Posted by Wayne Garcia on Nov. 1, 2008, at 6:00 am
Our second academic in the series, and he’s also for Barack Obama. You can let us know who you are voting for by taking our unscientific survey, after the jump.
Dr. Gregory Comnes, a Hillsborough Community College professor of English, ethics and philosophy
He’s voting for: Barack Obama.
Why? “As an educator, I’m increasingly concerned that the decline in the level of public discourse makes it increasingly difficult to solve the complex fiscal and environmental problems facing us. Throughout his campaign, Obama has presented his positions thoroughly and rationally without resorting to character assassination that panders to the lowest common denominator — mindless fear.”
What he would say to a McCain supporter: “When it comes to the Bucs or the Rays, I’m as ‘Joe Six-Pack” as the next guy. In the realm of politics, however, where the problems are extraordinary rather than ordinary, I want my candidate to speak to me as
‘Joe Citizen,’ an audience Obama cultivates and McCain ignores.”
Local candidate who most interests him: “Phyllis Busansky, the democratic candidate for Supervisor of Elections in Hillsborough County. She’s smart, competent, and understands that the primary concern of the job is to provide stewardship of the voting process, not calculate how many grazing cows it takes to avoid paying property tax.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 31, 2008, at 7:10 am
One of Tampa Bay’s more colorful characters gives us his assessment of the presidential election today. And you can express yourself, as well, by taking our unscientific survey after the jump.
Randy Constan, guitarist, inventor and club habitué better known locally at “Peter Pan”
He’s voting for: Barack Obama
Why? “First, as a Christian, I’m disgusted with the overall Republican trend to legislate personal morality. I believe we should treat each other as equals and abstain from judging each other as much as we’re able. My ‘family values’ consist of helping those in need, funding education for children and medical care for everyone. And I want someone who sees such a philosophy as being our ‘brother’s keeper,’ rather than a collection of ‘entitlements’ to be continually cut.”
What he would say to an McCain supporter: “I’d ask whether they want another president who believes he’s always right on all things, who won’t consider other views. It has been said that for a president to admit error is political suicide. Yet Obama seems to possess both the vision to see the best course of action, the willingness to listen to all sides and the humility and courage to change course when a better path is revealed.”
Local candidate who most interests him: Hillsborough County Commission candidate Kevin Beckner, who is challenging incumbent Brian Blair. “I’m tired of the rampant overdevelopment of our natural wetlands, and to me, Blair seems much too well supported by land developers.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 30, 2008, at 6:15 am
Our Tampa Bay voter today brings us a perspective from outside of the two major parties. You can join in by voting in our unscientific survey after the jump.
Dwight Lawton, Veterans for Peace activist
He’s voting for: Ralph Nader
Why? “Nader represents the only voice on the dangers of the military-industrial complex.”
What he would say to a McCain or Obama supporter: “Nader is the only person who is unaffected by the corporate lobbyists. He will not accept corporate contributions.”
Local candidates who most interests him: “Norman Roche for Pinellas County Commissioner and Janet Clark for Pinellas County School Board.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 29, 2008, at 4:00 pm
I couldn’t hold out until Election Day to cast my ballot, as much as I wanted to, but the thought of trying to juggle my journalistic duties with my constitutional responsibility to vote got to be a bit overwhelming. So, I thought, I would pop down the street to the West Tampa Library and vote early.
I lit out of the office at about 11:30 a.m. to vote, and after circling the block once found a parking spot. The entire street on the north side of the library was full, as was the parking lot across the street, in back of the post office. I got in line with what looked like about 60-70 people ahead of me, as Obama volunteers handed out literature and a poll watcher came by with bottles of water. The poll watcher made a crack about not having any Scotch to go with the water, and I damned near left the line to go get one. Would have taken the edge off the cold and the wait ahead.
They let people inside in groups of 15, and each group took about 15-20 minutes to cycle through, so I spent about 45 minutes in line outside and another 15 or so inside until I got to the woman manning the voting computer. “Your picture ID, please,” she said. I had to repeat to her my current address, then read a placard that threatened me with jail if I was bullshitting her about anything, then sign my name on an electronic keypad instead of the old paper record. What a pain in the ass. There was an elderly lady next to me who, I swear, like tried to sign the electronic keypad 30 or 40 times without it registering. She apparently couldn’t get it right or muster enough strength to have the pen make an impression. What a nightmare.
