Florida Senate Debate - Watch and Judge for Yourself

I've made no airs about being unbiased in the Florida Senate race. I'm one of the few bloggers that directly and openly declares my endorsements. There's a place for objective journalism and there's a place for opinion sites, and I firmly believe that both of these types of commentary are helpful, especially in politics.

Now, in a week where this website received a lot of traffic for several pieces I wrote about the August 20th Florida Senate debate and its aftermath (here, here, here, and here), I've seen a few articles and blog posts discussing the debate that seem so far off base I wonder if they written by people who were not there.

[Further discussion and video after the jump]

Florida Senate Debate August 20th

On Saturday, August 20th, the Florida Family Policy Council and the Central Florida Tea Party are sponsoring a debate between the candidates for the Florida Republican nomination for the 2012 United States Senate election.

Saturday, August 20th, 2011

10:00 am - 12:00 noon

Howard Middle School Auditorium

800 East Robinson Street

Orlando, FL 32801

(click image to enlarge)

Adam Hasner, George LeMieux, Mike McCalister, and Craig Miller have all confirmed that they will attend. Find this and other great events on the "Events" tab on the top right corner of this website.

Thoughts on the primary results (UPDATED)

I woke up this morning with some of the strongest conflicted feelings I can remember after an election.  Extremely happy about some races, accepting of the results in others, and heartbroken over a few.  Here's some of my thoughts... 

GOVERNOR - REPUBLICAN PRIMARY 

OMG we elected Voldemort.

Seriously though, readers of this site know I was supporting Bill McCollum.  Many of us in Central Florida have known McCollum for years.  He was never very flashy but I was impressed with his anti-gang task force and work fighting against consumer fraud and internet predators.  This race frustrated me immensely because Rick Scott's negative campaigning included so many exaggerations and, in my opinion, misrepresentations.  To claim that McCollum was implicit in the whole Jim Greer debacle was beyond misleading, considering that McCollum was one of the people pushing Greer out of the RPOF chairman's position, and even those recorded phone calls between Greer and Delmar Johnson showed Greer viewed McCollum as an adversary, not an ally.  

I also am hesitant about the idea that our elections are for sale.  There isn't a single person out there who believes Scott would have been taking a photo with confetti raining down on his shiny head if not for the $50 million he invested in his TV and direct mail blitzkrieg campaign.  Here's just a little something fun I made this afternoon as I was thinking about the race (click image for full-size view):

All uses of ebay and RPOF trademarks are for parody or satirical purposes.
It's just a joke, people.

Bottom line, Bill and Ingrid McCollum are good people who have done a lot for our state and the Republican Party, and I am honored to have been able to get to know them and to have voted for Bill McCollum this year.  I really believe he was a better candidate and would have had an easier time beating Alex Sink.

That being said, there is no way I am going to support Alex Sink, and I encourage all other Republicans to hop on the Scott bandwagon with me now.  Do it for these two reasons: the Governor's veto power can block many legislative efforts, and the influence over the redistricting process.  I was hesitant on Scott before because he has very little track record to know what to expect from him, but can only continue to hope that he will stick to his conservative campaign promises and be a good leader for our state and our party. 

ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSION - PRIMARY 

There will be a runoff in District 4, but Jennifer Thompson seems to have a substantial lead.  She has worked very hard in this race and has been knocking on doors and meeting with district residents for several years now.  She has shown she is willing to spend time to do the research and fully understand the issues, and I believe she will be an asset for the County Commission, and a great representative for the people of Orange County.  I congratulate her on the job well done so far and predict a solid victory in November. 

DISTRICT 33 - REPUBLICAN PRIMARY 

Very happy to see Jason Brodeur get the "W" last night.  Beyond just supporting a fellow Gator, I've known Jason for years through his work with the Young Republicans and have always found him to be a stand-up guy.  Say what you want about Seminole County politics, anyone who knows Jason knows what kind of person he is.  Hopefully he will prevail in November, and I look forward to seeing him in Tallahassee. 

SEMINOLE COUNTY COMMISSION - REPUBLICAN PRIMARY 

Very, very happy to see John Horan victorious last night.  Nothing personal against McLean, as I've said, I've only met the guy once and he seems friendly enough, but I've known Horan since 2002 and know him to be smart, ethical, honest, a dedicated conservative, and just all-around good guy.  

I know the campaign spent a lot of time and effort doing the grassroots work, and looks like it paid off - I heard that he won every precinct where the campaign walked.  I called last night to congratulate him and he was so happy and humbly appreciative of the community support.  This is a guy who really cares about Seminole County and I think he'll do a great job on the Commission. 

MORE COMMENTS COMING LATER...I know which races I've left out...don't worry...will update post soon... 

OK, here's an update... 

JUDICIAL RACES 

I was pleased to see Rand Wallis and Michael Rudisill re-elected to the bench.  In my opinion, if a judge hasn't done anything unethical, then that judge should be retained.  There is an unfortunate practice of running against judges to settle a grudge, prove a point, or, in one race a few years ago, to get revenge against the judge for unfavorable rulings.  A judge is not supposed to worry about being popular, but only about being fair, honest, fair, ethical, fair, unbiased, and did I mention, FAIR.  The role of the judge is to review the facts and evidence, apply the law consistently, and make a ruling based on that.

It is completely ridiculous that Judge Clayton Simmons even drew an opponent, much less was defeated yesterday.  He is so well-respected in the legal community and has done a wonderful job during his years on the bench. Simmons' son was campaigning at the same precinct in Oviedo with me yesterday and was working so hard for his dad, my heart is just breaking for their family.  I do not know Linda Schoonover, I've never met her, but she made some disparaging comments about Simmons on her website, quoting a Sentinel article to insinuate he had done something improper.  Not true...and so disappointing to see a judicial candidate engage in that kind of behavior.

