The End

Yes, Kenneth Quinnell threatened to come after me because I wasn't a Kendrick Meek apologist. Quinnell writes this bit of nonsense.

After the primary, I left the campaign and returned to blogging. I had no particular intention at that point to say anything specific about Hussey.

If that is the case then why did Quinnell send me this private tweet on August 19th.

When I start blogging again in November, I'll be writing a lot about accountability, including accountability for bloggers

Quinnell emailed me this veiled threat on August 5th.

So you'll know, people outside the campaign, including other bloggers, have complained about the way you are writing about this and other things. I'm not sure if you care about credibility or reputation, but your approach is harming them.

Both the messages were sent while Quinnell still worked on the campaign. Quinnell himself left a comment on the blog about how the Meek campaign feels about me.

If you actually read my post on leaving the campaign, I specified that money was one of the considerations. So your big "reveal" hear is something I stated up front. I'll wager you don't have any sources inside the campaign, since I know what the people in the campaign who know what's going on think about you and they wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire. So if you do have a source, it's some lower level person who wouldn't possible know what happened.

Don't believe for a second the Team Meek doesn't hold grudges. Another blogger (who I shall leave unnamed) dealt with blow back from different members of the Meek campaign.

As for lies:
I blogged that Meek was going to lose. Remind me again. Who won the Senate election.

Meek ran horrible ads. God, did Meek run bad ads.

Meek backed anti-abortion legislation.

The White House preferred Charlie Crist over Meek.

Abe Dyk's Jim Davis strategy was insanely stupid.

Team Meek badly screwed up by not securing Democratic endorsements and allowing these people to go to Crist.

Meek was losing Democratic voters to Charlie Crist.

Quinnell is so partisan that he will go anyone who doesn't follow his pro-Democratic agenda. Quinnell contends there is no proof that the White House did not want Meek to dropout. That doesn't pass the laugh test.

“Jumping to conclusions” is what it is called when you say something is a fact that isn’t warranted by the available evidence. The White House was aware of these “talks” that Clinton explicitly denies had anything to do with what Hussey says they were. Theoretically he might be right, but he has no concrete evidence to know that, so he’s jumping to conclusions.

This is the same Quinnell that blamed bloggers for Meek's campaign failures, but praised the work of people whom worked on a campaign that got its ass kicked. And I am the one who has the problem with accuracy.

Quinnell's "Blogger Accountability" posts are nothing more than about settling scores. Ranger Against War was another target of Quinnell's. Ranger Against War pointed out how fishiness of Quinnell's Florida Netroots awards. Ranger also linked to me and quoted me mocking Meek's declaring himself a "moderate progressive." That sent Quinnell on the warpath.

It is true: I did force Quinnell to go-on-the-record. (I remember Quinnell telling me, in his one moment of candor, in an email that Meek was so bad and uncharismatic as an orator that the campaign got a speech coach.) I doubted he would ever do it. I thought I would save my inbox the nuisance. I was advised to ignore Quinnell which is what I did before he joined the campaign or we started this feud. Pushing Rope does not do partisan Democrats blogging for the site. We often bash Democrats. Quinnell falls into that category and that is fine. That isn't my interest as a blogger.

Quinnell will use his shifting rationale and play victim. I will just add that Quinnell has created a Facebook page to diss me. For a guy who claims he wasn't interested in coming after me he has a strange way of showing it. I will be the first to admit that it takes two to tangle.

My part in this online food fight was to make sure Quinnell never works for a major political campaign again. No campaign doing serious research would touch a guy who was so irrationality obsessed with tearing a B list blogger down. I didn't send messages to Quinnell of people feeling harmed by him or that I was going to hold him accountable. I did not create a Facebook page as an attack forum against Kenneth Quinnell. Any campaign that reads these rants will believe Kenneth Quinnell has serious personal issues. Kenneth, you have been played. Now the game is over.

People like Quinnell do not belong in politics. We have enough angry people in the political process. We certainly don't need anymore people in the Democratic Party blaming the "Professional Left" for their inability to run effective campaigns. My advice to bloggers is don't let campaigns push you around. These people are scared paper tigers.

I am ending my part in this online food fight. I am blocking Quinnell from my online accounts. Unless Quinnell accuses me of doing something criminal he can write whatever he wants about me. I'm sure there will be a response, but this will be a one way conversation.

