Replies

I hope we can pick up a Republican Senate seat from this race.

However

Betty Castor has run successfully statewide and has good name recognition. She was Secretary of Education in the 90's when that office existed.

Bill McCollum has lost statewide and is a cold fish.

Mel Martinez is warm, personable and comes across as a decent guy. However he is nearly unknown in most of the state. He also was a Democrat not all that long ago. This might be good or bad depending on your perspective. Many Southern Democrats are now conservative Republicans.

His personal story is heartwarming and speaks to what is best about America for those newly arrived immigrants and those whose grandparents came from foreign countries. This aspect, properly highlighted, could win him substantial voting blocks in the southern part of the state from the well-to-do elderly retirement community and also from Hispanics.

His trial lawyer status is more likely to hurt him than anything else in his resume. Florida is in danger of losing its doctors due to malpractice premium increases caused by malpractice suits brought by trial lawyers.

The doctors are finally waking up to the necessity and advantages of political activism. They will most certainly go after Martinez unless he firmly denounces excessive malpractice settlements.

I don't know yet. Last election, FL were galvanized by being dragged by the Democrats through the 2000 mess. The press kept painting that as a "pro-war" election, but it was because Floridians were FURIOUS about told they were too stupid to punch a ballot. And they also didn't like Gore trying his best to disqualify military ballots here. Lots of military families here.

Not ONE demo from my district got in. Not one. Old timers, like Karen Thurman (bless her super liberal heart) got thrown out, thank God. The margins were huge. Some republicans were elected by 70-80%.

That anger I see as somewhat calmed down, but I have been seeing anti Bush bumper stickers on cars - no pro Kerry ones mind you, anti bush! Actually they are the best advertisement for Bush possible, when they get out of a car with a "redefeat Bush" sticker, they usually have piercings all over and purple hair.

And people really do like Jeb Bush. He is doing a bang up job down here, job growth is phenomenal, lots of personal freedoms, low taxes.

It is inevitable that Jeb and W are tied together in peoples minds. I guess it is still too early to make predictions.