After I did all that song and dance, the poll worker hit a button and my paper ballot started spitting out of the printer. This printing process took about 30 seconds or so, as opposed to the digital cards that touch-screens used to have, which took almost no time to program. I then was handed my two paper ballots inside of a “privacy folder” and was directed to a voting booth. The black felt-tip marker at the booth worked, just barely, and I started marking the two pages.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 29, 2008, at 6:00 am
Today’s installment looks at the views of a financial expert. You can take part, too, by clicking on the unscientific survey after the jump.
Jay Dolan, a financial adviser in St. Petersburg
He’s voting for: Undecided. “I am a bad stereotype of a flip flopper
Why? “Fiscally speaking I am a big McCain supporter. I think the country needs to significantly reduce spending but nobody has the guts to do it. At the same time, however, he wants to cut taxes, which I don’t think we can really afford to do… at least not until we prove that we can actually cut spending. He also lost significant ground with me by choosing Sarah Palin, which I believe was a 100% political move.”
“I think Obama instills a sense of confidence McCain does not have and that is something our country has been missing for some time now. The amount of spending he wants to put into social programs scares me considerably. However, I think the ideological change in power might help the country move forward through our current crisis.
Local candidate who most interests him: “I must admit I have not paid much attention to the local races as most of my time lately has been spent talking to very nervous clients.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 28, 2008, at 7:00 am
Today’s installment bring us the political opinion of a longtime Bay area musician. Join us in giving your opinion in the survey after the jump:
Bob Noxious, longtime Tampa Bay musician and guitarist for the Dive Bar Stalkers
He’s voting for: Barack Obama
Bob Noxious of the Dive Bar Stalkers
Why? “I believe him to be the best candidate for change out of the 13 political parties listed on my Official Sample Ballot.”
What he would say to a McCain supporter: “I’m sure it is a broken record by now, but why would you vote for more of the same? John McCain has voted with George W. Bush over 90 percent of the time, yet he is now trying to frantically separate himself from that evil Republican from Texas. Besides, John McCain’s health has got to be taken as a factor. Already, he is the oldest presidential candidate in history. The man has already overcome skin cancer, yet when I last saw him at the last debate, his jaw looked unnaturally swollen, as if he were speaking through a mouthful of medical gauze. Face it — he’s basically living on borrowed time. Besides, do you want Sarah Palin as your next president? She is a bumbling idiot, as proven weekly on SNL.”
Local candidate that most interests him: “I’m still researching my local candidates, but I can only wonder why my county commissioner here in Pasco County, Ted Schrader, is running uncontested. One would think that a strong Democrat would give him a run for his donation money.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 28, 2008, at 6:00 am
That would be Jennifer Stone-Anderson, a 51-year-old artist who is out of work and had two months on her hands to paint an elaborate mural on her 2004 Saturn Ion touting the candidacy of Barack Obama.
The south St. Petersburg resident showed off her rolling campaign ad in our parking lot today, pointing out the giant globe that’s really a lit-fuse bomb; Arlington National Cemetery (”where our soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are buried”); a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness; and the admonition to recycle (curbside or otherwise) in St. Pete but not to “recycle Bush-McCain.”
Stone-Anderson said she painted the white Ion with acrylics she had leftover at home, on and off, weather permitting, for two months.
Oh, she gets some dirty looks driving it around town. One woman recently told her the “art was ugly.” Stone-Anderson said that made her lose her temper. Others compliment the artwork. Still others slip notes under her windshield wipers, enough for her to put small notes under them directing McCain supporters to use the right wiper and Obama supporters to use the left.
She hopes to get some work soon so she can hold onto the car; she said she took a loan against a 1977 life insurance policy to make her latest (and possibly last) car payment. SEE THE PICS BELOW… Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 27, 2008, at 9:27 am
Today’s installment brings us the youth vote. You can join in, too, by taking the completely unscientific but fun CL online survey about who you are voting for, after the jump:
Tara Mae Brown-Ogilvie, St. Petersburg College student
She’s voting for: Barack Obama
Why? “Because he is pro-choice, wants to make changes to help out the lower class like such as with assistance in regards to healthcare for those who cannot afford it, and I like his leadership style. When he visited Dunedin before his speech, he simply went into a restaurant and ordered a hamburger and sat with everyone else; he just seems like a very down-to-earth guy who does not put himself before others.”
