Shocker: Mahoney more upset than Wasserman Schultz

U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney of Palm Beach Gardens, who has laid low during the Democratic primary and declined to take sides, had an unexpected outpouring of emotion tonight:

"I am disappointed by the DNC’s decision not to ratify the results of Florida’s primary election and seat the delegates as elected with full rights. The DNC's decision ignores the will of Florida Democrats who went to the polls in record numbers..."

In contrast, hardcore Hillary Clintonite U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston seemed surprisingly at peace with the resolution of the delegate dispute:

"While I am disappointed with the DNC Rules Committee’s decision to seat Florida’s delegation with a 50% penalty, I am pleased they agreed that Florida should have a delegation at the Democratic National Convention, based on the outcome of our primary on January 29th...The Democratic nominee should be selected by voters in all 50 states and this decision ensures that will happen.”
 
 

Hastings boycotting Democratic convention

At least one high-profile Florida Democrat is not ready to set aside the dispute with the national party: U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings of Miramar said he would skip the nominating convention in Denver.

Here's his statement, a dramatic commentary on the right to vote by a black congressman:

It is with reluctance and disappointment that I accept the DNC’s decision today.  I do so not because I agree with the decision but because it is time for us to move on and focus on winning in November.

I applaud Karen Thurman and the Florida Democratic Party, Robert Wexler, Bill Nelson and others who represented our state and the candidates for doing the best they could with a bad situation.

Florida Democrats have been serially abused and the DNC is the latest of offenders.  How the DNC has the authority to ignore the votes of ‘Jack and Jane Lunch Bucket’ is beyond my understanding. The insiders who actively sought to disillusion and disenfranchise the more than 1.75 million Florida Democrats who voted on January 29 give new meaning to collective arrogance.

The DNC’s decision today ignores the core principle of our great democracy: the right to vote.  I know that the 1.75 million Democrats who voted on January 29 count and don’t give a damn what the DNC rules pronounce.

Going to a party’s convention is a privilege. Courts have said that political parties have a right to make their rules.  In this case, the DNC has chosen to take away that privilege from people who I believe have earned the right to participate in the National Convention in Denver with a full vote.  As Americans, we should never insinuate or give vent to taking away the constitutional, time honored, died for, and cherished rights of voters from any state.  Yet that is what today’s decision has done to the people of
Florida and Michigan.

I suppose the DNC has the right to block Democrats in Florida from attending the National Convention.  They also have the right to be stupid, and stupid they are.

At the beginning of our great country’s history my ancestors were counted as only 2/3 of a person.  Until passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870, they weren’t allowed to vote. During that same time and until 1920, women could not vote.  White men who did not own property could not vote at one point in our history as well.   

Now, on May 31, 2008, a group of elitist insiders of the DNC have effectively said that some of my ancestors’ progeny equal only 1/2 and that men and women in Florida who voted on January 29th are 1/2 also.  For a Party which will crown its historic nominee on the 45th anniversary of Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, the DNC’s decision today is tragically ironic.

As a matter of protest, I do not intend to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Despite all of this, too much is at stake this November.  I refuse to allow those who have done me and my constituents wrong to stop us from taking back our country.  Together, we will do whatever it takes to increase our majority in the House and Senate and win the Presidency.

While I cannot speak for others, I do not intend to take any further legal action against the DNC.  If I believed that we could win, believe me, I would act and so would others.  But based on case history, it is an uphill battle screaming for a change in federal law.   

I will, however, spend enormous energy on convincing my colleagues in Congress that we must create a rotating regional Presidential primary system.  30 political insiders – nearly all of whom ain’t ever been elected to a damn thing in their lives – must never again have the ability to reject the will of and unilaterally disenfranchise 1.75 million voters.

This election is bigger than Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton.  It is certainly bigger than the DNC.  There are over 46 million Americans who are uninsured, gas and energy costs are spiraling out of control, America’s economy is faltering, and U.S. troops are dying nearly every day in Iraq and Afghanistan.  It will take the energy and resources of all of us to fix these problems and the others facing our nation.

As Florida voters have demonstrated time and time again, we will rise above those who have sought to silence our voices and vote big and win in November.

Obama: It's over. (Please let it be over)

"We're extremely gratified that the commission agreed on a fair solution that will allow Michigan and Florida to participate in the Convention. We appreciate their efforts, and those of the party leadership of both states, to bring this resolution about," said Obama campaign manager David Plouffe.

Clinton: It's not over until Michigan sings

From the Hillary Clinton campaign:

Today’s results are a victory for the people of Florida who will have a voice in selecting our Party’s nominee and will see its delegates seated at our party’s convention. The decision by the Rules and Bylaws Committee honors the votes that were cast by the people of Florida and allocates the delegates accordingly.

We strongly object to the Committee’s decision to undercut its own rules in seating Michigan’s delegates without reflecting the votes of the people of Michigan. The Committee awarded to Senator Obama not only the delegates won by Uncommitted, but four of the delegates won by Senator Clinton. This decision violates the bedrock principles of our democracy and our Party.

