Inner circles help direct Scott, Sink campaigns

TALLAHASSEE -- When Democrat Alex Sink fired Miami lobbyist Brian May from her campaign Monday for delivering a message in the midst of her last debate, she lost one of her campaign's top political advisors and her temper.

As the drama unfolded Tuesday, with Sink offering conflicting answers and her campaign in overdrive, the blunder became a gift-wrapped package for her Republican rival Rick Scott.

Scott spent the first day out of the fray, saying he was surprised by the incident, then let his advisors exploit the gaffe. They cranked out press releases, forwarded video and transcripts to reporters, cut a new radio ad, and went for the jugular, portraying Sink as a cheater, and her explanation a lie.

The incident crystallized the relationship Florida's candidates for governor have with their inner circle of advisors. Sink relies on longtime friends and colleagues but is also quick to dress down someone when a mistake is made, while Scott entrusts his fate to an experienced campaign staff he assembled just six months ago.

``I've always believed that you hire the best people you can, check out all that you can, then you follow your gut,'' Scott said.

Sink and Scott each rely on a small inner circle of advisors for campaign and political advice.

Sink, Florida's chief financial officer, confides closely with her husband, Bill McBride, her longtime chief of staff Jim Cassady, and a small group of female friends that includes former education commissioner Betty Castor. For political advice, Sink listens to the young aides she has assembled as part of her campaign team but, while she welcomes their advice, she doesn't always do as they recommend.

Scott, who has never before run for public office, keeps a close circle of advisors that includes his wife, Anne, and longtime friend and Washington lawyer, Enu Mainigi. But most of the political shots are being called by political campaign veterans that include Washington pollster and strategist Tony Fabrizio, who has imbued in the campaign the mantra that they are running a different kind of campaign.

That difference is evident in the sheer size of Scott's political machine, financed mostly with Scott's own money -- more than $60 million, so far.

Scott's weeklong bus tour of the state that began Tuesday includes Scott and three family members, lieutenant governor candidate Jennifer Carroll, 15 staffers, a luxury motorcoach, a press van, an advance car, and two cars with support staff.

Sink, by contrast, has raised $15.4 million in cash and in-kind support, and is dependent on the Florida Democratic Party to finance much of her television ads. She travels with four to six staff members, and her campaign is not underwriting a press van until the last two days.

This is the second time Sink has run for public office. She was elected state chief financial officer in 2006. But she was intimately involved in her husband's unsuccessful gubernatorial bid in 2002 when he ran against incumbent Gov. Jeb Bush.

She says the most difficult thing about running for office is running the gauntlet of politics, and she has learned to become better at it by asking questions, listening to her advisors then, ultimately, making decisions on her own.

``I didn't run for CFO to be a political person, I ran to make things work better,'' she said.

Scott says he likes to surround himself with people who share his goals but come from different backgrounds. ``I have a no-jerk rule,'' he said. ``You can disagree without being disagreeable.''

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Former President Clinton says he never told Kendrick Meek to withdraw from Senate race

Contradicting published reports and his own spokesman, former President Bill Clinton issued a statement Friday afternoon saying he did not urge fellow Democrat Kendrick Meek to drop out of the U.S. Senate race in Florida.

``We did talk last week following a rally in Orlando about the race and it's challenges,'' said Clinton. ``I didn't ask Kendrick to leave the race, nor did Kendrick say that he would. I told him that how he proceeds was his decision to make and that I would support him regardless.''

`` I still believe he could be the best Senator to help Florida and America emerge from the current crisis and build a growing middle class economy,'' Clinton said.

He described Meek as ``a close friend'' and that their relationship ``extends far beyond politics.''

What he didn't explain in his statement was why his spokesman Matt McKenna confirmed to the Herald/Times and other media a story first reported Thursday night by the website Politico.com . It reported that Clinton, while campaigning with Meek last week in Florida, had twice asked Meek to withdraw from the Senate race.

The revelation that Clinton -- Meek's trusted and longtime mentor -- would tell him to drop the race set off a political firestorm for Meek and his campaign staff.

Beginning Thursday night, with a statement and a late night news conference, Meek's campaign called the Politico.com story inaccurate and that reaffirmed the Miami congressman's intention to stay in the race -- a race that polls show Meek remaines mired in third place behind independent Charlie Crist and Republican front-runner Marco Rubio.

On Friday morning, Meek was up early making the rounds on several national television network news shows to refute the story and lash out at Crist.

Meek accused Crist of spreading false rumors that Clinton had asked him to withdraw from the Senate race.

``I don't operate like this, and the bottom line is, is that Charlie Crist does,'' Meek said. ``It's mind boggling.''