Regarding the Group 5 County Court race, I am so proud of Amir Ladan and all our wonderful volunteers who gave countless hours walking neighborhoods, phone banking, and surviving Tuesday's downpour to campaign at the precincts.  I really loved working with Amir's family too, and feel honored that I got to be a part of their lives these past few months.  Amir's dad has such an inspirational story, and mom Zelda is just so awesome, I don't have words for it.  His wife, Trish, was such a dedicated supporter of her husband, and daughter Ashley is so darn sweet, and asked such neat questions about the elections process.  She asked me last night when we would know the results, and when I told her that her daddy had lost but could run again sometime, her response was "well, maybe not right away.  I like having him at home."  So cute.

Amir was a first time candidate battling against opponents with better name ID and the ability to self-finance their campaigns, but he worked very hard and ran a positive ethical campaign.  I am disappointed in one of the opponent's negative mail, and disgusted with some of the ugly attempts to spread false rumors by certain people.  I believe very strongly that Amir was the most qualified for the seat, and that he will go on to one day soon wear those black robes.

In general, I am left feeling extremely dissatisfied with judicial elections.  There are so many restrictions on what events the candidates can attend, what they can say, what they can do, that it just exacerbates the confusion and disinterest most people have for the judiciary.  It is extremely challenging for a judicial candidate to get their message to the voters, and it seems the only way to do it is to throw a big pile of money around.  Mike Thomas summed it up well in a blog post earlier discussing his predictions right before the polls closed:

Various judge races: Who knows? Who cares? You know, we shouldn’t elect judges. I think it is a very dangerous thing. I think if I had $100,000 I could become a judge.

Sigh...sad thing is, it's pretty true.  Drop $100K in a campaign account, and unless there are photos out there of you kicking a puppy or engaged in some sort of odd sexual fetish, you can probably get elected judge.   

CONGRESS DISTRICT 8 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY 

I voted for Kurt Kelly, but I have no problem with Dan Webster.  If he had gotten in the race earlier, I would have happily endorsed him out of the gate.  My hesitation was due to his hesitation in getting in the race.  Other candidates, notably Kelly and O'Donoghue, sacrificed a lot to get into the race because Webster had not jumped in: took a financial hit on their businesses, time away from their families, enduring the glare of the media spotlight, and Kelly gave up his State House seat, which was considered a safe bet for reelection.

Still, Dan Webster has an established conservative track record.  We know what we are getting with him, and I am confident that he would continue that same great record in Washington.  I am happy to officially endorse him today and will be voting for him in November without reservation.  I believe he will be a great replacement for our train wreck of a congressional representative, Alan Grayson.

 CONGRESS DISTRICT 24 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY 

I am just devastated and heartbroken about this race, and still shocked and horrified over the desperate and unethical way that Craig Miller ran his campaign.  The ridiculous and repetitive misrepresentations about Karen Diebel's record were one thing, but his last minute mailer full of lies and personal attacks from the vicious liberals Beth Dillaha and Margie Bridges was a new low.  I have never been so disappointed and disgusted in a [so-called] Republican candidate.  

All the information and feedback I'm getting is that the mailer did not help Miller at all, but did throw enough mud and confusion around that Sandy Adams was able to just stand by and reap the benefit of seeming above the fray.  I am somewhat gratified to see Miller come in third.  I do hope that the Adams campaign sends Miller a nice thank you note for knocking Karen out of Sandy's way.

Mark my words, today's simpering endorsement of Adams is the last we'll hear of Craig Miller.  We never heard a peep from him before this race, and I will faint and fall to the ground if he actually gets out there and works for Adams or any other Republican candidate, or does anything for the party other than maybe writing a check.

I am extremely proud of Karen Diebel and the wonderful team that worked on her campaign.  It was a privilege and an honor to work with these dedicated conservatives and downright fun people.  I've gained some treasured new friends through this campaign, and will always respect Karen for her strength in the face of adversity, her genuine kindness, her focus on her goals, her respect for other people.  I am honored to call her a friend.

Some have questioned Karen's delay in endorsing Sandy Adams.  Let's all calm down and not lose our minds over a few hours.  The sole and only reason for the delay was that the campaign was getting reports from the Orange SOE and I think the Brevard one too that there were some factors present that might trigger the statutorily required automatic recount.  No one was making any accusations of fraud or improper activity related to the election and there was never any discussion about filing suit or otherwise following in sore loser Al Gore's footsteps.  There was just simply an extremely close race and a desire to let the system work as it is supposed to.

Earlier today, the Diebel campaign issued the following press release, congratulating Sandy Adams and wishing her the best in the effort to take District 24 back from Kosmas:

For Immediate Release
August 25, 2010

Former Winter Park Vice-Mayor, businesswoman, and former candidate for US Congress District 24, Karen Diebel congratulates Sandy Adams on winning the Republican nomination for Congress.

“I will never stop championing the values I fought for in this campaign – border security, lower taxes, the right to life, and market-based solutions to our health care system. The first step in the battle is unseating liberal Suzanne Kosmas and restoring conservative representation to our district. Throughout the next couple of months, I will support Sandy in her efforts to take back this seat,” said Diebel.

Diebel, whose campaign came within one percentage point of victory, is very appreciative of all those who supported her throughout the past year.

“This campaign was a hard-fought effort and one that we can all be proud of. I want to thank my family, friends, staff, and volunteers for their love and support and dedicating countless hours to our effort. I also want to thank the many conservative leaders who stood strongly behind our campaign, especially Gov. Mike Huckabee, Bay Buchanan, Congressman Dick Schulze, Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley, Mat Staver, and Concerned Women for America PAC,” Diebel concluded.

ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR 

Left this one for last because I really wanted to end on a happy note.  In case you missed it, here are the results in this race:

Teresa Jacobs - 42%

Bill Segal - 23%

Linda Stewart - 19%

Matthew Falconer  - 15%

...leaving Jacobs and Segal in the runoff for November.  Oh yeah, and Matt Falconer dead last.  I'm glad to see that the people of Orange County were smart enough to not fall for Falconer's outlandish ideas, personal attacks on his opponents, and constant lies.  