What she would say to a McCain supporter: “In this election McCain is constantly being outshined by his vice president candidate Palin’s actions or scandals. Just looking at the paper or on any news station the topic more likely than not is always on Palin more so than McCain and if he cannot take control of his own campaign how can he govern a country? Also did you know that he is against gay marriage, concerned only for the higher tax bracket, and wishing to continue this war overseas, which would only further destroy our already falling economy? So if you believe that Bush was a great president than sure, vote for McCain to follow in his footsteps, but if you want change, vote for Obama.”
Local candidate who most interests her: “I honestly am not aware of a local candidate to discuss.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 27, 2008, at 9:25 am
Talking about the last week of the campaigns and what will happen in the election for president today on Fox 13’s Your Turn show with Kathy Fountain. Phone or e-mail your questions in, yourturn@wtvt.com or call 813-875-8255 or 800-826-4434 (according to the Fox website.)
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 25, 2008, at 8:00 am
Today’s installment of our Election Guide coverage, in which we ask the good folks of Tampa Bay: who you voting for?
Take the online survey yourself, after the jump.
Lorna Bracewell, singer-songwriter
She’s voting for: Barack Obama
Credit: Shanna Gillette
Why? “I was torn for a while between him and the Green Party candidate, Cynthia McKinney. It was my memory of the outcome of the 2000 presidential election when Bush ‘beat’ Gore in Florida by such a narrow margin that ultimately convinced me to support Sen. Obama. Unfortunately, at this time in our country a vote for a third-party candidate is a wasted one.”
What she would say to a McCain supporter: “I’ve had a series of great conversations with my dad (a longtime Republican and a McCain supporter) over the course of this election cycle. Early on our conversations focused on so-called ‘values’ issues: abortion, same-sex marriage, etc. My dad was generally sympathetic to my arguments. He’s a good guy with two daughters, one of whom is a lesbian, after all. More recently our talks have focused on economic issues. These, it turns out, are the crux of it all for him. It turns out my dad is a disillusioned liberal. He supported [Lyndon] Johnson and really believed in his vision of a ‘great society.’ When that didn’t pan out, he became a trickle-downer. What I’d say to a McCain supporter is what I’ve said to him: You’ve had your turn. Let’s give the other economic perspective a try. Things can’t get any worse.”
Local candidate who most interests her: “I am excited about Bill Heller for State Representative in District 52. He’s done a great job for the last two years championing smart public school and property tax reform. I am also supporting Jack Killingsworth in the [Pinellas] Supervisor of Elections race. Deborah Clark’s decision to cut the number of early voting sites in the county has had and will continue to have a disproportionate impact on low-income residents on St. Petersburg’s south side. I couldn’t disagree with her response to the budget cuts she had to deal with more.
“I know you didn’t ask … but I wanted to add an exhortation to everyone, Democrat and Republican, gay and straight, young and old to vote a stentorian NO on Amendment 2. Florida already has a legislative ban on same sex marriage. Traditional marriage is safe and sound in the Sunshine State. Amendment 2 would strip away existing health care and other vital protections relied upon by unmarried Floridians, gay and straight. It is bad public policy.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 24, 2008, at 10:00 am
The fifth in our series, to be published in print next Wednesday in Creative Loafing. Take our online survey yourself, after the jump.
l.i.f.e, professional poet in Tampa
He’s voting for: Barack Obama
Why? “His vision for the future of the masses of people in this country is clear, logical, and more in line with the best interests of the masses of people here than any of the other candidates.”
What he would say to a McCain supporter: “I’d ask the same question Sen. Obama’s campaign has been asking, ‘Can us everyday people in this county afford four more years of government run with the same or similar policies as those that have caused people here, and around the world, distress and crisis?’”
Local candidate who most interests him: “The local candidate that interests me most is current Supervisor of Elections, Mr. Buddy Johnson. I’m also quite interested in the race between Doug Belden and Beverly P. Harris.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 23, 2008, at 10:08 pm
The activist-actor Kal Penn, best known for his roles on House and as Kumar in the Harold and Kumar films, is stumping on several Tampa Bay college campuses Friday to drum up support for early voting for Barack Obama.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 23, 2008, at 3:38 pm
What is it about the incredible viral power of sticking McCain’s or Obama’s head on some dancers? One photo and one video are winging around the Internet, and one has a tie to Tampa Bay.
