Now, this week, it appears that a few more contenders are joining the Facebook ad game. I saw this ad from Tim Pawlenty, looking suspiciously like the Romney ad:
OK, same color scheme, same pairing of Marco's photo on the left, Rubio's name in bold letters, and the congratulatory message referring to Marco's election as a "history victory." Sheesh. At least he could have tried to be a little bit original.
...Note that the tabs at the top include the traditional Facebook "Wall," and "Info," and of course an invitation to "Join TPaw" by supporting his "Freedom First PAC," and then ..the next two tabs are "New Hampshire" and "Iowa," listing all the many fun stuff that "TPaw" has been doing in those little states lately.
I don't feel like going into my full "why do these itty bitty snow covered states have such a ridiculously disproportionate impact on Presidential primaries" rant, but at least they did serve as a very simple litmus test: any politician who is not from Iowa who posts a bunch of Facebook photos with random corn farmers is definitely running for President.
Today marks the 235th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Please take a moment and say a special prayer of thanks for these brave men and women, and their families, for all the sacrifices they have made, and continue to make every day, to protect our country.
Right after last week's election results, I noticed a new Facebook ad popping up on my page that looked like this:
Did you get similar ads on your Facebook page too? Looks like Team Romney was well-prepared to use the Republican victories as a launch pad for his second try to get to the White House.
The folks at the TechRepublican blog noticed Romney's Facebook ads too, and also noticed that Marco wasn't the only one he congratulated:
Clicking on Romney's Facebook ads takes you to a Facebook fan page with a link to, what else, a YouTube video of Mitt Romney...in New Hampshire...hmmm...what's so special about New Hampshire?
Yeah. Romney's in New Freakin' Hampshire. One of those itty-bitty cute little states that clings to electoral relevance by having ridiculously early primaries. He's, like, soooo totally running for President. Totally.
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...
Senator-elect Marco Rubio (man, I like the sound of that...) was selected to deliver the weekly address for the Republicans today. The party should make this a regular gig for him.
Here's Marco addressing some of the challenges facing the newly elected members of Congress, and the importance of the Republicans not squandering the second chance the voters have given them...
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...
Today's the big day! If you haven't already voted, make sure you get out to your precinct well before 7:00 pm today. If you don't know your precinct, Direct Media Strategies has teamed up with Google on the Voting Information Project to create a Polling Place Locator app:
Still not sure what to think about the amendments? Read my discussion here. My complete list of endorsed candidates is available here (or just click the "Endorsements" tab at the top of this page). *My personal opinions only*
I was on the Ed Dean Radio show earlier today to talk with Ed about our predictions for tomorrow's elections. We'll see if I'm right in less than 24 hours!
Last week, I received two mailers at my house, attacking Republican District 8 Congressional candidate Daniel Webster and supporting Peg Dunmire. Neither of them had a return address or any political advertising disclaimer.
Here is one of the mailers (the other is substantially similar, slightly different text and graphics, but same message and again no return address or disclaimer):
(click to enlarge image)
(click to enlarge image)
Federal law requires disclaimers for political advertisement mailers, regardless of whether they are sent by a candidate, a political party, or a independent PAC or "527" organization. These mailers have no disclaimer whatsoever, no return addresses, no way to identify who sent them.
The only identification is the mail house's bulk mail ID and the print shop's union label, the logo on the bottom left of the first page of the mailer above that says "16 Typographical Union Label Casselberry, FL."
This union label can be traced to Lawton Printers in Casselberry. Here is a screenshot of their website page that shows the same union label:
Interestingly, last week the Florida Democratic Party sent out a similar mailer in Congressional District 2, with similar fonts and message, and again attacking the Republican candidate and promoting the third party candidate:
See Practical State's great discussion of this mailer here:
So who paid for the Dunmire mailers? Was it the Florida Democratic Party? The voters of District 8 have the right to know who is trying to influence this very important election.
