Just a little love-note based on the Miami Herald story that he would back Bell's new BFF, 8 1/2 square mile, Alice Pena against Dennis Moss. Do due diligence on your wacky pick Norman.
If you are a Hispanic and live in the district please pay the $360 and run. That way you will split the Hispanic vote and we can keep the best commissioner on land-use that the County has: Dennis Moss.
(My previous post on Alice Pena.) and, Here is a better post I did on her...
34 comments:
I worked with Pena. She is a one trick pony. All she cares about is the 8 1/2 square mile area. If she gets elected we are in big trouble. That UDB line would be history.
Pena is a nightmare. G.O.D's characterization of her as "fiercely anti-environmental" in a recent post is an understatement. She's wickedly self serving with no concept of the public interest outside her pocketbook. She is loved by the Farm Bureau though, that will take her far. On the 8.5 SMA issue, she is strident without appearing to have ever read the documents or understood the issues. She's one of the reasons outsiders look at Miami and roll their eyes
Her and Bell would be a disaster.
At some point, Mr. Braman has to show some additional curiosity about the history and background of the candidates he supports. After all, he is wielding some serious influence now in the county. Alice Pena represents the worst. She is a shrill demagogue and has shown no -- none -- capacity for widening her understanding beyond what drives a few wealthy land barons who masquerade as the Dade County Farm Bureau. She and the other zealots on the county commission are bad news and it is surprising that Mr. Braman doesn't know why.
Pena appeared before the BCC a few months ago with an invitation by Chair Martinez. She was there to bash the Wetlands Advisory Task Force. She is on that task force and went around the process to address the BCC. This is the same task force created by Bell to diminish county regulations to protect wetlands. Pena wants the environmental regulations that apply to everywhere else in MDC to not apply to the 8.5 SMA (Las Palmas). Not surprisingly, many commissioners (Barriero, Martinez, Diaz) used her comments as an opportunity to slander DERM and the work the agency does to protect our water supply and wetlands. One of the ideas Pena supports is allowing trash to be approved as fill for wetlands in her area. If she were elected, she and Bell would definitely see to the abolishment of wetlands rules and regs. These wetland rules are critical to the protection of our drinking water supply. She is bad news if you care about the environment, I hope Braman does some homework here before he writes the big check!
You just figured out that Norman Braman has an agenda that does not coincide with your own? To paraphrase Vice President John Hoynes from "The West Wing": "The total tonnage of what I know that you don't could stun a team of oxen in its tracks."
If you really want to be able to use the title "Genius", you're going to have to dig deeper. What Mark Felt told Bob Woodward at the height of Watergate is still true -- Follow the money.
I haven't just figured this out...after all, Braman bank-rolled Marco Rubio.
Instead of leaving convoluted messages to try to make (1) me look stupid (2) and you trying to present yourself as smart (actually a good for nothing - know-it-all) -- Just be direct and give some useful information. If you have any real information, I doubt it.
About 6 years ago, Pena was on an Everglades committee organized by the Army Corps and SFWMD. She was there representing the 8.5. She consistently misrepresented the truth. Maybe she believed what she was saying, but even when confronted with facts, she would not change her opinion. She appears to be one of those folks that believes if you say something loud enough and often enough, it becomes true. I dread seeing her as a commissioner. Brahman -please expand your reach and find someone worthy.
Braman should call the Corps and SFWMD to get references!
Pena is a whack job. Gibson is a Rockstar.
That is all.
The destroyers will ride that One Trick Pony and erase the Boundary.
Pena is a fool who was and is used to end the definition of Wetlands. I am and have been Appalled by her and the Wetlands Panels lack of acuity of the over all picture. Where are those guys from FOWK? They seemed wickedly smart and well spoken.
Does anyone know her actual background in banking? I bet she has a background in exploiting the environment for personal gains.
I was a non voting member on the CSOP advisory committee with Alice Pena for years. No one on the committee could get along with her. She refused to make any sort of concessions. She refused to look at facts. She had one mission: The 8 1/2 square mile area was not wetlands and she stuck to that like glue. The woman was the most stubborn I have ever come across. What should have been over quickly, dragged on for years, mostly because of her obstinance. I grew to hate her more and more with every meeting.
Pena and the people who support Lynda Bell have done more harm to Miami Dade County than any group, anywhere in the county. They are the ones throwing roadblocks up against ANY regulations that might protect people and communities. They are the inheritors of the Wise Use Movement, that helped destroy so much of what this nation values. That is saying ALOT.
The Wise Use Movement
Right-Wing Anti-Environmentalism
by William Kevin Burke
In the last days of the 1992 presidential campaign, George Bush denounced "environmental extremists" who sought to lock up natural resources and destroy the American way of life. At the heart of this imagined green conspiracy was the "Ozone Man," Senator Al Gore Jr., author of Earth in the Balance. Bush's attack on environmentalism failed to save his candidacy, but it was a high water mark for the political influence of the "Wise Use" movement, a network of loosely allied right-wing grassroots and corporate interest groups dedicated to attacking the environmental movement and promoting unfettered resource exploitation.
New organizing opportunities and media exposure of the movement's less savory connections have caused constant splintering within the movement. At present, the best way to recognize Wise Use groups is by the policies they support. Therefore, Wise Use will be used here to describe all organizations that promote the core Wise Use agenda: removing present environmental protections and preventing future environmental reforms in order to benefit the economic interests of the organization's members or funders.
Five years ago Wise Use was just the latest fundraising concept of two political entrepreneurs: Ron Arnold and Alan Gottlieb. Arnold once worked for the Sierra Club in Washington State. He has told reporters that he helped organize teaching expeditions to areas that became the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. Alan Gottlieb is a professional fundraiser who has generated millions for various right-wing causes.
Pena only represents herself. Putting her into a position of power would cut off the public's true interests from being heard.
What really is Norman Braman's point in getting involved in commission races? And supporting candidates likes Pena? With his Tea Party credentials - does he aim to dismantle environmental regulations, starve county funds for public projects and services - like libraries and parks - but support public tax funds that subsidize private business ventures that enrich elected officials financial backers? In supporting someone like Pena is Braman supporting the development interests that want to strike down the UDB and encroach onto wetlands, farmland, the Everglades buffer areas?
Maybe Eye on Miami could interview Braman and get some answers.
Is Norman Braman Miami-Dade County's version of the Koch Brothers?
This post isn't about Moss and his shortcomings it is about Braman not vetting his candidate and actually supporting a MUCH WORSE choice. Don't try to prove me wrong. I know full well what I don't like about Moss.
That is why I removed your post. You were friggin' annoying and off the subject of this blog.
I'd love to tell you directly, but you've lambasted me plenty on this blog. You've gone so far as to delete my comments when just because you don't like me. You wouldn't listen even if I was standing next to you. That's fine, its your blog.
Braman's priorities in order are:(1) supporting candidates who support Israel (hence his direct and indirect support for both Rubio and David Rivera); and (2) getting revenge against commissioners whose support of the stadium made him look like a fool.
I don't know it all, Genius. But I know more than you.
Wow! What is Braman thinking? I don't care if he does not like Moss - Pena would be a disaster. How can he even put her in the same ballpark as Shirley Gibson who is smart, has demonstrated leadership and would make a fine Commissioner. Pena has never demonstrated an interest in anything other than the 8 1/2 square mile and destroying environmental protections. She would be difficult to take seriously if she were not apparently getting the ears (and money) of people who have influence. It would be a disaster if she won and it would be a shame if Braman's support for her damaged Shirley Gibson. I hope he takes the time to think this through.
Political insider, I know that about Braman. He could have taken Pepe out with a recall. He didn't. Others voted for the stadium he didn't remove---he has a method to his madness even you don't understand. Barreiro the real culprit he could have taken out in the last recall with more funds. He didn't, we lost that by a handful of signatures.
It amazes me that Norman Braman is buying seats in the County Commission and many of the so-called "pure of heart" bloggers, etc. support him. What is the difference between Braman buying seats in the County Commission or the incumbents raising money to keep their seats. In both instances, a newcomer who may very well be extremely qualified to serve as a commissioner, will not be elected because Braman has an agenda as well as the sitting commissioners.
You CANNOT CANNOT CANNOT WIN an election without money. Newcomer or not. You need at least $100,000 to mount a campaign. So forget your newcomer who is EXTREMELY qualified, without money they can't win. All the candidates for Mayor that have a chance of winning have pacs. So Braman's is not that different. The LBA taps it members and it makes Norman seem like a cheapskate. Everyone has a agenda, we settle for the least worst. Do you think I like it? No. But that is the way it is. If you and your friends and neighbors would educate yourselves about voting we wouldn't have shit to choose from.
We are realists, not pie in the sky, pure of heart bloggers.
So if you are deleting my comments about Moss because they bare no weight on this blog post and you are the admin and I get that and respect that. But if this post is about Norman Braman and his choice to endorse and/or support a candidate to run against Moss than wouldn't Bramans rationale for choosing to support an opponent in the first place (irrespective of who that candidate is) be eligible for discussion in thisforum? And if you say no because You just don't feel like it I respect that too because you are the one who maintains this forum for the practice o our 1st amendment rights an that is your right. But if you are going to do that than all I can ask as a regular patron and a fan of this site (though I don't always agree with it) is that you be honest and say "cuz I feel like it" that I would respect.
Political insider = Terry Murphy who is still as arrogant as when he thought he ruled the county commission. Good answers Genius!
While we are debating the commission future, let's not forget the State races. Amazingly enough the following races have 0 democrats running. They are district 110, 116, and 118. This is pretty sad considering what's been going on in the last few legislative sessions. Either no one is interested in running or people don't expect to win versus entrenched incumbents?Very concerning......
I think the bigger point is that we can't go from bad to worse. The medicine cannot be worse than the illness. Braman is not the Mesiah not the plantation owner. He's an a-hole with an agenda... Kudos to anyone who can figure it out.
I don't like Pena but I also don't like Moss, aka "Mr. Through the Chair." There must be someone else who everyone can agree is better for the seat.
I don't think Political Insider is Terry Murphy. In fact, I KNOW she isn't!
I don't think it is Terry, do I care no. Not even curious.
What is Bramans agenda? Enlighten us please.
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