Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Boom?

What's scarier - explosive sounds (BOOM!) or long microphones (boom)? 

Well it appears (to me) the latter is definitely scarier for Republican members on the House Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment. According to the Huffington Post, an ABC news team as well as a documentary film crew were trying to cover a public hearing today on EPA Hydraulic Fracturing (AKA fracking gas) Research when Republican members refused entrance to the crews. The news team acquiesced, but the documentary team didn't and were soon arrested by Capitol Hill police for "unlawful entry" to a PUBLIC HEARING. What's so menacing about this documentary crew or crews in general? Crews tend to include a cameraman, a soundman, and a producer plus a reporter. Not much more... Was it the bespectacled documentary producer who's most recent work was Gasland? Was it one of those big cameras? Or was it that long black microphone with the big fluffy head called a "boom with rabbit"? That microphone captures every utterance, outburst, swallow and audible tone of its surroundings. Or all of the above?

Well, considering Hydraulic Fracturing is a very controversial method that could either increase local production of energy and fuel job growth and/or/might contaminate local water supplies and cause serious illnesses, much is at stake for the public and private sectors...

So, let's see who these Republican Subcommittee members are (but please note that just because they are members does not mean they attended the hearing):

Republican Members
Andy Harris, M.D., MD, Chairman
* The Chairman and Ranking Minority Member serve as ex-officio Members of all Subcommittees

Dana Rohrabacher, CA 
Roscoe G. Bartlett, MD
Frank D. Lucas, OK
Judy Biggert, IL
W. Todd Akin, MO
Randy Neugebauer, TX
Paul Broun, GA
Chuck Fleischmann, TN


Here is an article from the trade paper Environment and Energy Publishing (E&E Publishing, LLC) about how members reacted during a May 2011 hearing...


FYI: During that hearing, Representative Rohrabache made a scene according to an Earth Justice blog and Politico, which noted that he left in the middle of the hearing to grab a burger and returned saying something along the lines of no energy, no burger... There is a webcast of the hearing here.


Later on I'll have a post about my findings (if any) about these members as well as any relationships they may have had with pro-fracking companies and lobbyists. There may be something or nothing, but might as well look into it...

Jeb Bush's Strategy to Win GOP Latino Voters

In a recent Miami Herald editorial former Florida governor Jeb Bush offers the GOP a 2012 plan to win the White House and gain some seats in the US Senate. It's a thoughtful vision to victory. Bush states, "In the 15 states that are likely to decide who controls the White House and the Senate in 2013, Hispanic voters will represent the margin of victory." But will GOP leaders take his advice to heart and will Latinos be receptive?

In 2008 the Obama campaign spent a considerable sum courting the Latino vote, and it paid off. According to a Wall Street Journal article this voting group helped Obama win the White House. But whom will Hispanics back in 2012? And will they turn out as they did in 2008 or stay home?  A recent Pew Hispanic Center noted only 50 percent of eligible Hispanic voters voted in 2008 and even less cast their ballots in 2010. This year there are more than 21 million Hispanic voters, but how many will actually vote? It's the great unknown, but something both parties are tackling. And it's a top priority for political activists in Hispanic communities.

There's another issue that Bush doesn't explicitly cover in his editorial - the economy. It's an issue that Bush's friend, US Senator Marco Rubio, says weighs more heavily with the Hispanic community. The Pew Hispanic Center also highlighted the fact Hispanic voters care more about jobs and the economy than immigration issues (though this is still a hot topic). So what economic policies will campaigns use to court Latino voters? It's still unclear, but in order to capture hearts and votes from this important voting block, both parties need to create a strong economic policy that people can believe and understand.

This is just a sampling of grassroots groups and organizations trying to register Latino voters:
Voto Latino
The Tequila Party
Somos Republicans
Southwest Registration Voter Education Project
The Hispanic Institute
The United States Hispanic Leadership Institute
The Hispanic Federation
The Hispanic Leadership Network (Jeb Bush is Co-Chairman)

Official stances on Latino issues from the DNC and RNC:
RNC: The Latino Vote 2012 memo
DNC: We Are Hispanics

Articles and Reports mentioned in this post:
Miami Herald's Jeb Bush Editorial
Wall Street Journal on 2008 Hispanic Voters
Pew Hispanic Center on Latino Voters in 2012
Pew Hispanic Center on Latinos and Immigration

Florida's Voters

We're less than 24 hours away before Florida's GOP primary, and across the nation news outlets are crazy covering Florida and its unpredictable voters. So, I thought I'd break down who these voters are and give you an idea on how much retail politicking needs to be done in the Sunshine State.