Meek said that Crist himself had called him during the campaign to urge him to leave the race.

``I told him I'm not getting out of the race,'' he said. ``I don't sellout on the people of Florida.''

Speaking on CNN's American Morning show, Meek said he told Crist that ``he should consider getting out of the race.''

Crist, a former Republican running as an independent, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann Thursday night that he knew Meek and Clinton had talked about Meek dropping out of the Senate race.

When asked by Olbermann how he could know what the two men talked about, Crist replied: ``Because I had numerous phone calls with people very close to President Clinton. It's true.''

Meek, who attended a Florida Education Association conference on Friday, questioned media reports that the White House may have known about purported efforts to get Meek to give up his campaign.

``I haven't talked to the White House, I don't know what they said,'' Meek said.

A White House official said the administration did not initiate talks between Meek and Clinton but was ``aware'' and ``in the position to let it play out" out of concerns about Rubio winning.

In its initial story on the website, Politico reported that Meek and Clinton spoke in Jacksonville, but Meek campaign manager Abe Dyk said they were never together in that city last week. Clinton and Meek campaigned together Tuesday in St. Petersburg and Wednesday in Orlando.

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Rubio speaks against Obama as Senate run nears end

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Republican Marco Rubio is finishing his Senate campaign a lot like the way he started it - attacking President Barack Obama's agenda and saying out-of-control spending could cost America its standing in the world.

Rubio told crowds in Palm Beach Gardens, Melbourne, Daytona Beach and Orlando that the country is at a crossroads.

He said he is the only candidate in the three-way race with independent Gov. Charlie Crist and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek who will stand up to Democrats' agenda. He is leading in polls just four days before Election Day.

In Orlando, Rubio said, "We don't need to change America, we need to fix America. We can fix everything that is wrong with America with everything that is right with America."

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Scott-Sink ad wars exceed $54M

TALLAHASSEE -- The amount Florida's top two candidates for governor spent on TV ads in the past 10 weeks could have paid for nearly all the textbooks in Miami-Dade County public schools the past two years.

Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Alex Sink have burned through $54.6 million in their TV ad wars, or about $1 million less than the textbook budget for the state's largest school district since the 2009 school year.

``It looks like a staggering amount of money, but when you think about the dynamics it's not that surprising,'' said Cory Tilley, one of former Gov. Jeb Bush's political strategists. ``This is the modern political world in Florida. And it's complicated and expensive.''

The total is nearly double what Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis spent in their 2006 campaign. It also reinforces the importance candidates place on 30-second ads to spread their campaign message to the state's 11.2 million voters spread through 10 different media markets.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Sink, the state's chief financial officer, has kept pace with Scott's record-breaking spending.

Scott, a wealthy Naples businessman, buried primary rival Bill McCollum by nearly 3-to-1 on television.

Scott averaged $2 million on TV per week for 16 weeks before the primary election.

With help from the Republican Party of Florida, he has increased that to about $2.8 million per week in 10 weeks leading up to Election Day on Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Scott also announced that he had pumped another $1.5 million into the 527 electioneering committee he set up separate from his campaign.

But Sink and the Florida Democratic Party have stayed nearly even, spending an average $2.7 million during the same time frame.

Sink did not have a competitive primary and could stockpile her resources.

She also made the controversial decision to start her TV ad campaign in mid-August.

The early start caused hang-wringing among many Democrats who worried that Sink's expensive ads would be overshadowed by the final days of the bitter Republican primary.

Sink and the Florida Democratic Party had spent $4.3 million on TV by the time Scott's campaign spent its first $1 million on the air in the general election.

Sink's ad campaign also included a two-minute spot that aired in Tampa on Oct. 11 and in Jacksonville on Oct. 14.

Scott chose to hold off spending his own money right away against Sink. He had already pumped $51 million of his own cash into the primary, exceeding his own internal budget, and wanted the GOP insiders who financed McCollum in the primary to foot the bill for his general election costs.

The Republican Governors Association and the Republican Party of Florida paid for the first $1.7 million of Scott's TV ads in the general election. But Scott has since pumped another $9 million of his money into the race as of Oct. 15, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.

Scott's internal debate about whether to spend early against Sink was similar to the decision McCollum faced in the primary. McCollum also opted to hold on to his resources until the end.

Both Scott and Sink are spending heaviest now, the final week of the campaign.

Scott and the Republican Party of Florida spent $5.2 million in the final week, compared to $6.4 million from Sink and the Democrats.

For the final week, both candidates have their ads on heaviest rotation in North Florida, where Scott performed well in the primary and where Sink believes she is the rare Democrat who can compete among the state's most conservative voters. North Florida ads also cost a fraction of the Tampa, Orlando or Miami markets.

