A statewide Mason-Dixon poll released today shows Attorney General Bill McCollum leading Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink in the Florida Governor’s Race – 41 percent to 35 percent. General McCollum posted name recognition numbers near 90 percent, compared with CFO Sink, who barely broke 60 percent. Additionally, General McCollum receives four times the support among Democrats that CFO Sink does among Republicans and beats CFO Sink among Independents by an almost 2-1 margin, demonstrating his electability and appeal to Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
Here’s what they are saying…
McCollum leads Sink in another poll
Orlando Sentinel
Republican Bill McCollum holds a slight lead over Democrat Alex Sink in Florida's 2010 governor's race, according to the latest Mason-Dixon poll released Tuesday. McCollum, Florida's attorney general, held a 41 percent to 35 percent edge over Chief Financial Officer Sink in the poll commissioned for Ron Sachs Communications, a public relations firm in Tallahassee…McCollum enjoys high name recognition from 87 percent of registered Florida voters, while Sink is recognized by 61 percent.
Sachs/M-D poll shows McCollum leading Sink
Tampa Tribune
A new installment of the Florida Poll, done by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for Ron Sachs Communications, shows Republican Bill McCollum leading Democrat Alex Sink in the governor’s race by 41 percent to 35 percent. That result is little changed from the last installment of the same poll, done in mid-May, which showed McCollum with a 40-34 percent lead.
McCollum leads Sink if governor's race were held today
Tallahassee Democrat
Attorney General Bill McCollum has a comfortable lead over a rival in the governor's race, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, according to a Mason-Dixon poll that was just released. McCollum, a Republican, would beat Sink, the leading Democrat, 41 percent to 35 percent, according to the poll…McCollum also has an edge in name recognition over Sink, his fellow Cabinet member, 87 percent to 61 percent.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Congressman Adam Putnam endorsed by Vets for Freedom PAC of Florida
BARTOW, FL – Today Congressman Adam Putnam was pleased to accept the endorsement from Vets for Freedom PAC – Florida Chapter.
“As a native Floridian, and Iraq war veteran, I am proud to support Adam Putnam,” said VFFPAC Florida State Captain, Will Bennett. “In light of his steadfast support for the military and exemplary service while in Congress, it is my honor to endorse Adam in his bid for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture. I believe Adam will bring the same strong work ethic and responsibility he has displayed in Congress to the Commissioner’s office here in Florida.”
“I am honored to be recognized and endorsed by Vets for Freedom -- an organization that has tirelessly fought for the brave men and women serving our country,” Putnam said. “Our nation's military have made great sacrifices in order to protect America's freedoms and democracy throughout history. I am deeply proud of the men and women in the Armed Forces and will always be inspired by the generations of Americans that have served our country so bravely. Our troops have always been a great priority of mine as a policy maker. Regardless of my position, I will always stand up for the heroes in uniform that have served America and secured freedom and democracy for all of us.”
Vets for Freedom PAC (VFFPAC) is a Political Action Committee whose mission is to help candidates-mostly combat veterans-who believe in achieving success in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the overall War on Terrorism, get elected to the United States Congress and other Federal positions. Established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on November 11, 2007, Veterans Day, VFFPAC will endorse and offer extended support through financial contributions and media assistance to Federal candidates who support victory in the Global War on Terrorism.
Adam Putnam is a fifth generation Floridian born and raised in Bartow and has represented the Twelfth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives since January 2001. The twelfth district includes most of Polk County and portions of Hillsborough and Osceola Counties; he was first elected in 2000 and reelected subsequently in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Putnam served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000, where he chaired the Committee on Agriculture from 1998 to 2000. He is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in food and resource economics. Adam resides in his hometown of Bartow, FL with his wife Melissa and their four children.
“As a native Floridian, and Iraq war veteran, I am proud to support Adam Putnam,” said VFFPAC Florida State Captain, Will Bennett. “In light of his steadfast support for the military and exemplary service while in Congress, it is my honor to endorse Adam in his bid for Florida Commissioner of Agriculture. I believe Adam will bring the same strong work ethic and responsibility he has displayed in Congress to the Commissioner’s office here in Florida.”
“I am honored to be recognized and endorsed by Vets for Freedom -- an organization that has tirelessly fought for the brave men and women serving our country,” Putnam said. “Our nation's military have made great sacrifices in order to protect America's freedoms and democracy throughout history. I am deeply proud of the men and women in the Armed Forces and will always be inspired by the generations of Americans that have served our country so bravely. Our troops have always been a great priority of mine as a policy maker. Regardless of my position, I will always stand up for the heroes in uniform that have served America and secured freedom and democracy for all of us.”
