The Political Whore

I’ll be discussing the issue of celebrity political endorsements on Your Turn with Kathy Fountain on Fox 13 at 12:30 p.m. today for those who get the chance to tune in.

Today’s vital political and media news, with updates throughout the day in the box to the right:

• The social invitation of the decade: the Crist nuptials set for Dec. 12 in St. Pete.
• South Fla. Water District: We don’t need the Fanjuls’ land to make US Sugar-Everglades restoration deal to work.
• And a large ethanol plant is in the works for the US Sugar land.
• Time running out for County Mayor referendum challenge.
• Sarah Palin: Ready to serve as your president.
• The political mess that is the selection of the next Pinellas Schools superintendent.
• St. Pete councilman suggests discounts on garbage bills for those who recycle.
• The long, slow legal resolution of Trump Tower Tampa drags on.
• Palin’s Wasilla charged rape victims for cost of forensics exam kit.
• A look at Palin’s former Wasilla church, where book banning is on the agenda.
• And finally, here’s a band at WMNF’s Cuban Club Birthday Bash this weekend. For the Brian Wilson fans out there, click on “Don’t Forget the Sun” and turn it up.

From ’round the world, gathering the political and media news you need. Or that we think is funny. PLUS: updates throughout the day in the box to the right:

• Q Poll: McCain 7 points over Obama in FLA.
• Wexler claims to have negotiated Florida out of the offshore drilling energy bill.
• Taxpayer cost for lawyers, consultants, etc. in sugar negotiations rising to $7 million.
• Biz at Dis is holding up despite economy.
• The new Dick-less Fletcher at Tampa Bay’s 10.
• Conservative ex-House member from Ocala worries about Obama’s “Muslim roots and training.”
• Iorio cracks down on zoo spending for private reserve.
• Historic downtown Tampa building, once slated for condos, has its roof in danger of collapsing.
• How the GOP turned one Seminole Heightsian into a Democrat.
• Times names new CIO.
• Pinellas sheriff’s candidate in spat with the deputies’ union.
• And finally, keep an eye out; R.E.M.’s Rickenbacker guitar was stolen.

As if it weren’t bad enough that he is a Muslim terrorist mole who wants to weaken our nation and raise your taxes, Barack Obama can add another line to his resume of shame: card-carrying NAMBLA pervert!

At least according to the lying McCain campaign, which is featuring a new ad about Obama in which it claims (inaccurately) that Obama voted for legislation that would teach sex education to kindergartners.

Here is the ad:

The truth?

The legislation in question mandated health education in schools, including “age-appropriate” sex education (including abstinence!)and information that sexual contact between kids and adults is not cool.

Here is language from the bill (strikethroughs and underlines from the bill itself, showing changes to the bill over the legislative process):

Sec. 3. Comprehensive Health Education Program.
23 (a) The program established under this Act shall
24 include, but not be limited to, the following major
25 educational areas as a basis for curricula in all elementary
26 and secondary schools in this State: human ecology and
27 health, human growth and development, the emotional,
28 psychological, physiological, hygienic and social
29 responsibilities of family life, including sexual abstinence
30 and prevention of unintended pregnancy until marriage,
31 prevention and control of disease, including age appropriate
32 instruction in grades K 6 through 12 on the prevention of
33 sexually transmitted infections, including the prevention,

-10- LRB093 05269 NHT 05359 b
1 transmission and spread of HIV AIDS, public and environmental
2 health, consumer health, safety education and disaster
3 survival, mental health and illness, personal health habits,
4 alcohol, drug use, and abuse including the medical and legal
5 ramifications of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use, abuse during
6 pregnancy, sexual abstinence until marriage, tobacco,
7 nutrition, and dental health.
8 (b) All comprehensive health education programs
9 established under this Act shall satisfy the following
10 criteria:
11 (1) Factual information presented in course
12 material and instruction shall be medically accurate and
13 objective.
14 (2) All course material and instruction in classes
15 that teach sex education and discuss sexual activity or
16 behavior shall be age and developmentally appropriate.
17 (3) Course material and instruction shall include a
18 discussion of sexual abstinence as a method to prevent
19 unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,
20 including HIV.
21 (4) Course material and instruction shall present
22 the latest medically factual information regarding both
23 the possible side effects and health benefits of all
24 forms of contraception, including the success and failure
25 rates for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually
26 transmitted infections, including HIV.
27 (5) Course material and instruction shall stress
28 that sexually transmitted infections are serious possible
29 hazards of sexual activity or behavior. Pupils shall be
30 provided with statistics based on the latest medical
31 information citing the failure and success rates of all
32 methods of contraception in preventing HIV and other
33 sexually transmitted infections.
34 (6) Course material and instruction shall advise

-11- LRB093 05269 NHT 05359 b
1 pupils that it is unlawful for males or females of any
2 age to engage in sexual conduct or have sexual relations
3 with a minor as specified in Article 12 of the Criminal
4 Code of 1961.

