Richardson, Biden and Dodd: Good bye Florida, but we'll see you at the debate

Dem prez contenders Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd have signed a pledge to not campaign in early primary states like Florida - but the pledge at least won't put the kibosh on the upcoming Univision debate at the University of Miami

That's because the Sept. 9 debate is within the 30 days the national Democratic party gave Florida officials to figure out whether they want to be spanked for moving up the presidential primary.

The pledge was written by Democratic officials in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina and is aimed at convincing candidates to stick to the Democratic National Committee's sanctioned primary and caucus schedule. Of course, the candidates will still be able to accept campaign contributions from Florida.

The Richardson campaign says its designed to prevent "chaos in the nominating process."

"This process is completely out of control and only an agreement by the candidates can restore sanity," the New Mexico governor said. "I hope no candidate tries to manipulate this situation for his or her own purposes."

Said Biden's campaign manager, Luis Navarro, a former Florida Democratic Party official, "We intend not only to sign the pledge, but to honor our pledge to Iowa, Nevada, New Hamsphire and South Carolina to respect their primacy in the process," said Navarro. "They played by the rules of the DNC. We respect those rules."

The public despises this kind of maneuvering for political advantage. If the Republicans want to play this way, let them. But we will not be a party to it."

According to the DNC rules, campaigning includes - though isn't limited to: "purchasing print, internet or electronic advertising....hiring campaign workers, opening an office, making public appearances, holding news conferences, coordinating volunteer activities, sending mail, other than fundraising requests that are also sent to potential donors in other states, using paid or volunteer phoners or automated calls to contact voters, sending emails or establishing a website specific to that state...attending events sponsored by state or local Democratic organizations...."

Whew. Pretty much covers it all. Except for accepting money.

Carrie Giddens, communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party, said the pledge is aimed at "showing respect for the calendar" and bringing "finality and predictability to the nominating calendar."

Florida can avoid the penalties by changing the official date of the primary - now sked for Jan. 29. Instead, national party officials say, Florida could move up its delegate selection to a party caucus held on Feb. 5

Sex and theft charge lead Giuliani event organizer to quit

An organizer for a Rudy Giuliani presidential event in St. Petersburg plans to step down amid revelations of his arrests for allegedly extorting an FSU student in a sex case and his conviction for dealing in stolen state computers.

Barry S. Edwards, 45, told The Miami Herald that the charges against him were "old news'' …- and were "unfounded' in the student sex case -- but he nevertheless thought it would be best to withdraw from the Pinellas County Republican Party fundraiser because "I'm not relevant and I shouldn't be the story.''

Edwards said he was not being paid for organizing the Sept. 7 Reagan Day dinner, and had no real connection to the campaign of Giuliani, who is to be the keynote speaker at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club.

Edwards, a former Democratic party worker, most recently worked for Tarpon Springs Republican Rep. Peter Nehr.

Full story here

Arrest reports: Download Extortion.pdf Download Theft.pdf

PIP Politics: Anti-PIP group says state is wrong

Floridians for Lower Insurance Costs, the insurance-backed group pushing to keep the Oct. 1 repeal of no-fault insurance intact, today issued its own legal analysis that contradicts one put out last week by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The group, whose members include State Farm and Allstate, says that motorists will have to carry proof of insurance and show it to police officers if they are pulled over for routine traffic stops. That's not the opinion of the state, which says it plans to tell law enforcement agents across the state that after Oct. 1 they cannot require a driver to show proof of insurance if the driver is pulled over. The state did say police could ask to see proof of insurance if they are investigating an accident.

"Law enforcement will continue to be able to enforce these laws after October 1,'' said Allison North Jones, a spokeswoman for Floridians for Lower Insurance Costs. (See full statement in comments.)

Gelber to Dean: retire circular firing squad

House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber pulls no punches as he joins the chorus of voices to the Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean today with a sharply-worded letter that urges him to "retire the circular firing squad."

"The worse and most self-destructive scenario is one where we purposefully give Florida Republicans a competitive advantage in the 2008 election cycle,'' he writes.

He says "toe-tapping Republicans" are "imploding on the national stage'' but warns that Democrats are hurting themselves with the infighting. "Leave it to Democrats to create a distraction born out of a nuanced disagreement over some arcane party rule.''

Read the letter here: gelber_letter_to_dean.doc

Another corporate board for Jeb

Dow Jones reports today that Lehman Brothers has appointed Jeb Bush to its private equity advisory board in what is seen by some in the financial world as an attempt to influence Congress and the president as the company joins others in the fight over regulation of private equity issues.

This will be the second mega board that will seat the former Florida governor. Tenet Health Care announced in March it had named Bush to its board, paying him a hefty annual compensation of $450,000 a year. No word yet on how much the securities company is going to pay him.

Gelber joins anti-DNC fray

While Democratic party leaders have been arguing that they tried to stop the Republican-led Legislature from breaking party rules and moving up the presidential primary to Jan. 29, House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber has a confession to make: "Of course we didn't fight against the bill."

In a letter to Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean, Gelber explains that Democratic lawmakers had little choice but to back a bill supported by voters and destined to become law.

"Today, toe-tapping Republicans with their excesses and over-reaching, are imploding on the national stage,'' Gelber wrote. "Leave it to Democrats to create a distraction born out of a nuanced disagreement over some arcane party rule."

Here's the letter: Download dan_gelber_letter_to_dnc_0831072.doc .

