Down in the polls and running out of time and money, Bill McCollum desperately needed a game-changing moment in Monday's debate with his surging rival for governor, Rick Scott.

It never came, though McCollum delivered a more polished performance in the first of only two matchups between the leading Republican candidates before the Aug. 24 primary.

Among McCollum's best moments came when he took Scott to task for his role as the embattled chief executive officer of Columbia/HCA. Referring to the hefty stock Scott received after being ousted as CEO amid a massive Medicare scandal, McCollum sneered, "Rick let's get serious. You said you took responsibility, but the only thing you took was $300 million. You took it from seniors, you took it from veterans, you took it from the sick.''

It was a zinger -- not a knockout blow.

For his part, Scott awkwardly suggested that he had embraced the Hispanic community by learning to drink cortaditos and eat late dinners, but he did not commit any major gaffes.

Scott smoking McCollum

"Bill McCollum's troubles continue. That's the word from the inaugural Sunshine State News Poll that shows Rick Scott holding a commanding 44 to 28 percent lead over the attorney general in the Republican gubernatorial primary."

With just three weeks until Election Day, and early voting beginning next week, Scott is beating McCollum in every demographic and geographic category of likely GOP voters, said Jim Lee, president of Voter Survey Service of Harrisburg, Pa., which conducted the survey.

"Most startlingly is the 50 percent negative number for McCollum. That's a very huge red flag and suggests very little room to grow. You never want to have that going into an election," Lee said.

The VSS survey, commissioned by Sunshine State News and conducted July 26-30, builds on results of an earlier Quinnipiac Poll that showed Scott holding an 11-point lead over McCollum. The Sunshine State News Poll is the largest sampling of likely voters -- 1,345 -- of any poll so far taken for a 2010 statewide election in Florida.

Bits and Pieces

Kevin Derby's "Political Bits and Pieces".

Fl-oil-duh

"BP's use of chemicals used to disperse some of the oil gushing from the floor of the Gulf of Mexico might have been a cure worse than the disease, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said Monday." "Nelson blasts use of chemicals".

Mike Thomas: "Doom was in everybody's self-interest. Anti- Obama conservatives. Anti-drilling liberals. Grandstanding politicians. Tort-happy lawyers. Grant-hungry researchers. Ratings-hungry cable stations." "Put hysteria aside, and learn from oil spill". Oh yeah, Mike, let's not forget the print "journalists" who pumped and soaked the story for every nickel.

See also "BP: Mud pumped into well is holding back the oil", "Testing begins for attempt to plug Gulf oil well", "BP begins attempt to cut off gusher by pumping mud", "Despite anger over the spill, changes in rules may be limited", "AP EXCLUSIVE: Salazar keeps oil drill ban, for now" and "Biologist using Noah's Ark idea to save sealife".

The best Haridolopos can do?

In a feat of silly self promotion, "incoming Florida Senate President Mike Haridolopos is leading a three-day bus tour in search of ideas for cutting soaring Medicaid costs." "Fla. lawmakers seek Medicaid cost-cutting answers".

HD 56

"Rachel Burgin and Marc Johnson agree that Hillsborough County residents need work. Jobs and educating people are high priorities for both Republican candidates vying for the Florida House District 56 seat." "Primary foes put spotlight on schools".

HD 47

"A former professional wrestler, a retired lobbyist, a lawyer and a risk-management specialist all want to represent Florida House District 47. The district covers the northwestern corner of Hillsborough County, including Keystone, Northdale and Carrollwood. Incumbent Kevin Ambler can't run again because of term limits." "District 47 GOP contest crowded".

"That Nehru jacket left the closet a long time ago"

The Saint Petersburg Times's Daniel Ruth: "Are you beginning to get the sneaking suspicion your options in the Florida Democratic U.S. Senate primary are between one guy who makes Captain Bligh seem like Gilligan, and another chap who has used his U.S. House seat as if it were one long-running Mother’s Day gift? " "It's a tough call: the crass or the clueless".

"Unappealing and unqualified millionaires"

Scott Maxwell: "Remember the movie 'Trading Places'?"

That was the one where a couple of rich guys bet each other that they could turn the most unlikely, unappealing guy (Eddie Murphy) into a success.

I've concluded that must be what's happening in Florida politics.

How else can you explain the front-runner status of two so thoroughly unappealing and unqualified millionaires?

Government deprives entrepreneurs of "freedom"

The RPOFers and their teabagger allies are in a dither today, as Florida gub'ment yet again interferes with the boundless energy and creativity of the state's entrepreneurial class: "Florida has ordered the Association of Independent Managers to stop selling unauthorized health insurance. The order Tuesday by the Office of Insurance Regulation came too late, though, for up to 1,800 consumers who already purchased the unauthorized health plans." "Fla. stops sales of bogus health insurance".

"Hypocrisy bonanza"

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Friday's federal appeals court decision striking down part of Florida's public campaign financing law is a blow to the idea of voters getting more political speech, not less. It's a blow to the idea that millionaires and special interests should not be able to buy elections. For people hankering after examples of hypocrisy, however, the case is a bonanza."

Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott, who is contemptuous of federal authority over health care and immigration, ran to the federal courts when he got into a jam. His personal spending on TV ads threatened to trigger a Florida law that would have given Attorney General Bill McCollum, his rival in the GOP primary, a dollar-for-dollar match of everything Mr. Scott spent above $24.9 million.

We noted previously the irony of Mr. Scott's opposition to taxpayer-financed races. He made the personal fortune he's using to bankroll his campaign from a hospital company that ripped off taxpayer-financed Medicare.

In Congress, Mr. McCollum voted against the House version of what became the McCain-Feingold campaign reform act. Now that his own campaign is staggering, he clutches for the state's 23-year-old law - which voters placed in the constitution in 1998 - that provides some public financing to state candidates who limit individual contributions and overall spending.

RPOFers in action

"Back-to-school tax holiday comes too late, parents say".

"Crooked candidates"?

Jeff Greene pressed his attack on Kendrick Meek, "telling voters in Orlando that Meek is a "failed career politician" tainted by his ties to a developer now facing criminal charges in South Florida. Greene defended a campaign ad that highlights Meek's inclusion on a watchdog group's 'Crooked Candidates' list -- even though Greene is now on the same list." "Greene assails rival as 'failed career politician'".

Race to replace Florida's longest continuously serving legislator

"Richardson, Montford vie for Senate seat".

Haridopolos fires uppity staffers

"Senate President-designate Mike Haridopolos dismissed five high-level legislative employees Tuesday and said he plans a few more top staff changes as he streamlines the committee structure and operations of the Senate." Haridopolos:

"I felt strongly, as did other senators who actually used the phrase that some of the staff felt like they were 'the 41st senator' or '42nd senator,' and I find that unacceptable."

Amendment 9 goes to FSC

"The Florida Supreme Court has received a challenge to a fifth proposed constitutional amendment. The 1st District Court of Appeal, without ruling Tuesday, forwarded an appeal of a Tallahassee judge's decision to remove Amendment 9 from the Nov. 2 ballot. It would prohibit a state health care plan similar to President Barack Obama's national program." "Florida justices get fifth amendment challenge". Related: "High Court Holds Key to November Ballot".

HD 25

"In the Republican primary race for the state House District 25 seat, candidates Larry Metz and Rick Joyce seemingly agree on the main issues: Government spending should be capped, no additional taxes, property insurance needs to be reformed and Florida should adopt a law similar to Arizona's in cracking down on illegal immigrants. But they differ on whether political experience or business experience is more important to serve the district. The winner of the primary election Aug. 24 will face Democrat Frank Wood of Mount Dora on Nov. 2." "Florida House District 25".

RPOFers unimpressed

"The front-runner in the Republican race for attorney general is none of the three candidates in the contest, according to a Sunshine State News Poll released Wednesday. It is 'Undecided.'" "GOP Primary Voters 'Undecided' in Attorney General Race".

Country clubbers in a quandry

"With so many candidates and so many high-profile races, business leaders attending the annual Associated Industries of Florida conference in Orlando say they're having a hard time trying to decide who to spend their money on." "So Many Candidates, So Little Cash".

McCollum reaches out to Hispanics

"With three weeks to go until the primary, Attorney General Bill McCollum is looking to reach out to Hispanic voters in an effort to catch up with health-care executive Rick Scott, front-runner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination." "Trailing Rick Scott, Bill McCollum Reaches Out to Hispanic Voters".

You read that right

"Does Casey Anthony's right to a fair trial trump public's right to know?"

HD 55

"The incumbent in the House District 55 race is a self-described former crack addict who says his problems with the drug spurred him to push for a law that prohibits the sale of bongs at certain head shops. His challenger is a social services advocate in Sarasota who has wrangled with landlords, tenants, even a Winn-Dixie supermarket, from whom she won an undisclosed sum after slipping on some sugar left in an aisle, according to court records." "Both candidates faced debt issues".

HD 67

"Jeremiah Guccione, Bob McCann and Greg Steube want to be the next state representative in a district where job loss is one of the highest in the state. While there have been charges of nepotism, resume inflation and political relocation between the Republican candidates for the House District 67 seat, the bottom line is that they all want to put constituents back to work." "District 67 race focus is on jobs".

"Greene is backtracking"

"Democratic Senate front-runner Jeff Greene is backtracking on his claim that he had visited Cuba as part of a Jewish humanitarian trip, and two former crew members on his boat say he is still not telling the truth."

Greene spokesman Luis Vizcaino said Tuesday that the real estate mogul's 145-foot yacht Summerwind docked for two days at Havana's Hemingway Marina in 2007 while awaiting repairs. In Sunday's debate against Democratic rival Kendrick Meek, Greene said he went to Cuba on a Jewish mission.

"During the debate Jeff misspoke,'' Vizcaino said after receiving news media inquiries about the trip. "What he meant to say was that in 2007, he went on the boat from Honduras to the Bahamas, and en route the boat had a hydraulic problem . . . The captain said we could wait for the part at Hemingway Marina.''

But a deckhand on that trip tells a different story. John Walenczyk said the boat traveled from Fort Lauderdale directly to Cuba and docked for about one week.

"It was their total intention to go to Cuba,'' he said Tuesday. "We never went to Honduras, not even close. I figure it was the glamour of wanting to go to a banned country.''

Another crew member, Billy Blackwell, told WPLG-ABC 10 news that Greene and his then-girlfriend, Mei Sze, spent three or four days visiting the island.

Yee haw!

"Bill McCollum to visit Sentinel Editorial Board this morning".

McCollum gets more bad news

Steve Bousquet: "Bill McCollum, seeking to regain his mantle as the only tried-and-true conservative Republican running for governor, got some bad news Tuesday when the National Rifle Association gave his rival, Rick Scott, a higher ranking."

Scott got an A and McCollum a B according to the NRA's grading system. The grades came after what NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer called a "lengthy and thorough" analysis of candidates' records, statements and responses to a questionnaire.

Neither man won the influential gun-rights group's outright endorsement, which amounts to good news for McCollum, the state attorney general. An endorsement might have come with paid advertising to amplify the NRA decision.

But Scott got bragging rights, no small feat in a statewide Republican primary where gun rights is an important test of conservatism, particularly in North and Central Florida.

Hammer said McCollum, while serving in Congress, cast a number of antigun votes, including for the Brady Bill on final passage and against an amendment that would have allowed District of Columbia residents to keep guns in their homes.

Bud speaks

Bud Chiles, the"independent candidate for governor wants the state to hand over the more than $50 million owed to homeowners and businesses in solar-energy rebates." "Bud Chiles: Florida should pay energy rebates".

Get 'em while you can

"More And More Employers Turning From Furloughs To Outright Pay Cuts". Meanwhile, "The Republican Jobs Plan: Bigger Tax Cuts For The Rich".

Sole hits the bricks

"One of Florida's top officials to respond to the Gulf oil spill is leaving for 'unspecified opportunities.'" "Environmental chief Mike Sole resigns".

At least one more jai-alai season

"The sport's popularity peaked in the 1960s and 1970s before other professional sports franchises moved into the state and Indian gaming became more popular. The only six frontons left in the U.S. are all in Florida - in Miami, Dania Beach, Fort Pierce, Orlando, Ocala and Jasper. Birdoff says a jai-alai season will be played next year. But he says the 2012 season will be determined by the success of the revamped business." "Orlando Jai-Alai sold to New York firm".

By the way, aren't the players union members, represented by the UAW?

The animosity between the U.S. Senate Democratic primary candidates was abundantly clear in a combative debate Sunday that will be televised on Bay News 9 tonight.

"Marco mania"

"Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio called for Congress to continue the tax cuts begun under former President Bush but acknowledged 'they won't pay for themselves' at a Fort Lauderdale town hall meeting Saturday."

The cuts are increasingly taking center stage in the 2010 campaign as Democrats seek to remind voters of the unpopular former president, and Republicans argue they know better how to turn the economy around.

