SaintPetersGate

The Tampa Bay Times has released a damning story on blogger Peter Schorsch. TBT collected emails, tweets and a contract of Schorsch asking for money in return for favorable coverage for politicians and political organizations. Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long and former state Rep. Frank Farkas went on-the-record telling TBT that Schorsch asked for money in return for favorable coverage.

Farkas said Schorsch approached him.

Around October 2012, then-state House candidate Farkas said Schorsch called him. The blogger told him he would carefully screen what content related to Farkas appeared on his site if the politician signed an ad contract. "We didn't sign and I got what I expected: one-sided, slanted," Farkas said. "He stabs so many people in the back, and he continues to get away with it."

Farkas claims that if you don't pay Schorsch you get punished with negative posts on SaintPetersblog.

Long told a similar story of feeling intimidated by Schorsch.

Long described a similar experience during her 2012 County Commission run. Like Farkas, she didn't pay Schorsch, but denying him made her nervous, she said, saying: "You don't need to be out there incurring the wrath of someone like him because he's a loose cannon."

This is two elected officials stating publicly that they were shaked down by a blogger and political consultant. The implication is Schorsch would write nice things about if they would pay him. This is journalisticly unethical on so many different levels. This means that Schorsch doesn't believe the positions and candidates he writes about on his blog. Schorsch only writes positives things about a candidate or policy if it helps his bank account. Imagine if a reporter for the Washington Post or New York Times was publicly accused of taking money for positive news coverage. There would be a major uproar.

Many people wouldn't talk to TBT. Their reasons were all the same. They were scared of Schorsch.

More than a half-dozen people contacted by the Times declined to comment on Schorsch, several saying they feared retribution.

Michael Pinson has been a longtime online target of Schorsch. Pinson showed TBT a contract Schorsch offered him. If Pinson would pay then Schorsch would lay off.

The contract called for a $1,000 bonus if anything Schorsch wrote about Pinson didn't appear in the first 30 online search results.

The contract is notarized and signed by Schorsch. The Times met with the notary, who confirmed its legitimacy.

Schorsch said his attorney drew up the contract but said it was at Pinson's request. Schorsch said the activist had repeatedly harassed him and his family.

Schorsch claims he had the contract drawn up "just so this insane lunatic of a person would go away." This tweet Schorsch sent to someone who may have been connected to Pinson draws doubt to that.

"Tell Michael I said hi. Just think for 5K he could've made all of this go away. Wait till u see 'The Douchebag Returns' story."

Schorsch's ego has a habit of pointing to his misdeeds. Attorney and political consultant Johnny Bardine was the first to publicly state that Schorsch was paying someone to wear a chicken suit and appear at debates. The publicity stunt was aimed at getting attention to the fact that Kathleen Ford was avoiding debates.

Schorsch publicly told TBT that Bardine was a liar.

"Johnny is absolutely lying and he's doing so because I'm beating up on his client," he said, referring to District 8 council candidate Steve Galvin.

A slick political operative would have left no link between himself and the chicken stunt. Schorsch's ego is so big he had to take credit and post this picture on social media.

Schorsch lied to TBT and publicly called Bardine a liar. An interesting choice of words from someone who was lying at the time.

Conservative blogger Sarah Rumpf wrote that Schorsch published an off-the-record conversation she had with him.

@SaintPetersblog You put in your post part of DM convo that you agreed was off the record. Last DM from you is "Will call you later..."

— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) November 29, 2011

Rumpf explains in her post.

First of all, Schorsch committed a serious breach of ethics by disclosing several of my comments that we agreed were "off the record." We had a phone conversation a few days ago and then some back-and-forth direct messages on Twitter yesterday. I've saved the screencaps and not only did Schorsch affirm that my previous comments were off the record, those direct messages were as well.

I have never in my life had someone violate an agreement to keep a conversation "off the record," especially when it was in writing. To not only have that confidence violated, but for Schorsch to go so far as to directly quote my allegedly off-the-record words is ridiculous.

Schorsch also has a criminal history. Creative Loafing awarded Schorsch "Most Arrests for a Political Operative." Schorsch was pleaded no contest for grand theft, has a history of writing bad checks, charged with stealing Tarpon Springs Democratic Club and fined $68,000 by the Florida Elections Commission.

Mug shot of of Schorsch.

There is a criminal inquiry now into Schorsch's activities. It appears that Pinson accusations has relaunch the inquiry. It was only a matter of time before Schorsch self-destructed again.

I have noticed the deleted posts from SaintPetersblog. I suspected that Schorsch was behind the chicken stunt. Schorsch admitted in 2009 to planning to use homeless people to crash a Kathleen Ford news conference. That is tacky and exploiting homeless people.

