U.S. Republican Party

Former Republican Hispanic Outreach Chief Blasts GOP "Hate," Registers as Democrat

That GOP need to build bridges to the nation's Hispanic community? The need party elders have talked so much about since Barack Obama was re-elected largely due to Hispanic support? The need that's propelled Florida's own Marco Rubio to preeminence in the early scouting reports on the GOP 2016 presd ... More >>

Marco Rubio Pledges Opposition to Gun Legislature Because of Reasons!

In his never-ending, undaunted quest to be the new face of the GOP by being the old face of the GOP, Marco Rubio will add to his nonbigoted hatred of gays, his marginalizing of women, and his denial of scientific fact ways by fighting off any and all attempts to pass gun legislation.He signed a thin ... More >>

Marco Rubio and the Coffee Enema Couple Join Florida Tourism Board

The local personalities, egos, and public figures who swung through the news cycle this week, ranked by New Times' crack research department using a highly scientific algorithm (i.e., darts, board, hangover-shaky hands.)

Violence Against Women Act: Marco Rubio Votes No, Bill Nelson Votes Yes

On Tuesday, the Senate renewed the Violence Against Women Act by an overwhelming 78-22 vote. Parts of the renewal include domestic violence protection for gays, lesbians, immigrants and Native American women. Bill Nelson voted "yes" to renew the act. Marco Rubio voted "no." Banner day for that g ... More >>

Jim Greer: Racism and Dead Bodies Ahead

Rick Scott Aide Shuts Down RedBroward, Blogger Claims [UPDATED]

Anyone making the rounds through Broward County's political blogosphere earlier this week might have found an unexpected detour waiting for them over at RedBroward.com. Instead of the site's usual serving of GOP insider gossip and thought, browsers redirected here, to a gloomy bit of existential boi ... More >>

The Fiscal Cliff Cookbook: Cooking On a Ledge

Just at the last possible minute, the House pulled the United States back from the brink of the dreaded fiscal cliff.During a vote late Tuesday, 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans voted for the bill, while 16 Democrats and 151 Republicans opposed it,  raising taxes for the wealthiest Americans, w ... More >>

Republicans and Their Love Children (I Can Has Contraceptive?)

Over the weekend, the New York Post's Page Six reported that Marc Leder (yes, that Marc Leder, the one who threw the "47 percent" fundraiser for Mittington at his Boca pad) has fathered a secret love child. Now, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. For one, Leder absolutely loves a good sex p ... More >>

Allen West's Lawyers: Let's Interrogate Elections Officials

Since mock execution is not an accepted method of investigating election results in South Florida, confessed torturer and probable one-term congressman Allen West has turned to the next-best thing: a team of high-powered attorneys.See also:-Allen West Won't Concede, Demands RecountTuesday's results ... More >>

Congresswoman Debbie Schultz Throws Exceedingly Sober (And Lame) Victory Bash. And She Didn't Even Show Up!

One of the major rules of party decor is that you show up to your own shindig. Just don't tell that to Fort Lauderdale Congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who skipped her victory bash last night for the national spotlight in Chicago. She left her supporters, dizzied with political victory, to f ... More >>

Republican Voter Suppression Is the Perfect Crime

By now, more than 2 million people have already voted in Florida, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the state's voters and trouncing early concerns that voter-suppression measures would stymie turnout. We already knew how bogus concerns over voter fraud were, but does the same go for our trepidat ... More >>

Palm Beach Voting: Strong Black Turn-Out, Screwed-Up Ballots Scrutinized

Tropical Storm Sandy had passed and left a clear, crisp morning as early voting started Saturday in Palm Beach County. An estimated 12,250 votes were cast countywide over the weekend, and if the 7 A.M. crowd at the Supervisor of Elections office on Military Trail was any indication, voters were pati ... More >>

Palm Beach GOP Slackjawed: Biden Eats Private Ryan for Lunch

GOP veep candidate Paul Ryan is known for his buffness and wonkery, but last night he managed an even greater feat, making Joe Biden look like a wise old man -- and not that old either. Obama's running mate was on fire, and Kid Ryan got burned.Fire Ant was back in the lion's den -- actually, th ... More >>

Mitt Romney "Victory": Palm Beach GOP Not So Fired Up

Watching The Debate in a room full of GOPers with 60 or so televisions tuned to Fox News doesn't foster the idea that anyone other than Mittens won the evening. That opinion is to be expected. (And appears to be the consensus.) But neither does it instill the idea that the Romster decisively flipped ... More >>

Charlie Crist Goes Full Democrat at DNC (Still Isn't a Democrat)

Remember when Charlie Crist used to be a Republican? Well Charlie Crist does. And he thinks it used to be pretty great. And then Barack Obama went and hugged him and got his government take over stank all over Crist and ruined a perfectly good Republican. Because of this treachery, the GOP brande ... More >>

Clint Eastwood Talking to a Chair Is the Most Old-Person Thing to Ever Happen in Florida

