Unfortunately, some of my friends have jumped the shark in their efforts to protect Representative Will Weatherford, who is also the Redistricting Chairman in the Florida Legislature, and happens to have been singled out as the sole villain regarding the ‘Screw Allen West’ campaign.

Fellow Florida blogger Sarah Rumpf unfortunately jumped blindly into this chess game, but she was not privy to the specific information as to the real dealings behind the scandal in Tallahassee regarding redistricting and its changes to Allen West’s congressional district.  I pointed out to Sarah that she was out of the loop and her league with regards to this issue, and in her efforts to defend Weatherford, she only made him look worse.

Here’s the original Shark Tank post that started it all-Weatherford Confirms Redistricting Will Leave Allen West’s Congressional Seat Vulnerable

Weatherford has been peppered with criticism about his specific involvement in the scandal, as Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin have both seriously chastised his involvement.  While I defended Weatherford from those who tried to pin all of the blame in this matter on him, he was nonetheless a member of the redistricting committee that collectively are deserving of blame.

Rush Limbaugh’s rant against Weatherford and the Florida Legislature can be found here, with a link to the Shark Tank

Allen West is not only an individual of the utmost integrity, he is also a very meticulous congressman.  West will not corroborate any assertion written in a newspaper, blog or other source without him knowing first hand or having sufficient corroborating facts to form an opinion or for him to believe what is either being said or written.

In a television interview on CBS, West questioned the possible motives of the existing term-limited state legislators.

“No one’s gonna lay a trap for me.” -Allen West

The so-called “Most Conservative Legislature” in Florida’s history is having a bit of an identity crisis of late as Republican legislators are somewhat split on whether to back SB 2038, a bill that privatizes the 28 correction facilities in South Florida. Senator President Mike Haridopolos recently stripped State Senator Mike Fasano of his Chairmanship of the Senate budge subcommittee that oversees spending on courts and prisons. Haridopolos also canned Fasano from the principal budget committee as well-

“I had lost confidence in him to build (on) the mission” of cutting the cost of government. It was a very difficult decision, but I just felt he was not rowing in the same direction. He was not ready to make the tough choices. He couldn’t handle the responsibility.”

Fasano and his moderate to left-leaning positions have been at odds with Haridopolos for quite some time, and it was only a matter of time before these two legislators butted heads once and for all.

The rumor mills in Tallahassee and Tampa  Bay are buzzing that Fasano and the ‘bad blood’ that exists between him and the ‘establishment Republicans’ in Pasco County could prompt a retaliatory run for Congress against sitting Republican Congressman Gus Bilirakis in a primary.  This scenario is a plausible one, as it seems the only option that Fasano has after he is term-limited out of his Senate seat.

In addtion to Fasano’s oppositon to the Corrections Bill, Senator Greg Evers (R) has disclosed that his wife Lori Weems is lobbying for four of the union groups that are opposed to the measure.

But according to Evers, the reason for his opposition to the bill is the fact that he has several prisons and numerous employees  of those facilities living within his Senate district.  Evers also says that his position is independent of his lobbying activity.

The problem for Republicans that are backing the bill is that under Senate rules, Evers is still eligible to vote on the bill even after disclosing his wife’s ties to the unions, and there have been calls for his recusal from voting.

A couple of questions about Evers’ support against the bill are why did Evers vote ‘for’ the issue last year, as it was part of the state budget, and not question it then? The other question that can be asked is, why would be an other so-called “small business’ Republicans ever consider siding with the Teamster’s against freeing up millions of dollars that could go to schools and other pressing priorites.

Some other notable Legislators that are against, or on the fence about passing the corrections privatization bill are Republican Senators Paula Dockery, Steve Oerlrich, Charlie Dean, Chuck Latvala and Nancy Detert.