"Taxes all across the board are going to go up,'' Rubio told a supportive crowd of about 125 people at the "Reclaim America'' forum at the Broward County Convention Center. "That's the direction the leadership in Washington is trying to take our country.''

Rubio was flanked by the No. 2 House Republican, Eric Cantor of Virginia, who professed his allegiance to the GOP rising star at the forum and later Saturday at the Miami-Dade Republican Party's annual Lincoln Day dinner.

"I've got Marco mania,'' said Cantor, who is at the forefront of the GOP crusade to take back control of Congress in the November election. "Not only does Florida need Marco, America needs Marco.''

Ahem ... it ain't a tax hike

"More than $115 billion in new and restored taxes -- called the biggest tax hikes in U.S. history [by Republican spinners and their media lapdogs] -- will kick in Jan. 1, unless the Democratic Congress acts to stop them. But, so far, only one Florida Democratic representative, Suzanne Kosmas, has bucked her party by committing to extend the 2001 and 2003 tax reductions." "Florida's Congressional Dems Duck Tax Question".

Meanwhile, back at the ranch: "'DISASTROUS': Greenspan Blasts GOP Push To Extend Bush Tax Cuts Without Paying For Them".

Related: "Sarah Palin Uses Hand Notes To Defend Bush Tax Cuts".

Matching wits

"In their first joint TV appearance Saturday, all three Republican candidates for attorney general matched wits and contrasted their qualifications to be the state's next chief legal officer." "Florida attorney general candidates match wits in TV debate".

Scott debates McCollum tonight

Tonight, "the top two Republican gubernatorial candidates square off for their first debate. In a race so far waged largely in 30-second TV ads, it will be the first chance for voters to compare and contrast Naples businessman Rick Scott and Attorney General Bill McCollum." "GOP gubernatorial candidates McCollum, Scott to face off in debate".

"How far right can you go?"

"The 2008 elections are a distant memory to Republicans, who seem to have drawn energy from life with a Democratic president and Congress."

Nowhere is that zeal more apparent than in District 24, where Suzanne Kosmas, the presumptive Democratic nominee, is being stalked in the Aug. 24 primaries by a field of five Republicans: Sandy Adams, Karen Diebel, Tom Garcia, Deon Long and Craig Miller.

Their competition seems less a campaign than a limbo dance played with a vertical pole.

How far right can you go?

Fl-oil-duh

"The millions of gallons of oil spilled already threaten to kill the intricate ecosystem. Without the marsh, smaller fish won't be able to hide from predators. Shrimp won't breed and birds won't nest. The grasses won't be there to block the tidal surges." "Seeping oil spill threatens marshes' intricate ecosystem".

See also "Gulf Crews Prepare To Kill The Spill Permanently", "BP Offering One-Time Payments To Gulf Oil Spill Victims In Attempt To Avoid Lawsuits" and "Gulf crews prepare to start plugging well for good".

HD 61

"The Republican primary for House District 61 is a tale of David and Goliath. Both candidates live in Wesley Chapel, and that's where the similarities end. IncumbentWill Weatherford, 30, is in line to become the youngest speaker of the House since 1957." "Challenger faces long odds".

HD 57

"Three political newcomers will face off in the Republican primary for the state House District 57 seat. Republicans Todd Marks, Dan Molloy and Dana Young will compete in the Aug. 24 primary to determine who will run against Democrat Stacy Frank and Tea Party candidate Matthew Russell in the November general election. The incumbent, Republican Faye Culp, is leaving after eight years because of term limits. Her district covers parts of western Hillsborough County". "GOP House Dist. 57 race centers on jobs".

"Loaded" questions

"A local [Volusia County] tea-party group that sent questionnaires to 40 candidates for West Volusia and countywide offices is backing off after learning its members may have violated Florida law. The Volusia Tea Party Patriots formed in recent months as a nonpartisan group bound by one common concern: making a God-guided America constitutional again, said Diane Kepus, one of the organizers."

The forums were designed to give candidates a chance to explain their answers to 40 yes-or-no questions, such as:

· "Given that the salaries of the Volusia County employees for the most part far exceed the norm for the area, would you be willing to recommend a 25 percent cut in all administrative salaries & reduce any duplicate positions held?"

· "Are you willing to encourage and apply methods to remove Volusia County from participating in anything to do with sustainable development?"

· "Would you bow down to pressure from the Federal government to usurp your authority as a local government?"

Those questions struck Jean Jenner -- a former local Democratic Party leader and political activist -- as "loaded" and designed to favor certain candidates. He inquired about the Volusia Tea Party Patriots' claim it was a nonprofit organization. And then there was the matter of the group's request that candidates each contribute $10 toward the cost of renting space for the meetings.

"Influencing Obama's own prospects"

"The amount of help President Obama gives U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek's imperiled Democratic Senate campaign before the Aug. 24 primary will influence Obama's own prospects in Florida in 2012, says U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar." "Helping Meek may be smart move for Obama". See also "Meek to join Obama at August event, White House says".

DWS challenge

"Republicans compete to take on Debbie Wasserman Schultz".

"Doing a slow burn about now"

Douglas C. Lyons:

She's probably got better things to do, but if I was Jennifer Carroll, I'd probably be doing a slow burn about now. It's the time when Florida's gubernatorial candidates begin mulling over the names of possible running mates. There's plenty of speculation, but Carroll's name isn't a part of it.

Pity — particularly for Florida's Republican Party.

"Bewildered by Scott’s candidacy"

"[F]ormer corporate insiders are bewildered by Scott’s candidacy for Florida governor, let alone his dramatic rise in the polls." "Poll: Columbia/HCA whistleblowers stunned Rick Scott is atop Florida governor polls".

Bought and paid for

"With three months to go before the general election, Putnam has a nearly four-fold advantage in campaign money over his main rival. Putnam, a five-term Republican congressman from Bartow who also served two terms in the Florida Legislature, had amassed $1,641,683 through July 16, according to the Florida Division of Elections. Scott Maddox, the Democratic candidate, reported donations totaling $424,909." "Florida Is a Green State For Putnam".

Never mind

"Innocence Project of Florida lawyers say DNA has been discovered that exonerates a Manatee County man serving life in prison for rape and kidnapping. Attorneys for the Innocence Project held a press conference last week at the Manatee County Judicial Center calling for the release of 47-year-old Derrick Williams, who is serving life for the 1992 rape of a woman in a Palmetto orange grove." "Innocence Project says DNA exonerates Florida man serving life in prison".

Vern's land deal

"Around the same time Mark Brivik wrapped up a 2006 real estate deal that ultimately landed him in jail on fraud charges, then-U.S. congressional candidate Vern Buchanan joined Brivik in an even bigger project."

Through his spokeswoman, Buchanan declined the Herald-Tribune's requests to elaborate on either his relationship with Brivik or his role in the Boca Creek deal. ...

It is unclear whether Buchanan was aware of Brivik's past when he decided to invest in his land venture.

False choice

"Who's a better leader? The person who's a team player and uses her vote to advance the party's agenda, or the one who stands his ground and votes independently, but is sometimes on the outside of party leadership decisions." "Ellyn Bogdanoff vs. Carl Domino on True Leadership".

HD 9

"A first-term Democrat who made a politically calculated decision to vote with Republicans for offshore oil drilling faces a 'green' challenger in the race for Tallahassee's major House seat." "Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Minor face off in District 9 House race".

"Each claims to be the ultimate outsider"

"A lack of political experience is just what congressional District 16 needs, according to the two little-known Democrats in the Aug. 24 primary - with the winner facing the well-known and well-to-do Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney. Business consultant Jim Horn of Palm City and middle school teacher Ed Tautiva - neither with any political experience - also decry the influence of special interest groups in Washington." "Democrats boast of inexperience, seek to unseat Rooney in House race".

Miccosukee counterattack

"The Miccosukee Tribe has launched a counterattack against the IRS, saying that millions of dollars in gambling profits distributed to members are not subject to federal income taxes." "Miccosukee tribe launches counterattack against IRS".

"Meek's primary race is imperiled"

"U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami laid the groundwork for his first statewide race with two political coups that made him a hero to Florida's black voters and public school teachers."

In 2000, he staged a sit-in at Gov. Jeb Bush's office, opposing Bush's plan to end affirmative action, then he led the 2002 constitutional amendment drive on public school class sizes. Early on, it appeared Meek had a clear path to the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Gov. Charlie Crist's surprise announcement last year that he would leave the governor's office to run for the seat scared off other potential Democratic candidates, including Dan Gelber and Alex Sink.

But now, Meek's primary race is imperiled by a challenge from billionaire Palm Beach real estate investor Jeff Greene, spending his own money heavily to bash Meek. The ads may be working.

"Remarkable success -- and sheer tackiness"

"Maybe a self-made success story who doesn't owe anyone anything, a tough man who could not care less about special interest campaign checks or endorsements, and only wants to do what's right. ... Or maybe your new senator is a tyrant and egomaniac who spends six years embarrassing Florida. Either alternative looks plausible in the case of [Jeff] Greene, a political blank slate with a track record of remarkable success -- and sheer tackiness." "Jeff Greene: A self-made mystery". See also "Greene crashes Democrats' party".

Meek-Greene debate

"U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek and real estate investor Jeff Greene are vying for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Sunday, they'll face off at a forum in St. Petersburg. ... Here's how they match up on a handful of issues. The candidates answered six common questions and one specific to their campaigns": "Meek and Greene differ little on many issues".

More Grayson bashing

Scott Maxwell joins the mandatory Tribune Company Grayson bashing: "For a guy who spends a lot of time talking about fighting for taxpayers' money, Alan Grayson sure wasted a lot of it last week." But give Maxwell credit for this:

The day after the Sentinel reported his expensive mailer last week, Orange County GOP leader Lew Oliver issued a blistering release calling Grayson's mailer an "unforgivable" and "abusive waste" that he should immediately repay.

Funny, but I don't recall Lew getting similarly enraged when Grayson's Republican predecessor, Ric Keller, did the same thing. ...

And yet Lew didn't seem to care much about that.

Did you?

If you're mad that Grayson spent $109,000 on taxpayer mailers last year, are you just as irritated that a neighboring Republican, Ginny Brown-Waite, spent even more — $138,000?

Trib endorses Billy

The Tampa Tribune editorial board thinks "[v]oters should similarly recognize Scott doesn't have the credentials or the credibility to be entrusted with Florida's welfare. In contrast, Attorney General Bill McCollum has proved himself to be an informed, trustworthy and committed leader. He can be counted on to execute his conservative agenda thoughtfully." "McCollum for governor in GOP primary".

Scott and McCollum "have been evasive"

"Watching the blistering attack ads run by Rick Scott and Bill McCollum – castigating each other on immigration, abortion and corporate fraud — voters might be hard-pressed to decipher how they plan to address Florida's most vexing problem: creating jobs. ... both camps have been evasive about [jobs]". "Rick Scott, Bill McCollum have dueling – and vague – jobs plans".

Jobs, jobs, jobs

Jeremy Wallace: "When voters go to the polls this year to pick a new governor, one issue will be on their minds more than any other: jobs. Nearly six out of every 10 respondents in a new Florida Poll say issues related to Florida's 11.6 percent unemployment rate are driving their vote in the August primary and November election to pick the state's new governor." "Governor's race will hinge on job creation".

"Rich guys betting on our mass stupidity"

You really need to read the entire column, but here's a taste of Fred Grimm's latest: "Poor Jeff Greene. His candidacy suffers constant association with that other super-rich political dilettante come from nowhere. Stories about monied neophytes out-spending and out-polling the pros in 2010 tend to lump the two together -- Florida's pecunious twins."

More than a few voters probably confuse Greene, the wildly wealthy Florida Democratic candidate from California, with Rick Scott, the wildly wealthy Florida Republican candidate from Texas.

But it's the Texan, not the Californian, who was CEO of a hospital chain that paid $1.7 billion in civil and criminal fines in the biggest Medicare fraud case ever.

Greene (currently outpolling Kendrick Meek for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination) has not been affiliated with a known criminal enterprise -- though he does suffer an affinity for B-list celebrities with criminal records. The former "Hollywood Madam,'' Heidi Fleiss, once lived in Greene's guest house. Ex-con Mike Tyson was best man in Greene's 2007 wedding. Drug-addled movie star Lindsay Lohan, currently doing a stretch in a Los Angeles County lock-up, was photographed in alluring beachwear on the Summerwind, Greene's 145-foot yacht, off St. Barth's in January.

Of course, Rick Scott (currently outpolling Bill McCollum in the Republican gubernatorial campaign), could complain that confused voters might connect him with ear-biting or crack-smoking or call-girl-dispatching has-beens. Voters might think that it was Scott's big boat, rather than Greene's Summerwind, that banged across fragile reefs in Belize in 2005, leaving environmental damage and an unpaid $1.8 million fine in its wake. ...

