Some of you may be familiar with my stint on the nightly series known to you all here on Daily Kos, Overnight News Digest, in which my columns were titled "Meanwhile in Miami." While I wrote my GBCW for that series and have no immediate plans to pick up where I let drop (at least until the end of baseball season), the Tropolitical Heat Wave is getting hotter, starting with SoFla politicos' reactions to the Palin pick and can not be ignored.
Now, I can't comment on the political scene in any other part of the US, but I sure can comment about the unique way we conduct public life here just north of the 25th Parallel.
Let's get one burning issue out of the way in an effort to clear the decks for even more oddball (is it possible?) Mojito Moments concerning (mostly) Miami-Dade politics. Yes. Dave Barry is once again renewing his bid as the Laffin' Lunatics' candidate for president in 2008. Nothing to see here. Let's move on.
Unable to resist, I bring you the news from my hometown, where the women are outspoken, the men tend to be glorious and gay, all the children are bilingual, and politics are conducted naked.
Florida GOPers Reactions Mixed: Responses to Sen. McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his mate, er. . .running mate, may vary, but they can be distilled to the following -- "It's starry," Sen. Mel Martinez; "It's crazy," Unnamed Top GOP Advisor; "It's zesty," McCain fundraiser and campaign advisor Brian Ballard; "It's historicky," RPOF Chairman Jim Greer; "It's no Hillary," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz; "It's Marino-y," Former Republican Party of Florida chairman Al Cardenas; "It's Cubany," Republican State Representative J.C. Planas; "It's inclusivey," Republican State Representative Marcelo Llorente; or "It could be Dan Quayle-y," Ballard Who Can't Make Up His Mind.
Sorry, Charlie: Fl. governor and Veep hopeful, Charlie Crist (R) was the last of three short listers to get the no-no call from McCain around 10:30 this morning. Remarked the governor, "Does this mean I can get un-engaged now?" Or maybe he didn't. His take on the Palin pick -- "It's snubby," I bet.
I'll See Your Lieberman and Raise You a Schumer: Sen. Chuck of New York (as he could be known in these latitudes) is coming to Temple Solel in Hollywood at 1 p.m. Sept. 7, one month after Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut spoke there on behalf of Republican John McCain. My bet is Shumer's gonna raise him some cash for Obama while he's here. More than Lieberman got out of this audience, I'm also bettin'.
114 Elephant Rumps Find Seats: The RNC figures the chairs are strong enough to support all the Republican delegates' derrieres after all. Yeah, butt, the state will only deliver 57 votes for John McCain during the roll call.
Repub Campaign Stops: McCain (aka, Sen. 9/11/Ditto) will ride his Straightmantalk Express into Miami and park it at the Intercontinental Hotel 9/15/08, where he will emerge with his palm up; Palin goes across state to Naples, hand likewise extended.
Knife in the Back: Hialeah (pronounced Hi-ja-lee'-ah round these parts) mayor, Julio Robaina, aka Huggy Bear II chooses sides. And it ain't with his mentor, former Hialeah Mayor and present opponent of Diaz-Balart in the 25th District House Race, Raul Martinez (man being squished in linked photo). Robaina, a Republican, will join Diaz-Balart tomorrow morning at the opening of the latter's "Hialeah Victory Office." Hialeah citizens elect their mayors sans political affiliation noted on their ballots.
"Well Strike Me Down": U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Seitz obliges, finding that a controversial state law that banned professors at state universities in Florida from traveling to Cuba for research purposes is unconstitutional.
. . .the 2006 law, pushed aggressively by state Rep. David Rivera (R), "is an impermissible sanction and serves as an obstacle to the objectives of the federal government."
The law prohibited the use of state and nonstate funds by state universities for traveling to Cuba, and the judge struck down the part of the law that banned nonstate funds from being used. That would allow most travel to Cuba from state universities to resume because most of those trips are paid using private funds. . .Miami Herald
Rivera said from his pachyderm cushion at the RNC, "I think the judge has erred in her decision by overstepping into what is clearly a state issue in terms of budget authority, and I look forward to either an appeal of the decision or remedying her error through the budget process year after year." He needs to take his marbles and go home, only I think he lost 'em.
--That's 30--