FOX IN CHARGE OF CHICKENHOUSE -- REP. MICA BRAGS OF PRIVATIZING SECURITY CLEARANCE INVESTIGATIONS

On his website, Rep. JOHN MICA says:

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Reform

From 1995 to 1996, Chairman Mica held hearings on efforts to privatize the investigative function of OPM and in July of 1996, after reaching a $24 million deficit, OPM converted its in-house investigations unit into a profitable employee-owned company, U.S. Investigations Service (USIS), Inc. In its first year, this first-ever privatization of a government function had saved the American taxpayers over $1 million and had dramatically increased the speed and efficiency of this vital service. Today, USIS serves as a model for future government privatization efforts.


NOthing could be further from the truth. This corrupt system insures incompetent security clearance investigations and delays, depriving government employees of investigations by other government employees. This conflict of interest violates the Delegation Doctrine, delegating a core government function (investigations) to a private company OPM investigators were forced to work for or quit. Rather than being a reformer, MICA is a "doer" (as President GEORGE BUSH said). MOre like an "evil-doer," in Bush's words.

It's gotten so bad in lobbyist-occupied Washington, D.C. that several federal agencies (including at least one Naval installtion) actually toyed with contracting-out the contracting function, yet another core government function that can't be constitutionally delegated.

POLITICO: Lobbyists to profit on bailout, including DAN MICA, Congressman JOHN MICA's credit union lobbyist brother

POLITICO.com
Lobbyists look to profit on bailout
By: Lisa Lerer
September 30, 2008 06:21 AM EST

K Street is seeing green in the sweeping $700 billion financial bailout.

Already, lobbyists are using the rescue plan to drum up business from financial services companies fearing a regulatory push by Congress and the new administration.

Financial services associations say they have received a wave of solicitations over the past two weeks from lobbyists, law firms and public relations experts.

“Edelman has the expertise and experience to help you and your members minimize the punitive effects of any new federal regulations,” the public relations firm wrote in a pitch letter sent last week.

“The industries and individual companies with the most to lose or gain at the hands of lawmakers have partnered successfully with us to protect or advance their business interests.”

While some firms pushed for new clients, others offered new services specifically tailored to financial services clients.

Several law firms set up e-mail alerts and websites to keep their clients informed about the financial crisis.

And on Monday, two firms, K&L Gates and Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, announced financial markets groups formed to represent clients in litigation, lobbying and government enforcement efforts related to the economic crisis.

“The transformation of the financial industry and markets is unprecedented, and developments are occurring rapidly,” said Peter Kalis, K&L Gates’ chairman and global managing partner. “This initiative has helped us meet client demands during these challenging times.”

Fried, Frank’s group — run by lawyers from the firm’s banking, bankruptcy and restructuring, corporate, government contracts, litigation, real estate, and securities practices — plans to host a series of briefings on the crisis.

“The financial services sector has undergone in a matter of weeks what might have otherwise taken decades to unfold, and those of us who serve it must change with it to help our clients efficiently and effectively address the complex challenges before them,” Thomas Vartanian, head of the firm’s banking and financial institutions practice, said in a press release.

Lobbyists hope the financial bailout will provide their firms with their own economic rescue.

“In the short term, the overall economic environment in which we find ourselves will mean some clients will take a harder look at outside consultant expenditures,” said Torod Neptune, global public affairs practice leader at Waggener Edstrom.

The Wall Street meltdown worries many on K Street, who fear struggling companies will cut contracts as finances tighten. The spate of acquisitions and bankruptcies also means fewer dues for financial services trade associations.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have dropped many of their outside advocates, according to lobbyists at firms that did business with the mortgage giants.

Last year, the two mortgage giants spent more than $14 million on lobbying, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.

In July, Bear Stearns filed termination reports with Congress, ending its contracts with in-house and outside lobbyists. And lobbyists working for Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers expect the investment banks to keep them only until their sales are finalized.

Over the past two years, financial services companies have increased their presence in Washington.

In the first six months of this year, the financial services, insurance and real estate industries spent almost $231 million on lobbying.

Two trade associations formed specifically to represent alternative investment vehicles — the Private Equity Council and the Managed Funds Association — have expanded in the wake of legislation that would have imposed tax hikes on private equity firms and hedge funds.

Still, many lobbyists and political strategists expect the lobbying downturn to be only temporary.

“Whenever there is significant legislative and regulatory activity on an issue as significant as this, the need for clients to seek out and retain smart lobbying and public affairs agency support always increases,” Neptune said.

Financial services firms are expected to come under heightened scrutiny next year as Congress attempts to impose new regulations on banks, mortgage lenders and credit card companies. Furthermore, the bailout legislation requires the Treasury secretary to report to Congress by April 30 on whether to impose additional regulations on participation in the financial markets.

“While there’ll be some short-term dislocations, in the long haul, looking at the next couple of years, there is no doubt that the footprint of the financial services industry in D.C. is going to do one thing, and that’s grow,” said a financial services trade association head.

“I predict a record year in advocacy expenditures,” said Dan Mica, a former Democratic congressman from Florida who now heads the Credit Union National Association. “It will be one of the most activist years that I’ve ever recalled, and anyone that has decent credentials and credibility in the advocacy field will be as busy as they want to be, or busier.”
© 2008 Capitol News Company, LLC

ANONYMICE AT PLAZABUM -- SEXIST, RACIST, ANTI-REFORM, ANTI-GAY -- "OBSCENE BULLIES WHO KNOW NOT THAT THEY KNOW NOT THAT THEY KNOW NOT"

NANCY SIKES-KLINE, NO LONGER ONE OF THE ANONYMICE


ALICE SUTHERLAND a/k/a "DUNROBIN" ON "TALK OF THE TOWN" AND "PLAZABUM"


MICHAEL GOLD AND SHERIFF DAVID SHOAR -- GOLD WAS SHOAR'S 2004 CAMPAIGN MANAGER





WILLETT ALBRIGHT BOYER, III, who posted on "Talk of the Town" website as "Freethinker," insulting persons seeking to protect Native American indigenous Indian archaeology in St. Augustine, Florida from speculators' depredations. Unknown if he is posting on Plazabum.

HOW MANY OF THE COWARDLY PLAZABUM ANONYMICE ARE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND ENTOURAGES?

City and county government employees and their entourages have potty mouths.

They're too be pitied. They have no ideas. They're mockers. Cognitive misers.

They long posted on the St. Augustine Record's Talk of the Town until it was shut down.

Now they've got "Plazabum."

Well named.

Nancy Sikes-Klein, formerly known as BULLGA8R Lady, is now posting on her own hook, under her own name. Let the other anonymice come forward and identify themselves.

The number of government officials will boggle the mind.

Vulgarity, obscenity, crudity, anti-reform, sexist, racist, anti-gay.

Such are the denizens of St. Augustine City Hall, starting with City Manager WILLIAM B. HARRISS, who suffers and permits "his" staff to do this at City Hall.

Sikes-Klein should be ashamed of herself, associating with the racist, the sexist, the anti-gay, the obscene and the anti-reform hooligans who know not that they know not that they know not. She's a ringleader of the bullies, I reckon, who just outed herself.

Sikes-Klein, upon being asked why the City dumped 40,000 cubic yards of solid waste into the Old City Reservoir, said "it was a mistake."

How indescribably unperceptive -- NSK works for land planner and former County Commissioner Karen Taylor, and is a lickspittle for the City Manager WILLIAM B. HARRIS and minions.

For Congressional investigators, FBI and other law enforcement personnel who would like to inquire about the nature, structure and performance of Plazabum and to help determine which local city and county public officials and cronies are posting hate speech directed at minorities, consider starting with seven (7) subpoenas and calling as sworn witnesses: subject to the penalties of pejury

904-829-8772 CHARLES NUSBAUM Old City Web Services (also the CIty's web contractor)

904-823-8921 NANCY SIKES-KLINE

904-814-0506 MICHAEL GOLD

904-687-1506 ALICE SUTHERLAND

904-824-9032 GEOFFREY DOBSON

904-669-1873 JOHN REGAN, Chief Operating Officer, City of St. Augustine

904-825-1082 COMMANDER STEVEN FRICKE, ST. AUGUSTINE POLICE (Plazabum Site Administrator)

Now wrapped in cigar smoke and their own prejudices, MICHAEL GOLD's Plazabum site started as a hate-the-homeless site, as the following rabid column from the St. Augustine Record announced (after several miscreants were kicked off the St. Augustine Record Talk of the Town website):


Guest column: Don't feed the freeloaders
By MICHAEL GOLD St. Augustine
Saturday, December 23, 2006 ; Updated: 6:51 AM on Saturday, December 23, 2006


It is time for the citizens of St. Augustine to say "enough". Our community and it's viability as a prime tourism destination is threatened by gypsy panhandlers who have been informed that our city is an "easy mark."

You might be surprised to learn that the increased number of bums and freeloaders inhabiting the plaza and historic district are not just here by accident. There is an organized anarchist group known as the "Squatter Culture" who (sic) exists (sic) primarily to make what they consider a political statement.

Their manifesto (sic) message is anti-establishment, anti-government and anti-police (sic), but, oddly enough, they are very well informed about social programs and services which we make available through government subsidies, taxes, and donations.

The refusal of the Squatter Culture (sic) to work has nothing to do with their ability to work. They should not be confused with honest citizens who find themselves unemployed; in financial stress but able bodied and looking for new jobs. Squatters do not qualify for unemployment benefits because they weren't working in the first place.

