"Within the margin of error" is a term used to describe wriggle-room in analyses of races and candidates by pollsters. There is a little more than a month to the November election, but an enormous volume of television, radio, and political advertisements to come, fueled by big corporations and polluters hiding by curtains of anonymity. The margin of error by pollsters is far more fragile than the decision by the US Supreme Court called Citizens United.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Friday, September 28, 2012
Gimleteye: Roman Gastesi, former Miami-Dade County insider, receives formal reprimand in Monroe County but where's the full letter?
According to a Keys source, the formal letter of reprimand for the former "water czar" of Miami-Dade (whatever that was...) was passed at the 9/21/12 Monroe County BCC meeting as a BULKED item (P-14). The letter of reprimand was NOT available to read on the Agenda. Hmmm ...
Keys News
By KEVIN WADLOW
kwadlow@keynoter.com
September 22, 2012 11:00 AM EDT
A formal letter of censure tells Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi that his role in the Iphone/iPad theft scandal caused "considerable embarrassment."
Keys News
By KEVIN WADLOW
kwadlow@keynoter.com
September 22, 2012 11:00 AM EDT
A formal letter of censure tells Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi that his role in the Iphone/iPad theft scandal caused "considerable embarrassment."
Gimleteye: the only way Republicans can win in Florida is to steal elections?
Again and again, EOM has written that voter suppression and a 10-1 advantage in superPAC money is the planned GOP path to victory in November.
Today, we learn that the Florida GOP is back-peddling at full speed from revelations concerning one of its top election consultants, run by long-time operative Nathan Sproul. NBC reports, "Election officials in six Florida counties are investigating what appears to be "hundreds" of cases of suspected voter fraud by a GOP consulting firm that has been paid nearly $3 million by the Republican National Committee to register Republican voters in five key battleground states."
Today, we learn that the Florida GOP is back-peddling at full speed from revelations concerning one of its top election consultants, run by long-time operative Nathan Sproul. NBC reports, "Election officials in six Florida counties are investigating what appears to be "hundreds" of cases of suspected voter fraud by a GOP consulting firm that has been paid nearly $3 million by the Republican National Committee to register Republican voters in five key battleground states."
Gimleteye: Where in the world is Ana Sol Alliegro?
Even by Miami standards, the scandal wrapping up Congressman David Rivera with illegal campaign cash to undermine a political opponent, through the agencies of a straw man -- Justin Lamar Sternad -- and a deeply troubled woman, GOP political operative, Ana Sol Alliegro is over the top.
Rivera has spent his entire term in Congress digging in his heels, as he did in the case of Magic City Casino money routed through mom, and now is thumbing his nose at the FBI.
Alliegro, a self-described "Republican bad girl", is the key to Rivera, but she disappeared when the latest scandal erupted. Alliegro kept fast company, and not just with Rivera. Justin Lamar Sternad must rue the day he ever met Ana Alliegro, and the others must be wondering what stories Alliegro has to tell if she ever emerges.
Rivera has spent his entire term in Congress digging in his heels, as he did in the case of Magic City Casino money routed through mom, and now is thumbing his nose at the FBI.
Alliegro, a self-described "Republican bad girl", is the key to Rivera, but she disappeared when the latest scandal erupted. Alliegro kept fast company, and not just with Rivera. Justin Lamar Sternad must rue the day he ever met Ana Alliegro, and the others must be wondering what stories Alliegro has to tell if she ever emerges.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Gimleteye: If Romney wins, science gets put on ice
Global warming emerges as a very important issue for undecided voters despite the fact environmental issues have been held underwater this election cycle by a right wing tidal wave of campaign cash. According to a recent poll by Climate Change Communication, 61% of Undecideds "say it will be one of several important issues determining their vote for President. Only 32% of likely Romney voters say it will be one of the "important issues" determining their vote.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Gimleteye: Romney sends a message, welcome to the Crusades, here comes the superPAC money
On his own, Mitt Romney could not defeat President Obama in November: that much, recent polls have made clear. But there are two points of advantage EOM has noted from the beginning of the campaign: voter suppression, adopted by the GOP in key battle ground states and designed to limit mainly Democratic voters, and superPACs, which will have a 10-1 monetary advantage for GOP candidates.
