Florida Hometown Democracy Interview

Florida Hometown Democracy founder Leslie Blackner and campaign’s communications director Wayne Garcia talk to WMNF about Amendment 4. The amendment will allow Florida voters to vote on land use changes. Garcia explains, if approved, the amendment will allow voters to decide on major projects. Voters will not have to go to the ballot to decide if a traffic light or a bus stop. You can listen to the interview on WMNF. Click the audio link at the top of the page.

Florida Hometown Democracy News

Florida Hometown Democracy has placed Amendment 4 on the Florida ballot. The amendment summary is below.

Establishes that before a local government may adopt a new comprehensive land use plan, or amend a comprehensive land use plan, the proposed plan or amendment shall be subject to vote of the electors of the local government by referendum, following preparation by the local planning agency, consideration by the governing body and notice. Provides definitions.

Voters will have a say by vote on how local governments decide land use issues. Developers have successfully use their lobbying power to influence local elected officials to ignore environmental and smart-growth management.

Florida Hometown Democracy has hired Mitch Kates to be the campaign manager. FHD needs 60 percent of the voters to approve Amendment 4 to place it on the state constitution. Kates has represented progressive candidates and helped Kevin Beckner get elected to the Hillsborough County Commission.

FHD has also hired Wayne Garcia new communications director. That translates into Garcia will be communicated with traditional media and bloggers to help raise awareness on FHD. Garcia has also worked as a campaign consultant. Garcia has been all over the place politically. I am rather surprised he is working with FHD.

From the press release:

"Mitch and Wayne will help us bring our campaign to a higher level, adding new energy and expertise as they work alongside scores of volunteers to counter Big Development's lies and tell the truth about how Floridians can have their say," Lesley Blackner, president of Florida Hometown Democracy, the sponsor of Amendment 4 on the statewide ballot Nov. 2.

The horrible SB 360 is a prime example of how developers can write legislation and get politicians to support a bill that is against the interest of the people. SB 360 getting the Growth Management Act of 1985. The Republican legislators who cry about big government took power away from local governments to decide land use issues. The state can overrule local government by developing land they deem economoic development projects. SB 360 sponsor Sen. Mike Bennett said more houses needed to be built in Florida to turn the economy around. The problem was Florida was in a crushing mortgage crisis. Houses were not selling. Bennett and other members of the Florida legislature were looking for excuses to repay developers for their campaign contributions. Bennett and Rep. Ron Reagan run the PAC Citizens For Housing & Urban Growth. Construction and home builders have contributed over $33,000 to Bennett's campaigns.

The citizens of Florida need Amendment 4 to pass. The current Republican legislature attempted to approve offshore drilling before the Deep Horizon spill. They cannot be trusted to make sound decisions on growth management and environmental issues. Voters need to support Amendment 4 for the sake of Florida's future.

Creative Loafing Hires Mitch Perry

Creative Loafing has hired Mitch Perry, assistant news director, to replaced departed pllitical editor Wayne Garcia. Perry is an excellent hire for Creative Loafing.

"I've always wanted to do print -- it's kind of an exciting move for me," said Perry, who expects to write a weekly column, edit community bloggers who contribute to Creative Loafing's Web site, moderate podcasts and write larger feature stories. "I had a couple of sleepless nights after the decision -- I was ready for a change, but when the time came, it was tough to do -- but now I'm psyched."

Perry will quit WMNF to work full-time at Creative Loafing. Perry has written blog posts at CL. Perry help revitalize WMNF's news department. His organization skills are greatly needed as CL attempts to become an internet-based content provider. I am curious if Perry will take CL's political coverage into a more progressive direction. Creative Loafing's problem is Stephen Hammill, online producer, has told in-house bloggers that quantity (of traffic) is more important than quality. This has resulted in posts with nude celebrity photos and other cheesy content. Making CL into a softcore porn sex site is not the business model for a successful alt-weekly. People can get real porn on the internet. Creative Loafing needs to go back to the investigative journalism and sense of fun that was the John Sugg era.