UPDATE: Here is Local 6 WKMG's story on this mailer:
On Friday and Saturday, I attended several get-out-the-vote rallies for our Republican candidates and thought I'd share some of the photos and stories with you...
Friday, there was a large rally for Marco Rubio at the Marks Street Senior Center. As is common at these rallies, staffers were passing out stickers supporting candidates. Marco's team had a new one I hadn't seen before, but really liked:
We have a new shiny arena, and on Tuesday, we are going to get a new shiny Senator!
State Representative Scott Plakon's daughter Jeanne sang "God Bless America" to kick off the rally and then also sang her own version of "Tomorrow" from the Annie soundtrack. She changes the lyrics to say "November" instead of "tomorrow." I've been watching Jeanne sing this song all year. She used to sing, "I love ya, November, you're only eight months away!" but on Friday she could finally sing "I love ya, November, you're only four days away!" That got an extra big round of applause.
Here's Jeanne singing "November" at the Orange County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner back in March:
The Republican candidates appeared together on stage - Marco Rubio, Jeff Atwater, Adam Putnam - apparently the new uniform is blue shirt and khaki pants. They even made several jokes about how they all looked alike:
The Republican Party is so united this year, our candidates are color-coordinated.
Marco Rubio gave a great speech, thanking everyone for supporting him. He also talked about other races, commenting how great it was going to be "to trade in [an] Alan Grayson and get a Daniel Webster."
One of the reasons I respect Marco so much is that his message has not changed since he got into the race. In early 2009, I had the privilege of being invited to lunch with several other Central Florida Republicans to talk with Marco about his Senate campaign. At that point, Charlie Crist was pretty much acting like he had a crown on his head. I had heard Marco speak at events before, but had never had a chance to meet him directly. He just plain impressed the heck out of me. Solid mix of intelligence and common sense, natural political instinct, easy sense of humor, confident but not egotistical (unlike some people, cough cough, Charlie, cough cough).
After that lunch meeting, my decision was easy. I was on Team Marco. I hosted a fundraiser in July 2009, one of the first in Orlando for Marco (maybe even the very first). I remember getting a lot of phone calls and comments about it, asking why I was supporting him when Charlie was "definitely" going to win, and Marco was "inevitably" going to switch to the AG race, Marco was too many points down and "could never" win, didn't I want a political career, etc.
Well, even at that point, every time the media ran a story saying Marco couldn't win because Marco was polling at "X" and Charlie was polling at "Y," Marco's "X" got higher and Charlie's "Y" got lower. Add that to the easily-observable reality that every time people heard Marco speak, they didn't just like what they heard, they loved it. And again, he's been faithful and consistent in his stances, see this article from WDBO from the same day as my fundraiser.
I still remember parts of the speech Marco gave at that July 2009 fundraiser (kicking myself for not videoing it!) and was thinking about it while I listened to Marco on Friday. Same ideas, same goals, same principles. In a political era where Charlie pinky-swears on national TV that he's a "Jeb Bush Republican" only to abandon the party, flip flop on pretty much everything and everyone (he's now promising Democrats that he will caucus with them), Marco's steadfastness and reliable conservative principles are a giant breath of fresh air.
Side note: how weird - not to mention totally creepy - is it that Charlie called Meek at 4:50 am? He's so desperate, he's now resorting to political booty calls. Another thought...first Charlie tried to bully Marco out of the Republican primary, last week he tried to bully Kendrick Meek out of the race. If current trends hold, Alex Snitker better watch his back, he's next!
At the end of the rally, I shook Marco's hand and told him while I had been confident that this day waspossible last year when he was 20 points down in the polls, but now that it was actually here, it felt even better than I had expected. Big grin from Marco for that comment.
I then went to a rally being held for Daniel Webster at the corner of Bumby and Colonial. Webster is touring around District 8 with his truck, calling it his "F150 Tour." I parked across the street and walked over to join everyone. There were a lot of people there, including a large number of families and children.