Apple's Biggest Miscalculation Yet: Google Maps ... by gimleteye
I'm not a big fan of Google maps in the earlier versions of the iPhone, but over time Google maps has become an invaluable app when I'm traveling. Compared to what could be -- the sturdy GPS devices like Tomtom for cars -- the iPhone has been a weakling. Apparently with the new iPhone, the GPS feature just got weaker not stronger. Steve Jobs would never have let that happen. I suspect Apple knows how important the mapping GPS feature is to consumers and decided not to cede the territory/product to Google. Who knows. But to launch a great new phone with a weaker mapping feature -- as universally reported -- is the kind of mistake Steve Jobs would never have made. The Apple strategy is apparently to let consumers suffer while it boot-straps into its own mapping expertise. Jobs would have recognized the importance of mapping and gone out and bought Tomtom or a similar competitor. I'm an early version iPhone adopter, and this latest controversy makes me wonder if I should buy the new iPhone or not.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Vote No On All The Constitutional Amendments and Vote Yes To Retain the Supreme Court Judges. By Geniusofdespair
One or two of the State Constitutional Amendments are not so bad (if you want to help veterans (2) (9) but those are what they call "feel good amendments" purposely inserted only so you can't say NO to them all (Try explaining to your friends which ones are good or bad). Don't be fooled. Most of the rest are just SO VERY BAD, I am recommending a vote of NO on all the Amendments. I am not alone THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OPPOSES THEM ALL too.
The State Republican Party have announced their plan to unseat the 3 Supreme Court Judges - R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince - that are up for retention. If they succeed in removing them guess who gets to appoint the new ones? None other than Rick Scott our loser governor. Don't let this happen. Even Republican lawyers don't like this. Tell all your friends to vote to retain these 3 judges. Put it on your facebook pages.
Also read the latest El Nuevo Herald/Miami Herald report on Ana Alleigro and U.S. Congressman scum David Rivera.
The State Republican Party have announced their plan to unseat the 3 Supreme Court Judges - R. Fred Lewis, Barbara Pariente and Peggy Quince - that are up for retention. If they succeed in removing them guess who gets to appoint the new ones? None other than Rick Scott our loser governor. Don't let this happen. Even Republican lawyers don't like this. Tell all your friends to vote to retain these 3 judges. Put it on your facebook pages.
Also read the latest El Nuevo Herald/Miami Herald report on Ana Alleigro and U.S. Congressman scum David Rivera.
Gimleteye: The Miami Herald nails the Ana Alliegro story
Hats off to El Nuevo and Miami Herald reporters (Marc Caputo, Manny Garcia, and Scott Hiassen). They've picked up the thread of the Ana Alliegro story and yanked it hard. One wonders what other stories she has to tell, if she will ever get a chance to tell them to law enforcement, if she tells them truthfully, and who exactly gets scorched as a result. Alliegro appears determined to hide out, until the November elections have passed. Too bad: this is her fifteen minutes and if you are a Republican wondering why it makes sense to withhold your vote, you won't get a more easy-to-understand story than this.
Gimleteye: The calculation of voting for or against the GOP
For connoisseurs of the Miami Marlins stadium fiasco, one finds company in another earlier terrible stadium deal; the publicly financed stadium for the Texas Rangers that launched the political career of George W. Bush. While his father was ascending to the presidency of the United States, Bush parlayed borrowed money into a personal $15 million windfall for his part ownership.
As Russ Baker details in "Family of Secrets", a baseball team provided the public with the only appearance of business acumen, before W. was elected governor of Texas. In reading the book -- published nearly four years ago -- I learned something beyond the faint trace of a man born on third base who thought he hit a triple: the connection to the US EPA.
In considering who -- or which party to vote for or against -- in November, this story bears retelling.
EOM pays attention to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the federal regulator of polluters who the state of Florida and the GOP legislative majority coddles and protects. The EPA has a dismal record in Florida. (Friends of the Everglades, the grass roots group where I serve as volunteer president, mounted a determined battle to hold EPA accountable for failing to enforce the Clean Water Act. As a result, the EPA and state of Florida recently reached an agreement to fund more than $900 million to help repair the badly damaged River of Grass. Yes that is taxpayer money, it is money that should have been paid by polluters for many, many years.)
Many more readers care about the sordid Miami Marlin's stadium -- even Republicans -- than the US EPA. So it is a rare opportunity when the two can be connected, as in the case of the Texas Rangers and the Bush dynastic ambitions.
In the late 1980's, when Bush's father was president of the United States, there were many loyalists of the Bush political clan -- possibly including wealthy Saudi families like the Bin Ladens-- who helped W. and the Rangers through their investment. The partnership needed an inside man to sell the financing scheme and permitting issues. This is how Russ Baker describes the scenario, in "Family of Secrets":
"The inside man was the mayor of Arlington, car dealer Richard Greene. Greene played a key role in the city's decision to heavily subsidize Bush and his group (building the Texas Rangers stadium). At the time he began working to secure a home on favorable terms for Bush's Rangers, he was in trouble with federal banking regulators working for W's dad.
In 1990, at the same time he was talking with the Rangers about a new stadium, Greene was negotiating with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to settle a large lawsuit it had filed against him. He had headed the Arlington branch of Sunbelt Savings Association, which the local Fort Worth Star-Telegram described as "one of the most notorious failures of the S&L scandal." Sunbelt lost an estimated $2 billion, and the feds (and the nation's taxpayers) had to chip in about $297 million to clean it up. Greene and the FDIC reached an agreement on the pending suit just as he was signing the Rangers deal.