Squatters should not be confused with the handicapped. They do not qualify for disability benefits because they are not disabled.

Simply put they do not work to support themselves because they refuse to support "the system." Rather, they spend their energies plotting ways to exhaust the services and programs "the system" can manage to provide.

These parasites and leeches did not randomly target St. Augustine. Their organization (sic) provides information to members through sophisticated means like the public Internet. The hobos that you see loitering around our public libraries and in cyber cafes where Internet access is freely provided are there for a reason. Once again, they use our resources to their benefit.

Tourism and travel Web sites are now issuing "travel advisories" cautioning travelers about the possibility of being approached by panhandlers who squat in our historic district. That is unconscionable.

St. Augustine is a "park and walk" tourist community and we have spent a king's ransom building a new parking facility to promote that concept. Our best efforts will be for naught if we do not take the necessary steps to rid ourselves of vagrant beggars in the historic district.

We need to send a strong message to the "Squatter Culture" that St. Augustine is no longer a "squatter-friendly" town for everyone with their hand out. We need to close down their wooded campsites along the railroad tracks and raise our voices to those who have the responsibility to enact and enforce any required ordinances.

We need to say -- in no uncertain terms -- that as a community, we are doing everything that we possibly can to protect the safety, convenience and enjoyment of visitors to America's Oldest City and that we will continue providing a premier vacation destination.

For those who are interested in this discussion or would like to add comments, a downtown merchant started a Web site where he intends to expose the problem and what some feel is the inaction of certain commissioners to address the problem properly. His site is PLAZABUM.COM and is free.

(end of Plazabum a/k/a MICHAEL GOLD's illiterate rant in the Record two days before Christmas, 2006)

----------------------

Commentary by Ed Slavin: Notice the date -- two days before Christmas.

While normal people were heeding Jesus Christ's message of peace and love, compassion and hope, MICHAEL GOLD and his soulless gang of thugs were showing their "family values" (hatred).

The ideology of Plazabum is beneath contempt -- it is anti-Christian (which is to say right-wing Republican).

Like a Pharisse, MICHAEL GOLD "values" hounding homeless poor people out of town and urges people not to help the homeless, at Christmastime.

That is uncouth, unkind, uncharitable, unChristian and unAmerican.

These haters are not Christian.

THeir sins have found them out.

Their lying lips are an abomination in the site of GOd.

MICHAEL GOLD is none other than Controversial St. Johns County Sheriff DAVID SHOAR's former campaign manager. http://staugustine.com/stories/090904/opi_2558742.shtml

Does Sheriff SHOAR approve of GOLD's anti-Christian rantings? Will Sheriff SHOAR and his Marketplace lunch gathering condemn GOLD's nastiness directed against African-Americans, women, gays and progressives? Or does SHOAR back GOLD?

Need I say that MICHAEL GOLD is a graduate of Reichwing FLAGLER COLLEGE, which has no tenure and where police officers have used the n----- word in class without correction by at least one professor?

Need I note that a NIC on GOLD's website has overtones of pedophilia, with a logo of a man and a boy, with the man stating to the boy, "Why don't you go out and play hide and go f--- yourself?"

Disreputable, reactionary, rabidly racist, sneering, homophobic radical Republican apparatchik MICHAEL GOLD neglects to mention the real "freeholders" -- Wall Street and City Hall satraps, hierarchical, authoritarian, anti-labor, anti-environmental snakes, snoots and snobs.

That would include the overpaid, underworked public officials who post on Plazabum, people who don't know what an honest day's work is (Operating as JR Uniforms, MICHAEL GOLD sells uniforms to local governments, sometimes without competitive bidding.).

I hereby challenge MICHAEL GOLD and his Plazabum minions to appear before the St. Augustine City COmmission and explain themselves.

How many inconsiderate City officials are not-so-secret Plazabum posters, sitting on their considerable keesters, typing hate into government computers while on the public payroll (dole), just as they were at Talk of the Town?

That's why Plazabum is very well named -- these bums in government offices deserve to hear from the voters -- throw the bums out!

Their cowardly actions may constitute sins, torts and crimes -- including obstruction of justice when they seek to intimidate city employees and whistleblowers who disclose environmental crimes (like illegal dumping of solid waste in our Old City Reservoir and sewage effluent in our Matanzas River).

Our City's tourism is way down, in no small part because Plazabum gives us a sleazy reputation on the Internet. This low-class bunch of perverts is like the ugly billboards that greet visitors to the City -- no way to welcome tourists.

We need a St. Augustine National Historical Park, National Seashore and National Scenic Coastal Highway. Never noticed any support from the denizens of ToTT or Plazabum -- they're strictly tiresome knife-throwers with no ideas -- a public nuisance.

Our Founders pledged "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" to defending liberty. These Plazabum bums don't like liberty and use "liberal" (root: liberty) as a swear word. Color these "Plazabums" misguided miscreants who should pray to God for forgiveness, even as they're investigated for federal crimes.

Ed Slavin
www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
Box 3084
St. Augustine, FLorida 32085-3084
904-471-7023
904-471-9918 (fax)

"A BILLION DOLLARS HERE, A BILLION DOLLARS THERE, AND PRETTY SOON YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT REAL MONEY" -- Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen

WALL STREET LAYS AN EGG -- EGGED ON BY REP. JOHN MICA

If JOHN MICA and House opponents of the bailout bill had any legislative skills, they'd have offered a Floor Amendment to make the bill work, taking the advice of the 200 economists who offered their view in a signed letter.

Instead, they sent the stock market down 778 points, losing $1.2 trillion dollars.

In the words of the late Illinois Republican Senator Everett McKinley Dirksen, "a billion dollars here, a billion dollars there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money."

MICA must be replaced. Faye Armitage, an economist, is up for the job.

See Orlando Sentinel editorial, below, along with Faye Armitage's column from Sunday's St. Augustine REcord.

ORLANDO SENTINEL: MICA, et al. PUT POLITICS FIRST

orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-ed30108sep30,0,993273.story

OrlandoSentinel.com
EDITORIAL
We think: Members who voted down the rescue plan put politics first
September 30, 2008

It's hard to say what's a greater threat to the economy right now: the shortage of credit in the U.S. banking system, or the shortage of courage in the U.S. House.

House members who voted down the compromise rescue plan for the system Monday put their own re-election prospects ahead of the health of the economy. It's as simple as that.

The no-voters dismissed warnings from financial leaders and economists that a failure to pump money into the banking system to restore credit flows could bring on a deep recession and cost millions of American jobs. Instead, they wilted under pressure whipped up by demagogues on the left and the right.

Meanwhile, major national banks are failing or being forced into mergers. The country's largest insurance company has gone belly up. Stock markets are plummeting.

The impact of the crisis is being felt locally. Westgate Resorts President David Siegel told the Sentinel that a sudden shortage of credit would force him to lay off hundreds of employees, despite record sales. Other businesses will falter or fail if they can't get loans to buy supplies and make payroll. Consumers who can't get mortgages or car loans also will suffer.

We share Americans' anger over the need to put up taxpayer dollars to save the economy. Congress and regulators have failed miserably in overseeing the financial markets.

But the plan before the House on Monday had been significantly improved since it was first proposed. Lawmakers had added provisions to help taxpayers recover their investments and stop executives from enriching themselves at public expense.

Still, some of the members voting against the plan used alternate proposals as fig leaves, insisting that they were holding out for a better approach. Don't be fooled. Only the bipartisan plan negotiated by the White House and party leaders had a realistic chance of becoming law quickly enough to stop the financial system's bloodletting.

Among the eight members representing Central Florida, only three -- Democrat Corrine Brown and Republicans Dave Weldon and Adam Putnam -- had the guts to vote for the plan. Five voted against it: Republicans John Mica, Tom Feeney, Ric Keller, Cliff Stearns and Ginny Brown-Waite -- all running for re-election.

They let down their constituents and their country.
Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel

Guest Column: Congress, president ignored crisis

Guest Column: Congress, president ignored crisis


By FAYE ARMITAGE
St. Johns
Publication Date: 09/28/08


Our lawless financial system has been a disaster since the 1980s, when the savings and loan debacle cost hundreds of billions in taxpayer bailouts. Still, Congress and the President slept.

Take away the rules, and it's human nature to run amok.

Without speeding laws, people speed. Speed kills.

Similarly in free market capitalism, it is a myth that supply and demand imposes the "brakes" that supply side economists long claimed.

For an unregulated free market system to function optimally, transparency and informed participants are required so is healthy competition. All three elements are missing instead we have secrecy, uninformed decision makers and shared monopolies (oligopolies). There isn't anybody who fully understands the repercussions of market decisions with today's complex financial instruments (like derivatives). Reckless investment bankers spend what Justice Brandeis called "other people's money."

TV propagandists gloss over capitalism's darker side. We need public scrutiny, accountability and meaningful economics education. We need healthy government intervention to protect the public from the powerful forces of private self-interest (a/k/a greed).

Government must become proactive, to prevent economic catastrophes. Government must work to protect all, citizens, not just the wealthy. "Trickle down" economics has failed. For too long government has shirked its job to protect 99 percemt of our people, while failing executives walk away with golden parachutes worth as much as $161 million.

We must have reform with built-in safeguards, rather than crisis management and hearings after the fact.

