Endorsement Elite: Florida Republicans
Welcome to the second installment of The Fix's "Endorsement Elite" feature -- a look at the five most important endorsers in a series of states that set to hold presidential primaries or caucuses before or on February 5.
Today we tackle the Republican side of the Florida presidential primary, which is set for Jan. 29. The biggest names in Sunshine State GOP circles -- former Gov. Jeb Bush and current Gov. Charlie Crist -- don't make our Elite list because no one we talked to who knows Florida politics believes either man will take sides in the primary. We deal in the politics of the possible here at The Fix so this list represents the most important endorsers who either have or have the potential to throw their political heft behind one of the candidates.
(For more on the idea behind the Endorsement Elite and a look at the Florida Democrats who made the list, check out this post.)
THE ENDORSEMENT ELITE: FLORIDA REPUBLICANS

Marco Rubio: Although only 36 years old, Rubio, the newly installed speaker of the state House, makes our Elite list. Why? For several reasons, the most important of which is that Rubio is the most visible Cuban elected official in the state who is entertaining a 2008 endorsement. (The best known Cuban-American lawmaker in the state is Sen. Mel Martinez who, as chairman of the Republican National Committee, has said he will not endorse a candidate.) More than 1 million Cubans live in Florida and have shown a historical tendency to back Republican candidates. Need evidence of the power of the Cuban vote? In 2004, Martinez beat former Rep. Bill McCollum by 162,520 votes statewide in the GOP primary. More than half of Martinez's margin (92,069 votes) came in the Cuban-heavy Miami-Dade County. UNCOMMITTED

Bill McCollum: After losing two consecutive races for Senate (2000 and 2004), McCollum bounced back last November to win a race for state Attorney General. During his time in Congress, McCollum represented an Orlando-area district and gained a reputation as a reliable conservative. (He was one of the House managers in the 1998 impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton.) The combination of McCollumn's conservative bona fides and political base in central Florida makes him a key player in any Republican primary. COMMITTED TO GIULIANI

Sembler

Huizenga
Mel Sembler / Wayne Huizenga: Florida is littered with affluent men and women who are constantly courted by candidates for local, state and federal office. Sembler, a shopping center magnate, was intimately involved in Gov. Crist's fundraising operation in 2006. Huizenga, who owns the Florida Marlins (Huizenga sold the Marlins in 1998) and the Miami Dolphins, is a billionaire and among the largest players in South Florida fundraising. BOTH COMMITTED TO ROMNEY
Al Cardenas: The former chairman of the state party, Cardenas is close to Jeb Bush and is widely seen as one of his leading surrogates. He is also a Cuban-American, providing entree into that crucial community. COMMITTED TO ROMNEY

