Replies

This free DNC PR brought to you by the St. Pete Times. This is political coverage? Ack. There's is nothing of substance in this article. Voters are being conned. Grrr.

"Steve Gordon, a St. Petersburg businessman and environmentalist, said he's helping McBride craft an environmental policy now."

Just NOW! I found the article to confirm that he was counting entirely on the FEA. As the election draws nearer, they may have to resort to McAuliffe/DNC Hardball to compensate for his deficiencies in ALL areas.

NEWS...
Former NY Mayor Guiliani, on Linda Vester (Fox) just now, just gave a plug for JEB! and says he intends to campaign for him 'cause he's doing a good job!

You want to ping, or would you rather I do? I don't have a preference, I just don't want to dupe.

This was intended as a positive piece that failed in its positive portrayal of the subject.

Wait until you see the AP article about McBride's wife that came in my email as AP Breaking news this morning. It is totally appropriate for this thread:

Florida Candidate's Wife an Asset

By MIKE SCHNEIDER
The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - The former president of Bank of America's Florida operations has thrown her considerable support behind Democratic candidate for governor Bill McBride. Which is probably a good thing for the McBride household, since she is his wife.

Adelaide ``Alex'' Sink, 54, has given her Tampa lawyer husband connections and access to certain circles of power and has used her business acumen to help oversee the campaign's finances. She herself was mentioned as a possible candidate for lieutenant governor in 1998.

Just this week, Sink met with black leaders and talked to union officials in Miami on her husband's behalf. She often appears in his place at fund-raisers.

In contrast, Columba Bush, 49, the wife of McBride's opponent, Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, has kept a lower profile in her husband's campaign. In recent weeks, the stay-at-home mom has addressed a GOP women's luncheon in Tallahassee and spoken in front of family advocate and drug prevention groups.

Sink could be an asset in McBride's attempt to court professional, suburban women voters, especially in central Florida, which is considered a swing area, said David Niven, a political science professor at Florida Atlantic University.

``This is the life he's led, of Little League coaching and cooking dinners and finding time to be with his busy, professional wife,'' Niven said. ``This is certainly something that millions of suburban families can identify with.''

Early in the campaign season, Sink was the target of attacks from the Bush campaign. The campaign demanded that she release her tax returns from the past two years to prove that she does not have any business interests that could create a conflict for her husband.

Sink initially did not want to release her tax returns, which she is not required to do. ``I'm not the candidate. It's a privacy issue,'' she said in a recent interview. ``Bill and I have always had separate finances and separate bank accounts. He doesn't have control over my assets.''

The McBride campaign eventually released Sink's returns last month. They showed that Sink earned $3.5 million and paid $1.3 million in taxes in 2000. Last year, she earned $2.9 million and paid $1.1 million in taxes.

Sink was the main earner in the family for years. In 1999, for instance, Sink made $2.6 million. Her husband earned $523,647 that year from his job as managing partner of Holland & Knight, Florida's biggest law firm.

Dressed in well-tailored suits, Sink works the campaign trail with a toothy smile, a brown-haired bob and a twangy accent. Having opened up many bank branches, she is familiar with most parts of Florida.

Unlike Mrs. Bush, Sink, who is descended from Chang Bunker, half of the original Siamese Twins, appears comfortable in the public eye.

Once during a campaign stop at the Tallahassee airport, McBride's cell phone started ringing loudly while he addressed a crowd of supporters.

Standing beside him, Sink discreetly felt around his belt to turn off the phone, but the crowd noticed and people started chuckling. She played it up for more laughs and made exaggerated gropes around her husband's waist.

``Somebody, call me again!'' McBride shouted as the crowd roared.

As Florida's first lady, Mrs. Bush has focused on promoting art appreciation and drug treatment and prevention. The Bushes' 25-year-old daughter, Noelle, is undergoing drug rehab.

For most of her husband's first term, Mrs. Bush kept a lower profile. The most attention she received was when she was fined in 1999 for failing to declare $19,000 worth of clothing and jewelry she had bought in Paris.

Mrs. Bush did not respond to an interview request for this story. The governor's aides have said she is uncomfortable giving interviews.

The governor called her a source of comfort during the campaign: ``She's my counselor. She's my place where I get my serenity. She's a big help.''

The governor's family problems could be considered a liability in the campaign and may explain why Columba Bush keeps a low profile, Niven said.

``That invites scrutiny of an area that doesn't do the governor any good,'' he said.

10/03/02 11:28 EDT