Castor’s South Florida Strategy

Before the senate primary campaign was over, the Betty Castor campaign was already busy allocating resources and strategizing in South Florida about the general election. Not that the campaign was overconfident — although the polls consistently had accorded Castor a double-digit lead over eventual runner-up Peter Deutsch — just that it knew its chances against the Republican nominee could depend significantly on South Florida scenarios. To wit: Would the support of Congressman Deutsch and Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas prove to be token or true? Would there be a meaningful get-out-the-vote effort on behalf of Castor?

Still fresh in the collective Democrat memory was the ill-fated Bill McBride gubernatorial campaign after the narrow primary win over South Florida native and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. There was never any coalescing of the Reno constituency — card-carrying Dems and minorities — for McBride in the general election. More like a groundswell of indifference. Could there be a reprise in the works?

For the record, the Castor camp doubts such a scenario and remains optimistic about South Florida support.

“A presidential year is much different,” reminds Castor Communications Director Matt Burgess. “Democrats who may not turn out for a gubernatorial race turn out in much higher numbers for a presidential race.

“Congressman Deutsch has been helping with fund raising, and some of the Penelas staff have actually come aboard and are helping with Hispanic outreach,” adds Burgess. “Betty’s been down there quite a bit already. We’re thrilled with the support we’re seeing.”

The Three Amigoons

What could be more appropriate than naming the new Ybor City Post Office, set to open later this year, after Ybor icon Roland Manteiga? The late publisher of the influential weekly, La Gaceta, was a tireless advocate for Tampa’s historic Latin Quarter.

Hardly matters, however, to the usual suspects: U.S. Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, the three hard-line Cuban-Americans from South Florida. They are derailing the effort because they can’t countenance the thought that anyone who wasn’t against Fidel Castro from the revolutionary get-go could be worthy of having a local post office named after him.

Presumably, the Fulgencio Batista Post Office would be more appropriate.

Will Bulls Bridge Bay?

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker thinks it would be a splendid idea if USF would start bringing some of its higher-profile sports — read: basketball, baseball and even football — to his side of Tampa Bay. “It would be good for the city and good for more regional support of USF,” reasons Hizzoner.

Actually, there’s precedent for such. As recently as 2000, the USF men’s basketball team played Morgan State at the Trop, and the following year USF hosted the Conference USA baseball championship at Florida Power Park. And this season the USF men’s basketball team will play Bethune-Cookman College in Lakeland.

“It’s an opportunity to be around another campus,” explains USF Sports Information Director John Gerdes.

But no one, of course, is confusing a USF-BCC game with a big-time, big-crowd-generating event. Those are rare enough in Tampa and aren’t likely to be exported to a satellite or even a regional campus. And that probably goes for the fast-growth, downtown-catalyst that is USF-St. Pete, which could be home to 10,000 students — a number living in dorms — within a decade.

According to Gerdes, USF isn’t flat-out precluding playing some meaningful games in St. Pete. “We would entertain that possibility in the future,” he says. “Nothing is presently scheduled, but we would look at any opportunity.”

They should. St. Pete isn’t Lakeland, and the Trop, which has already accommodated a Final Four, isn’t the relatively undersized Sun Dome. Plus this area should be using all the means at its disposal to build regional bridges across the bay. And few entities, frankly, are better positioned than USF to play a pivotal role.

And as for football?

“Raymond James is an ideal home for us,” underscores Gerdes, who agreed with a columnist’s assessment that a football scenario sounded “feasible but highly unlikely.”

Hurricane Diversion Diverted

What a welcome weather respite — and therapeutic diversion — was provided by that thrilling USF double-overtime win against TCU two Saturdays ago. For a few fleeting hours it was sanctuary city, as the cone of anxiety and the approach of the apocalypse du jour were on hold for some quality escape. Until, that is, the concluding two plays of that dramatic 45-44 USF win in Fort Worth, Texas.

