#SayfieMeetup July 15th!

The announcement went out this morning that the Sayfie Review is organizing Sayfie Review Summer Meetups around the country on Thursday, July 15th.

I'm helping organize the Orlando event at 5:30 pm at Paddy Murphy's in Baldwin Park.  We have a private room reserved and it should be a lot of fun.  New cities are being added in the next few days.  Please forward the link to your friends and make sure to RSVP...the Sayfie Review is giving away an iPad to someone at the two Meetups with the most RSVPs as of July 14th. 

We would also appreciate it if you could retweet this event to your twitter followers, with the hashtag #sayfiemeetup.

There's also a widget you can post on your own website or blog:

Thanks and hope you can join us on July 15th! 

Crist sued over GOP contributions

Interesting news about a lawsuit filed by GOP donors who gave money to Charlie Crist before he abandoned the party...

Crist sued over GOP contributions | jacksonville.com

What rights come with a campaign donation?  Is there an implied contract that the candidate will fulfill certain promises?  Is there a legal obligation to preserve party loyalty?  Politicians have switched parties before, but only rarely in the middle of an election like this.

Looking at this case just in simple fraud/contract law terms, I can see an argument supporting plaintiffs' claims here...without getting too deep in "lawyerese" here, the basic idea is that if Charlie induced people to give him money based on his representations that he was a Republican, but knew at the time that he intended to run as an independent, and endanger the ability of any Republican to win the seat, then that initial solicitation of money could be fraudulent.  In business, if you get someone to give you money, sign a contract, or give you some other advantage based on a representation you know isn't true or a promise you know you don't intend to keep, it's fraud and the courts can void the benefit you received as a result of your fraud.  

...but does this legal theory apply to campaign finance issues?  How does the First Amendment come into play?  Charlie Crist certainly has the free speech right to say whatever political opinions he wants, and to run for whatever office for which he qualifies with any party he chooses, but does he have the right to do it with money he obtained in an arguably fraudulent manner?

There is a certain amount of dishonesty associated with soliciting donations to run for office in a Republican primary, only to suddenly turn and run as an independent, seek Democratic support and money, and change several fundamental campaign platform issues (for example, Charlie's complete abandonment of his previous pro-life position).  Charlie's recent snuggling up to Democrat trial lawyer fundraisers, only further emphasizes the sense of betrayal that many Republicans feel about his candidacy.  It's widely believed that if he is elected, he will chose to caucus with the Democrats rather than the Republicans.  

Does this rise to the level of legal fraud?  I'm not entirely sure.  Is it unethical?  Heck yes.  I will be very interested to see how this case plays out, especially if they are able to make any serious progress before the November elections.  What do you think?

What's with all the crazy shirts lately?

OK, so first there was Bill McCollum, in a TV ad, wearing a shockingly bright salmon-orange shirt:

Profit over Principle

Then, this week, Charlie Crist appears in an interview with CBS, wearing the same wacky color:

Watch CBS News Videos Online

SaintPetersblog

I hope that this does not become a trend.  My eyeballs need a rest.

Come join us to meet Teresa Jacobs

I'm on the host committee for a casual, "low-country boil" event for Teresa Jacobs' campaign for Orange County Mayor tomorrow night.

 

Click on image below to view invite:

 

Please join us if you can.  For more information about Teresa Jacobs, go to http://www.teresaformayor.com.

Salon.com article on Alan Grayson

I'll have some more thoughts on this later, but just wanted to get this posted for y'all to read:

http://www.salon.com/news/alan_grayson/index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/06/28/alan_grayson_effect

(For those of you reading on a mobile device:

http://mobile.salon.com/news/feature/2010/06/28/alan_grayson_effect/index.html)

Yes, that's yours truly quoted in the article. A friend of mine in NYC, the delightful Miss Anna Curran, referred the writer to me for a "conservative perspective" on our local lunatic of a Congressional representative, Alan Grayson.

I think it's funny that one of my favorite little slang phrases made it in the article, but she left out some of my juicier sound bites. The article seems fair to me, maybe slanted a bit to the left like Salon tends to be, but I don't see anything glaringly inaccurate or outrageous. (Sigh...if only the Slantinel could hire Nancy Scola!)

I also can't for the life of me figure out why the article's discussion of the Republicans in District 8 only included Webster, Sullivan and Fanelli. What happened to Long, O'Donoghue, and Kelly? Clearly no one at Salon bothered to see who actually makes news coverage here locally.