I wish Perry luck at his new job.

Update: the Perry quote was reported by St. Petersburg Times media columnist Eric Deggans. The reporting on Creative Loafing web editor Stephen Hammill was done my me. Sources have told me Hammill has become obsessed with web traffic.

The Magic of Coincidence

Alex Pickett reported earlier today Creative Loafing has been bought out by Atalaya. People will be shocked (shocked, I say) to learn CL political editor Wayne Garcia is leaving to teach at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications.

I want to say thanks to everyone who read The Political Whore, and the journalists who chose the blog the Best Media Blog in this year’s Sunshine State Awards. Thanks to everyone who read the print edition for all these years, and — I hope — for many more to come. Thanks to all the staff and friends at CL, who have worked through some good times and bad times.

We like to thank Wayne for help bestowing Best of the Bay awards to Pushing Rope and Litbrit. Wayne has certainly helped expand the audience of the Pushing Rope community.

Update: The blog Political Whore is dead.

Kendrick Meek Interview

Wayne Garcia of Creative Loaf interviews U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek. Discussed is health care reform, opening relations with Cuba and Meek willing to give up a safe seat to potentially run against Gov. Charlie Crist. Meek explains how Crist is vulnerable.

I think one of the bigger questions for this entire Senate race will be: Governor, you’re the most powerful elected official in the state of Florida, politically. You could sign a piece of paper and change the outlook for Floridians. You’re relinquishing that and that position in the majority in Tallahassee, [where] you have the House and the Senate supermajorities that are there, you could help us. But you have opted to run for the US Senate, going to a legislative mode from an executive mode to then serve in the minority in the US Senate, and you’re saying that you’re doing all of this for us. And in many minds of Floridians, I believe, that goes against good common sense and logic, if you’re doing it for the people. So there has to be something a little different there, and he’s going to have to explain that, more than I have to explain why I am running for the US Senate as a member of the House of Representatives. My intentions are pure.

Meek said there is much work to be done in the Ways and Means Committee on health care. There are several different proposals. What Meek did not mention was Blue Dog Democrats getting cold feet. The Blue Dogs are reluctant to support the public option.

Meek said relations with Cuba will depend free elections and other reform efforts.

Meek said the stimulus money must not be rushed. Meek cites the abuse with defense contracts.

Great News For Litbrit

Litbrit will be blogging at the Creative Loafing blog Political Whore. Wayne Garcia made the announcement.

Finally, I’m happy to report that I’m going to add some new voices to this blog (and to our family of news blogs at CL). Soon, you will start seeing posts from Catherine Durkin Robinson, whose blog Out in Left Field, is billed as a place “Where parenting and politics meet, but don’t always play nice;” and Deborah Newell Tornello, better known in progressive blogging circles as Litbrit. They join guest blogger and east Hillsborough civic activist Kelly Cornelius, whose Fix It Now posts have run in Daily Loaf before moving to this blog earlier this year.

Congratulations to Deb. Creative Loafing is better with her presense.

Last Bush Press Conference

I watched highlights of George W. Bush's last press conference and wondered how conservative blogger John Hinderaker could hail Bush as a genius.

It must be very strange to be President Bush. A man of extraordinary vision and brilliance approaching to genius, he can't get anyone to notice. He is like a great painter or musician who is ahead of his time, and who unveils one masterpiece after another to a reception that, when not bored, is hostile.

A genius doesn't introduce one failed policy after another. A genius doesn't conduct his last press conference like an overgrown adolescent.

Money quote:

In terms of the economy -- look, I inherited a recession, I'm ending on a recession.

Bush is blaming Bill Clinton for the current state of the economy. That doesn't pass the laugh test. It is true that Bush came into office with a (mild) recession. Bush also inherited a budget surplus. The Clinton years created record-breaking job increases. Bush inherited a better economy than Obama. Bush's defense is he is leaving the economy in the same state from when he came into office. That is untrue. Even if Bush's statement is taken at face value, his economic policies hardly qualifies as "genius" leadership.

