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| Beltway Boy | Not a Beltway Boy |
Posted on 09/02/2006 7:07:29 AM PDT by NautiNurse
Her opponents in the Republican U.S. Senate primary cast front-runner Katherine Harris as a liability to the party. Harris casts herself as a true believer who doesn't kowtow to Washington elites and doesn't play politics as usual. Few would argue the last point. The Republican race to challenge Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November has been anything but usual. It pits three political unknowns against one of the most recognized -- some might say infamous -- women in the Republican party in a race where name recognition has sometimes looked like a bad thing. "I'm not a Beltway boy, and I'll never go along to get along," Harris said after a July campaign stop in Volusia County. The primary is "not much of a primary," she said, adding she can beat Nelson, despite polls that have consistently shown Harris trailing him in a general election showdown. "If the liberals weren't so worried they wouldn't be hitting me so hard," the 49-year-old congresswoman from Longboat Key told an enthusiastic, if small, crowd at a restaurant in the Spruce Creek Fly-In. But Will McBride, a 34-year-old Windermere lawyer identified in polls as her closest challenger, sees if differently. "Republicans are fed up with the runaway spending of Congress. They're fed up with the deficit. They're fed up with the scandals they read about every day, and they're fed up with catering to special interests," McBride said. "Unfortunately, Katherine Harris is part of the problem." A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday showed Harris garnering support from 38 percent of likely voters. McBride got 22 percent, while LeRoy Collins Jr., a 71-year-old retired Naval Reserve rear admiral from Tampa, got 11 percent. Peter Monroe, a 63-year-old lawyer from Safety Harbor with a federal government background, got 3 percent. A press release from the Connecticut university concluded that Harris' three opponents "are so little known that none has more than 18 percent rating him favorably." But name recognition may be a double-edged sword for Harris. To this day, supporters sometimes thank her for her role in halting the 2000 presidential recount as Florida secretary of state. Harris also advances positions that may have populist appeal with conservative Republicans. She advocates improved border security and a tightly monitored temporary guest worker program and pushes the so-called "fair tax," a proposed sales tax on new goods and services that would replace all other federal taxes. But from the beginning of her campaign, Harris has been buffeted by bad press, including reports about $32,000 in campaign donations originating with a defense contractor who pleaded guilty to bribing a former California congressman. Harris said she didn't know about the money, which she later gave to charity. But her campaign has received a federal subpoena related to an investigation into the contractor. Also troubling were defections by several staff members and a May 7 letter from the Republican Party's state chairman telling Harris the party wouldn't support her campaign because it faced "irreparable damage." Consequently, her opponents have zeroed in, with two -- Collins and Monroe -- calling on her to withdraw from the race. "It would be a travesty, a travesty for the Republicans to send this person forward," Monroe said. The candidates occupy similar turf on some issues, including immigration and staying the course in Iraq. Like Harris, McBride supports the "fair tax." But he also emphasizes giving the president a line-item veto. "I'm excited about bringing everyday experience to this job and doing it in such a way that I can be a deficit hawk with integrity," McBride said. He also emphasizes the need to appoint judges that don't "legislate from the bench." Collins, who has received a number of major newspaper endorsements, focuses on national defense. To that end, he wants a tougher immigration policy, including punishment for employers who hire undocumented workers. He also wants to reduce reliance on Middle East oil by promoting alternative fuels and using incentives to get domestic auto manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency.