Anyway, I'll have some more thoughts later on the article and the always-adventurous endeavor of talking to the press later. What did you think of the article? Let me know.

You know your candidate stinks when...

Interesting analysis from Peter Schorsch at SaintPetersblog on the Florida Senate race...

The latest twisted logic for Florida Democrats: Vote for Meek, so Greene doesn’t win, so Crist can beat Rubio | Saint Petersblog

I think I understand what Peter is saying here as a general concept, but what sticks out in my mind are two things:

1) Wow, the D candidates really stink, huh? How bad must you be when even those who you should be able to count on as your base are voting for you not in real support for your candidacy, but only as an attempt at damage control?   Sad. Just sad.

2) I'm prouder than ever to have endorsed and donated to Marco Rubio in June 2009. His message from the beginning has been that he's a conservative, he's running for the Republican nomination, and looks forward to facing the Democrat nominee in November. Nothing has changed.

Any Democrat who is voting for Crist is just as much of a sellout political opportunist as Charlie. I'm not voting for Kendrick Meek, but he seems like a nice enough guy and has certainly paid his dues to your party.

Central Florida Tea Party Council press conference

Here's this week's press conference with Jason Hoyt's speech in its entirety. You can see and hear Doug Guetzloe acting like a petulant child and a number of his Fake Tea Party buddies participating in the heckling. (The person who shouts "You lie!" was Jim "Heinie" Heinzleman, a TEA candidate running against Bryan Nelson...more on him later)

Central Florida Tea Party Council press conference 6-24-10 

A lovely portrait of Doug Guetzloe

Winter Garden is well-acquainted with the dirty tactics of Doug Guetzloe and his minions.  The most recent edition of the West Orange Times has a great editorial discussing Guetzloe, Alan Grayson, and Guetzloe's activities with the Fake Tea Party.  

 

Read it here:  

http://www.westorangetimes.com/articles/2010/06/24/news/editorial/editorial01.txt

 

The best part of the article, though, is their editorial cartoon depicted Guetzloe as a certain barnyard animal:

Well done, West Orange Times, well done.

   

Money Trail Links Grayson To Fla. Tea Party Consultant, Candidates - Video - WKMG Orlando

The latest report from Local 6...

Money Trail Links Grayson To Fla. Tea Party Consultant, Candidates - Video - WKMG Orlando

Jon Voight Rips Obama In Open Letter

The Cool Conservative of the Day is Jon Voight, for oh so many reasons...

Wow, oh wow.  This is one heck of a kick-in-the-teeth type of letter.  Actor Jon Voight has written an open letter to the President, slamming him for his betrayal of Israel and handling of the Arizona immigration debate.

"Your destruction of this country may never be remedied, and we may never recover..."

Read the whole letter.  It's only three paragraphs and well worth your time:

Jon Voight Rips Obama In Open Letter

I met Voight in 2008, at the Orange County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, where he was there to support Rudy Giuliani.  Voight is a great and very thoughtful speaker, and deeply troubled about the direction in which our country is headed.

    

Voight was on the Huckabee Show a few months ago, and had this to say:

Jon Voight on Huckabee

Voight has also been outspoken in support of a number of Republican candidates, our military and veterans, Israel, and in support of the tea party movement.  


Jon Voight, we're proud to have you on our side.  Keep fighting the good fight.

Vote Yes on 9 to Protect your Healthcare Freedom

Normally I don't advocate for amendments to the Florida Constitution.  Too many of them are driven by very narrowly focused special interests (remember the pregnant pigs, anyone?).  However, the healthcare bill that Congress passed this year is, in my opinion, so extreme, unconstitutional, expensive, unproductive, unnecessarily punitive, socialist, ridiculous, etc. (you get the idea), that we must fight back against it in every way we can.

State Representative Scott Plakon, who I am proud to endorse and even prouder to call a friend, has sponsored a bill that will appear on the ballot as Amendment 9.

From the official website:

The Health Care Freedom Act states that any law or rule shall not compel, directly or indirectly, any individual to participate in any health care system against their will. The Act specifies that individuals cannot be fined, penalized or imprisoned for not participating in a mandated health insurance program.

