The Buzz: Florida politics 2004

Clinton tome gives Graham glowing praise

By Times staff writers
Published July 4, 2004

A veepstakes endorsement? Not quite. But Bill Clinton touts Bob Graham in his memoir, My Life. Of all of the most commonly mentioned contenders for John Kerry's running mate, Graham is the only one who rates glowing words from the former president.

Though Clinton chose Al Gore as his running mate in 1992, he explains why Graham was among his top choices:

"Graham was one of the three or four best governors of the 150 or so I served with over 12 years, and he almost certainly would bring Florida into the Democratic column for the first time since 1976," Clinton writes, referring to the 1992 race.

For what it's worth, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Iowa Sen. Tom Vilsack don't make it into Clinton's 957-page tome. Dick Gephardt, former House majority leader, gets mostly passing references.

Clinton also writes that Florida was the "main target" of his 1996 re-election. He credits the late Gov. Lawton Chiles, who campaigned with Clinton in North Florida along with ex-U.S. Rep. Pete Peterson, Clinton's ambassador to Vietnam. Chiles "had a great rapport with voters in the more conservative areas of central and northern Florida," Clinton wrote. "Those people liked Lawton in part because he hit back when attacked. As he said, "No redneck wants a dog that won't bite.' "

TEA LEAVES Readers might see it as another good sign for Graham's vice presidential prospects, but Kerry campaign staffers advise not reading too much into it: Kerry's deputy campaign manager, veteran Florida strategist Marcus Jadotte, is shifting his role in the campaign so that he will be focused on the vice presidential campaign. Jadotte will be the senior Kerry campaign staffer working with the running mate, ensuring strong coordination.

BOB vs. JEB The case for Graham as Kerry's running mate gets a boost from a new Quinnipiac University poll. The June 23-27 survey of more than 1,200 registered voters in Florida found that 58 percent approved of Graham's performance (including 45 percent of Republicans and 58 percent of independents) while only 47 percent approved of Gov. Jeb Bush's performance (including 21 percent of Democrats and 48 percent of independents).

"If John Kerry has Bob Graham lining up for him and George W. has Jeb lining up for him, the clear edge goes to Kerry," said state Democratic chairman Scott Maddox.

Other tidbits from the poll: Hispanic voters preferred Bush over Kerry, 49 percent to 38 percent. African-Americans favored Kerry, 80 percent to 11 percent.

"LET RALPH RUN!" So shouts the headline on a Republican Party news release responding to Maddox's comment in the St. Petersburg Times last week that the party probably will sue unless Ralph Nader "dots every i and crosses every t" in seeking to get on the Florida ballot.

"I find this attack beyond the bounds of hypocrisy," said state GOP chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan, who naturally would love to have another candidate capable of drawing liberal votes away from Kerry. "The Democrats are quick to use the issue of voter disenfranchisement to their benefit and yet have no problem unleashing their legal sharks on Ralph Nader."

TRUE COLORS? The national Democratic Party seemed to send some support to U.S. Senate candidate Betty Castor last week.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee hailed her $1.4-million fundraising in the second quarter in an e-mail. Then it circulated a Tallahassee Democrat editorial supporting Castor against allegations that she was soft on suspected terrorist fundraisers.

Another candidate, U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch, D-Hollywood, said the DSCC doesn't send out e-mails for candidates, and the Castor campaign must have sent them using the group's e-mail.

Not true, DSCC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said.

"We are officially neutral in the race," he said. "But it's standard operating procedure for us to send out stories that reflect well on Democrats or poorly on Republicans."

BYRD JOTTINGS House Speaker and U.S. Senate candidate Johnnie Byrd got two bits of good news last week. First, a Tarrance Group poll commissioned by the Republican Party in Duval County gave Byrd a lead over his Republican rivals.

The survey of 500 Duval voters had Byrd at 15 percent, Bill McCollum at 13 percent, Mel Martinez at 10 percent, Doug Gallagher at 8 percent, Karen Saull at 2 percent, Larry Klayman at 1 percent and 51 percent undecided.

It's not much of a lead, but Byrd was desperate for anything upbeat after the Tampa Tribune eviscerated him on its editorial page last weekend, calling him "the most detested legislative leader in recent memory" and "unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate."

The state's largest police organization apparently doesn't agree. Byrd won the endorsement of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, which represents city police and correctional officers. The PBA also endorsed Deutsch in the Democratic primary for Senate.

SHORT LAYOVER? Top-of-the-line Tallahassee lobbyist and former Pinellas lawmaker Pete Dunbar was circumspect last month about how long he would stay when Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher picked him as his new general counsel.

Dunbar suggested he would leave for campaign work if Gallagher, a close friend, ran for governor as expected in 2006.

But a Dunbar client, Tampa Bay Water, hopes he will return to lobbying as soon as next March, 20 months before the general election. In a June 15 memo to the Tampa Bay Water board, general counsel Donald Conn said, "It is my expectation that (Dunbar) will return to his law firm in time to provide legislative representation for Tampa Bay Water during the 2005 Legislative Session."

"Well, he's optimistic," Dunbar said recently, but he denied he had made that promise. "I don't foreclose the possibility I may be back that soon, but I have not made that commitment. You're way ahead of my decision-making process."

Dunbar notified Tampa Bay Water June 9 that he was taking a "temporary leave of absence" from Tampa-based Pennington, Moore, Wilkinson, Bell & Dunbar to work for Gallagher. But he promised to be available to assist Tampa Bay Water and Pennington lawyers "with all matters with which I have been previously involved."

Dunbar said he would receive no payment for the work. He said he has fully divested himself from the law firm. But he doubts it will stay that way forever. "At some point I will pick up the phone and say I want to return to the private sector, and I'm pretty sure they would be interested in having me back," Dunbar said.

ALL IN THE FAMILY Trying to jazz up her otherwise sedate campaign for the U.S. Senate, Castor has started holding monthly house parties, where supporters can talk politics, hear from her via speakerphone and donate online.

Castor's campaign has repeatedly invited reporters to attend, but it wasn't prepared last week when one finally accepted the offer: No party would open its doors.

A reporter listening by phone heard Castor fielding questions that were about as hard as a wet sponge. But squishiness hit an all-time high when Karen of Orlando asked Castor how the Florida Cabinet prepared her to be a senator.

Castor laughed. Then she let everyone else in on the joke: The caller was Karen Castor Dental, the candidate's daughter.

- Times staff writers Adam C. Smith, Joni James, Steve Bousquet, Anita Kumar and researcher Deirdre Morrow contributed to this week's column. Have a tip? Send e-mail to bousquet@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 4, 2004, 01:00:39]