We reserve the right to challenge this decision before the Credentials Committee and appeal for a fair allocation of Michigan’s delegates that actually reflect the votes as they were cast.

Florida gets half votes at convention

Florida's four long months in the political wilderness are over: The state will get to vote at a history-making Democratic nominating convention, though the weight of Hillary Clinton's victory in the state's primary will be cut in half, under a compromise reached Saturday after a testy daylong hearing that belied party leaders' calls for unity.

Under the deal, every one of Florida's 211 delegates will go to the Democratic National convention in Denver in late August, though each delegate will get a half-vote. Clinton, who Florida's Jan. 29 primary, will net 19 more delegates than rival Barack Obama.

A 30-member panel of the Democratic National Committee voted to retreat from its decision last year to ignore Florida's vote. The earliest primary in state history flouted party rules aimed at discouraging states from jumping the gun.

The Clinton campaign will use Florida's new legitimacy to argue that her victory in the nation's largest battleground state makes her the stronger nominee. But the odds of her overtaking Obama's lead are long and her supporters in the audience at the hearing booed and jeered when a motion to fully restore Florida's votes failed.

More here.

Obama offers Clinton 19 Florida delegates

Representing the Barack Obama campaign, U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler urged the Democratic National Committee to seat half of the Florida delegates at the convention, yielding Hillary Clinton 19 delegates.

In the past, the Obama campaign has argued that the Florida primary was not a fair fight because the candidates did not campaign in the state. But now, on the threshold of the nomination, Obama is willing to accept her earning some delegates out of her victory on Jan. 29.

"Sen. Obama offers this concession to promote reconciliation with Florida voters,'' Wexler said.

Howard Dean's opening act

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean started off the meeting to reconsider Florida and Michigan's role in the nominating process with a media-bashing, party-boosting rant.

Perhaps in response to widespread criticism of Dean's lack of diplomacy and leadership in resolving the Democratic family fued, Dean lashed out at the "cynics...who are looking for conflict," and with regards to candidate Hillary Clinton, the "sexist comments -- particularly by members of the media.''

He commended the party for being ready to nominate its first African-American or female nominee and for turning out at the polls in record numbers.

And he advised the DNC rules committee to "respect" the voters of Florida and Michigan -- "They did not cause this problem'' -- and the candidates and 48 states who followed the rules.

CNN reporting live from...Davie!

Democratic National Committee member Diane Glasser, a longtime Broward County activist, is sitting in what appears to be an empty restaurant/bar in Davie being interviewed by a CNN reporter about the goings-on in Washington this morning over Florida and Michigan delegates.

"Wolf we're going to be here all day today, checking the pulse of Democrats,'' said reporter John Zarrella.

Hoo boy!

Florida women rally in Washington

From our McClatchy bureau's Steve Thomma:

Hundreds of people - most of them women and virtually all of them Hillary supporters - are protesting outside the hotel where the Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws Committee will meet to decide the fate of convention delegates from Florida and Michigan.

"We voted. We want our votes counted," said Janet W. Larson, a Democrat from Jacksonville.

She was one of more than 100 Democrats from the Jacksonville area who rode two buses to Washington, arriving about 1 am after a 12-hour ride. They're waving signs proclaiming,  "We spoke loud and clear. Our voices must be heard."

She said she knew that Florida's primary violated party rules because it was too early. But she said Florida voters shouldn't be penalized.

"It's the politicians who did this," she said. "Not the voters."

Clinton beer-drinking scandal in Puerto Rico

Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton boasts widespread support in central Florida's thriving Puerto Rican community, and she is expected to win the island's primary tomorrow. But a couple community activists in Kissimmee pointed out that during a recent campaign stop, when she showed off the beer she was drinking, it was a Presidente -- a Dominican beer.

If only Clinton had demanded Medalla, she might be on her way to the White House.

Watch the video below and read more about Kissimmee's coveted Puerto Rican voters here.

'Proud to be an American,' not so crazy about Bush

One sign the Republican party has work to do in the Hispanic community: Country music singer Lee Greenwood got more applause than President Bush at the citizenship ceremony.

The roughly 3,000 immigrants at the Miami Beach Convention Center clapped politely when Bush, via videotape, greeted "my fellow Americans.'' But they leaped to their feet and waved miniature American flags during a music video of Greenwood's hit God Bless the USA.

"You have to respect him because he's the commander-in-chief, but I don't agree with the policies he has put in place,'' said 26-year-old Juan Salas, a Florida International University graduate from Nicaragua.

This is the ominous political climate facing the GOP in 2008, and it partly explains why the number of Hispanic Democrats recently surpassed the number of Hispanic Republicans in Florida.

Read the rest of Beth Reinhard's column here.

Florida Dems: Please count us!

A bevy of Florida Democrats will go before the national party today to plead their case for political relevancy. The meeting is also being billed as Hillary Clinton's last major stand -- though she's not expected to get all she wants.

Sen. Bill Nelson, who unsuccessfully sued the Democratic National Committee, accusing it of stripping away the voting rights of Florida Democrats, will appeal for mercy on behalf of the state party. Clinton will be represented by state Sen. Arthenia Joyner, and Barack Obama by his Florida campaign chair, Rep. Robert Wexler of Boca Raton.

