mine in Orlando, sent me a YouTube rap video he created, "Jack of All Trades," with a featured cameo from a familiar face for Florida politicos:

Bipartisan agreement: Alan Grayson is a loudmouth nut

As someone who had the unpleasant experience of having Alan Grayson as my Congresscritter for two years, this story did not surprise me at all:

I debated Alan Grayson...well, sort of...

Earlier this month, I debated the once-and-future Congressman (sigh...) Alan Grayson on Fox 35 Orlando regarding whether ObamaCare was at fault for announced layoffs at Orlando Regional Healthcare Systems. 

Well, OK, I didn't really debate him in person. But we were both invited to comment on the story and I believe my analysis up very well against Grayson's predictable talking points:

#BusybodyBloomberg meddles in FL elections while NYC drowns

Rep. and Mrs. Webster

Congressman Dan Webster is one of the nicest people you might ever hope to meet, anywhere. In the cutthroat world of politics, he really stands out. I haven't confirmed it, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't even step on ants on the sidewalk.

I cannot for the life of me figure out why he always seems to attract the most unhinged and crazy attacks during his campaigns.

I'd call Alan Grayson a pig, but that's an insult to pigs

For two mercifully short years, Alan Grayson was my Congressman. Grayson was such an embarrassment, a friend of mine started a website called "MyCongressmanIsNuts.com." After Dan Webster defeated Grayson, we breathed a sigh of relief that we once again had a rational human being representing us in Congress.

Sigh. I'm revoking my endorsement for Judge Plogstedt.

I hate to do this. Hate, hate, hate it. I've met Judge Plogstedt several times, and like her personally. She has done a lot of great work to support our alma mater, the University of Florida College of Law. But there have some shenanigans in this race, and I am no longer willing to sign my name to it.

Democrats trying to help Todd Long?

Is it just me, or do the Congressional primaries in Florida this year seem weirder and wackier than usual?

Shady intimidation tactics by campaign manager for Jeff Ashton's State Attorney campaign

The race for the Ninth Circuit (Orange and Osceola County) State Attorney took an unfortunate turn this week, with the already heated political rhetoric boiling over into actual threats. 

Current State Attorney Lawson Lamar is facing a challenge from Jeff Ashton. Both candidates are registered Democrats, and no one else is on the ballot, so under Florida law, all Orange and Osceola County voters can participate in this election, no matter what their party registration is. 

The unusual open primary has introduced some interesting dynamics to the race. Because the Democrats have very few contested primaries on the ballot, Republican turnout is expected to be higher, and both Lamar and Ashton are seeking Republican votes. 

Lamar, as a military veteran, former Orange County Sheriff, and current State Attorney with a long history of involvement in the Central Florida community, has easily won Republican votes in past elections. 

Ashton seems to be finding trouble attracting similar support from Central Florida Republicans, and some of his campaign's allies are not helping matters. 

NY Times showers attention on a one-term Congressman, why, exactly?

The New York Times has an absolutely hysterical, might-actually-make-you-roll-on-the-floor-laughing-out-loud, funny article yesterday about our local lunatic quickly-retired Congressman Alan Grayson:

NY Times | Alan Grayson | Enter: Swinging. Exit: Much the Same Way.

...Representative Alan Grayson, a Democrat from Florida’s Eighth Congressional District, is leaving office on Wednesday much as he entered it two years ago — as the pugnaciously partisan, verbal-bomb-tossing, liberal folk hero of the 111th Congress.

But in a wide-ranging interview as his term drew to a close, he repeatedly aimed his artillery in an unexpected direction: toward his own party.

Not for overreaching, in this age of hand-wringing over big government and creeping “socialism,” or for ideological purism. Instead, while surveying the wreckage of the November elections that cost him his seat and looking to the Congressional term ahead, Mr. Grayson posits that many Democrats have not been acting Democratic enough.

Judging by the results of the midterm elections, it does not exactly seem to be a widespread sentiment.

"Not exactly a widespread sentiment?"  Yeah.  No kidding.  If by "not exactly a widespread sentiment" you mean, "got the snot beat out of him on November 2nd."

Alan Grayson, The One-Hit Wonder One-Term Blunder of Florida's Congressional Delegation.  Gah.  He's a scary looking dude.

My apologies for the photo of Alan Grayson.  Here's a picture of a fluffy puppy to help your eyes recover.  Awwwww.  (From CuteOverload.com)

The entire article has to be read to be believed. Enjoy these magical little gems:

Grayson gives Nancy Pelosi a "glowing assessment," and a grade of "A," "without reservation."  I'd give her an "A" too, for being a grade-A actress in the TV ads of every Republican Congressional candidate this past year.  She was wonderfully talented at conveying exactly why people should vote Republican.  Just seeing her face for a few seconds easily symbolized the whole "Congress is spending a crapload of your money, passing unconstitutional legislation, and ignoring all your attempts to make them listen to you" concept.

He calls incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner a "tool of special interest."  I wonder if he meant "of special interests." Or does he mean that Boehner is especially interesting? I can't tell. It is often difficult to translate Crazy into English.

He claims that the Tea Party is “bought and paid for by the enormously rich and the selfish.”  Oh, those evil corporations, paying all of us to make posters and go to rallies.  Hmmm, where's my check?  Maybe it will come in the mail tomorrow?  I can't wait!

...and of course, Grayson has some lovely words to congratulate his successor, calling Daniel Webster a "bizarre fundamentalist."   I'm so glad he thinks this way, because this hubris-driven idea is what led to the infamous "Taliban Dan" TV ad that sealed Grayson's fate.  This year, maybe Grayson can help the Humane Society place more pets for adoption by claiming that puppies and kittens are actually radioactive vampires.

There is a lot of online speculation about Grayson's next political move, including some humorous chatter about making a run at challenging Obama for the 2012 Democratic Presidential nomination.  Originally I was in favor of Grayson fading away into the background, but the more I think about it, I love the idea of him being front and center, representing the Loony Left in all its glory.  

The Democrats were dumb enough to keep Nancy Pelosi as their leader in Congress, even after the Republicans effectively used her as a straw man to wipe them out in vast numbers.  If they are willing to give a radical liberal like Grayson any sort of platform, I think it is positively fantastic.

The Republicans aren't going to get a free ride, they need to be very careful not to stray from the fiscal conservatism they promised us, but their path to 2012 is made a lot easier by the fact that most of the Democrats who lost in November were the more moderate "Blue Dogs."  

The Democrats who are left in Congress are the most stridently liberal of the bunch (with the exception of Grayson, natch).  I seriously doubt their ability to calm their more radical impulses or moderate their rhetoric in a way that appeals to the current mood of the voters.  The simple fact that they re-elected Pelosi, who polls only slightly better than Hitler lately, speaks volumes about their tone-deafness toward what the American people want.  

Sarah on Flashpoint

Lauren Rowe hosts a great political talk show on Local 6 WKMG called "Flashpoint" and she invited me to join the discussion for her post-election show.  You can watch the show, which was taped the day after the election, here:

Flashpoint November 7, 2010 | 'Flashpoint' Revisits Election Night

Lauren and I are joined by Jeremiah Jaspon, Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, and Chris Trenkmann, WKMG political reporter, and we discuss the races for Governor, Senate, Congress, as well as the amendments.

It was my first time on the program, and I really enjoyed it.  Besides her hosting duties, Lauren oversees all the production for Flashpoint, so I got a great behind-the-scenes view of how a program like this is put together.  Thanks also to Lauren for giving a great shout-out to my little blog!

...and P.S. to Jeremiah: The GOP is not like bell bottom pants!  (See his comment near the end of the program.)

Just in case you aren't sick of post-election commentary yet

Wow, Tuesday, wow.  I'm still pretty excited about the results.  I've been spending this week relaxing, hanging out with family, cleaning out my car (it is amazing how many palm cards can hide under a car seat), and enjoying all the post-election commentaries. Just thought I'd share a few of my thoughts on Tuesday's results and what it all might mean moving forward...if you're not sick of all the endless election rehashing yet, read on...

Goodbye Alan Grayson

I'm still working on post-election stuff...cleaning walk lists and stickers out of my car and a writing blog post about my thoughts on Tuesday's results...until I get that done, here is something fun from our friends at the West Orlando Tea Party...

YouTube | Goodbye Alan Grayson

Na na na na, na na na na! Hey hey hey! Goodbye!

Alan Grayson Flunks Another Truth Test

Greg Fox at WESH did the Truth Test on Alan Grayson's latest TV ad, the super-annoying-makes-you-wanna-jam-a-sharp-object-in-your-ear "Alan Grayson Saved Our Schools!"

Not surprisingly, Grayson flunked.

"The Hug" ... It's Baaaaaaack!

The fine folks at Americans for Prosperity have been working hard to organize their grassroots efforts for the 2010 elections.  

Unfortunately for Charlie Crist, the same photo of our Oompa-Loompa Governor being all snuggly with Obama that helped Marco Rubio drive him out of the Republican primary is now resurfacing on AFP's latest promotional brochure, coming soon to a doorknob near you:

The entire brochure is pretty dang great:

Americans for Prosperity - Charlie Crist and Alan Grayson

Love it, love it, love it.