Marion Hammer: Hammer is a longtime Florida lobbyist for the National Rifle Association and a former national president of the organization. She is also the most visible face of the gun rights movement in the state. The NRA has a very active presence in the state and for any candidate looking to solidify his credentials as a true conservative; the support of Hammer and her NRA-Florida branch would be critical for a candidate. UNCOMMITTED
By Chris Cillizza |
June 14, 2007; 11:50 AM ET
| Category:
'08 Endorsement Elite
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Eye on 2008
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Posted by: hecyioaj vgsidlwco | July 2, 2007 8:34 AM | Report abuse
he was never a republican - he has always been a dem but was to lazy to run as one.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 20, 2007 3:32 PM | Report abuse
As important as Marco might be, the Diaz-Balart brothers and Ileana (all with McCain) still hold more sway in S. Florida. Cardenas' endorsement of Romney was big, but not as big as Speaker Bense's endorsement, more name ID. Putnam and Miller endorsing Thompson also pretty big.
My top ten Republican endorsers, a bit different from Chris's:
1. Jeb Bush (won't endorse)
2. Charlie Crist (won't endorse...yet)
3. Diaz-Balart brothers
4. Adam Putnam
5. Marco Rubio
6. Huizenga and Sembler (because of the doors and checkbooks they open)
7. Bill McCollum (Good guy but not too much sway with base, who has seen him on the ballot many times, but has only voted for him a few times)
8. Former Speaker Alan Bense (well loved in the Panhandle and among many in county REC leadership statewide)
9. Marion Hammer
10. John Stemberger (although his rep has taken a bit of a hit after getting so far out there with Tom Gallagher, he's still seen as close to Dobson, and to some extent, Jeb)
Posted by: Carlos | June 18, 2007 12:08 AM | Report abuse
The most important Cuban-American endorsement in the state of Florida is Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart who is already committed to Sen. McCain.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 15, 2007 1:41 PM | Report abuse
"Tim Griffin is rove's protege..." - interesting
Okay, so where does Tim Griffin the recently resigned U. S. Attorney in Little Rock fit into the NASA scenario?
Posted by: Anonymous | June 14, 2007 5:49 PM | Report abuse
here's a good example -- chris matthews crush on fred thompson
'I've written a fair amount recently about the media's obsession with the faux-masculinity of GOP candidates in general, and the tough-guy military persona of Fred Thompson in particular, and don't have all that much to add about that specific topic at the moment. Still, this dialogue last night about Fred Thompson from Chris Matthews -- who is really just the slightly less restrained id version of most media stars -- is simply too extraordinary not to note:
Does [Fred Thompson] have sex appeal? I'm looking at this guy and I'm trying to find out the new order of things, and what works for women and what doesn't. Does this guy have some sort of thing going for him that I should notice? . . .
Gene, do you think there's a sex appeal for this guy, this sort of mature, older man, you know? He looks sort of seasoned and in charge of himself. What is this appeal? Because I keep star quality. You were throwing the word out, shining star, Ana Marie, before I checked you on it. . . .
Can you smell the English leather on this guy, the Aqua Velva, the sort of mature man's shaving cream, or whatever, you know, after he shaved? Do you smell that sort of -- a little bit of cigar smoke? You know, whatever.
Posted by: LOL | June 14, 2007 4:12 PM | Report abuse
The rule of law has won the day. Scootr's going to jail. Of course he will be filing an emergency appeal, but there's a good chance he'll go to jail in 6-8 weeks.
The judge wasn't intimidated by the many death threats he got. Of course, some right wing nut will try to kill his children, as they threatened, but hopefully the FBI can protect them.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 14, 2007 4:08 PM | Report abuse
Chairman Brad Miller and Ranking Member F. James Sensenbrenner of the Science Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight urged the Department of Justice today to investigate and possibly prosecute Michael Wholley, the general counsel of NASA, for obstruction of justice and destruction of government records. Subcommittee Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Sensenbrenner have referred the matter to DOJ for investigation and possible prosecutions.
Full letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (pdf):
Tim Griffin is rove's protege...
'On May 24, 2007, Mr. Wholley testified before the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the House Science and Technology Committee that he had personally destroyed the video records of an April 10 agency meeting between NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and the staff of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) because:
[I]f they were retained and filed, they could become [government] records by virtue of that retention. From my perspective . . . I did not believe it wise to have these in any way become records, subject to release under FOIA [Freedom of Information Act]. . . .
I personally made the decision to destroy them, and I did so by breaking them into pieces and throwing them in the trash.
The meeting in question was a mandatory meeting between Mr. Griffin and the staff of NASA's OIG to discuss the corrective actions that Mr. Griffin was recommending for Robert Cobb, NASA's inspector general. The President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE) determined in January of 2007 that Mr. Cobb had abused his authority as an inspector general and lacked an appearance of independence from NASA officials. Clay Johnson, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and PCIE chairman, forwarded the report to Mr. Griffin to take corrective steps. Mr. Griffin had included the meeting in his "Letter of Instruction" to Mr. Cobb.
Mr. Wholley destroyed the CDs with full knowledge that the House Science and Technology Committee and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation were examining all aspects of the investigation into allegations against Mr. Cobb and NASA's response to that investigation. '
Posted by: interesting.... | June 14, 2007 4:03 PM | Report abuse
Adam Putnam should be made to wear shorts and a beanie with a propeller on top.
Posted by: Anonymous | June 14, 2007 3:41 PM | Report abuse
Now that the civil rights division has been gonzoized and packed with rightwing christians from one particular school, this is the kind of cases they are pursuing:
'Supporting groups that want to send home religious literature with schoolchildren; in one case, the government helped win the right of a group in Massachusetts to distribute candy canes as part of a religious message that the red stripes represented the blood of Christ.'
Posted by: your taxpayer money at work | June 14, 2007 1:07 PM | Report abuse
For uncensored news please go to:
www.wsws.org
www.takingaimradio.info
www.onlinejournal.com
otherside123.blogspot.com
www.globalresearch.ca
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2082.shtml
The delinquent Congress
By Ernest Partridge
Online Journal Guest Writer
The administration of George Bush has, in effect, suspended the Constitution of the United States.
At Guantánamo in Cuba, in military prisons in the United States, and in secret detention facilities abroad, American citizens and non-citizens are being held without charge, without counsel, without prospect of a jury trial, in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth articles of the Bill of Rights. These rights apply to all persons under United States jurisdiction. The word "citizen" appears nowhere in the Bill of Rights.