At issue is an appeal authored by DNC member Jon Ausman, a Tallahassee Democrat who has asked former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez and Janee Murphy of Tampa to join him.

Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, a Clinton supporter, wants to speak but isn't on the schedule. She said she has been invited to several rallies Clinton supporters are planning in hopes of pressing committee members to seat the entire delegation.

Click brown.doc to see Brown's case and see below for what Martinez hopes to tell the committee.

Each speaker has just 15 minutes, though the committee can question them for 10 minutes after their presentation.

Slow-newsday Charlie: Seat the delegates, Howard

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist just issued this late Friday afternoon letter to Democratic leader Howard Dean asking him to seat all Florida delegates at the Dem convention: Download dean.pdf

Thurman: We expect to get a half-loaf

Florida Democratic Party chair Karen Thurman says she believes the DNC on Saturday "will restore at least half of our delegates, which would put us on par with Florida Republicans (whose national party halved their delegation.

"I sincerely hope that this meeting brings closure to a dispute that has gone on for way too long," she said in an e-mail to Florida Democrats titled "Tomorrow is the Beginning.

"Florida is the nation's largest battleground state, and the Democratic nominee -- no matter who it is -- is going to have a strong opportunity to win here."

Clock starts ticking for Charlie

Gov. Charlie Crist was sent the $66.2 billion state budget on Friday afternoon, officially starting the clock for Crist, who has 15 days to sign the budget and use his line-item veto power to slash individual spending items.

Florida TaxWatch recommended that Crist veto $110 million worth of questionable projects inserted into the budget by powerful lawmakers.

Rep. David Rivera, a Miami-Dade Republican who got a few of his hometown projects funded, said the governor should realize that many of the projects are important to constituents.

"All the community projects are important to Floridians across the state,'' said Rivera, who said he and other Floridians "disagree" with TaxWatch's assessment.

Clinton camp: Sit 'em all and don't give any Michigan delegates to Obama

The Democratic party was widely believed this week to have shut the door on Hillary Clinton's chances of counting every Florida and Michigan vote. But don't tell the Clinton campaign.

It maintained in a conference call and in a legal memo that the party's rules committee has the authority to restore "all the delegates from Florida and Michigan with full votes." Not just half the delegations.

Still, Clinton advisor Harold Ickes, who sits on the committee, wouldn't say how far the campaign is prepared to go (to the convention?) if it doesn't get the full slate.

"We think it not useful to cross streets before we come to them," he said.

Read the full argument Download clinton.pdf .

Florida TaxWatch: Floridians will be shocked at how much pork is in budget

Florida TaxWatch this morning released its turkey list this morning and the total comes to $110.5 million. A turkey is the Tallahassee parlance for budget pork that bypasses normal budgeting procedures.

Some of the projects that the group is asking Gov.Charlie Crist to veto include $12 million to help with a new airport in Panama City, $840,000 for the cultural festival in Miami known as Exponica International, and $1.5 million for a reclaimed water project in Doral.

The head of Florida TaxWatch said that many Floridians would be "shocked" to know that lawmakers had authorized so much questionable spending in one of the state's worst ever budget years. He also said that the GOP-controlled Legislature did not do a very thoughtful job in delving deeper into state agency budgets. Dominic Calabro, president of the organization, questioned how legislators could justify setting aside millions to build a new university campus in Lakeland while cutting funding for higher education programs overall.

"It's an arcane system of budgeting,'' said Calabro. "It is out of step with how Floridians live their lives."

I'll take your Ricky and raise you a George Lopez! And a Jessica Alba!

Not to be outdone by Hillary Clinton's campaign touting its pre-Puerto Rico primary endorsement by Ricky Martin, Barack Obama supporters released a video today made by a bevy of Latin musicians and celebs, including Alejandro Sanz, Don Omar, Paulina Rubio, John Leguizamo, Kate del Castillo, Jessica Alba, George Lopez, Voltio and CuCu Diamentes.

"Obama es Mr. Futuro," Rubio says in the "Podemos con Obama" video that music producer Andres Levin says was inspired by his previous work with will.i.am on the viral web video "We are the Ones."

Check it out here.

And here's the will.i.am one.

The DNC lineup: Nelson, Wexler, Martinez, et al

The line-up for Saturday's hotly-anticipated DNC smackdown is out: In this corner, representing Barack Obama's campaign, Boca Dem. Rep. Robert Wexler. For Hillary Clinton, Tampa state Sen. Arthenia Joyner. For the state Democratic party, Sen. Bill Nelson. And for DNC member Jon Ausman, who filed the appeal the DNC will take up, its Ausman, along with Clinton supporter and former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez and Janee Murphy, an Obama supporter from Tampa.

Wexler, a prominent advocate for counting all the votes in 2000 and Obama's Florida campaign chairman, said he talked with Obama about making the campaign's case when the candidate was in Florida last week.

"The importance of seating the Florida delegation at the convention was absolutely a topic of discussion," Wexler said. "Senator Obama is unequivocal in his commitment to have Florida's delegation represented."

