~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/15648866.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
GOVERNOR'S RACE
Crist has big lead all over Florida in poll
Democratic hopes of regaining at least a toehold in Tallahassee looked outof place in view of a statewide Miami Herald poll that showed the Republican candidate for governor far ahead.
BY BETH REINHARD
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
Republican Charlie Crist has taken a commanding 21-point lead over DemocratJim Davis in the race to be Florida's next governor, according to a Miami Herald poll.
The survey by Zogby International shows Crist garnering 51 percent of thevote, compared with Davis' 30 percent. About 16 percent of voters areundecided. To catch up, Davis would have to win over all of thefence-sitters and peel away Crist supporters.
With the popular Republican Gov. Jeb Bush leaving office and competitiveraces under way for the Cabinet and the Legislature, Florida Democrats hadhoped to regain a toehold in Tallahassee this election. But the gapingmargin between Crist and Davis at the top of the ticket threatens to drag down other Democratic candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot.
=
http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061001/LOCAL/210010339/1078/news&template=printart
Gainsville Sun
Article published Oct 1, 2006
Sep 30, 2006
Although a wonk, Davis can connect
By LLOYD DUNKELBERGER
Sun Tallahassee Bureau
The Sun recently profiled Jim Davis' opponent, Charlie Crist.
JACKSONVILLE - Jim Davis couldn't meet individually with 130 community leaders and supporters who attended a campaign luncheon last week.
But before he gave his speech, the Tampa congressman visited with many ofthe diners. He sat down. He asked questions. He waited to hear theiranswers.
His approach impressed Arin Johnson, a fourth-grade teacher at John E. FordElementary School in Jacksonville. Johnson, 28, who has been teaching twoyears, said she liked what Davis said about protecting voting rights and hisconcern about keeping teachers in their profession.
=
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/01/news_pf/Perspective/Bill_Nelson_s__pot_of.shtml
Bill Nelson's pot of gold
By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
St. Petersburg Times
Published October 1, 2006
Fate has been glorious to Florida's senior senator and leader of the state's beleaguered Democrats. It's tough to imagine a more desirable opponent for Sen. Bill Nelson than Katherine Harris.
Awash in Washington scandal, prone to bizarre statements and battered with public ridicule and backstabbing from fellow Republicans, Harris has no chance to beat Nelson. Nada. Still, she's famous enough for the world to notice Nelson's win.
For a Democratic senator who might fancy himself somebody's presidential running mate someday and it's no secret Nelson does, Nelson surely would relish proving his strength in Republican-leaning Florida by matching former Sen. Bob Graham's 25 percentage point victory over Charlie Crist in 1998.
Note to Nelson: Crushing Harris won't impress anybody; it's expected. To set yourself apart and make a mark in Florida and nationally, make a significant contribution to rebuilding the Florida Democratic Party and its bench of candidates.
=
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/people/15648870.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_people
Posted on Sun, Oct. 01, 2006
The Miami Herald
Obama to appear at Miami book fair
Political junkies -- particularly those attached to the Democratic Party -- can get a fix at this year's Miami Book Fair International: U.S. SenatorBarack Obama, author of The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming theAmerican Dream, is scheduled to appear. Details aren't firm yet on when andwhere he'll appear, but wherever it is, expect a big crowd.
Other confirmed speakers are Doro Bush Koch, daughter of former presidentGeorge H.W. Bush; Frank McCourt, Isabel Allende, Edward P. Jones, Thomas Cahill, Richard Ford and Arianna Huffington.
The fair runs from Nov. 12-19. For information on hundreds of other speakers visit www.miamibookfair.com for more details.
-- CONNIE OGLE
=
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/15648883.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_state
Posted on Sun, Oct. 01, 2006
NEWS ANALYSIS
In TV battle, dead air for Davis
Lack of money for TV ads and few specifics on issues dog Jim Davis, whosetroubles in the race for governor are likely to get worse if he can't boost his poll numbers.
BY MARC CAPUTO
mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
To understand why Jim Davis is behind by 21 percentage points in the governor's race, look no further than a television.
For more than a week, Republicans have aired ads bashing the Democrat as a ''liberal'' who wants to raise taxes.
Davis' response: dead air.
Davis and his party haven't had the money, message or organization to matchthe TV commercials with their own. Nor have they made up the shortcomings bycreating the needed buzz and well-staged media events to draw theelectorate's attention away from what they say are false negative ads run bythe GOP, which also has broadcast two weeks of commercials touting its candidate, state Attorney General Charlie Crist.
=
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-09-30-foley-fla_x.htm
USA TODAY
No sympathy for ex-Rep. Foley in his home district in Florida
Updated 9/30/2006 5:01 PM ET
By Alan Gomez, USA TODAY
WELLINGTON, Fla. - The mention of disgraced congressman Mark Foley throughout his former district put a grimace on people's faces.Foley, a one-time rising Republican star, resigned Friday after it was revealed he exchanged sexually explicit e-mails with a teenage boy, a former congressional page.
"I do not want to talk about that" was a common answer from his former constituents Saturday.
IN WASHINGTON:Some colleagues knew of allegationsThose who did speak expressed disappointment, shock and disgust for a man they had elected six times to Congress and were poised to send back to Washington in November. Foley had made a name for himself on Capitol Hill championing legislation against sexual predators and was chairman of the House caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.
=
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/15651621.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
FORMER REP. MARK FOLEY
Foley's sudden fall from grace
For years, Mark Foley was a popular politician.
Now his friends and colleagues are puzzled by his downfall.