A political question is how long does Charlie Crist keep Schorsch and his wife Michelle Todd involved with the campaign? I privately told people that Republicans would attack Crist's links to Schorsch. An anti-Crist ad with a mug shot of Schorsch will not play well with the voters. The TBT article on accusations of payola only makes matters worse. The Obama people and the DNC will pressure Crist to cut all ties with Schorsch. That may even include firing Todd.

From a blogging perspective: this stains political bloggers on the Left and Right in the Florida blogosphere. Peter Schorsch is our Stephen Glass. I am not a lawyer. I will let the criminal inquiry decide the legality of Schorsch's actions. What I do know is Schorsch destroys the credibility of blogging. Every Florida political blogger will have to fight with the perception that we are all like Peter Schorsch. We are not. Most of use do not even sell ad space. I certainly never heard of a political blogger shopping his lack of convictions for the highest bidder. Political bloggers are passionate about politics. Schorsch is passionate about money

Potential Problems For A Democratic Charlie Crist

Charlie Crist will have to deal with skepticism from Democrats if he plans on running for governor again. This quote by Florida Democratic Party chairman Rod Smith is a perfect example.

"I'm one of those believers that if you want to join our church you're always welcome in the congregation. That doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to make you a preacher," said Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith, who has himself been mentioned as a possible candidate in 2014.

Translation: many Democrats have no problem with Crist stumping for President Obama. Giving Crist a position of power is another story. Crist has spent a good portion of his adult life helping Republicans gain power in Florida. This is the same Charlie Crist that was trying really hard to be John McCain's running mate. That kind of thing isn't going to endear Crist to the hardcore progressives Crist is going to need on the grassroots level of a statewide campaign.

Howie Klein wrote about the longtime gay rumors that have pestered Crist throughout his career. Conservative activist Sarah Rumpf tweeted this photoshopped image of Crist holding a picture of a shirtless Obama. You can bet that Gov. Rick Scott will mudsling and use homophobic attacks against Crist. Scott ran the indefensible and racist "Obama's Mosque" ad. Scott will use homophobic attacks because he isn't about to beat Crist in the charisma department.

The gay rumors about Crist have been around for years. There has never been any credible evidence that Crist is gay. Crist was formerly married to Amanda Morrow. Crist is currently married to the former Carole Rome. (She changed her last name when she married Crist.)

Benjamin Kirby has a problem with with Crist's support of Amendment 1. The ballot amendment passed and lowered property taxes. I agree with Kirby that the property tax cut hurt tax revenue for Florida. Many citizens were angry about their property taxes. What happened was counties were pumping up the appraisal values to get more tax revenue to make up for the tax cuts from the Florida legislature.

I wrote in 2006, how this was a tax shift. Gov. Jeb Bush signed SB 1020 into law. The bill gave counties the power to raise property taxes. Bush signed this law so he didn't have to break Grover Norquist's pledge of raising taxes. I have some sympathy for Crist's situation.

Where I take issue with Crist is him failing to see the housing bubble pop. Crist assumed that tax revenue would keep pouring in. Crist's economic sensibilities need much work. Crist may have a hard time connecting with voters that want to see tax increases on the rich.

Latest James O'Keefe Video

Sarah Rumpf posted a video on her web site that I thought needed to be addressed. I like Sarah and this is not an attack against her. I do disagree with her opinion of this video. James O'Keefe has posted a video of one of his undercover operatives allegedly being helped to vote in two states - with the help of Obama For America field offices. Notice that you never see the faces of the Obama field offices staffers. I doubt this was because James O'Keefe wished to protect Obama people. It is more likely that these videos were staged.

Notice that part of the video with OFA America Texas staffer Stephanie Caballero is in a pitch black room. Other alleged Obama campaign stafffer I shot from a distance from behind.

James O'Keefe has a history of doctoring videotapes. California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown found that O'Keefe edited himself in the videotape to make it appear that he was meeting with ACORN staffers in a pimp costume. O'Keefe never went into a California ACORN office in that outfit. From the California Attorney General press release.

At the beginning and end of internet videos, O'Keefe was dressed as a 1970s Superfly pimp, but actual taped sessions with ACORN workers, he was dressed in a shirt and tie, presented himself as a law student, and said he planned to use the prostitution proceeds to run for Congress. He never claim he was a pimp.

Former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger found that O'Keefe and Hannah Giles dubbed there voices over to make it appear that they were asking damning questions. The original videotape doesn't match the tape O'Keefe and Giles released on the internet.

The unedited videos have never been made public. The videos that have been released appear to have been edited, in some cases substantially, including the insertion of a substitute voiceover for significant portions of Mr. O'Keefe's and Ms. Giles comments, which make it difficult to determine the questions to which ACORN employees are responding. A comparison of the publicly available transcripts to the release videos confirms that large portions of the original video have been omitted from the released version. To date the videographers have declined or ignored our interview requests.