Wayne Garcia shares his thoughts on the press conference.

He said he could have avoided making the tough decisions, but that is not his style. Hooey. Staying in Afghanistan to find Bin Laden would have been the tougher call than the easy military mission to remove Saddam Hussein (Mission Accomplished!!). Finding out the complexities of building a new government and society in that nation would be have the tough thing to do; guessing that Iraqis would welcome “democracy” and armed occupiers with open arms was shirking the tough decision.

Bush: "I'm the Decider and I decide what is best."

Our national nightmare will soon be over.

The Drowning Pool

My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub."

Grover Norquist

Wayne Garcia writes about how Republicans will rather let education, health care and job training go to hell than raise taxes.

So instead of leaving all options on the table, Republicans leaders such as the ethically challenged House Speaker Ray Sansom want, instead, to continue slicing services and raising trust funds to make up the $2.1 billion shortfall.

For K-12 and higher education, already reeling from a devastating round of cuts last year, it likely means another 2 percent cut. A sign of how bad things are could be seen in a news story that recently trumpeted how education officials were simply glad they weren't looking at the 4 percent cut that most other state services face. Even workforce education programs, which should be key to our economic development, would lose $8.4 million in Gov. Charlie Crist's proposed cuts. We've got hundreds of thousands of newly out-of-work residents and less money to get them back into productive, taxpaying jobs.

In health care, we're failing as well. The state Department of Health recently issued a report that warns of a mounting doctor shortage. A national study gave the state a C- for access to emergency care, and we're third in the nation for mass layoffs in the health care industry.

Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater told his colleagues the state is experiencing record home foreclosures, food stamp recipients and unemployment.

"The gravity of the current fiscal situation is clear," Atwater, a North Palm Beach Republican, told the Senate. "We are simply spending money we do not have."

Messege: Floridians are hurting and don't expect the legislature a helping hand. From a merely political standpoint, this is suicide for the Republican Party of Florida. I knew Republicans were out of touch when they applauded Ray Sanson and described him as "statesmanlike." Sansom is not Nixon coming back from his historic visit to China.

When times are bad people look for the goverment to help. People without health care don't care about the economic philosophies of Milton Friedman. People go to a restaurant and expect good service. Not for the management to tell them to cook their own food. You pay to see a movie. You don't want the manager to give you a lecture about how he is living in his means by not fixing the projector. Florida Republicans are cutting services and expect to keep their jobs. Not fucking likely.

Kevin Beckner Leading Brian Blair

Creative Loafing Wayne Garcia on his Twiiter feed "Kevin Beckner ahead by 12,000 votes over Brian Blair with 30 percent counted." It appears Beckner will will the new Hillsborough County Commissioner. This is is victory for tolerance, smart growth and environmentalism. This is a defeat for former professional wrestlers that wish to get into politics.

Write A Caption

Wayne Garcia should be happier about receiving his "I Voted Early" condom.

Sam Gibbons Endorses Gus Bilirakis

Democratic Sam Gibbons has endorsed Gus Bilirakis.

“His good work and his demonstrated abilities make him as one who should be reelected,” said Gibbons. “I feel that my 34 years in Congress representing a good part of Congressman Bilirakis’ current district, qualifies me to make this endorsement. I am pleased to support the reelection of Congressman Bilirakis.”

Gibbons held 11th Congressional District of Florida. That seat is now held by Kathy Castor. Creative Loafing political editor Wayne Garcia reports that Gibbons friendship with Bilirakis father, former Republican Rep. Michael Bilirakis, played a role in the endorsement.

Supervisor of Election Race Gets Interesting

Phyllis Busansky confirmed to Wayne Garcia that she is running for Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. Busansky will run against Lee Nelson in the Democratic primary. It's rather obvious that both Democratic candidates view current incombent Buddy Johnson as vulnerable.

