An imaginary phone exchange between Parker Thompson, Carnivorous Center for the Performing Arts, and Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida.
JB. Parker, how are you?
PT. Fine.
JB. Don’t believe everything you read in the press.
PT. That Michael Putney.
(On the Miami Herald editorial page today Michael Putney excoriates the management of the $500 million Carnival Performing Arts Center, "Management gets a D".)
JB. They just write what is good for their business.
PT. Did you read Michael Lewis the other day?
(In a recent issue of Miami Today, publisher Michael Lewis recommended that former governor Jeb Bush is the right leader--like Alvah Chapman, former publisher of the Miami Herald, take over the PAC leadership and whip the community into shape to support the $500 million investment.)
JB. I'm kind of busy.
PT. Yeah.
JB. Parker, you stepped to the plate. You can't say that about newspaper writers or television journalists. Without you Miami would never have experienced Cats, the musical.
PT. We will NEVER have Cats in the Performing Arts Center.
JB. OK. But people like musicals.
PT. They are using me as a doormat.
JB. That's not right.
PT. How did you get away with it?
JB. What?
PT. That front page story in the Herald about Charlie Crist.
("The First 100 Days: his early tenure has been marked by bipartisan goals that have won him broad appeal.")
PT. Everyone just gushes about him.
JB. He photographs well.
PT. They gushed about you for eight years. You see what Senate President Ken Pruitt said? Here, let me read it for you… (Pause) “Governor, you have created an environment for us to succeed like I’ve never seen before.” He's dissing you.
JB. Look, Parker, I'm really pretty tied up right now.
PT. All this "bipartisan" stuff. They're criticizing you, without criticizing YOU. Everyone saying what a relief it is, the new atmosphere in Tallahassee, and they STILL don’t criticize you. I build a building downtown and they want to tar and feather me in the town square.
JB. There’s your problem.
PT. What?
JB. You built a building. I tried to tear them down.
PT. How many buildings did you tear down in Tallahassee?
JB. None. It’s the thought that counts.
5 comments:
Jeb as head of PAC, what are they going to use it for Opus dei retreats?
Now THAT's funny.
Speaking of Parker Thomson, did anyone else notice that the PAC's lobbyist - Javier Soto (former chief of staff to Alex Penelas)- is also the lobbyist for one of Parker's private business interests (Scicom Infrastructure Services) AND Terra Group, the people who want to build a $120,000,000 parking garage for the PAC funded by the County. Read that again and try to not gag! And WHY does the PAC even NEED a lobbyist? Further, as their lobbyist, what is Soto trying to get the City of Miami to buy from Scicom? And is Parker also involved in that process? AND as chairman of the PAC, is Parker giving preferential treatment to his personal lobbyist in his efforts to get the County to do a deal with his OTHER client Terra??
It's just layer after layer of cruddy conduct and influence peddling!!!
Why dont these people get real jobs like the rest of us instead of working these deals based upon "influence?"
Now we see the "usual suspects" at the Miami Art Museum are trying to get $2 Mil from the City of Miami so they can pay more money to their consultant friends. The Miami Art Museum should be trying to find a collection. Not having any success at finding a collection they spend all their time trying to convince politicans to give them the taxpayers money. Let us hope the politicans show some fiscal restraint, this smells like another PAC disaster.
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