BY LESLEY CLARK
lclark@MiamiHerald.com
WASHINGTON - A sudden fall from grace
Three months ago, Mark Foley stood behind President Bush in the Rose Gardenas the president signed a new law targeting adults who prey on children.
It was a familiar role for the silver-haired Foley, an affable Republicanstar who made a career out of tough talk about putting predators behindbars. As co-chairman of the House missing and exploited children's caucus,he led a charge to keep tighter tabs on sex offenders and to strengthenpenalties for trafficking in child pornography.
''We track library books better than we do sexual predators,'' he said lastSeptember after the House voted in favor of the Children's Safety Act, whichcreates a website listing child sex offenders.
FAMILY AFFAIR
Back home in his North Palm Beach County congressional district, Foley was afavorite, every campaign a family affair: His mother baked brownies forcampaign events and his sister served as political director and trustedadvisor.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-pp01liboct01,0,651029.story
Gay, lesbian history falls under spotlight
By Jerry Libonati
October 1, 2006
The inaugural Gay and Lesbian History Month, organized by the Broward Countylibrary system, is this month, featuring a series of cultural and historicprograms and films that highlight gay and lesbian issues.
National Coming Out Day is Oct. 11, when the Main Library hosts "Talk AboutIt: an Open Mike Reading," from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Bienes Center. Bothpublished and unpublished writers are encouraged to step up to themicrophone to share their best writings and thoughts on the subject. Cashprizes will be awarded. Writers can sign up in advance at Lwrites@mindspring.com .
The Black Out Film Fest offers three films about black gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgender people. The festival, sponsored by theInternational Fellowship of Independent Churches, takes place from 7-9 p.m.Oct. 13 in the Main Library's first-floor auditorium.
=
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000963_pf.html
The Washington Post Company
The Elephant in the Florida 22nd: Medicare Prescription Benefit
By Anushka Asthana
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 1, 2006; A04
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Betty Priscak has voted for veteran Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr. (R-Fla.) in every election he has been in, but now she thinks it is time for a change. Priscak, a 74-year-old in increasingly poor health, plans to vote for Ron Klein, Shaw's Democratic challenger, in November.
Why? She is upset with the Medicare prescription drug program passed by the Republicans in 2003. She calls it "devastating."The initial uproar over the program's complexity died down once many seniors had signed up, but now Priscak and millions of other older Americans are confronting an interruption in their drug coverage that will require them to pay the full cost of their prescriptions -- or go without. Priscak came up against the coverage gap, known as the "doughnut hole," in May, and it was months before the drug coverage kicked back in.
If it had not been for financial assistance from her partner, she said, she would not have been able to meet the thousands of dollars of uncovered drug costs. "If you think I dare vote for a Republican, you have another thought coming," she said.
=
The Express Gay News
Broward asks feds for $17.6 M in AIDS funds
Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin may be appointed to HIV Planning Council Saturday, September 30, 2006
Broward County will ask the federal government for $17.6 million in Ryan White AIDS funding for the fiscal year beginning March 1, 2007.
The Broward County Commission approved the grant application at its Sept. 26meeting. The $17.6 million request is an increase of more than $2.5 millionover what the federal government provided to the county last year,Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin said.
At the meeting, Michael Rajner, national secretary for the Campaign to EndAIDS, spoke out against an income cap that he said will make it moredifficult for people to qualify for Care through the Ryan White program. TheBroward County HIV Planning Council recently approved the income cap, whichlimits access to the program to those with incomes of $29,400 per year orless.
Rajner noted that Broward County "has the highest HIV infection rate in thenation per capita." Of the estimated 23,000 Broward residents living withHIV/AIDS, "an estimated 6,000 are living without primary medical care forvarious reasons," Rajner said.
During the meeting, Wasserman-Rubin said she had requested to serve on theBroward HIV Planning Council and that Mayor Ben Graber had promised toappoint her to the panel.
Rajner said he was pleased that Wasserman-Rubin would be attending theplanning council meetings. In the past, he has sharply criticized the county'selected officials for what he described as a lack of involvement in theplanning council.
=
Meet the Candidate: Phyllis C. Hope for School Board District 6
Mark Your calendar!
Astis Restaurant and Lounge
10144 West Oakland Park Blvd. , Sunrise FL 33351
Sunday October 1, 2006
6-9pm
$10.00 Min. Donation suggested
Open Bar with Finger Foods
Go to www.Phyllishope.com for more information. Open Mike - Bring Family,Friends and your favorite poetry. Children poetry is welcome. No X- ratedcontent please.
Phyllis C. Hope, throughout her life, has always worked to improve relationsamong all the diverse peoples that make up our community. She has worked tobreak down barriers among gender, culture, race, religion and sexualorientation. She has been supportive of increasing the understanding of thediversity in our school system. She is currently employed by the BrowardCounty Schools as a Guidance Data Specialist and with this insight, willmake a great School Board Member.
Her incumbent opponent in this race has a divisive record of appointingcontroversial people to key Committees. Such as his poor judgment ofselecting Steve Kane for the Diversity Committee, that led to the "We AreFamily" video controversy! The children of Broward County deserve betterthan this.
Her experience includes being a parent of 2 daughters that graduated fromBroward County Schools, former Chairperson of the Sunrise Education Boardand Vice President of the East Sunrise Resident Association, responsible forthe Sunset Strip Beautification project. She is a former Board Member of theCaribbean American Democratic club where she worked on immigration issues,voter registration and voter turnout. She is also a member of the WorkforceOne Youth Council. If you would like to volunteer or contribute to hercampaign please contact Phyllis C. Hope P.O. Box 130072 Sunrise, FL 33313 Phone 954-439-5813 E-mail hopeforchildren2006@yahoo.com .
#####