Karen Thurman and Kenneth Quinnell: Losers of the Week

Alex Leary of the St. Petersburg Times has declared Florida Democratic Party chair Karen Thurman one of Florida's political losers of the week. In a galaxy far far away, Kenneth Quinnell writes that Thurman deserves credit for helping Barack Obama win Florida.

What about 2008? Obama won Florida. And I know the Thurman-haters will automatically say that OFA did that and she had nothing to do with it, but I've not actually heard that argument made by any actual OFA insiders, so until I do, I'm going to count that as a victory for Thurman (as well as a victory for OFA).

Steve Schale ran Obama's Florida campaign and worked on Alex Sink's gubernatorial campaign. Schale and Sink had such a lack of confidence in Thurman's GOTV efforts that they started their own GOTV campaign. University of Florida political science professor Danial Smith tweeted me the detail. It slightly edited the tweet to make it more readable.

Word is Florida Democratic Party's coordination campaign was a GOTV disaster, but Sink and Steve Schale worked independent and performed better.

Democrats picked only one seat in the Florida legislature in 2008. I would hardly call one seat a cause for Florida Democrats to be giving each other high fives. If Thurman was so good getting out the vote why was she so unsuccessful getting her state candidates elected in 2008?

Quinnell is doing push back for the Florida Democratic establishment. That is Quinnell's shtick. This is the same blogger who wrote I was "jumping to conclusions" that the White House was willing to let Kendrick Meek dropout was "complete speculation based on no concrete evidence." The Miami Herald confirmed the White House was well aware of the talks between Clinton, Meek and Crist.

A White House official said the administration did not initiate talks between Meek and Clinton but was "aware" and "in a position to let it play out" out of concerns of Rubio winning.

Atlantic Monthly political reporter Marco Ambinder tweeted this message.

Worst kept secret in Florida politics is that WH tried to get Clinton to nudge Meek aside a while ago. Clinton told the WH to shove off then

The White House was so behind Meek that the DSCC and DNC let the candidate's campaign go broke. All this information was available when Quinnell wrote his push back post on me.

Quinnell has no credibility. He is doing push back for Thurman. Quinnell cares about one thing and that is being part of the Florida Democratic establishment. Don't believe me? Quinnell wrote a post on why Meek lost the election. Quinnell lists activists and bloggers as one of the reasons. Quinnell then goes on to "give a shout out" to members of a terrible campaign. Quinnell doesn't actually blame any Meek staffers whom were involved in a campaign that got smoked at the polls. The reason is Quinnell doesn't want to burn his bridges with the Florida Democratic establishment.

Kenneth Quinnell's Silence

The last thing Kenneth Quinnell blogged about Kendrick Meek was campaigning with basketball star Dwyane Wade. Quinnell has left comments at this blog and The Reid Report on posts about Democratic insiders attempting to get Meek to quit. There have been different versions of the story from the Meek, Clinton and Crist camps. The White House may or may not have been involved.

It is no secret the Quinnell once worked for the Meek campaign. Even after Quinnell left the campaign he was still using the Florida Progressive Coalition blog to do push back for Meek. Part of that push back was against this blog. Pushing Rope is read by members of the Florida media, political activists, and Democratic Party insiders. I was the first Florida blogger to declare the Meek campaign officially dead in May. Quinnell constantly "fact-checked" me and said I was wrong about Meek not having the support of Democratic voters and the establishment. Meek is currently polling around 40 percent with Democratic voters and the White House was willing to let Meek drop out. This is hardly the makings of a candidate whose campaign is on fire.

I bashed Meek, Quinnell and Abe Dyk because they make it easier for Republicans to win. Barack Obama won Florida in 2008 and Democrats had a huge registered voter advantage. Yet Democrats did not gain one seat in the Florida legislature. Peter Schorsch pointed that we are looking at the possibility of Republicans winning the entire cabinet and having super-majorities in the Florida House and Senate. How can I play cheerleader when people are talking about the ethically-challenged Jim Norman as a possible future Senate President?

I think Quinnell means well, but he is too inside the Florida Democratic Party to point out its problems. People bash Jane Hamsher and Kos for being too critical of Democrats. I understand that the party will never be perfect and not every piece of legislation will be to our liking. I don't think progressive blogs should become the left-wing version of Fox News and say the Democratic Party is perfect. Quinnell may not see his blogging on Meek that way. Quinnell is too close to the Meek campaign to be objective.