Here are some links where you can read up on the Act yourself, follow them on Facebook, and get involved:

Protecting Floridians' Healthcare Freedom
Get Connected on Facebook

More awesomeness from Chris Christie

Check out this video and then a great post at RedState about why the calls for "bipartisanship" should be ignored and yet another reason Chris Christie is a rock star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICIa-KJeUtM&feature=player_embedded

http://www.redstate.com/martin_a_knight/2010/06/22/chris-christie-shredding-the-script/

New Jersey, you can keep Christie for now, but I sincerely hope we can steal this guy sometime soon and send him to Washington D.C. to kick some tail there.

More Ugliness From Convicted Criminal Doug Guetzloe and his Thugs

Jason Hoyt and other members of the actual tea party movement (as opposed to the Florida Tea Party Fake Tea Party) held a press conference today at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections office, denouncing Doug Guetzloe and his minions for their activities with their third party, and their ties to Alan Grayson.

Here is a link to Jason's remarks this morning.  I encourage you to read it in its entirety.

Unfortunately, as often happens when you take on Doug Guetzloe, it gets messy.  Guetzloe showed up at the press conference with some of the Fake Tea Party candidates (I know  Peg Dunmire and Jim "Heinie" Heinzelman were there) and also several young tough looking guys.

Guetzloe and his thugs yelled insults at Jason and others during the press conference, harassed the tea party movement activists in attendance, pushed around members of the press, and I have a report that Doug himself said some very hateful words to a handicapped man who was there to support the tea party movement.

Here is a video Jason Hoyt took right after he finished his remarks.  You'll see Local 6 WKMG's Tony Pipitone attempting to question Guetzloe, while one of Guetzloe's goons puts his hands in front of the camera, pushes the cameraman, and yells.

Doug Guetzloe demonstrating his level of class

Local 6 will be running a story on all this tonight.  

Here's more coverage on the connection between the Grayson ads and Doug Guetzloe:

WKMG Orlando

Orlando Political Press

Doug Guetzloe is clearly getting desperate, and unfortunately it seems he may be dancing on the edge of becoming dangerous.  Today's altercation is only the latest example of Guetzloe's thuggery, threats, and nasty tactics.  

How Dunmire, Heinzelman, and rest of the Fake Tea Party candidates can continue to work with this convicted criminal and witness his unethical tactics, and then turn around and claim that they are just conservatives looking to reform government confuses the heck out of me.  Unbelievable.  

UPDATE:  Here's the Orlando Sentinel coverage of today's events.   
UPDATE: Here's Tom Tillison's discussion at Orlando Political Press.   Tom was there in person and saw all of the ugly, nasty behavior by Guetzloe and his goons, including the despicable attack on a handicapped man.
UPDATE: From FakeTeaParty.com

McCollum gets tough with Rick Scott...FINALLY

This is the Bill McCollum I've been waiting to see.  Finally, finally, FINALLY getting tough with Rick Scott.  I'm not entirely sold on the orange shirt though...

Profit over Principle

Sunshine State Sarah Official Mascot

We've had some exciting but heavy news this week, so I thought I'd post something just for fun...

Introducing Dave the Cat, blogger, tuna fish addict, and Official Mascot of Sunshine State Sarah...

Dave was adopted from a local animal rescue organization as a kitten.  He was very sickly, just skin and bones, not expected to live for more than a few days.  As you can see, we were able to nurse him to health and he's fat, happy, and more than a little bit spoiled now.

For more information on how you can get your own little fuzzy friend, or help other animals in need, please check out the SPCA of Central Florida.  There's lots of animals waiting for adoption, volunteer opportunities, and donations in any amount are always welcomed.  Thanks!

Matthew Falconer doesn't respect private property rights

Silly Matthew Falconer.  All that screaming about how he's the best darn conservative candidate Orange County's ever seen must have cut off the oxygen to his brain...he forgot that conservatives usually support property rights.

In the past few weeks, several Matt Falconer signs have popped up along highways all over Orange County.  They are mostly in right-of-ways and construction areas.  Seems like Falconer is trying to take advantage of the collapsed real estate market and the fact that  owners may not be paying as much attention to their properties.  In his typical obnoxious way, he wrongly assumes that he has the right to put up his signs anywhere he wants, based on some sort of magical privileged status endowed upon him as a candidate.  Sorry, buddy, that's not how it works. 

