They're coming from all over the country, lured by their faith in Barack Obama, to spend a weekend in Tamarac, then six weeks bringing the Obama message to Floridians.

It's part of a massive mobilization of volunteers for Obama's campaign throughout the nation. The 3,600 volunteers — the campaign calls them "fellows" — include 400 in the key battleground state of Florida.

They're unpaid, save for food and gas stipends for some, and they covered their own expenses to travel to the 2 1/2 days of training that begins today.

In any other year, Democrats in Florida might be accused of being delusional. But this is not just another year.

Gasoline may soon cost five bucks a gallon. Florida has the nation's second-highest rate of home foreclosures. Even unemployment, rarely a problem here, is going up.

People are in a foul mood, a bad sign for the party in power. Six of 10 Florida voters in a new Quinnipiac poll say they are dissatisfied with things in Florida.

Democrats are talking about not only recapturing the White House with Florida's help, but knocking out two or three Republican congressmen (maybe Tom Feeney or one or both of the Diaz-Balart brothers).

The argument turned ugly late Thursday when Ausman released excerpts from a series of e-mails he exchanged with Kirk Wagar, a Miami lawyer and Obama's finance chairman in Florida.

In those e-mails, Wagar criticizes Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and rips into Ausman, dropping a handful of obscenities along the way.

"You [expletive] us," Wagar wrote to Ausman on June 6. "We are dealing with it. You need to accept the fact that you [expletive] us."

About Nelson, Wagar wrote, "I am getting very sick of Nelson making a bad situation worse" and, "Let me be clear as a bell: As of right now, you [Ausman] have made a difficult situation worse."

Wagar issued an apology, saying he was sorry for and "embarrassed" by the language he used. But he said Ausman was difficult to work with.

"At every turn, Jon Ausman demanded his pound of flesh," Wagar's e-mail said. "This was about Jon's ego and his view that control over party rules was his only power."

With respect to Nelson, Wagar said that he and the senator also disagreed about the process for selecting the delegates. But Wagar insisted that he didn't "malign [Nelson] in private nor in the excerpts Jon blasted out."

Friday, Wagar said, "I wish I'd kept my cool."

Despite the blow-up, Wagar's spot with the campaign is "absolutely" safe, Obama spokesman Josh Earnest said.

"Don't be fooled by the Republican rhetoric"

The newspaper company employees on The St. Petersburg Times editorial board sound like they're almost at (though not quite late) to the game:

"Charlie Crist is being less than candid with Floridians in handling the state budget crisis."

One day he quietly signs a terribly inadequate 2008-09 state budget that is almost $6-billion less than the one lawmakers approved a year ago and claims it meets the needs of the state.

The next day he tells state agencies he will hold back an additional 4 percent because of slumping tax revenues, forcing more painful cuts before the new budget even takes effect July 1. While this approach may be prudent, it lacks transparency and prevents taxpayers from seeing the full ugly picture and expressing their views. ...

Crist is imposing across-the-board cuts that unfairly treat every program the same — and the budget year doesn't begin for more than three weeks.

Don't be fooled by the Republican rhetoric that there are no other choices beyond cutting well past the fat and into the bone. ...

And there are plenty of ways to raise revenue and create a fairer tax system, including closing sales tax exemptions, extending the sales tax to services, making it easier to collect sales taxes on catalog and Internet sales, and closing loopholes that enable corporations to avoid paying taxes here by accumulating profits elsewhere. [Ed. note: and let's not forget reinstating the evil intangibles tax.]

Unfortunately, all of those are nonstarters for Republicans who are content to starve higher education and other government services while waiting for property tax cuts to magically revive the economy. It's been nearly five months since Crist urged voters to pass Amendment 1. Anyone see any houses selling because Save Our Homes benefits are portable?

The gap between state revenue and recurring costs will continue to grow, and Florida cannot cut itself to prosperity. Even after cutting spending and taking hundreds of millions of dollars from reserves, the Legislature left no wiggle room in the 2008-09 budget. State economists released a new economic outlook statement Friday that shows the state will take in less general revenue than it plans to spend. It's making up the difference only through fees, reserves and budget gimmicks — and there is no room to absorb further revenue declines.

For the governor to require state agencies to hold back 4 percent of their spending so soon after the Legislature left town suggests lawmakers did not do their jobs well. It is their responsibility to write a balanced budget that meets the needs of the state, and they should come back to Tallahassee in a special session and do it right and in public.

They won't, of course. They would rather that Crist quietly keep cutting while they run for cover — and for re-election.

Inflation

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "It used to be that a 4.0 grade-point average was considered a perfect 'A,' but the numbers posted by some recent Hillsborough high school graduates have been positively stratospheric - including the county's top GPA of 8.68 ...". "Grade Inflation Making It Tough To Evaluate Students' Performance".

Chicken shi*

"Small consolations: The governor this week signed two bills that will benefit state employees, and which this beleaguered work force well deserves given its appalling neglect by lawmakers for three years running."

I mean really, is this supposed to restore the morale of the poor folk who slave away in the buildings Jebbie wanted to empty?

The Career Service Reform bill requires objective criteria, including at least the consideration of seniority, when it comes to retaining employees during a layoff. And it makes promotions and transfers to better jobs nonprobationary, meaning employees can return to their former positions if the promotion doesn't prove to be a good fit. It also stops involuntary job transfers of more than 50 miles.

The other legislation, which is unfortunately just a first step, sets up a $100,000 task force and study on how to effectively bring back workplace safety and health laws for Florida public employees.

It's appalling that these safeguards are not in place in the year 2008. But in 1999, then-Gov. Jeb Bush eliminated the Division of Safety in the Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security, thereby repealing all safety and health laws covering public employees at any level.

a measure that stems from a 2006 explosion at the Bethune Point wastewater-treatment plant in Daytona Beach.

Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards apply to private-sector workers but not government employees [courtesy of Jebbie's "repealing all safety and health laws covering public employees at any level"].

The Daytona Beach explosion killed two city workers and severely injured another.

Voucher madness

"Florida's statewide teachers union and associations representing school boards, superintendents and administrators sued the state on Friday to remove two pro-voucher proposals from the Nov. 4 ballot." "Voucher plans on ballot face lawsuits". See also "Groups sue to block voucher proposals", "Teacher's union goes to court to stop voucher amendments" and "School groups attack 2 ballot items".

'Ya reckon?

"Report: Florida needs to spend more on children".

Does this really merit ...

an editorial from employees on the The South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board?: "Take-home cars an asset for public, but officers should pay for the perk".

Inviting "so much mischief"

The Miami Herald editorial board: "Senate Bill 1706 invites so much mischief from South Florida county commissions that it makes one's head spin. Representing itself as a growth management bill, SB 1706 instead has two noxious provisions that would undermine local and state oversight of large developments. One provision would allow counties with more than 1.25 million residents to exempt land from the Development of Regional Impact process. Only three counties qualify -- Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach." "Local perspectives".

Another Jebacy from the "Education Governor"

"Trustees for Florida's largest universities responded to a statewide budget crunch Friday by raising tuition, cutting staff and limiting enrollment. University of Florida trustees approved a tuition hike of up to 15 percent for the 52,000 students at the state's largest university." "Now the tough part: Universities raise tuition and get rid of jobs". More: "FSU OKs higher tuition" and "Universities raise tuition 6% to 15%".

You remember that fellow "Jeb!":

Nicknamed "King Jeb," the Republican transformed what he saw as a tangle of red tape and squanderer of public money into a smaller, business-friendly administration needing fewer tax dollars to run.

Bush, who passed the mantle to Charlie Crist (R) last Tuesday, leaves a legacy of a leader adamant about doing things his way, who fearlessly championed such controversial causes as school vouchers, faith-based prisons and prolonging the life of Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged woman who became the centerpiece of a national right-to-die battle.

Yet, while his tenure coincided with a sizzling economy and an overflowing treasury, Bush's back-to-back terms were marred by frequent ethics scandals, official bungling and the inability of the government he downsized to meet growing demands for state services, including education and aid for the infirm and the elderly.

'Ya think?

This is actually coming from the august The Palm Beach Post editorial Board, as opposed to those incessant teachers union whiners: "In 2001, only 37 percent of Florida 10th-graders could read on grade level. This year, according to FCAT results released Tuesday, 10th-grade students reading on grade level had increased to a whopping 38''percent. Give them credit for scoring 4 points higher than last year's sophomores. But the overall "gain" since 2001 again calls into question Florida's focus on one test." "10th-grade FCAT scores show problem with test".

Bill gets a headline

"U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, has introduced an election reform package that calls for abolishing the Electoral College and setting up regional, rotating presidential primaries." "Sen. Bill Nelson looks to end Electoral College".

"Pay-to-play"?

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "Last year, two grand juries concluded that a 'pay-to-play' culture compromised the work of government in West Palm Beach. Last week, a sealed portion of one grand jury report was released, and it gave an account of pay-to-play politics in action. The jurors concluded that state Rep. Mary Brandenburg, D-West Palm Beach, "did not act ethically" in July 2006 when she tried to coax campaign contributions for Mayor Lois Frankel from a not-for-profit development group." "Appropriately appalled".

Then they can get down to the business of celebrating Barack Obama as their party's presidential nominee at the first Florida Democratic event since Obama won the nomination fight with Hillary Clinton.

At the state Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson weekend at the Westin Diplomat Resort in Hollywood, the party is redoing the selection of some delegates scheduled to go to the national convention in Denver.

The Obama campaign wants the changes to reward contributors and loyalists like County Commissioner Stacy Ritter, who endorsed him last summer and campaigned vigorously on his behalf even while almost every elected Democrat in Broward backed Clinton.

But 26 Obama delegates and two alternates selected by the state Democratic Party might not get to go to Denver after all.

The move has sparked outrage among some, most loudly from Jon Ausman, a member of the Democratic National Committee from Tallahassee.

"They are going to destroy 20 to 30 people's dreams," he said. "They are going to be authoritarian, not democratic."

the Democratic National Committee didn't recognize the state primary, because it was held before the Feb. 5 date allowed by party rules. On May 31, the DNC rules and bylaws committee voted to accept Florida's delegation, with a half-vote each.

That meant the presidential candidates, who had been boycotting the state because of the rules dispute, got to review the lists of delegates already chosen. ...

[At issue are] just 16 at-large delegates and 10 party leaders and elected officials who were pledged to Obama, plus the two alternate positions.

Tallahassee City Commissioner Allan Katz and Kirk Wagar, a Miami lawyer who is Obama's national finance chairman, have been reviewing Obama's delegate list to see what changes they might make. Democrats who worked in the Obama campaign, but weren't chosen in the state party caucuses, will have a chance to become delegates or alternates at the Denver convention. ...

Katz has said Obama does not intend to dump a lot of delegates chosen when Florida was officially barred from the convention, and replace them with his own choices now that the state is back in. Democratic National Committeeman Jon Ausman of Tallahassee has been urging the victorious Obama forces to keep the Florida delegation intact, for the sake of reunifying the party after the bitter primary contests.

the DNC staff use the language “It is our understanding” that the Obama campaign “wants” to purge “delegates only”.

“Understanding” is an interesting choice of words. Either the Obama campaign said purge them or they did not. Also, since this understanding applies to PLEO and At-Large “delegates only” I assume that the Congressional Districts delegates and ALL alternates (including the two chosen at the At-Large level) are not purged.

The second thing I am puzzled by is why the DNC staff took 268 hours to write this memorandum and then gives delegate candidates 26 hours to qualify.

One can hope

"Crist: McCain's White House bid depends on Florida".

What happened to the party of "Jeb!"?

"Florida Republicans get it, and they want the rest of the nation to watch and follow their lead. That was the message from Florida Republican party leaders as they gathered in Orlando to honor Florida Republican governors and tout their own winning formula."

Crist touted core Reagan principles like less taxes, less spending, less government and pro-business values, but he spent the most time talking about the environment and the need to appreciate Florida's natural wonders.

Con vote

"Seeking any edge in the upcoming presidential, state and local elections, Democrats and Republicans are trying to register and motivate a new pool of potential Florida voters: former felons." "Parties Vie To Register Ex-Felons".

We don' need no stinkin' gov'ment regulation

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "who protects students from the abuse at unregulated schools? Apparently, no one." "A crack in the system".

Not my Buddy

"Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson's tenure has been plagued by questions - about hush-up payments to a former aide, his failure to his pay property taxes on time, even his willingness or ability to forthrightly explain his office's operations."

So when Johnson announced last month that the Hillsborough County Clerk of Courts office would no longer handle finances for the elections office, something didn't smell right. After all, it was the clerk's office that objected to Johnson paying a former public relations director Steve Holub more than $24,000 to go away and to keep his mouth shut about what he saw in the elections office.

Water wars

The Miami Herald editorial board: "Water wars -- South Florida style".

FSU

"When the Florida State University board of trustees meets this morning its members will vote on new tuition rates." "FSU board of trustees to vote on tuition rates".

Counting (electoral) votes

Adam Smith writes that "if Florida's 27 electoral votes went to Obama, McCain would need GOP wins in New Hampshire and Wisconsin, and to hold every other Bush state from 2004, to win the White House."

The McCain campaign sees Florida as competitive but far safer with Obama as the nominee than Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Most political analysts say Obama is more likely to pick off Ohio than Florida.

"Look at Florida," McCain campaign manager Rick Davis said in an upbeat strategy briefing sent to supporters this week. "A key battleground state in the last two presidential elections, John McCain overperforms the (generic) Republican by seven points. This is a terrific position for our campaign to be in today."

Democratic pollster David Beattie, however, sees the Sunshine State as possibly more fertile for Obama than the Buckeye State. Florida has a bigger African-American population, he noted, and as more of a growth state offers far more educated suburban voters who often don't vote.

"There's a type of voter in Florida that doesn't always vote, that lives around Tampa, St. Pete, around Orlando and Palm Beach County and Jacksonville, and those are the types of voters that are very open to Obama,'' said Beattie, whose clients include Sen. Bill Nelson and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.

Obama has the money, organization and potential to dramatically increase turnout not only in Florida but across the electoral map. That could be good news for Democratic candidates on the ballot. But not necessarily for instilling confidence in our winner-take-all electoral system.

Florida's economy keeps "dropping like a rock"

"Crist ordered all state agencies Thursday to reduce spending by 4 percent in the coming fiscal year, just a day after signing an already pared down state budget."

State economists say the action — the second holdback in less than 12 months — is necessary because high food and gas prices are prompting consumers to spend less. They now project lower sales tax collections in the coming fiscal year.

LGBT Equality Caucus

"U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, is one of the leaders of the newly formed House LGBT Equality Caucus. Wasserman Schultz, who said 'lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered Americans are awash in a sea of inequality,' is one of the new caucus' vice chairs." "South Floridians help form gay equality caucus in Congress".

No comment

"U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, a leader of the conservative Blue Dog caucus in Congress, said Wednesday he will vote for Sen. Barack Obama but shied away from endorsing his party's candidate for president." As the GOPers march in lockstep,

Obama has run into reluctance among congressional Democrats.

Rep. David Boren, the only Democratic congressman from Oklahoma, said Tuesday the Illinois senator does not have a record of bipartisan work in Congress. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fla., a first-term member targeted by Republicans in a GOP-leaning district, said he will remain an uncommitted superdelegate but might not attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Georgia Rep. Jim Marshall refused to say whether he considers Obama better qualified than McCain.

Rerun?

"The state ruled at the time Florida Hometown Democracy failed to get the number of signatures required to make the November ballot. Florida Hometown Democracy would let voters decide whether to allow changes to city and county comprehensive plans -- their blueprints for growth." "Hometown Democracy files suit over initiative".

In the dark of night ...

... Mr. Happy Face"quietly signs leaner state budget". See also "Crist signs pared-down $66-billion budget into law", "Crist OKs $66B budget with little fanfare" and "No fanfare as painful budget inked".

No

"Does Charlie Crist seem presidential to you?" "Does Crist have what it takes to be McCain's running mate?".

Rat contractors from South Carolina ...

... will have their lobbyists all over this:

Rules by the National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators, for example, include a minimum-age requirement of 18 for drivers, a substance abuse policy, written examinations and physical requirements. These are common-sense standards that require crane operators to at least have a working knowledge of their machines and are physically able to operate them.

GOPers at it again ... Mel shrugs

"With gas topping $4 a gallon, Republicans on Capitol Hill are reviving an issue that most Florida politicians and environmentalists had considered settled: offshore oil and gas drilling." "GOP resurrects offshore oil drilling plan".

Court TV

"Judge Michael Allen's ethics and perjury trial concluded Tuesday with a flurry of new corruption charges by his attorney against a fellow judge on the 1st District Court of Appeal."

Allen's 2006 written opinion in the appeal of political heavyweight W.D. Childers said Judge Charles Kahn's failure to recuse himself from the case could lead to questions about the court's impartiality. That got Allen accused of bringing disrepute on the court and lying about his motivations for doing so.

Kahn's vote and opinion that would have reversed Childers' bribery conviction, Rogow said, were "pay future," an attempt to curry favor with the powerful Childers allies who could help get Kahn appointed to higher office.

"Judge Kahn wasn't paying back, this was pay future," Rogow said. "Judge Kahn wanted to get ahead in terms of judicial promotion and this was the way to do it."

Wally Pope, attorney for the JQC, said Rogow's claims were "pathetic."

Release me

"The Florida Supreme Court heard emotional arguments Wednesday in a case that could touch every parent asked to sign a release and every child who begs to be a cheerleader, play little league or go to the water slide or the skateboard park."

The Florida Supreme Court heard emotional arguments Wednesday in a case that could touch every parent asked to sign a release and every child who begs to be a cheerleader, play little league or go to the water slide or the skateboard park.

At issue is whether parents have the authority to sign away a child's legal rights to sue if the child is injured by a negligent park owner or activity sponsor.

A little "balance" please

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board:

- "Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, who is smarter than this, supported the Articles of Impeachment, which won't go anywhere and thankfully have been buried in a committee not likely to hold hearings before Bush leaves office."

- "Last year, Kucinich led the misguided charge to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney, and Wexler supported that. In the case of Bush, Wexler called it a "sworn duty" of Congress to act."

There is absolutely no doubt that in his ill-conceived effort to cover up his sordid affair with Monica Lewinsky. His continued legalistic refusal to admit that he lied is causing people to ask, legitimately, whether he is a congenital liar.

Clinton has disgraced himself with his despicable behavior, and undermined the presidency.

His effort to shift blame to independent counsel Kenneth Starr for his predicament is disingenuous. Clinton created the mess he is in by his lies and deceit.

Clinton is solely to blame for the reckless personal conduct that caused this national crisis.

His character flaws cry out for substantial rebuke and censure, and appropriate punishment in a court of law after he leaves office.

- "congenital liar".

- "despicable behavior".

- "lies and deceit".

- "disgraced himself".

The conduct of Bush and Cheney "cry out for substantial rebuke and censure, and appropriate punishment in a court of law after he leaves office

Double whammy

"Local governments in the midst of writing annual budgets face lower property tax revenues because of a new state constitutional amendment and falling real estate values." "Fla. governments facing 2 property tax cuts".

"A crowded Republican race"

"Looking to get an early start in what could be a crowded Republican race, former GOP state Rep. Joe Negron of Stuart announced today he'll run for state Sen. Ken Pruitt's seat in 2010 when Pruitt is term-limited." "Negron will run to succeed Pruitt in 2010".

By the way, you may not have noticed that ...

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "South Florida drying out".

And while we're at it, let's build more prisons

The St. Petersburg Times editorial board: "There is a big difference between having a lawyer to represent you and having the illusion of one. Having a public defender who has been appointed to handle so many cases that he or she has no reasonable opportunity to prepare an adequate defense is essentially like having no lawyer at all." "Court system makes do with less".

Good questions

The Pensacola News-Journal editorial board: "Educational reforms first put in place during the administration of former Gov. Jeb Bush have been controversial, but the scores indicate progress."

That, of course, also depends on whether the FCAT process is sound, and if the tests are the right tests.

Starting next week, some 400 specially trained Barack Obama campaign "fellows" will fan out across Florida, including the Tampa Bay area, for an intensive six weeks of registering voters, mobilizing volunteers, as well as working to bring Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters into the fold.

The Obama campaign has 20 paid organizers in the state — compared to John McCain's two — and within days is expected to name its Florida campaign team. With more than 150,000 Florida supporters signed up for volunteer duty, the campaign is talking about an unprecedented voter mobilization effort.

Much as the Bush-Cheney campaign roared to Florida victory in 2004 with neighbor-to-neighbor campaigning, the Obama campaign sees a volunteer army large enough not only to target key voting precincts, but even specific streets and blocks.

One can only guess ...

"McCain, who aired a Spanish-language radio ad in Miami on Tuesday, was scheduled to make his 19th trip to Florida on Friday for "private meetings" in Orlando."

His trip would coincide with the semiannual spring meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Orlando. The bishops group is scheduled to vote Friday on a resolution to oppose embryonic stem cell research. McCain has supported federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Charlie "On the down-low"?

"On Wednesday, [Crist] signed next year's pared-down budget that sets a modern record for the fewest [budget vetoes] — three — and he did it as quietly as he could." "Crist keeps budget approval on the down-low".

Surely the headline writer wasn't trying to be coy by saying Charlie was keeping on the "down-low", which of course means "men who sleep with other men but do not consider themselves to be gay. These men live "on the down low," the "DL" for short".

"Crist signed the state's $66.2 billion budget into law this afternoon, leaving the spending plan almost untouched." "Crist signs $66.2 billion spending plan". See also "Crist signs austere $66 billion state budget", "Crist signs budget, vetoes $251.1 million" and "Governor Signs Budget".

"A year after he chopped a record $459 million from the state budget, Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday that he wouldn't try a repeat because legislators already trimmed billions in state money and deeper cuts could be harmful to the already teetering economy." "Crist says reimbursement for hospital safe from veto".

GOPers go after drilling moratorium

"With gasoline prices soaring past the $4-a-gallon mark, Congress is again wrestling with proposals to open the eastern Gulf of Mexico's outer continental shelf to oil and gas drilling. The latest skirmish occurred today when a House subcommittee rejected a proposal to lift the drilling moratorium off the Florida Gulf Coast on a straight party line vote." "Rising oil price reignites debate on drilling off Florida's coast".

Sea Grass

"Environmental groups were breathing easier and at least one lawmaker was miffed after Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday that he will veto a bill that critics warn would devastate the sea grasses that are the lifeblood of the marine habitat." "Crist vows to veto destructive sea-grass bill".

Maitland housewife ...

... struggles to state the obvious: "Scrooge-Santa duel makes for a wild '08 race".

Once a 'ho

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board:

Former House Speaker Allan Bense is doing his distinguished [sic] reputation no favors as he becomes a mouthpiece for the school voucher movement. Bad enough that as chairman he allowed the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission to be hijacked by the voucher agenda. Now he is engaging in a type of obfuscation that cheapens the political debate.

Yeah, McBush is drawing that youth vote ...

... with his kewl blogging daughter and all that. "The Millennial Generation. Echo Boomers. Generation Y. Whatever you call them, voters under 30 have gained prominence across America and will have a huge influence on the November presidential elections and beyond."

Like many politicians, Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain are taking great care to win them over. But it may take people like Amanda Morrison to ensure that young people actually have a voice in the 2008 races.

"The political posturing is obvious"

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board:"McCain's recent airboat ride through the Everglades was a smart political move that should net him some Brownie points among Florida voters." One suspects that most Floridians recognize such airboat rids (as well as canoing and kayaking)* - whether by Dems or GOPers - as obvious, and expected, pandering, as opposed to "a smart political move", breathlessly conceived in a late night strategy session on the campaign bus.

The editors continue, and correctly underscore the

But the trip will have little meaning unless the presumptive Republican nominee, who opposed a recent bill that authorized several restoration projects, puts some muscle behind his promise to push Congress to address the issue.

McCain said he opposed the water projects bill because the legislation had what he said was $20 billion worth of pork projects. Now that he has visited the River of Grass, he thinks the restoration efforts are worth supporting as a separate project.

It's no secret Florida will be a pivotal state in the general election, and we can expect lots of attention from both McCain and the presumptive Democratic nominee, Sen. Barack Obama.

Whatever

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "McCollum's "sunshine" advocate has critical role to play for citizens".

Another Jebacy

"Crist on Tuesday signed a bill aimed at improving the safety of government workers -- a measure that stems from a 2006 explosion at the Bethune Point wastewater-treatment plant in Daytona Beach."

Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards apply to private-sector workers but not government employees.

The Daytona Beach explosion killed two city workers and severely injured another.

"Crist can't do what the Legislature didn't"

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "Crist can't do what the Legislature didn't on insurance, but he can undo something the Legislature did. After a bad storm year, the state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp. also would have to pay claims, and the public would have to cover any of that shortage. Florida wants to attract more private companies that would spread the risk. To attract them, the Legislature created a fund of $250 million. But to create the fund, the Legislature took the money from Citizens, leaving the company less money in reserves to pay claims." "Let Citizens keep money".

Do your duty

"Rep. Wexler: It's 'a sworn duty' to impeach Bush".

Get well soon

"Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum underwent brief, successful surgery this morning to clear a blocked coronary artery." "State Attorney General undergoes heart surgery".

Off topic ...

ahem, ... he's a GOPer, appointed by Reagan:

the materials, which included a photo of naked women on all fours painted to look like cows and a video of a half-dressed man cavorting with a sexually aroused farm animal. ...

Kozinski said he would delete some material from his site, including the photo depicting women as cows, which he said was "degrading . . . and just gross." He also said he planned to get rid of a graphic step-by-step pictorial in which a woman is seen shaving her pubic hair. ...

The sexually explicit material on Kozinski's site earlier this week was extensive, including images of masturbation, public sex and contortionist sex. There was a slide show striptease featuring a transsexual, and a folder that contained a series of photos of women's crotches as seen through snug fitting clothing or underwear. There were also themes of defecation and urination, though they are not presented in a sexual context.

Out here in the fields

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "Fortunately, the state moved quickly, and by Tuesday afternoon products from Florida were on the 'safe' list. A representative for the growers had estimated that $40 million worth of tomatoes could be lost. Florida agriculture has faced, and is facing enough trouble without this." "Florida sliced, not diced".

Another hack

"Dudley Goodlette had a successful career in the Florida Legislature. His latest assignment was giving legal advice to the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. Now the Republican lawyer from Naples wants to be a justice of the Florida Supreme Court, where four of seven justices will leave by the end of 2009."

He voted with the Republican House majority on two highly contentious issues struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court: allowing then-Gov. Jeb Bush to override the courts in the Terri Schiavo case in October 2003 and tax-supported school vouchers in April 1999.

Court TV

"Defense and prosecution wrapped up their cases Tuesday in the ethics and perjury trial of 1st District Court of Appeal Judge Michael Allen, setting up for closing arguments this morning."

But Allen's lawyers concluded Tuesday's action with a motion to remove one of the Judicial Qualifications Commission panel members, saying his questioning of witnesses was prejudicial. Bruce Rogow, Allen's attorney, asked the panel's chair, Broward County Judge Paul Backman, to take Miles McGrane III off the case.

The People's money

"You're still paying for this": "And you will be for a while. Gov. Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink voted Tuesday to have the state take on $625-million in additional debt to cover claims from the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes. The cost will be paid by property, car and boat insurance policyholders statewide." More: "Florida homeowners will pay insurance surcharge until 2014" and "Insurance rates rise to pay off 2005 hurricane claims".

"Mysterious ads"

Sally Swartz: "The mysterious ads, credited to a group of Tallahassee lobbyists operating as the "Committee to Protect Florida's Natural Environment Inc.," puzzled both sides in Martin's growth debate until last week. Who paid for them? Why now?" "Ads pop up. So do questions".

Dems Complacency taking a hit

This is no surprise: The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a

union representing thousands of government workers across Florida has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president while declaring its independence in state legislative races.

Wynn and Alma Gonzalez, special counsel to the union president, said AFSCME commended state Sens. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, and Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, along with Reps. Marti Coley, R-Marianna, and Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, for their work in the 2008 legislative session. Dean and Coley sponsored legislation relaxing some parts of ex-Gov. Jeb Bush’s 2001 "Service First" civil-service laws, while Gibson and Lynn were recognized for job-safety legislation benefiting state workers.

Booming boomer

"Wexler has been loud and clear in his support for Sen. Barack Obama." "Wexler lends booming voice to Obama's campaign".

Thank's "Jeb!

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Last week the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis placed Florida 47th in the nation in terms of economic growth." "Economic turnaround is probably not imminent".

"Lingering anger"

"Talk of lingering anger over Clinton's primary defeat could be heard at delis, shopping centers and grocery stores throughout South County last week. But many of the ones doing the talking - ardent female Clinton loyalists who aren't enamored with Obama - said they won't spurn him or the Democratic Party come November." "Clinton's female backers chafe but swing to unity".

All paper ... no trail

"What's the use of paper ballots if no one looks at them? That is the question that election watchdogs continue to press, even as the state's election supervisors race to implement the 2007 election law requiring every Florida county to vote on paper ballots." "Paper ballot deal disappoints".

As well they should

"South Florida black churches take pride in Barack Obama's rise to nominee".

"The spirit of Barack Obama was in the Lord's House Sunday, invoked in prayer, praise and sermons by ministers and parishioners lifting the name of the Democratic presidential nominee." "Black churches embrace Obama".

Court TV

"An appellate judge took the witness stand Monday to deny unprecedented ethics charges over his criticism of a colleague in an opinion that used colorful language and cited newspaper articles about political wheeling and dealing."

The Judicial Qualifications Commission has accused 1st District Court of Appeal Judge Michael Allen of ... allegedly lied under oath by telling commission investigators he had no animosity against the other judge, Charles Kahn. He repeated that testimony Monday but acknowledged he has little respect for Kahn, accusing him of throwing temper tantrums and using foul language.

The allegations against Allen stem from a concurring opinion in former Florida Senate President W.D. Childers' bribery case. The appellate court upheld Childers' conviction, which stemmed from a land deal while he was serving as an Escambia County commissioner in Pensacola.

In his opinion, Allen wrote the public may think it was improper for Kahn, who voted to reverse the conviction, to participate in the case because he is a former law partner of Fred Levin.

Judge Paul Hawkes said he sent Allen an e-mail calling his opinion an "act of courage," but he did not sign onto it because he had a different reason for a full court review - he disagreed with the three-judge panel's decision in such a high-profile case.

Though newly released emails (as well as friends and family) tie him closely to House Speaker Marco Rubio’s office, First District Court of Appeal Judge Paul Hawkes said he had nothing to do with the Miami lawmaker’s decision to open an inquiry into fellow 1st DCA Judge Charles Kahn.

Hawkes’ son, House Counsel Jeremiah Hawkes, emailed a draft of Rubio’s letter Dec. 4 requesting that the Judicial Qualifications Commission share its investigative files on Kahn, who is the target of an as-yet private complaint. The email was sent to an assistant of Rubio’s staff chief, Richard Corcoran, Paul Hawkes’ former legislative aide and consulting partner.

I think your opinion is very moving … I know it took courage. Acts of courage, in my view, are rewarded. Perhaps not in the short term, but in the long run. I bet that this stand by you will be one of the memories that you take from your service on this court; one of the best memories. Great battles in defense of principles are the very best aspects of public service. I also don't believe that great battles diminish or harm an institution.

Let the battle be joined.

Paul

Thank you for this note, Paul. You have beautifully crystallized exactly what this is about, though I have my doubts that I will ever recall this "battle'' with any measure of fondness.