Milton Friedman scoffed at cartels abusing ill-conceived government regulations like the Texas Railroad Commission and federal agencies telling oil men how much oil they can produce on what days, making overproduction a crime under the Connolly Hot Oil Act. Friedman called it "featherbedding."

Society's economic goal must not be to ensure the wealth of a few, at the expense of the many. It must benefit all of us, and achieve fairness as well as efficiency. Friedman also claimed that workers are paid according to their productivity, but wage gains have not matched productivity gains in recent years.

Declining real incomes show that the few are exploiting the many. Congressman John Mica recently asked where the "plan" is by Democrats to "lower" gasoline and food prices. His plan is more of the same for the oligopolists who raised one million in campaign contributions for him. My plan is to listen to you and represent you what America's founders had in mind.

"Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Hank Paulson, the Goldman Sachs tycoon who became U.S. Treasury secretary, have done more for socialism in the past seven days than anybody since Marx and Engels." That's how the London Guardian newspaper put it. Bush-style "corporate socialism" is "corporate welfare for the rich." It's wrong. It's immoral.

People die without health care in the world's richest country Yet we're spending an excessive 16 percent of GDP on health care, with charges rising five times inflation. The New England Journal of Medicine estimates we'd save some $350 billion annually with a Medicare-for-all system, like President Harry Truman first proposed in 1945.

Americans blame Republicans over Democrats by a 2-to-1 ratio for the financial crisis. We can't afford more of the same. Americans are justifiably angry at those who betrayed us.

Vote Nov. 4th. Our families' futures depends on it.



Faye Armitage is an economist and soccer mom from Fruit Cove. She is running for Florida's Seventh Congressional District against against U.S. Rep. John Mica.


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© The St. Augustine Record

HELL FREEZES OVER -- JOHN MICA VOTES AGAINST PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH ON WALL STREET BAILOUT

Whatever the merits and demerits of the Wall Street bailout, it is at best facetious for Rep. JOHN MICA to be acting like he voted on principle when he for once voted in agreement with his "constituents" (that would be Capitolese dialect living, breathing people like you and me rather than the cartels he serves so slavishly in Congress).

Never before has MICA listened to his constituents. Now that MICA's seat is at risk to defeat by Democrat Faye Armitage, Mica decides to listen to the voice of the people.

Get it?

JOHN MICA, the soulless, spineless Tibet-junketing, news cameraman head-butting, earmarking, labor-baiting, offshore oil-drilling extremist is, mirabile dictu, transformed, mutatis mutandis, into a populist.

Damnation! Is JOHN MICA a truly offensive, oleaginous politician, or what?

Here he is with his idol, President GEORGE W. BUSH, who publicly declared there are "talkers and doers" and that "JOHN MICA is a doer." He's done enough damage and does not deserve a ninth term.













JUVENILE FLORIDA REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN JOHN MICA HEAD-BUTTS ABC NEWS CAMERAMAN, ACCOMPANIED BY JUVENILE ENTOURAGE -- HOW MUCH DID THEY DRINK AT BACHANALIAN TOM DELAY LOBBYIST PARTY THAT NIGHT?

Associated Press: AT RISK LEGISLATORS (LIKE JOHN MICA) VOTED AGAINST WALL STREET BAILOUT

Published September 30, 2008

Many vulnerable lawmakers said 'no' to bailout
LAURIE KELLMAN


Two-thirds of Congress' most vulnerable members - Republicans and Democrats alike - chose to protect their seats on Election Day rather than follow their party leaders and vote for an unpopular economic bailout plan.

Their votes helped doom the plan President Bush, congressional leaders and top economic officials said was critical. Shaken investors sent the Dow Jones industrials plunging 778 points, the most ever for a single day.

The pressures those lawmakers faced was summed up by Rep. Don Young of Alaska, an 18-term lawmaker and the state's only representative in the House. Currently under an ethics cloud, Young voted no mostly because an overwhelming majority of the constituents who called his office were against the bailout.

Such a massive government takeover, he said, was a step toward socialism and a philosophical leap he could not make.

"Alaskans have asked me to do what I did," he said. "We are a reflection of the people, and we always have been."

Like Young, lawmakers who had the most to lose risked the least on Monday.

"We're all worried about losing our jobs," Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said, endorsing the bill and voting for it after leading a rebellion against an earlier version last week. "Most of us say, 'I want this thing to pass, but I want you to vote for it, not me,'" he said, speaking for colleagues who have tougher re-election fights than his own.

The 228-205 rejection of the $700 billion rescue package for the financial markets reflected the every-man-for-himself posture of lawmakers with no plan to prop up the economy five short weeks from the election. Of the 19 most vulnerable House lawmakers tracked by The Associated Press, 13 of them voted against the bill despite pleas from their party leaders to pass it.

Many of them said they could not vote for a bill that would allow some executives of the failed companies to be paid many times what their cash-strapped constituents could ever hope to earn.

Among the "no" voters was Rep. Nick Lampson of Texas, widely considered the most vulnerable incumbent Democrat from a heavily Republican Houston-area district. He reflected on his constituents hit hard earlier this month by Hurricane Ike, saying in a telephone interview that calls to his office ran at least 15-1 against the package.

"Think of all the people who have lost houses. If they lost a $100,000 house, the most the government can give is $28,100," Lampson said.

Contrast that, he suggested, with the $500,000 limit on compensation packages for executives of the failed companies that would participate in the bailout. "I thought it was a $700 billion boondoggle that I thought had a huge, dramatic impact on our citizenry."

Of the 11 most-endangered Republican incumbents, eight voted no: Young of Alaska, Marilyn Musgrave of Colorado, Tim Walberg of Michigan, Joe Knollenberg of Michigan, Sam Graves of Missouri, Robin Hayes of North Carolina, Steve Chabot of Ohio and Dave Reichert of Washington.

The three vulnerable Republicans who voted "yes" were Reps. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, Mark Kirk of Illinois and Jon Porter of Nevada.

Of the eight most-endangered Democrats, five voted against the bill: Reps. Nancy Boyda of Kansas, Don Cazayoux of Louisiana, Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire, Chris Carney of Pennsylvania and Lampson.

The three vulnerable Democrats voting "yes" were Tim Mahoney of Florida, Paul E. Kanjorski of Pennsylvania and Jerry McNerney of California.

Some of those who voted for the bailout said they did so in possible conflict with the districts they represent.

McNerney, a wind engineer and political neophyte before his election to Congress in 2006, said his district opposed the bailout but he felt it was best for the economy.

"People's jobs are a great deal dependent on this," he said, as well as "their home loans and all of their livelihood."

Mica: Constituents hate bailout

Mica: Constituents hate bailout

Representative defends voting against deal

By PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 09/30/08


U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, and his staff fielded hundreds of phone calls and e-mails Monday from 7th District constituents who vehemently opposed the proposed $700 billion bailout.

Calls still poured in hours after the U.S. House of Representatives defeated the Emergency Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 by 228-205.

Mica voted against it, although he said he was disappointed Congress still had no plan to stabilize the spiraling stock market.

"I wasn't happy with the way the bill was crafted," he said. "Based on my own experience and principles, I did not want the taxpayer to be bailing out speculative greed."

The market dropped a record 777 points, its greatest one-day fall, while oil prices spiked at $16 per barrel.

Mica would like to see loan and insurance guarantees -- with no cash up front -- available to embattled financial institutions to avoid further fire sales, market drops and investor scares.

"All of the speculative mortgages and subprime paper has worked their way into financial institutions," he said. "The problem is right now no one wants to handle it."

U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Jacksonville, voted for the bailout bill, Crenshaw's office said.

The bill's provisions would have allowed an immediate $250 billion to purchase, insure or sell troubled assets.

Then, if the president asks, that credit line would be extended another $100 billion.

Another $350 billion would be allowed over that with congressional approval.

U.S. Rep Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, told the Wall Street Journal after the vote, "It is difficult for me to imagine we would leave the market to its own devices and fears until Friday. We're encouraging members to understand the consequences of doing nothing, but I think members have strong convictions about this bill."

Several analysts said that congressional leaders didn't push hard enough to pass the bill, others said that a partisan speech at the last minute by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California set some House members against the bill.

Mica said he has experience working toward tighter regulation of financial markets, supporting a compromise between the airline and the financial industries that resulted in every loan paid and the government clearing a "third of a billion" dollars in profit.

In 1999 he and a handful of other House members were outvoted on a bill that would allow banks to get into speculative ventures, he said. And he said he voted against a rule in the late 1990s that allowed Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to lower their cash reserves from 10 percent to 2-1/2 percent.

"I tried to bring both institutions under closer regulation in 2002, but was voted down," Mica said.

If nothing is done to restore investor confidence, the loan and finance market will "freeze up and become extremely limited," he said. "People won't be able to buy a car, develop property or obtain a mortgage."

He said taxpayers shouldn't pay whenever someone else takes a bad financial gamble.

"We need to limit the risk to the people who paid their bills, worked hard and invested," he said.


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© The St. Augustine Record

Congratulations to R.J. Larizza, Our New State's Attorney

He's chosen well. We look forward to his taking City of St. Augustine and other local government white collar crime -- including Sunshine and Open Records Act violations -- to the Grand Jury.

Larizza fills 2 right-hand job positions

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Too cute for words -- County pushes Sunshine law amendment applicable to legislature!