Last week, Angie Langley (of MyCongressmanIsNuts fame) noticed a Falconer sign on her property in Oakland along Highway 50.  Falconer never got her permission to put up the sign, or even bothered to ask.  Angie contacted Falconer on his Facebook page to ask him to remove the sign:

(image below the jump)

Campaign to have FourSquare add an "I Voted" Badge

For those of you that use FourSquare, check out this post from Jordan Raynor discussing the efforts to get the location-based blogging service to add an "I Voted" reward badge to encourage participation in the fall elections.

Jordan Raynor: How FourSquare Could GOTV With The "I Voted" Badge

What do you think?  Is FourSquare a good way to increase voter turnout?  What about other internet sites?

Doug Guetzloe's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

In the 1972 book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, a little boy named Alexander wakes up with gum in his hair and then suffers through a day where nothing goes his way.  From getting stuck in the middle car seat,  to having to go to the dentist and having a cavity, then having lima beans for dinner (yuck!), poor Alexander vows to move to Australia. 

After yesterday, Doug Guetzloe may want to check the prices on flights at Qantas.com.

Last night, Tony Pipitone at Local 6 broke a story proving a financial link between Alan Grayson and Doug Guetzloe's Fake Tea Party.  If you haven't yet seen it, check out the video here (http://www.clickorlando.com/video/23982346/index.html) and my post from yesterday here, RollCall's write up here, and Orlando Political Press here.  UPDATE:  Here's an official press release from RPOF.

In a beautiful coincidence of timing, on the very same day that all this news was flying around the local TV news and blogosphere, Doug Guetzloe's radio show, the Guetzloe Report, was canceled, and, to add insult to injury (or, as I would put it, to add awesomeness to awesomeness!), the owner of WEUS AM 810, Carl Como, said that the cancellation of the Guetzloe Report was a "ratings decision," even though Guetzloe paid WEUS for the time to broadcast the program.  Now there's also some allegations back and forth that Guetzloe was improperly promoting the Florida Tea Party Fake Tea Party and one of its candidates on the air, and that Guetzloe and his Fake Tea Party members are victims of some sort of unfair treatment, but I just can't stop laughing about Como tossing Dougie right under the bus.

Oh how fun.  Karma is such a b****, isn't it?

It's all just too darn funny.  Guetzloe has always tried to declare himself the king of all conservative thought, and claimed to have an army of thousands of listeners and supporters.  You know you stink when you can't even get high enough ratings for a radio station to be willing to sell you time.   Doug's been causing controversy, ticking people off, getting entangled in lawsuits and ethics complaints for years.  This latest kerfuffle is just par for the course, and could not have been a surprise to the WEUS management.  Sounds like ol' Dougie really did have some pretty crappy ratings.

Anyway, Central Florida can now enjoy a third hour of the Laura Ingraham show on WEUS during the time that the Guetzloe Report used to air.  Ahh, lovely. 

(Hat tip to Tom Tillison at Orlando Political Press, who named yesterday as "Doug Guetzloe's Really Bad Day")

Yet another reason we need Republican Mayors in Orange County

Oh, puke.

We are getting an Obama Parkway here in Orlando, paid for, of course, with stimulus money.
 

Michelle Malkin | Obama Porkway: Road Built With Stimulus Money Will Bear President’s Name

Folks, this is why we need to elect an actual Republican for Orange County Mayor this year, and why we need to work on recruiting a solid conservative to run for Mayor of Orlando for the next election cycle.  Heck, while we're at it, let's work on electing a President in 2012 that isn't dedicated to driving this country off the financial cliff.  

Barack Obama, Dreamer in Chief - Charles Krauthammer - National Review Online

Charles Krauthammer should be mandatory reading for anyone saying they're a conservative, every single time he writes an article (or tweets!)

Here's his latest article:

Barack Obama, Dreamer in Chief - Charles Krauthammer - National Review Online

More Trouble for Convicted Criminal Doug Guetzloe

I'm putting together some notes detailing some of my past interactions with everyone's favorite local miscreant, Doug Guetzloe, but here's some fun reading for now:

Guetzloe - FDOE Probable Cause Finding

This is what's called a "Order of Probable Cause" from the Florida Division of Elections ("FDOE"), and relates to a complaint I filed against Doug Guetzloe and his Ax the Tax group for actions during the 2008 elections.

Essentially, what the FDOE Order says is that they have found probable cause that Guetzloe and Ax the Tax violated several election laws, relating to the required disclaimers for political advertisements and also campaign finance issues related to Ax the Tax.  