Pruitt hopeful but urges patience on tax cuts

In an op-ed distributed to several newspapers, Senate President Ken Pruitt is joining Gov. Charlie Crist and House Speaker Marco Rubio who used recent media events to lower expectations about property tax savings, and insurance rate cuts.

Writes Pruitt: "While the message may not be popular, it must be told: A turnaround in the real-estate market, lower insurance rates and lower property taxes are going to take time.

"Our state, like a trauma patient, was in crisis. Like a doctor, we needed to do everything we could to stop the bleeding before healing could take place. Florida will recover from the problems brought on by an economic downturn and natural disasters. The policies and changes that are in place have already yielded initial relief, and I am confident that the benefits will only increase.''

Read the op-ed here.

Martinez calls Craig incident "very troubling"

Florida Sen. Mel Martinez, who leads the national Republican party, said in a telephone interview from Jordan that he'd wait to get back to Washington "to opine on his [Craig's] service.

"'But it's very disturbing, very much of concern,'' Martinez said of the senior senator who entered a guilty plea following a sting at an airport mens' room. ``As senators we are held to a higher standard and we should be.''

Read the increasing pressure on Craig to resign here.

And Martinez's own "disturbing" moment - his military plane was fired on after leaving Baghdad airport here.

Martinez and Miami Democrat Rep. Kendrick Meek each spent about 22 hours in Iraq, meeting with the same military officials. But they came back with starkly different impressions.

Read those here

Martinez's plane is shot at in Iraq

Florida Sen. Mel Martinez says the C130 E wasn't hit and no one was hurt, but three rocket-propelled grenades were believed to be fired at it as it left Baghad airport, carrying Martinez and a congressional delegation.

The Republican and staunch backer of President Bush said the incident did little to shake his faith that Bush's troop surge is making progress in Iraq.

"It's isolated incidents," he said. "These people are out there trying to kill and maim, but that doesn't diminish in the least what are signs of military progress and political reconciliation."

More details to come.

Gelber cranks up money machine

On the eve of a proposed special session to cut millions from the state budget, Rep. Dan Gelber will be holding a fundraiser for his state Senate campaign. The fundraiser being hosted by Sen. Gwen Margolis will be held at the Governor's Club from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Gelber announced his plans to run for Margolis' seat earlier this summer.

Univision to candidates: Speak English

The first two Democratic candidates who agreed to a presidential debate broadcast by the nation's largest Spanish-language network were the only two candidates who speak Spanish fluently: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the only Hispanic in the race, and Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who learned Spanish while serving in the Peace Corps.

But Richardson and Dodd will not be able to show off their bilingualism at the Sept. 9 debate at the University of Miami. Univision spokeswoman Maryam Banikarim said the questions will be asked in Spanish and the eight candidates must respond in English, with simultaneous translations.

"It's to give everyone a level playing field,'' she said.

Both the Richardson and Dodd campaigns say that rule was not made clear when they accepted the invitation.

"It's kind of ridiculous,'' said Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley. "It's understandable for those who don't speak Spanish, but why the candidates who do speak Spanish should be penalized is fairly frustrating...The governor was excited about the prospect of speaking directly to the audience in their native language.''

Dodd spokesman Hari Sevugan held out hope that the rule could be changed. "I'm sure all the campaigns would agree that it could only be to the benefit of all voters if candidates were able to answer questions in either English or Spanish, especially when interpreters would be available to those who need them,'' he said in an e-mailed statement. "As I wouldn't think there would be any objections among the participants, we are hopeful that they will work something out.''

Senator to Miami-Dade: Don't cut our budget to save money

Sen. Frederica Wilson, the chair of the Miami-Dade legislative delegation, sent a letter to Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez today that protests a recommendation to slash the more than $262,000 that now goes to pay the expenses of the county delegation office.

"While we understand the County is faced with cutting $224 million due to property tax relief...we are at a complete loss as to why the office that is a direct link to the County and the Legislature is proposed for elimination,'' writes Wilson. Wilson's alternative is to have the county pare back funding for the office to what it was in 2002, which was $190,304.

Wilson, who has requested a meeting with Alvarez to discuss the cut, said that in this time of state budget cuts "the county needs the direct link more now than ever" and called the elimination of the delegation office "inconceivable." Letter here: Download wilson_letter.doc

Edwards campaign manager disses Florida

Of the leading Democratic candidates for president, John Edwards has spent the least amount of time in Florida, despite a new law moving up the state's presidential primary to the front of the line. Trailing behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in campaign cash, Edwards is staking his candidacy on smaller states with traditional early primaries.

Even Michigan, which may leapfrog over Florida to host the first big-state primary, isn't getting the love from Edwards, though his campaign manager, David Bonior, represented the state in Congress for 26  years. In today's Boston Globe, he says, "I do believe there is a role for a larger state in this process whether that be Florida or wherever. But this campaign is focused on the four early states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, and South Carolina because that is where the issues matter most.''

Ouch.

The Meek Dynasty: Generation three?

Rep. Kendrick Meek's 10-year-old son, Kendrick Jr., accompanied his father to a Capitol Hill press conference this morning, resplendent in a suit and tie.

Reporters asked the Miami Democrat whether his son was going to join him on the podium, but Meek said he couldn't.

"I told him House rules wouldn't allow him to line up here with us," Kendrick Meek said, adding, "But I'm pretty sure there'll be a day."