There was a lot speculation on who the big supersecret "surprise" speaker at the RNC would be. Would it be Sarah Palin? Tim Tebow? A hologram of Ronald Reagan? Perhaps a James Polk puppet? WRONG. Because, as it turns out, the big secret surprise guest that got all the GOPers in a tizzy wa ... More >>

Charlie Crist Formally Endorses Obama, Blasts GOP

With the RNC kicking off tomorrow -- instead of today (thanks to that freedom hating storm, Isaac!) -- rumors began to swirl that Charlie Crist was going to formally announce his change to the Democratic party in an op-ed piece for the Tampa Bay Times. Crist didn't technically announce his party c ... More >>

How to Speak Republican: Leaked Document Reveals the Secrets of the GOP's Coded Language

Fear and Loathing in Tampa: Your Gonzo Guide to the Republican National Convention

New Poll: Connie Mack Leading Bill Nelson By Wide Margin

Republican Senate candidate Connie Mack started the day yesterday with some ugly press: The National Journal was looking at the possibility that Republicans could take back the Senate in November, and they weren't optimistic about the chances:The odds of Republicans taking back the upper chamber are ... More >>

Leap Second to Be Added Today; Will Florida Resist?

In yet another example of gross government overreach and excessive bureaucratic regulation, officials have announced that today, June 30, will be one second longer than a normal Earth day. At 11:59:59 p.m. tonight, the officially recognized time will receive an extra second before rolling over to mi ... More >>

Connie Mack's Dad Cosponsored 1994 Bill Including Individual Mandate

See also Connie Mack Continues Stupid Health Care Posturing. We've seen plenty of posturing already from Republican U.S. Rep. Connie Mack -- now a candidate for Senate -- about the Affordable Care Act -- even last week, he was slamming his opponent, Bill Nelson, for supporting it.This came into part ... More >>

No, Rick Scott Was Not in Aspen for a Secret Koch Brothers Retreat This Weekend

​The Daily Kos' David Waldman is tweeting up a storm about major GOP donors (and someone on Rick Perry's "favorite plane") having a secret meeting at the Koch brothers' Aspen compound this weekend, and Gov. Rick Scott has taken his first three-day weekend since last September. After the "maybe he ... More >>

Allen West Turns Black History Month Into Attack on Democrats

​Last Wednesday, Congressman Allen West took to the House floor to commemorate Black History Month. As the first black congressman from Florida since Reconstruction, he was in a unique position to do so. West had hundreds of years of history he could have talked about, including 51 years of his ow ... More >>

Broward County Has Lowest Republican Primary Voter Turnout in Florida

​As you may have already heard 3 million or 4 million times, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Florida Republican primary last night with 46.4 percent of the vote -- though more than seven in ten Broward Republicans didn't even bother showing up to the polls.Only 28.7 percent of regist ... More >>

The Art of Politics

Democrats, in General, Win PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year" for 2011

​The thought that Rep. Paul Ryan and Republicans wanted to "end Medicare" is now as legitimate as using the phrase "death panels" or "government takeover" when referring to Obamacare, thanks to Democrats winning PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year."The "end Medicare" idea apparently started with Rep ... More >>

Debbie Wasserman Schultz Quote a Finalist for PolitiFact's "Lie of the Year"

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz​Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a finalist for PolitiFact's 2011 "Lie of the Year" award(?), thanks to her accusation that Republicans want "Jim Crow laws."Wasserman Schultz joins President Obama -- who was nominated twice ... More >>

Herman Cain Train Rolling Through South Florida on Wednesday; Three Events for Free

"The man who's been shoutin' the number nine in your TV."​GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain -- or as Mike Tyson calls him, "The man who's been shoutin' the number nine in your TV" -- is scheduled to make four stops around South Florida on Wednesday.Three of those events will be free, but the ... More >>

Rick Scott Maintains Crappy Approval Rating but Registers Higher Than Occupy Movement

​Gov. Rick Scott maintained his position of having the crappiest approval rating among the country's governors, but Floridians like the governor more than they like the Occupy movement, according to a poll released today.Quinnipiac University -- which announced the highest approval rating of Scott ... More >>

GOP Intentionally Sabotaging Economy to Boot Obama? Only 39 Percent of Floridians Say No

wildmanhangout.com​Old news: Floridians think Gov. Rick Scott sucks. New news: Nearly half of Florida thinks Republicans are intentionally sabotaging the economy to prevent the reelection of President Obama.It's not just those damned liberals either -- 24 percent of Republicans agree, according to ... More >>

Mitt Romney Leads New Florida Poll; Ron Paul Most Unfavorable Candidate but Places Fourth

​With this afternoon's release of Public Policy Polling's survey of Florida Republican voters, Florida became the first Southern state polled by the firm that didn't select Texas Gov. Rick Perry as its front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination.Instead, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney ... More >>

Rick Perry Leads Florida Poll Going Into Debate, Followed by Mitt Romney and Still... Sarah Palin

Texas Gov. Rick Perry​Without much difference from the national poll released the day of the CNN/Tea Party express GOP presidential debate two weeks ago, most Florida Republicans would pick Texas Gov. Rick Perry as their presidential nominee, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released ... More >>

Democratic National Committee: Florida Would Lose 473,000 Jobs Under Tea Party Economics

​In advance of tonight's GOP presidential debate, the Democratic National Committee has released a report claiming that 9.5 million American jobs would be lost if a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution were implemented by next year -- including the loss of 473,000 jobs in Florida.The reas ... More >>

Nan Rich: Florida Republicans Only Take Federal Funds if it Promotes "Extreme Agenda"

thoughttheater.comThis nice chastity belt is apparently a better investment than preventing child abuse​Florida's Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich isn't too happy today about the state's Republican leadership rejecting $50 million in federal funds to protect people like at-risk kids and senior ci ... More >>

Republicans Against Limiting Kids' Unhealthy Food Ads

Mmm, tastes like diabetes.​Doctors along with the Obama administration have proposed a way to change childrens' diets in an effort to halt the obesity epidemic. The suggestion is to limit or ban fast-food or unhealthy ads from kids' TV shows.Republicans have responded with a resounding "no," feari ... More >>

Florida Voters Confirm Rick Scott's Suspicion: He's Poison for GOP Presidential Candidates

​Gov. Rick Scott had a revelation last month: He's not a guy you want to be associated with if you're running for president.The voters -- according to a Public Policy Polling survey released today -- agree with the governor.A plurality of registered Florida voters, 40 percent, said that because of ... More >>

Broward Republican Party's Chief Sponsors Are Democrats

​The Broward Republican Party is holding its "Grand Old Party BBQ" at Ronald Bergeron's ranch next month. Bergeron, a developer, has become more and more involved with the GOP recently, sponsoring just about everything it's been doing, from the recent Lincoln dinner to the party's website. Li ... More >>

Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon Shows Flexibility on 2012 Presidential Primary, But Still Flexes Some Muscle

via APHouse Speaker Dean Cannon is bold but bendable on the 2012 presidential primary date​Despite the farcical sideshow of Donald Trump's recent antics, the 2012 presidential election is actually a serious and important issue. And for the second consecutive presidential election cycle, Florida's ... More >>

Florida GOP: Uterus Is a Bad Word, Should Be Seen (Before Abortions) and Not Heard

OBSCENE​One time in first-grade art class, I said the word penis, or some approximation of it, to my classmate Will, who was a tattler. "I'm telling!" said Will, and suddenly I was at risk of having my blue ribbon taken away by my homeroom teacher. So, with some half-formed notion of self-respect, ... More >>

Marco Rubio Has Risen With Lightning Speed, but Conservatives Alone Can't Carry Him to the White House

Two-Thirds of Florida Republican Voters Have Doubts About Obama's Citizenship

FlickrA birther demonstrating outside the White House.​This poll by Daily Kos came out a few weeks ago, but there's a statistic buried near the bottom that deserves more attention: Roughly one-third of registered Republicans likely to vote in Florida's August primary believe that President Barack ... More >>

So Many Seats to Fill; So Few Republicans Without Baggage

plantation.orgPetrocelli​That's the only explanation I can offer for Charlie Crist's appointment of Rico Petrocelli to the Broward County Housing Authority, which Buddy Nevins is reporting on Broward Beat. Petrocelli, of course, was defeated in his bid for the Plantation City Commission. His campa ... More >>

Will Charlie Crist, George LeMieux Back Bill for Empowering Ethics Commission?

Whattaya say to ethics reform, Senator? ​A bill that would expand the powers of the Florida Commission on Ethics has a snowball's chance in hell of being passed by the state Legislature -- unless...Unless the effort should attract political champions in high places. Two men who can move this mount ... More >>

Jeb Bush Presidential Bid Still Lacks Buzz

​As parents in the Palm Beach County School District tries to roll back Jeb Bush's shameful legacy of FCAT drilling, the former Florida governor is roaming around, looking to get his voice heard, apparently to gauge interest in a 2012 run for president (though he'd never admit that).Bush made a ve ... More >>

Broward Republicans: Still Crazier Than Broward Democrats

Would you elect this man?​With an ethics scandal rocking the Democratic powers of Broward County -- and just a few days after a Democratic mayoral candidate for one Broward city was arrested for pulling a gun on his daughter, the Democratic mayor of Broward County -- the Republican Party may have ... More >>

Morning Juice: GOP Cuts Everything to Save Cigs, Prosecutors Rebuked for Being Dicks, Haitians Get Conversation Starters

GOP Cuts Everything, Saves Sweet, Sweet TobaccoAs I sit here puffing on my Camel Wide with the filter broken off, my lungs blackening like beach tar, I'm thanking the state's Republicans. Because it is the GOP lawmakers who fought off attempts in Tallahassee to increase cigarette taxes in order to c ... More >>

Letters for May 20-26, 2004

Behead the head shop:

Letters May 13-19, 2004

Fire the district:

Don King Presents

A battle of Kerry vs. Kerry