Florida's Registered Voters
According to the Florida Division of Elections, there are more than 11 million voters with 36 percent registered as Republicans. Democrats hold 41 percent of the votes and independent voters make up 20 percent. http://election.dos.state.fl.us/nvra/affiliation.asp
Where are the 4 million-plus Republican voters?  The largest concentration is in South Florida - like Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach, and Broward County. But there are 67 counties in Florida, and the three counties mentioned make up less than one-third of registered Republican voters.
Follow this link, and you can see all the counties and numbers (it's an amateur map I made using very basic software), and it will give you an idea on how much travel these candidates need to do and where they need to reach viewers through advertisements...

What They Want
Now what do these voters want? On the Republican Party of Florida's website, they want what every American wants - prosperity and peace. But they also want something that makes Newt Gingrich appear unfit to represent: "Florida Republicans believe that faith, family and opportunity are what make America the greatest nation ever known in human history." Gingrich automatically has two strikes against him. He's treated religion like his past wives - vowing commitment and then leaving the nest... He was raised a Lutheran, became a Southern Baptist and is now a Catholic. Then again, there is always Romney's Mormon religion...
Ok, no one is perfect, but there is one candidate who seems to live by RPOF's beliefs: Rick Santorum. Is he the dark horse? Or the knight in shining armor? The fact that he put his family first before his bid for the White House is impressive. And though his campaign isn't as big as Romney's or Gingrich's, he appears to have something everyone admires - a sincere heart (something that Romney and Gingrich have had a hard time conveying to the public). There is no doubt they care about their family and country, but as the old saying goes, "Actions speak louder than words."

Ok, back to Florida's voters. Who are they? Well, here are some voter demographics info from Broward County's Democratic Chair, Mitch Ceasar:

What's more entertaining - TMZ or Cable News Election Coverage?

Planting seeds for another Bush at the White House?

Update on Florida

Since last night's GOP debate, Sen. Marco Rubio has chastised the Gingrich campaign for making Romney appear anti-immigration. If you're curious about this issue, you must read this great Miami Herald article. Here's one tidbit from the the story:

"Miami, Rubio's hometown, is a key battleground. The candidates are all wooing the Cuban-exile community here, which accounts for nearly three-quarters of the Republican vote in the largest county of the nation’s largest swing state.
Already, about 54,000 early ballots have been cast in Miami Dade, where nearly three-quarters of the Republicans are Hispanic."

- Miami Herald, Rubio Scolds Gingrich Camp

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/01/rubio-scolds-gingrich-camp-says-ad-bashing-anti-immigrant-romney-is-inaccurate-inflammatory.html#storylink=cpy

The GOP and the Latinos of Florida

One of the rising stars of the Republican party is US Senator Marco Rubio from South Florida, and many think his growing fame within the GOP will lead him to the White House. Some assume that he is a big draw for Latin American voters... But does he represent the Hispanic voting bloc of Florida? According to Broward County's Democratic chairman, Mitch Ceasar, the answer is no. Florida's Latino population is very diverse, and their political views are just as varied as their backgrounds - Puerto Rican, Columbian, Cuban, Mexican, Argentinian, Brazilian and more.

However, for those Hispanic Republicans voting in Florida's primary, what do they think about the candidates and do their positions on immigration influence how they will vote? Ceasar says many in the Hispanic community are for the Dream Act, and any politician opposed to it will not win the hearts and ballots of Latino voters. Well, Mitt Romney opposes the DREAM Act, while Newt Gingrich is for some some aspects of it. So will Florida's Republican Latino voters go for Gingrich? Will Romney's Mexican roots rein in votes from Florida's Hispanic community? Hard to tell, but the DREAM Act will become a big issue during the presidential election. There's a political movement within Hispanic communities to become more politically active and organized with hopes of getting the DREAM Act enacted. Though historically Hispanics have not been extremely influential in politics, perhaps they will this season, or maybe they never will. But, this is definitely something to think about. Check out these articles about Hispanic voters:


Washington Post: Freshman Florida senator would be a big get if was endorsing

San Francisco Chronicle: Republican National Committee to Woo Latinos

Huffington Post: Florida Latino Vote Pits Cuban-American Republicans against Puerto Rican Democrats

ABC News: Newt Gingrich Looks for Latino Support in Bid for Florida Success

KPCC Southern California Public Radio: As Florida's 'Latino Primary" Looms, a Few Things to Note

Fox News: Romney's Stance of DREAM Act Is Magnified in Florida

NYT redistricting article http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/23/redistricting-and-partisanship-fuel-house-departures/?ref=politics

GOP Debates stirring the pot...

