Florida's Independent Candidate Bob Kunst Sounds Off...[Gay candidate Kunst blasts "McBush"]

gaytoday ^ | Sept. 30, 2002 | Jack Nichols

[summer]

War & Subversion Mark the Bush Brothers' Election Strategies

Republicans Masquerading as Democrats in the Sunshine State

Florida's Independent Candidate Bob Kunst Sounds Off...

By Jack Nichols

Excerpt: ...independent gubernatorial candidate Bob Kunst continues to speak ...

Kunst has recently been quoted in a number of Florida newspapers. Following Friday's Bush-McBride debate, Central Florida's ABC News television affiliate in Orlando carried Kunst's commentary, daring the "dull" candidates to include him in their debates.

…Kunst told GayToday, "Jeb Bush now faces off against me-since I'm still on the ballot and Janet Reno isn't-and against a Faux Democrat who ought to be called McBush (i.e. instead of McBride).

"Nobody seems to wonder where this Phony McBush Democrat came from," notes Kunst warily.

"He had no name-recognition before Jeb's TV commercials gave it to him. He's a lawyer and his firm donated $100,000 to the GOP. He [McBride] also helped engineer the hijacking of Election 2000 by finding Jeb that Texas firm that was supposed to purge voter rolls properly, but expunged 57,000 legitimate voters that have yet to be replaced.

"If McBush was really a good Democrat why would he want to take the spotlight away from Janet Reno, anyway? She had, at least, name recognition. He didn't. He's also a very poor debater, as that boring, exclusive face-off they shared on Friday showed us, and he appears to be running, like Jeb, as a puppet of the corporations, instead of being somebody who incarnates a genuine commitment.

"McBush's only idea for raising more cash for the state's failing educational system is stupid. To tax Florida's cigarette smokers? What kind of 'smart politics' is that? He's just lost the smokers, that's for sure. He is planning to lose. He's just another Republican in Democrats' clothing."

Kunst offered his own remedy for raising $23 billion for Florida on ABC-TV News....

Kunst, who found himself facing very few Florida Democratic Party operatives who'd allow him to speak prior to the September 10 primary, is now being accused by them - by virtue of being on Florida's November 7 gubernatorial ballot-of drawing votes away from Democratic primary "winner" Bill McBride.

Miami Herald columnist Jim Defede wondered on September 24, however, about the entire McBride phenomenon:

"His conduct in the days immediately following the primary was disgraceful, and his belief he was being honorable by waiting two whole days before declaring himself the victor makes his behavior all the more egregious.

"When South Florida voters -- especially black voters in Miami-Dade County -- were being disenfranchised, when they were being told for the second time in two years that their votes weren't going to be counted, McBride was busy penning his victory speech."

Tyler Bridges, also representing the Miami Herald, is already proclaiming that the "Education issue keeps Bush ahead," while Peter Wallsten (Miami Herald, September 29) tells us that Bill McBride is out of sync with a major Democratic constitunency, namely African-Americans, much-needed for any Democratic win.

He cites a recent poll in the African-American community showing 25% who'd otherwise vote as Democrats plan to vote for Bush.

He writes:

"For a variety of reasons that were all perfectly avoidable, the new Democratic nominee for governor is just now introducing himself to his party's most important voters -- the voters who will have to turn out in huge numbers for him to beat Jeb Bush in six weeks.

"For a man who actually believed long ago that he would be the nominee, one would think he would have wanted to at least attempt to forge a friendship…McBride grew up in segregated Leesburg in Central Florida and admittedly didn't have a lot of contact with black folks on the other side of town."

Bob Kunst found that African-American voters in North Florida believed that McBride had stolen the September 10 primary.

Kunst fervently believes that many top Democratic Party leaders in Florida are actually willing pawns of the corporatocracy "every bit as much as are the Republicans. We need a rebirth of the Democratic Party in Florida and across the nation," he told GayToday. "We need to be the new Democrats. The old Democrats are Republicrats -rats-who'll sell us down the river. You noticed on the national level how timid they've been. They're on the take from the corporatocracy, that's why they're so damned timid." ....

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

he could be working for one of the looniest,mean,nasty nutty & out of control US Reps (Peter Deutsch).

Lol! I don't think I want to know....the Rat party's chock full of 'em. It could turn a person into a cynic. (^:

[summer]

Thanks for that interesting info in your post #31. I know there is a lot of power and responsibility given to these local election boards in FL, so what you said makes sense to me. Thanks again.

[summer]

RE your post #32 - LOL....actually, I read somewhere he has worked with or met with the Log Cabin GOP members.

[summer]

Thanks for the bump, MeeknMing. I think Kunst should be in the debates - I personally like to see 3rd party candidates in debates, because then it is possible other issues important to voters will be discussed.

[summer]

Thanks for taking the time to post all that info, RC. I read it earlier, and I will read it again! :)

[summer]

I do, however, think Bush will do a little better among blacks than Republicans generally do

I agree. I think he's going to win 25% or close to it, because of education issues.

But I also believe there are voters who will want to vote the "protest vote" and for these voters - Kunst is the candidate. For Kunst to already have 1% when only 15% even know who he is, well, that is something. Also, when I read Dem sites, there are always some Dem voters interested in Kunst because they see McMumble the same way Kunst sees McMumbler ("McBush").

[summer]

McMumbler = McMumble

[summer]

Meanwhile [in Broward] their multi million dollar crystal palace of a school board building loomed over the city.

samantha, gop4me recently complained Collier COunty doesn't spend enough on education -- but that poster forgot to mention the $14 million Collier was able to come up with to build their new crystal palace administration building, which everyone in the community opposed except the idiotic school board.

The same exact story has played out in other FL school districts thanks to local idiots - Orange County (Orlando) now wants to sell their $26 million new school administration building according to the last news artice I read about it this year. How come they were able to spend $26 million for offices they didn't need?

[summer]

He's way out in left field if you ask me, but if he sucks votes away from McBride...I'm all for it!

Thanks for your post, Jorge. As wacky as some think he may be, I believe he does take all his votes from McMumble.

Seeking the truth, FYI.

[summer]

It's also quite interesting how much trouble the Dem Party leadership has gone to in order to "hide" Kunst from the voters, by never letting him speak.

McMumble's big recent campaign promise is: "I I'll never say anithing in private that I wouldn't say in public" or whatever it was.

I wish someone in the GOP Party would read this thread and invite Kunst to the next two debates. Let's see if the Dem Party really means it when they say "Count every vote!" because there are definately votes out there that could be counted for Kunst instead of McMumble - if more voters know about Kunst being on the ballot and what he is about (protest).

[summer]

"I I'll never say anithing = "I'll never say anything

[katherineisgreat]

This is the sort of information that I've needed in the past to defend myself and have never had.

[summer]

Sounds like outright bigotry to me.

No, he has supporters who are gay. Not surprising to me. Many candidates have that, whether the candidate is gay or straight.

What is somewhat surprising to me is that these voters who supported Reno did not follow Dem Party instructions and rush over to support McMumble.

[summer]

Good thing she wrote the book! :)

[summer]

FYI. An interesting thread. ...

[mafree]

GO JEB!!

[Jabba the Nutt]

Now, kuenstlich sounds obscene, but just means artificial.;^)

[summer]

Thanks for bumping this thread, mafree. I sincerely hope Gov Bush comes out and asks for Bob Kunst to be included in the debates - supporters of Gov Bush will not mind. But, supporters of McMumble would probably fight it every step of the way.

[summer]

Re your post #57 - LOL... :)