Contrast Falconer with Linda Stewart, who should be proud of herself for running a positive and ethical campaign where she was vastly outmatched financially.  I disagree with many of her political positions, but she is a nice person and her grassroots campaigning was impressive.

From the Sentinel:

The strong finish for Jacobs, a Republican, indicates voters accepted her as a reformer and fiscal conservative in the campaign.

She overcame the nearly $1 million raised and spent by Segal and outside business groups backing his campaign. Jacobs said her strong support showed that the "hearts and minds and votes" of Orange residents "cannot be bought."

"I don't think you can buy passion and commitment," said Jacobs, who spent $217,000 on her campaign.

The article also mentions some petty sour grapes from Falconer, who stated that he would not endorse Jacobs or Segal.  Apparently he's still believing that he was "the only conservative in the race!"

I spoke to Teresa's husband Bruce earlier today and they are both so thrilled and humbled by how many people voted for Teresa and have continued to support her during the campaign.  She is so happy and ready to continue the fight all the way to November.  Teresa and her daughter Lisa waved signs this morning at the corner of Curry Ford and 436:

Teresa's sign says "Thank You" (click to enlarge)

Bill Segal's campaign sent out an email earlier today, wasting no time in attacking Teresa, saying that voters had a choice between Segal or "a lobbyist who ran to the far-right to rally social conservatives to her cause."  C'mon, Bill, you're better than that.  You know darn well that's not accurate.  As I wrote last Friday:

Let's be clear.  Teresa Jacobs has never been a lobbyist.  She's also never been a Olympic synchronized swimmer or a ninja or a pomegranate whatever other silly things one could imagine.  

And I just simply have not seen any "running to the far-right to rally social conservatives."  The only time Teresa addressed any of those kind of issues was to speak out against Matthew Falconer's lies that she was a liberal and pro-abortion.  Teresa did not proselytize on the topic, merely pointed out that her personal beliefs are pro-life.  I think a dose of reality is needed here...abortion is simply not an issue that county commissions would be expected to address or have power or influence over.  There is no need to worry that she would turn the Orange County Commission into some sort of vehicle for social conservative crusades. 

Teresa Jacobs ran a great campaign and her large margin of victory shows she has great name ID and high popularity in our community.  I am looking forward to continuing to support her campaign and cheer her to victory in November.    
 

Why is Craig Miller quoting liberals to attack Karen Diebel?

Craig Miller seems to be running in the wrong primary.  He claims to be a Republican but doesn't seem to understand the lingo.  Voters will forgive a candidate for doing something silly in college, but Republicans have a hard time understanding someone who claims to be a conservative but less than five years ago was advocating against strict enforcement of our immigration laws and lobbying for pro-amnesty causes.  Even his superficial attempt at Facebook campaigning backfired on him.

I've listened to Miller speak at several events and looked over his campaign materials.  He seems to be able to spit out some sound bites, but I have yet to hear any specific details, any specific proposals for reform, any specific ideas period.  Even his TV ads just spit out proclamations that Miller is "pro-life!" "pro-Second Amendment!"  

"Yep, I'm a Republican, I swear!  Take my word for it, you can trust me, I promise!"

And that's when he bothers to show up.  There have been a number of community forums and debates where Miller has been mysteriously absent or canceled at the last minute.  

Now, in one of the nastiest and most despicable negative attacks I've ever seen, Miller has sent out an 11th-hour attack ad against Karen Diebel.  In it, Miller takes several news articles out of context, misrepresents their content and then quotes several liberals.

Longtime Winter Park resident Pete Weldon has written a very detailed critique of the Miller attack here:

Winter Park Perspective | Dishonorable

Karen Diebel, former Winter Park Vice Mayor and candidate for US House Seat in Florida District 24, believes in individual freedom, individual responsibility, smaller government, and financial restraint. I am a supporter.

Craig Miller, an opponent of Diebel’s in the Republican primary for the District 24 US House seat, along with former and current Winter Park city commission members Margie Bridges and Beth Dillaha, believe in character assassination and personal vendettas.

Miller mailed a letter to District 24 voters written by Bridges and Dillaha. The authors know this letter contains false and misleading claims about Diebel.

The fact is that Diebel voted repeatedly to lower the property tax rate and to reduce spending in Winter Park while building reserves during her service from 2007 to 2010. Bridges and Dillaha both voted to increase the 2009 property tax rate over Diebel’s objection (see page 9 here) and both voted to maintain the property tax rate for 2010, again over Diebel’s objection and desire to reduce the rate (see page 12 here). During Diebel’s tenure on the Winter Park commission and with her support the property tax rate was reduced by 14% and annual general fund spending declined by almost 6%.

Bridges and Dillaha knowingly misstate the facts about several events in claiming that Diebel is a spender and not a true conservative.

The former city manager had a sweetheart deal with a prior city commission that made it more and more expensive to terminate him the longer he stayed around, even though the city Charter requires that the city manager serve at the pleasure of the commission. Following his termination the former city manager sued Winter Park for even more money and Dillaha supported a settlement of $490,000 that is included in the total cost she now criticizes Diebel for (see page 2 here).

Bridges and Dillaha are anti-commuter rail activists who criticize anyone who supports this infrastructure investment and their claims about the existing Winter Park commuter rail agreement with Orange County are false. (Learn more here.)

The Bridges and Dillaha claim about buying out developers is the most outrageous hypocrisy. A settlement was paid as a direct result of the actions of Bridges, Dillaha and their political supporters for they were responsible for stopping the Carlisle project in Winter Park resulting in the developers suing the city. The settlement was paid to avoid a $25,000,000 liability for Winter Park taxpayers that was created by Bridges and Dillaha. You may also wish to know that Bridges voted for the settlement (see page 4 here).