Tomorrow night the Republican presidential candidates will try to win voters in another televised debate, this time in Florida. These numerous debates have done much to help and harm the hopefuls. But did you know that these debates have also stirred up some trouble with some foreign friends? Watch Mitch Ceasar discuss the influence these debates are having on our international relations.

You can also read about how these debates are not just changing minds in America, but also abroad.

Turkey is one of America's most important allies... The last thing we need is to create confusion and condemnation with this secular country that straddles Europe and the Middle East. Unfortunately, a recent debate did just that... Check out this Washington Post article.

We all know Germany, and we know what a powerhouse it is in Europe as well as around the world. And, of course, Germany and America enjoy a strong relationship. But, Germany's foreign minister of defense recently berated how the GOP debates and how they have portrayed Europe. Here is an article from Deutsch Welle about this topic.

And this article from The Chicago Times pretty much summarizes the problem when the candidates tackle foreign policies in these debates...

So the question is if one of these candidates ends up in the White House, what will be their foreign policy goals? Since America is very much a player on the world stage, its economic future is tied to its relations with countries big and small... You don't need a business background or work in the diplomatic corps to realize we we need trading partners and we need friends with military might. You can't trade or receive help with those you mock, ignore or hurt...

My next post will be about the influence of the Latino/Hispanic vote in Florida and the nation. Mitch Ceasar has some very interesting facts and thoughts on this topic, too.

Understanding Florida - Three States in One

When I think of Florida, I think of fun, sun, beaches and Disney World. However, there's definitely more to the Sunshine State. In fact, it's really three states according to Mitch Ceasar, Democratic party chair for Broward County. According to Ceasar, Florida is broken up into three distinct regions due to its populations. So when campaigning in Florida, it's more like campaigning in South Florida, Central Florida, and North Florida. Hear what Ceasar has to say about Florida:

And here is a party affiliation breakdown in Florida (I'll try to create a map graphic soon):
Florida Division of Elections: Statistical Roadmap of Florida Voter Registration

What Happens Next in Florida

Tonight Newt Gingrich won South Carolina's Republican primary. Now the top three Republican presidential candidates have one state each, but many media outlets still believe Mitt Romney will win Florida and the nomination. So what does Romney have going for him and how can Gingrich surpass him? Money...
According to Ceasar, campaigns need lots of money to compete in Florida. Romney has the money (read previous post), but Gingrich has the momentum and new pro-Gingrich Super PACs could start saturating the Florida media market before Florida's primary (January 31st). However, Florida has already started early voting, and who knows how many Florida Republicans have already committed their votes to Romney.... Here's the latest early voting stats from the Florida Division of Elections.

Here are some links about the primary race heading to Florida:

Los Angeles Times: In Florida, cash-flush Romney has been all but unopposed
Washington Post: Florida Will Show Which GOP Has Momentum
Miami Herald: What Gingrich's SC Romney-stomping means for FL's 'battle royale'
Fox News: GOP Candidates Lay Groundwork for Florida Fight

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2012/01/what-gingrichs-sc-romney-stomping-means-for-fls-battle-royale.html#storylink=cpy

Super PACs Suppress Votes

Ceasar says Super PACs are not only toxic, but also help suppress the independent and swing votes... Please forgive me for the shaky/moving camera.

Money and Debates

Tomorrow a victor will be named for South Carolina's Republican primary and then it's on to Florida. Ceasar talks about how Romney's campaign is attracting voters and how the incredible number of debates is leveling the Republican primary playing field.

Ceasar Sounds Off

For more than a decade Mitch Ceasar has headed the Democratic party of Broward County, Florida and knows retail politicking better than most. And as a former chairman of the Florida Democratic Party and Executive Board member of the DNC, Ceasar understands the machinations of state and national politics.

Ceasar considers himself a moderate Democrat and believes extreme party views (liberal and conservative) are hurting the United States. Earlier this week, Ceasar talked to us about his perspective on national politics, the influence of money, and Florida's primaries. By the time our conversation was over, we had consumed several cups of coffee and logged over an hour of talk time.

Here is one of many excerpts from our conversation: