One Term Congressman Alan "Gumby" Grayson Returns, Vowing A Sequel And Drops A Green Lantern Reference

Now that Weiner is out of the Democrat 'Attack Dog' position, Grayson thinks it's time to make his comeback.

Former Florida Congressman Alan Grayson was kicked out of office after only two years for being one of the most angry, Republican-bashing liberals in the country. In his short time in office, he accused Republicans of wanting people to die, called a female Federal Reserve advisor a "whore," and often publicly compared the Tea Parties to the KKK. Many Florida residents considered him an embarrassment to the state.

Then paraphrases this exchange:

I may never have the chance to talk to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, or any of the other Masters of the Universe who led and misled our country for eight long years. Nor may I ever have the chance to speak to Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, or any of the other savage right-wing loons who want to finish the job that Bush et al. started. But if I could, I might say:

Me: I've been readin' about you ... How you work for multinational corporations like Big Oil.... And how you say you built all those roads and schools and bridges in some country in Asia. And in some other country in the Middle East someplace you got rid of some dictator. Only there's one country you never bother with – America! I want to know ... how come?! Answer me that, Mr. Flag-Waiving Patriot!

And he goes on with a terminal case of Projection:

And we've seen them replaced by endless war, falling home values, no pensions, lower wages, and now what Karl Marx called a "reserve army of the unemployed" – to keep wages down forever.

I know, Grayson is sending this out to his sheep who would never question him simply because of his politics. Or be bothered with the fact that it was Obama who helped to start the war with Libya. Or that it was the Democrats who want to extend unemployment benefits out to 99 weeks, keeping people on the public dole for that much longer.

But Alan Grayson isn't scum. Let's get that clear.

Allan Grayson is the disease-causing bacteria which infect the parasitical worms found in putrid diarrhetic feces oozing from the rectums of scavengers that prey upon maggots which grow in the decaying carcasses of poisonous vipers that die after eating insects which consume tainted scum.

Florida Governor Rick Scott Became My Chris Christie Today Because Of This

Speak softly but carry big budget cutting scissors.

Gov. Rick Scott just announced that he has rejected federal money that would be used to build a high-speed rail line from Tampa to Orlando, saying the project would be “far too costly to taxpayers” and that he believes “the risk far outweighs the benefits.”

Even without getting into the "Green" aspect of trains, this would be a boondoggle.

First step would be planning. How many communities wouldn't want the rail to run through their back yard? The "Not In My Backyard" (NIMBY) effect.

Second, rights of way. Would the rail run along the same highway that connects Tampa Bay and Orlando or a different route? Not everyone who owns land or property along that pathway is going to want to move or sell. Some may claim 'Historic Landmark' and won't be able to move. Some will try to bilk the government out of more money than what their land is worth because they can.

Others will have their homes taken at the point of a gun simply because 'the rail needed to be made'.

Third, in order for the rail to be successful, people will need to pay to ride it. Orlando is a very large destination town anyway because of Disney World and other theme parks located there. How many people need to ride between Tampa and Orlando in order for a rail to make a profit and be successful?

There are already many alternative forms of transportation available for those who want to go to the parks. Many hotels offer daily bus rides to and from the parks (at least, last time I went they did five years ago. I can't imagine things would have changed that dramatically since then).

If a family is visiting Orlando and wants to visit Tampa and takes the rail, they will be at the mercy of whatever forms of transportation they can find in TB. And not the freedom of the open road.

And that is off the top of my head just for starters. Gov. Rick Scott has even more reasons listed.

What happens if it's unsuccessful? Does the train become scrapped or will laws and regulations be passed in order to force people to take the train? Installing toll booths on the highways that charge an unreasonable amount just to dive 5 or 55 minutes on the road in order to condition people in using the rail? Or subsidize the hell out of it with tax money?

A train can work if it was stationed between two large centralized populations with a lot of the population commuting back and forth. And if there was an easy way to get from home, to rail, to work and back again.

Anymore, "High Speed Rails" are just being built in order to build them and nothing more.

And because they are "Green" and that should be good enough, you planet haters! Shut up!

It's Not Enough That A Republican Wins But The Right Kind Of Republican

One more Republican who lost his primary supports the Democrat. What was that about conservatives having to suck it up and support McCain two years ago? That doesn't work both ways.

David Brady -- the Republican who lost to West in the primary -- also endorsed Klein. West beat Brady by a landslide in the primary so his endorsement isn't a big boost to [U.S. Rep. Ron Klein (D-Boca Raton)]'s campaign -- though if the race is close every vote could count.

I've heard this tune several times this year. Charlie Crist, Arlen Spector, Lisa Madcowski, and-- he's not running on an independent bid or third party, he did take his ball and go home-- Mike Castle.

Brady lost out to Allen West. Excuse me, that's Lieutenant Colonel Allen West (US Army, Retired). Who once said about his mission in Iraq, "If it's about the lives of my men and their safety, I'd go through hell with a gasoline can".

So it boils down to a man accepting the endorsement from someone who has no honor (Ron Klein and David Brady) to a man who has honor in spades.

This should be an easy call.

Finally, An Honest Campaign Ad From Charlie Crist

Via Ace.

Stick with it for the payoff at the end.



Sometimes, it's the simplest of jokes that are the best.

The Other McCain has the original if you are so inclined to see it.

Cross posted here and here.

Quarterly Campaign Report Is In For Marco Rubio

In the year ending 2009 quarterly report, Rubio raised $1.75 million.

The first quarter of this year, Rubio was up to $3.6 million.