View as I walked over to the Webster rally, intersection of Bumby and Colonial
Part of the Webster crowd. Couldn't get them all in the shot, people behind me and more to the left. Truck was parked to the right and people all around it too.
Last light of the day shining on Webster's face as he gets ready to give his speech. Hopefully Tuesday will see the sun set on Grayson's tenure in Congress too!
Webster gave a great speech to a very enthusiastic crowd.
My next Congressman
Right after I took this picture, things got...interesting. Several Grayson supporters, about 3 or 4 guys, showed up and started yelling and trying to interrupt Webster's speech. One guy in particular was extremely aggressive, getting right behind the truck and waving his sign behind Webster. Well, as the Sentinel has already reported, Bruce O'Donoghue (Republican primary candidate for District 8) went and took the sign from the guy. A Webster staffer quickly went over and calmed the situation down and had Bruce give the guy his sign back. Bruce walked away, the guy went back to hopping up and down and yelling, a little further back than before, no big deal.
The Sentinel article has the video, so you can judge for yourself...except...notice that the video cuts from right after Webster starts talking to when Bruce approached the guy. The video editor completely cut out the part where the guy was practically climbing on the truck and waving his sign right behind Webster. This may not have been a particularly well thought out move for Bruce, but holy heck, he didn't hurt the guy, it was over in seconds, I just don't understand the fuss. Considering how close the guy was getting to Webster and how aggressive he was acting, I was honestly a little worried about the guy's intentions and was glad that he kept a little more distance after Bruce snatched his sign.
Of course, in the delusional and self-important worldview of Alan Grayson, he is screaming bloody murder about one little sign getting snatched, folded and then handed back, saying that it was an example of "the increasing number of incidents of violence perpetrated by right-wing supporters." Excuse me?! What "incidents of violence?" You mean the tea party movement rallies, where we go around with trash bags afterward and make sure there isn't even a gum wrapper left behind? The gatherings of Republicans where we do wild things like say the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the National Anthem?
The Webster crowd included, as I said before, a lot of families and children. The Grayson supporters that showed up were shouting a lot of ugly, aggressive, offensive things even with those children there. Grayson clearly didn't have very high standards in who he hired. Yes, I said "hired:" several of the so-called supporters admitted to us that they had been paid to come and protest.
Contrast that to this video showing the hundreds of volunteers who showed up to walk for Dan Webster a few weekends ago:
The funny thing was, most of the Grayson people didn't show up until the event was over and the crowd was dispersing. There were only 4 or 5 of them who made it before the speeches were over. There were about 2 dozen or so by the time I had left, but the sun was setting and the crowd was dispersing.
The really funny thing was that these hired protesters were total amateurs. Besides being very late, they didn't seem to know what they were supposed to do, milling around confused. Several of them tried to start chants but they had trouble getting everyone to yell the same words at the same time. They pretty much just gave up and went back to yelling insults at women and children. We all saw the irony in the situation, and I commented that I was disappointed in them. "They just don't make liberals like they used to. I thought they knew how to do street protests. We got the defective hippies!"
Regardless, the whole scene just illustrated the vast, vast difference between Dan Webster and Alan Grayson. I was very proud to fill in the bubble next to Webster's name last week during early voting, and I look forward to being even prouder when I can call him Congressman.
Photo taken by Todd Catella, who describes it as "I see the sun rising on a new political day!"
[more coming later from the Jeb Bush rally Saturday...]
One of the things I enjoy most about being politically active is the opportunity to really get to know the candidates, as well as their family and friends. Politics can be a cynical game, but there are some really good, honest people involved and a number of candidates, especially locally, who I feel confident are truly running for the right reasons.
One of those candidates is Teresa Jacobs. I've been a longtime admirer of hers because of her tough reputation as an ethics watchdog and an independent thinker. I was proud to vote for her earlier this week during early voting, and I am looking forward to watching her get sworn in as Orange County's next mayor.