Early polling shows Republicans coming out in greater force to vote. The Florida Democratic Party is going to have to realize their model for running campaigns is broken. Republicans run superior campaigns in Florida. When Florida Democrats can beat the Republican campaign model is when I will start cheering.

Kendrick Meek Zombie Watch: Real DEM Says Bye to DEM Voters

I wrote a post on Democratic voters leaving Kendrick Meek. Kenneth Quinnell decided to fact-check my post.

"

"Also, your post says "Democrats Flee the Real Dem," despite the fact that Meek's numbers are about as high as they've been in the entire election cycle."

State of Sunshine blogger Jim Johnson had fun putting Quinnell's nonsense to rest.

"Ummm... polling shows that Meek is getting around 40% of Dems. That is not "as high as they've been" since he did win the primary."

You're referring to his apallingly low overall vote numbers. Marco Rubio has to be quite pleased that Meek is staying in this race. I have as much change of winning the Senate seat as Kendrick Meek."

Quinnell also maintains that Marco Rubio "beat" Crist even though the latter never ran in the Republican primary.

When I parse words, it's for the sake of more clarity and accuracy, which isn't quite what you did here. While it may be technically true that Rubio didn't beat Crist, in reality he did beat him, since the fact that Rubio was winning is why Crist left the party and went indy.

Kenneth, when you parse words is because you want to them to fit your own narrative. The truth is the latest Zogby poll is evidence that Democrats are leaving Meek.

Rubio - 39.6 percent

Crist - 33.3 percent

Meek - 18.1 percent

During this campaign cycle, I noticed one can tell if Team Meek is concerned by how stupid they sound.

“This race is ... not about polls, and the Democrats will come home making Kendrick Meek the next U.S. senator,” Dyk said.

Actually, Democrats may decide Meek doesn't have a chance and instead vote for Crist. The latest Public Policy Polling numbers (a Democratic firm) show Crist pulling away from Meek.

Rubio - 44 percent

Crist - 33 percent

Meek - 21 percent

The Quinnell narrative is bogus. Meek is losing Democratic support. A Mason-Dixon poll from earlier this month shows Meek with 42 percent to Crist's 37 percent support with Democratic voters. The difference narrowed from 9 percent to 5 percent. It is a joke when the "Real Dem" cannot pull over 80 percent of Democratic voters.

Kenneth Quinnell Hearts Sunshine State News

It looks like Kenneth Quinnell is still sore about losing the Florida State Committeeman race to Jon Ausman. Quinnell links to the conservative Sunshine State News' attack on Ausman to make his point. I find that interesting considering that Quinnell has repeatedly attacked the Sunshine State News.

Quinnell bragged, "I’ll be doing a takedown of this Sunshine State News attack on the Florida Education Association." Quinnell dismissed a poll on Alan Grayson commissioned by the Sunshine State News by comparing it to the conservative-leaning Rasmussen. When the Sunshine State News attacks Ausman it is suddenly a reputable news web site. Joy-Ann Reid's reporting found the Sunshine State News is run by (surprise) Republicans.

Quinnell worked on the Meek campaign. Meek won several Florida Netroots awards while Quinnell was working on the campaign and running the awards. (Meek won best use of Twitter with barely any tweets.) Ausman received a $4,000 check from Jeff Greene and later endorsed him. Both these guys have serious conflicts of interests. I am more than happy to see them attack each other.

I am just amazed at Quinnell's hypocrisy. Quinnell is a Democratic loyalist except when a Democrat blocked his accession to power. Quinnell doesn't like the Sunshine State News except when he can use it to hammer a political enemy. Quinnell is not a progressive. He uses the Florida Progressive Coalition blog to settle scores and gain access into the Florida Democratic Party. Anyone who thinks Quinnell (and for that matter Ausman) is a progressive is kidding himself.

Kendrick Meek Releases the Kraken

Democrat Kendrick Meek has released the final message he will use in his attempt to be elected to the United States Senate. This is the message Meek will repeat in the final days of the election.

"I will not drop out of this race for any reason," Meek said. "I am nominated by the Democrats of the state of Florida. I am in this race to run to be the next United States senator. And no, I am not running for second."

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!