Obama's campaign said earlier this week that he's willing to give Clinton an edge in delegates if it means resolving the situation.

Clinton, however, wants all the delegates to be seated - based on the Jan. 20 primary that she won, though both candidates had agreed not to campaign in the state.

Jews for McCain

For the second time in as many months, Republican presidential candidate John McCain is attending a "pro-Israel'' fundraiser in South Florida.

The $1,000-per-person luncheon is scheduled for June 6 at Jungle Island (formerly Parrot Jungle) in Miami.

The day before, McCain will be collecting checks at the St. Regis Fort Lauderdale Resort. The Florida swing next week will also include a visit to Orlando.

Clinton supporters to rally, Hastings won't be among them

Rep. Alcee Hastings, who filed one of the first lawsuits against the DNC for stripping the state of its delegates and has been active in negotiations between the state's congressional delegation, the national party, and the campaigns, will miss Saturday's big smackdown.

The Broward Democrat (and Hillary Clinton supporter) chairs the commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe -- also known as the Helsinki Commission -- and is overseas on an official congressional trip that wraps up Saturday in Vienna.

According to the commission, he's to attend a conference on "The Role of National Institutions against Discrimination in Combating Racism and Xenophobia." The Hill also notes the former House intelligence committee member is to meet with officials from the UN nuclear weapons watchdog to discuss the security threat posed by Iran.

Clinton supporters are expected to be out in full force at the DNC meeting, hoping to pressure committee members to give Clinton the Florida delegates she wants.

DNC preview: Wasserman Schultz v. Wexler on Hardball

Hillary Clinton supporter Debbie Wasserman Schultz takes the hard line on Hardball, saying that if the DNC on Saturday "decides to do anything less than seat our full delegation at the convention, then we are jeopardizing our opportunity to win the general election in November.

"We have very raw nerves in Florida from the recount and we can't have a repeat..." she said. Yet, asked by host Chris Matthews, whether there'd be a Dem nominee by the end of June, she said "I think we will."  (One major question is whether Clinton would appeal a (likely) DNC decision that seats just half of Florida's delegates. The appeal would be heard by the credentials committee, which meets before the late August convention.)

Obama's campaign has opposed seating Florida's full delegation, based on the results of the unsanctioned Jan. 29 primary and Boca Raton Democrat Rep. Robert Wexler, Barack Obama's Florida campaign chair, said Obama is hoping to find "consensus."

"Sen. Obama has asked that Florida be seated, we hope that the DNC on Saturday will bring this to a finality so Floridians will feel they've been heard," Wexler said.

Save Our Homes challenge gets hearing

A class action lawsuit that asks the state to throw out the Save Our Homes amendment and reimburse newcomers to Florida who have been unfairly discriminated against got its first hearing in Leon County Circuit Court Thursday.

The case, before Judge Charles Francis, brought by three recent residents to Florida, alleges that the constitutional provision to cap property assessments at 3 percent a year and the new portability provision that allows homeowners to take the savings with them when they move discriminates against newcomers to Florida.Download soh_lawsuit.pdf

Here's the lawsuit.

La vida loca!

Days before the primary in Puerto Rico, Ricky Martin has endorsed Hillary Clinton.

"These elections will have historic repercussions both in the United States and the world," the Puerto-Rican born "5-time Grammy award winning artist" said in a release sent out by the Clinton campaign.

"Senator Clinton has always been consistent in her commitment with the needs of the Latino community. Whether fighting for better education, universal health care and social well-being, as First Lady and senator from New York -- representing millions of Latinos -- she has always fought for what is most important for our families."

Obama on DNC meeting, in his own words

Barack Obama told the traveling press he expects a Democratic nominee will emerge after the last primaries Tuesday, but that Saturday's DNC meeting is "important" in that it will "put the Michigan, Florida issue behind us.

"We are only a few days away," Obama said. "We have waited this long. We can wait a while longer."

Judge strikes down 2007 Legislature's measure aimed at Miami-Dade county

The state Legislature had no authority to halt millions of dollars in payments three of Miami-Dade wealthiest cities must pay to the county each year, according to a court ruling handed down Wednesday.

In 2007 the Senate and House unanimously approved a measure sponsored by Miami Republicans Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla and Rep. Julio Robaina, banning the practice of counties charging cities for the right to incorporate. Though the law was meant to apply statewide, Miami-Dade is the only of the 67 counties imposing the stiff fees.

Annually Doral, Miami Lakes, and Palmetto Bay fork over a combined $11 million in mitigation payments to Miami-Dade for the right to incorporate. The county started charging the fees in 2000 as a way to wane the growing incorporation trend.

The three cities, who retained high-profile attorney Bruce Rogow to fight their cause, vow to appeal the decision by Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Daryl E. Trawick.

''None of us have been naive enough to think this issue isn't one that's going to be decided upon by the Florida Supreme Court,'' said Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn.

For full story read here.

Wexler: Let's put McClellan under oath

Rep. Robert Wexler, the Boca Dem who has called for impeachment hearings against vice president Dick Cheney, is calling for former White House Press Secretary (and new author) Scott McClellan to appear before the House Judiciary Committee to testify about the "the devastating revelations" he makes in his new book.