Busansky is part of the Tampa area Democratic establishment. My concern is her candidacies look better on paper than reality. She ran for Congress in 1996 and 2006. She was defeated both times. She would be a vast improvement over the scandal-plagued Johnson. Can she win a county wide vote? Busansky was backed by the DCCC and by the local Democratic establishment. She still manages to lose to Gus Bilirakis.

In Busansky, the District 9 seat has been held for years by Republican Mike Bilirakis. His son Gus had the advantage of name recognition.

Lee Nelson is not widely known to the public. It is extremely difficult to get voters engaged while the Iraq war and presidential race dominates the news cycle. Nelson has been effective giving memorable quotes dissing Johnson's record.

My hope is that Busansky and Nelson don't tear each other to sheds in the primary. Hillsborough County does not need another term of Buddy Jonson's incompetence and corruption.

Silly Irrational Voter

Jim Johnson left a comment in Wayne Garcia's blog post. Johnson's rationale for voting for Giuliani is mind-numbing in it's stupidity. Johnson admitted he found Giuliani uninspiring. He voted for Giuliani because of his crash and burn Florida strategy. The Florida prmary relevance matters more than Giuliani's ability to govern properly.

A win by Giuliani, as I noted on my blog, would show future candidates that it is possible to skip Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina and still do well.

Giuliani would still be behind in delegates and broke going into Super Tuesday. Johnson's obsessed with Florida. The other states, that are not Iowa and New Hampshire, have just as much right to bitch about not being first. Jim the guy that backed moving up the primary against the DNC and RNC wishes. Once again Florida elections became a national punchline. This is about what Jim Johnson wants. He gave no consideration to moving up the primary before paper ballot machines were ready.

Let's discuss Giuliani the candidate. Shaggate and Bernard Kerik showed corruption is how Giuliani governs. A pro-choice philanderer will drive away the Christian Right base. Giuliani believes in the Laffer Curve.

In response to questions, the candidates said they would not support raising the gasoline tax to finance spending on the nation’s roads and bridges in response to the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis last week. Mr. Giuliani got into a terse exchange with his questioner, David Yepsen, the political columnist for The Des Moines Register, when Mr. Yepsen tried to ask him the question.

“David, there’s an assumption in your question that is not necessarily correct, sort of the Democratic, liberal assumption, ‘I need money; I raise taxes,’ ” Mr. Giuliani said.

“Then what are you going to cut, sir?” Mr. Yepsen responded. Mr. Giuliani said that as mayor of New York, he had increased revenues to pay for bridge and road repair by cutting taxes, thereby jolting the economy, and that he would do the same thing as president. The city’s treasury in that period was flush largely with revenues produced by the stock-market boom of the late 1990s.

Giuliani's ghost written Foreign Affairs's piece declares the United States lost Vietnam because we didn't stay in long enough. A corrupt South Vietnamese government and 12 years of military involvement was not enough was not enough for Giuliani. America's Mayor once said, "I disagreed with it," when asked about Vietnam. It's amazing how time with neoconservatives can change one's perspective.

America must remember one of the lessons of the Vietnam War. Then, as now, we fought a war with the wrong strategy for several years. And then, as now, we corrected course and began to show real progress. Many historians today believe that by about 1972 we and our South Vietnamese partners had succeeded in defeating the Vietcong insurgency and in setting South Vietnam on a path to political self-sufficiency. But America then withdrew its support, allowing the communist North to conquer the South. The consequences were dire, and not only in Vietnam: numerous deaths in places such as the killing fields of Cambodia, a newly energized and expansionist Soviet Union, and a weaker America. The consequences of abandoning Iraq would be worse.

Giuliani wants to destroy Medicare and create an entirely market driven program. Many people would be turned down for coverage. Medical expenses would increase from emergency room walk-ins. Giuliani told CPAC society sharing responsibility for each other is a bad thing. The people screwed out of health care might say different.

"It's a no-risk society," Giuliani went on. "If we continue with this idea of collective responsibility, we'll become a society that deteriorates. And it's a battle that has to be fought now."