Meek, 40, now serving his third term in Congress, succeeded his mother, former Rep. Carrie Meek, D-Miami.

He and his wife, Leslie, also have a daughter, Lauren. She wasn't with her dad at the presser.

Meek was at the press conference to talk about his trip to Iraq. He's shown here in Fallujah on August 28 with the United States Marine Corps. 

Appeals court ethics smackdown

The ongoing ethics battle in the First District Court of Appeal went before Broward County Circuit Judge Paul Backman on Thursday morning, where both sides in the highly unusual case involving First DCA Judge Michael Allen and DCA Judge Charles Kahn argued whether or not the complaint filed against Allen should be dropped.

For those not closely following this twisted tale: Allen lambasted Kahn in an June 2006 opinion that denied overturning W.D. Childers' conviction for bribery. Allen raised questions about whether or not Kahn wanted to overturn the conviction because Kahn was once a law partner with Fred Levin, who was defending his long-term ally Childers in the bribery case. But Allen himself now is fighting ethics charges that what he did was improper.

On Thursday, Bruce Rogow forcefully argued that the charges against Allen should be dropped because there is no proof that his opinion in the Childers case is enough to show that Allen is unfit to be a judge. Rogow said any charge against a sitting judge must have evidence that the actions warrant removal from the bench, even if that ultimately is not the penalty. "The mere publication of that opinion does not demonstrate a present unfitness to hold office,'' said Rogow.

But Wally Pope, the lawyer representing the Judicial Qualifications Commission disagreed, saying that Allen's criticism of Kahn undermined the judiciary overall and suggested that Kahn was corrupt. Pope pointed out that no one had previously asked Kahn to recuse himself in the case and that Judge Allen was relying on information from newspaper articles about Childers and Levin that could not be verified.

After listening to both sides, Judge Backman said he would issue a written order on the motion to dismiss the charges "as quickly as possible."

Nelson keeps pushing back at DNC

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida's highest ranking Democratic official, continues his aggressive public relations campaign against national party bureaucrats threatening to punish Florida for leapfrogging its presidential primary over other states. In a column in today's USA Today, he writes, "And it's ironic, because this year, after heartbreaking losses in 2000 and 2004, Democrats supposedly are united in their determination to win the presidency. That's hard to do when you tell 4 million Florida Democrats they don't count."

Some Democratic leaders are privately grumbling that the senator may be trying to help his colleague in the Senate, Hillary Clinton, who currently has the most to lose if Florida's primary doesn't count at the national convention. Nelson hasn't endorsed, but U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Alcee Hastings, who have also been outspoken, are Clinton supporters.

Nelson's column is billed as the newspaper's "opposing view" to its editorial supporting the national party's crackdown on rogue states like Florida. "Finally, some adult supervision is coming to the process of picking presidential nominees...Florida's argument essentially boils down to one frequently invoked by schoolyard bullies and self-important celebrities: We deserve to go to the head of the line, we're too important to obey the rules and we dare you to stop us."

Nelson's column is here, and the USA Today editorial is here.

Kendrick Meek: From Iraq to C-Span

Miami Democrat Rep. Kendrick Meek and two colleagues have returned from a trip to Iraq and plan to brief reporters about the trip today at the U.S. Capitol.

C-Span plans on running the presser live at 10 a.m. The New York Times reported this week that about 50 lawmakers have visited the war torn country over the August recess and their experiences are shaping the debate over the war.

It'll heat up next week when Congress returns to work, amid word of a congressional report that found the Iraqi government has failed to meet the majority of political and military goals laid out by U.S. lawmakers to assess progress.

It was Meek's third trip to the region.

Florida Republicans join calls for Craig to resign

"For the sake of the institution, his family, and his Idaho constituents, Larry Craig should step down from the United States Senate," says Spring Hill Republican Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, who along with Pensacola Rep. Jeff Miller, are joining a number of their fellow GOP'ers in asking the Idaho Republican to call it quits.

Craig's support among his fellow GOP'ers slipped Wednesday, two days after news reports surfaced that he pled guilty to charges stemming from an incident in an airport men's room.

Could Craig's loss of influence affect efforts to weaken the U.S. embargo against Cuba? See earlier posts and read more about the Craig controversy - including MSNBC host Tucker Carlson's role - on our fellow blog, Gay South Florida.

Todd Harris to charm media for Thompson

Atlantic Online is reporting that "Republican sources say that Todd Harris, a veteran Republican communicator who has worked for Jeb Bush, Arnold Scharzenegger and John McCain, sat down in McLean, VA today with Ex-Sen. Fred Thompson. More here.

Harris earned quite a reputation when he took charge of Bush's campaign in 2002. His own website quotes a 2002 story that describes him this way: "The man managing Gov. Jeb Bush's image in Florida and nationwide handles media coverage like a combat sport." The website does not include the rest of that sentence from the Harris profile which was "punishing journalists who write unflattering stories and rewarding those whose readers he wants to cultivate."

Harris was also famous for his "I don't give a s--- about Gannett News Service" comment, a moment that came back to haunt the campaign when the same reporter Harris yelled at later scored one of the biggest scoops of the 2002 campaign.

(Update--AP is now reporting that Harris has agreed to go to work for Thompson.)

Kucinich takes swipe at DNC, Bush

Democratic prez candidate Dennis Kucinich added his voice to the chorus of politicians and political activists who don't understand why Democratic National Committee chief Howard Dean is making good on a rule to cancel Florida's party delegates if the state holds its primary early, on Jan. 29.