• That Craig Miller would participate in character assassination says a lot about his qualifications for the US House seat from District 24.

• That Bridges and Dillaha would knowing mislead District 24 voters and refer to themselves as “honorable” five times in their letter is both a disgrace and an insult to the character and quality of the people of Winter Park.

• That Karen Diebel chooses to discuss the real issues and rejects mudslinging reinforces my support for her candidacy.

Regards, Pete Weldon

I agree wholeheartedly with Weldon's analysis.  Dillaha and Bridges are two of the biggest tax-and-spend liberals to ever serve on the Winter Park City Commission.  Their verdict on who is a "fiscal conservative" is as credible as asking a Red Sox fan for a character reference for a member Yankees' starting lineup.

Karen Diebel defeated Beth Dillaha in her first election to the Winter Park City Commission, and then Dillaha was elected to the commission during the next year's election.  During the entire time Diebel and Dillaha served together, every time Diebel voted to cut taxes or cut spending, Dillaha voted the other way.  

Dillaha fought bitterly against Diebel's work to pay down some of Winter Park's debt, a very fiscally responsible move, as the heavy debt load had led to the city's bond rating being downgraded.  After the city's debt was reduced, and the bond rating restored, this resulted in a lower interest rate for the remaining debt.  Diebel fought to return those funds to the taxpayers in the form of further tax cuts, while Dillaha viewed it as "free money" and sought to spend it on her pet projects.  Fortunately for the taxpaying citizens of Winter Park, Diebel won that battle too.  More on Beth Dillaha here.

Margie Bridges is no better than Dillaha on most of these issues, voting in line with Dillaha's tax and spend liberal ideology.  Here is Beth Dillaha in her own words, advocating for Amendment 4.

Let's also remember the very contentious Winter Park mayor's race in March 2009.  The liberals like Bridges and Dillaha were backing the then-mayor, a Democrat, David Strong.  Karen Diebel supported and openly endorsed Kenneth Bradley, a Republican (who I also supported).  The election was close and bitterly fought, but Bradley prevailed.  Now Diebel had another ally to vote for lower taxes with her.  Beth Dillaha owes her first election to David Strong's financial contribution and was a vocal opponent of Bradley, and Bridges has received David Strong's support as well.

The rest of Dillaha and Bridges' criticisms of Diebel can be easily dismissed as sour grapes, distortions, misrepresentations, or flat out lies.  The charge that Diebel had "poor attendance" is one of these lies.  Diebel had a perfect or nearly perfect (I'm sorry I  don't have time to read through all the meeting minutes right now) record of attendance at City Commission meetings.  Dillaha also has a habit of wasting taxpayer money and everyone's time by calling endless "workshop" meetings, which are really nothing more than her attempts to browbeat her fellow commissioners into voting with her, or to drum up community support for her latest big spending idea.  Diebel also had an excellent attendance record at all these workshops. 

So what the heck does the charge of "poor attendance" mean?  The only specific thing Dillaha has said on the subject relates to community events and association meetings, which city commissioners are commonly invited but not required to attend.  Well, not to overplay the whole "oh woe is me" card, but let's remember Karen Diebel has been raising her three sons by herself after her husband died, while holding down a fulltime job as an executive with Verizon.  After Dr. Diebel was killed in that accident, someone had to support her family.  I think we can forgive Karen Diebel for skipping a few garden club or society events, do you?

Regarding the rest of the salacious and malicious gossip on the mailer, the so-called quote from the Orlando Sentinel is actually a quote from Eric Jotkoff, who is the press secretary for the Florida Democratic Party.  Yeah, that's credible.  I refer you to my earlier example of asking Red Sox fans for opinions about the Yankees.  The RedState article is taken out of context again - Erick Erickson has already gone on record criticizing Miller's attacks on Diebel and stating that he does not believe this nonsense.  As for the Orlando Weekly, well, to call that rag "liberal" would be the understatement of the year.  The Orlando Weekly makes the New York Times opinion page look like Rush Limbaugh's newsletter.

Finally, regarding all the other false and nasty lies referenced in this mailer, that anonymous internet bloggers like to repeat, let me just say this: unlike all the little haters blogging at home (or as I suspect, from the campaign offices of DIebel's opponents), I actually know Karen Diebel.

I know Karen well.  I met her well over a year ago, when I heard she was running for Congress.  Impressed with her reputation on the Winter Park City Commission, I called her up and scheduled a lunch with her.  Within ten minutes, I remember thinking to myself that I was pretty sure I would end up supporting her.  By the end of the lunch, I was completely sold.   

Karen is very intelligent and extremely knowledgeable on technology and economic issues; I've teased her a few times about her "nerdy" side.  She is passionate about conservative causes and really means it when she pledges to be "not just a vote, but a voice" advocating for these issues.  She is kind and gracious to everyone, even people who are not supporting her.  I've seen her greet people wearing shirts with her opponent's name just as warmly as anyone else. 

I have spent a lot of time with Karen, especially after joining the campaign in the past month.  I have seen her first thing in the morning as we drove along with the rising sun for a 7:00 a.m. radio appearance in Titusville.  I have seen her late at night while the campaign team is discussing strategy.  I have gotten to know her parents, her brother, and her wonderful sons...I don't think it's fair to always blame the parents when a kid goes bad, but when you look at Karen's smart, well-mannered, friendly sons, you know she has really done well raising them.  I've gotten to know countless number of Karen's friends.  I have seen her speaking at large events, at numerous debates and candidate forums, at every kind of radio program from Christian radio, to the fast pace of local political talk radio, to several appearances on our local Hispanic radio programs.  You can tell a lot about a person from how they act around their friends and family, how they act when the cameras are off and the public isn't around, in their "down time." 

Let me say this again: I know Karen Diebel.  And  this is what I know about her: she is smart, is warm and genuine to everyone she meets, has a great sense of humor, has done a wonderful job raising her sons, has an excellent business background, and is the only candidate in this race with an established record of actually shrinking the size of government.  I would not be such an enthusiastic supporter of Karen Diebel if she were not a worthy person and the absolute best choice for District 24.  The junk out there on the internet is just that, junk.  If any of the people writing that stuff actually sat down and talked with Karen Diebel, they would not write such false and hateful things.

So, basically, Craig Miller has nothing but meaningless sound bites and a questionable pro-amnesty history, and then quotes a bunch of Democrats and liberals to attack Karen Diebel.  Makes you wonder, if he thinks all these liberals are great sources of information, maybe he is in the wrong party?  Miller wants to tear apart Karen Diebel's record of cutting taxes, cutting spending, and reducing the size of government, but what can he show us?  Two restaurant companies, Pizzeria Uno and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, that were both in significantly worse shape when he left them then when he was hired.  Ruth's Chris even fired him as CEO after watching their stock tank due in no small part to Miller's fiscal irresponsibility. 

I remind my readers of another candidate who claimed to be a "good conservative" and "Republican," who offered great sound bites but had trouble with specifics:

UPDATE: NRCC Chairman Pete Sessions has strongly denounced Craig Miller's nasty attacks.  See the Politico article here:

Sessions: "Sick to my stomach" over Miller Attacks

“I am distressed and concerned anytime we have Republicans attack one another,” Sessions told POLITICO Monday, warning GOP campaigns from leveling attacks that were not grounded in facts. “It makes me sick to my stomach.”

...[Sessions] said he wanted to send a clear signal to GOP candidates across the country to play by the rules.

Sessions pointed out that the Miller mail item excerpted a quote from another Orlando Sentinel article...without acknowledging the statement came from a Florida Democratic Party spokesman. 

“When Republicans attack Republicans on a personal basis, they should do so with a clear understanding of the facts of the case and should not include a Democratic Party official attacking another Republican,” he said. “I’m asking anyone who runs an attack to back up and remember the arguments.”

Huckabee Responds to Desperate, Personal Attacks by Craig Miller

I'll have some more thoughts on this later, but Craig Miller has sunk to an unbelievable, absolutely despicable low this week, with a mailer he sent out quoting the liberal, anti-growth, controversial Winter Park City Commissioners Margie Bridges and Beth Dillaha engaging in false and nasty attacks against Karen Diebel.  Any Republican who quotes Beth Dillaha as an authority on anything needs to turn in their membership card, and probably needs to have their head examined.   

Here's one of the Huckabee calls he recorded last week for Karen Diebel, who he endorsed in June.  Despite the vicious lies and desperate efforts from Karen's opponents, Huckabee has continued to be a strong supporter of Karen's campaign.

YouTube | Gov. Mike Huckabee Responds to Desperate, Personal Attacks by Liberal Craig Miller

Craig Miller...yep, he's pro-amnesty.

There's flip-flopping on an issue, and then there's being a liar-liar-pants-on-fire.

 

At this rate, Craig Miller's campaign is going to have to hire someone to follow him around with a fire extinguisher aimed at his tuchus all day long.  

Miller has spent the past few claiming that he's really, really, tough on immigration, really, he promises, just please ignore all the lobbying work he did for the restaurant industry, oh and don't read that op-ed he wrote in 2006, and please forget how he joked about hiring illegal workers at an OCREC meeting just a few months ago, why don't you just look at his Facebook page and take his word for it?  Oh wait.  That didn't work either.

Now, even more information is popping up about Miller's long history of being pro-amnesty.  From Karen Diebel's campaign today:

La Raza President Praised Miller's Immigration Reform Efforts

 Says Issue a "Win-Win" for La Raza and Miller's Organization

 Craig Miller is pictured above with Janet Murguia, President of La Raza, one of the most radical pro-immigration groups in the country. The organization rejects the notion that "chicanos" should assimilate into the American melting pot. "La Raza" is Spanish or "The Race" and their motto is "For the race, everything. Outside the race, nothing." 

New questions arise about exactly how forthcoming Craig Miller has been about his position on illegal immigration.

For years, he was a DC insider lobbying against the Secure Fence Act, Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism & Illegal Immigration Control Act, and for a liberal guest worker program which granted amnesty. We also knew about his 2006 editorial, where he strongly defended his pro-amnesty record.

Now, as Miller wants us to believe he is a secure borders candidate, we find that he was openly working with one of the most radical groups in the country. Addressing the National Restaurant Association when Miller was Chairman, Janet Murguia, the President of La Raza, praised Miller for working with her on "immigration reform."

What will we find out about Miller next?

Much of this would have been put to rest had Miller announced at the beginning of his campaign a sincere change of heart on the immigration issue.

Instead, Miller waited until Karen Diebel was endorsed by Team America PAC and Congressman Tom Tancredo. The day after his record was revealed, Miller and his team scrambled and added the immigration issue to their website. Make no mistake - Miller's newly developed position is just pure politics from a long-time pro-amnesty insider.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

I have had several people tell me that they enjoy reading the blog, love the snarky humor, but also said, "I hope I never end up on your bad side!"  Well, fear not.  Nixon had an extensive "enemies list," but it's really easy to stay off my "list," two simple rules:

Rule #1: Don't lie.  If you do say something that's not true, then admit it, say you're sorry, and correct the mistake. 

Rule #2: Don't be a jerk.  Criticizing political opponents based on their voting record, the feasibility of their campaign promises, and their statements and actions is legitimate, and a valid way to illustrate differences between candidates.  Misrepresenting an opponent's record so you can call them a "liberal" or issuing personal attacks, not cool.    

So there you go.  Two simple rules.  Follow them, and you can sleep well at night without worrying I'm going to "target" you.  