The previous campaign message of Meek, Abe Dyk, Adam Sharon and Kenneth Quinnell has been the political equivalent of Chip Diller in Animal House shouting, "Remain calm. All is well." The message now is no longer being the "Real Dem" since real Democrats are asking Meek to quit the race. The message is Meek is not going to quit even though members of his own party want him to. Release the Kraken.

Kenneth Quinnell Might Be Working For Think Progress

My good friend Kenneth Quinnell made this announcement on Twitter.

Think Progress is looking to expand their coverage in some states and it looks like I might be writing for them soon. Very cool.

Kenneth, please do your blogger accountability posts on Think Progress. The inbound link traffic would be awesome.

Kendrick Meek Zombie Watch: The Blog Ad Buy No Deal

Peter Schorsch has a great take on what went wrong with the Kendrick Meek campaign's new media outreach program. Schorsch checked for reactions of Team Meek no longer having a new media director.

“Kendrick Meek had a new media director?”

That was the first reaction I received when I asked a few politicos to discuss the implications of Kenneth Quinnell’s announcement last night that he has left the Meek campaign.

Kenneth Quinnell lamented that I didn't know what he did. Kenneth, most people in Florida politics didn't know you existed. For the record: I couldn't figure out what you did. At least give me credit for acknowledging your existence.

Schorsch goes into detail about how the Meek campaign reneged on the promise to buy ads on blogs. I heard bits and pieces of this, but was never in on it. Abe Dyk, in his brilliance, pulled the plug on the blog ad buy deals. I don't know which blogs were part of the deal, but A list blogs are going to blow off Team Meek after reneging on buying ad space. The mistake was fatal and shows how Dyk doesn't understand the lefty blogosphere.

Side note: thanks to Peter Schorsch for the nice words about this blog in his post.

Kendrick Meek Zombie Watch: Kenneth Quinnell Leaving Campaign

Kenneth Quinnell is leaving the Kendrick Meek campaign. The official reason is to spend more time with his family and he can't make the move to Miami. The Meek campaign is taking on a new media director. No word yet on who that will be.

My thoughts: how many times have we heard people leave campaigns to spend more time with their families. Quinnell may very well need to be with his family. To the political cynical and astute this will read like the usual excuse. The Meek netroots campaign has been a bust. There is no two ways around this.

Update: the new media director position has been eliminated from the Meek campaign. That really makes me think Quinnell was fired.

Meek Internal Poll

Joy-Ann Reid tweeted this. Her relations are better than mine are with the Meek campaign. Someone informed Joy a Meek internal poll has Meek up by 8 percent over Jeff Greene.

If this was leaked to Joy-Ann by Kenneth Quinnell I give it zero credibility. Quinnell is the New Media Outreach director for Team Meek. I stopped communicating with Quinnell about the Meek campaign. The emails are off the record but I had so much trouble with Quinnell calling me a liar off-the-record that I proposed to him that if he was willing to stand by his "facts" then all future email exchanges would be on-the-record. Quinnell balked.

By the way Kenneth, I am still waiting for those Meek online fundraising numbers you bragged about. If you aren't willing to send them then I question Team Meek's online fundraising.

Meek Campaign Looking For Bloggers

I think this is one bus ride I want get a ticket on. If others bloggers are interested they can contact Kenneth Quinnell at kenneth@kendrickmeek.com.

The Meek campaign is gauging interest in any bloggers who might want to join Kendrick on all or part of the bus tour. If you have interest, let me know and I'll see what we can work out. The tour is from 8/4-8/14 and the locations will be announced shortly on our website.

Kendrick Meek Death Watch: Adam Smith Edition

Political reporter Adam Smith has a post on The Buzz on what Democrats will do if Kendrick Meek loses the primary. Smith even asked Meek would he endorse opponent Jeff Greene if he lost. The answer is no.

There has been considerable speculation that national and state Democratic leaders might actually back Charlie Crist, at least tacitly, rather than Greene. But if Greene writes a big check to the state party and/or DSCC bygones certainly could be bygones.This week we saw DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez say he would support Greene and Harry Reid try to knock down the talk of him cozying up with Crist. Could be fascinating to watch.