Full text of the bill here.

So my question, my Republican readers, is this: If John McCain is willing to so clearly deceive on something stupid like this, how can we trust anything he says?

“Did he really call her a pig!??!” That’s the question flying around the Internet today. Only in a society this sexist could a male presidential candidate refer to a female office-seeker with the phrase “I think they put some lipstick on a pig.” Shame on you … John McCain.

My favorite part of the “Palin — The Other White Meat” controversy is that the Republicans anger is entirely misdirected. With the “pig” comment, Obama is referencing the McCain campaign’s switch from “experience” to “change” as their talking point of the week. If you take the time to listen to the 47 second clip, you can see that. However, if you choose to willfully misunderstand Obama and want to stretch his words into a personal comment about his opponents, I think it’s fair to say that Palin is the “lipstick,” and it’s actually ol’ Johnny Mac who is the porker.

But it has been fun today watching the McCain campaign gin up phony outrage. Then again, what did you expect from a pig but a grunt?

What we’re reading in politics and media, with updates throughout the day in the box on the right:

• Hillsborough jail study, prompted by wheelchair man-dumping, due today.
• Florida will enforce its voter disenfranchisement law this election.
• State to W.D.: No pension for you!
• Circuit judge in the Keys says Florida’s anti-gay adoption law is unconstitutional.
• Crist won’t campaign for Amendment 2.
• Times is part of Google newspaper scanning project.
• Al Franken gets nomination in Minnesota Dem primary.
• The clusterfuck of new media between Google, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Bloomberg that cost United Air Lines a billion smackers.
• Weak-kneed Democratic congressional leaders ready to cave on offshore drilling.
• And finally, a new video from Bob Dylan, starring Harry Dean Stanton.

In response to an (alleged) massive opp research effort by the Obama campaign, the McCain-Palin ticket today announced that a “Truth Squad” that will surround Gov. Sarah Palin with the truth (except, apparently when it comes to that whole Bridge to Nowhere untruth she is telling) at the drop of a hat.

The major qualification for membership on the squad appears to be having a uterus; it is an (nearly) all-female ring of justice, as listed in the campaign’s news release today. Nothing like playing the gender card. Or is it the national media that is playing the gender card? And what does the gender card look like, because I remember having a deck of nudie cards when I was in my formative years and wonder if it is still anything like that?

Is the message here that only women can defend another woman? Or that only women tell the truth? Or that the woman-thing is working so well for the GOP that they are going to flog it to death?:

MCCAIN-PALIN 2008 LAUNCHES TRUTH SQUAD TO COUNTER ATTACKS ON GOVERNOR SARAH PALIN

ARLINGTON, VA — With today’s Wall Street Journal report  that pro-Obama Democrats have “airdropped a mini-army of 30 lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers into Anchorage” to dig for dirt on our vice presidential nominee, the McCain-Palin campaign today launched the Palin Truth Squad to counter recent attacks on Governor Sarah Palin, her family, her friends and her record of accomplishment. The Palin Truth Squad will set the record straight against Internet and liberal smears of Governor Palin.

Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s political and media headlines from Tampa Bay, Florida and anything (of course) to do with Sarah Palin. Updates throughout the day in the box to the right:

• All state media hijacked the Hillary Clinton appearances yesterday and turned them into an attempt to whip up a catfight with Palin. None earns a link.
• Rasmussen robo-poll: McCain-Obama tied in FLA.
• Pushing Rope blog: “Obama will lose.”
• More dissent in the US Sugar deal; Glades farmers upset with governor.
• Miami’s mayor opposes Amendment 2.
• Anti-gay Amendment 2 falling short of needed 60 percent voter approval.
• Palm Beach County activists and Republicans appeal to state for help in sorting out primary ballot mess there.
• Hillsborough superintendent continues to take it in the chops over busing mess.
• Ousting Joe Lieberman.
• Debating Sarah Palin in Lakeland.

