Marco Rubio: the bad press piles up ... by gimleteye

Marco Rubio and David Rivera

According to Marco Rubio, news reports and blogs Eye On Miami are part of the "media hype" denying his candidacy for GOP presidential nominee a fair shake. We infer this from a devastating Washington Post report, scratching under the smooth exterior. Although there is not much news in the disclosure we've covered for years -- Marco's relationship with former congressman David Rivera (the best quote in the WAPO report, below, is former state senator Alex Villalobos calling Rivera "a real asshole") -- what does shine through is how Republicans nationally have to decide whether to adopt a candidate for the top elected office in the world whose values of friendship and loyalty were forged in West Miami Dade gutter politics.

Marco Rubio claims that he is, today, at the same point in his political career as Barack Obama was when he launched his successful bid to be president of the United States. As observers of Miami politics, we can confidently say the comparison is not even close. Thanks to friends like David Rivera, Marco Rubio should stay right here handling auto dealership disputes for Norman Braman as recently disclosed by the New York Times. He shouldn't be left anywhere near the White House: Marco Rubio is not ready for prime time. Period.


For Sen. Marco Rubio, a question of friendship vs. politics
Washington Post
By Ben Terris May 8, 2015

As an underdog candidate for the U.S. Senate going nowhere in the polls, Marco Rubio thought about dropping out. Then his close friend David Rivera showed up at his house, armed with giant sticky notes to paste reasons not to quit all over Rubio’s living room.

But now, as Rubio pursues another audacious, uphill campaign, this time for the Republican presidential nomination, the man he has called his “most loyal friend and supporter” could be a big political problem.

On the Havenick family in the case against Congressman David Rivera ... by gimleteye

The Miami Herald publishes another report how Congressman David Rivera and how he hid his role as chief lobbyist for a successful ballot referendum in Miami-Dade in 2008 that delivered gambling privileges to the Havenick family and its Magic City Casino; a highly profitable, limited gaming operation that grafted onto its dog racing venue. It is a shameful story for the Havenicks, whose civic influence for many years was projected through  Miami's elite private school, Ransom Everglades and a dominant role of Barbara Havenick, the family matriarch.

Among the compelling details: that Rivera-- then a state legislator-- was so brazen and confident that his role would be disguised to the voting public, that he actually went to fellow legislators (and the public) after the ballot referendum had passed and proposed a measure to kill limited gambling knowing that it would fail. And it did. And-- get this -- since the feds have not prosecuted Rivera or anyone else, apparently the straw man corporation that hid Rivera's involvement (behind his mother's skirt) is now asking for a "success fee".

Back to the Havenick's role in the city's elite private school: Ransom Everglades. What do the family/business values-- hiding Rivera's role and the source of his income-- communicate to all those children of Miami's doctors, lawyers, and chiefs who endorsed Havenick's board leadership at the prestigious Ransom? Not to mention, donors? Put these questions next to the story about the condo handyman in G.O.D.'s building and his struggles: the comparison also calls into question what good schools, churches and synagogues are, whose alumni and congregations refuse to even acknowledge much less challenge the inequities that are rampant in Miami. (For the record, two of my children graduated from Ransom Everglades. One, from Gulliver. For the full Herald story, click 'read more'.)

David Rivera's Gal Pals: Kellyanne Conway and Ana Alliegro. By Geniusofdespair

 

Yesterday Disgraced politician David Rivera introduced Trump's spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway to a gaggle of Republicans at their annual dinner. Kellyanne was one of the speakers. Rivera said, in the introduction, that Kelleyanne Conway was his close friend for 30 years. She said the health care bill was called: The “Better Care Reconciliation Act.” Fuck NO! Call it Trumpcare so we know who to blame. Don't let her spin the name into something else.

We must not forget David Rivera's other gal pal, Ana Alliegro. Remember her? we sure do. She was our post of the year in 2012.

Actually they look pretty similar.

We must not forget David Rivera's former roommate and his BFF, Marco Rubio, who doesn't give a damn about your healthcare. Again, David Rivera is introducing in this video filmed at a gay hate group....



What a toxic crew of friends for a toxic guy: David Rivera. At the Alliegro trial the judge said about David Rivera:

Before David Rivera’s confidante was sentenced in a campaign-finance scheme on Wednesday, a federal judge had some advice from the bench for the former Miami congressman: Act like a man.

“Some people would call it chivalry, some people call it sexism — that the man should come forward and not let the woman do time on his behalf,” said U.S. District Judge Robert Scola, who gave Rivera’s friend, Ana Alliegro, a one-year sentence split between six months she had already spent in jail and six months of house arrest.