The Wall Street Journal reported Crist has had two conversations with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Alfredo Balsera and Squier Knapp Dunn Communications have signed on to the Crist campaign. Both parties have worked on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. I have asked Meek camaign New Media Outreach director Kenneth Quinnell for comment on Obama people now working for Crist. I am still waiting for a response. My guess for why Quinnell hasn't responded is the false pretense of Obama supporting Crist can no longer be maintained. Meek is going to lose. The star political reporter of Florida's most powerful newspaper asking Meek if he will endorse Greene isn't a sign that people think Meek is going to catch on fire.

Kendrick Meek Death Watch: Obama Insiders Helping Crist

If Democrats are really behind Kendrick Meek's Senate campaign why then is the Wall Street Journal reporting Charlie Crist has twice talked to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Crist is not in the Senate or a Democrat. What possible reason could there be other than Reid is courting Crist to caucus with the Democrats.

Other fun facts: Alfredo Balsera advised Barack Obama on Latino outreach and national finance during the 2008 presidential campaign. The consulting firm Squier Knapp Dunn Communications is working on Crist's campaign. A list of SKDC's clients reads like a whose who Democratic politics. Former Obama White House White House Communications Director Anita Dunn is one of the partners. Dunn's husband Robert Bauer serves in the White House Council.

Crist has people that helped Obama get elected working with him. Obama supports Meek so much he has not come down to campaign for him. Reid would not be talking to Crist without White House approval. The Obama people are letting their talent work on the Crist campaign to maintain a Seante majority. If Obama and Reid really thought Meek could win Crist would be isolated from the Democratic establishment. On the bright side: Meek has Kenneth Quinnell on his campaign staff to counter Squier Knapp Dunn Communications and Balsera.

Kendrick Meek Death Watch: Meek's Lack of Netroots Savvy

Kenneth Quinnell asked several progressive bloggers (myself included) for imput on the Kendrick Meek. I can't go into my converstation with Kenneth. Peter Schorsch of Saint Petersblog 2.0 posted an intelligent online response to Quinnell.

Schorsch is correct that Meek needs to spend more time in the I-4 corridor and sealing up the black vote in Central Florida. The fact that Meek ran most of the race largely unopposed (until Jeff Greene came onto the scene) and he hasn't received all the endorsements of Democratic officials is shocking. Greene has been able to get even with Meek in the polls because Meek doesn't inspire the base.

Anther faction of the Democratic Party that Kendrick Meek has yet to lock up is the Netroots. And this was suppose to be his strength, especially with with the signing of Kenneth Quinnell. Yet, despite Quinnell’s efforts and hard work, the liberal blogintelligensia is not firmly behind Meek. Sure, some of the most liberal bloggers are with Meek, but certainly not the majority. The Reid Report, Opinion Matters, Pushing Rope, Recreating Tampa, (my) Saint Petersblog…all of these sites have remained dangerously neutral.

Peter, Joy-Ann Reid and I get read by many media and political insiders. I am sure Peter and Joy-Ann have received e-mails about not being team players and supporting Meek. The Dennis Stackhouse scandal and hawkish Israel policy makes Meek a more socially liberal version of Marco Rubio. That isn't the kind of candidate I want to be a cheerleader for.

Peter has another suggestion that I can do one better on.

Buy the blogosphere. Ten or twenty grand in advertising spread among twenty blogs would gain you a cadre of shock troops that you desperately need in the coming months. I’ll make a deal with you. If you advertise on the other 14 major liberal blogs, you don’t have to on Saint Petersblog (unless you really want to), just so long as you do it.

Meek could have a fundraising drive on Crooks and Liars. Alan Grayson had one and it was extremely successful. I don't think Meek gets the internet. Quinnell hasn't been able to connect the Meek campaign to the A list progressive blogs. Meek needs Firedoglake and Daily Kos Not Pushing Rope.

So, Congressman Meek, if you don’t do something dramatic now, when you are at 14% in the polls, about to be overtaken by Jeff Greene, you will end up losing. If not in August, then in November.

I don't think Meek is a talented enough politician to beat Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio. The news media has ignored Meek because, let's face it, the guy is boring on TV. Lacking charisma and having a fundraising disadvantage would be a hard obstacle to overcome in a good year for Democrats. Meek is running in an anti-Democrat establishment year against two two non-Democratic politicians with a national media profile. I am not even sure Meek can beat Jeff Greene. I know the Democratic establishment has no idea what they will do if Greene wins.

