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Politics

Bill still burns over loss, so Hillary will be here

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published February 25, 2007

With Democrats looking increasingly strong in the West, Midwest and Northeast, we can think of at least three reasons Democratic presidential contenders might consider writing off Florida in 2008: Bill McBride, John Kerry and Jim Davis. None of the top-of-the-ticket Democrats came especially close to winning Florida in 2002, 2004 or 2006.

But the chairman of the Hillary Clinton campaign insists Florida is a top priority for the Democratic front-runner, and it's rather personal for the Clintons. Bill Clinton to this day is peeved he didn't carry the Sunshine State in 1992 (he did in '96) and that he didn't spend the final stretch of the campaign in Florida.

"If you listen to him, instead of going to North Carolina the last trip before 1992, he would've won here," former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe says in a Political Connections interview airing today on Bay News 9. "I talked to him the other day about it. It still burns him that he didn't carry Florida in 1992. ... (Sen. Clinton's) got two very important advisers - one Bill Clinton and the other me - who both today believe Florida is a state we can win."

McAuliffe, who took heat for pumping so much national money behind Bill McBride's lopsided loss to Jeb Bush in 2002, said Kerry wasted months before setting up a coordinated campaign operation in Florida in 2004.

"I came down campaigning several times and knew we were in trouble. There was tremendous disorganization. That's not going to happen with Hillary Clinton."

The interview airs at 11 a.m. on Bays News 9 and can be seen later on Channel 342 (Bay News 9 on Demand).

Friends of Hillary

Speaking of Hillary, she picked up a bunch of Florida endorsements last week while swinging through the state, including U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings of Miramar and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston. Among the Tampa Bay politicos on her bandwagon are former Tampa Mayor Sandy Freedman, Hillsborough clerk of court Pat Frank, Hillsborough school board members April Griffin and Susan Valdes, and former state Democratic Party executive director Ana Cruz of Tampa.

Rudy's team

Republican presidential contender Rudy Giuliani, well beyond Mitt Romney and John McCain in organizing a Florida campaign, has tapped Jeb Bush's 2002 campaign manager. Karen Unger will lead Giuliani's Florida effort.

Pay to play?

The state Republican Party had an awkward time of it last week, announcing that they were scrapping plans for an October presidential straw poll in favor of a nationally televised debate on Fox News. After some of the presidential campaigns noted that the party wanted to charge participants $100,000 to participate, the party declined to comment.

But after Fox News raised questions, the party announced no one would have to pay a fee to be part of the debate. Still on the table? A $100,000 fee to participate in another event at the party's two-day gathering in October.

Charlie's time off

Gov. Charlie Crist was back at work Tuesday after an extraordinary five days off. (No one can recall Jeb Bush taking that many days off in a row.) But he made up for the lost media exposure with not one, not two, but three events in six hours where reporters could ask questions.

Not every question was about property tax policy or supplemental appropriations. Knowing that Crist prefers to spend down time in his hometown, the Buzz wondered whether Crist spent any time aboard Freedom, the 25-foot boat he keeps docked at his parents' home.

"I did. I did. First time in a long time, and it wasn't the best of weather," Crist said.

Then the Palm Beach Post asked whether Crist had "America's Hottest Mom" on the boat (a reference to Kelly Heyniger of Lake Clarke Shores, whom Crist recently escorted to a Red Cross function in Palm Beach. She's a contestant on the upcoming reality TV show Hottest Mom in America).

Crist didn't directly respond. "I saw your story. Where are you going with that?" he playfully asked the Post, which broke the Heyniger story. "It was just a charity thing," Crist said, referring to the benefit the pair attended Feb. 10.

Crist confusion

The confusion between Florida's two Crists was bound to happen, but Tampa Sen. Victor Crist didn't expect it to affect his cell phone log.

This week, Sen. Crist asked one of Crist's budget policy gurus to pass along a message. "Ask the governor to send a note out that his number is not mine," said Sen. Crist. "I've been getting two or three calls a day on my cell phone - messages meant for him."

By George, he's back

If somebody had tapped George Sheldon on the shoulder a few years ago and said that some day he would be working for Charlie Crist, he might have laughed off the utter implausibility of it all. But in the topsy-turvy world of Florida politics, that's what has happened.

Sheldon, a former Tampa legislator, returned to state government Monday as assistant secretary for operations in the Department of Children and Families. This reunites Sheldon with his good friend Bob Butterworth. They worked side by side in the Attorney General's Office, and Sheldon followed Butterworth to Miami in 2003 when the ex-attorney general became dean of the St. Thomas University law school.

In his final run for public office in 2000, Sheldon ran for state education commissioner against (you guessed it) Crist. It was a nasty campaign, with Crist dredging up a then-16-year-old DUI charge against Sheldon. Crist won, and Sheldon later said he had no hard feelings.

3 committees to go

A proposal by state Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, for a constitutional amendment making the education commissioner an elected Cabinet member still has three Senate committees to clear before it makes it to the floor, but Sen. Don Gaetz, head of the Pre-K-12 education committee that unanimously endorsed the bill last week, said he thinks it has a chance of passing.

"Three committees is a steep hill to climb," said Gaetz, a Republican who was superintendent of Okaloosa County schools. "But I would not be surprised if this Legislature puts this on the ballot and lets voters decide."

MVP LeMieux

The American Association of Political Consultants, meeting this week in Miami Beach, named chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Rahm Emanuel national MVP for Democrats and Charlie Crist campaign manager George LeMieux national MVP for Republicans. We're told it's unprecedented for the campaign pros on both sides of the aisle to bestow that honor to someone like LeMieux, running his first major campaign.

Adam C. Smith, Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler and Steve Bousquet contributed to this week's Buzz. For much more breaking political news, check out blogs.tampabay.com/buzz.

[Last modified February 25, 2007, 05:35:26]