That’s when an ESPN Regional satellite-feed error resulted in a switch back to WFTS, Channel 28’s “All attitude all the time” 11:00 news. Glitch happens, of course, but compounding matters was leaving the OT nail-biter for on-location shots of Don Germaise, who could hype a bake-off. In inimitably frenetic fashion, he was reporting from somewhere on the east coast that not only was it raining hard, but it was really, really windy and a lot of damage was sure to result.

Castor-Martinez Race: Curious Calculations

Much of the early skirmishing in the Florida senate race has been necessarily blunted by hurricane coverage. With the anxiety respite, however, have come some curious calculations.

In the political universe all perception is reality, and the Mel Martinez campaign has allowed its candidate, the former U.S. Housing Secretary and erstwhile president of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, to be portrayed as less than willing to debate Betty Castor. It’s at odds with the image of the courageous youngster who escaped Communist Cuba to undauntingly pursue the American Dream. Fleeing Castro, learning English, adapting to a new culture and achieving professional and political success, yes. Debating your opponent and handling the heat of Tim Russert, no.

As we know, the Martinez camp initially balked at the inclusion of Russert, the well-regarded “Meet The Press” host, as moderator of an October debate sponsored by WFLA-Ch.8 in Tampa. They asked for a Florida journalist — something Gov. Jeb Bush didn’t deign to do when his gubernatorial debates were moderated by Russert. The Martinez excuse waxed lame. Then another debate proposal was deemed too late in the campaign. Castor readily agreed to all debate proposals without qualification.

Finally the Martinez camp yielded to the bad publicity and agreed to the Russert-moderated debate on Oct. 18.But the Russert flap still bedevils Martinez. The perception is this: Russert, known for being painstakingly prepared and adept at follow-ups, would not countenance the sort of debate vehicle Martinez seems to prefer. That is, a forum to wrap himself in the American flag and George Bush’s presidential mantle and not have to answer pressing questions about, say, his independence of the neocon credo or his ideological smear campaign against Bill McCollum.

As for the former USF president and state education commissioner, it appears her campaign didn’t learn enough from the Peter Deutsch primary crucible. That’s when a Deutsch surrogate called into question Castor’s commitment to fighting terrorism by referencing Sami Al-Arian. He’s the computer science professor who has been indicted and imprisoned on terrorist-conspiracy charges. Castor put him on paid leave for two years in the 1990s.

The revisionist cheap shots were seen for what they were and dismissed by the voters.

The issue appeared interred until the Castor campaign exhumed it. In a TV ad that ran in Tallahassee, Jacksonville and Gainesville, Castor says: “Every candidate talks about terrorism, but I’ve dealt with it firsthand. As university president, I took action to remove a suspected terrorist from our campus.”

The Castor campaign wants it both ways. In the primary it said don’t blame her for “only” putting Al-Arian on paid leave and then reinstating him. As USF president, she did as much as she could given the lack of hard evidence, the tenured Al-Arian’s support among the faculty and the more laissez faire pre-Sept.11 era. Be fair. Security-wise, that was then; this is now.

The campaign no longer implies she did what she could, given the inherent limits. In seeking to bolster her national defense bona fides, it now declares her battle-tested from making the gutsy, tough call to take action against a suspected terrorist.

That’s political spin — as well as more revisionism. Something the Martinez campaign has duly noted.

“Memogate” Is No Conspiracy”

The CBS/Dan Rather “memogate” incident begs several interpretations and subplots. To wit:

*Given the three-way communication among CBS producer Mary Mapes, John Kerry senior adviser Joe Lockhart and long time George W. Bush critic and memo enabler Bill Burkett, conspiracy theorists have some traction. The real outcome: Left-leaning CBS and its anchor/executive news editor Dan Rather, who three years ago actually spoke at a Democratic fund-raiser in Texas, weren’t so much snookered as found out.

*Given the Machiavellian reputation of Karl Rove and some amateurish forgeries, contrarian conspiracy sorts think it was the perfect storm of pre-emptive Republican damage control. The strategy: Concede the message of 30-year-old National Guard favoritism — but assure that the messenger and its manner of conveyance were trashable. The presumptive result: end of National Guard story — and beginning of biased media as “the” story. Running against John Kerry and Dan Rather is not without benefit.