Craig Miller got my attention after he misrepresented Karen Diebel's record on taxes and spending, and attempted to distort his own record on immigration.  Matthew Falconer gets attacked frequently here because it seems like every word out of his mouth is either a false attack on someone or a misrepresentation about local government.  As for Doug Guetzloe...wow, where to even begin with him and his Fake Tea Party?  Here's one example: at the recent Central Florida Tiger Bay Club debate between the Orange County Mayoral candidates, one of the few issues upon which all four candidates agreed was that they all publicly denounced Guetzloe and denied that they were working with him or would work with him.        

About two months ago, I wrote a post about Seminole County Commissioner Mike McLean's purchase of about $9,000 of new furniture for his office right after running a campaign claiming he was a "fiscal conservative."  Shortly after the post went up, I got a call from McLean's campaign manager, worried that I was planning a series of "hit pieces" on McLean.  I said, no, I didn't have any major issue with McLean, I actually had never even met him.

I also explained that I had known John Horan since I had a summer internship with his law firm back in 2002, and knew him to be a dedicated Republican and all-around good guy.  I had written the article about the furniture issue because I just thought it was kind of funny and there was a news article that easily verified the facts and details for me.  Doing a detailed "hit piece" on a county commissioner regarding specific votes, statements at county commission meetings, and policy positions requires a lot of time and energy to properly research, and I lacked the time or interest to scour over McLean's record like that.

I have continued to get messages from McLean staffers and supporters, worried about my involvement in the race, trying to argue with me about the minutiae of Seminole County Commission budget issues and McLean's voting history.  I don't know how many more times I can say this without turning blue in the face, but I am not working for the Horan campaign.  I've knocked on some doors once or twice, but that's it. 

It never ceases to amaze me how a certain mythology has risen up regarding me, this blog, and my political activities.  People have accused me of working for candidates I've never even met.  If I was working on even half of the campaigns I've been accused of working for, I'd be a millionaire.  Remember, campaign finance reports are public record.  If I'm working for a candidate, you'll see it eventually.  My work shows up on the reports as either my name or "Caffeinated Campaigns" or "Caffeinated Campaigns & Consulting, LLC." 

Since writing that article, I have met McLean at a recent HobNob event, and he certainly seemed like a friendly and affable fellow, exactly as I have heard him described.  Unfortunately, this nice and friendly-seeming guy has also made some extremely questionable and disappointing decisions regarding his campaign messaging.

The McLean campaign sent out a mailer comparing John Horan with Barack Obama and attempting to paint Horan as an amnesty-loving liberal.  Scott Maxwell doesn't always get his stories straight, but I think he has this one pegged pretty well:

Just by looking at [the McLean mail piece], one obviously assumes Mr. Horan is some sort of liberal, amnesty-loving Democrat who wants to take his open-border, Obama-loving ways to Washington, D.C.

Except he’s not.

Horan is a Republican. And the office he’s seeking isn’t federal. It’s for Seminole County commissioner — one that has virtually nothing to do with immigration.

But who cares? Immigration is the scare tactic and wedge issue of the day. So Seminole County Commissioner Mike McLean (who’s apparently a little nervous about his ability to retain his seat) decided to opt for scare tactics … whether they are relevant or not.

I don’t know John Horan. But I know McLean. He’s an affable enough guy — but also one who has a series of enough bone-headed (and sometimes ethically questionable) moves from his past that he’s right to be nervous.

But I don’t think he’s right to play these silly scare games. County commissioners have about 1,000 things more relevant to their jobs than immigration.  

Want proof? How about the fact that McLean’s been on the board for four years and hasn’t done a single thing regarding immigration. (He said he once tried, but the county attorney said his effort his proposal was unnecessary.)

That means that, if voters in Seminole elect a guy who does absolutely nothing with regards to immigration, they will have selected a guy who’s done precisely what McLean has accomplished when it comes to immigration: nothing.

I asked McLean about his mailer, and he said: “I stand by it and feel it is important for voters in the upcoming Republican Primary to be informed on my opponents views on key Republican issues.”

It’d probably be more important for them to be informed of you and your opponents’ views on Seminole County issues.

...Perhaps McLean’s nervous about the embarrassing headlines he’s made during this past term — including the time he reimbursed himself with almost as much taxpayer money for local mileage as the entire rest of the county commission combined.

There was also the time when — fresh off campaigning as a fiscal conservative — he spent more than $8,000 in taxpayer money redecorating his office … including $1,200 for a high-back chair. (McLean said he felt an obligation to make the office look nice, because it really belongs to the taxpayers.)

And then there was the time McLean  used county records to get the addresses of county employees, so he could solicit them for his insurance business. (His excuse? Just “trying to make a living.”)

Maybe you can see better now why McLean wants to distract voters. The question is: Will they fall for it?

Mike McLean should be ashamed of himself.  This despicable mailer is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to distract from his own record.  The Orlando Sentinel was right to endorse John Horan: 

Mr. McLean's early tenure on the commission was marred by episodes of poor judgment. He ordered more than $8,800 worth of new furniture for his county office. He obtained a list of hundreds of county employees to solicit as customers for his insurance business. He billed the county almost as much for travel in his first year as the other four commissioners combined.

These episodes would be easier to overlook now if Mr. McLean were more contrite. Instead, he dismisses them as having occurred during "different times," when public money wasn't so tight — as if it's OK to gouge a healthy budget.

And Mr. McLean has chosen to go after Mr. Horan for a 2008 guest column in the Sentinel that called on Congress to secure the nation's borders and permit "a market-driven flow of legal immigrants needed for the American economy."

Pretty reasonable stuff. And yet, Mr. McLean's campaign has likened him to President Obama. This is silly, and it's irrelevant in a county commission race.

We endorse John Horan.

So there you go.  Don't lie, and don't be a jerk, and you won't have a problem with me.  If Mike McLean or his campaign has a response to this, please email me or post a comment.  I would hope that the response would come with an apology, but I won't hold my breath.  

Another endorsement for Karen Diebel...and another kick in the teeth for Craig Miller

Oh this is just beautiful.  Last week, Alex Isenstadt at Politico published an article about the Republican Congressional primary for Florida District 24, "GOP Rivals hit Miller over immigration," in which Craig Miller laughably attempted to claim he was strong on immigration, and his campaign manager even more laughably claimed that Miller's "record as a restauranteur on imposing immigration is flawless."  

 

Those Miller fellas are hysterical.  The campaign even had the audacity to point to Miller being a "fan" of the Facebook page for the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC as some sort of proof that Miller actually was tough on immigration.  See my post from last week here.

Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC)

Well, apparently, the fine folks at ALIPAC didn't take to kindly to Miller trying to use their group as a cover for his pro-amnesty past.  They posted a link to the Politico article on their website with the title "Candidate uses ALIPAC Facebook page to Hide Amnesty Support"...

...and they also enthusiastically endorsed Karen Diebel, while issuing a scathing rebuke to Craig Miller:

August 9, 2010

CONTACT: Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC)
(866) 703-0864 WilliamG@alipac.us

Americans for Legal Immigration PAC is endorsing Karen Diebel for Congress in Florida's GOP Primary in the 24th district in reaction to an article that recently appeared in Politico claiming Diebel's opponent Craig Miller had joined ALIPAC's Facebook page to appear tough on illegal immigration after originally supporting Amnesty for illegal aliens.

While ALIPAC encourages candidate, lawmakers, and concerned citizens who want to stop Comprehensive Reform Amnesty for illegal aliens to join the groups prolific Facebook page and email lists, Craig Miller's prior support for Amnesty would prevent him from ever being endorsed.

"Craig Miller is the kind of Amnesty supporting politician we don't want in DC and we don't want him using our popular Facebook page to hide his support for amnesty," said William Gheen, President of ALIPAC. "We are happy to endorse Karen Diebel because her positions are better aligned with the vast majority of American voters who favor immigration enforcement, instead of Comprehensive Amnesty."

As the head of the National Restaurant Association, a notorious open borders group intent upon exploiting cheap illegal labor, Craig Miller opposed immigration enforcement and border security legislation in Washington. Miller wrote an op-ed in 2006 published in the Miami Herald supporting Comprehensive Immigration Reform Amnesty, which also decried immigration enforcement by saying, “Clearly we can't fix our broken immigration laws simply by enforcing them more stringently”

Craig Miller has also admitted that he "probably yet inadvertently" hired illegal aliens to handle food for American diners, during his tenure as CEO of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, even though such workers have failed to go through the medical background checks required of legal immigrants to protect Americans from contagious diseases.

Karen Diebel has joined hundreds of other Federal candidates who have completed ALIPAC's 2010 candidate survey.

In her survey answers she has pledged to oppose any form of "Amnesty or path to citizenship for illegal aliens, including Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which would turn millions of illegal immigrants into voters thus destroying future borders of America" Diebel has also indicated she supports Arizona's new immigration enforcement legislation, opposes welfare benefits for illegals, and supports fines for employers who hire illegals.

"Karen Diebel would work to have employers like Craig Miller fined for putting American jobs, wages, and health at risk with illegal immigrants," said William Gheen. "Craig Miller will go to congress pushing for Amnesty for illegals and employers like himself who hire them. We respectfully ask that Florida voters rebuke Mr. Miller and send Karen Diebel to Congress!"

Americans for Legal Immigration PAC is one of America's largest grass roots organizations fighting against illegal immigration and for the enforcement of our existing immigration and border laws. Each election season, ALIPAC endorses candidates in every state. For more information about ALIPAC or to view the growing endorsements list for 2010, please visit www.alipac.us.

Link to the ALIPAC press release: 

ALIPAC | Politico article inspires endorsement 4 Karen Diebel

My post from last week:

Sunshine State Sarah | Craig Miller jokes about hiring illegal immigrants...and oh, yeah, he supported amnesty

Craig Miller jokes about hiring illegals...and, oh yeah, he supported amnesty

At a recent Orange County Republican Executive Committee meeting, we held a forum for the Republican Congressional candidates in District 24.  Craig Miller apparently thinks violating our immigration laws is pretty darn funny:  

YouTube | Craig Miller admits to hiring illegal immigrants

I didn't take this video, but I was at the meeting and remember being shocked at the callous way Miller answered the question.  We've all heard Miller's standard excuse that this is "just how the restaurant industry works."  Sorry, but in my opinion, that's total crap.  I've had several family members work in the nursery industry here in Orange County, and they don't just say "this is how the nursery works" as an excuse to slack off on enforcement of our immigration laws.

According to my uncle, who has worked for two major nursery companies in Central Florida and was one of the hiring managers at his old company, says that the procedure is very simple, just ask the applicant to fill out the I-9 form and provide at least two forms of identification listed on the I-9 form.  My uncle said he "wasn't an expert" on identifying falsified IDs, and of course the government offers no  real training or guidance to employers, but that the fake IDs always "looked funny:" peeling lamination, fading print, obvious misspellings, etc.  He would simply question if they had another ID they could show him and they would just shrug or smile and leave.

Now contrast that to Craig Miller.  The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Northern District of Alabama, recently issued an order in a lawsuit filed by several employees of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse who were American citizens (Kyle Edwards v. Prime, Inc. d/b/a Ruth's Chris Steak House, Case No. 08-AR-1016-S.  Read order online here), allowing the lawsuit to proceed based on claims by employees who are U.S. Citizens that Ruth's Chris Steak House, under Craig Miller's management at the time, was engaged in a criminal conspiracy to suppress wages by hiring illegal aliens, including providing undocumented workers with fake Social Security Numbers, and asking them to recruit other illegal aliens to work for the steakhouse too.

