I wrote earlier that Peter Schorsch has made his share of enemies. Michael Pinson filed a complaint with the Hillsborough County Republican Party against Peter Schorsch. Pinson is urging HCRP chair Deborah Cox-Roush to not allow Schorsch to work on Republican campaigns. Pinson also dredges up Schorsch's past legal troubles.
Another interesting tidbit is Chris Ingram ran Pinson's e-mail on his blog. Schorsch and Ingram have been feuding over I'm not sure what. Neither is Benjamin Kirby. This is all very inside baseball.
Tina Dupuy made a list of people Sarah Palin has feuded with. I should start a list of people Peter Schorsch has feuded with. Schorsch's latest opponent is Republican political consultant Chris Ingram. The latter is no stranger to public feuds. Schorsch fired off this tweet.
I am still waiting on @IrreverentView to show proof of a) any Republican candidate he is currently a consultant to? Just one!
The Twitter handle belongs to Ingram. Ask Schorsch are Ingram how this feud started. I will just sit back and watch the fireworks.
Other people Schorsch has publicly feuded with are Wayne Garcia, Brian Blair, and Michael Pinson. I feuded with Garcia not so publicly over the shit sandwich that is The Daily Loaf blog. Zencomix accidentally spilled the beans about how the PR and Creative Loafing merger went to hell. I can certainly understand Schorsch's frustration with the CL blogging deal.
Blair threatened to sue Schorsch for libel. Schorsch responded with the blog The Blair Watch Project. The blog detailed embarrassing moments from Blair's political and professional wrestling career.
Correction:The Blair Watch Project is the blog of Stogie of Ybor Stogie.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman and Florida Senate District 12 candidate Jim Norman was forced to admit that longtime campaign contributor Ralph Hughes partially paid for a house that is in the name of Norman's wife. John Stanton, president of Hughes' company, Cast-Crete, told the St. Petersburg Times that after Hughes died in 2008, Shea Hughes called Stanton asking about a $500,000 expense given to Mearline Norman. Apparently, Hughes' living relatives were not happy with the financial transaction.
"The impression I had is that they wanted the money back," Stanton said.
Norman's attorney Frank Winkles confirmed to the Tampa Tribune that Hughes helped buy the Arkansas home for Mearline Norman.
"Mearline Norman made her own business investment with Ralph Hughes, a man who had been her friend, mentor and adviser for 20 years," Winkles said Friday. "She put over $100,000 of her own money and had hundreds of hours of work on the project."
Tampa attorney Paul Phillips filed an ethics complaint against Norman. Phillips correctly stated that Hughes helped pay for the home. The complaint was dropped for legal matters. Norman was asked at the time if Hughes paid for the house. Norman's answer was less than transparent.
"It's an investment my wife has. I have gone there, but it's not mine," said Norman, who is facing state Rep. Kevin Ambler in the Republican primary for the District 12 state Senate seat on Aug. 24.
So how did his wife come up with $435,000 to pay for the house? "It came with my wife's investors," he said, though he declined to name them. "I'm not getting into my wife's investment portfolio. That's my wife's interests."
Primary opponent Republican Kevin Ambler is legally fighting to have Norman disqualified from the general election. Mearline Norman gave a six-hour deposition in court. There will likely be an appeal by either Norman or Amber depending on who wins. All Norman has to do legally is run out the clock. After the general election it becomes a moot issue. The legally more pressing issue for Norman is the deposition obtained by Amber's legal team can be used by the FBI. Several media outlets have reported that Norman is being investigated for his alleged financial ties to Hughes. Norman failed to disclose the Arkansas house and two boats. Mearline Norman is not employed. Norman and his attorney have failed to explain how she could buy a home.
Below is a local ABC Action News story on Norman.
I miss the 2008 Obama year of "chamge" and "hope." It seems almost every Florida political candidate I write about has an ethics or corruption scandal. I hear people tell me to hold my nose and vote for the lesser evil. I'm getting rather tired of the smell. The Florida political system is corrupt and needs reform. Being a partisan cheerleader and pretending there isn't a serious problem will make matters worse.
Republican blogger Chris Ingram expressed distain by refusing to endorse any candidate in the any of the big three candidates in the U.S. Senate. (Ingram endorsed no chance in hell Libertarian Alex Snitker.) Ingram also shockingly endorsed Loranne Ausley over Jeff Atwater for CFO. I agree with Ingram on almost nothing in terms of policy. I do think bloggers on the Left and Right should be calling attention to dirty politicians.
Media is has become more corporate. The Tampa Tribune's former sports editor Tom McEwen used the publication to further the profits of himself and his business friends. Nevermind, if he tied a few lies about the Tampa Bay Lightning's financial troubles in order to secure a tax subsidized arena. Blog ads and blogosphere talent being recruited into the landscape is changing the internet landscape. My fear is there will be more Tom McEwens and fewer Thomas Paines.
Marco Rubio was interviewed by the Florida Times-Union editorial board. Rubio was asked about Republican activist Chris Ingram giving Tampa Tribune political reporter William March emails of Rubio telling Ingram he has four years of records of spending on the Republican Party of Florida American Express card.
In one e-mail he provided, Ingram mentioned the remodeling costs. Rubio's responses don't mention those costs, but say he paid any personal charges himself.
In an e-mail dated Dec. 24, Rubio responds to Ingram, "I have the statements now. It is all mostly a bunch of commercial airlines, rental cars, hotels and travel restaurants. Any personal charges were paid by me directly."
In an e-mail the day before, Rubio said, "This has been addressed. There is no issues with my card. (I spent less in 4 years than Sansom did in 2.)" – a reference to former House Speaker Ray Sansom, who also had a party credit card and has been indicted on charges he misused state funds to help a political supporter.
According to Ingram, Rubio told him he used the Republican Party of Florida credit card for about "$4,000 to $5,000" for new flooring for his home. The St. Petersburg Times has documented Rubio's lavish RPOF credit card expenses.
• $765 at Apple's online store for "computer supplies."
• $25.76 from Everglades Lumber for "supplies."
• $53.49 at Winn-Dixie in Miami for "food."
• $68.33 at Happy Wine in Miami for "beverages'' and "meal."
• $78.10 for two purchases at Farm Stores groceries in suburban Miami.
• $412 at All Fusion Electronics, a music equipment store in Miami, for "supplies."
Rubio spent over $100,000 on his RPOF credit card from November 2006 to November 2008.
The transcript of Rubio's interview with the Florida Times-Union is interesting for what is not said.
Q: "I'd like a yes or no answer. Did you ever use your Republican Party of Florida credit card to purchase flooring for your home?"
Rubio: "Look, I've already addressed these credit card questions. The bills came to my home and I always wrote a check for personal expenses."
Q: "But did you ever use the card to purchase flooring for your home?"
Rubio: "If there was an accident, any time there was something on there that was personal, I promptly paid out of my own pocket."
Q: "A Florida newspaper has reported that it has obtained a copy of an e-mail from you where you acknowledge possession of four years worth of credit card statements? Why not release the copies and end the discussion?"
Rubio: "Those credit card statements are an internal party matter. I'm not going to release them."
Rubio could say, "I never used the Republican Party of Florida credit card to have my floor done." Instead Rubio uses lawyerly language to talk around the subject. And why exactly is the Republican Party of Florida credit card an internal party issue for Rubio but there can record released that attack Crist (but doesn't actually implicate him.) Rubio supposedly has the records he can just release them. The reason is the RPOF is a nonprofit and funds are meant to strictly further the goals of electing Republican candidates and not runs to the wine store. Illegal use of nonprofit money is a crime. Rubio has bigger problems than winning the general election.
