Chicken on the grill
With Rice and Tostones
At El Pueto in Ybor City
Thank you, Nick!
Thank you, Nick!
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Florida Celebrates Dennis Ross Retirement
Florida GOP Dennis Ross of Lakeland, told his staff this morning he is retiring. here
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"Eight years takes its time on you." Dennis Ross
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It sure does Mr. Ross, just ask any Floridian. Party in Ybor anyone?
Victor Crist's Racket Exposed
This guy received tens of thousands of dollars from developers who profit from sprawl, and then he votes for sprawl.
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The developers for ONE of the huge sprawl projects he approved donated $8,000 to his re-election bid. Of the $78,000 Crist has raised for this election, $22,000 are from clients of ONE big developer-lobbyist. And besides that ONE lobbyist, Crist’s whole campaign donor list is a Who’s Who of developers and special interests.
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He didn't know. He blamed it on
two little old ladies. here
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Check out our friend Mariella Smith,, she has been fighting sprawl for decades. and she doesn't take brides. We can vouch for that, check out her history on this blog.
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She is not getting the big bucks from developers that Victor Crist gets. She is running a grassroots campaign.
She needs our help.
She needs our help.
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"Unlike Victor Crist, let me assure you I DO look at who writes checks, and each and every one of your contributions is important to our campaign."
Mariella Smith
Mariella Smith
Self-Serving Rick Scott
1. Self-Serving Scott Made Millions,
Florida Lost Jobs.
2. Self-Serving Scott is a Walking Conflict of Interest with a Secret Financial Account.
3. Self-Serving Scott’s Hurricane Irma Nursing Home Scandal Left 14 Seniors Dead.
4. Self-Serving Scott Supported Drilling Near Shores & Beaches – Even After the BP Oil Spill.
5. Self-Serving Scott Broke His Promise to Expand Health Care to 800,000 Floridians.
6. Self-Serving Scott Let 612 Days Pass Between Pulse & Parkland With No Action to Make Floridians Safer from Gun Violence.
Monday, April 9, 2018
Rick Scott Free Rally In Tampa
Karen Skyers with Digna Alvarez
Generation Action President USF, St. Pete
Annie Filkowski
Z
Salomé Grasland
Michelle B. Patty
Karen Clay
The Legend Reverend Willie Dixon
The Mighty Fight For 15
ET and Debbie
Susan and Jim
Tim
Kofi and Tamuela
Blue
Justin
Curtis Hixon Park
Downtown Tampa
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Hillsborough County Voters Choose Transit Over New Stadium
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Supporters of the stadium poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into an ad campaign for the stadium, including visits by national soccer figures and TV and billboard ads.
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Opponents spent little money against Proposition 2, but a number of prominent officials and activists vocally opposed the measure, arguing that it shouldn’t be a priority for a city facing economic and public safety issues, and that a team wasn’t likely to benefit lower-income residents or neighborhoods. here
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“No public stadium, no team.”
MLS Commissioner Don Garber
Try Vegas, they are giving away tons of taxpayer cash over there, ask The Raiders.
Try Vegas, they are giving away tons of taxpayer cash over there, ask The Raiders.
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Gwen Graham's Vote On Leaky Keystone Pipeline
The Keystone crude oil pipeline leak in November in rural South Dakota was nearly double the original estimate, making it one of the largest U.S. inland spills since 2010. here
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All Florida Dems Vote Nay, except
Gwen Graham & Patrick Murphy
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"Thank former CONGRESSWOMAN GWEN GRAHAM for her votes regarding our environment including her VOTE IN FAVOR of the KEYSTONE PIPELINE when you
next see her!" Beth Eriksen Shoup
next see her!" Beth Eriksen Shoup
Sunday, April 8, 2018
Matthew Suarez on FESTA ITALIANA
"If you are going to be going to FESTA ITALIANA Tampa prepared to be VERY DISAPPOINTED. The whole festival had fair food. No local restaurants or signature Sicilian foods that identify with
the community’s local heritage.
the community’s local heritage.
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The Italian Club of Tampa, you might want to rethink things for next year or be prepared for poor attendance. As it was, attendance was quite thin today vs. what I have seen in the past on a Sunday afternoon. I’ve been going to the Festival for years & have always been impressed, but today’s experience can be understood as an embarrassment to the community’s
Sicilian/Italian heritage." Matthew Suarez
Sicilian/Italian heritage." Matthew Suarez
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You can always go protest
Rick Scott downtown on Monday. info
Mayor Gillum Supports Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
“Legalize it. Tax it. Use the revenue to fix Florida's public schools and move us up from 29th in the nation to #1.”