When Ax the Tax was formed, it was organized as an "issue-based" political committee ("PC").  Under Florida Statutes, issue PCs can take in unlimited contributions and make unlimited expenditures in support of or opposition to an issue or ballot referendum.  (For  example, see Citizens for Lower Taxes and a Stronger Economy, Inc., supporting "Vote No on 4.")  However, issue PCs cannot support or oppose any candidates, and candidate PCs have greater financial restrictions: they can only take contributions up to $500 and can only spend up to $500 per candidate per election cycle.  Basically, what Guetzloe did with Ax the Tax is form it as an issue PC and take advantage of the lack of financial limitations of issue PCs, but then turned around and used Ax the Tax to support and oppose candidates.

The complaint I filed isn't the first time Guetzloe has been in trouble with FDOE.  In my opinion, one of the best illustrations of Doug Guetzloe's arrogant disregard for the law is summed up in the first footnote of the Staff Recommendations from the FDOE order:

(click to enlarge)

 

Guetzloe was fined $3,000 for election law violations in 1995, and another $4,000 in 2007, but as the footnote states, "Mr. Guetzloe has not paid either of the fines." 

Why is Guetzloe allowed to continually scoff at the law?  Why isn't the FDOE pursuing collection of these fines?  Is the law really without any teeth?

On a more positive note, Guetzloe hasn't entirely escaped the long arm of the law in other areas.  Despite his blatant misrepresentations to the contrary, he is still in some serious legal trouble in several other pending cases.  

Regarding the 2006 failure to include electioneering disclaimers case, Guetzloe is fond of saying that the charges against him were "dismissed," or that he was "cleared."  Not true.  A review of the public records shows that Case No. 2006-MM-009313-A-O is still open and pending, but tied up in several appeals (see one here).  Note also that Guetzloe pled "nolo contendere," or "no contest" to the charges, was adjudicated guilty, and sentenced to county jail time.

Guetzloe's appeal relates to the sentence.  He has not prevailed and the conviction still stands.  This means that legally, right now, Douglas Guetzloe is a convicted criminal.  In the past, Fred O'Neal usually sends nasty little demand letters or files lawsuits against anyone who calls Dougie a convicted criminal, but sorry, Fred, that's the truth, and you can't sue someone for libel or defamation for just stating the truth. 

Doug Guetzloe is a convicted criminal, the case has not been dismissed and he is still awaiting sentencing.  In fact, Judge Arnold held a status hearing just last Friday.  The heat is starting to get turned up on ol' Dougie boy.

Also, a 2007 civil case filed by Richard Mask against Guetzloe appears to be rapidly approaching its day in court.  A summary of the case by the Orlando Sentinel can be found here, and a funnier synopsis (but with some NSFW language) by the Orlando Weekly is here.  A Notice for Jury Trial was issued last December, but O'Neal pulled his usual delay tactics and the case was continued, but a new Notice for Trial was issued on June 10, 2010. 

Now, add in the ever-growing number of concerned citizens who are connecting all the dots between Doug Guetzloe, Fred O'Neal, their Fake Tea Party, and Alan Grayson.  Bruce O'Donoghue, Republican candidate for Congress, had a great press conference last week discussing some of these issues, and a threatening letter he received from O'Neal.    

Some more fun reading for you:

Orlando Sentinel | Brew-ha-ha?  Tea Party could help Grayson win re-election

Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Political Pulse Blog | O'Donoghue and Tea Partiers attack Guetzloe-Grayson

Orlando Sentinel Central Florida Political Pulse Blog | Will Tea Party help re-elect Grayson?

Orlando Political Press | Alan Grayson and the Florida Tea Party

WDBO | Guetzloe denies Florida Tea Party Connection to Grayson

Click Orlando | Republican Candidate claims Florida Tea Party A "Sham"

BREAKING NEWS...MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS TO COME SOON...

A little birdie told me that WKMG Local 6 will have a story on Guetzloe tonight during their 6 pm news broadcast.  I'm setting my DVR and will provide a link to the Click Orlando website as soon as it's posted.

UPDATE at 8:30 p.m.:  Here is a link to some fantastic reporting by Local 6's Tony Pipitone, brand new breaking news tonight...