"Doesn’t the DNC owe something to Florida?” said Kucinich, an Ohio Congressman. “What Florida went through in the 2000 election was a disgrace. And the DNC owes it to Florida to find a way for Florida to achieve a prominent position in this election season.”

Kucinich's presence alone underscores the fact that Florida will be relevant anyway. Though far down in the polls -- which he rightly dismissed as name-recognition surveys -- Kucinich said he plans to campaign in Florida and suggested the state hold a caucus, something that Floridians will likely not understand nor pay for.

Still, Kucinich said, this primary could go down to the wire and, for the first time in decades, be decided not be plebiscite but by party delegates.

In a recent Time editorial, state Senate Democratic leader Steve Geller questioned whether Dean worked for the Republican party. Also, political pollster/pundit Matt Towery also wondered why the DNC was estranging Florida.

Kucinich spent more of his time in his Tallahassee press conference with reporters touting his solid antiwar record, his plans for a universal nonprofit healthcare system and his proposals to wean the nation off the use of fossil fuels.

He brushed off concerns that withdrawing from Iraq would prompt a genocide, suggesting the U.S. under President Bush was responsible for a 1 million Iraqi deaths, a number he acknowledged was an estimate.

No special session?

Rep. Joe Pickens, chairman of the House Schools and Learning Council, created a buzz throughout the Capitol on Wednesday when he told fellow lawmakers "if we have a special session...."

The comment immediately had people wondering whether or not the House was trying to send a message about the September special session _ which still has not been officially called by either legislative leaders or Gov. Charlie Crist. There is some speculation that lawmakers may be a bit peeved that Crist has yet to come up with his own recommendations on what should be cut in the state budget, yet has already said he would like to see certain things held harmless.

When asked about it Pickens insisted he wasn't trying to send any kind of message: "You're reading way too much into it."

But it's important to note: The Legislature does not have to cut the state budget right now. There's enough money in reserves to cover the projected shortfall for this year. Of course, if nothing is done now there will be a need to cut as much as $2.5 billion in the spring of 2008.

Maybe that class size amendment won't block out the sun

Going over potential cuts to education, Rep. David Simmons asserted Wednesday that the GOP-controlled Legislature has been too rigid in how it has interpreted the class size amendment passed by voters in 2002. Simmons, a Maitland Republican and attorney, disagreed with the reading of the amendment that it mandates that each individual classroom in Florida must meet class caps by 2010.

Simmons argued that ensuring that the average class size in Florida meets the amendment requirements would be enough to satisfy the constitutional requirement. He said that by doing that lawmakers would not have to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars in the next few years in order to meet the amendment requirement.

"I think maybe the constitution did provide for more flexibility than we initially thought,'' said Simmons, who said looking at the amendment this way could save school districts and the Legislature "angst" over where to get the money for class size.

If lawmakers were to adopt this viewpoint, it would be quite a turn-around for Republicans. Gov. Jeb Bush famously declared that the amendment would "block" and "blot out the sun" due to its initial huge cost estimates.

GOP debate on Univision called off

Univision, the nation's largest Spanish-language television network, proposed doing back-to-back presidential debates at the University of Miami on Sept. 9 and 16. After some hemming and hawing, the major Democratic candidates agreed. But the only Republican candidate who RSVPd was John McCain, forcing organizers to cancel the Sept. 16 faceoff.

"That date is off the table,'' said university spokeswoman Barbara Gutierrez.

She said a GOP debate hasn't been entirely ruled out and that it could happen later in the fall. "We're thinking that everyone wants to see how the Democratic one goes before they commit,'' she said.

It will be the first debate conducted in Spanish, with the questions translated simultaneously. The Republican field also blew off invitations to attend Hispanic-oriented conferences organized by the National Association of Latin Elected Officials and the National Council of La Raza.

Larry Craig and Cuba

Could the disclosure of Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's arrest in an airport bathroom affect efforts to lift the embargo against Cuba?

Craig is, after all, one of the Senate's leading Republican advocates for relaxing the embargo, calling it a "failed policy." He's also co-sponsored a bill that would permit U.S. companies to look for oil in Cuba - some 45 miles off the Florida coastline.

The arrest, the guilty plea and 11 weeks of silence about it all have political observers suggesting that his political clout has been seriously compromised - if not destroyed.

Craig Tuesday declared he's done nothing wrong, isn't gay and still has plenty of legislating left to do for his Idaho constituents.

UPDATE: Craig late Wednesday agreed to give up his leading Republican spot on his committees, including the energy and national resources subcommittee on public lands and forests - which would handle the drilling legislation. That move came as Craig's fellow senators, GOP prez contender John McCain and Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman - facing a tough reelection challenge - suggested Craig should resign.

Naugle gets the boot

Broward County commissioners have unanimously tossed Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle off a tourism board, saying his recent comments on gays are driving away visitors.

Read more here

Elections chief wants political parties to pay up

In scouring his already-thin budget for places to cut, Secretary of State Kurt Browning has hit on an idea to make the well-oiled political parties give the state $300,000 they receive yearly from candidate qualifying fees.

"Our governor suggested we be creative, think outside the box. That's exactly what we're doing," Browning said, in response to a reporter's question over whether the Legislature, which often does the bidding of the parties, will go along.

Browning said he hit on the idea to raise more money without raising fees so that he could offset cuts to cultural programs that his office also oversees.