Craig Miller may want to use the excuse of "I was just the CEO, I didn't know anything!", but that doesn't erase his long, documented history of lobbying against immigration reforms.  In an op-ed published in the Miami Herald on April 16, 2006, Miller whines that our immigration policies are "impossible to enforce," and then advocates for the amnesty bill that was being sponsored by Senators Teddy Kennedy and Arlen Specter.  We all see what a reliable conservative Arlen Specter turned out to be - how Craig Miller can back this Arlen Specter policy and then call himself a conservative just boggles my mind.

Anyway, one specific sentence in Miller's op-ed stood out for me when I read it: "Clearly we can't fix our broken immigration laws simply by enforcing them more stringently."  Miller is missing the point here.  One of the biggest problems with our immigration system is that the current laws are not enforced.  Does Miller mean that our immigration problems would be solved if more companies would help illegal aliens get fake IDs like that lawsuit charges Miller's restaurants were doing?

Miller's op-ed is bad, but hey, he has a First Amendment right to argue for whatever goofball positions he wants.  What I find way more troubling than any of the nonsense Miller has said in the past, is what he has done in recent years.  In his roles as chairman of the National Restaurant Association and CEO of Ruth Chris' Steak House, Miller spent millions of dollars lobbying strongly for amnesty and against programs like e-verify.

"E-verify" is a program that would have employers submit the names and social security numbers of their job applicants, and then the SSN would be compared to the actual record.  So, as an example, if an illegal immigrant applied for a job with my company, and he's a 32 year old man named Boris from the Ukraine, and the SSN Boris put on his application actually belongs to an 84 year old woman named Betty living in Wisconsin...Gotcha! 

E-verify has many benefits - it's easy (just requires a simple computer search), not very expensive to administer, and it provides good enforcement of our immigration and employment laws while avoiding discrimination.  It doesn't ask employers to "guess" if an applicant is an illegal alien, or to use subjective judgment trying to figure out if an ID looks fake.  E-verify just checks to see if the name and SSN match.  No racism, no discrimination, no complications.

So why would Craig Miller lobby against e-verify?  Could it be that his restaurants liked hiring illegal aliens because they could take advantage of them and pay them less and not provide benefits?

Then yesterday, we get another bundle of ridiculousness from the Miller Laugh Factory.  In an article on Politico regarding the District 24 Republican primary, Miller tries to claim he is actually an opponent of illegal immigration, and his campaign manager audaciously claims that Miller's record on the issue is "flawless."

"Flawless?"  Really?!  Sorry but I don't call laughing about violating our immigration laws, getting sued for a criminal conspiracy to suppress wages by hiring illegals, and lobbying for amnesty and against e-verify "flawless."

There's another word that begins with "F" that I think better describes Miller's history on the immigration issue (no, not that "F" word!): FAILURE.

Craig Miller is an absolute failure when it comes to understanding and respecting this country's immigration laws, he is a failure as an advocate for conservative principles on this issue, and hopefully the voters will make him a failure as a Congressional candidate in a few short weeks here.

One final humorous tidbit in the Politico article: Miller's campaign attempts to defend his record as an advocate for amnesty with this point:

On his campaign Facebook page, Miller has become a “fan” of the tough-on-immigration group Americans for Legal Immigration and the website Stand With Arizona, which supports that state’s controversial enforcement law. 

Since when does being a "Facebook fan" count as real advocacy?  What a flip-floppin' joke.  All that means is that Miller - or, more likely, a campaign staffer with the password to his Facebook page - clicked one little button to say that he "liked" some organization's page.  Does not mean that Miller actually knows what the organization does or that he truly supports its positions.  Heck, for all we know he was just trying to say that he liked the Arizona brand ice tea or something!

I'm a "fan" of over a 100 different groups on my personal Facebook page - including some candidates who are running against candidates I've endorsed (helps keep track of what the other side is doing!).  Becoming a "fan" on Facebook doesn't require any work or  loyalty or proof of actual support at all.  If Craig Miller is pointing to his Facebook page as evidence of his immigration policies, then he really must have nothing else to show the voters.

Mr. Miller needs to learn that being a conservative is more than just having a shiny brochure or slick TV ad claim that you are "pro-life!" and "pro-gun!"  This year, perhaps more than any other in recent memory, Republicans want a candidate who actually embraces conservative principles, not just sound bites. 

I'm proud to endorse Karen Diebel in the District 24 race.  She didn't have to join a Facebook group to figure out what her positions are on immigration, and has been endorsed by Team America PAC, the anti-illegal immigration political action committee headed by former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, as well as other elected officials and conservative activists with a strong record on immigration issues.

UPDATE: ALIPAC responded to the Politico article by endorsing Karen Diebel and issuing a press release sharply criticizing Craig Miller: Another endorsement for Karen Diebel

Disgraceful attacks on Karen Diebel

Yesterday, a blog posted some very inflammatory accusations about Karen Diebel.  I am not going to drive traffic to that site by posting a link (and I am not going to publish any comments that reference that blog's name or address). The short story is that in 2008, Karen received several personal threats to her and her children, and the police were called several times. Someone decided to take this old story (a story that had already been reported over a year ago by the Orlando Sentinel) totally out of context and try and make political hay out of it less than two months before the primary.

Rumors are flying about the source of that blog post, and there are a lot of people pointing fingers at Karen's Republican primary opponents.  I do not yet have any evidence directly implicating either the Craig Miller or Sandy Adams campaign, but there are some troublesome coincidences and events that happened over the past few days.  Both Adams' and Miller's campaign managers have denied initiating this story, and I believe the word of both managers, but I also am a semi-cynical realist about elections and politics, and I know that candidates don't always tell their staff 100% of their activities, especially when it's something morally questionable.

I am currently in the middle of my investigation of this situation, and decided to go ahead and post what I've uncovered so far, on the theory that maybe other people reading this blog will be able to help with the research and maybe find something I've missed.  If anyone does find something, and isn't comfortable bringing it forward on their own, please contact me and if I can verify your information, I will post it here.  

Anyway, here's what I've dug up so far...