Vets for Freedom PAC (VFFPAC) is a Political Action Committee whose mission is to help candidates-mostly combat veterans-who believe in achieving success in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the overall War on Terrorism, get elected to the United States Congress and other Federal positions. Established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on November 11, 2007, Veterans Day, VFFPAC will endorse and offer extended support through financial contributions and media assistance to Federal candidates who support victory in the Global War on Terrorism.
Adam Putnam is a fifth generation Floridian born and raised in Bartow and has represented the Twelfth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives since January 2001. The twelfth district includes most of Polk County and portions of Hillsborough and Osceola Counties; he was first elected in 2000 and reelected subsequently in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008.
Putnam served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000, where he chaired the Committee on Agriculture from 1998 to 2000. He is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in food and resource economics. Adam resides in his hometown of Bartow, FL with his wife Melissa and their four children.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Greer: Sink Should Demand Apology for Sexist Remark
Tallahassee – Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer today called on Florida’s Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Alex Sink to demand that Governor Brian Schweitzer (D – Montana), head of the Democratic Governors Association, apologize for his sexist comments:
“As a female candidate seeking our state’s highest office, I am sure that Alex Sink personally understands the hurtful and inappropriate comments made by Governor Schweitzer,” said Chairman Greer. “CFO Sink has an opportunity to show Floridians, especially Florida’s women, that she won’t stand for this type of chauvinistic behavior. Sink should immediately demand an apology from Governor Schweitzer.”
Washington Post: A Governor's Sexist Remark
The problems facing women running for office were vividly, if unintentionally, highlighted in Dan Balz's June 7 The Take column, "Close Races in Virginia, New Jersey May Be Indicators for 2010," in which Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer was quoted as praising Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terence R. McAuliffe as someone who, "when there's a bump in the road, he's not going to cry like a girl and quit."
First, the comment has to make you wonder how well Mr. Schweitzer, as head of the Democratic Governors Association, will encourage or work for female candidates. Then you have to wonder about Mr. Balz reporting on Mr. Schweitzer's remark without any comment. Would such a comment about a minority group be treated as a perfectly understandable description of what one does not wish to be? It is hard to believe that a year ago, Hillary Rodham Clinton was being pilloried for overcoming bumps in the road and continuing to fight in the presidential race. The last thing I wonder is whether The Post will publish any commentary on this latest piece of practical sexism
“As a female candidate seeking our state’s highest office, I am sure that Alex Sink personally understands the hurtful and inappropriate comments made by Governor Schweitzer,” said Chairman Greer. “CFO Sink has an opportunity to show Floridians, especially Florida’s women, that she won’t stand for this type of chauvinistic behavior. Sink should immediately demand an apology from Governor Schweitzer.”
Washington Post: A Governor's Sexist Remark
The problems facing women running for office were vividly, if unintentionally, highlighted in Dan Balz's June 7 The Take column, "Close Races in Virginia, New Jersey May Be Indicators for 2010," in which Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer was quoted as praising Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terence R. McAuliffe as someone who, "when there's a bump in the road, he's not going to cry like a girl and quit."
First, the comment has to make you wonder how well Mr. Schweitzer, as head of the Democratic Governors Association, will encourage or work for female candidates. Then you have to wonder about Mr. Balz reporting on Mr. Schweitzer's remark without any comment. Would such a comment about a minority group be treated as a perfectly understandable description of what one does not wish to be? It is hard to believe that a year ago, Hillary Rodham Clinton was being pilloried for overcoming bumps in the road and continuing to fight in the presidential race. The last thing I wonder is whether The Post will publish any commentary on this latest piece of practical sexism
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Back in the USSR?
Tallahassee–Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer today released the following statement regarding President Obama’s most recent appointment of yet another czar to his administration which, in 5 short months, has now surpassed the number of czars appointed during the 300 years of Russia’s Romanov Dynasty:
“It is absolutely ridiculous that President Obama has appointed, and will most likely continue to appoint, countless czars which are nothing more than symbolic figureheads to demonstrate to the American people that he is concerned about the buzz word of the day–border czar, regulation czar, infotech czar, urban czar, the list goes on and even includes a “compensation czar,” responsible for deciding the salaries of the top 100 employees of publicly traded companies!”
In over 300 years, the Romanov Dynasty ruled Russia with only 18 czars, yet in only five short months, the United States now has an excess of over 20 czars. What happened to cutting back and doing more with less?”
“These absurd positions do nothing but take away from the transparency that President Obama promised the American people. Who do the czars report to? The President? Members of the Cabinet? Congress? Certainly not the American people? These czars allow for an unacceptable sense of unaccountability in our government. What happened to the checks and balances between the branches of government that our forefathers carefully built into our Constitution? To me it looks like those values are being side stepped in favor of an army of presidentially appointed mini-dictators. Enough is enough.”
Obama Now Has "Upward of 20" Czars: "Name a top issue and President Barack Obama has probably got a 'czar' responsible for tackling it ... There are upward of 20 such top officials, all with lengthy official titles but known in the media as czars ... Linda Fowler, a professor of government at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, said presidents often appoint czars in a symbolic move to show they care about an issue." (Steve Holland, "Obama Fashions A Government of Many Czars," Reuters, 5/29/09)
This List Is Only Conservative Estimate: "In addition to [border czar Alan] Bersin, we have energy czar Carol Browner, urban czar Adolfo Carrion, Jr., infotech czar Vivek Kundra, faith-based czar Joshua DuBois, health reform czar Nancy-Ann DeParle, new TARP czar Herb Allison, stimulus accountability czar Earl Devaney, non-proliferation czar Gary Samore, terrorism czar John Brennan, regulatory czar Cass Sunstein, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, and Guantanamo closure czar Daniel Fried. We also have a host of special envoys that fall into the czar category including AfPak special envoy Richard Holbrooke, Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell, special advisor for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia Dennis Ross, Sudan special envoy J. Scott Gration and climate special envoy Todd Stern. That's 18. This is a very conservative estimate, however ... [Y]ou could count de facto car czar Steve Rattner ... You could count National Director of Int elligence Dennis Blair, often referred to as the intelligence czar ... I'm not going to count Paul Volcker who was referred to as Obama's economic czar." (David J. Rothkopf, "It's Official: Obama Creates More Czars Than The Romanovs," Foreign Policy, 4/16/09)
Russia's Romanov Dynasty Only Had 18 Czars In Over 300 Years. "[T]he Obama administration has by any reasonable reckoning passed the Romanov Dynasty in the production of czars. The Romanovs ruled Russia from 1613 with the ascension of Michael I through the abdication of Czar Nicholas II in 1917. During that time, they produced 18 czars. While it is harder to exactly count the number of Obama administration czars, with yesterday's appointment it seems fair to say it is now certainly in excess of 18." (David J. Rothkopf, "It's Official: Obama Creates More Czars Than The Romanovs," Foreign Policy, 4/16/09)
In Letter To The White House, Senator Byrd Warned: "The rapid and easy accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances." (Cindy Skrzycki, "Obama's Czars Breed Chain-Of-Command Confusion," Bloomberg, 3/17/09)
American University Governance Expert Warned Czars Create Less Accountable, More "Incomprehensible" System. "This scenario lends credence to the concern that czars will add a layer of opaqueness and unaccountability to a rule-making system that's largely incomprehensible to the outside world and a puzzle even to seasoned pros representing industry groups, companies and the public. 'Every time you add another variable, you will have trouble sorting out what had influence on a rulemaking,' said Cornelius Kerwin, president of American University in Washington who wrote the book, 'Rulemaking: How Government Agencies Write Law and Make Policy.' 'It's not like legislative or judicial decisions.'" (Cindy Skrzycki, "Obama's Czars Breed Chain-Of-Command Confusion," Bloomberg, 3/17/09
“It is absolutely ridiculous that President Obama has appointed, and will most likely continue to appoint, countless czars which are nothing more than symbolic figureheads to demonstrate to the American people that he is concerned about the buzz word of the day–border czar, regulation czar, infotech czar, urban czar, the list goes on and even includes a “compensation czar,” responsible for deciding the salaries of the top 100 employees of publicly traded companies!”
In over 300 years, the Romanov Dynasty ruled Russia with only 18 czars, yet in only five short months, the United States now has an excess of over 20 czars. What happened to cutting back and doing more with less?”
“These absurd positions do nothing but take away from the transparency that President Obama promised the American people. Who do the czars report to? The President? Members of the Cabinet? Congress? Certainly not the American people? These czars allow for an unacceptable sense of unaccountability in our government. What happened to the checks and balances between the branches of government that our forefathers carefully built into our Constitution? To me it looks like those values are being side stepped in favor of an army of presidentially appointed mini-dictators. Enough is enough.”