First, the photo. A few days ago, Tampa Bay musician, graphic designer and 2006 Best of the Bay winner Martin Rice sent over a Photoshopped shot showing Obama dancing with Sarah Palin (from a Dancing With the Stars photo) with the note, “Unfortunately, this is what the country wants.”
Dancing With the Candidates (credit: Martin Rice)
He sent it to three friends. Within days, the picture ended up all over the world, and on ABC News:
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 23, 2008, at 6:15 am
The fourth in our election series look at who people in Tampa Bay are voting for, and why. You can join in and vote in our unscientific survey after the jump.
Brandy Stark, co-founder of S.P.I.R.I.T.S. in St. Petersburg, a paranormal investigative group
She’s voting for: Barack Obama.
Brandy Stark
Why? “Personally, this was a struggle for me as I am not overwhelmingly swayed by either candidate. My primary concern for this election is that Obama is untested and this is going to be a very hard learning curve. The U.S. is undergoing some very trying times. I feel badly for whoever gets into office, because there will be one heck of a mess to clean up. However, I think that we do need change, and though both parties have their issues, a party change is the first step. Deregulation, part of the Republican platform, has not worked too well if today’s economy is a reflection of the result, and I do believe in utilizing government programs to aid with education and other societal issues. In truth, I was really hoping for Hillary, and although she didn’t make it, I am hopeful that Obama will appoint her (and/or Bill) to cabinet offices or other positions where they may be of service to this country.”
What she would say to a McCain supporter: “I do believe that we have the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’ This was a liberal thought in the time that it was written and is still a radical thought today. I have seen a rather strong trend towards the loss of individual rights in this country for a while now. I fear that McCain and Palin are far too conservative on what I believe to be moral choices and civil rights for my comfort. While they may not directly have an impact upon the laws of this land, they will appoint Supreme Court justices and others who will. Once something is enacted in government, it takes a very long time to repeal.”
Local candidate who most interests her: “Bill Heller. I worked at the University of South Florida (St. Petersburg) when he headed that campus. It was one of the most well-run campuses, and I felt quite content and valued there, [which was] a result, I believe, of the positive leadership that was in place at that time. Later, I walked alongside him in the charity fundraising Heart Walks; I’ve run into him as he volunteered at First Night; and he even was at my polling place for his first election. He is grounded, enthusiastic and tested (having survived the politics of higher education for years). I admire his dedication to the local community and his desire to help the greater populace of Florida.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 22, 2008, at 3:00 pm
I got a call this afternoon from an old buddy from my consulting days, Neil Brickfield, a Republican party vice chairman who is running for County Commission in Pinellas. He won a very tough primary race and now faces an unknown Democrat who couldn’t even manage to get the liberal St. Petersburg TImes‘ editorial recommendation. Brickfield has raised nearly $90,000 to his opponent Paul Matton’s $10,000.
So you would think that in a GOP-dominated county like Pinellas, Brickfield wouldn’t have a worry.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 22, 2008, at 7:20 am
We’re combining forces to bring you a more complete set of morning headlines in politics, media and pop culture. Joe Bardi’s Short List on the Daily Loaf and Wayne Garcia’s Morning Roundup in PoHo blog will now be combined, giving you even more news to start your day with.
Here’s a great idea. Too bad it’s illegal in Florida:
“Guess what? I got a fever. And the only prescription is more cowbell.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 22, 2008, at 6:00 am
[poll id="2"]
The third in our series asking the people of Tampa Bay who they are voting for in the Nov. 4 presidential election. And here’s the archive of our featured voters so far. Be sure to join in with your opinion by voting in the unscientific survey above.
Bob Kersteen, consultant, member of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and former St. Petersburg City Council member
He’s voting for: John McCain
Why? “He is the best prepared and has a long record/reputation for soliciting and receiving support from the other side of the aisle.”
What he would say to an Obama supporter: “[Obama] is a relative unknown who possesses little if any executive experience.