The establishment forced Dan Gelber and Pam Iorio from running in the Senate race. Clearing the field because the Clintons are fond of Connie Meek was a fucking stupid mistake. Meek won his mother's seat in the Florida legislature and Congress. This is a politician who never ran a tough race in his life. The establishment was foolish in thinking Meek could beat Crist and Rubio.

President Obama did a well-staged photo-op with Crist in Pensacola. The White House won't publicly support Crist. Obama will also not alienate Crist. Obama will not think twice about asking Crist to caucus with the Democrats. The White realizes Meek will lose and they will need Crist's vote.

Meek Campaign Dead

Kendrick Meek's Senate campaign has been a disaster. Meek is polling a distant third behind opponents Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio. Meek's internet liaison Kenneth Quinnell has failed to raise online money. Congressman Alan Grayson has raised $594,208 on Actblue. Grayson does not have an establishment Republican running against him. Meek is running against Tea Party favorite Rubio and has only raised $11,786 on Actblue. As a netroots organizer for a Senate campaign, Quinnell needed to raised money and be in constant contact with bloggers such as Markos Moulitsas, Jane Hamsher and John Amato to galvanize to progressive base of the Democratic Party. Quinnell also needed to stress Meek's policy proposals to the bloggers at Talking Points Memo and TAPPED. This is Netroots Activism 101. There is no excuse for a Democratic Senate campaign running such a horrible online campaign.

Meek is now the center of a scandal. Dennis Stackhouse is accused of stealing $1 million from a development project revitalization program for Liberty City. Stackhouse helped an aide of Meek's buy a house. Stackhouse also paid Meek's mother, former Rep. Carrie Meek, $90,000 in consulting fees. In politics, this is known a pay to play. Stackhouse financially helped people close to Meek. In return, Meek twice put in earmarks for the Liberty City project. Stackhouse never built a thing in Liberty City.

A sure sign that Meek's campaign is dead is the Florida Education Association is endorsing both Meek and Crist. Teachers are high on Crist after he vetoed SB 6. It is unheard of for a Democrat to lose a teachers union endorsement over a (former) Republican. The Florida Education Association want to back a winner. That person is not Meek.

To add insult to injury, The Hill reports the AFL-CIO is going to endorse Meek and Crist. It is literally unheard of for the AFL-CIO not to solely back the Democratic candidate. The Palm Beach Post reported Meek had to speak to the AFL-CIO to secure a split endorsement.

“I don’t just want your vote, I need your full support. Members should not have to walk in to the halls when I walk through and say ‘This is one of our co-endorsed candidates.’ Co? What’s that? You’re either walking or you’re running. There’s no jogging.”

“We didn’t have to wait to see what the climate would be or which way the winds blowing or if the environment is right for me to run. This state needed leadership and needs leadership now.”

“I need your full support. When you came to me in the state legislature and said, ‘Kendrick, I need you to stand up and run this amendment. I need you to be with us. I need you to come out to this rally in front of this company that fired three of our workers because we were trying to organize,’ I didn’t say I’d send staff. I said I’ll be there. I wasn’t a co-friend, I was a full friend.”

That is the sound of a desperate man.

The Meek campaign was salivating at a Crist NPA run. I wrote this when Crist announced he was leaving the GOP.

Democrat Kendrick Meek told reporters he is ""running against two Republicans in the general election." The Meek campaign is hoping Crist and Rubio will split the Republican vote. This is what DNC Chairman Tim Kaine is hoping for. Meek needs to start exciting Democratic voters. Counting on Crist and Rubio to implode is not enough.

The only candidate imploding is Meek.

Update: The Meek campaign sent out a press release of the Florida Education Association endosement. The press release fails to mention Meek sharing the endorsement with Crist.

"For over a decade, a prolonged and mean-spirited battle has been waged against our teachers that demeans the profession and degrades our children's education. But our opponents have bonded us together. We have fought in the trenches during the most challenging of times because we were united by a common sense of purpose and fairness. The forces of low expectations said no to the class size amendment, but we said yes and Florida won. Teachers know who their lifelong fighter and supporter is, and today's endorsement is but another step in our strong relationship. It is always humbling to be supported by any organization, but teachers are family to me, and it's an honor to receive your embrace. Let us work hard together and claim victory for all Floridians in November."

