MACK’S TEMPER FLARES UP AGAIN…
P-COLA RESIDENT AT YESTERDAY’s MACK EVENT: “HE CALLED ME A JACKASS “As the advance guys waited for Mack, it became apparent that the candidate’s appearance would be less then glossy. The waiting crowd consisted of two members of the media, Escambia County Commission candidate Sam Archer, a guy who decided to stick around after pumping gas, two folks who’d later request a photo with Mack and a guy with a ponytail in a Florida Gator sun visor and Obama pin becoming increasingly agitated.”
“You know, you’re dad, Connie Mack, was a good man,” Goodson yelled at him. “You’re riding on your daddy’s coattails!”
“He called me a loudmouth,” Goodson said afterwards. “He called me a jackass. The jackass is him!”
AND TODAY AT A TALLY GAS STATION…MACK WON’T DENY HE CALLED RESIDENT JACKASS, VIDEO HERE
RUBIO STILL UNDER FIRE, RPOF TRIAL WILL CONTINUE THE HEAT — FEC Questions Donations to Marco Rubio’s PAC [CQ Roll Call] “The FEC has also raised questions about irregular contributions to Rubio’s leadership political action committee, the Reclaim America PAC, which has collected $826,000 since it was launched nine months ago.…Former Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer’s scheduled testimony in a criminal fraud trial later this summer could cause headaches for Rubio, according to political observers. Rubio has also answered questions recently about his longtime friendship with Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.), who reportedly is under federal investigation for financial irregularities of his own.”
Rubio on questions about Rivera’s finances: ‘They’re serious. David knows that’ [Times/Herald] “Rubio has repeatedly said that he stands by Rivera, with whom he shared a house (that briefly when into foreclosure) in Tallahassee. The national press has recently questioned whether Rubio’s ties to Rivera could hurt the senator’s chances to be named Mitt Romney’s running mate.”
DEM OPERATION IN FL GROWS Obama Opens 25th Florida Office as He Outspends Romney [Bloomberg] “200 supporters snacked on cupcakes at an opening of the re-election committee’s Tampa-area office — its 25th in Florida. After posing for pictures with life-sized cutouts of the president and first lady at the May 2 event, they inked their names on posters requesting volunteers to conduct phone banks, register voters and staff the offices.”
ON GUV’S SUNBURST: “A brief shaft of sunshine amid the obfuscating clouds?” Sunshine spoils a beautiful relationship [Tallahassee Democrat Column] “Do you think I want Mary Ellen or Kathleen or, now that he’s “retired,” Bill knowing about my upcoming expose on the improperly poured steps at the 1st District Court of Appeal? No. No I do not.”
Gov. Rick Scott lets public open his email box with new website [Times/Herald] “One email addressed to MacNamara was from Orlando candidate for state House, Matthew Falconer, He suggested he could help the governor with the Hispanic vote. MacNamara responded: ‘Thx, Matt. I’ll pass this along…’ New York Times national correspondent Serge Kovaleski, for example, got into a lengthy heated exchange with Scott’s communications director, Brian Burgess, Wednesday over a story about the prosecutor who recused himself in the George Zimmerman case.”
Governor steps in it — all week [Tampa Bay Times Column] “As bad weeks go, you might argue John Edwards, on trial for being a louse in North Carolina, was practically tiptoeing through the tulips compared to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who over the course of a few short days may have successfully managed to offend more people than crazy-as-a-loon Gainesville pastor Terry Jones contemplating a match and a Koran.”
Florida Takes Cuba Policy to the Absurd [Time Magazine] “Cuba has always been a volatile issue in Florida, but what played out in Miami this week bordered on the farcical. “
Florida law against Cuba may help Cuba [Miami Herald] “The oddest thing about Florida’s new state law to punish foreign companies that do business in Cuba is not that it is an election season gimmick by Republican lawmakers to win Cuban-American votes, nor that it is likely to cost taxpayers a lot before it ends up defeated in the courts. It’s that it would actually help Cuba’s dictatorship.”
ON THE CONGRESSIONAL FRONT — ADAMS “ROLLS BACK” VAWA, DEMS OUTRAISING REPUBLICAN INCUMBENTS
GOP’s domestic violence bill panned [Politico] “Homophobic. Anti-victim. Racist. Elitist. That’s what some of the nation’s most prominent women’s groups think of the House Republican version of the Violence Against Women Act…’What is in the bill that was introduced by Rep. [Sandy] Adams is not a reauthorizaiton of the Violence Against Women Act. It’s a roll back.'”
Democratic challengers raise more money than Republican incumbents in year’s first quarter [AP] “In Florida’s 10th District, former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings raised $331,598 compared to $148,033 for her opponent, Rep. Daniel Webster. She had $482,251 cash on hand at the end of March compared to $390,621 for Webster.”
OTHER NEWS WE THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW
False: Jennifer Carroll says “we didn’t go out asking people” to join the “stand your ground” task force [Politifact] “That’s not how Carroll put it at the news conference, when she spoke of an application process. We rate Carroll’s claim False.”
I Live In Florida And Wanted An Education, But All I Got Was This Rick Scott Sharpie [BeachPeanuts] “This year, while throwing them a bone by giving back a fraction of those cuts while acting as if it was his personal gift, he went with custom made blue Sharpies with his name on them, and gave them out as souvenirs.”
Florida Democrats to Meet in Wakulla May 11 –13 [Progressive Coalition Blog] “Crawfordville, Florida – Wakulla Democratic Party Chair Rachel Sutz Pienta announced today that the Small County Coalition of the Florida Democratic Party will hold their annual meeting at the Inn at Wildwood on Highway 98 in Wakulla County the weekend of May 11 – 13.”