See below. What do you reckon?
What would Tallahassee look like without corrupt deals in backrooms and cigar bars?
How would the Republican legislators make corrupt deals (like when they created controversial U.S. Rep. JOHN MICA's 7th Congressional District, which runs 225 miles from Ponte Vedra Beach to Winter Park, ending two blocks south of MICA's house)?

County: Let the Sunshine in

County: Let the Sunshine in

Commission hears plea for records to be made more open

By PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustine.com
Publication Date: 09/30/08


The St. Johns County Commission today considers a resolution asking Gov. Charlie Crist to support a constitutional amendment requiring state legislators to operate under the Sunshine Law.

County Attorney Patrick McCormack said he was asked by commissioners two weeks ago to formulate a resolution "to create a level negotiating table," he said.

"The Legislature doesn't follow the same Sunshine rules as local governments," he said. "They are not as stringent."

The Sunshine Law, first enacted in 1967, is designed to guarantee that the public has access to the public records of local, municipal and state governmental bodies in Florida.

The resolution, said Crist in June, created the nine-member Commission on Open Government Reform to "review, evaluate and issue recommendations" regarding Florida's public records and open meeting laws.

"Florida's Sunshine Laws are among the strongest in the nation and give every citizen access to information necessary for participating in the democratic process," Crist said at the time. "This commission will help ensure that all levels of government are accessible to the people."

There's still a long way to go.

A 2002 study, Freedom of Information in the USA, conducted by Investigative Reporters & Editors and the Better Government Association, ranked Florida's law as 19th best in the country, giving it a letter grade of C minus.

Then, a 2007 study by the Better Government Association and the National Freedom of Information Commission, gave Florida 53 points out of a possible 100, a letter grade of F and a ranking of 19 out of the 50 states.

McCormack said that if legislators had to operate under the Sunshine Law, "It would allow them to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of the Sunshine Law and also create a more open government."

He gave the County Commission the credit for initiating this.

"St. Johns County will have a better opportunity to see legislative ideas when they are first created," he said.


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Funny how Rep. JOHN MICA won't talk about St. Augustine National Historical Park, National Seashore and Scenic Coasstal Highway, but pushes bike path?

See below. Is he an opportunist without substance?

Objects to expense of five-county bike path

Objects to expense of five-county bike path



By Helen L. Masters
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 09/30/08


Editor: This is unbelievable. The country is in a recession. The state of Florida, counties and cities in Florida are cutting there budgets and laying off people, right and left. Funds are being cut from schools. Homes are in foreclosures.

But this brilliant bunch of politicians are proposing to build a 262-mile bike trail and walking path that will wind through five counties.

U.S. Rep. John Mica and state Rep. Bill Proctor joined the five county delegations on Sept. 22 to sign a joint agreement that the trail will be completed by 2013.

The question we should ask is -- where is the funding coming from? Perhaps the tooth fairy? Perhaps some money could be diverted to the school districts.

Have these politicians officials completely lost their minds?

St. Johns County Commissioner Chairman Tom Manuel was quoted in The St. Augustine Record as saying, Commissioner Cyndi Stevenson was the "sparkplug" on the commission for this. "Without her, this wouldn't have happened."

Stevenson said she and her husband, Henry, are bicyclist. "I'm delighted to be part of this today," she said, according to The Record.

Bully for her.

Brevard County will shell out $8 Million for 11 miles.

That's our tax dollars at work. These people haven't the foggiest idea of the cost of this trail. Their only thought is they want it.

How about asking the taxpayers what they think about this project?

Hold on to your wallets, folks. Come the Nov. 4 general election, county voters are being asked to vote for a 1 percent hike in the sales tax for five years.

If this is the way the powers that be will be spending this 1 percent sales tax increase?

I say a resounding "no" to this tax hike.


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Record should have covered Obama rally

Record should have covered Obama rally



By Sally Riley and Sadie R. Carter
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 09/30/08


Editor: On Sept. 20, an estimated 20,000 people attended a presidential campaign rally for U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in Metropolitan Park, Jacksonville. Some 8,000 more, unable to get in, listened outside the park fence.

I was there to attest to the size and tremendous enthusiasm of the crowd, some of whom stood waiting for four hours or more.

It is difficult to understand why The Record ignored this rally, with its unusually large attendance and speaker of great current importance. Several major news organizations from distant cities, including The New York Times and The Associated Press, produced lengthy columns under large headlines covering this important event.

The Record finally put a small piece about it (from an Orlando paper) on Page 3A on Monday, two days later, probably in response to indignant complaints from readers.

How could our local newspaper have failed to cover, or even announced, this event, which was attended by so many of its readers from St. Augustine? Perhaps The Record has a policy of turning a blind eye on news about Democrats during this campaign.


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Guest Column: Congress, president ignored crisis

Guest Column: Congress, president ignored crisis


By FAYE ARMITAGE
St. Johns
Publication Date: 09/28/08


Our lawless financial system has been a disaster since the 1980s, when the savings and loan debacle cost hundreds of billions in taxpayer bailouts. Still, Congress and the President slept.

Take away the rules, and it's human nature to run amok.

Without speeding laws, people speed. Speed kills.

Similarly in free market capitalism, it is a myth that supply and demand imposes the "brakes" that supply side economists long claimed.

For an unregulated free market system to function optimally, transparency and informed participants are required so is healthy competition. All three elements are missing instead we have secrecy, uninformed decision makers and shared monopolies (oligopolies). There isn't anybody who fully understands the repercussions of market decisions with today's complex financial instruments (like derivatives). Reckless investment bankers spend what Justice Brandeis called "other people's money."

TV propagandists gloss over capitalism's darker side. We need public scrutiny, accountability and meaningful economics education. We need healthy government intervention to protect the public from the powerful forces of private self-interest (a/k/a greed).

Government must become proactive, to prevent economic catastrophes. Government must work to protect all, citizens, not just the wealthy. "Trickle down" economics has failed. For too long government has shirked its job to protect 99 percemt of our people, while failing executives walk away with golden parachutes worth as much as $161 million.

We must have reform with built-in safeguards, rather than crisis management and hearings after the fact.

Milton Friedman scoffed at cartels abusing ill-conceived government regulations like the Texas Railroad Commission and federal agencies telling oil men how much oil they can produce on what days, making overproduction a crime under the Connolly Hot Oil Act. Friedman called it "featherbedding."

Society's economic goal must not be to ensure the wealth of a few, at the expense of the many. It must benefit all of us, and achieve fairness as well as efficiency. Friedman also claimed that workers are paid according to their productivity, but wage gains have not matched productivity gains in recent years.

Declining real incomes show that the few are exploiting the many. Congressman John Mica recently asked where the "plan" is by Democrats to "lower" gasoline and food prices. His plan is more of the same for the oligopolists who raised one million in campaign contributions for him. My plan is to listen to you and represent you what America's founders had in mind.

"Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Hank Paulson, the Goldman Sachs tycoon who became U.S. Treasury secretary, have done more for socialism in the past seven days than anybody since Marx and Engels." That's how the London Guardian newspaper put it. Bush-style "corporate socialism" is "corporate welfare for the rich." It's wrong. It's immoral.

People die without health care in the world's richest country Yet we're spending an excessive 16 percent of GDP on health care, with charges rising five times inflation. The New England Journal of Medicine estimates we'd save some $350 billion annually with a Medicare-for-all system, like President Harry Truman first proposed in 1945.

Americans blame Republicans over Democrats by a 2-to-1 ratio for the financial crisis. We can't afford more of the same. Americans are justifiably angry at those who betrayed us.

Vote Nov. 4th. Our families' futures depends on it.



Faye Armitage is an economist and soccer mom from Fruit Cove. She is running for Florida's Seventh Congressional District against against U.S. Rep. John Mica.


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Guest Column: Congress, president ignored crisis

Guest Column: Congress, president ignored crisis


By FAYE ARMITAGE
St. Johns
Publication Date: 09/28/08


Our lawless financial system has been a disaster since the 1980s, when the savings and loan debacle cost hundreds of billions in taxpayer bailouts. Still, Congress and the President slept.

Take away the rules, and it's human nature to run amok.

Without speeding laws, people speed. Speed kills.

Similarly in free market capitalism, it is a myth that supply and demand imposes the "brakes" that supply side economists long claimed.

For an unregulated free market system to function optimally, transparency and informed participants are required so is healthy competition. All three elements are missing instead we have secrecy, uninformed decision makers and shared monopolies (oligopolies). There isn't anybody who fully understands the repercussions of market decisions with today's complex financial instruments (like derivatives). Reckless investment bankers spend what Justice Brandeis called "other people's money."

TV propagandists gloss over capitalism's darker side. We need public scrutiny, accountability and meaningful economics education. We need healthy government intervention to protect the public from the powerful forces of private self-interest (a/k/a greed).

Government must become proactive, to prevent economic catastrophes. Government must work to protect all, citizens, not just the wealthy. "Trickle down" economics has failed. For too long government has shirked its job to protect 99 percemt of our people, while failing executives walk away with golden parachutes worth as much as $161 million.

We must have reform with built-in safeguards, rather than crisis management and hearings after the fact.

Milton Friedman scoffed at cartels abusing ill-conceived government regulations like the Texas Railroad Commission and federal agencies telling oil men how much oil they can produce on what days, making overproduction a crime under the Connolly Hot Oil Act. Friedman called it "featherbedding."

Society's economic goal must not be to ensure the wealth of a few, at the expense of the many. It must benefit all of us, and achieve fairness as well as efficiency. Friedman also claimed that workers are paid according to their productivity, but wage gains have not matched productivity gains in recent years.

Declining real incomes show that the few are exploiting the many. Congressman John Mica recently asked where the "plan" is by Democrats to "lower" gasoline and food prices. His plan is more of the same for the oligopolists who raised one million in campaign contributions for him. My plan is to listen to you and represent you what America's founders had in mind.

"Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, and Hank Paulson, the Goldman Sachs tycoon who became U.S. Treasury secretary, have done more for socialism in the past seven days than anybody since Marx and Engels." That's how the London Guardian newspaper put it. Bush-style "corporate socialism" is "corporate welfare for the rich." It's wrong. It's immoral.

People die without health care in the world's richest country Yet we're spending an excessive 16 percent of GDP on health care, with charges rising five times inflation. The New England Journal of Medicine estimates we'd save some $350 billion annually with a Medicare-for-all system, like President Harry Truman first proposed in 1945.

Americans blame Republicans over Democrats by a 2-to-1 ratio for the financial crisis. We can't afford more of the same. Americans are justifiably angry at those who betrayed us.

Vote Nov. 4th. Our families' futures depends on it.



Faye Armitage is an economist and soccer mom from Fruit Cove. She is running for Florida's Seventh Congressional District against against U.S. Rep. John Mica.


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http://staugustine.com/stories/092808/opinions_0928_062.shtml

© The St. Augustine Record

FOUR QUESTIONS FOR REPRESENTATIVE JOHN MICA

1. Will you renounce the use of push-polls and other dirty tricks?

2. How much did you have to drink the evening you head-butted the ABC News cameraman at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul?

3. How old were the members of your entourage (see above) and how much did they have to drink?

4. Were any of them less than legal drinking age in Minnesota?

Thank you.

Looking forward to hearing from you and your group of "thugs," as Folio Weekly editor Anne Schindler rightly called them. See below.

Ed Slavin
www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com
P.O. Box 3084
St. Augustine, Florida 32085-3084
904-471-7023
904-471-9918 (fax)

WASHINGTON POST: JOHN MICA'S OTHER BROTHER THE LOBBYIST (HE'S GOT TWO OF THEM)

Brothers Bridge Political Aisle

By Elizabeth Williamson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 6, 2007; A17



In a recent display of fraternal unity, the Mica brothers -- Dan, Democratic congressman-turned-lobbyist, and John, Republican congressman from Florida -- talked for two minutes without a partisan jab.

Dan: "I do all good things all the time. John, you're welcome to respond."

John: "He's slowly working his way into becoming the Republican, because he's making huge amounts of money."

The Micas are the Washington equivalent of a two-headed cow: siblings from both sides of the political fence, Democrat and Republican, lobbyist and lobbied. Their political differences save them at least a few of the questions being raised about family connections between the Hill and K Street. But their physical similarity and respective congressional tenures has caused such confusion that they wind up learning each other's business anyway.

John Mica wouldn't be caught dead at a lefty event such as the massive lobby-fest held last week for the Credit Union National Association, whose president is his brother. As the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, John Mica instead drew an invite to a trucking industry fundraiser for fellow House Republican Jerry Moran (Kan.). Dan Mica says his brother's congressional work centers on "different areas than mine." But just in case, "I've told my own board I'd never lobby my brother."

John Mica says his brother "doesn't appear on the Hill as much as some former members."

But neither brother can stop lawmakers from mistaking one of them for the other, creating situations that Dan Mica admits require "some discretion."

"When I am up there, people whisper things in my ear that I know are meant for John, like, 'Hey, we've gotta get this whole committee thing straightened out later today,' " Dan Mica said. "I just say, 'Yeah, I'll take care of it,' and then I pass it on to John."

In the mid-1990s, Bob Dole spotted Dan Mica at a political event and summoned him to speak, thinking he was the Republican brother. At a White House reception, George H.W. Bush sidled up to Dan Mica and asked, "Are you you, or are you the other one?"

Dan Mica, 63, of South Florida served in Congress from 1979 to 1989. He has been a lobbyist since, first for the life insurance industry and for the past decade for CUNA, whose political action committee represents 90 million credit union members nationwide.

John Mica, 64, entered Congress in 1992 representing central Florida. During his campaign, at least one newspaper mistakenly printed his brother's photo above his name.

Even though his congressional career began after his brother's ended, John Mica says he has been introduced as his Democratic brother at least 20 times on the House floor. At home in Florida, "if I'm in a parade and they wave with one finger, I know they must be thinking it's my brother," he says.

"The closest we've come to getting in trouble," John Mica says, was during one of his reelection campaigns. On the same day that Dan Mica made a customary employee donation to his association's political action committee, the PAC sent a check to John Mica's campaign. "It was an unbelievable coincidence," John Mica says. "My brother would never authorize a check to me."

The Micas say the House historian told them that if their congressional terms had coincided, it would have been the first time in more than a century that siblings representing different parties had served simultaneously. In the current Congress, siblings including Sen. Ken and Rep. John Salazar from Colorado; Reps. Loretta and Linda Sanchez (Calif.) ; and Sen. Carl M. and Rep. Sander Levin from Michigan all occupy the Democratic side of the aisle.

To further complicate matters, a third Mica brother, David, 52, is executive director of the Florida Petroleum Council. In a recent television appearance, John Mica was introduced by the state's new governor, Charlie Crist, who called him Dave. John Mica's nickname for his petroleum council brother is "The Polluter."
While it's a bad idea to get them started on some issues -- Dan Mica blames the Republicans' security measures for long airport lines and John Mica warns that Democrat-led efforts to grant Transportation Security Administration employees collective-bargaining rights will make the lines even longer -- "I don't think we've ever had a heated discussion about politics," Dan Mica said.

What's more, "you get friends on both sides of the aisle," such as Newt Gingrich, Charlie Rangel, John Dingell and the Bush family. In fact, Dan Mica adds, "maybe we could be a catalyst" for bipartisan warmth.

"I wouldn't go that far," his brother says.


View all comments that have been posted about this article.

BLOW THE WHISTLE ON REPUBLICAN DIRTY TRICKS

Keep a whistle by your telephone. When the Republican dirty tricksters call you with a push-poll trying to smear Democratic candidates, ask questions. Get them to tell you who they work for.

Then blow the whistle. Call the FBI, U.S. Attorney, Democratic and Obama headquarters.

You could even blow the whistle in the push-pollsters uncaring ears.

Give them a headache, the same as they've done to you and your family -- and all working families.

See below on Reprobate JOHN MICA and his relationship with push-polling organizations like the Republican TARRANCE GROUP.

WIKIPEDIA: DEFINITION OF "PUSH--POLL"

A push poll is a political campaign technique in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. In a push poll, large numbers of respondents are contacted, and little or no effort is made to collect and analyze response data. Instead, the push poll is a form of telemarketing-based propaganda and rumor mongering, masquerading as a poll. Push polls may rely on innuendo or knowledge gleaned from opposition research on an opponent. They are generally viewed as a form of negative campaigning.[1] The term is also sometimes used inaccurately to refer to legitimate polls which test political messages, some of which may be negative. Push polling has been condemned by the American Association of Political Consultants[2], and is illegal in New Hampshire.[3]

Contents [hide]
1 Forms of push polls
2 Political push polls
3 See also
4 References
5 External links



[edit] Forms of push polls
The mildest forms of push polling are designed merely to remind voters of a particular issue. For instance, a push poll might ask respondents to rank candidates based on their support of abortion in order to get voters thinking about that issue.

Many push polls are negative attacks on other candidates. These attacks often contain information with little or no basis in fact.

One way to distinguish between push polling as a tactic and polls which legitimately seek information is the sample size. Genuine polls make do with small, representative samples, whereas push polls can be very large, like any other mass marketing effort.

True push polls tend to be very short, with only a handful of questions, so as to make as many calls as possible. Any data obtained (if used at all) is secondary in importance to negatively affecting the targeted candidate. Legitimate polls are often used by candidates to test potential messages. They frequently ask about either positive and negative statements about any or all major candidates in an election and always ask demographic information at the end.


[edit] Political push polls
Perhaps the most famous use of push polls is in the 2000 United States Republican Party primaries, when it was alleged that George W. Bush's campaign used push polling to torpedo the campaign of Senator John McCain. Voters in South Carolina reportedly were asked "Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?" The poll's allegation had no substance, but was heard by thousands of primary voters.[4] McCain and his wife had in fact adopted a Bangladeshi girl. Political consultant Lee Atwater was also well known for using push-polling among his aggressive campaign tactics. In 2008, Jewish voters in Florida and Pittsburgh were targeted by a push poll attempting to disparage Barack Obama by linking him with the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The Jewish Council for Education & Research, an organization that has endorsed Obama, denounced the push-poll as misinformation and lies.[5][6]

The main advantage of push polls is that they are an effective way of maligning an opponent ("pushing" voters towards a predetermined point of view) while avoiding direct responsibility for the distorted or false information used in the push poll. They are risky for this same reason: if credible evidence emerges that the polls were directly ordered by a campaign/candidate, it would do serious blowback to that campaign. Push polls are also relatively expensive, having a far higher cost per voter than radio or television commercials. Thus, push polls are most used in elections with fewer voters, such as party primaries, or in close elections where a relatively small change in votes can mean victory or defeat.


[edit] See also
Poll

[edit] References
^ Pollster.com: So What *Is* A Push Poll?
^ http://www.theaapc.org/about/pushpolling/
^ "Curtailing push-polls: Find the callers, fix the law". The Union Leader (2007-12-27).
^ The anatomy of a smear campaign - The Boston Globe
^ http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jYNQyAwFMCq4ykSL3w_lsV950-vwD937GIN00
^ http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/09/16/jewish_voters_report_calls_disparaging_obama/

[edit] External links
Warning from the National Council on Public Polls
Tales of a Push Pollster
Don't Call Them Push Polls by Stuart Rothenberg
When Push Comes to Polls
The Truth About Push Polls
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_poll"
Categories: Political campaign techniques | Polling | Ethically disputed business practices
Hidden categories: Articles with unsourced statements since November 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements

ALBANY, NY TIMES-UNION: TARRANCE GROUP DID UNETHICAL PUSH-POLL IN NY 20th CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, TOO

Mystery Poll In the 20th (Updated)
August 17, 2006 at 5:14 pm by Elizabeth Benjamin
Residents in the 20th Congressional District have reported receiving a call early this week that some have described as a “push-poll,” which included extremely negative questions about Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.

According to several people who got the call, it started out with fairly innocuous questions about whether the country is headed in the right direction and if President Bush is doing a good job. Next came the question about who the responder planned to vote for in the 20th CD race: Gillibrand or U.S. Rep. John Sweeney, R-Clifton Park.

Bob Hudak, a Corinth resident who is a “blank” (not enrolled in any political party), said he picked Gillibrand, and was then asked whether his choice would change if he knew, for example, that she doesn’t live in the district, that her law firm represented an Enron crook, or she had used the death of American soldiers in Iraq for political gain.

(I assume that refers to a July DCCC Web ad that featured a brief shot of flag-draped coffins in the back of a plane returning from Iraq. The GOP had a heyday with that one).

Hudak said he found that question so offensive that he hung up on the pollster, only to have a different person call back the next night asking him to finish answering the questions (he did).

“Perhaps Mr. Sweeney and his people should take the time to examine his record in Congress and run his campaign based on his record,” Hudak wrote in a letter to the editor sent to the Post-Star. “Or, perhaps they have examined his record and feel that it does not instill enough support from the voters to warrant his re-election.”

When pushed by respondents to identify who had ordered up the poll, the callers provided a phone number that led to Western Wats, a Utah-based research group that does data collection.

A Western Wats worker told me the poll was commissioned by The Tarrance Group, a national Republican polling firm that does a lot of work for the NRCC. She would not tell me on whose behalf The Tarrance Group is polling.

So far in this election cycle, the NRCC has paid The Tarrance Group $391,087 for various polls and travel reimbursements. According to a DCCC source, the NRCC recently paid The Tarrance Group $16,275 to do a poll for Sweeney in the 20th.

I called both the NRCC and The Tarrance Group today, and have so far not received return phone calls.

Sweeney’s campaign insists it had nothing to do with the poll. Gillibrand campaign spokeswoman Allison Price didn’t believe it, and she seized on the fact that there seemed to be no positive information offered about the congressman in the poll.

“Sweeney’s record doesn’t warrant reelction so he is forced to use dirty push polls to taint the opinion of voters,” Price said. “Sweeney doesn’t have to poll on his own record - it is a rubber stamp for President Bush - and we all know where Bush’s approval ratings stand.

“It is unfortunate that our opponent has to hide behind personal attacks and misleading polling. The residents of the district would find it novel if he emerged from the mud and talked about issues like Iraq and the rising price of gas.”

For the record, a Zogby International poll released today found President Bush’s approval rating has dipped two points in the last three weeks - despite the foiling of the airline terror plot and the Middle East cease-fire agreement.

Posted in 20th CD Race, John Sweeney, Kirsten Gillibrand |


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BILLINGS, MT. GAZETTE: TARRANCE GROUP TRIED UNETHICAL "PUSH-POLLS" AGAINST MONTANA GOVERNOR BRIAN SCHWEITZER, TOO!

Last modified September 18, 2004 - 1:21 am



Schweitzer condemns GOP poll as shady, dirty
By CHARLES S. JOHNSON
Gazette State Bureau

HELENA - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Brian Schweitzer on Friday denounced as "shady, sneaky, dirty lowdown stuff" a poll by the Republican Governors Association that he said falsely suggests that he is a terrorist and a tax scofflaw.

"If you tell a lie often enough, people are going to believe it," an angry Schweitzer said in a telephone interview. "This is outrageous stuff. They're calling me a terrorist."

Although the poll was conducted by the Republican Governors Association, Schweitzer laid the blame on the campaign of his GOP opponent, Bob Brown.

"If that's what these people will stoop to, it demonstrates they have a failed campaign, they have no good record to run on and no vision for the future," Schweitzer said.

Brown was unavailable for comment Friday; he was driving home to Whitefish.

Jason Thielman, Brown's campaign manager, said the Republican candidate's campaign has absolutely no involvement with the Republican Governors Association's polls. Thielman, however, said previously Brown's campaign would welcome the Republican Governors Association's involvement in the Montana race.

"It's extremely inappropriate for Brian Schweitzer to charge involvement of our campaign in this activity when he knows full well we cannot be involved in the activity of a 527 or some other (political) committee," Thielman said.

Schweitzer charged that this poll is a "push poll," a controversial campaign tactic in which those called are led to believe they are participating in a legitimate public opinion survey. Instead, push polling is an attempt to weaken people's support for a candidate by asking if they would still support the candidate if they knew something that is often a negative description that's false about the candidate.

Harvey Valentine, Republican Governors Association spokesman, confirmed that the Washington, D.C., group paid for the poll, done by the Tarrance Group of Arlington, Va., which subcontracted to Western Watts of Lethbridge, Alberta. He denied it was a push poll.

"We don't engage in that practice nor do we ask the pollster to do it," Valentine said. "The poll is a legitimate, comprehensive poll done by one of the premier pollsters in the business."

He declined to discuss the contents of the poll.

Told about Schweitzer's comments, Valentine said, "For someone who says his life is an open book, he sounds awfully paranoid."

Schweitzer, a Whitefish farmer-rancher, e-mailed those on his mailing list to encourage them to write down the poll questions if called. Several people, including Dennis Hall of Billings and Mike Menahan of Helena, wrote down the questions and provided them to The Gazette State Bureau.

The poll went through questions about the governor's and president's race and then asked: "Considering the following characteristics about Brian Schweitzer, would you be more or less likely to vote for him?"

Here are some of the the statements from the GOP poll and Schweitzer's responses:

nRepublican poll: One of his businesses or a business for which he worked continued to operate in Libya after the ban on U.S. companies doing business there because of terrorism activities.

Schweitzer reply: "I get out of graduate school when I'm 24 (in 1979). Within days I'm on a plane to Libya in the Sahara Desert living in a trailer with a generator beside it. It was 120 degrees. I was developing irrigation and center pivots and planting crops. I was the agronomist. Occidental Petroleum was in Libya. Libya was an ally of the United States. I worked for the Food Development Corp. of Washington state, helping do it with money from the World Bank Corp., financed by the U.S. government. I was only there four months. I was making $2,000 a month and now I'm a terrorist? I was ordering John Deere tractors and Caterpillars. I recommended U.S. equipment and we used it."

nRepublican poll: "Although he claims to be a millionaire, he refused to pay $3,000 in property taxes in Flathead County."

Schweitzer reply: "Absolutely false, all of it. I've never said I was a millionaire. I've paid my property taxes on time 99 percent. I can't tell you if it was 100 percent. There might have been a time I've missed the deadline by a month. Did Bob Brown pay his property taxes on time 100 percent?" Schweitzer said he has owned property in three counties Flathead, Rosebud and Sanders, where he has had ranches.

nRepublican poll: "Although he claims to be a successful businessman with four businesses, the secretary of state's office record can't support the existence of three of those businesses."

Schweitzer reply: He said he has had businesses that are no longer operating and inactive. One called Whitefish Industries imported 2,000 kick sleds from Norway in 1989, and he sold them all. Another was called Consolidated Agriculture International in the early 1990s when he exported seed. Schweitzer said he owns a corporation called Glacier Mint, when he was in the mint business, that's now inactive. "I never said I had four companies ... All of my businesses flow through me."

nRepublican poll: "He's opposed to the gay marriage ban."

Schweitzer reply: "I've always said that's a matter of states' rights. I don't support a national ban. I do support a ban in Montana. I don't believe in gay marriage and civil unions."


Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

DESERET NEWS: UNETHICAL PUSH POLLS USED AGAINST ROMNEY

Telephone push poll raises questions about Mitt Romney and his

Philip Elliott Associated Press Writer
CONCORD, N.H. -- Residents in New Hampshire and Iowa have received phone calls raising questions about Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, his Mormon faith and the Vietnam War-era military deferments he received while serving as a missionary in France.

Western Wats, a Utah-based company, placed the calls that initially sound like a poll but then pose questions that cast Romney in a harsh light, according to those who received the calls. In politics, this type of phone surveying is called "push polling" -- contacting potential voters and asking questions intended to plant a message in voters' minds, usually negative, rather than gauging peoples' attitudes.

A spokesman for Western Wats said he couldn't comment on the company's work. He said they do not do push polling.

The 20-minute calls started on Sunday in New Hampshire and Iowa. At least seven people in the two early voting states received the calls.

Among the questions was whether a resident knew that Romney was a Mormon, that he received military deferments when he served as a Mormon missionary in France, that his five sons did not serve in the military, that Romney's faith did not accept blacks as bishops into the 1970s and that Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is superior to the Bible.

"It started out like all the other calls. ... Then all of the sudden it got very unsettling and very negative," said Anne Baker, an independent voter from Hollis, N.H.

"Whatever campaign is engaging in this type of awful religious bigotry as a line of political attack, it is repulsive and, to put it bluntly, un-American," Romney spokesman Matt Rhoades said. "There is no excuse for these attacks. Governor Romney is campaigning as an optimist who wants to lead the nation. These attacks are just the opposite. It's ugly and divisive."

Sabrina Matteson, a Republican from Epsom, N.H., said she got a call on Wednesday.

"The first 15 or 20 questions were general questions about the leading candidates," she said. "Then he started asking me very, very negatively phrased questions about Romney. The first one was would you have a more favorable, less favorable, blah, blah, blah, impression of Mitt Romney if you knew that his five sons had never served in the military and that he considered working on a presidential campaign as public service or some such question."

In Iowa, Romney supporter and state representative Ralph Watts got a call on Wednesday.

"I was offended by the line of questioning," Watts said. "I would be equally as offended if someone called and said in the nature of if, 'you know the Catholic Church supported pedophile priests.' I don't think it has any place in politics."

Romney's Mormon faith has been an issue in his presidential bid, especially with conservative evangelicals who are central to his strategy to cast himself as the candidate for the GOP's family values voters.

Baker said the caller initially wouldn't tell her who was behind the call. Eventually, Baker was told the caller was from Western Wats.

Last year, Western Wats conducted polling that was intended to spread negative messages about Democratic candidates in a House race in New York and the Senate race in Florida. The Tampa Tribune and the Albany Times Union reported that Western Wats conducted the calls on behalf of the Tarrance Group.

That Virginia-based firm now works for Romney's rival, Rudy Giuliani. The campaign has paid the firm more than $400,000, according to federal campaign reports.

Ed Goeas, chief of the Tarrance Group, said there is no connection between the Giuliani campaign and Western Wats. They are using a Houston firm to do their polling.

"I know absolutely it's not us," Goeas said. "I can say with absolute, no, it's not us."

Troy Lauritzen of Western Wats said he couldn't comment on what polling his firm was conducting, if any of it was happening in New Hampshire or the company's patrons.

"We don't do push polling. And any work we do for clients, we're bound by confidentiality agreements," Lauritzen said. "Obviously, call the campaign that's supposedly doing it. That would be a better way to go."

Western Wats also worked for Bob Dole's presidential campaign in 1996. Employees said they used such calls to describe Forbes as pro- abortion rights.

New Hampshire law requires the all political advertising, including phone calls, identify the candidate being supported. No candidate was identified in the calls.

Copyright C 2007 Deseret News Publishing Co.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.

DAILY KOS: REPUBLICANS SPENDING SOME $5 MILLION ON SLEAZY PUSH-POLLS BY TARRANCE GROUP, ET AL

CA-50: Bilbray running anti-Busby push poll? I scared them away.
by MJB
Wed Sep 13, 2006 at 08:22:51 PM PDT
A few minutes ago, I scared away a push-poller.

I was at home, my family and I had just finished dinner, when the phone rang. We live in CA-50, where Francine Busby is the Democratic nominee against GOP lobbyist Brian Bilbray, who is now the incumbent after winning a special election in June to replaced now-convicted Republican felon and federal prison inmate Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

The caller ID said the call was coming from 1-801-623-4628.

I answered the phone, and the caller, obviously calling from a call center, asked to speak to "the male in the household who is a registered voter". Since that would be me, I said so.

After the caller confirmed that I was likely to vote in the November election, I asked who she was calling on behalf of. She said she was calling on behalf of The Tarrance Group.

More after the flip.

MJB's diary :: ::
So I asked my caller from The Tarrance Group which party or political candidate she was calling on behalf of. She lied. She said that she was not calling on behalf of any party or political candidate, and that The Tarrance Group is "completely non-partisan, not Democrat or Republican". I said, "OK, the Tarrance Group, could you spell that for me?" She spelled it for me and then said, "Um, could you hold on a second?"

I said, "Sure", and walked over to my computer to Google "tarrance group". The very first Google result says, "The Tarrance Group: A national Republican polling firm, providing polls, election information, and related services."

I quickly found that The Tarrance Group is "a national Republican polling firm that does a lot of work for the National Republican Congressional Committee." They apparently do a lot of this push polling, gutter politics stuff; the article linked in this paragraph reports on a deceptive push poll conducted in an attempt to smear Kirsten Gillibrand, the Democratic challenger in NY-20 this November.

Between January 19, 2005 and July 6, 2006, the National Republican Congressional Committee reported over $5 million paid to The Tarrance Group in connection with "surveys" and related expenditures.

So apparently they were calling me, a CA-50 registered voter, on behalf of the NRCC, to smear Democratic nominee Francine Busby with a sleazy push poll.

Alas, my question, or perhaps the caller's incorrect answer about the sponsorship of her "survey", caused her to end the call before asking me whatever deceptive questions she was going to ask. As I walked over to my computer, she said she was "having computer problems" and asked me to wait. I could hear her talking to someone in the background. After about two minutes, she stopped talking to whomever was in the background and told me that her computer still wasn't working, and asked if she could just call back later. I said, "Sure." Of course, she didn't call back.

So I wish I could report on all the sleazy questions these folks are asking to try and smear Ms. Busby, but I scared them away before they asked any.

If you live in CA-50, be aware that you may get one of these push-poll calls.

UPDATE 9/14/2006: I called the Busby campaign office this morning, and gave the campaign worker who answered the phone all the information I had about this call. She was very friendly, took it all down, and said she would pass it along to the campaign manager. I also called the DCCC and passed the same information on to them. The DCCC employee thanked me and said they do like to keep track of these push-polls.

WOODBURY BULLETIN: TARRANCE GROUP INVOLVED IN ETHICALLY QUESTIONAABLE "PUSH POLLS"

Viewpoint: ‘Push poll’ calls - We deserve better
Carol Turnbull, Viewpoint Writer
Woodbury Bulletin - 09/24/2008
I recently received a call which pretended to be a legitimate political survey. I usually find a reason to hang up on such callers — then complain that nobody ever cares about my opinion — so I decided to participate.

It quickly became apparent that it was what is called a “push poll,” viciously targeting one of our local state legislators who is running for re-election.

I am not going to name names, but will refer to the candidates as “Incumbent” and “Challenger.”

A “push poll” is best defined by this found on the Internet: “Pollsters” call people up and ask, “Would you vote for So-and-So if you knew he/she had done such-and-such?”

Notice, the pollsters did not actually say So-and-So did such-and-such, so, they weren't exactly lying, but the question plants the idea in people’s minds.

That is exactly the type of call I received. The caller first asked whom I supported and then phrased her questions as "Would you be more or less likely to support So-and-So if you knew such-and-such?"

The questions regarding Challenger were favorable.

The questions regarding Incumbent went from bad to worse, ending (when I pulled the plug) with an attempt to make me believe Incumbent supported allowing convicted sex offenders to work in our schools and daycares.

Incredibly, the pollster apologized before asking that question, as she herself thought it was so bad.

She also readily offered the name of the organization she works for (Western Wats, located in Utah) and of the company that hired them (Tarrance Group), plus their phone numbers.

An Internet search shows that Tarrance Group is a Republican organization, and that these two companies have gotten into legal difficulty in other states.
I contacted Challenger, who stated she knew nothing of the survey, but that she didn't know how to stop it. I suggested that if she wished to distance herself from it, she consider making a public statement, such as writing a letter to the Bulletin as I was going to do.

If Bulletin readers get such a call in the future (targeting someone of either party), I ask, are you really going to believe someone in Utah who was paid to call you and is reading from a script?

My “pollster” didn't even know which state she had called and asked me.

Or, will you take the time to pick up the phone and talk to each of the candidates involved to report your call and get their story?

Apparently, Minnesota has been declared a "battleground state" in this upcoming election. And by now most of us would just like to hide until November.

But if we allow this type of slime to influence which elected officials represent us, well, the next time it will only get worse because it worked.

This is vicious, it's vile, and we deserve better.

And if any local person was involved in this, they should be hiding their heads for much much longer.

Turnbull is a resident of Woodbury.

MICA's CHEESEY POLITICAL CONSULTANTS WORK FOR RIGHT-WINGERS WORLDWIDE

Look at the list of special interests and right-wing-haters that TARRANCE ASSOCIATES advise.

They have a special affinity for monopolists and oligopolists.

They work for large organizations that seek bailouts, like SALLIE MAE.

They even work in France, including ZACH WAMP, HALEY BARBOUR and other assorted nuts.

They help reprobates like JOHN MICA with polling and campaign strategic advice.

We see right through your cheesehead consultants and your cheesy tactics, MICA.

TARRANCE GROUP, REP. MICA's CONSULTANTS FROM WISCONSIN, ON REPRESENTING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

Corporations and special-interest groups have increasingly been turning to The Tarrance Group to find solutions to their own unique situations. Our value to these groups stems from our political background - businesses and institutions find that our "campaign-style" approach to research affords them a new level of confidence to develop and implement strategies. The firm's corporate and public affairs research division has done extensive work in the following areas:
issue management / advocacy
reputation management, stakeholder analysis
communications development & evaluation.
Contact: bnienaber@tarrance.com



The Tarrance Difference
In this fast-paced, ever changing world, you need accurate data and strategic insight into your target audiences. The Tarrance Group helps you know your world by utilizing cutting edge research tools that help you achieve your goals.

What sets The Tarrance Group apart from other firms is our commitment to make research findings "actionable." Evaluating issues and situations is taken one step further by using research data to develop a core set of recommendations for each project. This extra step -- referred to as the "Tarrance Difference" -- has positioned The Tarrance Group as an invaluable team member for hundreds of successful political campaigns, corporations, public affairs organizations and non-profits.

The Tarrance Difference is applied to each client and every project through our four cornerstones of commitment:

Uncompromising Methodological Integrity: We never cut corners when it comes to methodology. From survey instrument to in-depth statistical analysis, our first demand of ourselves is accuracy. Our track record and level of client satisfaction is proof positive.
State-of-the-Art Technology: We employ the newest research techniques and computer modeling programs with proven and reliable methods to achieve the greatest accuracy and depth of understanding about the client's environment.

Fast Turnaround: The Tarrance Group offers the fastest turnaround time on survey research and strategic analysis in our industry. Our technical capabilities, in-house facilities and personal commitment to our clients means we can make the most effective use of that most valuable resource: time.

Turning Data into Sound Strategic Advice: Turning raw data into information and strategic advice you can use is the difference between our client's success and failure. Our successful experience enables us to provide clear, concise strategic analysis from highly accurate, in-depth raw data.

TARRANCE GROUP, REP. JOHN MICA's CONSULTANTS, ALSO REPRESENTS SOME 80 RIGHT-WING POLITICIANS AND DOZENS OF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS -- Check it out!!

www.tarrance.


CORPORATE / PUBLIC AFFAIRS CLIENT LIST
After School Alliance
Akin Gump
Amazon.com
America's Blood Centers
American Farmland Trust
American Medical Association
American Society of Anesthesiologists
Americans for Consumer Education and Competition
Americans for Heritage & Recreation
Annie B. Casey Foundation
Argosy Casino
Arlington Institute, The
Arthur Andersen
Associated Builders & Contractors
Association of American Railroads
AT&T
Aurora Healthcare
Automated Wagering International
Bacardi-Martini
Black America's Political Action Committee
Bechtel, Inc.
Bell Atlantic
Benton Foundation
British American Tobacco, PLC
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
BSMG Worldwide
Burley Tobacco Growers Co-op
Business Coalition, The
Business Industry Political Action Committee
The Catholic University of America
Century Council
Century Strategies
Chevron, USA
Chiquita
Churchill Downs, Inc.
Citizens for a Sound Economy
Coalition Against Big Trucks
Colorado Business Education Coalition
Columbia HCA
Committee for Economic Development
Community Partnership for Protecting Children
Continental Airlines
Corky McMillin Companies, The
Corning Enterprises
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Delaware River and Bay Authority
Dolphin Group, The
DuPont
Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
Eli Lilly
Employment Policies Institute
Everglades Foundation
Fleishman Hillard
Florida Cable Telecommunications Association
Florida Citrus Mutual
Florida Dental Association
Florida Medical Association
Florida Team 2000
FM Watch
Foley & Lardner
Food Marketing Institute
Golin-Harris
Green Bay Packers
Hamline University School of Law
Harris County Transit Authority
Hawkins Construction
Healthcare Leadership Council
Houston Lighting & Power
Human Rights Campaign
Independent Women's Forum
Illinois Manufacturers Association
Institute for Legal Reform
Judge & Dolph Ltd.
KemperLesnik
Koch Petroleum Group
LCV Education Fund
League of Conservation Voters
League of Women Voters
Massachusetts News
Memorial Blood Centers of Minnesota
Merrill Lynch
Miller Brewing Company
National Association of Business PACs
National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions
National Association of Homebuilders
National Association of Realtors
National Association of Secretaries of State
National Education Association
National Federation of Independent Businesses
National Fisheries Institute
National Immigration Forum
National Propane Gas Association
National Rifle Association
National Wildlife Federation
Nature Conservancy, The
Nature Conservancy Action Fund, The
New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority
New Jersey Transit Authority
Nii-jii Entertainment
Northern Arapahoe Tribe
Northern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University
Ocala
Ohio State Medical Association
Pacific Golf Communities LLC
Papa John's International
Pac/West Communications
Phillip Morris International
Pioneer PAC
Podesta-Mattoon
Porter-Novelli
Potomac Sports Properties
ProComp
Sallie Mae
San Diego Blood Bank
San Diego Firefighters Association
San Diego Zoo
Save Our Scenery
Service Employees International Union
Shell Oil Companies
Sheridan Healthcare
Six Flags, Inc.
St. Joe Company
State Health Access Data Assistance Center
Strategic Public Partners
Treasury Management Association
Trust for Public Land
Tulane University School of Law
United Blood Services
United Soybean Board
University of LaVerne College of Law
University of Wisconsin
U.S. Department of Transportation
U.S. English
U.S. News & World Report
Vermont Law School
Voter.com
Washington-Baltimore Regional 2012 Coalition
Wheelabrator Technologies
Wilderness Society
Wisconsin Public Service
Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association
Wisconsin Relators


POLITICAL CLIENT LIST

US SENATORS

WAYNE ALLARD, CO
JOHN BARRASSO, WY
THAD COCHRAN, MS
ELIZABETH DOLE, NC
MIKE ENZI, WY
CHUCK GRASSLEY, IA
GEORGE VOINOVICH, OH
JOHN WARNER, VA

GOVERNORS

HALEY BARBOUR, MS
LINDA LINGLE, HI

CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES

CHARLES BRONSON, FL Ag. Commissioner
TOM CORBETT, PA Attorney General
MIKE EAKIN, PA Supreme Court
MARY TAYLOR, OH Auditor
TOM HORNE, AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction

POLITICAL COMMITTEES

BUSH-CHENEY 2004
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION
FLORIDA HOUSE & SENATE REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES
REPUBLICAN STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF MARYLAND
MONROE COUNTY REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE, NEW YORK
NEW JERSEY REPUBLICAN STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF MINNESOTA
MINNESOTA REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
REPUBLICAN STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF OHIO
OHIO REPUBLICAN PARTY
REPUBLICAN CAUCUS OF VIRGINIA
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF IOWA
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF ALABAMA
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WISCONSIN
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF FLORIDA
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF NEW JERSEY
REPUBLICAN PARTY OF WYOMING
WISCONSIN STATE SENATE
COLORADO REPUBLICAN PARTY

US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

BRIAN BILBRAY, CA
GUS BILIRAKIS, FL
JOHN BOEHNER, OH
PAUL BROUN, GA
GINNY BROWN-WAITE, FL
JOHN CARTER, TX
HOWARD COBLE, NC
BARBARA CUBIN, WY
JOHN CULBERSON, TX
GEOFF DAVIS, KY
CHARLIE DENT, PA
MARY FALLIN, OK
TOM FEENEY, FL
VITO FOSELLA, NY
PHIL GINGREY, GA
DEAN HELLER, NV
DAVE HOBSON, OH
STEVE KING , IA
TOM LATHAM, IA
STEVE LATOURETTE, OH
RON LEWIS, KY
FRANK LOBIONDO, NJ
JOHN McHUGH, NY
JOHN MICA, FL
DEVON NUNES, CA
JOHN PETERSON, PA
TOM PETRI, WI
CHIP PICKERING, MS
ADAM PUTNAM, FL
DEBORAH PRYCE, OH
GEORGE RADANOVICH, CA
JIM RAMSTAD, MN
TOM REYNOLDS, NY
HAL ROGERS, KY
JIM SAXTON, NJ
JEAN SCHMIDT, OH
BILL SHUSTER, PA
CHRIS SMITH, NJ
JOHN SULLIVAN, OK
ZACH WAMP, TN


MUNICIPAL OFFICES

AL LAMBERTI, BOWARD COUNTY SHERIFF
ANGELA COREY, FLORIDA 4th DISTRICT STATE'S ATTORNEY
DAN DONOVAN, RICHMOND COUNTY (NY) DISTRICT ATTORNEY
JOHN PEYTON, JACKSONVILLE (FL) MAYOR
RICK BAKER, ST. PETERSBUG (FL) MAYOR

INITIATIVES AND REFERENDUM

CA PROPOSITION 49 – AFTER SCHOOL INITIATIVE (2002)
DERAIL THE BULLET TRAIN (FL) (2004)
LET VOTERS DECIDE – YES ON PROPOSAL 1 (MI) (2004)
VIRGINIA PARKS & RECREATIONAL FACILITIES (2002)
CORNING, NY SCHOOL BOND (2001)
GREEN BAY, WI STADIUM INITIATIVE (2000)
COLORADO TRANSBOND (1999)
KENOSHA, WI GAMING INITIATIVE (1998)
OHIO PARKS & RECREATION INITIATIVE (1996)
SAN DIEGO BLACK MOUNTAIN RANCH (1993)

FOREIGN POLITICAL EXPERIENCE

PROGRESSIVE PARTY OF ONTARIO (CANADA)
CANADIAN ALLIANCE PARTY
GREECE – NATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION
NEW ZEALAND -- NATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION
PHILIPPINES -- NATIONAL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
PARIS, FRANCE – MAYORAL ELECTION


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