Americans for Prosperity to launch ad campaign to target justices

Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy group affiliated with the Koch brothers, will unveil a political campaign on Tuesday designed to highlight the judicial records of the three Florida Supreme Court justices who are up for merit retention.

The group will will launch a web site to provide voters with information on the justices’ records: youbethejudge.com, and run 30-second television ads across the state chastising the justices, AFP of Florida president Slade O'Brien told the Herald/Times. They would not release how much they plan to spend.

The first ad will focus on the court's 5-2 decsion in 2010, rejecting the proposed constitutional amendment intended by the Legislature to counter President Barack Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act — the one Republicans dubbed ObamaCare.

“We’re not advocating for the election or defeat of any of the justices what we’re attempting to do is call more attention to them advocating from the bench,’’ O’Brien said.

Jim Greer on RPOF's campaign against justices: 'Floridians should be scared to death'

At least one Republican doesn't like the GOP's decision to oppose the merit retention of three Florida Supreme Court judges.

In a statement released Monday night, former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer said the party "has no business interfering or attempting to manipulate the makeup of the Florida Supreme Court or the state's judiciary."

Greer said the move is just the latest in a series of steps taken to punish those who uphold constitutional protections that don't match the party leadership's "it's our way.''

"Floridians should be scared to death,'' Greer added. "As chairman, I never would have permitted it, it's wrong and needs to be stopped.''

"If these justices are removed, their political-lackey governor gets to appoint their replacements. They're abusing their power to stack the deck in favor of their otherwise indefensible defense to Jim Greer on the court which will ultimately decide their fate. It's an unimaginative page straight from 'The Pelican Brief.' "

Party officials aren't likely to listen. Greer is charged with stealing about $200,000 from the party with a phoney fundraising company. He faces trial on multiple felony counts in February.

Lucy Morgan, Tampa Bay Times Senior Correspondent

From shoplifting sandals to shooting at her ex (while naked), David Rivera’s pal in FBI probe has checkered past

When Justin Lamar Sternad met Ana Sol Alliegro at a Kendall Ale House, he didn’t know the political consultant would help lead his campaign into the FBI’s crosshairs or that she had prior legal run-ins — including the time she shot at her ex-husband while naked.

Alliegro is a key figure in a federal investigation of Sternad’s campaign finances that focuses on the funneling of tens of thousands in cash tied to U.S. Rep. David Rivera.

Authorities believe Rivera and Alliegro, both Republicans, helped the Democratic Sternad undermine a political rival in his recent congressional primary race.

“Politics is rough and I play like it,” Alliegro, 42, once tweeted on Twitter.

Now she’s missing or has been in hiding for the past two weeks, according to her family and lawyer, who said they’re “worried” about her.

A self-described “Republican bad girl,” Alliegro doesn’t appear to be cooperating with authorities investigating Sternad’s campaign. The political newcomer and part-time hotel worker lost the Aug. 14 Democratic primary race to Rivera rival Joe Garcia, who faces Rivera in the Nov. 6 general election for the Kendall-to-Key West seat.

Alliegro initially planned to cooperate with the FBI and make a statement on Thursday, Sept. 6. But she was a no-show.

The day before, she met with Rivera, who faces a separate criminal investigation into his personal and political finances.

The investigation into Sternad’s campaign concerns laws prohibiting money laundering, intentionally filing false campaign reports and conspiracy. No charges have been filed against Sternad, Alliegro or Rivera.

And it’s not the first time Alliegro has faced legal problems.

Two weeks ago, right after FBI agents raided her apartment and seized her computer, Miami Police arrested her on an old warrant for driving with a suspended license. She spent the weekend in jail, where she complained about the smell and view from her cell.

In 2009, she was arrested for shoplifting a pair of $29.99 sandals from Ross on Biscayne Boulevard. The charge was later dropped.