Lobbying For Dollars

Kenneth Quinnell did some digging and found the lobbyists that raised the most money for Gov. Charlie Crist. New U.S. Senator George LeMieux is second on the list

Brian Ballard - $204,140

George LeMieux - $142,250

Rodney Barreto - $27,400

T. Martin Fiorentino - $171,650

James Eaton - $65,734

Trammell & Co. - $19,000

Southern Strategy Group - $50,000

Dutko Worldwide - $26,400

Other Lobbyists - $12,200

Overall TOTAL $718,774

Bill McCollum Ethics Complaint

Democratic activist Kenneth Quinnell has filed an ethics complaint against Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum. Quinnell list several instances that McCollum used tax dollars for questionable air travel.

My guess is Quinnell filed the complaint in response to former Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist judicial appointee Jose Lorenzo's ethics complaint against Alex Sink's use of state air travel. Tis the election season and these kind of tactics from both sides will become more common.

I wasn't going to blog about McCollum's and Sink's air travel. The green solution is to give Florida cabinet members bicycles. Sink and McCollum can Lance Armstrong-it from Miami and Tallahassee. That isn't realistic. Florida cabinet members need to get around the state. I am more concerned with the Ethics Commission refusing to investigate if Gov. Charlie Crist paid for flights on private planes. At least we have a record of the McCollum and Sink flights.

Text of ethics complaint

Misuse of Public Position in Violation of Section 112.313(6), Florida Statutes:

On several occasions, Attorney General Bill McCollum has used state aircraft for personal purposes rather than official business in violation of Section 287.17 and Section 112.313(6), Florida Statutes. Section 287.175, Florida Statutres specifically states that a violation of Section 287.17 “constitutes misuse of public position as defined in s. 112.313(6), and is punishable as provided in s. 112.317.”

State of Florida flight records show that Attorney General McCollum, on numerous occasions, used State aircraft for personal reasons at taxpayer expense. His personal use of state planes included using state planes for commuting purposes (by diverting state planes to pick him up or drop him off near his home in Sanford, Florida) and other uses unrelated to the official business of the state. Section 287.17, Florida Statutes limits the availability of state aircraft to official business only. Diverting planes from Tallahassee to a public official’s personal home for commuting purposes or to take him to personal destinations does notn constitute official business and is an inappropriate use of state resources.

The following are specific incidences of Attorney General McCollum’s misuse of state planes either through diverting the planes to his personal residence or using the planes for other personal reasons, as reported in newspaper articles and reflected on the Attorney General’s flight logs and schedule:

*On February 3, 2007, McCollum had a state plane fly empty from Tallahassee to pick him up at his home in Sanford and take him to the Panhandle for a funeral and then return him to Sanford with the empty plane then returning to Tallahassee.

*On August 1, 2007, McCollum used a state plane for a trip to Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, but then had the plane drop him off at his home in Sanford rather than returning him to Tallahassee. The state plane returned empty to Tallahassee.

*On September 10, 2007, McCollum had a state plane fly empty from Tallahassee to pick him up in Sanford for a trip to Naples and then to Tallahassee.

*On April 26, 2007, McCollum took a state plane from Tallahassee to Palm Beach Gardens and then had the plane drop him off in Sanford. The state plane returned empty to Tallahassee.

*On October 26, 2007, McCollum took a state plane from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale, but then had the plane drop him off at his home in Sanford rather than returning him to Tallahassee. The state plane returned empty to Tallahassee.

*On May 16, 2008, McCollum took a state plane from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale and on the return flight had the plane stop in Sanford. The state plane returned empty to Tallahassee.

*On May 21, 2008, McCollum’s staff traveled from Tallahassee to Sanford in a state plane to pick him up, they traveled to Key West and then all returned to Tallahassee.

*On May 29, 2008, McCollum flew in a state plane from Tallahassee to Vero Beach and was dropped off in Orlando and the state plane returned empty to Tallahassee.

*On June 20, 2008, McCollum had a state plane fly him from Tallahassee to Sanford and then fly to Tampa and then return him to Sanford with the empty plane returning to Tallahassee.

*On July 21, 2008, two of McCollum’s staff members flew from Tallahassee to Sanford to pick him up and then they traveled to Fort Myers and St. Petersburg and then returned to Tallahassee.

*On November 5, 2008, McCollum had a state plane pick him up from his home in Sanford for a trip to Miami and West Palm for two days and then had the plane return him to Sanford. The state plane returned empty to Tallahassee.