Congressman David Rivera at war with Wikipedia ... by gimleteye

Politico reports that Congressman David Rivera has sent his staff to "erase" his record as reported on Wikipedia. It's a story that speaks to the desperation of the GOP effort to dodge public scrutiny of ethics violations and, possibly, worse.
Rep. Rivera's war with Wikipedia
By: Marin Cogan
April 7, 2011 04:37 AM EDT

It’s not easy policing the image of a member of Congress — especially when your boss is Rep. David Rivera, the Florida Republican freshman beset by so many public controversies that Majority Leader Eric Cantor declined to meet with him when he visited Miami last month.

So, on March 16 at 6:40 p.m., a Wikipedia editor with the handle “Lmveiga” decided to do some maintenance to Rivera’s Wikipedia page. First, Lmveiga removed a précis of the congressman’s legislative career, replacing it with a six-point list of “Rivera’s Legislative Accomplishments,” taken directly from his campaign website.

Then, Lmveiga removed the entire “controversies” section.

The deleted text included accusations that a David M. Rivera was named as the defendant in a domestic abuse case in 1994 (both the congressman and the victim have said he was not the defendant named.) The entry also included an allegation that Rivera was involved in a 2002 traffic accident with a truck that was moments from delivering fliers detailing the domestic abuse case. (Rivera said he was meeting the truck to pick up his own fliers.) The section also said Rivera amended his state financial disclosure forms after one of his primary listed sources of income, USAID, said it had no record of working with him. (Rivera said he had worked for subcontractors to whom he had promised anonymity.) And it said state law enforcement agencies were investigating $500,000 in payments to Rivera’s mother for work with a dog track for which Rivera, then a state lawmaker, had lobbied.

Wikipedia editors quickly restored the controversies section. And “Lmveiga” again deleted it.

Lmveiga is the twitter handle of Rivera’s press secretary, Leslie Veiga.

“My only interaction with Wikipedia editing, which has been personal interaction on my own personal time, has been to add factual, documented information and remove false, undocumented allegations,” Veiga said in response to an inquiry from POLITICO. “The information I added was well sourced and linked to legislation on the Florida House website that the congressman sponsored during his time in the state Legislature, as well as current information about his committee assignments and subcommittee assignments in the U.S. House.”

Wikipedia experts said Veiga has an uphill climb against the army of volunteer editors of the highly trafficked site, who will keep putting the controversies back into Rivera’s entry.

“You are never going to find success by trying to whitewash the details of the biography you don’t like,” said William Beutler, an enthusiast of the open-source encyclopedia who writes the blog The Wikipedian. Beutler has developed a “best practices” strategy for editing articles in which there might be a potential conflict of interest. “All Wikipedia aims to do is reflect what is public knowledge and has been widely reported, and [it] is a well of information about a public official’s career. Anything publicly reported about their career is fair game for a Wikipedia article,” he said.

That meant that for the Wikipedia editors, the links to the Miami Herald, St. Petersburg Times, CBS and POLITICO were enough of a citation to include in the entry.

Beutler said it’s not all that uncommon for staffers to edit congressional entries. On Capitol Hill, the habit of polishing an elected official’s online encyclopedia reference became a trend in 2006, after Reps. Marty Meehan, Gil Gutknecht and David Davis and Sens. Norm Coleman, Joe Biden, Tom Harkin and Dianne Feinstein were dinged when their staffers’ flattering alterations showed up in their bosses’ Wikipedia edit history. In early 2006, Wikinews, a news source linked to Wikipedia, investigated all edits coming from the House and Senate offices and found most Senate edits to be helpful. House edits were more difficult to trace.

During the 2008 election, Wikipedia’s online guardians often refereed, and sometimes waged, fierce battles over the pages of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton — removing a photo depicting the current secretary of state as a walrus, for example, or references to the president as Kenyan-American.

The House IP address, 143.231.249.141, frequently shows up in the edit histories of members, committees and constitutional amendments. Wiki editors repeatedly blocked the House IP for limited periods of time until 2009, when they apparently gave up the effort.

In Rivera’s case, the edits were quickly caught.

At 7:17 p.m. on the day of Veiga’s original edit, she deleted the controversies for a second time. On Veiga’s personal page, one Wikipedia editor wrote, “I notice that one of the first articles you edited appears to be dealing with a topic with which you may have a conflict of interest. In other words, you may find it difficult to write about that topic in a neutral and objective way, because you are, work for or represent the subject of that article.”

The efforts of Rivera’s press secretary are just the latest in an intense few months of scrutiny of the lawmaker.

Cantor recently fueled speculation about Rivera’s future when he told reporters he was “very concerned” about the investigation into Rivera’s finances. This came after the House leader declined to meet with the congressman when he attended a Miami fundraiser earlier this year. A GOP source told POLITICO last month that Rivera was left off the invitation list for a Young Guns meeting organized by House Republicans.

Democrats continue to hammer the Republican daily, in hopes that the ethical imbroglios will result in a resignation before the next election. “David Rivera has a long history of being ethically challenged,” said Dave Patlak, operations director for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party. “We need to help him, and the first way is for him to recognize that he has a problem, and he needs to resign before he gets indicted.”

As for Rivera’s Wikipedia page, as of Wednesday night, the “controversies” section still includes the ethical allegations Rivera has faced in the past few months.


© 2011 Capitol News Company, LLC

Crappy U.S. Congressman David Rivera in the News. By Geniusofdespair

One of Eye on Miami's favorite whipping boys (and Senator Marco Rubio's BFF/former roommate) Congressman David Rivera, is in the news today. It looks like he is going to sleaze his way out of trouble by a technicality. Too bad. The Miami Herald reported:

"The year-long Miami-Dade state attorney’s office investigation into Congressman David Rivera’s personal and campaign finances has stalled over questions about more than $100,000 in undisclosed campaign donations that appear to fall under a little-known loophole in Florida’s campaign-finance laws.

Rivera collected the money not for a political office but for a campaign he mounted for an obscure, unpaid position within the Republican Party."

But don't despair dear readers, he still might get nailed by a second investigation, as the Herald reported:

"Rivera, a first-term congressman, is also the subject of a second criminal probe by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service. The two agencies are examining possible tax-evasion questions stemming from $510,000 in undisclosed payments from the former Flagler Dog Track — now known as the Magic City Casino — to Millennium Marketing, a company owned by Rivera’s mother and godmother."

The IRS...that makes me optimistic because they got Al Capone when no one else could.
Note to Rundle and the rest of you: If you can possibly get one damn investigation right this is the one! I will be happier than a pig in shit if anyone can nail U.S. Congressman David Rivera who is a pox on the State of Flori-duh. You people that voted for him are a bunch of assholes (this is me being kind to all of you because it is the holidays). Let me finish with: David Rivera Sucks (so I can put this in my sucks file with the other 38 posts).

Big Ad Today for Slimy Congressman David Rivera. By Geniusofdespair

There is 1/2 page ad in the Miami Herald for that snake - Congressman David Rivera. Yes, David Rivera is the hero of ALL seniors. How do I know, it says so in the New York Times. The ad for Rivera gives a New York Times link. I went to the link. The link lists Ryan's budget bill and gives the voting results. It only mentions Rivera's name with every other Congressman. The way the Rivera ad is laid out in the Miami Herald, it makes you think that the New York Times said: "Thank Congressman David Rivera for standing up for seniors and fighting to protect and preserve Medicare." Who is behind this deceptive ad (in more ways than I can mention)? Here is the scoop from their website:

 October 5th: "The American Action Network today announced the launch of a $1.6 million advertising campaign focusing on President Obama’s devastating plan to impose Medicaid-style price controls on the Medicare Prescription Drug Program. A series of print, mail and phone ads will target 43 different House Congressional Districts and 13 different Senators."

Who is financing/leading The American Action Network:  

Fred Malek - "Malek, who founded private equity firm Thayer Capital Partners, has spent his life moving in the very highest circles of business and Republican politics. An aide to Presidents Nixon and George H.W. Bush, Malek is perhaps most famous for his central role in responding to Nixon's request for a count of Jews employed in the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He also once parachuted out of a plane with George H.W. Bush for the former president's 80th birthday."  

Robert Steel - "Steel came to the Treasury Department of the George W. Bush Administration after a nearly 30-year illustrious career at Goldman Sachs. He joined Goldman in the mid-1970s, ultimately rising to the position of vice chairman. From 2006 to July 2008, he was under secretary for domestic finance under his old friend Henry Paulson, with whom Steel had a "Batman-and-Robin-like relationship," according to the Washington Post."  

Kenneth Langone  - "The investor who provided the seed money for Home Depot, Langone's net worth was put at $1.1 billion by Forbes in 2007. He butted heads with then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in the 2000s in the scandal over the super-sized pay package for Dick Grasso, chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, where Langone was a director. Langone has been a longtime friend and business associate of Ross Perot, whose presidential bid Langone backed in 1992. In 2008, he was an early backer of Rudy Giuliani, later switching his support to McCain."

Another one of those gosh-darned Republican Think Tanks...not thinking as usual -- helping our ethically challenged Congressman David Rivera to stay in office. Get smart people in District 25, throw the bum out. And, here is an accurate link to the New York Times about this group.

According to Wikipedia The American Action's Network's board of directors includes:

David Rivera: the GOP Congress starts ethically challenged the Miami Way... by gimleteye

The first test of the GOP pledge to ethics is Miami-Dade's own David Rivera, who possibly will have the shortest tenure in the history of the US Congress. The Miami Herald has detailed Rivera's twisted finances. The mess calls into question what Rivera, best buddy of now US Senator Marco Rubio, talked about, when they discussed politics and money.

Somehow-- don't ask me because I don't have a clue-- Rivera was elected without disclosures of any kind about his personal finances, that apparently included using a straw company run by his mother to hide his involvement in passing an initiative to allow parimutuel betting by his client, the Havenick family in Miami. The young Miami Republican turks who rushed to Rivera's side certainly look like young Miami jerks. Rivera also fabricated key parts of his resume. That also made no impact, apparently, with voters. For insiders in favor of betting, everyone must have known Rivera was involved, yet kept his involvement secret. It's the Miami way: no one spoke up. No one had the guts.

So David Rivera is now compounding the deception, according to the Herald, through a December real estate transaction -- again with mom-- to provide cash to paper over his debt with mom. Do Republican voters have a clue? Do they care? What is rattling around in their heads, to elevate a character with Rivera's ethically challenged credentials? Just like Governor Rick Scott, Rivera is now refusing to answer questions by the press. "I've said all I'm going to say about that," is exactly Scott's line to reporters who during the gubernatorial campaign wanted to learn more about Scott's involvement in the fraud that ended up costing the company he founded the largest civil fine in US history, $1.7 billion.

Well the buck stops here: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor needs to be definitive about Rivera. He doesn't belong in Congress.

David Rivera: The Shit Has Hit the Fan - Witness M.I.A. By Geniusofdespair

David Rivera and Ana Alliegro

Manny Garcia and Marc (Ick) Caputo reported that Ana Alliegro never showed up to give a statement to investigators. She was scheduled for a Federal Grand Jury yesterday. Her lawyer made a deal that she would speak to investigators instead but never showed up. Ana was managing the campaign for Democrat Justin Sternad running against David Rivera. Sternad is believed to be a shill put in the race by David Rivera and Sternad's campaign also was believed to be financed with David Rivera's help. There were $100 bills stuffed in envelopes paying for Sternads's extensive campaign flyers said a mail house operator who was also a former government agent. Ana Alliegro's lawyer and her mother both have not heard from her. Ana is a good friend of David Rivera. The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald reported:

"Gudy Alliegro said the last time she spoke with her daughter was Wednesday night when she talked about driving with her father to the interview with investigators. But she never showed up at the family home in Little Havana, recalls the mother.

The mother said she has not filed a missing person’s report and that law enforcement authorities have not contacted her about her daughter’s whereabouts."

New Names on Our Earned Wrath List: Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Mulvihill and U.S. Attorney Wifredo Antonio Ferrer. By Geniusofdespair

Wifredo A. Ferrer, US Attorney, Mulvihill's boss. For once we don't have to blame Katherine Fernandez Rundle for a screw up.

Ana Alliegro and Former Congressman David Rivera

Get this investigation out of Thomas J. Mulvihill's hands before the statute of limitations runs out.

When someone in jail asserts that her co-conspirator is being given the white glove treatment you know something is wrong (from the Miami Herald- too hard to find the link), Ana Alliegro said:

"I think Mulvihill is the reason he (David Rivera) hasn't been charged."

Now digest that for a minute. This woman gave Mulvihill all the material he needed including (according to the Miami Herald): "...an hour long Dec. 18 testimony and a mountain of evidence; corroborating witnesses, a trove of emails, a handwritten note from Rivera and even fingerprints. Also a federal judge last year demanded that Rivera be named in open court."

What the hell is holding things up? Even Ana Alliegro wants to know as she sat in jail (with Sternad the dupe).

I will tell you. I think it is because David Rivera's best friend is Marco Rubio....for years. They owned a house together in Tallahassee and let it foreclose together. They both lived in it TOGETHER. Rivera was in the waiting room at the birth of all 4 of Marco Rubio's children. Rivera is the man that can bring Marco Rubio's presidential plans to a halt. He taught him how to be sleazy. Alliegro calls Rivera a "sociopath".  And he has been Rubio's best friend. Hmmm. Doesn't say much for Marco Rubio's character. If you doubt they are best friends just watch this video.




(watch on YouTube)

We want action on David Rivera, Wifredo Antonio Ferrer: NOW!

Florida Republicans have unseemly party leadership. By Geniusofdespair

First it was that twit David Rivera. Now Republicans have installed Erik Fresen as the head of the Miami-Dade Republican party.

Most of us relocated to Florida because we thought it a paradise. We loved the vistas, the fishing, the swimming, the stately palms, the lush foliage, the sumptuous tropical fruits, the flowers in winter, and the pristine beaches. Instead the Miami Dade Republican party heads are zeroed in on gambling as our top priority (that is when they aren't focused on paving over paradise). The Republican brass don't care why voters live here nor do they care to preserve the riches of nature that most of us value. They care about how they can get money in their OWN pockets with gambling. Most of these West Miami politicians are losers (Rubio, Fresen and Rivera had little net worth and 3 of them were/are facing foreclosure, Fresen also having a federal tax lien) with making money for their pockets as their number 1 goal (Rubio - Power is his priority).

I think it unseemly that Erik Fresen--Party leader --is promoting gambling - hailing an opinion yesterday allowing for expanded gambling. He is pushing full scale gambling with a vengeance, like his predecessor David Rivera who got gambling's foot in the door. Neither of these guys have ever even given lip service to preserving the Floridian qualities of paradise -- why we came to live here, why people stay.

The Fresen Model: Let flooding, polluting, unbridled growth, reduce regulation to foul our natural resources and let corporate greed continue to destroy Florida as we know it...as long as we get gambling. Friggin' A-hole.

 More on David Rivera;

Disgraced David Rivera Wins Because of Incompetence of Prosecutors. By Geniusofdespair

Miami federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Mulvihill, are unwilling to criminally charge Rivera — even though U.S. District Judge Robert Scola took the extraordinary step of forcing Mulvihill to name Rivera as the target of his investigation back in 2014.

This is what Miami saw as a viable choice for U.S. Congress? Even worse than Rubio.

They had 2 witnesses, who went to jail (and others from the mail order house) to testify against David Rivera. But the prosecutors let the statute of limitations run out. Did they do it on PURPOSE to help their friend?

Off with their heads! Name these prosecutors now! Fire the staff of prosecutors now!

Even the infamous Ana Alliegro, her life in tatters because of her devotion to David Rivera, told the Miami Herald:

“I can’t really fathom how a person that has been named as a co-conspirator is out there, while I had to serve a sentence, and so did Mr. Sternad,” Ana Alliegro, the Republican consultant Rivera used as a go-between to send Sternad money, told the Miami Herald in an interview Tuesday. “What upsets me is that politicians don’t go to jail in this state. I don’t get it. They don’t get reprimanded.” AND “He’s obviously being protected,” Alliegro said Tuesday of Rivera. “He’s got friends in high places.”

Ana, we all agree with you.

Meanwhile David Rivera has become a millionaire:

He’s worth more than $1.5 million, according to a financial disclosure form he filed this week to qualify as a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives. The last time he publicly declared his finances, in a 2012 congressional form that didn’t require a net-worth estimate, he listed just two assets — neither of which suggested he had the makings of a millionaire.

Most of the Miami Republican’s newfound wealth lies outside the U.S., in a pair of overseas bank accounts in Mexico and Taiwan each holding more than $300,000, his disclosure shows. He also owns three properties in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula worth $250,000, $100,000 and $50,000.

David Rivera needs a liberal conspiracy. Former congressman withdraws from reality, blames "liberal activist judges" for holding him hostage … by gimleteye

The Ricker Report published the letter by former Congressman David Rivera announcing his withdrawal from Congressional campaign against incumbent (D) Joe Garcia.

Rivera claims his decision is tied to the court ruling judging the recent GOP legislative redistricting to be illegal.  What follows is a political communication that ranks among the most bizarre. All Rivera needed to do was hold a poodle named Checkers in his arms as he read this text to TV cameras.

Dear Friends and Supporters,

As you may have already heard, yesterday a Florida court outrageously invalidated the state's congressional district map which had been drawn by the Florida Legislature in 2012. This decision has created great uncertainty as to the final composition of all of Florida's congressional districts, including CD 26 in South Florida, for which I am a candidate. In essence, liberal activist judges are hijacking the reapportionment process and holding congressional candidates like myself hostage until the appeals process concludes at the liberal Democrat-dominated Florida Supreme Court (see Bush v. Gore 2000). As a congressional candidate affected by this decision, I will not be held hostage by Florida's liberal activist judges. After consulting with state legislative leaders and reapportionment attorneys, and pending further clarification of this court decision, I have decided to suspend campaigning for CD 26 and will launch my candidacy to the Florida State House of Representatives for the 2016 election cycle. There are just too many issues to solve in Florida, Common Core, Medicaid, economic development and others, to sit by and wait for unelected judges to decide the fate of congressional districts. As always, I am humbled and grateful for your support of my candidacy. However, while Florida's liberal activist judges may cast uncertainty by hijacking the congressional reapportionment process, I simply will not allow myself to be one of their hostages.

David

Commentary: There is something amiss in Rivera's statement, beyond its ridiculous attempt to pin the redistricting fiasco on liberal activist judges. One wonders if Rivera's gal pal, Ana whatseverhername, might have decided to flip with the FBI in her order to save her ass from federal jail. For Rivera to have written something so blatantly bizarre, reaching out to whatever grievance is nearest at hand, might mean there really is something brewing that will keep his name in the headlines for years to come. David Rivera needs a liberal conspiracy.

David Rivera & Alex Diaz de la Portilla: A case study. By Geniusofdespair

Yes, this is only a 2008 election of Republican State Executive Committeeman but still very interesting.  If you look at election day and early voting only, Alex Diaz de la Portilla got 16,178 and David Rivera got 15,592,  that would have made Alex the vote winner. When you add in absentee ballots the story changes: David Rivera gets 3,028 more votes then Alex. David Rivera is one candidate that we KNOW is tied into to the absentee ballot machine.  I am told he is the boletera's darling. In this election it is pretty clear that absentee ballots changed the results. 

Most of the time when I complain that a candidate got too many absentee ballots relative to other voting methods, they tell me that Democrats don't use absentee ballots as much, so that is why absentee's are lopsided in favor of Republicans.  Well, then, explain this one to me: This is Republican on Republican. I would expect in all manners of voting, the ratio would have been similar. But here the absentee's are lopsided. Why?

The Miami Herald blasted David Rivera in an editorial today re: the State Attorney's close-out memo.

Congressman David Rivera, more ... by gimleteye

Congressman David Rivera created a web of campaign finance abuses so tangled that the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement (apparently) could not pin him down before the 2 year statute of limitations ran out.

Assuming that FDLE and the Miami-Dade State Attorney did not drag their heels on the Rivera investigation (that may be too big an assumption since Rivera was a powerful GOP leader and roommate of Marco Rubio, now US Senator and short-listed for the GOP VP slot), the question taxpayers and voters should ask is whether the GOP jihad to "shrink government to the size it can fit in a bathtub" is designed precisely to allow the worst-of-the-worst like Rivera, to play out the clock and to create an unlovable majority of the corrupt.

The Miami Herald apparently takes the Rivera violations -- unprosecuted -- as a serious matter. Whoo-whoo. If the Herald has the institutional willingness to carry its indignation further, a good place to start would be to investigate the human resource capacity within the FDLE and state attorney's office to match investigation and prosecutorial capacity to need. Not just in Miami-Dade but throughout the state.

My guess is that there is plenty of reason to suspect that budget cuts are preventing law enforcement from dealing with the overflow of political sewerage. (I also recall the shenanigans in the Miami-Dade ethics office, under Robert Myers-- an initiative as thoroughly gelded as castrati in the imperial court of Peking.)

Rivera is not alone in believing he could get away with accounting tricks and obfuscation. Knowledgeable insiders -- and there are many among legislators and lobbyists -- can do the math in their heads: there are just so many law enforcement officers and attorneys to chase down violations of already weakened campaign finance laws, just so much political pressure to put on high elected officials to bend away from scrutiny of their finances, the barrier to successful prosecutions has been raised just so far, to provide room for elected officials to slip through gaping holes in the net meant to separate government from crooks.

If the purpose of our mangled campaign finance system is to discourage honesty and good candidates from running for office, then it has succeeded brilliantly. Congressman David Rivera is the example.

David Rivera's Campaign. Who is Stupid Enough to Give? By Geniusodespair

As of 7/25/2012 David Rivera collected $240,558.81. He spent $138,573.58

Donations in July: Roger F. Noriega of Washington DC (Vision Americas,LLC) gave $2,500. Ernesto Perez (Dade Medical College) and his wife Sylvia gave $5,000. They live at 1216 Milian Avenue, Coral Gables. Sergio and Tatiana Pino Gave $5,000. Florida Congressional Committee PAC gave $5,000. A Texas Company, International Bank of Commerce Committee gave $2,500. The National Association of Realators gave him $3,000. They are in Chicago.

In July Rivera gave The Factor Inc. $5,000. That is Ana Carbonell at 501 Brickell Key Drive #602.

In May he got $500 from developer Pedro Adrian. Esther Alvarez gave him $5,000 in June. She lives in Doral. Rolando Bonachea, with no employer listed, gave Rivera $2,500. Michael Cinque who works for the City of Marathon gave him $500. Carlos L. Curbelo who works for the U.S. Congress (they said that on the form but he is school board) gave him $1,000. Allan Gordon who works for the Veterans Administration (and I assume his wife Karie) gave him $2,500. They live in Havana Florida. Oscar Grisales Racin gave him $1,500. He lives in/near Aventura.

Jeffrey Horstmyer of Miami who works at Mercy Hospital gave him $7,000 twice (?). Pinecrest couple John and Mirtha Rebstock gave $3,000 all together. Sandra Reus of Doral gave $5,000. Mark Rossi who works for the City of Key West, Gave $1,000. A whole pile of peole from GRSH Law gave $3,000 donations each. GRSH Law in Oscar Grisales-Racini, Nera Shefer, Staci M. Hershey, Karyna Gonzalez-Rabagh and Yanina Miculitzki (can't let them hide behind GRSH). They are at 2999 NE 191 Street. Douglas Walker in Key West also gave $5,000. American Airlines PAC gave $2,000. American Principles PAC gave $3,000. Comcast gave $3,500. The Air Traffic Controllers Assn. PAC gave big. The Majority Committee PAC also gave $5,000. US-Cuba Democracy PAC gave him $5,000. He paid quite a bit of money to Patton Boggs a Washington DC lobbying firm. They are also a law firm. I bet they are trying to keep him out of trouble. I like the way Patton Boggs said they rely on their "integrity." Not with David Rivera, you can't have integrity and work for him.

I hope the whole lot of you are embarrassed to have your name here, supplying David Rivera with lavish financing to keep this scoundrel in Federal office, embarrassing all of us honest citizens.

U.S. Congressman David Rivera in the News Again. By Geniusofdespair

The Miami Herald has a good installment in the David Rivera saga.

David Rivera's 'friend' Esther Nuhfer is really raking in the dough. The gambling PAC gave her about $120,000 in 2007. The Republicans gave her company $150,000 in 2010, with little accounting according to reporters Scott Hiaasen and Patricia Mazzei, and Rivera also gave Esther's company a bundle from his campaign.

It pays to be saddled on to the right people. Just an aside: Look at Rivera's fingertips in the photo at left...creepy? Maybe.

According to a 2009 St. Pete Times article:

"Consultant-lobbyist Esther Nuhfer earned most of her $201,000 from the campaign and political committee of her friend, Republican Rep. David Rivera of Miami."

Maybe someone should check out Rubio's campaign reports to see if Esther has that magic touch with other candidates.

GOP Congressman David Rivera steps in it, again ... by gimleteye

GOP Congressman David Rivera has a political death wish. Today's Miami Herald story -- of Rivera secretly funding a campaign to undo the primary of his Democratic rival -- is amazing of itself, but quadruply so because of his repeated near political death brushes with the law since his first election to Congress only a few years ago.

It all spilled out in the Herald and El Nuevo Herald this morning: "Fueled with $43,000 in secret money, Republican Rep. David Rivera helped run a shadow campaign that might have broken federal laws in last week’s Democratic primary against his political nemesis Joe Garcia, according to campaign sources and finance records. As part of the effort, a political unknown named Justin Lamar Sternad campaigned against Garcia by running a sophisticated mail campaign that Rivera helped orchestrate and fund, campaign vendors said. Among the revelations: The mailers were often paid in envelopes stuffed with crisp hundred-dollar bills. Rivera and Sternad have denied working together in his campaign, which ended Aug. 14. But Hugh Cochran, president of Campaign Data, told The Herald this week that Rivera contacted him in July and requested he create a list of voters who were ultimately targeted in the 11 mailers sent by Sternad’s campaign. “David hired me to run the data,” said Cochran, who is a retired FBI agent."

Amazing. You can't make this stuff up, including the ham-handed effort by the GOP to suppress the November early election vote in the Florida Keys. The image of GOP Gov. Rick Scott trying to push around Monroe County's election supervisor, Harry Sawyer, just makes me grin.

Rumor on Brian Goldmeier and Truth on David Rivera. By Geniusofdespair

Brian Goldmeier and Mrs. Mayor Gimenez

Mayor Carlos Gimenez pulled support from Jose Felix Diaz because he attacked Gimenez's daughter in law who apparently has a long relationship with Alex de la Portilla his opponent --- including getting arrested with him. Brian Goldmeier the nerdy fundraiser who made it rain dollars for the Mayor is said to still be supporting Diaz. That would be a slap in the face to Gimenez. According to the Miami Herald:

Gimenez withdrew his support shortly after the Miami Herald reported Friday on Diaz de la Portilla's 2012 arrest at a Boston hotel over a lit cigarette.

Diaz de la Portilla was arrested at the Intercontinental Hotel and charged with trespassing along with Gimenez's daughter-in-law, Tania Cruz, who is working for the Diaz de la Portilla campaign and is also a long-time friend of the candidate.

Police observed that suspects were belligerent, intoxicated and stated they were lawyers in Miami --Off. Raymond D’Oyley, Boston Police incident report

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article160217214.html#storylink=cpy

In response to the Herald article, I wrote on Typepad:

Is your daughter-in-law still Married to your son? If so why is he not suspicious when his wife is in another mans hotel room and then working for the same man. Personally if my husband did that--- he would be my x husband...and he is a good cook so it is an even harder decision but I would gladly switch to frozen dinners and dump the chump.

Alex and Tania Cruz - Not Currently Able to Practice Law in Florida According to the Bar

There are more rumors on Goldmeier (once a Democratic fundraiser with ties to Kris Korge) that he may be helping Tomas Regalado (son of the Mayor) despite Mayor Gimenez's supporting of Joe Carollo (Joe was said to be working on Gimenez's Mayoral campaign by many in the rumor circle). Joe is ahead in the fundraising with $210,800. Barreiro's wife has $138,073 and Regalado has $92,055. They are all running in the District 3 race of the City of Miami.

Bottom line: Brian Goldmeier may not be the golden boy of Mayor Gimenez. It appears he may have defied his top client on two separate occasions. Will there be retribution? Maybe not, Brian knows too much.

David Rivera with his former Roommate Marco Rubio

And now to David Rivera, the Miami Herald reported:

Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera funneled at least $69,000 in secret campaign cash to a ringer candidate in the 2012 congressional election, according to the Federal Election Commission — which wants the Republican ex-congressman to pay $486,000 in civil penalties.

and:

Last year, a Tallahassee appeals court upheld a $57,821.96 Florida Commission on Ethics fine against Rivera over improperly disclosed income and double-billed travel expenses, but Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who is empowered to fine former state lawmakers, has yet to impose it.

Norman Braman Why Did You Support David Rivera? By Geniusofdespair

Norman Braman formerly owned 65% of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985. July 16, 1986 Norman bought the rest of the team from Ed. Braman. He sold the team in 1994.

We get it Norman Braman, you don't like sports teams getting public funds. And, it appears you know about sports teams from experience. We read your Opinion piece in the Miami Herald yesterday. You said about the bill, where the Dolphins are now trying to get funds from the Tourist Tax:

"This obnoxiously obscene bill is sponsored by state Rep. Erik Fresen." And, you said:

"I am 100 percent opposed to this bill and will do whatever I can to see that it does not pass, including traveling to Tallahassee to testify against it."

Well you gave enough money to Marco Rubio and David Rivera, how about putting some muscle on that duo? How about traveling to Washington to get your way? You gave directly to Rubio and Rivera (see image which includes Mrs. Braman) but you also gave MORE money to numerous PAC's that helped both of them. They are pals with Fresen, together I call them the Miami Dade Troika. Settle the score with them directly, leave the public out of it.

If you want to really help the community, help us get rid of David Rivera. Make amends for your misguided contributions to him. If you believe in justice and right and wrong, how can you let this guy govern us? He is a total embarrassment to Florida. See article about David Rivera's less than creative unethical financing and news of his investigation, in the Miami Herald today.

P.S. How could you give $10,000 to the Club for Growth?

Candidate Romero Roses Runs Against David Rivera in 26th Congressional District. By Geniusofdespair

As I speculated last week, Gloria Romero Roses IS going to run against Republican Congressman David Rivera. The Miami Herald says:

After years of working in real estate, Roses, who was born in Bogotá, now manages Nexus Homes, a business that pairs up investors with Florida assisted-living operators. She and her husband, Tom Roses, have a daughter, Alexandra.

“As a real estate professional, I have seen the boom-bust cycle of our local economy that comes from our reliance on construction and housing to be the economic engine,” she said in a statement. “Florida’s growth has been stagnant coming out of this downturn in part because Congressman David Rivera has been too focused on defending himself in his ongoing scandals rather than fighting for jobs and strengthening our small businesses.”

David Rivera was called "Corrupt" by the Democratic Executive Director and I tend to agree. He is ethically challenged at best. I would vote for Gloria Romero Roses in a heartbeat. Don't complain that she doesn't live in the District. Rivera doesn't either and his legacy of positives during his political career is woefully anemic. Anyway, send her money pronto!