Local candidate who most interests him: Congressman C. W. “Bill” Young, “a strong supporter of MacDill AFB, which is a huge economic generator for the Tampa Bay Area. Bill also is very supportive of other projects such as the Tampa Bay Water Reservoir and other projects which would not have been possible through local/county/state funding sources.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 21, 2008, at 2:07 pm
For those who were away from their television sets Saturday night, here’s one of two appearances by Alaska Gov. and veep hopeful Sarah Palinon Saturday Night Live this past weekend:
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 21, 2008, at 7:30 am
[poll id="2"]
Here’s the second in our series asking the people of Tampa Bay who they are voting for in the Nov. 4 presidential election. And here’s the archive of our featured voters so far.
Rob Douglas, concert producer at Jannus Landing He’s voting for: Obama/Biden
Rob Douglas
Why? “Obama, first and foremost, is thoughtful, articulate, even tempered and above all, intelligent! All traits that have been sorely lacking in D.C. for the last eight years. The way he has managed his campaign thus far is a good indication, I think, of how he would manage the country’s business. Ultimately, I believe Obama represents the future of our people and his opponent represents the past.”
What he would say to a McCain supporter: “I wouldn’t bother. Anyone supporting McCain is either an ideologue, incapable of critical thought or has a vested interest in the status quo. The choices and differences between the candidates are stark as are the stakes. It’s also inconceivable to me that anyone could still be on the fence about whom they were voting for. “
Local candidate who most interests him: “I am a registered Independent and I will vote as a Yellow Dog Democrat. I would like to see [Sarasota Congressman] Vern Buchanan get bounced out on his keister.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 13, 2008, at 2:41 pm
I love this guy. Thomas Friedman pimped him a few years back in his globalization followup, Hot, Flat and Crowded. Time called him the Hero of the Environment 2008. Now Van Jones — a Yale Law grad, social activist in Oakland, Netroots Nation keynoter and the hottest up-and-coming voice on creating “green-collar jobs — is out with his own book, The Green Collar Economy. It is a great companion to our Fix It Now series and the Green issue we printed in April.
Here’s the cover copy for the new book:
Provocative, personal, and inspirational, The Green Collar Economy is not a dire warning but rather a substantive and viable plan for solving the biggest issues facing the country–the failing economy and our devastated environment. From a distance, it appears that these two problems are separate, but when we look closer, the connection becomes unmistakable.
In The Green Collar Economy, acclaimed activist and political advisor Van Jones delivers a real solution that both rescues our economy and saves the environment. The economy is built on and powered almost exclusively by oil, natural gas, and coal, all fast-diminishing nonrenewable resources. As supplies disappear, the price of energy climbs and nearly everything becomes more expensive. With costs and unemployment soaring, the economy stalls. Not only that, when we burn these fuels, the greenhouse gases they create overheat the atmosphere. As the headlines make clear, total climate chaos looms over us. The bottom line: we cannot continue with business as usual. We cannot drill and burn our way out of these dual dilemmas.
Instead, Van Jones illustrates how we can invent and invest our way out of the pollution-based grey economy and into the healthy new green economy. Built by a broad coalition deeply rooted in the lives and struggles of ordinary people, this path has the practical benefit of both cutting energy prices and generating enough work to pull the U.S. economy out of its present death spiral.
Rachel Carson’s 1963 landmark book Silent Spring was the pivotal ecological examination of the last century. Now, rising above the impenetrable debate over the environment and the economy, Van Jones’s The Green Collar Economy delivers a timely and essential call to action for this new century.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Oct. 1, 2008, at 4:19 pm
The renaming of the Hillsborough County Moral Courage Award in honor of power broker Ralph Hughes claimed another victim today: 1996 winner Eileen Hart gave back her award in an emotional moment at the start of this morning’s county commission meeting.
Eileen Hart wiped tears from her eyes minutes after she gave back her Moral Courage Award at today’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting.
Two weeks ago, the commission voted to rename the award, which is given to citizens who challenge government, for controversial political activist Ralph Hughes. When Hart, who won the award in 1996, learned Hughes was a conservative power broker who helped finance commissioners’ political campaigns, the award lost its meaning, she said.
“It’s pathetic that they would name an award for a person when it’s a nonpartisan award,” Hart said outside the commission chambers. “It should have nothing to do” with politics.
Now, that took moral courage!
Hart is now a contender for our own Moral Courage Award, which CL took over after the county sullied it beyond repair. Here are the details on how you can nominate someone for their moral courage.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Sep. 2, 2008, at 5:19 pm
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.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Aug. 27, 2008, at 10:20 am
This just in from USF:
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. kicks off USF Lecture Series Sept. 4
TAMPA, Fla. (Aug. 26, 2008) – The University of South Florida’s University Lecture Series (ULS) commences with political speaker and activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and continues with a stellar line-up featuring an eclectic range of public figures.
Kennedy will speak on the topic “Our Environmental Destiny,” Sept. 4, 7 p.m. in the new Marshall Student Center Ballroom on the Tampa campus.
Author of the 2004 Crimes Against Nature, Kennedy is a highly sought-after speaker. He serves as chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and is president of the Waterkeeper Alliance . Both organizations seek to protect local waterways.
Other speakers during the coming academic year are:
• Dr. Drew Pinsky , Oct. 8 7 p.m. – “Loveline With Dr. Drew”
• Kelly & Becca , Oct. 21 7 p.m. – “Let’s Talk About it” (Free)
• Ben Stein , Nov. 5, 7 p.m. – “Ben Stein on Life”
• Austin Gutwein, Nov. 6, 4 p.m. – “Hoops of Hope ”
• Danny Glover & Felix Justice , Jan. 15, 2009, 7 p.m. – “An Evening with Martin and Langston”
All ULS events are free for students with a valid USF ID, alumni and faculty pay $5 with a valid ID and the general public is admitted for $10 (unless otherwise noted). Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tickets are now on sale at the Marshall Student Center Ticket Office located on the first floor of the new Marshall Center. The ticket office only accepts credit or debit, no cash or checks. For more information visit: http://uls.usf.edu/.
Obama clarifies and defends his energy policy proposals in this contentious interview in Nevada with Jon Ralston.
Bruce Ivins e-mail indicates he was maybe kind of a loon, so it’s certain he perpetrated a solo biological weapons attack on liberal members of our government and the media (though the e-mails never mention anything close to that). Case closed.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jul. 21, 2008, at 12:09 pm
Having written extensively, along with CL reporter Alex Pickett, about the longtime problems plaguing the St. Petersburg Police Department’s morale, staffing, funding, etc. So the story that CL Senior Editor Eric Snider tells over on Blurbex about his encounter with one not-so-helpful cop this weekend shouldn’t have surprised me — but it did anyway. Seems Snider’s ride ended up with a flat tire on the way home from the stadium and he limped along trying to find a safe, well-lighted place to change his tire when he got pulled over:
I pulled into a side street. Police are gonna lend a hand, I thought. One of the officers asked me for license and registration. Turns out it’s illegal to drive on a flat tire, and it’ll get you a $141 fine in St. Petersburg. That’s what the policeman told me.
I explained that I was looking for a safer, better-lit spot to pull over, that I’d never changed the tire on the Prius and didn’t even know where the spare was, that I didn’t know it was illegal to drive on a flat but now that I thought about it, it made sense, that my wife was out of town and I didn’t have a AAA card. This was all 100-percent true, but the cop at first seemed incredulous. I shrugged, as if to say, ‘What can I tell ya? I guess he decided to believe me.
“You gonna drive that car home?” he asked. Odd question, I thought; I told him no. He gave me a pass. I thanked him. Then I made a mistake. I should’ve asked him if he was heading toward Placido Bayou – protect and serve and all that. I didn’t think of it until several miles of walking later.
Yes, there was a time in America when a cop would stop and help you out, lend a hand or find a way to assist you, rather than roll up on you all bowed up and shit, spouting about how you are breaking the law by limping along in a Prius with a flat tire. Yes, it’s official: we have solved all the other crime problems in the city, we don’t need those neighborhood policing officers or such, and we are down to enforcing such laws as driving with a flat tire, spitting on the sidewalk and looking funny at a cop.
This is fucking outrageous, and if you live in the ‘Burg, you should be outraged, too. That is, if you are not already so used to it that you are numb.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jul. 15, 2008, at 7:33 am
Pinellas County Commission candidate Darden Rice has hired former Howard Dean and Alex Sink Internet guru Larry Biddle to help with social networking for the primary, the St. Petersburg Times is reporting. Here’s my 2007 story on Biddle’s accomplishments and experiences in helping transform politics via online networking.
