Congressional Candidate David Richardson took Sugar Money? by Geniusofdespair

You might not know who these guys are but they are the executives of US Sugar

• LUIS FERNANDEZ IS EXECUTIVE VP AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER AND CO-PRESIDENT OF SUBSIDIARY AMERICAN SUGAR

• MALCOLM WADE IS US. SUGAR'S SENIOR VP OF CORPORATE STRATEGY AND BUSINESS
• ERIC EDWARDS IS ASSISTANT VP OF US SUGAR
•ROBERT COKER IS SENIOR VP OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS FOR US SUGAR

Richardson got the above thousands of dollars of donations related to U. S. Sugar. Also now I am hearing that FPL hosted a fundraiser or something for Richardson. What is going on?

Let me be honest first. I am not good at searching Federal campaign reports. Richardson did get a lot of money from Act Blue. In fact, most of his donations are from Act Blue. What is up with that? It appears Act Blue take in individual contributions but in the report it just says "Act Blue." I am very curious and angry about that. You can't fill out a financial disclosure without a name. That is like just writing "Paypal" for every donor.

Donna Shalala on Lennar's Board? By Geniusofdespair

The Blue Wave in U.S. Congressional District 27

In a press release, Congressional hopeful, David Richardson said it was "Effectively a two-person race." I guess he must mean that Matt Haggman dropped out and Kristen Rosen Gonzalez. Really? Did they? In this poll Haggman and Richardson are running neck and neck. I guess things have changed since January. I called Matt Haggman and he was bewildered by the quote about 2 candidates. He said his campaign was moving full speed ahead.

Anyway Richardson's release makes the Lennar, a Florida based development company, connection with Donna Shalala. The only problem is, Lennar gave U of M gobs of money during her tenure on the Lennar board (She was also U of M President). It is hard to fault her with that Lennar connection if she was to do right by the University she headed. But, did that have anything to do with the Pine-Rockland property sale... that is, she was a developer flunky for a while and learned some evil ways.

“I owe it to the voters to hold Donna Shalala accountable for what she is: a double-dealing corporate Democrat." - David Ricardson

Matt Haggman said:

 My campaign isn't about the other candidates in the race, it’s about the people of Florida 27 and how we can work together as a community to usher in a new era in our politics.  We have been taking our message directly to voters on a daily basis.  Our team of volunteers has already knocked on nearly 6,000 doors across the district.  The incredible response we’ve received from voters is what keeps me energized and optimistic about a new day where politics is about the people not the politicians.

Matt Haggman for Congressional District 27. By Geniusofdespair

Here is Matt Haggman on the Michael Putney show. Make your own decision for this blue wave US Congressional Seat 27. I will be voting for Matt Haggman. He is smart, articulate, my friend, and most importantly not Donna Shalala or Bruno Barreiro (even worse). I have to say, out of all the reporters I have known from the Miami Herald, he was the one I got along with best. He showed me respect, called me, etc. We just clicked. He has a great sense of humor and an innate ability to zero in on problems in our community. He never called me when he worked for the Knight Foundation, so for that he is a fair-weather-friend to me, but I still think he is the best person to fill this seat. And, I will bother him to death if he gets elected. He is getting too skinny. He needs to eat more. I know Donna holds a grudge since I hit her with that chair in 2008.



Never heard from Richardson. Not going to vote for him.

Here is what is on his Website so you can skip a link:

The Blue Wave is Coming...with a whimper. By Geniusofdespair

SIGH!

THAT'S IT? This is the favored candidate of the Democrats to send to Congress in district 27? Get excited young people...

Picture of the day: State Senator Jose Javier Rodriguez Running for Congress. By Geniusofdespair

I Don't Blame Nitwit Trump, I Blame the Cowards in the Republican Party That Won't Leash Him. By Geniusofdespair

All the coward Republicans in the room when Trump made his statement yesterday came out with their penises tucked between their legs and apparently left their balls in the room.

You guys all suck and the worst: Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart. Yes, he lost his balls long ago I know, and he is so dumb it is a crime. He is just a lump of mud with a face and a vote.

Well the White Supremacists are as happy as clams and we now know for sure that our President is indeed a racist preferring Norwegians as our immigrants.

Hitler combined two currents into the racial narrative of Nazism: that Germans were the descendants of the original, blond and blue-eyed Aryan race, superior to every other race, and were duty-bound to strive for racial purity...

Even though Republicans in the room are jumping through hoops not to go on the record except to say code messages that don't make a lick of sense (Lindsay Graham), the Alt-Right Racists have plenty to say and they are direct:

Thursday, 11 January 2018
WORLD VOICES TOKEN DISSENT BUT QUIETLY AGREES AFTER TRUMP CALLS HAITI A "SHITHOLE"

A shallow wave of mock outrage spread across the world today, followed by almost universal unspoken agreement, after President Trump accurately referred to Haiti, El Salvador, and some African countries as "shithole countries."

The comments came in a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators at the White House, during a discussion of America's ridiculous visa lottery system that allows random people from dysfunctional, low-IQ, and badly toilet trained countries to come to America on green cards.

The White House issued a statement that did not deny the remarks. In the past Trump has made equally disparaging remarks of Haiti. In 2007, he famously said Haitian immigrants "all have AIDS," which is not strictly true.

Trump's latest comments are not exactly accurate either, as "shithole countries" implies that the countries in question are actually using improvised latrines to dispose of their faecal waste.

From evidence on the ground, there is no reason to believe this is actually happening in Haiti, where cholera is a pandemic and shit and other rotting garbage are everywhere (https://alt-right-news)

We Just Have TOO MANY GOOD CANDIDATES for Congress. By Geniusofdespair

27th Congrrssional District 

The Democrats really want that 27th Congressional District seat being vacated by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.  The problem is they have too many GOOD candidates running. Thin out the herd.  The Republicans have some lame candidates (Bruno Barreiro for one).

In  the 2016 Election, 287,677 people voted. 129,760 voted Democrat. In the 2016 primary for Democrats, 28,963 voted.  If you divide 30,000 by 9 candidates that is 3,333 picking our candidate. More Democrats will probably vote but you can't give them so many choices. I could pick 3 I would vote for but I am committed to Jose Javier Rodriguez, I think he tops the list. I wish we could spread these candidates around to different seats. Like come on, Me and Nick Duran. What a choice that is. Mary Barzee Flores, Ken Russell or Kristen Rosen Gonzalez would be so much better of a choice. And if Jose Javier Rodriguez is forced to vacate his State Senate seat that would be another great place for one of these candidates. I heard Nick Duran will jump in. Then I will have to follow Duran to the Senate if another Democrat doesn't run.  Look at these two State positions candidates. Do some polling on your U.S Congress chances.

Here is the entire district I put it in two separate maps so you could see if you are in it. You can enlarge it, I saved it very large.

Here is one running that I think should vacate:

Michael A. Hepburn: A Miami native, Hepburn is a member of the Miami Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and serves on the Allapattah Neighborhood Association and the Miami Dade Democratic Executive Committee. He works as a senior academic advisor for the School of Business at the University of Miami. Hepburn lost a primary against Daphne Campbell for the state House in 2014.

Someone Run Against Me Please. By Geniusofdespair

  I Carlos Curbelo voted for the Trump Care piece of crap in the House of Representatives, which is really only a tax cut for the rich.  I need you to run against me....I am too stupid to serve so I should be punished. 

May 4, 2017 - Carlos Curbelo - District 26 - and Mario Diaz-Balart Voted to Repeal Obamacare.

Now let's vote against Carlos! 20 Republicans had the guts to vote against Trumpcare. It passed by one so Carlos Curbelo was the deciding vote.

The Big Seat: U.S. Congressional District 27th, Frenzy to Fill it. By Geniusofdespair

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is retiring leaving a golden opportunity for Democrats to get another seat in the House of Representatives. This is the biggest up-coming election we have and it effects the entire country. The Miami Herald mused on who will run, so I will too:

Well I am told by insiders Scott Fuhrman (who?) doesn't have a chance.

Others I think could win, Daniella Levine Cava but she is in a bind. She is running for reelection. Daniella, the County Commission is a lost cause.

I believe that the seat needs a candidate able to speak Spanish. Ballotpedia says this district is a majority Hispanic, yet it went to Hillary by 58% in the Presidential election.

I didn't know that Matt Haggman's wife was Cuban which has helped his Spanish quite a bit. He is certainly smart enough and qualified to run and, thanks to his job at the helm of the Knight Foundation, has good name recognition and connections. I knew him when he was a reporter for the Miami Herald. I don't think he is fluent in Spanish, but neither is Carlos Gimenez.

Sorry Raquel Regalado, Marc Sarnoff, Carlos Lopez Cantera: WE NEED THIS TO BE A DEMOCRATIC SEAT.

No David Richardson and Ken Russell. Not your turn.

Jose Javier Rodriguez I think has a great chance but I would hate to lose his Senate seat in the State House.

I am sure others will surface too. This is the most important thing for Democrats to work on, getting the right candidate in this seat.  Well shit, I just realized I live in this district.

THE MIAMI HERALD'S UPDATED LIST:

(I took out the Republicans...) I see polling for this one...they all can't run.

▪ Scott Fuhrman, a Democrat who ran against Ros-Lehtinen in November after District 27 was redrawn to lean Democratic and lost 45-55. Furhman has said he will run for the seat again in 2018.

▪ Kristen Rosen Gonzalez: A Miami Beach commissioner and Miami Dade College professor finishing her PhD on leadership in higher education administration at Barry University. A Democrat, she filed campaign papers this month.

▪ Michael A. Hepburn: A senior academic adviser for the School of Business at the University of Miami who lost a primary campaign against Daphne Campbell for the state House in 2014. He is a Democrat, and serves on the Allapattah Neighborhood Association and the Miami Dade Democratic Executive Committee.

▪ Mark Anthony Person, a Democrat, has filed to run with the state Division of Elections.
MAYBE

▪ Danielle Levine Cava: The Democratic Miami-Dade County Commissioner says “I am totally committed to our community and serving in the role where I can have the biggest impact. I rule nothing out.” (She’s currently running for reelection to her county seat.)

▪ Matt Haggman: A Democrat, former Miami Herald reporter and current Miami program director for the Knight Foundation, Haggman said Sunday that he’s considering a run for District 27. “It’s something I’ve been actively thinking about for a while now,” he said.

▪ Cindy Lerner: The former mayor of Pinecrest reached term limits last year and served one term in the Florida house. She said she will decide within two weeks. “It's something I always said if Ileana retired I would do it in a heartbeat.”

▪ Jimmy Morales: Miami Beach’s Democratic city manager says he’s “still processing. I am sure there will be many people on both sides looking at the seat.” (No kidding.)

▪ Raquel Regalado: The Republican former Miami-Dade School Board member says she’s strongly considering a run after her phone blew up Sunday.

▪ David Richardson: The Democratic state representative from Miami Beach says he’s definitely thinking about a run. “Over the next few days I’ll be talking with constituents, friends and supporters on how I can continue to best serve and represent my community.”

▪ José Javier Rodríguez: The junior state senator and Democrat from Miami said in a text that he will give a campaign a “hard look” after the legislative session is over.

▪ Ken Russell: The Democratic Miami District 2 commissioner didn’t rule out a run when asked Sunday if he’s considering a campaign for Congress. “I have received calls urging me to run for Congress. I can only say that up to now I had not considered it, and that we should use this time to thank Ileana for her many years of service to her constituents.”

▪ Marc Sarnoff: A Democrat and former Miami city commissioner, Sarnoff said he’s “looking carefully” at Ros-Lehtinen’s seat and will consult with his family.

▪ Xavier Suarez: The Miami-Dade County commissioner and former Miami mayor who is an independent said he will consider a bid but may not decide for awhile. “There is definitely room or someone who is independent.”

What gives with so many Red State Mooching on Blue States? By Geniusofdespair

New York Times Dec. 4th

We have the States that always vote red and always vote blue. The purple ones, can go either way - swing States. The 50 States are in order of donor States that get the least -- to taker States that get the most. So you could say the first 25 are being short-changed and the second 25 are getting the windfall (18 of the 25 takers are red States).

Isn't this SOCIALISM? I think this is Socialism. I think The Tweeter in Chief should get the States keep all the money they collect and do away with Federal taxes. Much too much SOCIALISM involved with this system. We sure ain't paying for educating these red banana brains. I like to go to Oklahoma as an example. That has to be he dumbest State of all. Fracking and the underground wastewater disposal has helped it become the most prone to earthquakes in the country. In fact if you add up all the earthquakes combined in the continental US Oklahoma tops that number.  Oklahoma recorded 857 quakes in 2015.  That leaves the other 48 U.S. states with a combined total of 729 (excluding Alaska).

Hey, don't we do wastewater disposal in Florida? Don't we want to put nuclear waste from the FPL plant into the Boulder zone (proved to NOT be confining)? We might be as stupid as Oklahoma soon: But for now OKLAHOMA THE DUMBEST STATE IN THE UNION for voting against their own interest and their environment.

It Broke My Heart: I Did NOT Vote for Debbie Wasserman Schultz because of Big Sugar Donations. By Geniusofdespair

I voted for Tim Canova in the U.S. Rep race instead of Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I think Debbie did better in the Defede debate but he did not ask her about the massive funds she has taken from big sugar over the years. If she had returned the money from them this year, I would have voted for her.

I said before that voting on one issue is stupid but that sometimes one issue is a deal-breaker.

For me, the sugar money is a deal-breaker. I wish Defede had asked an environmental question. I know my vote will turn out to be a protest vote but I just had to send a message. Canova cares about our environment. Debbie Wasserman Schultz  just doesn't care enough about Florida's environment.

The Immoral Majority and a Wrecked GOP: Underage Children, Hookers, and the Otherwise Unfaithful ... by gimleteye

Dennis Hastert, the former Speaker of the House and second in line to the presidency is going to prison for fondling, jerking off, and sucking cocks of underage boys. This needs to be spelled out because what follows is an adult observation of American politics during an era when the Moral Majority harangued and pushed the American electorate far to the right.

No less an authority than Hastert's successor, Texas Republican and former pesticide salesman Tom DeLay, whined that Hastert has been made to suffer "too much" for his crime. Nothing, of course, about one of Hastert's victims who committed suicide or others whose shame at Hastert's hands is indelible.

Hastert rose to his formerly high position when, in 1998, another former GOP speaker of the house Newt Gingrich abandoned his wife dying of cancer for another woman. The official chosen to succeed Gingrich had to drop from contention because he, too, was found out while Republicans coalesced around Ralph Reed and the Moral Majority.

This is not just about Dennis Hastert being "found out".

The Republican mantra of personal responsibility led to framing of federal authority as "evil". The states' rights movement dovetailed with GOP philanderers and child molesters in public office. Don't "tread on me": do tread on women, children, and the weak.

To be sure, frailty is part of the human condition. Hypocrisy is, on the other hand, a matter of choice. To wear morality on its sleeve like GOP leaders have done since Ronald Reagan is hypocrisy bleeding far outside its borders.

Annette Taddeo Opens her Campaign Headquarters May 1st.. By Geniusofdespair

The Benghazi Hearing Backfires BIG for Republicans. By Geniusofdespair

I watched almost the whole thing: Cold from those damn plane rides.  Gimleteye, also sick, told me to watch the hearing...then he didn't. Damn that guy. He always snares me to do stuff and then he doesn't.

At first I thought the hearings were bad for Hillary but as the day wore on into the night and she maintained her composure and they lost theirs...I thought Hillary Clinton was lucky to do the hearings. They made her look good. Very good. In one instance Martha Roby tried to make it seem like Hillary didn't care about the people who died because her staff didn't go home after they found out about the attack and Hillary did.  Roby wanted her to name her staff that stayed one by one. It was quite stupid. Then it came out that General Petraeus was home too. In their homes they have some kind of apparatus  (I guess to speak on -- like the red phone of the old days). I forget what it is called.

The Republicans on the panel were mean-spirited and asked the same questions over and over again. They were on high attack. Hillary Clinton remained calm throughout the double digit hours of questioning. The Republicans on the panel lost all credibility as the day wore one....getting nastier and nastier. It was sort of like watching the McCarthy hearings: A total witch hunt. One of the Democrats on the panel even said that. If they could have, they would have burned Hillary at the stake. Instead of looking bad Hillary Clinton showed she was an intelligent woman ready for anything. Her command of the facts was amazing. The Republicans looked so bad in their accusatory manner, firing off questions at breakneck speed.  I will not vote for Donald Trump now. He is friends with the Kardashians, what could be worse than that? Oh, perhaps having the Koch brothers as your benefactor Mister Chairman Trey Goudy.

Hilary has known this Blumenthal guy for years. Look at her here.

So she has a reporter/political operative friend she emailed, Sidney Blumenthal. I looked at photos of them. They have been friends for at least 30 years. I am friends with a lot of these sorts people too. How do you think you get tips? They have networks we don't have.

ANYWAY: SCORE ONE FOR HILLARY! The McCarthyites (Republicans on the Committee) lost big time. It is no wonder everyone is supporting Donald Trump in the party.

Trey Goudy looks like he has a goat's hair shirt under his suit for 'Mortification of the Flesh'.

So who was behind the allegations against Senator Bob Menendez? ... by gimleteye

Forget about a "pathway to citizenship." Every day the GOP seem to give voters a better reason to give Democrats a pathway to control of Congress in 2014.

The latest smear campaign by the GOP -- a la Swiftboating -- is against Senator Bob Menendez, D-NJ, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez is the most powerful Cuban American politician in Congress. (Allegations skirted by the report that Menendez was entertained at the Dominican Republic resort, Casa de Campo, owned by the Big Sugar's billionaire Fanjuls. We'd like to see the flight manifests of all members of Congress who have been wined and dined by Big Sugar.)

Now, allegations made by a Dominican woman -- through a conservative website and widely broadcast -- have been withdrawn. "A Dominican woman who said in a video that she had had sex with Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey for money is acknowledging that the story is false, according to her sworn statement released by a lawyer enmeshed in the scandal."

Underground Injection Wells: for better or worse ... by gimleteye

ProPublica has a very good report on the regulatory process that has allowed fracking for natural gas to proliferate, lowering energy prices and contaminating aquifers around the nation. The report mentions the Miami connection: "In South Florida, 20 of the nation's most stringently regulated disposal wells failed in the early 1990s, releasing partly treated sewage into aquifers that may one day be needed to supply Miami's drinking water."

Miami-Dade County -- and Sierra Club -- played an important role in defining federal regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act in the 1990's and early 2000's, when the Club (that I represented, as an activist leader) sued to prevent the EPA from changing its rule to allow the migration of injected fluids from one underground layer to another.

As ProPublica notes, that leakage was happening in the case of the wells where most of our (now treated to advance wastewater requirements) sewage disappears, right by Biscayne National Park and under the massive landfill in South Dade. This case was my first exposure to the 11th Circuit, that ruled on the Sierra Club appeal. Their outright disdain for the environmental plaintiffs was shocking to me. This dismal affair took several years to unwind, and among the more distasteful memories is that we simply couldn't raise enough money for adequate lawyers and engineers to make our case. We were buried in a blizzard of paper.

ProPublica gets the facts straight but ought to have examined the importance of the Sierra Club lawsuit, which the Club lost, that subsequently permitted the natural gas industry to use fracking as a way to free profits from deep underground, all over the country.

This issue was also one of the unreported skirmishes between environmentalists and Jeb! Bush, who ordered his lieutenants to throttle any public release of information and data about the massive extent of underground injection wells in the state of Florida. 

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!

I Guess You Can Tell the Dems from the Pubs on the Environmental Scorecard. By Geniusofdespair

Shame on Marco Rubio!

The Florida Conservation Alliance joined the National League of Conservation Voters in released the 2011 National Environmental Scorecard for the Florida delegation in the first session of the 112th Congress. The 2011 Scorecard reflects the most anti-environmental session of the U.S. House of Representatives in history, featuring unparalleled assaults on our nation’s bedrock environmental and public health safeguards.

“We applaud those members of the Florida delegation who opposed the countless attacks on vital public health and environmental protections in 2011, such as Senator Bill Nelson, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (20th Dist.) and Rep. Kathy Castor (11th Dist.),” said FCA’s Executive Director Mary Munson. “Among proposals successfully fought off was an attempt to weaken Florida water quality standards that prevent toxic green slime in our lakes, rivers and streams.

The 2011 Scorecard includes 11 Senate votes and a record 35 House votes on issues ranging from public health protections to clean energy to land and wildlife conservation. The House votes included in the 2011 Scorecard are the most significant votes taken in a year where the House voted more than 200 times on the environment and public health. In Florida, one House member and one senator earned a perfect 100 percent score in 2011, while seven House members and one senator earned a score less than 10%.

Scores for Florida’s U.S. Representatives (by District):

1. Jeff Miller, 6%
2. Steve Southerland, 6%
3. Corrine Brown, 91%
4. Ander Crenshaw , 11%
5. Richard Nugent, 9%
6. Cliff Stearns, 11%
7. John Mica, 11%
8. Daniel Webster, 14%
9. Gus Bilirakis, 17%
10. C.W. “Bill” Young, 23%
11. Kathy Castor, 97%
12. Dennis Ross, 6%
13. Vern Buchanan, 20%
14. Connie Mack, 6%
15. Bill Posey, 6%
16. Tom Rooney, 11%
17. Frederica Wilson, 80%
18. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 20%
19. Ted Deutch, 89%
20. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, 100%
21. Mario Diaz-Balart, 11%
22. Allen West, 11%
23. Alcee Hastings, 94%
24. Sandy Adams, 9%
25. David Rivera, 14%

Scores for Florida’s U.S. Senators:

Bill Nelson, 100%
Marco Rubio, 9%

The average House score in 2011 for Florida was 31 percent and the average Senate score was 55 percent.

The good news is that while the House voted against the environment a shocking number of times, both the U.S. Senate and the Obama administration stood fast against the vast majority of these attacks. Indeed, not only did our cornerstone environmental protections emerge from 2011 largely unscathed, the Obama administration also made major progress through administrative actions to protect our air and water.

On the negotiating table: civil service reform ... by gimleteye

Grover Norquist on 60 Minutes last night sounded like the Unibomber. He is so convinced of his right cause that he is willing to destroy government, whatever it takes. In Norquist's world, it is a black and white matter. Government serves no useful purpose other than to steal people's hard earned money.

From my perspective-- informed by decades of civic activism for the environment and sensible land use policies in Florida, one of the least sensible of states-- I find plenty of reasons to be be scornful of the results of government, but we part on the issue whether government can work at all. I believe it can.

Norquist has such a dim view of government that he wants government to fail. "Design-to-fail" benefits powerful economic interests who know that vast fortunes can be made by steering policies and regulations to their private advantage. By extension, the benefits of design-to-fail provide space for business to confer improvements to society that cannot be imposed or should not be imposed because they impinge on constitutional freedoms.

On these points, we also disagree. Norquist won't reveal to the public, his financial sources but we know who they are: polluters and billionaires who have a great deal to lose if energy and tax policies change.

If the economic crisis-- still unfolding-- has taught us anything it is that private business is concerned with shareholder reward and value. The matter of evaluating risk and imposing regulations to protect the public interest-- which is essentially to ensure the safety and security of our nation-- is the true and appropriate role of government. How have we-- voters-- lost focus?

It is partly a matter of fear. Partly greed. Partly the deep insecurity of treading unknown economic waters through which the middle class is sliding backwards.

What I wish for, is a much more rigorous civil service at all levels of government. A government that smart people would be proud to join and to serve. This government would prohibit the revolving door and the many forms of regulatory capture that ensure regulatory failure. Not only can it be done: it has been done. Think China. Not the China of today, but a form of government that exalted civil service and provided continuity and stability for more than a thousand years.

Democrats offer no vision how to improve the performance of government regulatory agencies. Unions are inflexible and insistent on creating their own forms of institutional gridlock. But in fairness, the gridlock of unions and intractable members pales in comparison to economic calamity wrought by insiders and the financial and economic interests who dominate public policies. Unions are visible targets. Their leadership is nowhere near as nimble as well-funded adversaries like Norquist et al.

There should be a path for Democrats to counter the Norquist effect. Government can succeed. The snake oil salesmen belong in the stalls and alleys of flea markets and not the halls of Congress, on the dais of the county commission or City Hall.

Meet Patrick Murphy Who is Running Against Wacko U.S. Rep. Alan West. By Geniusofdespair

Link to Video

He has already collected $808,671.59 under his principal campaign committee Friends of Patrick Murphy. I suppose he is a real candidate with that kind of money.

Have you seen the hysterical Stephen Colbert video on Allen West? Catch it on Bark Bark Woof Woof.