Grayson Campaign Paid Company Formed By Fla. Tea Party Candidate - Politics News Story - WKMG Orlando

Sarah Palin on regulating the oil industry

Remember back in 2008, when the Republicans were arguing that Obama lacked executive experience and was therefore unqualified for the Presidency?  Remember?

I have to admit, it's not that fun saying "I told you so."  Watching the oil spill continue to endanger the beautiful coastlines of my state and our Gulf neighbors is ripping me apart on a daily basis, and one of the most heartbreaking aspects of this ongoing disaster is the lack of leadership coming from the White House.

Sarah Palin posted a great note on her Facebook page recently, delivering a real punch in the teeth to Obama for the White House's role in exacerbating the oil spill disaster. She discusses in detail the importance of constant vigilance, verification of all reports from oil companies, and avoidance of conflicts of interest between regulators and the companies when regulating the oil industry.

I encourage all of you to read Palin's words and share them with your friends. Palin has been getting a lot of criticism lately for her "Drill, Baby, Drill" comments, but in my opinion, her critics are oversimplifying her position and completely ignoring her past work fighting corruption and promoting responsible regulation of the Alaska oil industry.

Facebook | Sarah Palin: Less Talkin’, More Kickin’

(Hat tip to TheHotJoints, who aptly described the article as "It’s more than 1,200 words of Obama a**-kicking.")

Cool Conservatives of the Day | Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers (New Feature!)

For the past generation or so, it has seemed like the Democrats get a lot more positive attention in the media and pop culture worlds.  Until the tea party movement picked up steam in the past year, the liberals definitely had cooler t-shirts.

They don't always get the same level of attention, but there are a lot of famous people that are conservative or who have promoted conservative causes or ideas.  

Sunshine State Sarah is proud to bring you a new feature, "Cool Conservative of the Day."  Periodically, I'll bring you a profile of someone who you may not have known was a conservative.  Right now, I have posts scheduled weekly for awhile.  I'll try to keep adding someone new every week, and will add a label of "cool conservatives" to these posts so you can easily find them.

If you have a "Cool Conservative" you'd like to nominate, please contact me at sarahrumpf at gmail dot com.

Our inaugural "Cool Conservatives" are the classic movie dance team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, one of the best pairings in cinema history.

Fred Astaire (1899-1987) and Ginger Rogers (1911-1995) made ten films together, some of the most beloved Hollywood classics of all time, combining beautiful dance numbers, comedy, and romance. 

Astaire was a lifelong member of the Republican Party, and a charter member of the Hollywood Republican Committee.  Rogers was likewise a registered Republican and supporter of conservative causes.

Fred and Ginger in Roberta

Some good reasons these Democrats shouldn't be in charge of Congress anymore

Travis Childers
Dina Titus
Carol Shea-Porter
Ann Kuster
Harry Teague
John Hall
Michael Arcuri
Larry Kissell
Earl Pomeroy
Steve Driehaus
Mary Jo Kilroy
Zack Space
Kathy Dahlkemper
Bryan Lentz
Patrick Murphy
Chris Carney
Paul Kanjorski
John Spratt
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
Roy Herron
Chet Edwards
Ciro Rodriguez
Glenn Nye
Tom Perriello
Denny Heck
Mike Oliviero
Julie Lassa
Steve Kagen
Steve Raby
Ami Bera
Joe Garcia
Trent Van Haaften
Stephene Ann Moore
John Callahan
Jon Hulburd
Jon Hulburd
Stephen Pougnet
Lori Edwards
Ravi Sangisetty
Pat Miles
Tarryl Clark
Tom White
Matthew Zeller
Paula Brooks
Manan Trivedi
Brett Carter
Suzan Delbene
Colleen Hanabusa
Robert Dold
Cedric Richmond
Lisa Murkowski
Barbara Boxer
Michael Bennet
Alexi Giannoulias
Robin Carnahan
Paul Hodes
Lee Fisher
Joe Sestak
Harry Reid
Scott McAdams
Kendrick Meek
Charlie Crist
Jack Conway
Patty Murray
Russ Feingold
Richard Blumenthal
Joe Manchin
Chris Coons
Ron Wyden
Kirsten Gillibrand
Mike McMahon
Scott Murphy
Bill Owens
Heath Schuler
Charlie Wilson
Betty Sutton
Kurt Schrader
Mark Critz
Lincoln Davis
Rick Boucher
Gerry Connolly
Rick Larsen
Ann Kirkpatrick
Harry Mitchell
Jerry McNerney
John Salazar
Betsy Markey
Allen Boyd
Alan Grayson
Alan Grayson
Suzanne Kosmas
Jim Marshall
Debbie Halvorson
Bill Foster
Phil Hare
Baron Hill
Leonard Boswell
Frank Kratovil
Gary McDowell
Mark Schauer
Mike Ross
Dennis Cardoza
Christopher Murphy
John Barrow
Melissa Bean
Bruce Braley
Dave Loebsack
John Yarmuth
Chellie Pingree
Tim Walz
Russ Carnahan
Rush Holt
Carolyn McCarthy
Dan Maffei
Bob Etheridge
Mike McIntyre
David Wu
Jason Altmire
Tim Holden
David Cicilline
Jim Matheson
Ron Kind
Bobby Bright
Gabrielle Giffords
Jim Costa
Loretta Sanchez
Ed Perlmutter
Jim Himes
John Carney
Ron Klein
Sanford Bishop, Jr.
Walter Minnick
Joe Donnelly
Ben Chandler
Gary Peters
Ike Skelton
John Adler
Martin Heinrich