He offers health care as an example. "Democrats want universal health care, collective responsibility--honestly, it's their version of socialized medicine." Even the recent health care reform in Massachusetts, designed by the Republican governor Mitt Romney, was tainted with collectivity, because it required every citizen to get health insurance.

"I don't like mandates," Giuliani says. "I don't like mandating health care. I don't like it because it erodes what makes health care work in this country--the free market, the profit motive. A mandate takes choice away from people. We've got to let people make choices. We've got to let them take the risk--do they want to be covered? Do they want health insurance? Because ultimately, if they don't, well, then, they may not be taken care of. I suppose that's difficult." He lets the idea sink in, though it seems to bother his audience not at all. "The minute you start mandating, you always end up with more expensive government programs."

The panderer-in-chief is a prostate cancer survivor. Giuliani told voters, "I had prostate cancer five, six years ago. (Editor's note: He's not sure?) My chance of surviving cancer -- and thank God I was cured of it -- in the United States: 82 percent. My chances of surviving prostate cancer in England: only 44 percent under socialized medicine." The problem is the numbers came from Dr. David Gratzer, of the conservative think tank Manhattan Institute. Gratzer used an old study from the Commonwealth Fund. THE CWF told The New York Times, "Five-year survival rates cannot be calculated from incidence and mortality rates, as any good epidemiologist knows."

None of these factors matter to Jim Johnson. It's all about Jim wanting the Florida primary moved up.

Irrational voter, indeed.

Update: Johnson evokes a Florida strategy Giuliani never had. America's Mayor outspent all Republicans in New Hampshire. Giuliani spent a great deal of time and money in Iowa and South Carolina.

Florida was the firewall. Giuliani was an undisciplined candidate. He would pull stakes, in a state, at the first sign of trouble. The former GOP frontrunner couldn't fundraise and not say embarrassing statements on the stump. The man that vowed not to run from terrorists ran a campaign of retreat.

Giuliani had the intention of winning the early states. His only problem voters found him less appealing than Ron Paul.

Iowa Caucus

To continue the back and forth that goes on between Pushing Rope and Creative Loafing, I break down the importantance of the Iowa caucas. Wayne Garcia is suffering caucas and Florida Gators burn-out.

Seriously, several of these candiadates are fucked if they don’t finish in second place. Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel and Duncan Hunter are dead men walking. Alan Keyes isn’t on the ballot and we probably won’t see him again. (You should run his campaign, Wayne.) Obama and Edwards will end up as the first and second caucas choices. Huckabee and Romney for the Republicans. Iowan just don’t feel Fred Thompson’s sex appeal and straight male Washington pundits.

Thompson and Giuliani are good as gone. The former was banking on South Carolina and Florida and the latter Florida, then carry their (laugh) momentum into Super Tuesday. Their campaigns are train wrecks. Shaggate killed Giuliani and Thompson is the laziest and dumbest presidential candidate of my lifetime. Athur Branch refuses to campaign when a Tennessee game is on. (Side note: how about them Gators!)

McCain might pull off New Hampshire.Huckabee are Romeny wins changes New Hampshire. John Kerry was polling in fourth in New Hampshire and Iowa saved him. The Swift Boated One won NH.

Iowa does matter. Say it with feeling, Wayne.

Clinton, Obama and Edwards will be battling each other after Super Tuesday. Edwards money will get thin, but he is in better shape than the Republicans. Ron Paul can run to the very end. He had the best GOP fundraising quarter and runs a bare-bones campaign.

Side note: Biden and Kucinich are telling their caucas voters to go with Obama as their second choice.

PoHo On My Deggans Post

Wayne Garcia takes issue with "one point" in my post on St. Petersburg Times Eric Deggans.

Deggans is not an ombudsman in any sense of the word; he is a media reporter, mostly writing about other media forms and companies. Both dailies in town generally leave the other alone and out of their news columns.