The same administration has conducted warrantless surveillance of American citizens in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights, and despite an explicit order of the Supreme Court to cease and desist.
And the administration, in violation of ratified treaties, which have the force of law (Article Six of the Constitution), is engaged in an undeclared war against a non-threatening nation, and is torturing prisoners. The treaties are, respectively, the Nuremberg Accords and the Geneva Conventions.
The president, upon signing congressional legislation, issues "signing statements" which state, in effect, that he can, at his discretion, ignore the legislation above his signature. And he has issued a "directive" that, in event of some unspecified "emergency" so designated by himself, he can assume dictatorial powers.
Nor is this the end of it. As most readers are well aware, there have been numerous additional illegal acts by the Bush administration, including the "outing" of a covert intelligence officer, obstruction of justice, and lying to the Congress and the American people.
The institution best situated to put an end to these crimes and to hold the criminals accountable to the rule of law is the Congress of the United States, each member of which has taken an oath to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
Five months into its new term, the Congress, now controlled by the Democratic Party, has done essentially nothing to restore the rule of law and the supremacy of the Constitution. The initial decisive act leading to that end might be as simple as the passage of this two-sentence resolution: "The Congress of the United States hereby affirms that the Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. Accordingly, any and all legislation and executive orders in violation of the Constitution are null and void."
The word "affirms" is crucial, for it states that at no time was the Constitution legally "in suspension," and thus any legislation or acts by the Bush administration in violation thereof were at all times illegal and invalid. Accordingly, the word "restoration" must be avoided in such a resolution.
The Democrats should bring this resolution to a vote, and dare the Republicans to vote against it. The GOP would doubtless resist by calling it a "meaningless political stunt," and would struggle to prevent an open vote. But if it were to be brought to a vote, who would dare go on record with a denial that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land?
And if such a resolution were to pass both houses of Congress, it should be immediately followed by other resolutions specifying the implications of that first resolution. Namely,
* It is affirmed that all US citizens and other individuals under US jurisdiction enjoy the protection of Habeas Corpus, as specified in Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution.
* Therefore, all persons in custody at Guantánamo and other prisons must either be charged with a crime and given a fair trial, or released. Following that, the Guantánamo facility must be closed and all "renditions" of prisoners to other countries ceased.
* All torture of so-called "enemy combatants" must cease immediately.
* All provisions of the USPATRIOT Act and the Military Provisions Act in violation of the protections of the Constitution must be declared null and void.
* Acts of Congress signed by the president have the status of law, and signing statements have no legal status whatsoever.
In addition, the Congress should act upon the following:
* Cite Attorney General Gonzales for perjury, obstruction of justice and contempt of Congress. Then proceed with his impeachment.
* End the funding of the Iraq occupation, except for the funds required for the prompt withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
* Proceed with investigations and then indictments for war profiteering, with special attention directed toward Halliburton and its ex-CEO, Dick Cheney.
* At long last, investigate election fraud by e-voting machines, intimidation, and voter disenfranchisement (e.g., through "caging lists").
* Above all, issue bills of impeachment against Bush and Cheney, followed by hearings in the House and trials in the Senate.
Impeachment is being resisted by "practical" Democratic politicians on the grounds that even if it succeeded in the House, conviction and removal from office would surely fail in the Senate.
I am not at all certain of this, in view of what might result from the House investigations and debate. But this objection misses the point. Ultimate conviction and removal may be less important than the impeachment process and the evidence and prosecution case that would result from it. Once the high crimes and misdemeanors of Bush and Cheney are brought to light, those who vote against impeachment in the House and conviction in Senate may pay a high price at the polls.
In the meantime, what is the progressive citizen and voter to do? Both parties have betrayed the trust of the American public and have violated their oaths to protect and defend the Constitution. Thus those of us who are justifiably disgusted with both parties, are faced with daunting dilemma:
On the one hand, should we punish the Democrats by voting for third parties? Such a decision serves to keep the Republicans in power, which would keep the culprits forever unaccountable for their crimes.
On the other hand, should we vote for the Democrats, as the lesser of the evils? If so, the party might construe this as public approval of its delinquent behavior.
With much reluctance and regret, I would opt for the latter alternative, all the while putting a well-deserved scare into the ranks of the "establishment" Democrats.
Most immediately, all Democrats who voted for Bush's Iraq resolution and otherwise collaborated with the outlaw regime should be challenged in the primaries. A few might lose their seats to such challenges, though most would not. But even if the challenges fall short, strong showings at the polls by the progressive challengers will send a message: we the people are here, we protest, and we demand to be heard.
If that protest fails to reform the Democrats, then perhaps it will be time to look to third parties. The Democrats must understand that this remains a live option.
Finally, progressives must take a lesson from the religious right and take over the Democratic Party from the bottom up. Get active in local and state party activities, send progressives to the state conventions and then to the national convention. Far better to take control of an existing major party organization than to attempt to build a national organization for a minor party.
The good news for the Democrats is that public approval of Bush is down to around 30 percent. The bad news is that the public approval of the Democratic Congress is not much above that: 37 percent, down from 44 percent in April. And the worst news is that this poor and declining public opinion of the Democratic Congress is well deserved.
There is no other way to put it: the congressional Democratic leadership (with a few honorable exceptions) has failed the American public and has violated its oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
We must demand that they wake up and do their duty, assuring them that if they do, they will earn the respect and support of their constituents.
Posted by: che | June 14, 2007 12:31 PM | Report abuse
It should be noted that McCollum ran for the Senate and loss in 2000 and 2004 not 2002 and 2004.
This is an interesting list, but I would also throw out the names of people like Charlie Bronson (Agriculture and Consumer Services) and Adam Putnam as big players of the state GOP politics.
Posted by: Democratic Nole | June 14, 2007 12:11 PM | Report abuse
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