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Well, the move to a new host was easier than I thought. The new, improved Flablog will be at www.flablog.net Change your bookmarks, alter your routine, catch up with the new plan, Stan. Yes, a few of the functions don't work yet, but we're getting there. Note the cool archive function down in the lower left near the RSS square. Cool huh. Of course, the vast majority of the old links don't work. We're still ironing out the bugs. But it should be a cooler site for going through all this. Lane | 29.8.04 | (0) comments

www.flablog.net

www.flablog.net -- www.flablog.com is taken, I can't imagine why -- has been registered and will be the blog's new home soon. Lane | 29.8.04 | (0) comments

Another Senate recommendation

+ The Times-Union, which has Florida's most right-wing daily editorial page, comes out for McCollum and Castor. + The Orlando Sentinel is for Martinez. (They had earlier recommended Betty Castor for the Dems.) Meanwhile, the Miami Herald - St. Pete Times poll says the Republican race is a toss-up and Castor is way out front for the Dems. It also finds two out of three Floridians support stem-cell research. The Recommendation Round-Up: Castor: Daytona Beach News-Journal, St. Pete Times, Fla. Times-Union, Lakeland Ledger, Tampa Tribune, Stuart News, Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, Orlando Sentinel, Gainesville Sun and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Deutsch: Sun-Sentinel. Penelas: Nope, nobody, zip. Byrd: Not nobody nowhere. Martinez: St. Pete Times, Fla. Times-Union, Stuart News,Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, St. Pete Times, Lakeland Ledger, Orlando Sentinel and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. McCollum: Daytona Beach News-Journal, Tampa Tribune and the Gainesville Sun. Lane | 29.8.04 | (0) comments

Sold out by the righties

I hate to say this about a House impeachment manager, but I feel sorry for Bill McCollum. He spends a career quietly doing the bidding the of the Christian right and voting along with the Republican leadership. He racks up a 93 percent scorecard rating with the Christian Coalition and a 100 percent voting record with National Right to Life in his last year in the House. But it isn't good enough. Because backs a modest loosening of stem-cell research restrictions and voted for hate-crime bills (on the theory that attacking people because of race, religion or sexual orientation is, you know, a bad thing) the Christian Rights totally turns on him. This is not a turn-the-other-cheek crowd. For his minor deviations from conservative dogma, the groups he served for years attack him as "anti-family" and part of "the gay agenda." And this happens after the Bushes already had dissed him by recruiting and supporting Mel Martinez to run against him. I'd feel kind of sold out by my party if I were him. No surprise then that the final TV debate among the GOP Senate candidates got harsh. During the debate, McCollum dramatically pulled a new Martinez flier out of his suit coat pocket, saying it "accuses me of catering to the radical homosexual lobby." "That is just despicable," he told Martinez. "It's nasty. It's not true. It's absolutely incorrect." McCollum demanded that Martinez condemn the flier and apologize, but Martinez did neither. Instead, President Bush's former housing secretary said: "Words were used that were not mine, and were not of my choosing. Those words were spoken by others." That's right, Mel, deniablity. You have learned Mr. Rove's lessons well. Lane | 28.8.04 | (0) comments

GITN - 'Gators in the News!

Florida is the kid of place where even walking the dog can be an adventure. Lane | 27.8.04 | (0) comments

Minimum wage, maximum support

It's early to ask about state constitutional amendments, but one poll shows 72 percent of Florida voters back increasing the minimum wage. Support is 86 percent among South Florida voter and 92 percent among black voters. Lane | 27.8.04 | (0) comments

Dueling polls

Tallahassee Democrat is disgusted with both Deutsch and Martinez and decries campaigns of Fear and smear. But it seems to work. Martinez has taken the lead according to a Mason-Dixon poll. (R.R.) For Johnnie Byrd, it's not such a beautiful day in the state of Florida. He's losing a race for third place to newcomer Doug Gallagher. But the Insider Advantage poll says McCollum is narrowly ahead. (And Byrd is losing the race for third place a little more narrowly.) This is posted at Sayfie's new Florida Insider page which looks bookmarkable despite the Republican Party propaganda. (Two things I enjoy about Sayfie: the days when virtually every link is headlined "MUST READ" in red, and the way all labor officials, no matter how lowly, are identified as "union bosses," as they were characters from On the Waterfront.) Lane | 27.8.04 | (0) comments

Redesign

Yes, Flablog looks different. It's been redesigned and still needs a few tweaks and changes, but it's mostly there. Pretty soon it will move to a new host, too, because we just need more space. Not to worry, though; Flabloggers will get plenty of notice. The new look was done by Youth Korps Design, which is mostly my son, Nathan. Most of his work is on web sites and graphics for ultra-underground rock bands that you really don't want to know about. So bear with me while we take care of the details. Lane | 26.8.04 | (4) comments

Senate campaign heats up

Anyone who doubts that the Martinez campaign is a remote-controlled Karl Rove job, should look at this: An "independent" right-wing group smears Martinez's main opponent. Sounds kind of familiar. Sexual McCarthyism is nasty stuff indeed. Connie Mack calls it "political hate speech." (Palm Beach Post version here.) And Gallagher takes out out ads attacking Martinez for his attacks on McCollum. (R.R.) Which seems kind of odd when you think about it. Meanwhile, The Daytona Beach News-Journal recommends McCollum and Castor. The latest poll has Castor so far ahead that Deutsch would need to win all the undecideds to make it a tie. (R.R.) Caster: 45 percent; Deutsch: 31; Penelas: 9. Margin-o-error: 4.5 percent. Lane | 26.8.04 | (1) comments

Florida elections -- We bad

Slate write Ann Louise Bardach asks Why is Florida's voting system so corrupt? It's a rhetorical question. She doesn't know why. Instead she explains the problems, and there are many. A nice overview of stuff Flabloggers doubtless already know. About the only thing that could restore confidence in Florida electoral procedures would be Hood's immediate resignation; her successor should then be chosen by a bipartisan commission. And as Gov. Bush cannot possibly be an impartial observer in his brother's quest for another term, he should recuse himself from every aspect involving the vote count in Florida. He also needs to flex his power with his famously compliant Legislature to repeal the new laws eliminating manual recounts and witnessed absentee ballots. In addition, all felons who have repaid their debt to society, following completion of their sentences, should have their voting rights restored. If these changes are not made, Florida cannot conduct a credible election come November. Lane | 24.8.04 | (1) comments

Another poll

Gallup Poll says Florida voters are -- you guessed it -- evenly divided in the presidential race . Bush, 48; Kerry, 46; Nader doubles his support to gain 2 percent. (Via Daily Kos.) TBO.com lists the old polls. Lane | 24.8.04 | (0) comments

Betty hits back

No more Ms. Nice Guy: Castor goes negative. Meanwhile, Dems fret about collateral damage inflicted by Deutsch's combative campaign style. Lane | 24.8.04 | (0) comments

Slate's take on Florida

I almost overlooked Slate's overview last week of the presidential race in Florida. Seth Stevenson sees the trends breaking ever so slightly in Kerry's favor. Bonus: Find the Susan McManus Quote. (TM) Surprise! -- she opposes the conventional wisdom and sees Gore voters switching to Bush, and once again, is upbeat on the GOP's prospects. Lane | 23.8.04 | (1) comments

Orange Co. voter intimidation (cont.)

Bob Herbert again sees Orange County voter intimidation as part of a Florida GOP pattern and recalls the felons list fiasco. Lane | 23.8.04 | (0) comments

Another Senate recommendation

+ Lakeland Ledger recommends Betty Castor for the Dems and Mel Martinez for the Reps. So far, among the major dailies: + Castor has six recommendations; Deutsch, one. + Martinez, six; McCollum one. Lane | 22.8.04 | (0) comments

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