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Those words were tweeted by Tallahassee
Mayor Andrew Gillum.
Mayor Andrew Gillum.
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60 percent of Americans want
to legalize marijuana.
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No other candidate for governor has called
for full legalization.
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here
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Please note: In Florida you must be registered as a Democrat to vote for him in the primaries. If you are NPA.
Please do it, even if it is just temporary.
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Please note: In Florida you must be registered as a Democrat to vote for him in the primaries. If you are NPA.
Please do it, even if it is just temporary.
Clean up the FL Dem mess: Jettison Graham and Rizzo
Former Democratic state party chairman Stephen Bittel made disparaging remarks about black legislators at a major party fundraiser last June 17. There were no repercussions.
He apologized for his racially derogatory tirade and then it was business as usual for the Florida Democratic Party.
Five months later Bittel resigned in the face of sexual harrassment allegations by six women. So insulting the Black Legislative Caucus was not sufficient to replace him; “inappropriate behavior” sparked his resignation. Apparently the Florida Democratic Party does not believe spewing racial slurs constitutes inappropriate behavior.
On Jan. 22, John Parker, a national Democratic committeeman from Duval County, referred to African-Americans as “colored people” at a party meeting. Casting racial aspersions was pro forma for Parker, according to people who knew him.
Terrie Rizzo, the state party chairman who succeeded Bittel, was informed of the incident—at the latest—in early February. Calls by Afro-Americans for Parker to resign were ignored—by Parker, by Rizzo, and by Lisa King, Parker’s wife and chairwoman of the Duval County Democratic Executive Committee.
Parker resigned Wednesday after a Florida Politico article about the incident and the state party’s inaction went viral. Instead of acting quickly and declaring him melba months ago, the Democratic party did nothing about Parker—-until the racist remarks became public. Parker had no option
but to quit.
but to quit.
Lies about the repugnant episode rolled out fast and furiously. Parker says he meant to say “people of color” but the context and his history suggest otherwise. King stated that in 23 years of marriage “I have never before heard him refer to African-Americans as anything other than black or African-American.”
A stunning statement in light of Parker’s reputation among Duval Democrats.
No response. Harpo Marx without the horn.
Gwen Graham, a year ago considered the favorite to capture the Democratic nomination for governor but now polling a puny 9 percent in third place, touted Parker on her list of supporters.
Late to the party on the most substantive political issues, Graham kept mum until after the incident surfaced nationwide Wednesday. She then joined the suddenly swelling chorus calling for Parker to quit.
It’s inconceivable Graham had no knowledge of Parker’s remarks prior to the national brouhaha. Two weeks ago, Graham tried to buoy her failing campaign by declaring she is the only Democratic candidate that can
win the governorship.
win the governorship.
Chutzpah to the max.
If anyone asked me a month ago about the four Democrats and three Republicans in the race, I would have said Gwen Graham was the only candidate that had zero chance of winning. Parker didn’t put the final nail in her coffin; he threw dirt on it.
African-Americans comprise around 30 percent of Democrat registrants. Progressives all told number at least 50 percent but have always been marginalized by the state power brokers.
This year progressives have promised to flex their muscles. They are instrumental in the NextGen America effort to register Millennials and the Reform Generation. Many have promised not to “fall into line” and support candidates who do not subscribe to traditional Democratic
ideals and values.
ideals and values.
Their tolerance for Rizzo has stretched beyond the breaking point. They won’t support Graham who obsequiously caved to oil, banking, and coal interests during her brief tenure in Congress.
Propaganda from her father’s buddy Howard Dean that Graham is “most progressive” is insulting to young people who are well versed on her voting record. They will never place an “X” by her name.
Tampa Bay Beat reported on Mar. 20 about the state Democratic party’s historic failure to embrace statewide Afro-American candidates. This year there are two excellent ones: Andrew Gillum for governor and Sean Shaw for attorney general.
While most states around the country are expecting to ride that heretofore elusive “blue wave,” the Florida Democratic party is succumbing to
self-inflicted headwinds.
self-inflicted headwinds.
The divisive Rizzo should resign—progressive Stacey Patel would be an excellent replacement—and the equivocating and philosophically-bereft Graham should withdraw her candidacy. Those moves would catapult the party back into the thick of the November battle.
It would mean the difference between winning three statewide races and getting bageled.
Writer’s note: My mother, Florine Bleyer, who passed in 2003, was acquainted with one of the personages mentioned in this blog piece.
By Jim Bleyer
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