AFP is also organizing lots of volunteer activities that you can do to help elect responsible conservatives in November.  Check it out here: November is Coming.

RedState interviews Daniel Webster

Here's a great interview of Dan Webster by RedState's Moe Lane:

YouTube | Daniel Webster (R-Cand, FL-08)

You can read the original RedState post here.  My favorite part is Lane's comment that Webster will be "the instrument by which we propel Alan Grayson to a fun new career as a bitter MSNBC analyst."  

Republican Unity Rallies

Republican Unity Rally

Monday, August 30, 5:30 pm

Mark Street Senior Center

99 East Marks Street

Orlando, FL 32801

Join our Republican nominees Rick Scott, Daniel Webster, Sandy Adams and others as we prepare for victory in November! UPDATE: and also Marco Rubio!

Rick Scott is also traveling around the state on a unity tour with Senate President Mike Haridopolos and Speaker of the House Dean Cannon for the next few days.  Here are some locations in other cities:

TAMPA

Monday, August 30, 1:30 pm

Tampa Jet Center

4751 Jim Walter Blvd.

MIAMI

Tuesday, August 31st, 11:30 am

Sweetwater Youth Center

250 SW 114th Ave.

JACKSONVILLE

Tuesday, August 31st, 7:00 pm

Republican Party of Duval office

4963 Beach Blvd.

Interesting Nov. 2009 article about Alan Grayson

An interesting article about Alan Grayson from last November...do you think it's still a valid analysis?

RealClearPolitics - FL-8: A Lesson in How Not to Win Re-Election

Grayson's problems, from what I can tell, include an exaggerated sense of his intellect to cover up some self-esteem issues and a misguided belief that voters supported him because they actually liked him...

...Note that the Congressman isn't merely fighting for what he believes to be right, or that he is trying to work with others to improve things. His side stands for right, while the other side is wrong.

...Grayson clearly has some issues with who he is and where he came from. And that shows, not only in his bio but also with the way he deals with those who may disagree with him.

Grayson was elected to Congress not because of who he is and was, but because he wasn't Ric Keller, the incumbent Republican. The challenger won because of a big Democratic wave in a competitive but Republican-leaning district that President George W. Bush won with 55 percent in 2004. Barack Obama carried it with 52 percent last year - roughly the same showing as Grayson. The district's Democratic Performance Index is only 44 percent, making it a difficult district for any Democrat in a normal year.

Keller, of course, had a shockingly close 53 percent to 47 percent primary win about 10 weeks before last year's general election, a sure sign of his problems in the district. And Grayson outspent Keller by almost 2-to-1, $3.21 million to $1.77 million, in the race.

It was his money and the mood for change that made Grayson a winner, not the public's affection or admiration for him.

World Net Daily dumps Florida Tea Party as a sponsor

Love this...

WND's Miami conference dumps Florida Tea Party

World Net Daily is sponsoring a "Taking America Back National Conference" in Miami next month, and the Florida Tea Party Fake Tea Party had originally been listed as a sponsor of the event.  However, after WND's investigation led them to conclude that the group "was misrepresenting itself" FTP's sponsorship was rejected:

"We are returning the money this group paid for sponsoring the conference and rejecting its participation," said Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND. "This event and the tea-party movement are not about making money. They are about changing the direction of our country. It's clear to me that the Florida Tea Party...has an agenda all its own."

Two thumbs up to World Net Daily for seeing the light about the Florida Tea Party. 

As expected, Doug Guetzloe and Peg Dunmire are screaming bloody murder about this, but too darn bad.  WND is a private organization and it has the right to refuse FTP's money and reject their sponsorship for any reason they chose.  It does not matter that the many lawsuits facing Guetzloe and FTP are not yet concluded; WND has the right to reject what their leadership views as a controversial group in order to avoid distractions from the purposes and goals of the event.  

I find it highly entertaining when Guetzloe & Gang cry that their First Amendment rights are being trampled when someone doesn't want to hear from them or doesn't want to invite them to something.  News flash: the First Amendment means you have a right to speak, it doesn't mean we have to listen...and it definitely doesn't mean we have to use our speech (or our time, energy, money, or resources) to promote your speech.  

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Political HobNob - some thoughts, gossip, and other random musings...

Last night, I attended the 2010 Political HobNob held by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando at the Crowne Plaza Hotel by the airport.  Having attended what seems like a million of these HobNob events in the past few years, the HCCMO should be commended for the excellent job they did with this event. 

 

Of course with any large gathering of politicos, there's always something interesting going on.  Here's a few of my thoughts and observations from last night:

 

The way they handled the candidate speeches was great - lined up the candidates in groups, gave them 30 seconds each and that was it.  Short and sweet.

