Political ad helps Gulfport weekly find world audience
By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published April 14, 2004
GULFPORT - The ad appears on page 39 of the Gabber, a free weekly newspaper in Pinellas.
By Tuesday afternoon, its message had been spread worldwide, from the Drudge Report to CNN to Rush Limbaugh's radio show.
The reason: The $175 ad buried in a tabloid known mostly for club listings included an inflammatory line about Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
"And then there's Rumsfeld, who said of Iraq, "We have our good days and our bad days,' " read the ad bought by the St. Petersburg Democratic Club. "We should put this S.O.B. up against a wall and say "This is one of our bad days,' and pull the trigger."
Within minutes after Matt Drudge posted the missive on his Internet site, the Gabber's tiny Gulfport office was overwhelmed by telephone calls.
"An outrage," said Pinellas Republican chairman Paul Bedinghaus.
"I am shocked beyond words," said Florida Republican chairman Carole Jean Jordan.
Democrats, including presidential candidate John Kerry's campaign, disavowed the ad, calling it "unauthorized" and "unfortunate."
It was written by Ken Steinke, 75, president of the St. Petersburg Democratic Club, who has a history of political zealotry. He was arrested in 1993 for throwing Republican campaign signs off an overpass.
Steinke didn't answer his phone Tuesday. A man who answered the door at his Gulfport condominium said Steinke wouldn't be available for comment.
On the bright side: Gabber publisher Ken Reichart never dreamed his 13,000-circulation publication would get such publicity.
"I'm surprised by the reaction," he said. "It must be a slow news day."
- Times staff writer Adam C. Smith and researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.