*Given Dan Rather’s reputation for grandstanding — especially at the expense of Republican presidents, including a contentious session with George H.W. Bush — it’s likely the 73 year old was just going to the GOP character-assassination well one last time.

What is certain, however, is this. Too much time and focus have been spent by the media on an issue that warrants virtually none. The result was a distraction from the real issues and a disservice to candidates, the voting public and most media.

What is also inescapable is this. CBS is guilty of unconscionable shoddiness when it comes to vetting sources and authenticating evidence. It is also at fault for unprofessional ethics by involving itself directly with a Kerry campaign operative. And it arrogantly stonewalled for a fortnight before Rather’s belated apologia. The (oft-violated) media mandate to “Get it right, get it first” was shamelessly transposed and disgraced.

As for Rather, who has never been confused with Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite, he wasn’t so much biased, as he was enamored of the prospect of another big score before he turns in his talons. He obviously hasn’t retired his journalistic hubris yet.

Perhaps the debates will get us all back on task as we await this most pivotal presidential election.

Perhaps.

Barbaric Behavior Should Be Condemned — Not Debated

According to media reports out of the Middle East, the rash of kidnappings, beheadings, suicide bombings and killings of Russian schoolchildren has taken a toll on public opinion in the Muslim world. In fact, the ongoing pattern of atrocities has sparked a debate among Arab intellectuals on why the majority of such heinous acts have been committed by Muslims acting in the name of Islam.

Some blame the violence on intolerance and extremism that leads to hatred of non-Muslims. Others blame the West, notably the U.S., because it’s a staunch supporter of Israel and the occupier of Iraq.

Perhaps this qualifies as good — or at least encouraging — news. Here’s another take.

Sub-human, barbaric behavior — no matter the grievance, no matter the perverted, religious loophole — is not a matter for debate. It’s a matter of sweeping condemnation, no questions asked. Unless, of course, the questions include: “Why aren’t we totally outraged and disgusted with such Islamofascist vermin?” and “Why don’t we do something about it ourselves?”

Some things you don’t dignify with debate.

“Evil Of Two Lessers” Recycled For 2004

In 1980 independent candidate John Anderson delivered one of the most memorably mordant lines in presidential campaign annals when he referred to the standard bearers of the two major parties, Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter and Republican challenger Ronald Reagan, as the “evil of two lessers.” History would eventually confirm the degree of hyperbole in play. But it was a great line.

Twenty-four years later, that caustic comment is ready for exhumation. Unfortunately, posterity may bear witness to more than political exaggeration. Tragically, the stakes have never been higher.

By his administration’s deceptively conceived and ineptly implemented Iraq policy, President George W. Bush, the kept man of the neocons, has made the civilized world angry at the United States and affronted at America’s arrogance. Much more to the point, he has made the Islamofascist world even more rabidly threatening by turning Iraq into the world’s will-call window for death and depravity.

Sept. 11, 2001 is now a worldwide terrorist footnote, not a rallying cry against the fanatical forces of inhumanity. Hardly mandate material for four more years.

Problem is, there is no FDR, Harry Truman or Dwight Eisenhower waiting, deus ex machina-like, in the wings. Nor is there a Wesley Clark, Joe Biden or Bob Graham. The Hobson’s choice is the junior senator from Massachusetts, who isn’t even the best Kerrey — that’s Bob.

You don’t have to read “Unfit for Command,” which I have, to know that John Kerry has been gaming the system for years. Call it “Eddie Haskell Grabs His Super-8 Camera And Joins The Naval Reserve — After Being Turned Down For A Graduate School Deferment.” But his self-serving calculations likely date to the first realization that his initials were JFK.

While he has been typecast as a Teddy Kennedy clone, there is a least a case to be made that the senior senator from Massachusetts actually believes what he says. Few accuse Kerry of such authenticity. His Senate tenure is distinguished largely by an ideology of waffling and self promotion.

The evil of two lessers? Seems all too appropriate in a nation-defining election reduced to an incumbent heading inexorably down the wrong path and a challenger to whom all roads are forked.

Would that the choice were Carter or Reagan again.