Obama Now Has "Upward of 20" Czars: "Name a top issue and President Barack Obama has probably got a 'czar' responsible for tackling it ... There are upward of 20 such top officials, all with lengthy official titles but known in the media as czars ... Linda Fowler, a professor of government at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, said presidents often appoint czars in a symbolic move to show they care about an issue." (Steve Holland, "Obama Fashions A Government of Many Czars," Reuters, 5/29/09)
This List Is Only Conservative Estimate: "In addition to [border czar Alan] Bersin, we have energy czar Carol Browner, urban czar Adolfo Carrion, Jr., infotech czar Vivek Kundra, faith-based czar Joshua DuBois, health reform czar Nancy-Ann DeParle, new TARP czar Herb Allison, stimulus accountability czar Earl Devaney, non-proliferation czar Gary Samore, terrorism czar John Brennan, regulatory czar Cass Sunstein, drug czar Gil Kerlikowske, and Guantanamo closure czar Daniel Fried. We also have a host of special envoys that fall into the czar category including AfPak special envoy Richard Holbrooke, Mideast peace envoy George Mitchell, special advisor for the Persian Gulf and Southwest Asia Dennis Ross, Sudan special envoy J. Scott Gration and climate special envoy Todd Stern. That's 18. This is a very conservative estimate, however ... [Y]ou could count de facto car czar Steve Rattner ... You could count National Director of Int elligence Dennis Blair, often referred to as the intelligence czar ... I'm not going to count Paul Volcker who was referred to as Obama's economic czar." (David J. Rothkopf, "It's Official: Obama Creates More Czars Than The Romanovs," Foreign Policy, 4/16/09)
Russia's Romanov Dynasty Only Had 18 Czars In Over 300 Years. "[T]he Obama administration has by any reasonable reckoning passed the Romanov Dynasty in the production of czars. The Romanovs ruled Russia from 1613 with the ascension of Michael I through the abdication of Czar Nicholas II in 1917. During that time, they produced 18 czars. While it is harder to exactly count the number of Obama administration czars, with yesterday's appointment it seems fair to say it is now certainly in excess of 18." (David J. Rothkopf, "It's Official: Obama Creates More Czars Than The Romanovs," Foreign Policy, 4/16/09)
In Letter To The White House, Senator Byrd Warned: "The rapid and easy accumulation of power by White House staff can threaten the constitutional system of checks and balances." (Cindy Skrzycki, "Obama's Czars Breed Chain-Of-Command Confusion," Bloomberg, 3/17/09)
American University Governance Expert Warned Czars Create Less Accountable, More "Incomprehensible" System. "This scenario lends credence to the concern that czars will add a layer of opaqueness and unaccountability to a rule-making system that's largely incomprehensible to the outside world and a puzzle even to seasoned pros representing industry groups, companies and the public. 'Every time you add another variable, you will have trouble sorting out what had influence on a rulemaking,' said Cornelius Kerwin, president of American University in Washington who wrote the book, 'Rulemaking: How Government Agencies Write Law and Make Policy.' 'It's not like legislative or judicial decisions.'" (Cindy Skrzycki, "Obama's Czars Breed Chain-Of-Command Confusion," Bloomberg, 3/17/09
Under Kosmas’ Watch, NASA Jobs in Jeopardy
Kosmas Campaign Promises Go Unfulfilled, Space Coast Jobs Hang in Balance
Six Months into Term, Is Kosmas Still Unprepared on Space Issues?
Washington – NASA jobs on Florida’s Space Coast are being threatened by congressional Democrats (Walter Alarkon, “NASA states going ballistic over cash cuts,” The Hill, 6/11/09), and it’s happening on the watch of Suzanne Kosmas.
“Suzanne Kosmas promised her constituents that she would protect NASA funding and local jobs, and she has failed,” said Ken Spain, NRCC Communications Director. “Representing a NASA district as a member of the majority is a big responsibility, and Suzanne Kosmas just doesn’t appear to be cut out for it.”
BACKGROUND:
• A 2008 Orlando Sentinel article indicated that Kosmas was unprepared on space issues:
“But attacking [Kosmas’ opponent] on space could be risky for Kosmas, a real-estate broker with little background in the issue. A recent interview indicates she knows far less about NASA and the space program than does [her opponent]…In response to questions, for example, Kosmas was unsure how much NASA spends on climate research compared to other priorities. And she could not answer questions on the planned use of Russian spacecraft by American astronauts. (Mark Matthews, “Candidates exchange jabs on KSC funds,” Orlando Sentinel, 6/5/08)
• Despite her ignorance of NASA issues, Kosmas cynically used them to attack her 2008 opponent: (Mark Matthews, “Kosmas campaign tries to box Feeney into corner on NASA,” Orlando Sentinel “Central Florida Political Pulse” blog, 10/9/08)
• During this year’s stimulus debate, Kosmas put party loyalty ahead of NASA funding:
“Kosmas also made clear she far prefers the bill passed by the House to the Senate version, even though that package includes more money for NASA.” (Staff, “Kosmas backs stimulus bill after appearance with Obama,” Orlando Sentinel “Central Florida Political Pulse” blog, 2/10/09
• Kosmas voted for the stimulus package, which fell woefully short of NASA’s requests (Stewart Powell, “Stimulus bill leaves NASA with less than requested,” Houston Chronicle, 1/29/09)
• Kosmas made full funding of NASA’s requests one of her top campaign promises:
“I will always fight to ensure that the Kennedy Space Center is given what it needs to remain strong and continue its spirit of exploration and excellence and will also fight to fully fund NASA's requests in our national budget.” (Suzanne Kosmas campaign website, http://kosmasforcongress.com/priorities/space, accessed 6/11/09)
###
Six Months into Term, Is Kosmas Still Unprepared on Space Issues?