In January 2007, she was arrested in a dispute with her ex-husband, Moshe Cosicher, at his Tigertail Ave. home in Coconut Grove. They had been divorced for two years, but Alliegro wanted to get remarried, according to reports from Miami police and prosecutors.

“We are going to Vegas,” she told Cosicher, a report said. The report noted that when Cosicher refused, she grabbed a gun, which appeared to be a .45 that she kept at bed side.

She then sat naked at a desk with her leg up and compared the gun to a male sexual organ.

“If you think your [expletive] is powerful (showing the gun), this is mine,” Alliegro told Cosicher, who tried to ignore her by going to make coffee, a report said. Alliegro followed him and told him to sit on the couch.

She fired a round into the ceiling.

“You see. It’s loaded — this is business,” Alliegro allegedly said. He tried to leave.

More here

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/24/3019360/from-a-shooting-to-shoplifting.html#storylink=cpy

ARG FL Poll: Obama 50-Romney 45

From American Research Group, which, like a previous Public Policy Polling robo-poll today found President Obama leading Mitt Romney 50-45 among likely Florida voters. A Miami Herald poll, which used a different methodology and (likely) partisan breakdown, found a much closer race. For discussion on those differences, read the bottom of the post about the PPP poll here.

Both PPP and the Herald's Mason-Dixon poll showed the same split among independents, 51-40, in favor of Obama. ARG finds them virtually tied, 47-48, for Obama and Romney respectively. That's a sign that the poll probably skewed Democratic in its survey size, though the crosstabs aren't available.

 

Likely voters	50%	45%	1%	4%
Democrats (42%)	83%	12%	1%	4%
Republicans (36%)	12%	84%	-	4%
Independents (22%)	47%	48%	1%	4%

Movers & Shakers: Two new hires at Gov's office, Bishop leaves Adam's Street Advocates

Two new hires at Governor's Office    

Karen Zeiler joined last week as deputy chief of staff. Previously she served as the chief of staff at the Agency for Health Care Administration, according to The Governor's Office.

Rachel Cone, former communications director from the Department of Environmental Protection, also joined Gov. Rick Scott's team last week as the director of strategic planning. Prior to this, Cone served at the communications director at the Department of Environmental Protection. 

Hasner and Frankel disagree on Ryan plan

While running in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, former state house majority leader Adam Hasner tried to portray himself as the ultimate conservative -- he liked to repeat a line about himself from Marco Rubio that Hasner was the "most partisan Republican in Tallahassee."

But Hasner is now running in the liberal-leaning Congressional District 22 in Broward and Palm Beach counties. For Hasner to win, he has to appeal to moderates. During the Tower Forum today in West Palm Beach, Hasner tried to avoid the rhetoric of partisan warfare in his battle against Democratic opponent Lois Frankel, also a former state legislator and the former mayor of West Palm Beach.

“Regardless your political affiliation, I think we can all agree Washington is broken and both parties are to blame...,” Hasner said.  “This election it’s not about Republicans and Democrats, it’s not about conservatives and liberals, this election is about math. We can’t keep spending a trillion dollars a more a year than we are bringing in.

Frankel’s critics in West Palm Beach say as mayor she was harsh and steamrolled opponents. And there was a nod to that when she said “surely we made mistakes along way and had some tough fights with critics.”

But at the forum she talked about her goal of being a problem solver and trying “to find the middle ground where it’s possible.”

Their most significant policy dispute was about Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan. Frankel criticized Hasner for supporting a plan that she said “takes scholarships from college students, it cuts health benefits for veterans, it raises the cost of prescription drugs for seniors and defunds Planned Parenthood.” (Here’s a look at what PolitiFact said about another Democrat’s claim that Ryan’s plan would cut veterans benefits: PolitiFact wrote that Ryan’s short-term budgets increase spending for veterans and we don’t know enough details to determine what will happen in the long term.)

“I am fairly certain that our budget deficit was not caused by children with autism or 90-year-old grannies in nursing homes so why take it out on them by cutting services?” Frankel said. She said that Ryan’s Medicare voucher plan would cost the oldest and sickest “$6,000 more a year.”

Hasner said that Frankel’s claim about the $6,000 increase is “simply not true” and based upon an earlier version of the plan. Hasner has said he personally embraces the  “bipartisan” Wyden-Ryan plan.

Ryan's 2011 proposal moved all of Medicare to private companies. He later teamed up with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) on a policy paper that didn’t become legislation and lacked details. Ryan then released another version of his plan in 2012 but again that wasn’t a detailed proposal. Wyden has distanced himself from the Republicans’ efforts to portray him as a bipartisan partner in the Ryan plan: The Huffington Post included this quote from Wyden: “I did not ‘co-lead a piece of legislation.' I wrote a policy paper on options for Medicare."

PolitiFact has examined claims by Democrats that the Romney-Ryan Medicare voucher plan would cost seniors $6,400 -- here is an example where we rated that Half True because that claim relies on an analysis of an outdated Republican plan.

Federal judge refuses to throw out new early voting law

From the AP: A federal judge is refusing to halt Florida's plan to cut the number of early voting days from 14 days to eight days. Judge Timothy Corrigan on Monday ruled that there was not enough proof to show that the change would burden the rights of black Americans to vote. U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown and others in their lawsuit said the cut in early voting days was discriminatory because blacks voted early in higher percentages, especially during the 2008 election in which President Barack Obama carried Florida. Brown wanted the judge to order the state to hold 14 days of early voting this year. Corrigan, however, noted in his ruling that urban counties still planned to hold as many as hours of early voting as four years ago.

Justice Lewis speaks out, says independence of 'entire branch of government' is under threat

Justice R. Fred Lewis told the Hillsoborough County Bar Association on Monday that the Republican Party of Florida's entry Friday into the judicial retention campaign shifted what had been a whisper campaign against the three justices into a frontal assault on the judiciary.

"This is the most stressful time I've ever experienced in my life,'' he said, three days after the party announced it will oppose him and two other justices because of their "activist" and liberal views. "I'm embarrassed to have to plead for our court system. If we fail, we fail the people of Florida. There is an entire branch of government to protect and defend. We cannot sacrifice fairness and impartiality and the court system to political whims."

Lewis, who is under fire for voting with the majority on a controversial 2003 opinion in which he delivered the dissent, chastised the party for getting its facts wrong when it released its statement last week.

Gaetz and Weatherford say they weren't consulted on on RPOF court decision

The decision by the Republican Party of Florida's executive committee last week to oppose the retention of three Florida Supreme Court justices in November was done without the approval of Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford, the Republican leaders said Monday.

"I was not consulted about that decision and there is no reason why they would consult me,'' said Gaetz, R-Niceville, who is designated to be the next president of the Senate in November. "I'm focused on Senate races and we're locked in some tight ones."

Gaetz would not say whether he personally supported or opposed the justices but he told the Herald/Times that the millions raised to elect Republicans to his chamber will not be used to back any attempt to oust Justices R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince.

Senator asks Gov. Scott to allow pharmaceutical companies to sponsor drug database

As Florida's fledgling prescription drug monitoring program faces a potential funding shortfall, the state senator who pushed for the database is now asking Gov. Rick Scott to support ending restrictions that keep pharmaceutical companies from donating money.

Florida law currently prohibits the use of state funds or money from drug companies to support the operation of the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, created in 2009 as an effort to curb prescription drug abuse and "doctor shopping."

Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, was the lead supporter of the database in the Legislature.The Florida Sheriff's Association will push for an amendment to state law to allow private companies to support the database, Fasano said in a letter to Scott today.

The governor initially expressed concern about the database, saying it could compromise patient confidentiality. The tea party and some Republicans also voiced opposition to the database early on. Under Scott's urging, private companies that pledged money to support the database were barred from donating, Fasano's letter said.