Perfect Score for Kurt Kelly on Pro-Job & Pro-Business Issues

I honestly haven't decided 100% who I will support in District 8 to take on Alan Grayson, but I am finding Kurt Kelly very impressive.  He spoke at our Orange County Young Republicans meeting last week about the need to maintain strong conservative principles and to stand tough against Grayson.  

The Florida Chamber recently released their legislative rankings, and they gave top marks to Kurt Kelly:

Orlando Political Press | Blog Archive | Florida Chamber Gives Kelly a Perfect Score on Pro-Job and Pro-Business Issues

What do you all think about the Republican candidates in District 8?  Who is getting your vote, and why?  I'd like to hear from you.

New Facebook Group: Republicans for Teresa Jacobs

Mike Hart, Matt O'Hern and I have started a new group on Facebook:

Republicans for Teresa Jacobs

This group is being formed to unite Republican support for Teresa Jacobs. This group supports the strong fiscal constraint Commissioner Jacobs advocated for during her tenure as commissioner.

This group firmly understands the impact of electing a Democrat to the region's most powerful position. It will mark the end of a Republican era and secure a fundraising bonanza for Democrats along the I-4 Corridor. A Democratic Orange Mayor coupled with Orlando's Buddy Dyer will equal millions for Obama and the liberal agenda.

Please check out the group, join us, and invite your friends.  Thanks!

"Yes We Can!" Well, Obama can't, but ordinary American citizens can

Here's a follow up from my post last weekend about some people with potential solutions to the oil spill on the Mike Huckabee show.  Smart Girl Politics has posted some additional commentary, along with video from the show.  Watch and get outraged.

Video of Can Do, Get 'er Done Solutions to the Oil Spill on Mike Huckabee vs. our No He Can't President. - Smart Girl Politics

A big huge pile of endorsements for Holly Benson

Earlier this week, Holly Benson's campaign sent out a press release naming a great list of statewide leaders who have endorsed her.  I've met Holly several times and she just impressed the heck out of me.  Intelligent, sincere, genuine, serious about the issues.  If you haven't yet made up your mind about who should get your vote for attorney general, I encourage you to check out Holly Benson.  I think you'll like what you find.

Press release after the jump...

Jon Stewart takes on South Carolina

Jon Stewart's unique and hysterical take on Alvin Greene winning the Democratic Senate primary in South Carolina:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Alvin Greene Wins South Carolina Primary
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

My favorite section is near the end, when Stewart mocks the Democrats' allegations that Greene was some sort of Republican plant:

This is the Republican's fault?  Really?  Even if they fronted the patsy, y'all voted for him!  They didn't trick you.  They didn't enter a guy with a misleading name like Grit Gravybiscuit or Nascar Johnson or Robert E. Leibovitz. 

It was Greene vs. Rawl, and a hundred thousand Democrats walked into a polling place and said, "I dunno either of these guys, uhh, I guess I'm ill-informed and I could easily not vote, but **** it, I like the color Greene...

Did the Republicans spend a lot of money on ads for Alvin Greene?  No.  Did they spend any money on Alvin Greene.  No.  Did they ask Alvin Greene to leave his father's basement once during the campaign?  No!  This is a prank?  No!  