This last quarter alone, Rubio has raised $4.5 million. Even former Crist donor, U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, has chipped into Rubio's campaign chest.

Crist, on the other hand, has gone from $2 million to $1.1 million to not disclosing what he's brought in so far.

Yes, Alan Grayson Is A Jerk

Quite frankly, Alan Grayson, Democrat out of Florida is an a--hole of epic proportions.

Charlie Crist Being Sued?

Via Legal Insurrection who has more including the PDF of the complaint.

If Charlie Crist would have dropped out, he would have saved himself this trouble.

A pair of Republicans who contributed to Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's (I) campaign for Senate have filed a lawsuit demanding that those donations be returned.

The class action suit seeks refunds for all of Crist's GOP donors, arguing that not refunding Republican donors now that the governor has left the party and is running against a Republican, actually violates state law.

The man leading the legal fight is Florida state Rep. Tom Grady, a former regional chairman of Crist's Senate campaign.

From what I've read, a donation to the candidate is a donation to that candidate. Regardless of party affiliation. It's a waiting game on how it will be played out in court.

Quarterly reports will be out at the end of this month. So we'll see how badly he needs to hold onto what funds he has in his account.

Charlie Crist Campaigns To Obscurity

Charlie Crist is officially an independent.  There's only one thing left to say to him.

Charlie Crist To Run As An Independent

Via Drudge.

John Cornyn wept.

Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist has decided he will run as an independent in the race to fill the Florida U.S. Senate seat, Crist allies tell Fox News. The official announcement is scheduled for Thursday at 5pm ET in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Senate campaign has been rough and tumble for Crist, he was once the front-runner -- but in recent months began trailing his GOP opponent, Florida State Speaker Marco Rubio.

Crist has said that under no circumstance would he drop out of the race, saying he will do what is best for the voters of Florida. The governor says Republicans in Washington want him to stay in the Republican party but voters in Florida have told him they want him to run as an independent.

Not shocking at all to anyone who has been following the campaign.

Can We Call Marco Rubio A Fundraising Star Now?

Chalk this up as one more reason for the NRSC to stay out of the primary. It seems like Marco Rubio is starting to self finance just fine all his own.

[VA]Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has now become a national leader for conservative causes--and you don't have to take just our word for it.

Cuccinelli is a "nationwide leader in fighting the unconstitutional excesses of the federal government." That's according to Marco Rubio, a candidate in the GOP primary for senator in Florida and himself a conservative favorite, in a statement accepting Cuccinelli's endorsement of his candidacy this weekend.

Cuccinelli has joined a variety of Republicans taking sides in the Florida primary battle between Rubio and Gov. Charlie Crist. Last week, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) also chose the more conservative Rubio over Crist.

If I recall, one of the big reasons why the NRSC asked Crist to run was because Crist could self-finance an election at the time. That will be an issue when he goes with an independent bid.

As of March 31, Crist was sitting on a healthy $7.6 million in his federal campaign account, but he’s going to need every penny — and more — in a race where a statewide media buy likely will cost well more than $1 million per week this fall.

Besides advertising, Crist will have to build a get-out-the-vote operation and gather voter information to microtarget his voters. One operative who has worked on multiple high-profile Independent campaigns said both of those important components — which make up a major part of what party organizations provide — can be bought on the open market, for a price.

But unlike New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), who spent $102 million of his vast fortune to win re-election last fall, Crist can’t self-fund his bid.
[. . .]
Crist won’t be legally obligated to return the money that he’s raised and could try weathering the storm to preserve precious cash. But that would create its own issues with news stories about donors saying Crist took their money under false pretenses. If nothing else, it will be an awkward story for Crist to deal with as he tries to relaunch and rebrand himself.

Exit Question: What state should Crist retire quietly to?

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

Was Hugging Barack Obama Charlie Crist's Kiss Of Death?

Short answer, yes.

This Friday News Dump Was Embarrassing

Especially in light of Rubio's releasing his numbers earlier this week.

Charlie Crist has finally released his figures from the last quarter.

Charlie Crist, once known as a world champion money-raiser, announced Friday that he had raised $1.1 million for his U.S. Senate campaign this year -- less than one-third of what Republican front-runner Marco Rubio raised in that period.
[. . .]
Crist campaign manager Eric Eikenberg spun the weak total as due to Crist being busy governing. . .

That's about half of what he raised in the last quarter of 2009. Which was less than the quarter before that. I think the word is 'Nomentum'.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

One More Reason Not To Trust The NRSC With Your Lunch Money

Because the candidate they endorsed is dropping in the polls.

This is why the NRSC needed to wait until after the primary. Not before when, for example, a young, charismatic young man may emerge who will be a much, much better candidate that Charlie Crist.

For the first time, Quinnipiac finds the former state House Speaker Marco Rubio leading the formerly very popular — and still well-known — Gov. Charlie Crist by a margin of 47% to 44%.

“Who would have thunk it? A former state lawmaker virtually unknown outside of his South Florida home whose challenge to an exceedingly popular sitting governor for a U.S. Senate nomination had many insiders scratching their heads,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “He enters the race 31 points behind and seven months later sneaks into the lead.”

“And, the horse race numbers are not a fluke,” Brown added. “Rubio also tops Crist on a number of other measurements from registered Republicans, who are the only folks who can vote in the primary. Rubio’s grassroots campaigning among Republican activists around the state clearly has paid off.”

And we suspect the poll is only telling part of the tale for Rubio because the energy is on his side

RELATED: Donations to Rubio and Crist seem to be matching the polls. Crist's numbers have dropped off slightly. Rubio has had his best quarter yet.

Poll results via Ace of Spades.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.