Politics

Global warming ... or just a lot of hot air?

By ADAM C. SMITH, Times POlitical Editor
Published December 30, 2007

Attorney General Bill McCollum isn't buying Gov. Charlie Crist's belief that global warming is a threat to Florida and the world. Shortly before Christmas, McCollum sent a memo to Crist and the other Cabinet members, advising them that "the science is not all in" on the subject. He urged them to view the enclosed DVD, a British television documentary called The Great Global Warming Swindle. (It costs $19.99, and this is not exactly It's a Wonderful Life.)

The makers of the program include Martin Durkin, who's no stranger to controversy across the pond. The Guardian newspaper in London reported in 1997 that Durkin considered himself a Marxist. At the time, he helped produce an antienvironmental broadcast on Britain's Channel 4 called Against Nature.

McCollum has butted heads with Crist before, over civil rights for felons who have completed their sentences. Crist says he'll keep seeking alternative energy sources to combat global warming in 2008, with or without McCollum's support.

Time's running out to register for primary

Monday - New Year's Eve - is the deadline for registering to vote in Florida's Jan. 29 primary. Everybody can vote for the state property tax initiative on the ballot, but you'll need to be registered as a Democrat or Republican to weigh in on the presidential primaries.

Walk back through the year's politics

Check out Political Connections on Bay News 9 today, where St. Petersburg Times political editor Adam Smith and Bay News 9 senior anchor Al Ruechel review the year in politics. The show airs at 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Ron Paul's air force coming to Florida

Brace yourselves, establishment politicos and all defenders of the Council on Foreign Relations. The Ron Paul Revolution is hitting Florida. Or at least the Ron Paul blimp promoting his libertarian and antiwar Republican candidacy is in Florida, and is expected to be flying through Tampa Bay within days. For more information check out www.ronpaulblimp.com.

Check the mail for Rudy Giuliani

The first presidential campaign mailer to hit Florida mailboxes comes courtesy of Rudy Giuliani. "Strong leadership. Proven results." is the theme. The flier touts his record as a prosecutor and mayor.

Backer jilts Romney, runs to Huckabee

Meaningless blip or ominous sign of something bigger? At a Mike Huckabee campaign stop in Orlando last week, one of Mitt Romney's Lake County chairmen, former state Sen. Dick Langley, ripped a Romney sticker off his chest and replaced it with one for Huckabee.

"I just couldn't figure out where Mitt stood," Langley said, according to the Palm Beach Post. "I had to have somebody that I could know where he stood, with the right values for this country and for a future for this country."

Turn down the money? Not this time

Some old enemies just keep getting closer and closer.

Just weeks after accepting one $250,000 check from Florida Power & Light for the campaign to pass the property tax measure on the Jan. 29 ballot, the Crist-backed YesOn1 committee took another one Dec. 21.

FP&L's cumulative support of $500,000 is second only to the $1-million the state's Realtors' group has given. The utility's donations come roughly a year after Crist returned an FP&L contribution to his gubernatorial campaign.

Back then, Crist - who'd fought with the utility before over energy prices - said he did so because the company had originally spent $225,000 criticizing Crist in an effort to help his Republican primary opponent Tom Gallaghere_SSRqs campaign.

Giuliani sticks to his Florida strategy

They may be voting in Iowa caucuses on Thursday, but guess where Giuliani will be?

Why, Hialeah, of course.

A week after his last visit to the Sunshine State, the former New York City mayor's campaign remains committed to his Florida strategy. That is, with losses expected in Iowa Thursday and New Hampshire Jan. 8, he'll count on Florida's Jan. 29 primary to propel his candidacy.

"We'll figure out who the genius is after Feb. 5," Giuliani said Wednesday in his last Florida visit to the St. Petersburg Times editorial board. "I think this is the right strategy."

Adam C. Smith and Steve Bousquet contributed to this week's Buzz.

[Last modified December 29, 2007, 23:23:04]