My mom was actually enamored of Hill until I asked the question, "Why, simply because he was a talking head on TV?" You could hear the mental gears grinding as she realized she was acting from unconscious impulse due to "brand name" recognition.
Posted on 08/15/2002 7:50:33 PM PDT by Fixit
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Katherine Harris' opponent in the Republican primary for a Florida congressional seat sued Thursday to have the former secretary of state kicked off the ballot.
The lawsuit argues Harris should be removed from the ballot because she violated a state law that required her to file a letter of intent to resign as secretary of state when she qualified to run for Congress.
If Harris were disqualified from the Sept. 10 primary, John Hill, the former television anchor who filed the suit, would automatically win the GOP nomination.
Harris called the lawsuit frivolous. "It is a shame Mr. Hill is wasting taxpayer dollars," she said in a statement.
Harris resigned Aug. 1, saying she had misunderstood the resignation letter rules. She should have filed a letter July 15 stating her intent to step down before the next Congress takes office in January, but didn't.
Harris hopes to succeed GOP Rep. Dan Miller, who is retiring from the heavily Republican district in central Florida after four terms. Four newcomers are vying for the Democratic nomination.
There will be no Secretary of State in Florida by January of 2003, the office has been eliminated. Undoubtedly AP knows this, as it was under discussion nationally during the 2000 election mess. Yet they're saying she said she "misunderstood" the rules.
What she should have said, and very well might have said for all I know, is something more along the lines of this:
"I don't understand why anyone would think it necessary for me to declare my intention to step down next January from a job I will be effectively dismissed from in December, as the position will no longer exist. My intention to step down, therefore, is utterly irrelevant, since I will not be employed as Secretary of State by year's end, regardless of whether or not I win the election in November.
"If my intention was to stay on as Secretary of State and not step down, it would be too damned bad for me, wouldn't it? That's why a notice of intent to step down from a job that won't exist for me to step down from is so damned silly. My permanent and irrevocable "dismissal date" has been on the public calendar long enough for you people to figure this out."
Yes, we all know real estate agents never, ever lie.
"Yes, we all know real estate agents never, ever lie."
Painting with a pretty broad brush, aren't we? So because someone is a real estate agent, they should be precluded from serving in Congress? That they are automatically going to be liars or give in to the lobbyists? As if real estate agents are the only people susceptible to lobbying interests!
Forgive me if I am misinterpreting you, but what you really seem to be saying is that you think people of certain professions or backgrounds should not seek public office, because they are more prone to corruption. If so, could you please provide a comprehensive listing of what professions you would deem appropriate? Thank you.
Yep, they are.
Forgive me if I am misinterpreting you, but what you really seem to be saying is that you think people of certain professions or backgrounds should not seek public office, because they are more prone to corruption.
That's right.
If so, could you please provide a comprehensive listing of what professions you would deem appropriate? Thank you.
Three of the four heads on Mt. Rushmore were surveyors. That would be a good start to a list and no I'm not a surveyor.
My mom was actually enamored of Hill until I asked the question, "Why, simply because he was a talking head on TV?" You could hear the mental gears grinding as she realized she was acting from unconscious impulse due to "brand name" recognition.
Can we say "media bias"? I knew you could...
Except Jeb appointed her, as her own replacement, until anotrher can be found - so legally she is still the acting SOS of Florida.
Actually, he didn't appoint her to be her own replacement. He appointed former Republican Secretary of State Jim Smith as her replacement. It's funny, because I had my application for a concealed weapons permit in her office during this whole episode. The license finally arrived last week, and on the license itself, it has Jim Smith's signature (issue date 8-6-02). But, on the paper that the license is attached to when it arrives in the mail, it has her name in two separate places with stickers over top of it that say "Jim Smith".
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