The Teamsters are not known for the subtly in dealing with issues that affect its members, and they are well known to employ intimidation and ‘Alinsky-stlye’ tactics and antics that get their message across.  It’s no surprise that the teamsters are saying that if corrections facilities are privatized it would lead to a significant loss of jobs- but the Teamsters don’t tell you is that the privatization of correctional facilities would still require the same number of employees, and perhaps even more than were already on the job.

Real Conservatives have always pushed back at Teamster’s and at the ACLU’s nefarious ways of trying to take away civil liberties.

Enter the ACLU

The American Civil Liberties Union, or as some call it, the “Anti Constitutional Liberties Union” has now stepped into the fray.  The ACLU has just put out a ‘call to action’ that states the following-

“They’re more dangerous for correction workers and inmates, and no person should ever have to worry that the terms and conditions of his or her incarceration are influenced by profit. The only real way to cut prison spending is to break the cycle of mass incarceration.” – ACLU of Florida

Read the press release below.

It seems as if the Republican Presidential primary has narrowed down to two candidates- Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney. Rick Santorum,  arguably the most conservative candidate in race, doesn’t seem to be able to poll higher than the mid-teens.  Ron Paul is lagging in the  low double-digits  according to the latest Real Clear Politics average of national polls. So why is Ron Paul doing so poorly?  Many have speculated that Congressman Paul could have turned out to be the surprise candidate and make a serious run for the Republican  nomination, but we are now seeing that Paul’s strong showing in Iowa and New Hampshire was not representative of his real support around the country.

To Paul’s credit, he is only a few percentage points behind Santorum, but these numbers will surely change as more and more people will start siding with either Romney or Gingrich. Santorum and Paul need to be given a lot of respect and praise for making the run in the first place. This being said, expect Santorum to make a little push in the coming weeks.

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As some of you may recall, Senator Marco Rubio’s SW Florida Director Mike Brennan was arrested for assault at his home about two weeks ago in Lee County, Florida.

According to Police, Brennan’s wife Kelly accused him of  throwing her to the ground, wrapping her up in a rug and then kicking her while she was in the rug.  This sounds like a scene from the movie ‘Goodfellas,’ right?  Well, it turns out to have been all made up- kinda. 

 ”Kelly states she landed on top of a rug that was lying on the garage floor…she acted as she had passed out when she landed,” read the arresting officer’s report. “Kelly states Michael then began to roll her up into the carpet ‘as if I was dead or something’… Michael then began to kick and punch at the carpet with her still wrapped in it.”-Huffington Post

The truth to this unfortunate incident is that Kelly Brennan was extremely intoxicated when she made those allegations, and the police took the word of a biligerent drunk woman (at the time) over her husband’s, and arrested him. The incident forced Mike Brennan to resign from his job with Senator Rubio.

But the truth of what really happened that night came out days later, as Kelly Brennan recanted what she said, saying  that she did not remember what she actually said that night.

Here is Kelly Brennan’s statement about the incident via legal counsel:

Kelly Brennan, wife of Mike Brennan the former Regional Director to U.S. Senator Marco Rubio says she was highly intoxicated and suffering from Postpartum Stress which led her to make outrageous claims against her husband.  Mrs. Brennan states that she doesn’t even remember exactly what she said that night but says her husband has “never once been violent”. “He did not harm me ever.”  ”Mike is a wonderful husband and father.”

Mike Brennan released the follow statement regarding the dropping of charges against him:

“We are pleased that once the facts were reviewed, the States Attorney’s office found that there was insufficient evidence to pursue a charge against my client. Mr. Brennan maintained his innocence from the moment he was contacted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and we had no doubt that he would be vindicated.

  We deeply regret that the Lee County Sheriff’s Office failed to take the necessary time to thoroughly investigate this incident and corroborate Mr. Brennan’s statement by interviewing their babysitter, who was present at the home at the time of the alleged incident.  Further, the physical evidence in the case supports my client’s innocence.  It would have been physically impossible for Mrs. Brennan’s claims to be true, yet this went unnoticed by law enforcement officers.  Instead the arresting officer took the statement of Mrs. Brennan, who was obviously intoxicated, and instantly decided to arrest my client. My client was totally cooperative, and sober throughout the entire interview process giving consistent statements and even asking that they contact the babysitter to verify his story.

With the recent news that Adam Hasner has dropped out of the Republican U.S. Senate primary race in Florida, the field of candidates narrows, leaving two men standing. The focus will be primarily on Congressman Connie Mack as the frontrunner and presumptive nominee.
Former Senator George LeMieux has been running a distant second to Mack, but after this week, the gap between the two candidates will likely widen, as Governor Mitt Romney has had Mack stumping for him around the state.  Romney has introduced Mack  as “The next Senator for the state of Florida.”  Not exactly an endorsement, but the statement weighs just as heavy, as Romney is now the presumptive Presidential nominee and will command considerable influence and campaign dollars.

Probably the biggest liability that LeMieux has been trying to overcome is his past relationship with Governor Charlie Crist.  LeMieux is known as “The Maestro” of Governor Crist’s past campaigns, and has even referred to himself as a “Charlie Crist Republican.”  The problem with that characterization is that Crist stabbed the GOP in the back and ran as an Independent against Senator Marco Rubio in the 2010 general  election, and he even said that he would consider voting for President Barack Obama over the Republican Presidential  nominee.

This would be expected from the the #1 political chameleon of our time, but for LeMieux, it keeps reminding Republican activists about the Charlie Crist/George LeMieux connection.  It is known that LeMieux was Crist’s top guy for awhile, even after Crist embraced the now failed $787 Billion Obama Stimulus Act of 2009. Remember that LeMieux did vote pretty conservatively during his 16 month stint in the U.S. Senate.

But even as LeMieux was Crist’s best buddy, Congressman Connie Mack was also tied at the hip to Charlie Crist during the 2010 election cycle, as he endorsed Crist over Rubio, and accepted the position of state chairmanship for the Charlie Crist for Senate campaign.  Mack was one of the first to side with Crist, even after Crist campaigned with President Obama ahead of the vote on the stimulus act, and continued supporting  him until he turned Independent. Word on the street is that Connie Mack supported Charlie Crist primarily because of a long family history between his Dad, Connie Mack III and the former Governor of Florida. Redstate’s Erick Erickson said of Mack, “his voting record in the House was conservative, (but) he never proved himself to be a guy willing to stand up to leadership and actually fight.”

Conservative Radio Show host Mark Levin has also been outspoken against Mack, referring to him as a “moderate” Republican.

One of Mack’s biggest issues is the perception that he spends little time in his congressional district.  Mack’s wife is Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack from California, and because he is not seen as much around his Florida District, the assumption is that he is making his primary residence in sunny California.

Disgruntled constituents also feel that Mack has taken a ‘safe’ approach to politics by not injected himself into some of the more pressing and visible issues that have been covered in the media.  Mack, who lists on his website that he is a Catholic, has also drawn the ire of pro-life conservatives with his multiple votes backing tax payer funded human embryo destruction (ESCR), including a vote to  override a veto from President George W. Bush to defend human life.

But given the negative public perception that both candidates have regarding their ties to Charlie Crist, does this issue make room for a more conservative and less compromised Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate?

Many of these conservatives are saying that Romney’s recent appearances with Connie Mack at his Presidential campaign events were a turn off, thus making the case for the low level of support in the northern part of the state.   Interestingly, Governor Mitt Romney squeaked past Speaker Newt Gingrich in some solidly conservative counties in northern Florida, narrowly winning Duval County-where in 2008, he handily beat Senator John McCain.

It’s likely that conservative activists across the state will continue to voice their disapproval towards both of these candidates, and they are hoping that a conservative replacement for Adam Hasner will soon enter the race. Will either Connie Mack or George LeMieux reach out to the conservative base in time to shore up their support? For all intents and purposes, this Senate race may be far from over.

Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign  is planning to contest Governor Mitt Romney’s Florida’s ’winner take all’ primary. Back on September 29, 2011, at the Republican Party of Florida’s Presidency 5 festivities in Orlando, Florida, the Party’s executive committee unanimously adopted Rule 10, and the rule was approved by the Republican National Committee (RNC), which lays out the delegate selection and apportionment.

The result for adopting this rule meant that the state party would concede half of their delegates, in order to be able to move up the primary election,  make it a all or nothing delegate count on election night. The Florida legislature, which knew of the RNC’s penalty for moving the primary date, put together a 9 person committee that eventually voted to move the primary date. Once the the penalty was enforced, the state party’s rule 10 was implemented, and the RNC recognized and affirmed the the RPOF’s moving of the primary date.

According to RPOF Spokesman Brian Hughes, the Gingrich campaign knew that it was participating in a winner-take-all primary.

According to the Miami Herald, this issue maybe far from over as “at least one Republican has announced he plans to file a challenge to the state’s delegate system with the Republican National Committee. The challenge could be heard in May. By that time, there’s a chance the nomination will be effectively wrapped up, so it won’t make a difference. But the race is volatile. So this could become a bigger issue.” -Miami Herald

“On September 23, 2011, RPOF’s Executive Board – 38 people including members from around the state, members who serve on the RNC, and members who are affiliated with different campaigns – unanimously passed RPOF Rule 10. Rule 10 determined Florida would be winner take all if the primary date was moved by statute and Florida was penalized by RNC for the move. All campaigns and the RNC have known since then that Florida was winner take all. RNC’s legal counsel has, on numerous occasions, noted their understanding and acceptance of Florida’s rule.”Florida was winner take all before Election Day, we were winner take all on Election Day, we will remain winner take all. As Bill McCollum confirmed to Fox News today, had the outcome been different on Tuesday he would not be seeking publicity for a challenge to the rules adopted by Florida’s Republicans. It is a shame when the loser of a contest agrees to the rules before, then cries foul after losing.”

***Update- Adam Hasner has just formally announced that he will run for Congress.

Former Florida House Majority Leader and now former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Adam Hasner will announce that he is  running for Congress in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, currently held by Congressman Allen West, who just announced yesterday that he will be running for re-election in congressman Tom Rooney’s congressional district, according to a source close to West.

That same source close to Congressman Allen West has confirmed the following to the Shark Tank:

“Congressman Allen West is in full support of Adam Hasner running for Congressional District 22, and a full endorsement is forthcoming.”

Congressman Tom Rooney will be running for re-election in a newly proposed congressional district that stretches from Martin County to Charlotte County on west coast of state.

But the more important developing story concerns what we previously reported about the “Screw Allen West campaign” that originated in the Florida Legislature.  This story was discussed by Rush ‘El Rushbo’ Limbaugh, who excoriated Redistricting Chairman Will Weatherford as well as Mark Levin, who joined Rush in following the bread crumbs straight to the top of the Florida Senate.

Our trusted source in Tallahassee tells us that “the powers that be” are infuriated with our reportage of this story and its subsequent fallout, and inexplicably, are now considering changing up the redistricting lines again.  But this possible move would not only cause further confusion amongst incumbents and or candidates across the state who have already announced their intentions to run in their respective districts, it would also potentially undermine what everyone has publicly stated they would not do in regards to Amendments 5 & 6, which is to draw congressional and legislative districts that protect incumbents or favor either political party.

Has redistricting unfortunately become riddled with personal agendas within the Florida Legislature?  For example, there is some serious bad blood that remains between Senate President Mike Haridipolos and Adam Hasner.  When Haridopolos dropped out of the U.S. Senate race early last year he stated that, “I can tell you one thing: I will not be supporting Adam Hasner for the Senate.”

Their feud stems back from an alleged personal agreement that the two men had prior to Hasner’s announcement for the Senate last year, where they agreed not to run against each other for Congress.

By the way, has anyone noticed that the Democratic Party have been extremely quiet about the proposed redistricting lines that have been made public?  Not even a peep from Congresswoman/DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz- no one has expressed any opposition to the lines.  This fuels the speculation that, as we’ve reported before, Democrats were involved in both the process and the final “deal” all along.

An impressive who’s of Florida Republicans were in attendance at last night’s Romney victory event in Tampa, FL.  Those in attendance included Congressman Connie Mack, AG Pam Bondi, CFO Jeff Atwater, AG Commissioner Adam Putnam, Rep. Will Weatherford, and Senators Anitere Flores and John Thrasher.

Also attending the event was the inner circle of the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), including its chairman, Lenny Curry. We caught up with Curry immediately after Romney was declared the winner in Florida’s Republican primary election and he talked about how the Party was going to move forward in promoting Republican candidates for both federal and state positions.

The Republican Party of Florida represenents  the registered Republicans in the state of Florida, and they spoke tonight. They went in, they cast their ballot and chose Mitt Romney. I think he made the case that Rick Scott’s been making all year, job creation, free enterprise, and the opportunity that it creates for people. Which is a stark contrast to what President Obama believes. RPOF Chairman Lenny Curry

We asked Curry if the RPOF would try support all Republican incumbents and candidates statewide- not just its preferred ones.  Curry said that, “We want to make sure that are incumbents are protected, and we re-elect our incumbents” and that the “primaries need to play themselves out,” and that once “we have a nominee, full steam ahead.”  Curry’s statement about supporting the eventual nominee once the primary races are decided gives those aspiring nominees hope that that Party will finally assist in defeating Democrats everywhere.  The RPOF has a notorious past by not supporting its candidates, including many Republican primary winners. 

Florida CFO Jeff Atwater said of Romney’s win that “I think it was a great win, I really do,”  and added

 Such diversity in this state and it seems like so many constituencies went with him(Romney) all across different parts of the state, I think its very powerful.- Florida CFO Jeff Atwater

Here is Governor Mitt Romney’s victory speech in its entirety-

After looking at the exit polling data, it’s pretty clear that the issue of electability was the decisive one.  Forty six percent of Florida voters said the ability to defeat President Obama in November was the most important consideration that influenced their vote, a percentage that very neatly aligns with Romney’s final tally, and that’s likely to remain a statistic that remains in Romney’s favor throughout the month of February.  Rick Santorum finished with 13% and Ron Paul with 7%.

Newt Gingrich had a real shot to win Florida 10 days ago, but his subpar performances in both Florida debates combined with an avalanche of Romney ads on the airwaves caused Gingrich’s lead to evaporate just days after the South Carolina Primary.   Gingrich also damaged his own cause with his proposal to establish a permanent moon colony by the end of his second term, which definitely undermined his fiscal conservative bona fides.

Gingrich is vowing to continue the primary fight with his newly adopted “46 States To Go” campaign slogan.

**Update below

The Shark Tank has learned that Congressman Tom Rooney has announced that he is running for re-election to Congress in one of Florida’s two newly created congressional districts, and that Congressman Allen West will run for re-election in Congressman Rooney’s 16th Congressional District.

The speculation will now begin as to which Republican will run in Allen West’s 22nd Congressional District. It is possible that either George LeMieux or Adam Hanser could abandon their Senate candidacies and run in the district, as both are from the area. The possibility exists that other current candidates for Congress in adjoining congressional districts could enter the fray as well.

***Update-Marc Caputo is confirming what the Shark Tank has asserted since last year-Adam Hasner mulling over a possible run in Congressional District 22. This would mean that he would drop out of U.S. Senate race.

Related Links -Weatherford Confirms Redistricting Will Leave Allen West’s Congressional Seat Vulnerable