Florida pivotal to national balance

October 23, 2006

TALLAHASSEE — Democrats, who need to pick up 15 seats nationwide to gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives, are hoping to get four of them from Florida, including two locally.

It's an indication of how poorly this election year has gone for Republicans. A year ago, only one GOP seat in the state was considered vulnerable: the District 22 seat held by 13-term Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr. of Fort Lauderdale.

But as early voting begins today across Florida, a combination of factors has put Republicans on the defensive nationally and locally. Pundits say Democrats could gain as many as 40 seats in the House in a reversal of the 1994 wave that swept Republicans into power.

Polls show voters are frustrated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; concerned about nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran; disappointed with President Bush; and disillusioned with the Republican leadership of Congress, crystallized by the Mark Foley page scandal.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/epaper/2006/10/23/m1a_flacong_1023.html


Time to turn Florida blue!

...phone to Get Out the Vote includes four in Florida:
http://pol.moveon.org/nov06/background/index.html

If you'd like to make GOTV phone calls from the comfort of your home while sitting near your computer, then sign up at:
http://pol.moveon.org/phone/volunteer/c4c.html

We called prospective voters and then watched Iraq For Sale. Everyone brought snacks and the head of the local Democartic Club dropped by. Folks from MoveOn spoke with us on live stream. Oddly enough, we were provided with phone numbers of Dems in NY (Acuri/Meir). I would have preferred to have called those in my own state, as I know little about Acuri, but I guess that's how MoveOn does it.

Polls show voters are frustrated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; concerned about nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran; disappointed with President Bush; and disillusioned with the Republican leadership of Congress, crystallized by the Mark Foley page scandal.

This should say:

Polls show thinking Americans are infuriated with the incompetance and massive corruption that has lead us into a war in Iraq. A war that has seriously undercut our ability to thwart the Taliban in Afghanistan, and capture the mastermind of 9/11 -- Osama bin Laden -- who incidently is in Afghanistan, yet has been known to hideout in Pakistan.
The thinking and informed public is also angered over the nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran. This situation never would have occurred had the administration not gotten this country side-tracked in Iraq. And this also would have been avoided if the Administration understood how to engage in diplomacy.
The well-read and analytical public is disappointed, but not surprised with the meglomania of President Bush;
The worldy and well-informed public is outraged by the baffling lack of leadership by the Republican leadership of Congress. This is crystallized by the Mark Foley page scandal, where an oxygen thief sitting in Congress was allowed to harass underage pages because the brat inhaling, bloated, incontinent speaker and his cronies were more concerned with protecting their precious majority in Congress, than in protecting minors who were placed in their care.

>snip<
When Harris decided to give up her Sarasota-based seat to run for the U.S. Senate, it was assumed a Republican would replace her easily.

But Vern Buchanan was battered in an ugly and expensive GOP primary that raised questions about his business and tax dealings.

Democrat Christine Jennings is a former bank teller who became a bank owner.

The race has become the most expensive in the country at more than $6 million. Most of Buchanan's money - $2.75 million - has come from himself. He also had a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser headed by Vice President Dick Cheney and is scheduled to have another fund-raiser headed by President Bush this week.
>snip<

Read somewhere that ** is going to be in FL fundraising for Buchanan on Tuesday, and they're sending Laura out to do the same on Friday.

Here's hoping Jennings can hold her lead against the big bucks being poured into the race.

...according to Homer Simpson.

Not that there's anything wrong with wangs!

the shortage of functioning brains down here.

They'll be seeing nothing but blue come November.

actually live here.

Uh oh.

Make up your minds PR people!