"For those of us who live here, for those of us who plan on coming here, there needs to be a quality of life. And you're not going to find that quality of life if we keep cutting libraries, we keep cutting cultural arts, we keep cutting historical preservation," he said.

The Diaz-Balarts tour Prague, Budapest, Poland, talk Cuba

Radio Free Europe interviews three Cuban American legislators visiting Central Europe "to meet former dissidents and thank them for supporting the anti-communist opposition movement in Cuba."

"Across the political spectrum in these countries that suffered communism directly and personally, across the political spectrum and with very few exceptions, there is a realization that it is important to continue pressing for freedom and assisting the opposition in countries where freedom does not yet exist," Lincoln Diaz-Balart told the interviewer.

The Miami Republican was accompanied by his brother, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Miami and the U.S.'s newest Cuban American legislator, Rep. Albio Sires, a New Jersey Democrat.

What in the world is Howard Dean thinking?

That's the first sentence of a Time magazine column that raises tough questions about the Democratic National Committee chairman's hardline stance against Florida's Jan. 29 primary. Read it here.

A more sympathetic analysis of Dean's position by Real Clear Politics is here.

Castro hears Clinton-Obama is the ticket

"The word today is that an apparently unbeatable ticket could be Hillary for president and Obama as her running mate," Fidel Castro wrote in an editorial column on U.S. presidents published today by Cuba's Communist Party newspaper, Granma.

The Reuters story, being circulated by the national Republican party, is here.

   

Poll: Dem voters displeased with DNC's vote rules, think it hurts Hillary

A new InsiderAdvantage poll of 500 Florida Democratic voters shows that 53 percent disapprove of the Democratic National Committee's plans to award no delegates to a nominee who wins Florida's Jan. 29 primary because its early date violates DNC rules. Those who approve: 34 percent.

Also, 34 percent say the loss of the delegates would hurt Hillary Clinton the most, 20 percent say Barack Obama and 13 percent say John Edwards.

Another tidbit: When asked if what party ticket they plan to vote on, 22 percent said they would consider voting Republican. Though the voters weren't told whether they would have to switch parties to do that, pollster Matt Towery said the numbers are valid in this regard: It shows Democratic voters are less inclined to be Democratic voters.

"The Democrats are probably going to carry Florida," Towery said. "But what doesn't make sense to people is that the DNC, in trying to enforce these rules, is toying with one of the three critical states they have to win. If Hillary Clinton is the nominee and Rudy Giuliani doesn't make it on the Republican side, she carries New York, she carries California and that makes Florida a determining state. Why would you alienate any Democrat in this state?''

Plan to put Allen next to Planas is just a "draft."

Jill Chamberlin, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Marco Rubio, said that a new House seating chart that was being handed out in the House documents office is just a "draft" and that in fact new seating arrangements have not yet been finalized.

The chart that was being handed out showed that Rep. Bob Allen, a Merritt Island Republican who was arrested this summer for solicitation, would be seated between Rep. J.C. Planas, a Miami Republican and Rep. Darren Soto on the fourth row of the east side of the House chamber. Planas sits on the west side, while Allen is on the second row.

"It is a draft and it is no longer valid,'' said Chamberlin, who said that a new seating chart will be finalized sometime in September and will reflect new House members and new assignments for veteran lawmakers.

Giuliani's firewall in Florida

Hold on Florida voters. Don't pick out drapes and wallpaper for that Rudy Giuliani  "firewall'' just yet.

According to the Washington Post political blog, The Fix, the Giuliani campaign made a Powerpoint presentation to Florida volunteers that pronounced: "Florida is the firewall," suggesting that the state's Jan. 29 primary is crucial to his pursuit of the nomination.

But The Fix quotes Tony Carbonetti, a senior adviser to the campaign, dismissing that idea. "‘Florida's the firewall, New Jersey's the firewall, Connecticut's the firewall, New York's the firewall," said Carbonetti. He added that the presentation was to "motivate our volunteers."

His quote sounds like what Democrat Barack Obama's campaign said about e-mails suggesting that his trip to Florida last week would be one of his last. The campaign said the email was aimed at motivating people to go.

Apparently, we're all just a bunch of homers to these campaigns.

The Giuliani blog is here.

New Rubio comes into the world

House Speaker Marco Rubio is a daddy for the fourth time. His wife, Jeanette, gave birth to a boy shortly after 2 p.m. today. A spokeswoman for Rubio said the baby weighed 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

Crist hopeful that state worker perk remains

Gov. Charlie Crist, who has the power to use his line-item veto to nix any budget cut he doesn't like, on Tuesday shared his lack of enthusiasm for some of the ideas being bandied about to close Florida's budget gap.

Crist said he wasn't in favor of raising tuition during the January special session, as some lawmakers are now proposing, and he didn't like one of the ideas offered up by the Department of Corrections to release some prisoners early.

Crist also was disappointed to hear that Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink has recommended eliminating the office in the basement of the state Capitol that cashes checks for state workers. "I use it occasionally. Hopefully it will get spared,'' he said.

Florida reps won't budge on Jan. 29

Florida’s Democratic congressional delegation is digging in their heels in support of the state's early presidential primary despite Saturday's decision by the national party to dismiss the results at the 2008 convention.

Florida's Jan. 29 primary violates Democratic National Committee rules that allow only four smaller states to vote before Feb. 5. The national party has urged Florida Democrats organize another vote after that date.