Less than a year later, the JQC filed its charges against Allen. A JQC panel will hear testimony this week, then recommend punishment to the Florida Supreme Court. The high court can drop the charges, reprimand Allen or remove him from office.

Putting their mouths where their money ain't?

Will any prez candidate put their mouth where their money ain't, or will we see the same old seepage of slime into the campaigns:

When presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain came to Florida for a fundraiser a few weeks ago, Book dropped off $15,000 in checks.

On the night in 1992 that Carrie Meek became the first black person Florida sent to Washington since Reconstruction, Book not only joined in the celebration, he also helped keep it going — hoisting a serving tray full of champagne.

While McCain and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Barack Obama, have publicly turned lobbyists into lepers, kicking them off campaigns or branding their donations as invitations to corruption, a simple truth remains unchanged:

Virtually every significant race, from state House and Congress to president, bears the footprints of lobbyists.

A private matter

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "In no state is this issue more important than Florida, which has the highest percentage of residents over 65. Elderly and disabled Medicare patients here are spared for now. But the biggest Medicare beneficiary remains private insurers." "Cut Medicare insurers, not Medicare doctors".

Whatever

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Green Economy Is Growing".

"Blistering criticism"

"Wanted: Technically minded, consumer oriented individual willing to endure hours of public meetings and blistering criticism." "Process begins for hiring new Public Service Commissioner".

Enough with the crushing manatees to death

"A simple sound wave, silent to most ears and beamed underwater, may save the languorous manatee from being crushed to death in Florida's massive boat lock gates, which can stretch 54 feet wide and weigh up to 40 tons. The device, designed over the past decade by researchers at Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, stops the gates from closing if the sound beam is interrupted by a large object, such as an 800-pound manatee. " "FAU to install sound beam system to save manatees".

A time to war ...

The Palm Beach Post editorial Board: "Florida, including the state's congressional delegation, finally seems to be putting up more of a fight in the tri-state water war that endangers the Panhandle. But the entire state has to fight soon, and hard. So far, Georgia is the winner in the decades-old fight with Florida and Alabama." "Engage in water war".

Whoopee

"Home, condo sales in Orlando area rise".

Green stuff

"The state's budget ax is about to fell thousands of trees and shrubs on new road projects." "Gas prices, budget crunch taking whack out of highway greenery".

Turning blue stuff green

"An environmental group said Monday it will go to federal court after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it won't require Clean Water Act permits when water is transferred between water bodies. The EPA's statement follows suits linked to the South Florida Water Management District's sending farm runoff into Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades." "Environmentalists threaten suits over water permits".

All this and no surprises ...

"Election qualifying began in Miami-Dade last week without any surprises. The 15-day qualification period, during which candidates pay a fee or submit petitions, opened Tuesday and continues through noon June 17." "Three file for Dade County Commission".

As Obama looks to unfold a Florida campaign for the first time - he and the other Democratic candidates avoided the state during primary season - he'll find the bones of an energized volunteer base in place and a fund-raising machine that has managed to keep pace with Republicans.

But Obama also will have high hurdles in Florida.

Instead, Democrats in Palm Beach and Broward counties could rank as his biggest challenge. Voters in these two counties combined to give Hillary Clinton primary victory margins larger than she received in New York City and other parts of her home state.

Although many state superdelegates insist that Clinton loyalists will unite behind Obama, a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate said that support shouldn't be taken for granted.

"He's got to get the Clinton supporters to suck it up," Bill McBride said.

McBride said his 2002 gubernatorial loss to Republican Jeb Bush could be blamed partly on a disappointing showing from South Florida Democrats, who largely preferred his primary opponent, former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

"Not proud of the misleading ad the Republican Party is doing. I'm ashamed"

"Sponsored by the Republican Party of Florida, the ad attacks [Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres] for allegedly voting for high taxes during his six years in the state Senate, and for being "out of touch" with the economic downturn."

But the ad is so misleading a group of Aronberg supporters, including prominent Republican business leaders, gathered Friday to refute it.

"I'm proud to be a Republican," said Sam Galloway, who hosted the event at his car dealership. "But I'm not proud of the misleading ad the Republican Party is doing. I'm ashamed ... and I'm disgusted to see political hacks producing an ad that attacks our Dave. It's wrong. It's immoral. This ad spreads mistrust in an attempt to turn us against each other."

A bribe?

"Could a $100,000 payment to a county commissioner's favorite lobbyist actually have been a bribe?"

Even Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty, the apparent target of a federal investigation, admitted that the payment doesn't look good. "If he had talked to me about it, I would have told him not to do it," she told Post Staff Writer Tom Dubocq for last Sunday's story. "It's not something that should be done, because it can be misconstrued as something more than it is."

Commissioner McCarty would like the public to think that the $100,000 payment to lobbyist Hugo Unruh, a close friend and traveling companion, was all very innocent. She wants the public to think that her aide in 2005, Boynton Beach Mayor Jerry Taylor, told a prominent developer to hire Mr. Unruh but never mentioned the recommendation to his commissioner boss.

That's hard to believe. It's also hard to believe that Commissioner McCarty got nothing in return for helping the developer who paid her good friend so much money. And it's just plain disgusting that such exchanges pass for business as usual in pay-to-play Palm Beach County.

It's wrong for a mayor to tell a developer which lobbyist to hire. But to the [compliant]developer, the Sembler Co., paying lobbyists is just a cost of doing business. The company viewed a $100,000 fee as a small price to get approval for a $300 million project that included a SuperTarget-anchored shopping center and 1,120 condominiums in Boynton Beach.

Sembler had agreed to pay another lobbyist, Bill Boose, up to $20,000. But Boose, whom Commissioner McCarty disliked, could not deliver Commissioner McCarty's vote. Mayor Taylor knew that Mr. Unruh could.

Was that all there was to it?

A "hidden Abraham Lincoln", he ain't

"One of the nation's top vice presidential scholars is Joel Goldstein, a law professor at St. Louis University and author of "The Modern American Vice Presidency." He said it seemed "impossible" that Crist would be McCain's running mate. 'Unless Gov. Crist is some sort of hidden Abraham Lincoln, it just seems to me that it's a huge risk to put someone on the ticket with that level of experience,' Goldstein said." "McCain/Crist? To many it's a good/bad idea".

"Illicit sex. Profane outbursts. Lies." Court TV anyone?

"Illicit sex. Profane outbursts. Lies. And that's just the judges."

Monday begins the trial of Judge Michael Allen, a 1st District Court of Appeal judge who could be removed from the bench if the Judicial Qualifications Commission charges against him are found to have merit.

His case — which flamed into public view when he called out a fellow judge in the usually staid pages of a court opinion — has roiled the state's largest, most influential court for more than four years.

Now Allen's trial will lay bare even more explicitly the inner workings of what is usually unseen and secret. The case is unprecedented, defense and prosecution agree.

The whole thing comes from a 2006 opinion Allen wrote that said fellow Judge Charles Kahn should have recused himself from the appeal of W.D. Childers, a defendant Allen said was personally and politically connected to Kahn. Allen drew dotted lines between Kahn and Childers that, Allen said, could lead to questions about the court's impartiality.

The ethics charges all stem from the written opinion itself.

Wal Mart

Philip Gailey, Times Editor of Editorials, writes that "there are signs that the campaign waged by union activists protesting Wal-Mart's treatment of its workers is doing some good." "Wal-Mart, critics do some bargaining".

Celebration

Mary Ann Lindley: "At a birthday event downtown Thursday night for Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, one of Florida's two statewide elected Democrats, her celebration was inevitably a celebration of the way state Democratic leaders had performed over the weekend at a national party meeting in Washington. They broke the political spell cast when our state stepped out ahead of the primary parade, leading to a protracted power struggle that was finally resolved." "Party harmony".

More Media Hubris

The normally competent The Orlando Sentinel editorial page writer George Diaz, gets a bit carried away this morning. In "Spin the facts, not fiction, Diaz properly describes as "appalling" the most recent RPOF abjectly false attack on Obama:

The image of Fidel Castro holding a poster of Barack Obama says more than a thousands words, most of them expletives to anyone who has felt Castro's dictatorial squeeze.

It's a perfect smoking gun that drills Obama right between the eyes. For a Cuban-American with voting power, Obama is toast in '08.

But there's just a little problem with the image you see. It's not real. The wonders of photoshop.

Castro did not hold a poster of Obama, nor did he say "Me encanta este hombre! (I love this man!) as the caption suggests. It's all part of political chicanery from the Republican Party of Florida, which sent out an e-mail blast recently with the doctored image in question. They even provided a Spanish version. And just in case I missed it, the e-mail was re-sent by a GOP spokeswoman in the party. "Wanted to be sure you saw this," it read.

Though not nearly as offensive, another e-mail, this one from the Florida Democratic Party, said: "MUST READ: Miami Herald; Crist should drop out of Veep race." It appears that The Miami Herald is pushing for Charlie Crist to drop out of consideration for vice president on the GOP ticket.

But it's really a column from Carl Hiaasen, a Herald columnist. It's Hiaasen's opinion, not the Herald's.

The political spin season is set at full throttle, with the White House in play, which means that we enter an alternate universe in which everything is not what it seems.

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 2, 2008
CONTACT: Mark Bubriski or Alejandro Miyar, 850.222.3411

MUST READ - Miami Herald: Crist should drop out of Veep raceby Carl Hiaasen, June 1, 2008
Despite his coy avoidance of the topic, Gov. Charlie Crist is acting like he'd love to be vice president of the United States. ...

appear[] that The Miami Herald is pushing for Charlie Crist to drop out of consideration for vice president on the GOP ticket

You would expect political parties to be held to a higher standard than any blogger or nefarious group without regard for integrity or the truth.

Mr. Diaz, you have misrepresented the Florida Democratic Party's press release, and you owe your readers and the FlaDems an apology for your shoddy comparison (albeit you concede it "not nearly as offensive") between the RPOF's outright fraud and the plain meaning of a press release.

Tell your followers . . .

Obama : Not to go anywhere near questioning John McCain's military record. No decent person should.

"High school graduation rates are abysmal across Florida"

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board: "High school graduation rates are abysmal across Florida. There's no disputing that, or its implication for our children's, and our state's, future. What we need is a strategy, and some urgency, to address a dire need." "Graduation coaches novel idea to combat sagging diploma rates".

Desalination

The Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial board: "Since 1990, desalination plants have been built around the world at a rate of 350 a year. The 100 largest plants, including 16 in the United States -- four of them in Florida -- were all built since 2000. The trend is here to stay. Seawater, which accounts for 97 percent of the planet's water, is becoming an alternative of choice for places running out of fresh water. Whether desalination is right for this area remains an important question. But another is whether Volusia and Flagler counties can manage to do without it for much longer." "Desalination: doing it right".