Despite the costs, Sink bought the most TV time in Orlando over the span of her entire campaign.

But Sink's time in Orlando was nearly matched by her paid airtime in Tallahassee, West Palm Beach, Jacksonville, Panama City and Jacksonville. Only Miami, Gainesville, Fort Myers and Pensacola were considerably less.

Scott, meanwhile, bought most of his TV time in Tallahassee. That was followed by Panama City, Tampa, Orlando, Pensacola and West Palm Beach.

Michael C. Bender can be reached at 850-224-7263 or mbender@sptimes.com.

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Braman: Signatures in place for recall

In his bid to recall Miami-Dade's first strong mayor, billionaire businessman Norman Braman announced Monday he has collected 90,000 signatures from registered voters, more than enough to put Mayor Carlos Alvarez's fate with the voting public.

Braman collected the signatures in less than three weeks, a furious pace reflecting voters' unhappiness with the county mayor amid a rising tax rate and sluggish economy.

County law allots two months for recall backers to collect signatures from 4 percent of registered voters to trigger a special election. Braman easily met that deadline and collected thousands of signatures beyond the approximate 52,000 required. They must be verified by the county Clerk of Courts.

``We have completed the process of collecting the signatures,'' Braman said at a late-afternoon press conference. ``We are anxious to move ahead with the process and the actual recall vote.''

Following Braman's announcement, Alvarez issued a statement: ``I have always been preparing for an election, and campaigns are great opportunities to cut through misinformation and get to the truth.''

Alvarez said he is ``committed to serving the people of Miami-Dade County to the best of my ability until my term ends.''

The mayor may launch a legal challenge to keep the recall question from reaching voters. The county mayor has paid $26,000 to attorney Bruce Rogow to ready a courtroom fight, according to the latest public filings.

`BE PATIENT'

``Just be patient,'' said Rogow, who declined Monday to shed any light on when legal action might commence.

Rogow previously said a legal challenge may center on whether Braman is precluded from launching a recall drive now because a separate, unsuccessful effort was launched earlier this year. The county charter reads that a recall petition cannot be certified ``within one year after a recall petition against him is defeated.''

The question remains whether the earlier effort can be deemed a defeat since it never went to a vote. In December, a recall campaign was launched by Coral Gables retiree Lazaro Gonzalez, but the effort fizzled in February when he didn't gather enough signatures to put the question on the ballot.

Alvarez is also seeking to counter the recall momentum by tapping a longstanding base of support: The Dade County Police Benevolent Association, Miami-Dade Police's union, which has donated $50,000 to a political action committee the mayor formed to mount a defense.

Alvarez formed the PAC, called Citizens For Truth, allowing him to raise unlimited sums of money. According to the latest filings, he has raised $54,650. Nearly all came from the Dade County PBA, which held a rally on the mayor's behalf this weekend.

BACKED PAY HIKES

Alvarez was former director of Miami-Dade Police and earlier this year backed a 13 percent pay hike for county police, which will take effect in installments from September 2010 to September 2011.

The recall comes after a series of controversial moves by Alvarez, ranging from granting double-digit percent pay hikes to his top staffers, to revelations that his chief of staff -- who has since been demoted -- was moonlighting as a private consultant on county time.

Yet the recall uproar was sparked by Alvarez's decision to push for a 12 percent tax rate increase, which will raise the tax bill for 60 percent of homesteaded property owners, at a time the county is struggling through double-digit unemployment. County commissioners approved the budget, as they had the raise for police.

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Text message during debate sets off a buzz

TALLAHASSEE -- In a campaign season of wall-to-wall negative commercials, Democrat Alex Sink's worst television moment came during a commercial break.

Sink was holding her own against Republican Rick Scott at the nationally televised CNN/St. Petersburg Times debate Monday night when a makeup artist hurried up to her.

But rather than break out face powder, the woman handed Sink a Motorola Droid smartphone that bore a message from a top Sink campaign advisor.

It was a debate talking point -- and therefore a violation of the rules for the gubernatorial debate.

As soon as the debate resumed, Scott made political hay of the rule-breaking. Sink soon jettisoned the senior advisor -- Coral Gables-based insurance lobbyist Brian May -- from her campaign. And the news of the flap quickly eclipsed the substance of the debate on blogs and cable news stations.

Sink said she wasn't to blame and insisted she didn't discuss the message before it was shown to her by the makeup artist.

``She put this phone in my face and she said `I don't know who this is from' and I turned around and I looked and I said I -- I couldn't tell, really, what it was,'' Sink said Tuesday morning when questioned by a Herald/Times reporter.