McClellan's new book, "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" is kicking up a storm and a counterattack by the Bush administration on his charges that the administration misled the American people into war against Iraq.

"The admissions made by Scott McClellan in his new book are earth-shattering and allege facts to establish that Karl Rove and Scooter Libby – and possibly Vice President Cheney -  conspired to obstruct justice by lying about their role in the Plame Wilson matter and that the Bush Administration deliberately lied to the American people in order to take us to war in Iraq," said Wexler, a member of the judiciary committee.

McClellan, Wexler said, "must now appear before the House Judiciary Committee under oath to tell Congress and the American people how President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and White House officials deliberately orchestrated a massive propaganda campaign to sell the war in Iraq to the American people."

New South Florida corruption case

For the third time in two years, scandal has rocked Opa-locka City Hall, with the arrest Wednesday of an influential city consultant accused of demanding more than $300,000 in kickbacks from a city contractor.

Investigators say Emmanuel Nwadike, a private engineer under contract to the city, has acted as Opa-locka's chief engineer for the past six years, scoping out public-works projects, drawing up bid proposals and recommending construction firms for city jobs.

Nwadike used his position to steer about $2.4 million in city contracts to one firm, Hard J Construction, whose owner, MacDonald Jumbo, paid Nwadike about $348,000 in 2005 and 2006, according to an arrest report. More here.

Miami police chief to settle ethics case

Miami Police Chief John Timoney has reached a tentative settlement with the Florida Commission on Ethics, an agreement calling for the chief to pay a $500 fine and admit wrongdoing in connection with his 14-month extended ''test drive'' of a Lexus hybrid SUV.

The chief enjoyed free use of that vehicle -- with no insurance payments either -- courtesy of the Lexus of Kendall dealership. But Timoney never declared the SUV as a gift in required government-disclosure forms.

The proposed settlement says Timoney ''recognizes'' that he violated state disclosure laws.

Timoney's office declined comment Wednesday, saying the settlement has not yet received final approval -- which could come when the state ethics panel meets June 6.

Fidel Castro endorses Obama?

    Does former Cuban leader Fidel Castro endorse Sen. Barrack Obama for U.S. president?

   A photo-shoped image released by the Republican Party of Florida seems to promote that idea. It shows Castro, wearing an Adidas jacket and sitting on a sofa, holding up a poster of Obama toward the camera.

   "I love this guy!'' a headline above the photo reads.

  The ad copy goes on to say: "Fidel Castro Endorses Obama. He has chosen Obama as his favorte candidate...due to his willingness to visit foreign dictators without preconditions.''

    Then it calls on the three Democratic congressional challengers to take a stand: "Will Joe Garcia, Raul Martinez and Annette Tadeo finally denounce Obama's plan...?''

      Garcia, who is vying for the seat held by Republican  U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, blasted the RPF for releasing the doctored image, calling it a scare tactic aimed at elderly Cuban voters.

    "This is the Diaz-Balart-style of politics that uses the suffering of the Cuban people to avoid addressing the important issues affecting families in our community, such as the rising cost of fuel and lack of funding for schools,'' he said.

Crist vetos Citizens transfer, complaining it leaves insurer vulnerable

Gov. Charlie Crist has vetoed the attempt by the Legislature to divert $250 million from the reserves of Citizens Property Insurance to entice private insurers to write more homeowner's policies by providing them with state-subsidized low-interest loans as back-up capital.

Crist commended the legislation for its "consumer protections" but he warned that by taking $250 million from Citizens' ability to pay claims "will substantially increase the likelihood of assessments for Floridians across the state.'' He said he "would not support risking an additional financial hardship on Floridians." Download property_insurance_2860.pdf

The insurance bill also freezes Citizens Property Insurance rates for another year and doubles fines state regulators can impose.

DNC: Our memo was "intentionally neutral"

The Democratic National Committee just sent out a memo clarifying its earlier memo about seating Florida and Michigan's delegates.

Some have read the memo to say that the party can only seat half the states' delegates. But the party says the 17-page memo, a staff analysis of the Michigan and Florida challenges, was "intentionally neutral; it does not make specific recommendations."

It notes that the staff analysis found that the rules committee "did have proper authority and jurisdiction" in stripping Florida of all of its delegates. And it notes that the document "examines the 50% automatic sanction and how to implement such a sanction:  Under this scenario, one option would be to reduce the total number of delegates by half; the second option for consideration by the RBC would be to reduce the delegation's votes by half, so that each delegate gets a half vote. 

"We look forward to a thorough discussion of these issues at the Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting this Saturday, May 31st in Washington, DC."

Florida Dems: Charlie prefers gallivanting with bigwigs over working

Gov. Charlie Crist's decision to spend last weekend in Arizona with GOP presidential nominee John McCain has inspired some new smack talk from Florida Democrats. (Crist did say on Wednesday that the meeting was entirely social and he spent most of his time eating steak and ribs and other items.)

In an e-mail sent out today, Phillip Perry, director of online communications for the Florida Democratic Party, rips into Crist, and even compares him to President Bush.