"We cannot go along with anything but the state-run primary set for next January," the 10 members of Congress said in a joint statement issued by Sen. Bill Nelson's office. "We strongly encourage all Democrats to vote for their preferred nominee in that primary, regardless of whatever penalties the DNC might enact. The vote is going to matter -- period.''

Allen is Planas' new bench buddy

The new seating chart for the House of Representatives is out, and it shows troubled Merritt Island Rep. Bob Allen has been moved two rows back and now sits in the fourth row next to Rep. J.C. Planas of Miami.

Allen, stripped of his committee post recently, is fighting charges that he allegedly solicited an undercover cop for oral sex at a Titusville public restroom.

Atwater now member of an exclusive club

Sen. Jeff Atwater has not yet been officially designated to follow Senate President Ken Pruitt in 2008, but he has finally gotten one piece of confirmation that he's next in line: His own Republican Party of Florida credit card.

The North Palm Beach Republican confirms that he received his own RPOF credit card about "35 or 45 days ago." Atwater is now one of at least four elected officials who have their own piece of Republican plastic. The others are Pruitt, House Speaker Marco Rubio and Rep. Ray Sansom. The party consistently refuses to say who has the right to have their travel and other expenses related to fundraising to be paid by the party. But the privilege appears to be limited to legislators: Gov. Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson say they don't have a RPOF card.

Atwater of course put himself in line to succeed Pruitt courtesy of a messy internal Senate Republican battle that saw top Republicans such as Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla help orchestrate a plan to convince senators to drop their support of Sen. Alex Villalobos and instead back Atwater.

When asked if his acceptance of the card was proof that the leadership struggle was over, Atwater shrugged it off: "I look at it as a sharing of duties." Those duties have already apparently started with reports filtering in that Atwater in recent weeks has met with lobbyists at RPOF headquarters to ask them to pony up money for the 2008 elections.

Democrats defend privatization

Another sign how things have changed in the last year in Tallahassee: The two Democratic state senators sitting on the Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee expressed deep misgivings Monday about a proposal from a Republican administration to hire 651 more state workers to take over duties now performed by private vendors.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities Director Jane Johnson, who was appointed by Gov. Charlie Crist, went before the committee to explain how her agency would handle potential budget cuts. Included on that list is to replace support coordinators with coordinators that work for the state. Johnson said that currently her agency has little control over what services are approved and ultimately billed to the state.

But Sen. Nan Rich, a Weston Democrat, said that support coordinators were unfairly being labeled "scapegoats" for ongoing budget problems for APD _ which was in the red this past year _ and she was harshly critical of reports from the APD inspector general's office about switching to state workers.

"I'm very uncomfortable at us looking at it without a fair study,'' fumed Rich, who accused the inspector general of writing a report to support the agency's budget request, saying it wasn't "fair and balanced."

Rich's concerns were shared by Sen. Frederica Wilson, a Miami Democrat and brought this observation from fellow Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican: "The world has turned upside down."

Wasserman Schultz and Klein: Good riddance!

South Florida Democrats shed no tears over AG Gonzales' departure today.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, called his resignation "long overdue.

"We need an Attorney General who will act as a lawyer for the American people rather than a lawyer for President Bush- that is why he has a White House Counsel," said Wasserman Schultz, a member of the House Judiciary Committee. "Attorney General Gonzales was the antithesis of the blindfolded Lady of Justice; rather than providing a blind, balanced justice, he tipped the scales to the right. The President must now appoint an Attorney General who will serve as the nation's chief law enforcement officer and as defender of our constitution independent of political influence."

And Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, said he was "relieved'' that Gonzales resigned.

"The Attorney General is one of the most critical positions in our government as he or she is tasked with overseeing the enforcement of our laws, and the prosecution of suspected criminals and terrorists. Thus, it's essential that the Attorney General is a person that maintains our sense of justice and keeps Americans safe," Klein said. "Unfortunately, the retention of Alberto Gonzales is another example of President Bush favoring loyalty over competence and integrity. Strong, honest, independent leadership must be restored to the Office of Attorney General or else the American people's faith in our justice system will continue to be comprised. I strongly urge President Bush to appoint a person that meets these high thresholds of character and integrity when searching for a replacement to Mr. Gonzales."

No word from any South Florida Republican offices yet.

Obama's lunch with Bob Graham

Organizers of Barack Obama's two-day swing through Florida last week didn't advertise it, but the Democratic presidential candidate lunched with perhaps the most important potential endorsement in the state: former Sen. Bob Graham.

Hillary Clinton has a strong lead in the Florida polls and much of the state's political establishment locked up,  making Graham's seal of approval even more valuable to Obama. Unlike Clinton, both Obama and Graham opposed the war in Iraq from the start.

Graham wouldn't say whether an endorsement was forthcoming. "I gave him advice, as I have given Sen. Clinton as well,'' he said. "I'm for nominating the person who has the best chance of getting elected.''

Graham, who has advocated a system of regional presidential primaries, was also asked about the sentence handed to Florida Democrats on Saturday by the Democratic National Committee: get behind the Jan. 29 primary and lose all delegates to the national convention or hold a post Feb. 5 caucus and allow party activists to chose the winner.

"Having 20 states vote on Feb. 5, which is legal under the party rules, is much more disruptive than having one state vote on Jan. 29,'' said Graham, who ran for president in 2004. "I think Florida has become a lightning rod for the larger problem."