Washington – NASA jobs on Florida’s Space Coast are being threatened by congressional Democrats (Walter Alarkon, “NASA states going ballistic over cash cuts,” The Hill, 6/11/09), and it’s happening on the watch of Suzanne Kosmas.
“Suzanne Kosmas promised her constituents that she would protect NASA funding and local jobs, and she has failed,” said Ken Spain, NRCC Communications Director. “Representing a NASA district as a member of the majority is a big responsibility, and Suzanne Kosmas just doesn’t appear to be cut out for it.”
BACKGROUND:
• A 2008 Orlando Sentinel article indicated that Kosmas was unprepared on space issues:
“But attacking [Kosmas’ opponent] on space could be risky for Kosmas, a real-estate broker with little background in the issue. A recent interview indicates she knows far less about NASA and the space program than does [her opponent]…In response to questions, for example, Kosmas was unsure how much NASA spends on climate research compared to other priorities. And she could not answer questions on the planned use of Russian spacecraft by American astronauts. (Mark Matthews, “Candidates exchange jabs on KSC funds,” Orlando Sentinel, 6/5/08)
• Despite her ignorance of NASA issues, Kosmas cynically used them to attack her 2008 opponent: (Mark Matthews, “Kosmas campaign tries to box Feeney into corner on NASA,” Orlando Sentinel “Central Florida Political Pulse” blog, 10/9/08)
• During this year’s stimulus debate, Kosmas put party loyalty ahead of NASA funding:
“Kosmas also made clear she far prefers the bill passed by the House to the Senate version, even though that package includes more money for NASA.” (Staff, “Kosmas backs stimulus bill after appearance with Obama,” Orlando Sentinel “Central Florida Political Pulse” blog, 2/10/09
• Kosmas voted for the stimulus package, which fell woefully short of NASA’s requests (Stewart Powell, “Stimulus bill leaves NASA with less than requested,” Houston Chronicle, 1/29/09)
• Kosmas made full funding of NASA’s requests one of her top campaign promises:
“I will always fight to ensure that the Kennedy Space Center is given what it needs to remain strong and continue its spirit of exploration and excellence and will also fight to fully fund NASA's requests in our national budget.” (Suzanne Kosmas campaign website, http://kosmasforcongress.com/priorities/space, accessed 6/11/09)
###
Congressman from ACORN Strikes Again
Tallahassee–Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer today released the following statement regarding Congressman Alan Grayson’s $350,000 earmark for the controversial Florida Civil Rights Association whose founder, J. Willie David, a former bail bondsman, has been accused of stealing money from clients and extorting money from orphans.
“It seems the Congressman from ACORN has struck again,” said Chairman Greer. “In an attempt to funnel $350,000 of taxpayer money to a friend and ex-bail bondsman/would-be orphan profiteer who hustles the poor and takes advantage of central Florida’s less fortunate, he has once again proven he is an embarrassment to his constituents.”
“It is time for Alan Grayson to take a stand and serve the citizens of central Florida in the way that they deserve,” continued Greer. “And sending $350,000 of their hard earned money to an organization run by a personal friend and professional con-artist is a troublesome lapse in judgment and unfair to his constituents.”
“It seems the Congressman from ACORN has struck again,” said Chairman Greer. “In an attempt to funnel $350,000 of taxpayer money to a friend and ex-bail bondsman/would-be orphan profiteer who hustles the poor and takes advantage of central Florida’s less fortunate, he has once again proven he is an embarrassment to his constituents.”
“It is time for Alan Grayson to take a stand and serve the citizens of central Florida in the way that they deserve,” continued Greer. “And sending $350,000 of their hard earned money to an organization run by a personal friend and professional con-artist is a troublesome lapse in judgment and unfair to his constituents.”
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