*On January 21, 2009, McCollum had the state plane fly empty from Tallahassee to the central Florida region to pick him up at his home in Sanford and take him to Miami. The plane then dropped him back off at home and returned empty to Tallahassee.

*On February 11, 2009, McCollum traveled in a state plane with his staff to a ang reduction converence in Miami, Florida. On February 12th, the state plane stopped in central Florida where McCollum got off the plane and the plane then returned to Tallahassee without him.

*On February 19, 2009, McCollum had an empty state plane fly from Tallahassee to central Florida to pick him up from his home in Sanford. The plane then took McCollum to Sarasota — flight time of 36 minutes. The plane then flew McCollum from Sarasota to West Palm Beach where it dropped him off and then returned empty to Tallahassee.



*On April 21, 2009, McCollum to the state plane from Tallahassee to Orlando where he attended a Board of Directors meeting for General Electric and then he returned to Tallahassee.

Attorney General McCollum has misused his public position in violation of the law and wasted taxpayer money by costly and unnecessary use of state airplanes. For these reasons, I respectfully ask the Commission on Ethics to conduct a full invenstigation.

Quinnell Is Wrong About Senate Race

Kenneth Quinnell writes a post on the Senate race. Quinnell states the Governors race is the one to follow. I would if I actually knew who was running. Quinnell believes if Crist doesn't run for the Senate: "No other Republican has much of a shot against Meek or Gelber, particularly now that they have a fund-raising head start and the Republican party is consistently playing the anti-progress fool on the national stage."

Quinnell is wrong. Marco Rubio is Florida's GOP rising star. Rubio hired Jeb Bush fundraiser Ann Herberger. Rubio's Cuban heritage and Miami roots will make him competitive in Democratic-leaning South Florida. Progressives don't like Rubio. That doesn't mean Rubio doesn't have charisma and political savvy. Kendrick Meek and Dan Gelber (whom I like.) don't excite people. Both are beatable. Neither has as much name recognition as Rubio.

The best potential candidate hasn't entered the race and that is Pam Iorio. Iorio never lost a campaign. Iorio has executive experience and is from the I-4 corridor. If a Democratic candidate can't win voting districts along I-4 then Mel Martinez's replacement will be a Republican. Democrats need to talk Iorio into the race.

South Florida Democratic consultant Derek Newton told the St. Petersburg Times Iorio could "win the primary and general."

Kenneth Quinnell Profiled On Firedoglake

Kenneth Quinnell is running for a county Florida State Committeeman seat. These are positions filled by each county's Democratic Party. Quinnell is running against party establishment candidate Jon Ausman. FiredogLake did a recent interview with Quinnell.

Update: Quinnell concedes the race to Ausman.

Our Responsibility As Political Bloggers

"A recent poll by Momentum Analysis has Gus Bilirakis in trouble in his re-election bid in FL-9. Gus only hits 45% in the poll. Newcomer Democratic challenger Bill Mitchell currently sits at 22%, but as the campaign moves forward and his name recognition increases, he’s likely to take a large chunk of the 34% undecided vote. Undecided voters tend to break for the challenger, particularly in a Democratic year such as 2008. Additionally, the undecided voters lean Democratic, 46%-37%."

Kenneth Quinnell, President of the Florida Democratic Party PAC, the Florida Netroots Coalition.

Florida: District 9 results

Bilirakis - 197,025 62%
Mitchell - 113,000 36%

I previous wrote that Quinnell's read of the poll was pure spin. Quinnell is a supporter of Bill Mitchell and a noted FDP activist. I'm a lefty wonk blogger. Quinnell's numbers (and lack of link to the poll) didn't back his argument. The only way Bilirakis was going to lose his seat was to a strong candidate.

I have been wrong. I don't expect Quinnell to be right every time. Human error is a part of blogging in a high-paced information age.

I don't want to see progressive blogs become Democratic Party propaganda. InstaPundit has defended torture and Bush's economic policies. No rationale person takes Glenn Reynolds seriously. I have no problem lefty or conservative bloggers backing candidates or causes. Regardless, if I agree or disagree with their views. Freedom to express our values and beliefs is what makes this country great. We aren't entitled to our own set of facts. It hurts discourse and misinforms the public. Blogs are gaining more political influence. We should use our responsibility wisely.

Correction: Netroots Coalition is a constituency caucus of the Florida Democratic Party. It is not a PAC.