The Arlington mayor paid just $40,000 to settle the case-- and walked away. "George had no knowledge of my problems; there is no connection," he assured the New York Times in September 2000. All of the bank's key figures were charged except for him. Not only was Greene not criminally indicted, but he also escaped with minimal monetary pain. Ten days before Arlington's 1991 public referendum on a special sales tax hike to help finance the stadium, Greene, now charged in losses of $500 million, settled all of his civil litigation for a modest $165,000.
Greene's tenure was identified principally with pro-growth and business-friendly policies. Yet after George W. Bush became president, he appointed Greene to be a regional administrator for the US Environmental Protection Agency, where he oversaw federal environmental programs throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. These states have some of the nation's most severe pollution problems, most of which are connected to petroleum, and thus of central interest to the Bush political clan--which has typically fought emissions controls.
... Greene's EPA appointment was a nice farewell gift from his friends in the White House. He will get a pension equivalent to 100 percent of the highest pay he received at the EPA ..." (Family of Secrets, Page 355-356)
In the future, President George W. Bush would also use the EPA to advance a patently anti-science agenda. Region IV, in Florida, would be a particular opportunity for polluters. More comments on this, tomorrow.
As Russ Baker details in "Family of Secrets", a baseball team provided the public with the only appearance of business acumen, before W. was elected governor of Texas. In reading the book -- published nearly four years ago -- I learned something beyond the faint trace of a man born on third base who thought he hit a triple: the connection to the US EPA.
In considering who -- or which party to vote for or against -- in November, this story bears retelling.
EOM pays attention to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the federal regulator of polluters who the state of Florida and the GOP legislative majority coddles and protects. The EPA has a dismal record in Florida. (Friends of the Everglades, the grass roots group where I serve as volunteer president, mounted a determined battle to hold EPA accountable for failing to enforce the Clean Water Act. As a result, the EPA and state of Florida recently reached an agreement to fund more than $900 million to help repair the badly damaged River of Grass. Yes that is taxpayer money, it is money that should have been paid by polluters for many, many years.)
Many more readers care about the sordid Miami Marlin's stadium -- even Republicans -- than the US EPA. So it is a rare opportunity when the two can be connected, as in the case of the Texas Rangers and the Bush dynastic ambitions.
In the late 1980's, when Bush's father was president of the United States, there were many loyalists of the Bush political clan -- possibly including wealthy Saudi families like the Bin Ladens-- who helped W. and the Rangers through their investment. The partnership needed an inside man to sell the financing scheme and permitting issues. This is how Russ Baker describes the scenario, in "Family of Secrets":
"The inside man was the mayor of Arlington, car dealer Richard Greene. Greene played a key role in the city's decision to heavily subsidize Bush and his group (building the Texas Rangers stadium). At the time he began working to secure a home on favorable terms for Bush's Rangers, he was in trouble with federal banking regulators working for W's dad.
In 1990, at the same time he was talking with the Rangers about a new stadium, Greene was negotiating with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) to settle a large lawsuit it had filed against him. He had headed the Arlington branch of Sunbelt Savings Association, which the local Fort Worth Star-Telegram described as "one of the most notorious failures of the S&L scandal." Sunbelt lost an estimated $2 billion, and the feds (and the nation's taxpayers) had to chip in about $297 million to clean it up. Greene and the FDIC reached an agreement on the pending suit just as he was signing the Rangers deal.
The Arlington mayor paid just $40,000 to settle the case-- and walked away. "George had no knowledge of my problems; there is no connection," he assured the New York Times in September 2000. All of the bank's key figures were charged except for him. Not only was Greene not criminally indicted, but he also escaped with minimal monetary pain. Ten days before Arlington's 1991 public referendum on a special sales tax hike to help finance the stadium, Greene, now charged in losses of $500 million, settled all of his civil litigation for a modest $165,000.
Greene's tenure was identified principally with pro-growth and business-friendly policies. Yet after George W. Bush became president, he appointed Greene to be a regional administrator for the US Environmental Protection Agency, where he oversaw federal environmental programs throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. These states have some of the nation's most severe pollution problems, most of which are connected to petroleum, and thus of central interest to the Bush political clan--which has typically fought emissions controls.
... Greene's EPA appointment was a nice farewell gift from his friends in the White House. He will get a pension equivalent to 100 percent of the highest pay he received at the EPA ..." (Family of Secrets, Page 355-356)
In the future, President George W. Bush would also use the EPA to advance a patently anti-science agenda. Region IV, in Florida, would be a particular opportunity for polluters. More comments on this, tomorrow.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Gimleteye: Who is Ana Sol Alliegro?
In one of our most popular posts, we ask readers to help us answer the question "where is Ana Sol Alliegro?" Thanks to our friends at The Strawbuyer, for asking the question that occurs to us too, based on reader comments on our earlier post: "Who is Ana Sol Alliegro"?
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