Biddle, owner of PlanningWorks in St. Petersburg, was a pioneer in online fundraising in the Dean presidential campaign in 2004. (Full disclosure: He is the domestic partner of CL Editor David Warner.)
Rice faces a Democratic Primary against former St. Pete Councilwoman Rene Flowers. The winner will face social conservative School Board Member Nancy Bostock, a Republican.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jul. 10, 2008, at 10:45 am
Getting ready to be hitched has done very little to endear Charlie Crist to conservatives. Today’s thumping comes courtesy of the Washington Times. In an op-ed, Burnie Thompson writes of Crist:
Mr. McCain would be hard pressed to make a worse choice.
True, Mr. McCain won Florida’s primary on the wave of Mr. Crist’s late endorsement, which Mr. McCain rode to shore as the Republican presidential candidate. The Florida governor is especially popular in the state’s liberal precincts, and he likely would deliver the Sunshine State in November.
But this would spell victory for big-government Republicanism, and a definitive departure from the virtues of small government and personal responsibility. Mr. Crist and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are the bookend faces of the new Republican Party. Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater’s pictures on the grand old mantle have been turned to the wall.
Mr. Crist is the RINO poster boy. He’s a Republican in name only. He’s as politically calculating as the Clintons, and equally enamored of power. That explains why he’s been flying around the country on the Arizona senator’s left wing, vying for the vice presidency as his state’s economy sinks.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jul. 7, 2008, at 4:34 pm
Since I last wrote about the effort to unseat Gus Bilirakis in a June profile of Democrat John Dicks, two more events have given him a bit more of a shot at this unlikely pickup.
First, late in June, the DCCC designated Dicks’ race as one of 20 Emerging Races in the nation on its watch list.
Now comes news that a nonpartisan, independent analysis has moved the race a bit away from the “sure thing for Republicans” column. The Cook Report changed its rating on Congressional 9 from “Solid Republican” to “Likely Republican.” It was one of four in the state to get the same treatment. No doubt that Obama’s strategy of turning out black votes and other top-of-the-ticket benefits are driving this, but of course, getting exposure in PoHo is golden, too.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jul. 7, 2008, at 3:34 pm
From the newly reorganized caucus (note that the group comprised just 10 people) comes this news release:
July 1st, 2008 (Tampa, Florida)–On June 28, 2008, ten Hispanic Democrats came together on a Saturday morning to reorganize the Hillsborough Chapter of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida (HCDHCF). Elections were held and the following officers were elected:
President: Gilberto “Gil” Sanchez
Vice President: Daniel Suarez
Secretary: James Lascano
Treasurer: Paul Palacios
Gilberto “Gil” Sanchez, business attorney and business broker, was elected to lead the organization. Daniel Suarez, who also ran for State House against Florida House Representative Ambler, is the organizations Vice President. James Lascano, Secretary, and Paul Palacios, Treasurer, are active community leaders serving on various Non Profit Boards.
Attorney Sanchez has a vision of utilizing HCDHCF to bridge the needs of the Hispanic community on a grassroots level with local, state and national government. “The single biggest need within the Hispanic community is the lack of access to information that could otherwise assist them in providing solutions to their needs” says Attorney Sanchez. Specifically, HCDHCF will be organizing bilingual conferences and informational sessions that feature public officials, public administrators and professionals in the areas of law, banking, insurance, health and housing that will be free to the public. Attorney Sanchez is confident that by bridging this gap, the Hispanic community will see the Democratic Party as the party that aggressively seeks and supports the Hispanic community.
As the November election approaches, HCDHCF will also concentrate its efforts on registering Hispanic voters, promoting the use of absentee ballots and campaigning for local, state and national Democratic candidates. Transnational Relations, LLC will be serving as the pro bono public relations firm for HCDHCF.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jul. 7, 2008, at 2:46 pm
We hadn’t heard much from Ralph Hughes recently, not since he built a $4 million home off Tampa’s Westshore Boulevard and moved in. Ralph had been so quiet — none of his trademark letters or e-mails in the past few years — that you almost forgot what a force he remained in Hillsborough County politics. It seemed like he was laying low or just enjoying life, having made millions and millions of dollars, first in concrete and more recently in buying up ailing alt-fuel and med-tech companies.
So when he died last week when I was away (I read his obit online on my laptop in a hotel in Chapel Hill, N.C.), I was pretty shocked. For the conservative movement in Hillsborough County, his death is a great loss. Combine that with fellow GOP strategist Sam Rashid’s self-proclaimed withdraw from the political stage due to disappointment with politics and you have a Hillsborough Republican Party that has lost much of the team that brought it to power in the 1990s.
I reported on Ralph at two different newspapers (including this one). I found myself working on political campaigns with him and against him during my tenure as a political consultant. Ralph was shrewd in a street-smart way; his issue was impact fees and lower taxes and opening government to more voices. He believed the community would prosper if only taxes and fees fell. (Of course, you would expect that pro-growth attitude from somebody who made his fortune selling pre-cast concrete used in constructing new commercial and residential buildings.)
Posted by David Warner on Jul. 3, 2008, at 4:53 pm
Inside the layoffs at the Trib, as reported by intern Jessica DaSilva. Commenters praise her passion (admirable) while criticizing her spelling (lamentable). As for Editor Janet Coats’ quote that the Tampa Tribune is an “add-on” to TBO.com, not vice versa: Is this a bravely candid acknowledgment of the reality of today’s media, or (like Jessica’s spelling) the death knell for journalism as we know it? Or both? Opinions vary, but to newspaper editors everywhere, the debate is familiar.
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jun. 23, 2008, at 10:11 am
(I had meant to post this last week as the Russert frenzy was in full bloom but had trouble with the embedding code; with that fixed, and with The Today Show this morning yet again finding a reason to mention Russert’s passing, I figured, what the hell …)
Here’s Fox News waxing godly about how a rainbow suddenly appeared after Tim Russert’s funeral. Don’t these anchors know that Rupert will fire them for saying nice stuff about liberal journalists?
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jun. 23, 2008, at 9:49 am
“And words, you know the seven don’t you? Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits, huh? Those are the heavy seven. Those are the ones that will infect your soul, curve your spine and keep the country from winning the war. Shit, Piss, Fuck, Cunt, Cocksucker, Motherfucker, and Tits, wow.”
Posted by Wayne Garcia on Jun. 19, 2008, at 2:43 pm
I was struck by something in the coverage today about Tampa Bay’s 10 morning anchor Mario Diaz going to be a flack for the McCain for President campaign in the Southeast. From the Trib’s Walt Belcher:
Diaz says the offer from the McCain camp came after he attended a Republican Hispanic political conference in Orlando in May.
Diaz was one of several journalists who participated in a panel discussion on issues that concern Florida’s Latino community.
“I had the blessing of Channel 10 to attend the conference,” he points out. “After the session, people were coming up to me asking if I had ever considered going into politics.”
So, how far along were Mario’s talks with the McCain campaign when he conducted 10’s interview with Barack Obama last month? The Republican Hispanic Conference he references was held on May 10. Obama spoke in Tampa — and was interviewed by Diaz — on May 21.
I asked Tampa Bay’s 10 spokesman Pete Nikiel if the issue came up with Diaz when he let the station know he was leaving. Nikiel said it did not but was fairly certain that Diaz was not in talks with McCain when he did the Obama interview. “I don’t believe he was,” Nikiel told PoHo. “This all came up very quickly. We were all set to sign a contract with him.”
Nikiel said he did not have a way to contact Diaz, whose last day at the station was yesterday. I’m trying to track him down for comment and will update if I can.
UPDATE: I haven’t spoken with Diaz yet, but he did tell Eric Deggans at The Feed that he was offered the McCain gig on June 11, after he conducted the Obama interview:
Diaz said he talked to McCain’s regional campaign manager after interviewing the candidate at his June 5 fundraiser at the Vinoy in St. Petersburg.
“I knew they had needs in the state of Florida, so why not take that opportunity?” he said. “When Barack Obama came to town (in May) I fought hard for those stories…(And) I asked the same questions an anybody else.”
The job offer came less than a week later, on June 11, he said. Diaz’s last day at WTSP was Tuesday, and the former reporter said he filed no more political stories after informing the station’s general manager on June 11 that he was taking the McCain job.
He’s voting for: Barack Obama.
That would be Jennifer Stone-Anderson, a 51-year-old artist who is out of work and had two months on her hands to paint an elaborate mural on her 
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.
Sink Internet guru Larry Biddle to help with social networking for the primary, the St. Petersburg Times is 