A lot of the candidates, even those who are not native speakers of Spanish, made an effort to at least say a few words in Spanish. Having attended other area Hispanic community political events over the past few years, I know that gesture is appreciated and a great way to show respect.

However, if you're attending a Hispanic event and you don't speak Spanish, that's fine, but for heaven's sake, don't just get up there and yell "Hola!" and then continue on in English.  Several candidates did this last night and sounded like total goobers.  Seriously though, how hard is it to learn a short phrase?  Try this: "gracias por su apoyo."  It means "thank you for your support."  Nice and polite.  C'mon now, if you're smart enough to run for office, you're smart enough to memorize four words.

Why do so many HobNobs insist on having attendees vote before they get inside the event and actually talk to the candidates?  Seems sort of silly to vote in a race where you don't know much about the candidates, when the actual candidates themselves are standing 50 feet away, waiting to meet you.

I was disappointed to see two of the guys running against one of my candidates putting up their yard signs and actively campaigning at the event, even though they hadn't bought a table.  It was very disrespectful of a great organization and all the hard work by the people who planned the event - it's just blatant, obnoxious, pathetic freeloading.  If you think the event is worthy enough to attend, then show some respect by buying a table.  

Music last night was fantastic.  Live guitar and singing.  Another fun bit was when they blasted the "Star Wars" theme before reading the results of the straw poll.  One of the things I like best about the Hispanic events is that while they take politics very seriously, they have fun too.

Yesterday was District 5 County Commission candidate Ted Edwards' birthday, and his present was a landslide victory in the straw poll.  He received 142 votes (40% of the vote), Doug Kinson, who did not attend the HobNob, received 66 votes (19%) and Robert Shelly Talley received 25 votes (7%).

Looks like the Republicans are in pretty good shape in our local Hispanic community.  Alan Grayson and Suzanne Kosmas both won their straw polls, but only because the Republican slates are so crowded.  I am confident that Republicans will rally behind our nominees in Districts 8 and 24 when we vote in November.  

 

Specifically in District 8, Grayson got 96 votes (27%), and the next top three vote-getters were all Republicans: Daniel Webster (68 votes, 19%), Kurt Kelly (40 votes, 11%), and Todd Long (38 votes, 11%).  "Other" candidates got 48 votes (14%) and Fake Tea Party candidate Peg Dunmire got 29 votes (8%).  So if you add up just the top three Republicans, you get 41%, and most of the "other" candidates on the ballot were Republicans as well (O'Donoghue, Sullivan, etc.) so the total votes cast for Republicans last night was probably close to 50%.  

 

This poll also shows what happens to Dunmire when the Republicans are included on the ballot.  Doug Guetzloe and his slime squad, I mean "supporters" were out in full force last night, and I assume that the approximately two dozen candidates and other people I saw wearing "Florida Tea Party" shirts and pins voted for their candidates.  So if you don't include the people that Guetzloe and Dunmire brought with them, the total votes she received would be in the single digits, or close to it.

Regarding District 24, Kosmas received 69 votes (20%), Sandy Adams received 63 (18%), Karen Diebel and Tom Garcia both tied at 50 votes (14%), and Deon Long 28 votes (8%).  So that gives total Republican votes at 54%, more than double what Kosmas received.  

Congrats to Teresa Jacobs, Bill McCollum, Marco Rubio, John Mica, Dean Cannon, Chris Dorworth, Bryan Nelson, Steve Precourt, John Horan, Fred Brummer, Rand Wallis, and Frank Attkisson on their straw poll wins.  

You can see full results of the straw poll here.  Note that all their percentages include under votes, which would not factor into the numbers when we cast our ballots in the real elections.  If I was feeling industrious, I would recalculate the above figures for the vote percentages, but I'm just not feeling like doing a lot of math this morning, sorry.  Anyone else want to do so, please post in the comments.

Managed to get my hands on a copy of Matthew Falconer's book last night.  It's already providing me with so much joy and entertainment.  From the back cover:

(click image to enlarge)

Good job, buddy.  You're running for the highest elected office in Orange County, and you can't even spell "government?"  Before you think I'm being overly critical, Falconer's book has been out for at least a year, and I've seen and heard plenty of other people comment on the numerous spelling and grammatical errors throughout the text (see, e.g., page 98, with the headline "SMALLL SCHOOLS").  He's had plenty of time to make corrections with new printings.  Really though, how do you miss such an obvious error on the back cover before going to print the first time?  And is someone who apparently can't even understand how to use his computer's spell-check program really competent to run Orange County?