The Brooklyn DA found that O'Keefe and Giles doctored the videotapes.

"They edited the tape to meet their agenda," said the source.

Not a single charge was filed against any of the ACORN offices O'Keefe and Giles visited. Every investigation found their claims to be bogus.

O'Keefe lowest moment was attempting to film Abbie Boudreau having sex with him.

Izzy Santa, whom worked for O'Keefe tipped Boudreau off. Santa gave Boudreau the script O'Keefe was going to follow, as he attempted to illegally film her having sex with him without her consent. (Was O'Keefe planning to rape her?)

B. Props

1. condom jar 2. dildos 3. Music a. Alicia Keys b. 80s romance songs, things that are typically James c. avoid Marvin Gaye as too cliche

4. lube 5. ceiling mirror 6. posters and painting of naked women 7. playboys and pornographic magazines 8. candles 9. viagra and stamina pills 10. fuzzy handcuffs 11. blindfold

There is something very wrong with O'Keefe. This young man obviously has issues with women.

Let's not forget O'Keefe making an ass out of himself on Youtube with his dancing like Michael Jackson video.

Conservatives should be mad that O'Keefe keeps lying to them with his bogus investigative stories. Instead, conservative treat O'Keefe as a teller of truths.

Update: It should be noted that for a video that suppose to show voter fraud, we see no votes actually cast. It's kinda hard to have voter fraud without the voting.

Stephanie Caballero has been fired by the DNC.

Newt Gingrich Townhall Meeting

Via Sarah Rumpf: Former House Speaker will be having a townhall meeting this Wednesday in Orlando. Gingrich will speak at the Orlando Public Library. Conservatives may be shocked to learn that Gingrich would speak at a socialist government building. That might have something to do with the Gingrich campaign being broke. Fortunately for Gingrich, the library was able to fit him in between Disney's Dare to Dream and the acrobatic performers from Dralion.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Orlando Public Library
Albertson Room
101 E. Central Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32801

The event is being hosted by the East Side Tea Party. If you go don't expect a moderate crowd. Seating is first come, first serve. Considering this is Gingrich speaking and his campaign is so broke that he has to use a government building because he can't rent out a private venue, there may be seating left.

Mike McCalister's Fun With Video Cameras

Republican U.S. Senate candidate was chased and filmed simultaneously by Miami Herald reporter Marc Caputo, conservative activist Sarah Rumpf and The Shark Tank's Javier Manjarres. McCalister went into a panic when Caputo asked McCalister about his past statements that during his time he testified before Congress. Turns out that is false. McCalister's political handlers go into a panic. The handler say that McCalister has to find a restroom. If that is the case than why are McCalister and his team heading for the exit. Did the handler realize he could have the impression that McCalister was going to pee outside.

Sarah Rumpf has details about the video she filmed. The Caputo video is Miami Herald material without embedding access. It can be viewed here. The Shark Tank video is below

Karen Diebel Running For Congress

Conservative blogger Sarah Rumpf writes that former Winter Park City Commissioner Karen Diebel (R) is running for Congress. Diebel is running for District 26 This is a new district that will be created. The only question is will the district be created before the Florida legislature's foot-dragging and legal challenges on redistricting from the Left and the Right.

Erick Erickson of Redstate.com is not a fan of Diebel. (Or maybe he is.) Erickson made a list of tax increases Diebel voted for as a commissioner. What Erickson actually list are fee increases.

* Voted for an increased fee schedule in 2007 that included a $15 fee to process a business certificate, a 2% increase in garbage service, 12% increase in storm water rates, and a 3.09% increase in water and sewer rates.
- Winter Park Commission Minutes, 9/24/2007

* Voted to allow an increase in taxicab fares.
- Winter Park Commission Minutes, 2/25/2008

* Voted for increased fee schedule in 2008.
- Winter Park Commission Minutes, 3/24/2008

* Voted for a fee schedule in 2008 that increased utility meter and recreation fees.
- Winter Park Commission Minutes, 3/24/2008

* Voted to allow a taxicab trip surcharge and an emergency fuel surcharge.
- Winter Park Commission Minutes, 8/25/2008

Diebel is a social conservative. She does not believe that the Obama executive order preventing federal dollars from funding abortion will work Diebel claims that federal dollars will find their way to fund abortions.

Q: Do you believe that it is possible (or even likely) that federal funds could be diverted to abortion providers via the Healthcare Reform Act?

Diebel: Yes. This is just one reason why it should be repealed and replaced with something else.

Q: Do you believe that the President's executive order was sufficient to address these concerns?

Diebel: The president's executive order does not preempt the provisions of the Healthcare Reform Act.

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