McCain-Palin have a new TV advertisement running in battleground states and online, touting themselves as the “Original Mavericks.” Here’s the ad:

And here’s the “fact check” from the Obama campaign:

“Despite being discredited over and over again by numerous news organizations, the McCain campaign continues to repeat the lie that Sarah Palin stopped the Bridge to Nowhere.  John McCain has voted with George Bush 90% of the time and he and Sarah Palin will continue Bush’s economic policies, his health care policy, his education policy, his energy policy, and his foreign policy.  McCain and Palin will say or do anything to make people believe that they will change something besides the person sitting in the Oval Office.  That’s the kind of politics people are tired of, and it’s anything but change,” said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

Read the rest of this entry »

Jim Norman, no friend to Tampa Bay progressives, has a handful of new media sites up for his 2010 Florida Senate bid (in the seat now being held by Victor Crist, who is term-limited).

The official website touts his 15 years as a Hillsborough County Commissioner (so much for Eight is Enough) but, strangely, doesn’t mention the whole Championship Park debacle.

He’s got two pages on Facebook, a person page and a group page admin’ed up by his commission aide, Ben Kelly.

Here’s a shot from the Facebook page, from a fundraiser for Norman’s Senate bid:

Go and and friend him so you can stay up on the campaign activities.

All the politics and media that’s fit to digitally print, with updates in the box on the right:

• Palin’s Tampa Bay people.
• One of them is Rachel Burgin.
• Ready for a new superintendent for Pinellas schools.
• The sample sermon for preachers against gay marriage.
• Tampa mega-developer bolts for graduate school in Chapel Hill.
• NASA chief: White House on a “jihad” to shut down shuttle program.
• 1000 Jews for Obama.
• More Florida property tax cuts? Don’t hold your breath.
• Florida, the slave state.
• Dissecting the bounce.
• Palin’s banned books list (update) is a fake; she did, however, inquire of the librarian about censoring books. Nothing ever came of it.
• Rachel Maddow: Savior of us all!

Here’s some of the post-jail video I shot in St. Paul on Thursday featuring Vermin Supreme, the Youth Against War and Racism March, Idaho Delegates for Ron Paul, Texas Delegates who love Palin, Women Against Military Madness, and more police. Enjoy!

(also viewable on youtube if this isn’t loading for you)

I shot this video at the Anti-War March on Labor Day outside the Republican Convention in St. Paul. I would have posted it sooner but I got the shit kicked out of me and was arrested shortly after the march ended. Very big bummer.

(also viewable on youtube if this isn’t loading for you)

Your daily dose of Vitamin Politics, with updates throughout the day in the (say it with me) the box to the right:

• Sen. Mike Fasano screws up a New Port Richey trial.
• Mr. G comes around on “Country First”
• Hillsborough County Mayor referendum has its day in appeals court.
• CIT blog: Profiling the real Dr. No, John McCain.
• Palm Beach County can’t get an election right to save its life.
• Tampa Bay’s 10 anchors will be answering IM’s during their newscasts. WTF?!?
• HRC coming to Tampa.
• Tom Feeney’s golf buddy gets four years in the federal Hotel Graybar.
• RIP, lobbyist Jim Krog.
• UF to move ahead to construct Bill Hough’s building despite budget cuts.
• Sembler cashes out at BayWalk.

Final night of the Republican’s big show. Last night was by far the best of the convention, nabbing huge ratings and keeping the chattering class buzzing. Tonight, the main event. Sen. John S. McCain takes the stage to make the case for why you should vote for him.

What do you think of tonight’s festivities? Sound off in the comment section.

 John Stewart cut the hypocrites to ribbons this week in an excellent Daily Show segment on the media’s response to Sarah Palin. Enjoy. Live Blogging in 15 minutes…

We’ll open the thread around 9 p.m. Bring your A-game.

Here’s today’s RNC lineup:

Read the rest of this entry »

While watching last night’s festivities at the Republican National Convention, I found myself coming back again and again to three distinct storylines floated by the speakers. The first is the obvious “Rah Rah McCain” story, which is quite easy to pull off when the candidate in question spent 5-and-a-half years being tortured harshly questioned by the North Vietnamese. Besides all that, there were the dual attacks of “Obama is not qualified to be president due to his youth and inexperience” and “Sarah Palin is a tough Washington outsider, a ‘hockey mom’ who loves her family, hates abortion and is out to clean up Washington just like she did Alaska!”

Here’s what The Washington Post’s excellent media critic Tom Shales said about Palin’s acceptance speech:

“If the Republicans win the presidential election in November, it may well be said that they won it last night — the night that John McCain’s brilliantly screwy choice for a running mate changed from laughing stock to national star.”

Somewhat predictably I’m afraid, those second two storylines and what Shales wrote are complete bullshit.

