Posted on 04/21/2010 4:09:47 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
There’s crazy, and there’s Alan Grayson crazy.
Any relation to the other Daniel Webster?
Here in Tennessee we have an Andrew Jackson VI.
"But, as odd as it sounds, much has changed since Webster decided not to run last year. His entry no longer parts the political Red Sea and clears the Republican field for a small, friendly fight to take on Grayson.
Attorney Todd Long said last year he would get out of the race if Webster got in. But with support from a tea-party movement that is apparently driving the Republican agenda, that's not going to happen now.
"We're not going to be ruled by the Republican establishment anymore," said Long, adding that Webster was a "career politician" of the sort tea partiers want to break from. "I'm definitely staying in."
Backers of state Rep. Kurt Kelly, R-Ocala, said they were hopeful Webster's entry would further divide the vote and donors in Orange County, leaving the Lake and Marion County parts of the district for him to grab.
Webster poses the biggest threat to the other perceived GOP front-runner, Winter Park businessman Bruce O'Donoghue, who could not be reached for comment. But a spokesman said Webster's entry doesn't diminish O'Donoghue's small-business credentials or wipe away the early show of support for him, referring to his $305,100 in outside contributions in the first quarter of 2010. "
BTW Grayson’s opening attack line is to call Webster a flip-flopper for changing his mind on the race.
“If he flip-flopped on this, will he flip-flop on delivering for the people of our district?”
How pathetic.
I question Grayson’s sanity. He’s beyond embarrassing.
Good one!
If that’s the best ‘El Diablo’ can do, he’s done. It would be nice if the rest of the field cleared out for Webster.
Though in the case of Florida's Daniel Webster, they are unrelated.
Daniel Webster was my first choice for U.S. Senator in 2002 and I believe he'd be holding that seat today if the powers-that-be hadn't pressured him away from running once they recruited Bush's RINO hack Mel Martinez for the job.
Typo. Meant to say the 2004 U.S. Senate race.
“...Bush’s RINO hack Mel Martinez for the job.”
Ugh! That’s almost as bad as backing Spector over Toomey.
There was a very vocal segment of conservatives who didn't believe Martinez and opposed him, though. I was one of them. Martinez had been a liberal Democrat trial lawyer during the 80s and had NEVER been "against amnesty" for illegals until he ran for the U.S. Senate. As HUD secretary he had just fine with pandering to illegals and supported government grants to "undocumented" people to buy homes. Definitely eeked out a career as a status-quo political hack. The problem was once Daniel Webster bowed out of the race, the genuinely conservative candidates left who had a credible resume for the job were Bill McCollum -- who was perceived as weak at the time because he had just lost a Senate race, and House Speaker Johnny Byrd, who had an excellent record, but was little known and sadly ignored by the conservative base.
Had the GOP establishment not recruited RINO Martinez and pressured Webster out of the race, I think he would have gone to win the primary and the general. 2004 was a good year for FL Republicans.
It will be great if Webster makes a comeback and he's likely to be elected Congressman next year. But a statewide office still would be preferable. With Charlie Crist crashing and burning, Marco Rubio is likely to win the U.S. Senate nomination easily now. Rubio is a charismatic speaker and a rising star in the party, but personally, I think Webster would make a better U.S. Senator.
Yes, Webster would have won.
Ironically the highly touted Martinez ended up running behind Bush and barley winning. Not a very good campaigner.
Apparently not. See BillyBoy’s post #24.
Great analysis!
What about Nelson’s seat in ‘12?? Who should run for that? I can’t stand Nelson.
http://old.nationalreview.com/miller/miller200405110837.asp
http://www.gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=551
It would kind of poetic, I suppose, to have another Daniel Webster in the U.S. Senate. He was really poised for the Senate race in 2004 that he even had a “Webster for Senate” website fully running before he decided not to file because of Martinez's entry. Ideally he could take out Bill “astronaut” Nelson in 2012, though it would probably be bad timing if he left the U.S. House after a single term (certainly didn't help Kathleen Harris)
There's a marked difference in style between Daniel Webster and the more famous 1840s politician though. The latter was known for his spellbounding, booming oratory, whereas the one from Florida is known for being a soft-spoken, polite southern gentleman and the ultimate classy honest guy.
I'm probably more closely related to the famous Daniel Webster than the guy from Florida, my mother's maiden name is Webster. Her father (my late grandfather, Charles “Harry” Webster) is a direct descendant of one of Daniel Webster's brothers.
Webster is a pretty common English last name though, including Daniel being confused with the unrelated Noah "the dictionary guy" Webster, so there's probably plenty of Websters out there who are of no relation to Daniel. Webster Co., Kentucky was named in honor of him, and my mother's side of the family was there during the civil war era.
Harris ran for the Senate after 2 terms, not one (2003-07).
I think she tried to bolt from the seat after a single term and was talked out of it the first time. When there was no other prominent Republican running the next time around, she quickly hoped into the race over the advice of Florida Republicans. Her eagerness to leave her safe seat from the moment she got it turned out to a liability I think.
Didn’t Harris serve two terms in the House? In any event, that wasn’t why she lost in 2006.
2012 will be a redistricting election, and I’m sure that the FL-08 will change dramatically given Central FL’s growth, so it’s not like Webster would be “abandoning” 700,000 constituents if he ran for the Senate against Nelson. Serving a term in the House would only help him make his views on federal issues better known and keep his name in the papers—it would certainly be much more dfficult for him to run for the Senate in 2012 after being out of office for years and never having been a federal or statewide officeholder.
It’s neat you have roots like that.
I believe all my ancestors immigrated post civil war.
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