Earlier today, the Jacobs campaign sent out an email with messages for Teresa from her husband Bruce and their four children. Call me a sap, but I just love this stuff. I think this type of personal, heart-felt message about a candidate is important and certainly a bit of fresh air among all the nutty attack ads out there.
Here are the messages from the Jacobs Family:
Teresa,
When I married you 29 years ago I never in my wildest dreams thought you would ever run for political office. Actually, 29 years ago, I never thought we would have four of the greatest kids in the world. As we move into the last week of the campaign, I want you to know how proud we are of you. Against all odds, you have shown once again, why you are cherished not only by me, and the kids, but the majority of folks that you have met on the campaign trail. I know it has not been easy, but you have has stayed true to your beliefs and have not wavered. This doesn't surprise me, because you have instilled those beliefs in me as well as our children over the years. Come next Tuesday at 8:00 PM, I can't wait to tell people like I have in the past "I am Teresa Jacobs' husband", except this time, I will be saying it to the next Mayor of Orange County.
Love you always,
Bruce
Mom,
To say that I am proud of you would be an understatement. Throughout this entire election I have watched you stay true to yourself. I admire your honesty and integrity because I know at times it would have been easier to give up. No matter the outcome of the election you have your family, your friends and a whole lot of other people who are proud of the race you ran. Thanks for being an amazing mom and role model. I can only hope I inherited some of that!
Love always,
Lisa
Mom,
I can't believe that the election is just a few days away. I know it has been a long and tough journey but I want to let you know how grateful I am to have you as a mother. The strength and integrity that you have shown, truly makes me proud every time I hear people talk about you. I know for a fact I am one of many who feel this way. You have been a great mom for the past 24 years and I know you would also make a great mayor for the next 8 years!
Love,
Josh
Mom,
I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. You have sacrificed so much to run for Mayor. I know if you win, Orange County will be a better place because of the core values you have taught us, standing behind what you believe in. We are all so proud of you and love you so very much.
Love Max
Mom,
Not many people can say their mom is running for Orange County Mayor and I must say I am extremely proud of the job you have done thus far. Throughout this campaign and for the past 19 years of my life you have always taught me to have courage and to never give up. You're not only an outstanding mother but an incredible role model and leader as well. You will make an ideal Mayor for Orange County. I love you,
Chase
Awwww. So sweet. The little fluffy dog pictured above has not released an official statement, but I assume that he or she is also on Team Teresa. :)
JASPER, IN—A blue corrugated plastic sign bearing the name of candidate Todd Young has invigorated and galvanized voters in southeastern Indiana's 9th District congressional race, catapulting the Republican to an all but insurmountable lead over his opponent, Democratic incumbent Baron Hill.
The 24-by-18-inch signboard, which political pundits have called an "instant game changer" since its appearance on Jasper, IN's Jackson Street last Friday, features a red, white, and blue color scheme, four stars above Young's name, and the slogan "Promise of a New Tomorrow." It also includes the word "Vote" and a check-mark-filled square next to the candidate's name, a strategy expected to triple turnout at the polls as throngs of voters rush to support Young.
"When I drove by the sign two days ago, I had to pull over to the side of the road and catch my breath," said Jade Williams, 34, a lifelong Democrat and former supporter of Baron Hill. "I'd never felt such a profound connection to a candidate before. Then I saw the powerful red line under his name and knew I had to drive to City Hall immediately and register as a Republican."
"It's the promise of a new tomorrow," Williams added.
While the 9th District seat was considered a toss-up prior to the sign's erection, a tidal wave of support has now emerged for Young, who over the past two days has received key endorsements from Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and former president Bill Clinton.
Experts across the country are calling the small but legible sign a "brilliant political move," and have praised Young's campaign for making the sign double-sided so it can be seen by motorists driving in both directions....