New Endorsements: Kurt Kelly, Greg Reynolds, and Becky Erwin

I've decided to endorse three more candidates in local races.  For a complete list of my endorsements, check out the "Endorsements" tab at the top of this page or click here.

Becky Erwin 
Seminole County School Board, District 5

I've had the opportunity to meet Becky several times through my work for another great Seminole County candidate (note: none of my endorsed candidates should be implied as endorsing each other or anyone else) and have been very impressed with her.  Becky and her team of supporters have been out in the community working hard and building some great grassroots support.  She is very sincere in her enthusiasm and dedication to Seminole County Public Schools and I believe she is running for all the right reasons. 

For more information about Becky Erwin:

Becky Erwin Campaign Website

Becky Erwin Facebook Group

@BeckyErwin on Twitter

Greg Reynolds 
Florida House District 36

I first met Greg several years ago, when we were both on a host committee at a young professionals event for Eric Eisnaugle during Eric's first run for office.  Greg is a lifelong Central Florida resident, and an amazing six generations of his family have made Florida their home.  He has an excellent record as a community and business leader and cares very much about his hometown.  District 36 is a tough race for a Republican to win, but I strongly believe Greg is our best chance to win back this seat.

District 36 includes parts of College Park, where I grew up, and Downtown Orlando, where I have lived as well, where my family goes to church, and where I've worked.  I know the district well and believe Greg Reynolds would be a great representative for the community.

For more information about Greg Reynolds:

Greg Reynolds campaign website

Greg Reynolds Facebook Group

GregforOrlando on Twitter

 

Kurt Kelly 
Congress (Florida District 8)

I took my time making a decision on this race.  I live in District 8, and it embarrasses the heck out of me that Alan Grayson is my representative in Congress.  Part of the reason I waited so long to make an endorsement is I wanted to wait and see which candidates really were capable of knocking out Grayson, a multimillionaire and darling of liberal nuts across the internet.  

Kurt Kelly has impressed me from the beginning and has always been on my "short list."  He has a solid conservative record from his time in the Florida House, he's warm and sincere, but also not afraid to discuss tough issues or directly attack Grayson and the Democrats controlling Washington.  Kurt has put together an amazing grassroots network.  A lot of my Young Republican friends have been long time supporters of Kelly and every HobNob I've attended lately always has a noticeable group of Team Kelly people running around in those bright green shirts.  Kelly has has been consistent and solid with his fundraising and won a string of straw polls with respectable margins.

I believe the Orlando Sentinel made a mistake in their endorsement of Dan Webster.  Don't get me wrong, I like Webster, I have a lot of respect for his accomplishments and record in the Legislature, but the Editorial Board's dismissal of Kelly for Webster seems to rest solely on Webster being more "experienced."  Hogwash.  OK, Webster has more years in the Legislature than Kelly, but that doesn't automatically mean that he would be a better choice for Congress than Kurt Kelly.  That's like saying "Mrs. Smith has been teaching for 20 years, and Mrs. Brown has been teaching for 10 years, so Mrs. Smith is a better teacher than Mrs. Brown."  Ummm, no, that's not how it works. 

Just because one person has a few more years working at a job, doesn't necessarily mean that person is "better."  Neither Webster nor Kelly are political rookies, and Kelly actually has broader experience than Webster, having worked in the private sector as well as spending many years working for conservative causes outside of elected office.  I understand the current popularity of opposing "career politicians," but experience in government should be viewed as an asset.  And Kurt Kelly is far from a career politician, having first been elected to the House in 2008.

Regarding the other candidates in District 8, Bruce O'Donoghue and Todd Long  have both shown strong conservative credentials and a willingness to go after Alan Grayson's jugular, and they've earned my respect for that.  Patricia Sullivan strikes me as very sincere and her grassroots volunteers are an impressive hardworking bunch, but her inability to make significant fundraising progress makes me hesitate.  District 8 is large and an expensive media market; taking on Alan Grayson will require a strong candidate and a pile of money.  It might not be fair, but it's reality.  I hope Sullivan considers running for office again after this - she'd be great in the Florida Legislature - because I think she has a lot to offer, and she's young enough to run for Congress again later.

Webster, O'Donoghue, Long, and Sullivan are all good conservatives but when I look at the big picture, Kurt Kelly is simply the best candidate across the board, and the best chance for the Republicans to beat Alan Grayson.  

On August 24th, I will be voting for Kurt Kelly.  If you live in District 8, I encourage you to do the same.

For more information about Kurt Kelly:

Kurt Kelly campaign website

Kurt Kelly Facebook Group

kurtdkelly on Twitter

KurtKellyforCongress on YouTube