This is the political equivalent of running yourself a warm bath, falling asleep next to it with your hand in the tub, wetting yourself, and then blaming the Republicans!

STILL MORE links between Alan Grayson and the Florida Tea Party

Where there's smoke, there's fire...and there's an awful lot of smoke detectors going off recently around Alan Grayson, Doug Guetzloe, and the Florida Tea Party Fake Tea Party:

Orlando Political Press | Blog Archive | Alan Grayson and the Florida Tea Party

Orlando Sentinel | Brew-ha-ha?  Tea Party could help Grayson win re-election

Bruce O'Donoghue, who is running in the Republican primary for District 8, responded to this news with a press release yesterday:

Alan Grayson’s fingerprints are all over the creation of this so-called “party,” and he insults the intelligence of voters by claiming he had nothing to do with it. Grayson has brought Central Florida politics to an all time low and he is playing fast and loose with federal election law. Grayson must immediately answer questions about his relationship with his media buyer and whether he had anything to do with the creation of this sham "party."

As the Sentinel article points out, Alan Grayson has been running ads on Doug Guetzloe's radio program for awhile.  I remember hearing the ads during the 2008 election season, and also hearing Guetzloe's supportive comments about Grayson and friendly interview with the candidate.  

I don't care what excuse Guetzloe gives for allowing Grayson's ads on his program, Guetzloe was under no obligation in 2008 to give a friendly "softball" interview to Grayson or to say positive things about the candidate (I heard him do this with my own ears), and this year, he's under no obligation to act as an advertising buyer to assist Grayson with placing ads on other programs on the radio station.  

The facts that Grayson appointed Guetzloe to an advisory panel, and one of Guetzloe's sons interned in Grayson' Congressional office just further shows the connections between the two.  If Guetzloe was really opposed to Grayson's reelection, there is no way that Grayson would appoint him to anything or allow his son to work in his office.  "Guetzloe" is a pretty darn unique name, so it's not like the kid could have walked in there incognito.

Peg Dunmire (along with the rest of the Fake Tea Party candidates) needs to wake up.  I had a little "interaction" with Dunmire on Twitter yesterday (links to original tweets):

pegdunmire: Did you hear who won the first internet straw vote for Florida District 8? It wasn't a Republican. #tcot, #florida republican, #foxnews

rumpfshaker: @pegdunmire Repeating Alan Grayson's talking points again? R U giving up denying no connection between Guetzloe's Fake Tea Party & Grayson?

pegdunmire: @rumpfshaker Why do YOU believe lies and rumors? What makes you think the Tea Party is fake? It is real. The state of Florida says it is. 

rumpfshaker: @pegdunmire I've been dealing with Guetzloe since 2008. I know what I know. FTP may be a "real" registered party but isn't named honestly

rumpfshaker: @pegdunmire FACT: Guetzloe & Egoroff were kicked out of OCREC. FACT: FDOE has issued finding of probable cause against Guetzloe & AxTheTax

rumpfshaker: @pegdunmire (if this is actually Dunmire & not a staffer) I feel sorry for you. Guetzloe is taking advantage of you to get back at RPOF.

...and we get crickets from Dunmire...

The "first internet straw vote for Florida District 8" to which Dunmire refers is the poll conducted by George Crossley of the People Power Hour.  I am unaware of that website or poll being promoted anywhere other than on the People Power Hour itself and Guetzloe's radio program and email lists.  Thus, given the liberal tendencies of the People Power Hour's listeners, and the chip-on-the-shoulder-mommy-the-Republicans-were-mean-to-me rebellious outsider attitude of Guetzloe and his minions, is anyone surprised by the poll results?  Even the People Power Hour admits the poll was nonscientific.  Statistically speaking, that means the results are complete crap.

Of course Grayson and Dunmire were the top two vote getters!  They only promoted the poll among programs targeted towards Grayson and Guetzloe supporters.  That's like me bragging that I had won a poll among my law school classmates for their favorite person with the last name "Rumpf."  Now, there's plenty of other nice people out there named Rumpf (including my wonderful family of course), but many of my classmates only knew me or if they met any of my relatives, it was only briefly.  

Polling 101: By controlling the group from which you select your voters, you control the results.

Stay tuned to Sunshine State Sarah this week for breaking news on this and other local political topics...we've got some real humdingers coming soon!