(Click on link above to read the rest of the article)
Looks like Jeb Bush and I are on the same page on the Amendments. RPOF published on their website this op-ed that Jeb wrote for the Tampa Tribune last week:
We'll soon learn the outcome of some of the most hotly contested elections in recent memory. But the full story of the 2010 elections won't be told only by those who won the U.S. Senate seat or governor's mansion. That's because Florida is one of only 18 states that allows its citizens to amend their constitutions. With that right comes great power but also great responsibility.
This year, Floridians will consider seven amendments to our constitution.
What guidelines should we use in examining these proposed amendments? As governor, I always examined the fiscal impact of proposed legislation. The job of our elected officials includes spending our tax dollars wisely, and I believe citizens have the same responsibility as they consider proposed constitutional changes.
We also need to look at whether or not amending the constitution is the best way to affect change. What are the unintended consequences? Can legislation accomplish the same goal, but give our state the flexibility to meet other needs that might be negatively impacted by a constitutional change?
When I vote absentee, I will vote no on three of the seven proposed changes. The concerns these proposals raise are worthy of serious consideration by Floridians.
Amendment 4 requires voter approval of every change to a city or county's comprehensive land use plan. It has the potential to completely stall our economy, making it harder to create and grow jobs and to responsibly manage growth in our beautiful state. One city in Florida that tried a similar local law has found that the idea – which initially sounded good to local voters – has caused years of costly litigation that burdens taxpayers and drives jobs and business elsewhere. If Amendment 4 does not work in a city of 10,000 people, it is hard to imagine that it will work in a state of 18 million. I'll vote no.
Amendments 5 and 6 change the way Florida draws legislative and congressional district boundaries. While not perfect, Florida's system of representative democracy has resulted in one of the most diverse groups of elected officials in the nation and increased minority participation in government. Amendments 5 and 6 could potentially jeopardize the progress Florida has made in creating opportunities for all individuals to serve in their government. The non-partisan James Madison Institute says that enactment of these proposed amendments would likely result in protracted litigation and districts that are ultimately devised by judges rather than elected representatives.
Florida has learned there is nothing more important than clear, workable elections laws. Amendments 5 and 6 would create murky standards that would become almost impossible to change. I am voting no.
I am voting yes on Amendment 1, which repeals public campaign financing for statewide candidates who agree to spending limits. I've long been an opponent of using our tax dollars to finance political campaigns. Tax dollars should be spent in the classroom, on protecting public safety and providing a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens, not on welfare for politicians.
I am voting yes on Amendment 2, which provides a homestead exemption for active duty military and National Guard who spent the previous year deployed overseas. It's appropriate to provide tax relief to our more than 25,000 Floridians who are protecting our citizens, and I believe this outweighs the estimated fiscal impact.
Amendment 8 addresses unintended consequences I referenced earlier. Several years ago voters approved a proposal which created a maximum class size for our public schools. While admirable in its goals, the impact has been devastating: reduced dollars in the classroom, fewer resources to pay teachers and a false sense we are improving the quality of education through class size reductions. Amendment 8, the "Right Size Class Size" amendment, changes maximum numbers to a school-wide average, maintaining smaller class size but freeing up dollars to focus on our students. I am voting yes.
I am voting yes on the advisory proposal to force Congress to balance their budget, just as Florida must balance our own budget and Floridians, at their kitchen tables, balance their budgets every week.
Since the birth of our country, the power to govern has ultimately resided in the individual – people like you and me. I encourage every Floridian to exercise this extraordinary privilege.
It's not too late to help the campaign. You can donate online at www.Yost2010.com or volunteer by making phone calls, walking a neighborhood, or helping on election day. The Orange County office is open every day until the election and you can even phone bank from home. Contact Steve Borum at steve.borum@yost2010.com for more info.
We in the Grand Old Party are often unfairly branded as being "not cool." OK, yes, we're the same party that ran John "More Likely to Break a Hip than BE Hip" McCain for President in 2008, and I've often said that one thing Democrats do better is coming up with catchy T-shirt slogans, sometimes the Republican Party really can be the trendsetter...
Case in point: last night's debate between gubernatorial (Does anyone else giggle a little bit at how the first part of that word is "goober"? Just me? OK, then...) debate between Rick Scott and Alex Sink.
After one of the commercial breaks, Scott made a reference to Sink violating the debate rules, getting a message from a staffer on some sort of cell phone (looked like an iPhone) shown to her by her makeup artist during the break. Campaigns always negotiate and make agreements about the format and rules of a debate beforehand, and apparently the agreement for yesterday's debate included not getting notes (which arguably would include a message displayed on a cell phone). The Miami Herald's Naked Politics blog posted the agreement both campaigns signed, confirming that Sink was not supposed to get any notes during the debate.
During the debate, Twitter was all aflutter with politico-types discussing who scored what points, what silly things were said, who sounded more like a politician and more like a leader, and then there was this tweet, from one of the moderators of the debate, Adam Smith of the St. Pete Times:
Smith made that post almost immediately after the debate ended, along with the link to a blog post with the same bold print headline: "Alex Sink cheated during the debate." Alex Sink Cheated. Ouch. That's a pretty brutal smackdown from the moderator of the debate, especially after she spent most of the hour whining about how she was the most ethical and just-shiny-perfect candidate in the race.
The other moderator, CNN's John King, weighed in too, with a YouTube video of the incident, including what happened during the commercial break when Sink got her illicit little communication, under the title, "Alex Sink caught breaking debate rules:"
Anyway, Adam Smith's initial tweet and blog post got everyone all atwitter (Heh!) and the debate discussion (at least among the people I follow, which is admittedly not a scientific sample, but anyway...) almost completely turned away from all other topics concerning the debate to talk about Sink's violation of the debate rules.
And of course, in the typical super-snarky way of the internet, several people quickly made suggestions for what to call the cheating scandal. MakeupArtistGate? Too long. Then I saw something that was just the perfect description, especially considering that the phone apparently used to pass on the offending message was an iPhone: iCheat. When I saw that, I immediately thought, oh, that is FANTASTIC.
Well done, y'all! Snarky and very clever. I was not expecting such creativity from an "official" party or candidate Twitter account. The term was definitely my favorite of the night, and I made up this little logo (feel free to share, just give me credit):
It's just a parody. Please don't sue me, Steve Jobs.
Well apparently, the term resonated with the Scott campaign, because they sent out an email last night with "iCheat" as the subject line, and their own cute little graphic:
Sorry, Alex, but AT&T's crappy network is not gonna help you out of this one.
The email, from Scott campaign manager Susie Wiles, mentioned the cheating, quoted Adam Smith's tweet, and said:
...During the debate, there was a moment that crystallized the stakes in this election. Alex Sink broke the rules agreed to by both campaigns prior to the debate when she was shown a message on an iPhone by an aide during one of the commercial breaks. It was especially ironic because she cheated right after an exchange about ethical conduct...
...It is very unusual for a moderator to feel compelled to make such a judgment following a debate, but it is also unheard of for a candidate to so recklessly ignore an agreement.
Floridians deserve a governor who respects their agreements and tonight, after her iCheat episode, it’s clear that Alex Sink will do anything to get elected.
Enjoy this amazingly brilliant post from Frank J. Fleming (of the IMAO blog), posted last week on Pajamas Media...with probably one of the most logical explanations of the resurgence of Republicans this year...
Fleming has a great analogy comparing a dog that barks all night (something that "sucks") and a zombie apocalypse (something that REALLY sucks), using it to point out that the Republicans screwed up, which is why they were defeated in the 2006 and 2008 elections, but that the Democrats have surpassed all previously-measured levels of "suckitude:"
AMERICANS: “So, the economy is pretty bad and there’s high [un]employment. You think you can do something about that?”
DEMOCRATS AND OBAMA: “We can spend a trillion dollars we don’t have on pork and stuff.”
AMERICANS: “No … that’s not what we want. We’d really like you not to do that.”
DEMOCRATS: “You’re stupid. We’re doing it anyway.”
AMERICANS: “That’s not going to help us get jobs!”
DEMOCRATS: “Sure it will; millions of them … though they may be invisible. You’ll have to trust us they exist. And guess what else we’ll do: We’ll create a giant new government program to take over health care.”
AMERICANS: “That has nothing to do with jobs!”
DEMOCRATS: “We don’t care about that anymore. We really want a giant new health care program. We’re sure you’ll love it.”
AMERICANS: “Don’t pass that bill. You hear me? Absolutely do not pass that bill.”
DEMOCRATS: “Believe me; you’ll love it. It has … well, I don’t know what exactly is in the bill, but we’re sure it’s great.”
AMERICANS: “Listen to me: DO. NOT. PASS. THAT. BILL.”
DEMOCRATS: “You’re not the boss of me! We’re doing it anyway!”
AMERICANS: “Look what you did! Now the economy is way worse, we’re even deeper in debt, and we have a bunch of new laws we don’t want!”
DEMOCRATS: “You’re racist.”
AMERICANS: “Wha … How is that racist?”
DEMOCRATS: “Now you’re getting violent! Stop being violent and racist, you ignorant hillbillies! And remember to vote Democrat in November.”
So the Democrats sucked. But not just plain old, usual politician sucked, but epic levels of suck where it’s hard to find an analogue in human history that conveys the same level of suckitude. It was sheer incompetence plus arrogance — and those things do not complement each other well. We’re talking sucking that distorts time and space like a black hole.
It’s Godzilla-smashing-through-a-city level of suck — but a really patronizing Godzilla who says you’re just too stupid and hateful to see all the buildings he’s saved or created as he smashes everything apart...Obama and the Democrats have been so awful, it’s hard for the human brain to even comprehend...
But the Democrats will counter that the Republicans also suck. And while this is true, it’s not really going to help them. As I pointed out before, both a dog incessantly barking and a zombie apocalypse are things that everyone would agree suck. Yet no one during a zombie apocalypse, while hiding out in a boarded up mall, would turn to the other survivors and say, “We don’t want to kill all the zombies; then we’d have to go back to being woken up at night by that annoying dog next door.”
...People do remember how much the Republicans suck, and they know where it tops out … and that is nowhere near as bad as the Democrats are today. Like with the barking dog, it’s annoying, but you know it’s not going to cause the collapse of civilization as we know it. Not so with the zombie apocalypse; who knows how bad that could get if left to continue? Same with the Democrats and Obama; people have never dealt with anything this horrible their entire lives, and they aren’t that curious to see how much worse it can be...
What do you think? Are the Republicans doing well in the polls just because the Democrats are reaching new depths of suckiness? More importantly, have the Republicans learned their lesson and is there any hope that if they win control of Congress again that they won't suck this time around? (Keeping my fingers crossed!)
I've been getting emails and Facebook messages from readers who are confused about the law regarding absentee ballots, early voting, and other election issues. I thought it would be easiest to just put up a post to address the most frequently asked questions and hopefully help everyone make sure they get to vote this year.
If you requested an absentee ballot, you can still mail it in. There is plenty of time for it to get to the Supervisor of Elections ("SOE"). As we get closer to November 2, 2010, you may want to consider hand-delivering it directly to the SOE, because mail delays do sometimes happen and if your ballot doesn't arrive on time, your vote will not count.
If you prefer, you can take your absentee ballot to an early voting location and turn it in there. If you want to vote on a regular ballot during early voting, you will still need to bring your absentee ballot with you, the procedure is that first, you turn in your absentee ballot so the SOE can void it and they will issue you a regular ballot.
All registered voters can participate in early voting. It's not just for people who requested absentee ballots and you didn't have to sign up on any list for it. You can go to any early voting location in your county.
If you still have your absentee ballot on November 2nd, you can either hand deliver it to the SOE or take your absentee ballot with you to your regular precinct. You cannot turn in absentee ballots at your regular precinct on Election Day, instead they will void the absentee ballot and issue you a regular ballot to vote. If you don't bring the absentee ballot with you, the SOE will check the records to see if your absentee ballot was already turned in. Depending on the circumstances, they may require you to vote with a provisional ballot. (Remember too, on Election Day, you must go to your assigned precinct, or you will only be able to vote with a provisional ballot.)
And while I know that 99.99% of y'all are good, honest people, if anyone out there thinks they can be clever and get an absentee ballot and then show up at the polls and vote again, the SOE knows exactly who requests absentee ballots, who sends them in, who votes during early voting each day, and who votes on the actual election day.
If your name shows up on more than one voter list, they will catch you. Voter fraud is a crime. Don't even think about it.
If anyone has any questions about voting, absentee ballots, or early voting, post in the comments below and I'll do my best to help you out.
Now, get out there and VOTE! Early voting is happening NOW! Haven't made up your mind yet? Here's my recommendations.
Pearl Plaza is a nondescript shopping center in Northwest Jacksonville. A large parking lot scattered with a few dozen cars leads up to a handful of businesses, including a thrift store, sandwich shop and a branch location for a statewide public employees' union.
Though the line of storefronts looks like any number of countless strip malls that dot Duval County, it has caught the attention of U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown. Since 2008, she has formally requested $1.1 million in federal money for the plaza for "streetscape improvements and renovation."
What makes Pearl Plaza different than the countless other strip malls that don't get federal money? In short, family ties.
Since 2005, Community Rehabilitation Center, a nonprofit group that leases space in Pearl Plaza, has paid $185,000 to Alcalde and Fay, a powerhouse Arlington, Va., lobbying firm that employs Brown's daughter, Shantrel.
Over that time, federal lobbying reports filed with the House of Representatives list Shantrel Brown and two other Alcalde and Fay lobbyists as working directly to obtain "federal funding for the renovation of Pearl Street Plaza," the same reason her mother listed when requesting more than $1 million.
It is not the first time Brown went to bat for one of her daughter's clients. From travel to the Republic of Georgia during a turbulent time for a gas company, to being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for a $50,000 car that ended up in her daughter's name, Brown and her daughter's professional paths have crossed at least twice before...
Besides the obvious ethical issues associated with this type of crony-favoritism, it emphasizes how out-of-touch Corrine Brown is with the actual needs of her District. Over a million dollars to renovate a strip mall? How many jobs did that "create or save," other than Shantrel Brown's? And then look at the larger picture of the $666 million in total earmarks that Corrine Brown sponsored just during the last two years alone...70% of which were for projects outside District 3.
Did you know that District 3 ranks dead last in Florida and 432 out of 435 Congressional Districts nationwide in poverty, crime, and unemployment? That's right, District 3 is the third worst place in the entire United States to live if you want to work, learn, or just be safe. Corrine Brown has been in Congress eighteen years, and under her watch District 3 has been on a downward spiral, even before the current recession.
Do you have any idea how many tutors could be hired, how many computers could be purchased for schools, how many vocational education classes could be paid for, with even 1% of the money that Corrine Brown wasted?
Here's a short ad the Yost for Congress campaign put together, talking more about how Corrine Brown has neglected her District while helping out her Washington insider friends:
OK, same color scheme, same pairing of Marco's photo on the left, Rubio's name in bold letters, and the congratulatory message referring to Marco's election as a "history victory." Sheesh. At least he could have tried to be a little bit original.