Here’s the truth: If Obama loses, it’s because he didn’t have the balls to stand up for his impressive record in the face of vacant Republican attacks.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rev. Bruce Wright, the noted (and in some circles notorious) homeless rights advocate from St. Pete, talked with Kelly Benjamin in St. Paul. In the video he explains why he’s protesting at the Republican National Convention and participating in the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign.

Kelly Benjamin, who reported for CL on the arrests of journalists (including himself) at the RNC convention in 2004, ran into the same over-reaction by cops at this year’s convention.

Over-reaction is an understatement; his blog post and video (above) reveal just how brutal the treatment of journalists and protesters was. (Amy Goodman got off easy.)

From among my Facebook friends’ status updates:

• “has seen the devil incarnate. Her name is Sarah Palin. She embodies war, fearmongering, and destructive politics. World existence depends on burying this dog.”
• “is still very impressed. If you don’t know why call me we have to talk!”
• “Was that a PALINdrome?”
• “thinks Palin gave a great speech … Giuliani was pretty good too.”
• “is impressed with Palin’s speech.”
• “is still on the O-Train, but Palin is not pushover. Impressive speech.”
• “is loving Sarah Palin.”
• “is all sarah palin, all the time.”
• “wonders why, if the Palin pregnancy is “private,” did they subject the boyfriend to the national spotlight? Talk about mixed message. He’s on A1 of every paper.”
• “Unwed pregnant teenagers for McCain-Palin ‘08.”

And one funny related item:

• “is waiting for Rudy Giuliani’s speech to be translated in the original German.”

Don’t forget to check for updates throughout the day in the box to the right:

• Biden to Sarasota: It’s about the middle class, stupid.
• Palin and the Bubba vote.
• FLA GOP women at convention (shock!) rave about Palin’s speech.
• The 11 folks who will try to decide on a new home for the Tampa Bay Rays.
• PEER Review: Why Hillary’s supporters must vote for McCain-Palin.
• The other, other convention: The Rally for the Republic.
• More nutty Alaska politics.

Time to get in front of your favorite network and watch some Republican National Convention. Tonight’s speakers include America’s Mayor and America’s Favorite Alaskan Governor.

Let the games begin …

Does Sarah Palin believe that gays and lesbians are diseased and in need of a cure? That’s what her church seems to believe. Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out wants to know whether Palin agrees. Any Log Cabin Republicans want to weigh in?

Amendments 7 and 9, both pushed onto the ballot via the shadow government that Jeb Bush left in place after he departed the Florida Governor’s Mansion in 2007, were removed from the ballot officially and finally today after the Florida Supreme Court declined to overturn lower court decisions striking them from the November election.

This, of course, has left the Brother of W very, very upset, as he vented in this news release just out:

“It is extremely disappointing the Florida Supreme Court ruled today to deny millions of Florida voters the right to make their voices heard on improving the quality of education in our state.

“Florida is facing serious challenges.  Our economy experienced its first quarter of negative growth in 16 years.  Tax revenues are declining.

“Now, more than ever, Floridians should have a voice in determining – not just how much they are taxed – but how their tax dollars are spent.  Amendment 9 would have empowered Floridians with the ability to ensure their tax dollars were spent in the classroom on people and programs that make a difference in student achievement – a principled fiscal policy that becomes increasingly important during these tough budget years.

“Perhaps even more heartbreaking is the realization that Floridians will not have the opportunity to protect important programs, including the McKay Scholarship for students with developmental disabilities and Corporate Tax Credit Scholarships for students in low-income families.  These programs, as well as 350 charter schools in our great state, will remain in limbo, under the real threat of litigation from individuals who want to centralize all education decisions within government bureaucracies.”

The amendments would have allowed school vouchers for private schools with public dollars and wiped out a prohibition in the Florida Constitution against aiding religious institutions. You know, the whole separate of church and state thing upon which this country was sort of built.

We’ll be on hand here in Snark Central for Gov. Sarah Palin’s speech tonight and Sen. John McCain’s acceptance speech on Thursday night. Owing to the fact that the GOP schedule is under revision right now, I’m guessing that I’ll open a live thread about 9 p.m. both nights, but check back here for an update once the Republicans release the actual speaking schedule for tonight.

UPDATE: We’ll be open for business at 9 p.m. in order to catch Giuliani’s and Palin’s speeches. Here’s the official schedule just out from the GOP:

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Call to Order, Introduction of Colors: U.S. Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.)
Presentation of Colors: Law Enforcement Memorial Association (Minn.)
Pledge of Allegiance: Sharon Clahchischilliage and Mary Leavitt
Singing of “America the Beautiful”: John Shillington and Ruby Brown
Invocation: Father Edward Reese
Speaker: U.S. Sen. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.)
Video: “Country First: Prosperity,” with narration by Robert Duvall
Speaker: Anne Beiler
Speaker: U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (Minn.)
Speaker: Renee Amoore
Speaker: State Sen. Abel Maldonado (Calif.)
Speaker: Carolyn Dunn

7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Speaker: Dr. Elena Rios
Speaker: Ruth Novodor
Speaker: Christy Swanson
Speaker: Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams
Speaker: Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuno
Speaker: Meg Whitman, former President and CEO of EBay
Video: Sen. McCain’s Economic Reform Package
Speaker: Carly Fiorina, former Chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard
Prayer: Bishop Thomas Wenski

8 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Speaker: GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele
Speaker: Former Gov. Mitt Romney (Mass.)
Speaker: Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (Ark.)
Musical Performance: John Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and Cowboy Troy

9 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Speaker: Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (N.Y.)
Speaker: Gov. Linda Lingle (Hawaii)
Video: Sarah Palin
Speaker: Vice Presidential Nominee Sarah Palin

10 p.m. to Conclusion

Procedural Activities Required for Nomination of the Presidential Candidate: U.S. House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio)
Roll Call: Sec. Jean Inman, Assist. Sec. Connie Nicholas, and Assist. Sec. Rosie Tripp
Benediction: Rev. Eva Rodriguez
Adjournment: U.S. House Republican Leader John Boehner (Ohio)

Your serving of political and media news from Tampa Bay, Florida and (sometimes) beyond. Check for updates throughout the day in the box to the right.

• Irony Watch 2008: Palin slashed funding for teen mothers.
• Dems release private info on Palin.
• Does Palin’s support of the NRA include shotgun weddings?
• Ron Paul’s convention speech video.
• A good roundup of Hillsborough County Commission candidate websites.
• More trouble for Vern.
• Biden touts support for Israel in South Florid, uses Yiddish phrases.
• Florida Supremes to hear tax-swap Amendment 5 challenge; also cases on Amendments 7 & 9
• Al-Arian released.
• Another Tampa school-bus scheduling snafu apology from the Superintendent.
• Polk political-news blog, Empirical Polk, shuts down.
• Trib matches Times: 50 cents for daily newspaper.
• E&P joins the new media age with two blogs.

It may have been nearly two decades ago, but the face of Democratic consultant Mitch Kates is unmistakable in the photograph of wrestling legend Killer Kowalski, who died this weekend. The photo ran in the New York Times and Boston Herald, among others, showing Kowalski putting his trademark “claw” hold on the grimacing face of his “nephew,” Mitch, as the caption put it.

(from the New York Times/Jon Chase of the Associated Press)

Truth be told, like so much in wrestling, it isn’t quite the way it appears to be. Kates was not Kowalski’s real nephew. But in speaking with Kates about the wrestler today, his love and admiration for Killer was a strong and real as any blood relative.

“He trained me,” Kates recalled. “He was the guy that I went into the business with. A couple of people commented that we had a familial resemblance. So one of the gimmicks that I had was to wrestle as his nephew.”

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve just started playing with Twitter, and I promise not to deluge you with dozens of tweets a day, but if you do Twitter and want to get important breaking political news from me, add PoHo as someone to follow.

 And I thought all Minnesotans were slow-talking, mellow Fargo-like folks? The actions of the local constabulary protecting the GOP conventioneers from hearing dissent are certainly heavy-handed in arresting Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman in this video:

Brad Blog has an excellent account of the goings-on.

This after Goodman reported that the local cops staged “massive raids” on locations where protesters were organizing.

Here’s today’s top headlines and political novelties from Tampa Bay and across the state. Updates run throughout the day in the box to the right:

• DeFoor: If McCain doesn’t take FLA, he’s done.
• FLA delegation explains away the Palin daughter pregnancy.
• The FLA MSM hates labor.
• Shadow groups crept into local races in Broward for the first time.
• Crist makes appearance at RNC via video. (Too busy planning his wedding to get up there? No, it was the storm.)
• 3,400 ballots “evaporated” in West Palm Beach judicial race?
• Florida Hometown Democracy bid for Nov. ballot fails in court.
• Palm Beach County ousts its local Democratic Party chairman the same way that Pinellas did.
• The wacky world of Pasco Sheriff elections.
• The Seminole Heights Hooker Wars: Part 1 and Part 2.
• KombatRock arrives in St. Paul, ready for action.