Monroe touts his experience with the federal government, including a post as president of the Resolution Trust Corporation, which managed the multi-billion dollar savings-and-loan bailout starting in the 1980s. "We saved over $100 billion by being creative and finding free market solutions to problems Democrats might handle with bureaucracy," he said. Monroe wants to tackle the state's insurance crisis by charging an add-on to insurance premiums to fund a national catastrophe fund, which he said will ultimately drive down rates by encouraging competition. Office: U.S. Senate Salary: $165,200 Term of office: 6 years
LeRoy Collins Jr. AGE: 71 RESIDENCE: Tampa OCCUPATION: Retired businessman and U.S. Naval Reserve rear admiral POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None PRIORITIES: Improve national security by securing borders, providing no special path to citizenship for illegal workers and punishing those who hire them. Reduce dependency on Middle East oil. Dialogue with Cuba. Katherine Harris AGE: 49 RESIDENCE: Longboat Key OCCUPATION: Former marketer and real estate manager POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Florida secretary of state, 1999-2002; state senator, 1994-1998; U.S. representative, 2003-present PRIORITIES: Control borders and create limited temporary worker program. Promote economic development by reducing hurdles for small business. Cut taxes. Provide better health care for veterans Will McBride AGE: 34 RESIDENCE: Windermere OCCUPATION: Lawyer, former public school teacher POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None PRIORITIES: Reduce congressional spending by giving the president a line-item veto. Support "fair tax." Control borders and send illegal workers to the back of the line for work permits with no special path to citizenship. Peter Monroe AGE: 63 RESIDENCE: Safety Harbor OCCUPATION: Lawyer, real estate developer, former federal government appointee POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None PRIORITIES: Tackle Florida property insurance crisis by charging an add-on to insurance rates to create a federal catastrophe fund. Take hard line with Cuba and Venezuela. Strengthen border controls, provide no special path to citizenship for illegal workers.
Thanks for the rundown.
As a matter of fact....Thank you for ALL you do on FR! ;-)
Katherine Harris speaks from her heart. And is solidly conservative. Albeit, not the normal in politics today.
That said..........if we still lived in Florida, I personally would campaign for her.
God bless her and her senate run. I hope she beats the ignorance out of the rest of the pack.
Katherine Harris has weathered a series of political storms, and personal attacks from both Democrats and Republicans. Without support form the White House, the RNC, or the Governor its a long shot whether she can beat SenNelson in the end, but one thing is for sure. She is one tough conservative woman.
Bush to headline Bouchard Senate fundraiser (Michigan)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush plans to travel to Michigan next week to raise money for Republican Senate candidate Mike Bouchard in his race against Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the White House said Friday.
Bush will visit Clarkston, Mich., next Friday for a luncheon fundraiser for Bouchard. The event will give the Oakland County sheriff a large infusion of campaign dollars. Similar events by the president have netted candidates about $1 million.
It's a quick million bucks!
Wasn't sure the national GOP was going to show up for this race. I understand that in one poll Bouchard is within 4 points of StabUsAll. Now that the primary is over, the race is rather clear.
The fact that Bouchard is actively seeking support from the President is a good thing to get the conservative base to turn out, it's so close in a state where victories are razor-thin.
Let's hope Harris can also pick up the same sort of momentum and the FL state party gets busy. Any candidate who is afraid to associate one's self with the President is foolish, it will prove costly.
We are looking forward to seeing who in The Administration and RNC gets behind her after Harris wins the primary. Every bit of support will help in the general election.
Thank you! Your support is very much appreciated! :o)
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| Beltway Boy | Not a Beltway Boy |
Agree! Of course, we also appreciate her conservative voting record too!
Ditto.
Think the face of the one on the right, and the body of the one on the left...
;-)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Agree....and she's quite close to him in this photo at a recent bill signing:
What makes you think she'll win the primary?
Five reasons, in no particular order:
A. Because Katherine Harris is the best conservative candidate;
B. Because Harris will get the most votes;
C. Because we know a whole lot more about Florida politics than you do;
D. Because she knows how much it will irritate you; and
E. Because we vote in Florida, and you don't.
Feel the love
Are you planning to continue posting this propaganda Wednesday September 6?
In the FL 13th Congressional District 2002 and 2004 races, Republicans accounted for 48% and 46% of FL District 13 voters, respectively. Katherine Harris won each election with 55% of the vote.
First--you had better provide references to back up your assertion:
I know you don't think much of any of the staff who once put their heart and soul into the Harris campaign but are no more on board with her.
Second--your red herring bait doesn't catch fish around here. Just as boys dream of being professional athletes, and girls imagine marrying a prince, virtually every U.S. citizen has imagined the possibility of becoming President of the United States at one time or another. For goodness sakes, my own Dad told me I could do anything I set my mind to do--and I'll bet Katherine Harris' father told her the same thing. Your canard is farcical.
For you to start this latest rumor stunt against Harris on the eve of the primary is preposterous, as you feebly attempt to distinguish between "quiet murmuring" and "quiet whispers."
Lastly--My question to you about continuing your propaganda after September 5 was not a hypothetical query.
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