"There's been quite a buzz concerning whether McCain will pick Florida's Empty Chair Charlie Crist as his running mate. That speaks to Florida's importance, but Floridians know that things haven't been exactly sunny since Charlie took over. Our Governor clearly prefers gallivanting with bigwigs and celebrities over tackling the real challenges facing the people of our state. Sounds scarily similar to a certain former Governor of Texas, doesn't it?"

Perry's rant also includes a bid to vote a new Bush-McCain bumper sticker.

It probably won't take too long before the Republican Party of Florida returns fire. (Only about five more months of this.)

Obama campaign: We're willing to compromise

Barack Obama's campaign says it'll accept a compromise on seating Florida's delegates -- even if it means Hillary Clinton gets a few more votes.

"Any compromise is clearly going to benefit Senator Clinton, but we're willing to cede in the interest of bringing this to a resolution," said campaign manager David Plouffe.

Clinton campaign: DNC doesn't rule out seating 100 percent of delegates

Hillary Clinton's campaign is refuting AP's take on the DNC memo, saying it's a "pretty neutral document" and does not rule out seating all of Florida's delegates (as Clinton's campaign fervently hopes).

"Our expectation and our belief is that the DNC will vote to seat 100 percent," of both Florida and Michigan, Howard Wolfson said.

Is anyone from Florida not planning on speaking?

The DNC - hoping to avoid chaos at its meeting Saturday to decide what to do with Florida and Michigan - has imposed strict speaking rules that give each player just 15 minutes to present his/her case.

That means 15 minutes for Jon Ausman, the DNC member who filed the appeal with the committee, 15 minutes for the Florida Democratic Party and 15 minutes for each Democratic presidential contender. Ausman says he's trying to have former Hialeah Mayor Raul Martinez, a DNC member who backs Hillary Clinton; and former HIllsborough County Democratic Chairwoman Janee Murphy, a DNC member who has donated to Barack Obama, speak as well.

Former Florida gov and US Sen. Bob Graham said last week he plans to speak, and today, Sen. Bill Nelson, who took the DNC to court to seat the delegates, is quoted in the Tallahassee Democrat as saying he plans to speak.

"What I'm going to tell them on Saturday is that in Florida, we're pretty sensitive about our right to vote and have that vote counted," Nelson said.

The rank-and-file are unlikely to be able to state their case. The DNC says there won't be an opportunity for public input.

DNC lawyers: Half is as best we can do

Florida Dems have said they hope to seat at least half of Florida's delegation at the nominating convention and that's as far as lawyers for the national party say they can go.

DNC rules require that Florida and Michigan lose at least half of their convention delegates for holding elections too early, the party's legal experts wrote in a 38-page memo, the Associated Press reports.

The memo was sent late Tuesday to the 30 members of the party's rules and bylaws committee, which is to meet Saturday in Washington to figure out what to do with Florida and Michigan.

Read the full memo Download dnc.pdf . And let us know what you think should be done.

Obama to supporters: Stay home

Barack Obama's campaign is urging supporters not to demonstrate at Saturday’s Democratic National Committee meeting that'll take up the status of Florida's renegade delegates.

An internal campaign memo described in The Hill, says "We look forward to the meeting proceeding smoothly — and we’re asking our supporters not to show up to demonstrate, passionately as they feel about this campaign."

That's quite a departure from Hillary Clinton's campaign, which is pushing to recognize all of Florida's delegate and has urged supporters to contact the DNC, "telling them to count the votes and seat Florida and Michigan's delegates." A pro-Clinton group is planning a day-long rally for Saturday.

The Hill says the Obama campaign memo cautions supporters against speculating about what will happen on Saturday, "though it emphasizes that the Illinois senator will campaign vigorously in both states for the general election."

Ausman: "Time to let our people go"

Florida's Jon Ausman, who will argue Saturday that Florida's voters should count, says he believes there's a consensus developing among the campaigns and the national Democratic party to give Florida at least a half say.

He argued on CNN that Florida's been punished enough and that it's "time to let our people go."

One of those deciding on Saturday, Donna Brazile, said on CNN that DNC chief Howard Dean has asked that the committee members "respect the rules, respect the voters in Florida and Michigan and to try and come up with some accomodation.

"We don't have a metric yet, but clearly we're going to work very hard...." she said, adding that the committee also needs to acknowledge party rules and the 48 states "that complied with the rules."

DNC meeting Saturday: The hottest ticket in town

Hoping to have your say at Saturday's big DNC rules and bylaws committee meeting when it takes up Florida's delegate debacle? It may be too late.

The Democratic National Committee is reporting that registration for the meeting was closed within minutes of opening this morning. The party had opened registration at 10 a.m. today, saying that "due to space constraints, guests are being asked to pre-register their attendance.

"Yes, it did go online," the DNC notes on its blog. "For about a minute. There was a lot (of) demand and were sorry if you didn't get a spot...they were gone pretty quickly. We'll make sure to have a feed available here on Democrats.org on Saturday so you can see it."

Hard to say how much lucky ticket holders will be able to participate. The DNC has already said there will be no time for public comments and has banned posters, signs and noisemakers.

Charlie to meet and greet with trial lawyers at Disney

Florida's trial lawyers may have led the crusade this past session to scuttle a proposed Central Florida commuter rail deal that Gov. Charlie Crist backed, but that isn't stopping Crist from attending their annual convention being held this week at Disney World.

Crist is dropping by the Florida Justice Association's "Meet the Candidates" reception being held Wednesday afternoon at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The candidates are those members of the association who are seeking election to the association's board of directors.

Stone's role in Miami-Dade recount disputed

The New Yorker's latest issue features a profile of longtime Republican operative Roger Stone, who claims to have masterminded the near-riot that helped to shut down the vote recount in Miami-Dade in 2000. This blogger watched HBO's newly released movie Recount about the contested election with Stone a couple of weeks ago and wrote this.

But the New Yorker profile includes a voice of dissent who says Stone has exaggerated his role in commandeering the crowd from a nearby trailer with a walkie talkie.

"I was the guy in charge of the trailer, and I coordinated the Brooks Brothers riot," Brad Blakeman, a lobbyist and political consultant who worked for Bush in Miami, told The New Yorker. "Roger did not have a role that I know of. His wife may have been on the radio, but I never saw or heard from him.” Scoffing at Blakeman’s account, Stone asserts that he was in the trailer; he said that he had never heard of Blakeman. (Rule: "Lay low, play dumb, keep moving.")

The New Yorker profile is here.

Log Cabin Republicans endorse Ros-Lehtinen

Log Cabin Republicans have thrown their support to Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami, facing her first significant re-election challenge this year.

The group says Ros-Lehtinen has proven a "powerful conservative voice in the fight to end the discriminatory 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law." It notes she voted against the anti-family federal marriage amendment and has "spoken out forcefully against human rights violations of LGBT citizens abroad, particularly in radical Islamic regimes. She has also urged fair treatment of gay and lesbian employees of the U.S. State Department."

Conservatives give McCain a choice: reject Crist or lose us

Conservative web site, the CBNews.com posts this story today claiming: "Pro-Family Leaders Raise Red Flag on Charlie Crist VP Talk."

Their argument? "Well, first of all they don't believe he's pro-life. He says he's pro-life but in the past he's said he was pro-choice. Read more on that here. He has also supported civil unions. In addition, when the whole Terri Schiavo controversy exploded in Florida, Crist DID NOT side with pro-family groups who wanted him to take a more active role. He stayed on the sidelines."

Debates a go, with three empty chairs

The South Florida AFL-CIO is forging ahead with three congressional debates starting tonight, despite the absence of the three Republican incumbents.

Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart had confirmed they'd attend, but bowed out last week; Fred Frost, president of the AFL-CIO, said Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen never responded to the union's invitation, but she told the Herald last week that she wouldn't attend the debate.

"It is unfortunate the incumbents have declined to address the issues and concerns of working families," Frost said. He noted, however, that the AFL-CIO's executive board voted unanimously to hold the debates "and provide union members and their families the opportunity to hear from the challengers and their positions on working families issues."

And he said the challengers, Joe Garcia, Raul Martinez and Annette Taddeo, agreed to attend, "regardless if their opponent was a 'no-show.' "

Garcia, who is challenging Mario Diaz-Balart, is up first, 6:30 p.m. tonight (Tuesday May 27) at the Pipefitters Local 725, 13185 NW 45th Ave., Miami (near the Opa Locka Airport).

Martinez, who is challenging Lincoln Diaz-Balart, will "debate" at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday May 28) at the IBEW Local 349, 1657 NW 17th St., Miami.

Taddeo, who is challenging Ros-Lehtinen, will appear at 6:30 p.m. Thursday (May 29) at the Firefighters Memorial Building, 8000 NW 21st St., Doral.

Report: GOP operative says he has a tape of Crist

A long-running political website is reporting that famed GOP operative Roger Stone is claiming to have a tape of Gov. Charlie Crist that shows him making out with his girlfriend Carole Rome in a hotel elevator. While the Politics1 website itself says it is skeptical of anything involving Stone, it notes the timing of this might help beat back speculation from some news outlets about Crist's personal life. More here.

Recount redux? Military ballots come under fire again

In the chaotic 2000 presidential election, overseas ballots returning to Florida became one of the flash points during the contentious recount that resulted in George W. Bush narrowly winning the presidency. The campaigns of Bush and Al Gore battled over whether to accept overseas ballots received after Election Day that lacked a postmark to show when the ballot was cast.

Eight years later, the Okaloosa County elections supervisor has embarked on an ambitious pilot project to let those stationed overseas to vote electronically. But the project has come under fire from those who say it is unsafe and violates the new law that requires a paper ballot. More here.

Annette Taddeo wouldn't go as far as Obama on Cuba talks

Democrat Annette Taddeo, who is challenging Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for re-election, says she might not go as far as Barack Obama would in engaging in direct diplomacy with the Cuban regime.

"I don’t necessarily agree with everything he had to say," Taddeo told radio host (and Obama supporter) Bernard Jennings on his Sunday call-in show. "I won’t go as far as he did. And I admire him for being forthright."

Taddeo, who said she was at Obama’s speech to the Cuban American National Foundation Friday when he said he would meet with Raul Castro, supports the trade embargo against Cuba and has campaigned on lifting the restrictions on family travel and remittances.

On Sunday, she also said that at least 80 percent of federal funds that support Cuban democracy should go directly to Cuba, following a CANF report that only 17 percent of those funds have reached dissidents on the island in the past 10 years.

"There needs to be accountability with this money," she said.

Obama's last word (for now) on Florida

As he flew from Puerto Rico to Chicago, Democrat Barack Obama told reporters: "I felt like we had a terrific three days of campaigning in Florida. I think the enthusiasm we saw, not just in the rallies but in the town hall meetings, and the speeches that I gave indicated that we can do very well in that state, and we intend to campaign actively to make sure that we deliver Florida in the Democratic column in November..."

Asked about the Democratic National Committee meeting on Saturday, he said, "I just want them to decide how to approach this in a way in which the Florida and Michigan delegations are seated, and they're happy. And if that happens, if they feel they've been treated fairly, and they're seated, then I'm happy. I want to be looking at them when I'm standing on stage in Denver in August."

Asked if the delegate dispute will linger, he said, "Yes, the Clinton campaign has been stirring this up, for fairly transparent reasons. They weren't stirring it up when they didn't need the delegates, right? I think, let's not pretend that we don't know what's going on. I mean this is from their perspective, their last slender hope to make arguments about how they can win, and I understand that, what I've said is I want to make the Florida delegates seated. Once they're seated, then I think this is going to be a story that nobody's going to think about come August."

Hillary's march on Washington

A newly formed group of Hillary Clinton supporters, WomenCount PAC, is organizing a "Count Every Vote Rally'' in Washington on May 31, the day the Democratic National Committee meets to reconsider her victories in the disputed Florida and Michigan primaries.

The group is running full-page ads in The New York Times and other newspapers. "We spoke loud and clear in Florida and Michigan and our voices MUST be heard," the ad trumpets.

The Clinton campaign knows how to count. It knows that even the best possible outcome at the DNC meeting will still not put Clinton over the top.

So what is going on here? This blogger suspects the rally is aimed less at Florida and Michigan voters and more at the all-important superdelegates, who, seeing voters take to the streets in Washington, reconsidering her popular-vote count tally factoring in Florida and Michigan, and thinking about all those big, battleground states she won, will pick her at the nominating convention.

And if that happens, and Barack Obama's lead in pledged delegates earned in primaries around the country is ignored, you can bet there will be another march on Washington.

Howard Dean as Rob Schneider

Have you seen the hot new sitcom, a riff off the short-lived NBC series about two guys with a penchant for bathroom humor and belching?

It's called "Democrats Behaving Badly."

The starring role is played by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who -- get this! -- makes wisecracks about Florida, a state crucial to victory in November, getting hosed in the 2008 presidential primary. In the pilot, Dean doesn't return calls from members of Congress worried that shutting the state out of a history-making campaign could cost the party the election.

Cue the laugh track.

Read the rest of Beth Reinhard's column here.

Rubio bound for gun show

Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio is slated to plug the GOP and its support for the Second Amendment at the Southern Classic Gun Show at the Miami-Dade County Fair Expo tomorrow.

The gun-show circuit has become a popular Republican recruitment tool in Florida. Pasco County Chairman Bill Bunting travels all over the state registering voters and offering concealed weapons permit classes. He's done five shows already in the past week.  "We're out in full force,'' Bunting said.

Charlie Crist campaigned at the Miami gun show two years ago when he was running for governor. He signed and Rubio helped pass a bill heavily pushed by the NRA that will allow drivers to keep concealed weapons in their cars while at work.

Cancelled Diaz-Balart vs. Garcia debate could be rescheduled

Though Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, (along with fellow Cuban American lawmakers Lincoln Diaz- Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen) scrapped plans to participate in a debate scheduled by the South Florida AFL-CIO citing a scheduling snafu, Friday morning he said he is still willing to debate Democratic challenger Joe Garcia.

 

"I have always done debates in my elections, so I'm assuming there will be, obviously," Diaz-Balart said when asked if a future debate would take place.

 

He spent an hour Friday morning talking politics to high school students at Mater Academy Charter High School in Hialeah Gardens, before heading to the South Dade community of Naranja for a check presentation to a homeless shelter.

Obama comes to the city of 'Sunshine'

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama got a welcome befitting the Democratic stronghold of Broward County at the nearly packed 20,000-seat BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. "This is the hard core here!'' he said as he spun around to see the cheering, stomping crowd.

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, his campaign's co-chairman in Florida, claimed it was the largest campaign rally in Florida history.

But Obama did commit a faux paus when he repreatedly referred to the city of Sunrise in northwestern Broward as "Sunshine." As in "It feels good to be in Sunshine!'' And "When we are unified, Sunshine, nobody can stop us!"

Have at it, GOP.

UPDATE: Boy, that Republican party works fast. See below: