Notes From The Swamp, Florida In The Final Days Of The Election 2 - Where's The Evil?

I spoke this morning with a woman who is organizing lawyers for early voting in Southern Florida. They're sending two shifts of lawyers to each poll. I asked if there was any evil going on. She said no, she hadn't seen much evil at the early voting centers. That's a big contrast from 2004, when Republicans would show up at early voting centers with signs saying, "Vote For Kerry! Support Gay Adoption!" But this year the evil is noticeably lacking. If there was voter intimidation in Southern Florida this person would know about it.

There has been a preemptive lawsuit filed in Dade County to stop the GOP from frivolous ballot challenges based on things like recent foreclosures. The Florida GOP said they have no intention of challenging based on foreclosures. The Florida GOP this year are like puppies on valium. They're so convinced they've lost it's seeming like a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's like the Dallas Mavericks in the final game of the 2007 playoffs, like they just want to get it over with, but that didn't stop Baron Davis from slamming over Dirk Nowitzki, who is seven feet tall. The Democrats are energized, filling stadiums, waiting hours to vote. The Republicans are staying home, counting their money.

Speaking of Republicans, last night we had drinks with Roger Stone, the man responsible for the Brooks Brothers Riot in 2000 that shut down the recount. Scott Rothstein was nearby with his bodyguards, chomping on a fat cigar, laughing. Rothstein's law firm was upstairs and Roger Stone has a suite of offices attached to Rothstien's firm. Rothstein is the third largest McCain fundraiser in Florida. Recently Rothstein bought the restaurant in the building entryway. Now the waitresses all wear black corsets and martinis cost $9, it's like a high end version of hooters.

There was lots of kissing on the cheek and men whispering in one another's ears. The suits were expensive, but a bit shiny. One man was said to be the local crime boss. It made me think of Joan Didion's Miami, where "politics have consequences." I thought the real story here was Scott Rothstein. I'd like to spend a day with him.

Stone was surprisingly charismatic. He said he agreed with Governor Charlie Crist on extending early voting. "You can't be afraid of Democracy." He said high ranking Republicans were extremely upset by the move. He said there was no coordination between the state party and the McCain camp. He strongly supported McCain but clearly thought he had run a terrible campaign. "Why would you ask a lobbyist to run your campaign for president? What skills do they have that help you run a campaign?"

We asked if there was anything that could be done by the Republicans in the coming days. "There is no silver bullet," he said. He said you should begin criticizing your opponent early and then build over time, so in the final thirty days you don't sound shrill. He compared John McCain's campaign to John Kerry who, "Also thought once you said something you've said it and you can move on."

He blamed some of the apathy in Florida on McCain's decision not to pick Crist as his running mate. "A lot of enthusiasm drained out of the state Republican party."

The strange thing about Roger Stone is that he's not that far right, he's voting against the anti-gay marriage amendment for example. But he believes strongly in dirty tactics. In 2004 he was responsible for the signs in Philadelphia that read Kerry/Specter, as if John Kerry and Arlen Specter were on the same ticket.

Now he says he regrets the Brooks Brothers Riot. He feels responsible for electing George W. Bush president, which has been a disaster. He says he feels responsible for the soldiers that have died in the unnecessary war in Iraq. "All those dead soldiers are on me." So why did he do it? "I owed James Baker a favor," he said. "I had to do it."

Stone took us upstairs to his offices, filled with Nixon memorabilia. Stone thinks McCain will lose Florida by the same margin Kerry did. I asked him if he would vote for Obama over Bush and he wouldn't say. "I wish Gore had run this time."

Notes From The Swamp 1

- Stephen Elliott

Comments

[Daisy1111]

I'm in FL. I'm a registered Democrat. I already voted .... for Mac. So did my family here, so that's 10 more. And I know at least 50 other registered Dems who did not vote for The One. Don't assume all those FL democrats are voting party line.

[Pdubya]

where is the evil?

on the software of the machine that counts the votes.

www.blackboxvoting.org

[johnwinner]

The 'en masse' decision of the Florida Republican Party - frm Crist down - t jump off the McCain ship is one of the bigger less-reported stories of the election; Florida wil NOT be stolen this year, which means it almost certainly votes Obama. When it does, and Pennsylvania does (even the closet racists will look in their empty bank accounts and ignore Obama's skin color), Obama will only need Virginia OR North Carolina OR Nevada AND Colorado. If he gets Nevada AND Colorado AND either Virginia OR North Carolina, it' a landslide. (Sorry, Ohio, contrary to pundit myth, you're really not that important this year. And if you vote for Mr NAFTA CAFTA McCain, you probably never will be again.)
For Florida itself, however, what needs to be done is dismantling the machinery of corruption put into place by Jeb Bush. I don't envy them; we in New York are still trying to rcover from the rape we received from Patacki (the as yet unspoken designer of Bushonomics).
The NeoCons really did a number on all of us, and the voting majority followed them for more than a decade like sheep to slaughter.
That is the crime we all need to confess and repent - and change.

[got2Bkidding]

Where's the evil you ask.

Same place it always is in a Florida election. On the ballot.

Prop 2 wants to amend our Constitution not only banning gay marriage, but indeed defining marriage as a man and woman united in matrimony. This amendment would make it almost impossible for cohabitants regardless of sexual orientation to visit sick loved one's in the hospital. Deprive them of Insurance benefits as well as time off to care for an ill or dying loved one. All because they are not "joined in matrimony".

Our republican legislature does this every time we vote. In the primaries they added a measure to double the homestead exemption and allow you to "take it with you". The only reason they do this is to get out the republican vote. They understand that the majority of voters will side with the party on most measures. It only takes one issue to get them to the polls, then human nature will carry the day for the republicans.

This is what Floridians deal with every election cycle. There's the evil, even if you don't recognize it for what it is.

[robbie44]

McCain has us right were he wants us.............right.

[Hopefulinfl]

"Where is the Evil?", you write. I am sure that was all tongue in cheek. Roger Stone was all about using dirty tactics in order to elect his man W. Sadly and tragically, his tactics thwarted the democratic process in America and as he admits, has caused thousands of needless deaths.

Frankly this man has made a mockery of our system. He has done everything in his power to destroy our constitution and our faith in our system. He is no moderate. I do not put anything past this man and what they can try to do this time. However, please note that we are not the same people now that we were back in 2000. We are older, wiser and will not stand for such abuse.

[rich misty]

As of October 31, 8:00PM EDT: Obama: 360 McCain: 178 Meta-margin: Obama +8.38%

http://election.princeton.edu/

When you are in war, your intelligence is responsible for assessing the moral of the enemy. You take that into consideration when you make tactical moves... A weak moral indicates the strong possibility of a major, unexpected, breakthru.

This is a GOTV election now... Take time this weekend, and call old friends, call close friends, talk to your family...

GOTV

[STILJON]

First time voters and young people"s concerns will never be pursued again if you don"t show up this time. This is the largest effort ever to bring in new voters so if you don"t vote you will permanently prove the belief that first time voters do not go to the polls. Make this time different. You could finally change the landscape of the electorate and force your ideas to be considered, expanding policies beyond the base of both parties. I certainly hope we hear more of this addressed in the media so new voters understand what is at stake and actually vote.

[NationalTreasure]

stop it don't jinx this

the republicans have four more days to make mischief

let's just take a deep breath and get organized, volunteer and rock the vote

volunteer for Obama/Biden 2008 or any down ballot Democratic candidate and VOTE!

[Pdubya]

cheating is not a partisan event.

explain the new hampshire primaries if you hold that to be true.

[vegas9999]

It must feel good to be with a party so snow white. The party that tried to stop military votes because they were post marked a day late.

[Kingbreaker]

Gee. . . . on ELECTION DAY their man lost, and THEN they decided to vote.

Call me crazy but that's illegal, whether or not a uniform is involved.

Meanwhile, the reichswingers want to disqualify hundreds of thousands of votes because a data entry clerk can't type correctly into a database.

Sickeningly hypocritical.

[vegas9999]

Since when does illegal mean anything? http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/10/31/joe.html?sid=101

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

Florida is so full of these varmints.

[got2Bkidding]

As a 9th generation Floridian, I feel compelled to note the obvious. Everyone of these varmints came from somewhere else. Florida is full of them cause this is where they migrate to, when it gets too cold or whatever.

When I was growing up Florida was a yellow dog state. So don't blame us Floridians. Blame your aunts and uncles that all retired down here.