[Greene] collected $800 million when the market collapsed. Now Florida has an improbable candidate out of nowhere (also known as California) able to self-fund his campaign with millions made by betting on our collective stupidity about real estate.

Now Jeff Greene figures he'll win this election by betting millions on our collective stupidity about politics.

"Depends on your definition of 'epic fail'"

"It was billed as the most diverse tea party rally ever. For three hours Saturday afternoon, we waited for the diversity to show up."

For three hours, a small crowd drifted in and out of Independence Park as speakers and musicians regaled them with paranoia about Democratic politicians and policies and reassurances that no matter what anyone says, there's no racism in the tea party.

Even as just a regular old tea party rally, the event fell flat. Though organizers said the event's website had been visited more than 2 million times in the days leading up to today's rally outside Independence Hall, for most of the afternoon there were fewer than 500 in attendance.

Sorry Bill, it won't go away

The Huffington Post yesterday:

Florida State Attorney General Bill McCollum is being questioned on why he hired George Rekers -- an anti-gay activist who co-founded the conservative Family Research Council -- to testify at a gay adoption case in the Sunshine State in 2008.

The kicker: Rekers was caught red-handed taking a 10-day European vacation with a male escort he ordered on Rentboy.com back in May. At the time, both Rekers and McCollum faced intense criticism and scrutiny over the matter.

Now, the scandal has resurfaced at a time that could not be worse for McCollum, who is vying to capture Florida's Republican gubernatorial nomination in the state's August 24 primary election.

Local Florida radio station WMNF reports on what McCollum had to say when he was asked about Rekers at the Tiger Bay Club meeting earlier this week[.]

Fl-oil-duh

"If the cap on the Deepwater Horizon wellhead holds, South Florida, the Florida Keys, and the East Coast are not likely to experience any effects from the remaining oil on the surface of the Gulf, according to a NOAA report issued Friday morning. "For southern Florida, the Florida Keys, and the Eastern Seaboard, the coast remains clear," said NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco." "South Florida safe from BP oil if cap in Gulf holds, federal officials say".

See also "Congressman: too much dispersant used in oil spill" and "Recovery in the Gulf: A test of technology, nature and time".

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: "Everybody hopes that BP is close to finally controlling for good its undersea oil gusher. BP's attempts to control its other gusher - red ink - deserve scrutiny. Most important, claims have to be honestly reviewed and paid as quickly as possible. Florida officials are monitoring development of that claims process. As a related issue, BP's attempt to claim a $10 billion federal tax write-off is outrageous." "No tax break for BP: Senate should reject this outrage.".

Rubio's "provable malarkey"

Scott Maxwell: "Marco Rubio, the conservative movement's rising star."

The pundits are smitten silly with this dimpled dynamo's constant pledges to cut spending.

There's only one problem: It's malarkey. Provable malarkey at that.

Oh yeah ... them too

"Former state House Speaker Marco Rubio has been the dominant figure in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate and the presumptive nominee since Gov. Charlie Crist dropped out of the GOP in April. But Republicans who go to the polls for the primary election will see two other Republicans listed on their ballots competing with Rubio for the nomination: William Escoffery III and William Billy Kogut." "Realtor, doctor share Senate ballot with Rubio".

RPOFer AG laff riot

"The three Republican candidates for attorney general taped a televised forum Saturday to tout their experience and positions."

All three candidates said they opposed Crist's proposed referendum to permanently ban oil drilling in Florida's Constitution.

All three also repeatedly used the word "Obamacare'' in promising to carry on with Attorney General Bill McCollum's lawsuit seeking to block the new federal healthcare mandates from applying to states. ...

Late in the debate, Kottkamp and Bondi clashed over the Kottkamp campaign's leaking of an e-mail by Bondi's ex-boyfriend, Tampa lawyer Billy Howard, a member of the Morgan & Morgan firm. In the e-mail, Howard suggested that Bondi would steer legal work to the firm if elected, but both Howard and Bondi now say such a conversation never occurred.

"She dated someone from that firm for five years and lived with him,'' Kottkamp said of Bondi. "She's the one that started attacking first,'' over Kottkamp's ties to Morgan & Morgan.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa,'' Bondi said. "This is gutter politics at its finest . . . I dated someone well before he worked for Morgan & Morgan.''