Garcia is correct. As I said in the Political Whore comments: the ombudsman remark was snark. My point was Deggans has a hard time finding fault in the publication he works for. Deggans is a good media critic, with the exception when it comes to his own newspaper. Deggans responsibilities at The St. Petersburg Times is not the same as the Washington Post's Deborah Howell.

Garcia's post brings up an unsaid truth. The Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times have an unspoken agreement to not critique each other's journalism standards. The losers are readers that aren't aware if they are misinformed. Bloggers are happy to point out inaccuracies in news articles. With the exception of huge blogs such as Huffington Post and Daily Kos, weblogs do not reach the same audience as newspapers. Readers will never know if they read sloppy journalism. The hands-off attitude between the Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times hurts citizens attempting to make informed choices.

Update: Eric Deggans takes exception with my previous post.

The fact is, I have found fault with many things my employer has done, most notably, the April TBT headline "He Died of Shame," which accompanied a story on WFLA weatherman John winter's suicide.

I wrote a direct criticism of that headline on my blog which was picked up by many national media blogs, including Poynter's Romenesko site and Mediabistro.com. I did it with little or no discussion with superiors and no idea what the professional consequences would be.

I also criticized TBT's pattern of running in-your face headlines to go with stories written for our main paper which are more fairly balanced.

When the New York Times ran a blindingly complimentary article about our business model, I wrote a blog post which pointed out that it was a mistaken hypothesis, given all the reductions we're going through these days.

I haven't read the articles Deggans mentioned. I have no oppinion pro or con. Deggans has the right to defend himself. Go read his comment.

The Blogger(s) Criticism of the Shelton Quarles Hiring

The St Petersburg Times interviewed Shelton Quarles about his appointment as Chairman of the TBARTA. I was struck by this question Mike Brassfield asked Quarles.

There's been a mix of positive and negative reactions to your appointment. On local blogs and Web sites, some people are saying "Oh, come on, he's not qualified for that." Does that bother you?

Wayne Garcia wrote "Bloggers said it looked like Crist was trying to kill the new transportation board." I checked Tampablab and I am the only blogger that was highly critical of the hiring. If there is another blogger that wrote a negative post, I will be more than happy to give credit. I'm wondering how I became "bloggers."

I wrote, "Quarles did donate to Crist's last campaign. Which says much about how seriously Crist takes issues like busing and light rail." What strikes me is that I (or the mystery bloggers) affected how the Quarles hiring was covered. There are interesting questions about whether or not this is good. The bogus Swiftboat attacks on John Kerry hurt his campaign. Fortunately, the media learned it's lesson and fact-checked the Right-Wing blogosphere's assault on Graeme Frost.

I am not about to say Pushing Rope is the official site for Tampa news. That would be silly. PR is a lefty blog. The site is many things. We are not a news service. I do believe that bloggers have a responsiblity to put accurate information in their posts. We are entitled to our opinions, but not facts.

I am glad that the media is questioning the Quarles hiring. The fact he left parts of his application blank should have disqualified him. He was not the most qualified person for the post. Hopefully, Quarles proves me wrong and makes positive change in transportation.

As far as getting credit for questioning Quarles hiring, who cares. I want blogs to make the media do their job. That is what really matters. We wish Mr. Quarles well. We will also take him to task if he is an ineffective chairman.

Field of Bad Dreams

Wayne Garcia appears on the never-watched Tampa Bay's Media Talk to discuss Jim Norman's $40 million pork project. Who really needs a sports arena around the Plant City area?

A point I disagree with Garcia is I don't see a glorified little league sports facility making a profit. I have written about how sports venues are a drain to tax dollars.

Tampa City Council member John Dingfelder made a great comment to Ronda Storms.

Dingfelder: I'll tell you what's ironic. You know what's ironic is for us to call (the streetcar) a boondoggle when you guys (the County Commission) vote on a $40 million sports complex out there. That's the biggest bonndoggle I've ever read about in the newspaper, and you voted for that, I'll remind you.

Yes, it is.

Who Doesn't Hate TNR

Markos Moulitsas Zúniga and Wayne Garcia both argue that the New Republic no longer matter. Kos makes his argument on political grounds.

That was obviously violated today as the New Republic betrayed, once again, that it seeks to destroy the new people-powered movement for the sake of its Lieberman-worshipping neocon owners; that it stands with the National Review and wingnutoshpere in their opposition to grassroots Democrats.

Garcia faults the credibility of TNR's Scott Thomas Beauchamp war diaries. I'm not with Garcia on this. I do question the judgement of Beauchamp being TNR editor Elspeth Reeve's husband. The story shouldn't be married to one of the editors.

The problem with TNR boils down to Martin Peretz. He has put his bizarre political agendas, such as supporting Al Gore, Lewis Libby and the invasion of Iraq, ahead of quality journalism.

It is a sad but true fact of American political life that liberals rarely exercise so much influence as when they happen to be endorsing conservative causes, and this temptation has proven consistently irresistible to Peretz and his magazine. TNR under Peretz has been a vehicle that proved extremely helpful to Ronald Reagan's wars in Central America and George Bush's war in Iraq. It provided seminal service to Newt Gingrich's and William Kristol's efforts to kill the Clinton plan for universal health care and offered intellectual legitimacy to Charles Murray's efforts to portray black people as intellectually inferior to whites. As for liberal causes, however … well, not so much.

In case you are wondering, TNR considers itself a Lefty political magazine. With friends like this who needs the National Review?

Netroots For Dummies

"His fanbase is entirely netroots... they're not frequent voters if ever. A lot of the people I spoke to never voted for a candidate, but this guy turned me on."

Wayne Garcia on Ron Paul.

Garcia makes the mistake of thinking Ron Paul's Myspace friends are netroots. They are not. The Republican Party, and it's current presidential candidates, have yet to provide anything resembling on organization. Gene Smith is also known as Gatordem. He has worked on Democratic campaigns in the Tampa area for years. Boy wonder Ray Seaman is highly active in the Florida Democratic Party. These are people that hardly can be accused of rarely voting.

Garcia and Jim Johnson have no idea what the netroots is about because they aren't apart of it. Progressive bloggers don't give a shit about Myspace polls. It is about making the media cover issues, raising awareness and money for candidates.

Getting Trent Lott to step down as Senate Majority Leader was a result of action taken by progressive bloggers. The Note was the only news site to mention Lott's racist comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday party. No network broadcasts covered the story. Josh Marshall and Duncan Black read The Note and wrote about the Lott story. Both correctly guessed that John Kerry's expensive haircut would get more media exposure. Other bloggers then covered Lott. The attention was so great that Lott then because a story. The rest is history.

Howard Dean's netroots campaign made him the frontrunner because of exposure and online fundraising. Dean proved that the internet can't stop a candidate from embarrassing himself on television. It did give him the potential tools to win. Democracy for America was created from the Dean campaign. The site encourages Democrats and activist to meetup with other likeminded individuals to raise money and GOTV. Not vote in online polls. Ron Paul has nothing resembling the netroots. For Garcia to call it that is a mistake.

What the netroots does is even the playing field for Democrats. For too long the Donkeys had nothing to compete with corporate fundraising and the right-wing echo chamber of talk radio and Fox News.

How do I know all this? I am part of the netroots. I used netroots organization to draw attention to certain stories. The police-handling of the University of Tampa rape and Rachel Moran's offensive post against the homeless are examples. I also was in contact with the Kathy Castor campaign last election and work with the 527 group Florida Progressive Coalition.

Short answer: we could play six degrees of separation with all my netroots connections.

Wayne Garcia on Studio 10

Wayne Garcia discusses President candidate Ron Paul on Studio 10. None of that matters because Paul doesn't stand a chance in hell of winning. What I find amusing is that Garcia wasn't interviewed in the kitchen set. This gives Garcia an excuse not to fullfill his promise of making (potentially disgusting) wild mushroom bread pudding recipe.