"The primary is currently a matter of state law, and the state is going to organize and pay for it,'' he added. "There's not frankly a lot Democrats can do to change that... Whether or not we have a full slate of delegates, it's the fourth largest state in the country and the most competitive, and when it throws its weight behind a candidate, that's what is important."

Graham will appear in a National Geographic documentary, "Road to War: Iraq," that will air at 9 p.m. tonight. Read about his interview here.

Columba Bush and Cheech Marin

Florida's former First Lady, Columba Bush, will serve as chairwoman for the Smithsonian Latino Center's gala next week - including its Legacy Awards Ceremony.

Among the artists and community leaders being honored: actor, director and comedian Richard "Cheech" Marin, best known from his 1970s and 80s role in the comedy act Cheech and Chong. He'll be honored for his arts advocacy.

The Center is dedicated to promoting Hispanic culture, heritage and achievement and its Legacy Awards "honor Latino individuals who have made a significant contribution to U.S. culture through their work, vision and commitment to their heritage."

This year's ceremony highlights the culture and heritage of Bush's Mexico.

Civil rights leader Raul Yzaguirre will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement award.

Faceoff likely on tuition hikes to close budget gap

Gov. Charlie Crist may be facing Round Two in his fight to stave off tuition hikes at state universities. Legislative leaders, faced with making $1.1 billion in budget cuts in September are ready to talk about restoring the across-the-board tuition increases the governor vetoed in May so that the hikes take effect in time for the spring semester.

Read full story here.

"I wouldn't be surprised if we go back to a tuition increase,'' said Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin and chairman of the House budget committee. Said his counterpart in the Senate, Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Sarasota: "Perhaps, in the spring semester.''

The budget chairs made their comments after a presentation by the legislature's chief economist, Amy Baker, predicting a $2.5 billion shortfall in the budget by 2009-2010 budget year " that "has to be cleared.''

The shortfall for the 2008-09 budget year amounts to 8 percent of the state budget, Baker told the Legislative Budget Commission. "It's clear we're going to need some fiscal strategies in place,'' she said. "The reserves are inadequate. Other actions are going to be needed to keep the budget in balance.''

Translation: expect more budget cuts beyond the $1.1 billion in cuts that will take place in the September special session. Carlton says that in addition to these cuts, legislators plan to reduce another $870 million from recurring expenses in the 2008-09 budget. Sansom says the number is between $700 million and $800 million.

No surprise, Nelson and Martinez at odds on Gonzales

Florida's two senators are sticking to the party line when it comes to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation.

Democrat Bill Nelson, who joined colleagues in March in suggesting Gonzales should step down, said Monday the U.S. has "an urgent need to restore credibility at the Justice Department.

"My hope is President Bush’s new pick will take politics out of enforcing the law," he said.

Republican Mel Martinez, who had resisted calls for Gonzales to step down, called the attorney general "an honorable man whose life history speaks volumes about what’s best about America.

"General Gonzales has a long history of public service, first in the U.S. Air Force, later as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, then as counsel to the President and ultimately serving as Attorney General of the United States," said Martinez, a close ally of President Bush and the general chairman of the Republican National Committee. "Alberto Gonzales has conducted himself always with honesty, dedication and integrity. He is my friend and he is a good man. He and his family have my thanks for their sacrifice for serving during difficult times, and my best wishes for the future."

   

Senator: Change state worker benefits to save money

While going over a long-term financial outlook for the state of Florida, Sen. Mike Fasano suggested today one way to save money: Change Florida's retirement benefit program for its state employees.

Right now, the state offers employees a choice. They can go with the traditional defined benefit retirement plan that requires an employee to work at least three years in state government, and whose payout is defined by years of service and salary. Or employees can themselves choose how to invest their retirement assets and the amount they receive is dependent on how wise those investments were.

Fasano, who works for financial services firm Morgan Stanley, said that perhaps state employees in the future should be "mandated" to  accept the defined contribution program (which has never proven to be very popular).

The long-term outlook shown to legislators today projects a nearly $2.5 billion shortfall next year if the budget is not cut during the upcoming September special session.

Three year outlook has grim news for budget

The Legislative Budget Commission meets this afternoon to hear a presentation about a three-year financial outlook that is now required to be drawn up annually. The news won't be good. If legislators don't cut the budget during the September special session, the projected shortfall in 2008 would be $2.5 billion.

To read the preliminary draft, go here.

Senate budget chief: Education will not be spared

Saying that she doesn't want to "obliterate" other parts of the state budget, Sen. Lisa Carlton, the chairman of the Fiscal Policy and Calendar Committee, plans to suggest to Senate President Ken Pruitt to cut the state budget approximately four percent across all areas of the budget, including education, during the upcoming special session.

Some leaders such as Gov. Charlie Crist have suggested trying to hold education harmless during the session that starts on Sept. 18. But Carlton says the only fair thing is to cut education along with other areas such as health care and public safety, because to do otherwise would force lawmakers to "obliterate" spending in one area in order to hold education harmless.

"The fairest way we have come up with is four percent across the board and everyone sharing in the cut allocation,'' said Carlton, who warns that Florida's revenue shortfall is not a "short term problem" but a long-term situation that isn't expected to improve anytime soon. "To say 'I'm going to hold education or health and human services harmless' you would have to obliterate other parts of the budget. It's better to be fair across the board."

Richardson: DNC decision "done in a democratic, orderly, and fair manner."

Democratic prez contender Bill Richardson - who suggests his Hispanic roots could give him an edge in Florida - today called the DNC decision to strip state Democrats of their presidential convention delegates "not an easy one,'' but adds, "it was it done in a democratic, orderly, and fair manner."

"I am confident that over the next thirty days a final resolution will be agreed upon that will guarantee that everyone's vote can count," Richardson said. "Ultimately, I believe it is important that the Democratic nominating calendar be confirmed sooner rather than later. As Democrats it is important for us to use our voices to discuss the very serious issues facing our country and our differences with the Republicans. Over the next 6 months, I am looking forward to taking my case of experience plus change directly to the voters."

No word on whether he'll take his case to Florida voters if the state's prez primary is officially meaningless.

Haste and secrecy led to drafting error that left Miami off tax hook

Legislators are poised to reverse their mistake soon, but in drafting the property tax legislation in June, analysts used the wrong report, giving Miami deeper exemptions from the tax cuts than lawmakers intended.

The fix will be made when lawmakers meet in their September special session, but the exercise exposes what many insiders watched: how legislative leaders' overreliance on secrecy when crafting the property tax bill, and their haste to end the 10-day session in only four days, may have contributed to the error. More here.

Washington Post: Crist a "big get."

The Washington Post details the importance of landing a powerful governor's endorsement today and notes that the "big free agents" among the nation's governors include Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Florida's own Charlie Crist.

Schwarzenegger, the newspaper says, would bring celebrity status and a massive fundraising operation to the campaign.

Crist, the article says, "would be another big get, given the Sunshine State's primacy in the primary process and the number of affluent donors in the state."

Of course Florida's status as a primary state is in total flux, with the national Democrats voting yesterday to punish state Democrats for sticking to an early primary.

Eight minutes with Obama

Before Barack Obama's speech at Miami-Dade County Auditorium yesterday, he sat down with The Miami Herald for a few minutes after a fundrasiser at the Ritz Carlton hotel on Key Biscayne. Here's an excerpt of what he said:

"One of the things that I am trying to do is to make clear that we have to move beyond the conventional thinking that has come to dominate our foreign policy, because we're in a new time. After six years with the Bush administration, our standing in the world has never been lower. We are perceived as unilateral. We are perceived as arrogant in our foreign policy, and that has real consequences. It makes it harder for us to fight against terrorism. It makes it more difficult for us to leverage our allies and get things done. It's important for us to send a signal that we are going to examine our policies and work in a practical common sense way, and I think the approach that we're taking with respect to Cuba -- easing restrictions on remittances to family members, easing restrictions on travel -- those are measured steps that can signal that we are not still locked into positions formulated in the 60s. But we're still going to use as our focal point the liberty of the Cuban people. We're not going to take drastic steps unless we see some changes in terms of opening up the political system in Cuba...

"The Cuban government has been in place since I was born, and we've been pursuing the same policies. The notion that somehow we lose a propaganda war to a dictatorial regime does not make sense. What is causing us to lose the PR battle arond the world is the perception that we've been rigid and overly ideological in the way we approach these problems, instead of being practical and applying common sense to these issues."

Regarding the disarray over the presidential primary calendar: "We're going to have to bring some order. We're selecting the leader of the free world, and it shouldn't be a game of hopscotch between the states. I continue to believe there is enormous values in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire...I am doing a lot of retail politics there -- house parties, coffee shops -- and that I think benefits the whole country because people have a chance to see how I react in the smaller venues and smaller settings where politics is less dominated by television...I am very keen on being able to campaign in Florida. I think it's a great state and I think its diversity is an enormous strength. We will compete here in accordance to the rules that are set. Listen, especially in January, the more time you can spend in Florida, the better."

It's got a good beat and you can dance to it

Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama's decision to wade into the debate over travel restrictions to Cuba drew about 25 protestors to his speech at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium. They came up with a catchy chant that rhymes: "Obama, vete pa tu cama.'' That means, "Obama, go to bed,'' a variation on "Obama, go home."

Perhaps they saw Obama's position noted in the Cuban-government run newspaper, Granma. Or praised on the Los Angeles Times editorial page.

Here are his prepared remarks on Cuba: "We need a new foreign policy in this country that has less Washington sense and more common sense and good judgment.  Let me give you one example that many of you are all too familiar with. Just ninety miles from here, there is a country where justice and freedom are out of reach.  That is why my policy toward Cuba will be guided by one word: libertad. The road to freedom for all Cubans must begin with justice for Cuba’s political prisoners.  The injustice done to them is a threat to justice for all of us.

"There are few better ambassadors for freedom than Cuban Americans. And the money they send to Cuba can help make their families less dependent on Castro’s regime. That’s why, when I’m president, I’ll grant Cuban Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send remittances to the island. That’s the way to bring about real change in Cuba – through strong and smart diplomacy, not just tough talk. It’s time we had a president who realized that.

"As president, I’ll maintain the embargo – it’s an important inducement for change because we know that Castro’s death will not guarantee freedom.  I will also use aggressive and principled diplomacy to send a post-Fidel government a clear message: if you open up to democratic change, the United States will begin to take steps to normalize relations.  But only if freedom is advanced.  You have my word – and the government and people of Cuba should hear my call – that our cause is simple.  It’s what drew my father across an ocean, and many of you across the waters to our south.  That principle is libertad. Until there is justice in Cuba, there is no justice here."