TO THE AUDIO

But CNN chief national correspondent and anchor John King, a debate co-host, said Tuesday that CNN reviewed an audio clip that clearly reveals that the makeup artist alerted Sink about the message.

``We listened very closely to the audio,'' King said. ``And the makeup artist, when she approached Alex Sink, said, `I have a message from the staff.' And at that point they looked, it was on a cellphone. . . . It was essentially advice after the last segment of the debate telling her if that question comes up again, remember this, and be more aggressive when Rick Scott questions you.''

Scott's campaign reveled in the contradiction and Sink's stumble, saying in a press release that the Democrat ``cheated before she lied.''

Earlier Tuesday, Scott's campaign produced a radio ad mocking Sink over the Droid flap and noting that, as state chief financial officer, she oversees some insurance issues that could affect lobbyists such as May.

Sink appeared on MSNBC late Tuesday to explain that she wasn't to blame for the cheating flap -- not the message a candidate wants to convey in the final week of a too-close-to-call race. She was less talkative to reporters earlier when she would only take three questions on the topic before hastily leaving the Capitol after a Cabinet meeting.

Sink said what happened was ``clearly against the rules.'' But she said she wasn't at fault.

``When I learned what had happened, and got to the bottom of it,'' she said, ``I took accountability and I held the person who was responsible for the cheating accountable. And he's no longer with my campaign. That was the right action to take.''

May, a one-time aide to former Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas and former Insurance Commissioner Bill Nelson, told the Herald/Times that he takes responsibility for the mistake and never intended to break the rules, which prohibited using notes -- not delivering verbal messages.

``I sent a message to the hair stylist to say something to her, not to show it to her,'' he said. ``The bottom line is that the person responsible for this is me, not Alex Sink and to say otherwise is a fabrication of what occurred.''

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Two outlooks, but only one state job

TALLAHASSEE -- Adam Putnam and Scott Maddox both want to be Florida's next commissioner of agriculture, but their campaign rhetoric makes it sound like they're running for two separate jobs.

A Democratic lawyer from Tallahassee, Maddox says at least 75 percent of the office is focused on consumer protection. In campaign materials and interviews, he stresses the full name of the agency he would lead: the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

``People view this office as farmer-in-chief, and that's not what it does,'' Maddox said.

Putnam, a Republican congressman from Bartow, underscores his deep roots in agriculture and says consumer issues are one of several key job responsibilities.

``If you're going to be prepared to take the job from day one and take the department to the next level, you need to be comprehensive in your approach,'' he said.

Putnam's campaign signs, like the ballots millions of voters will see, use only the shorthand Department of Agriculture. While underscoring the importance of consumer issues, Putnam said Maddox is focused nearly ``exclusively on the consumer piece of the job.''

Both candidates are relatively young and ambitious. While still in law school at Florida State University, Maddox was elected to the Tallahassee City Commission and became the city's youngest mayor at age 28.

Maddox also had stints as president of the Florida League of Cities and chairman of the Florida Democratic Party. He lost the Democratic primary for attorney general in 2002 and made a brief run for governor in 2005.

He quit that race after an audit revealed that the party, under his watch, neglected to pay $200,000 in federal payroll taxes. The audit did not specifically fault Maddox but said he could have shown more oversight.

Putnam was elected to the Florida House right out of college and won his Polk County-based congressional seat at age 26. A member of the Financial Services committee, Putnam helped write the 2008 farm bill and drafted food safety legislation that passed the House but stalled in the Senate.

Putnam, 36, grew up on his family's citrus and cattle farm and owns a 20 percent interest in it. He also studied food and resource economics at UF.

Maddox, 42, doesn't have an extensive agricultural background, though he grew up on a small farm in Homestead and later moved to rural Leon County.

A recent Mason-Dixon Polling and Research survey showed Putnam with a nine-point lead over Maddox, with many undecided voters.

Off-shore oil drilling provides another distinction between the candidates. Under a 2009 bill that cleared the state House but stalled in the Senate, the Cabinet would have to decide whether to lease portions of state-owned water to oil companies.

Maddox has long opposed drilling in Florida waters, calling it shortsighted. Before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill he held several anti-drilling events.

Putnam says he opposes ``near-shore drilling.'' In Congress, he supported opening more federal Florida waters to drilling and says the U.S. should invest in both oil exploration and alternative energy.

Roughly half of the department's $300 million budget covers consumer protection.

Lee Logan can be reached at llogan@sptimes.com.

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Republicans, heading for big gains, ready agenda

WASHINGTON -- Republican leaders, ever more confident of their chances of winning control of the House and possibly even the Senate, have begun plotting a 2011 agenda topped by a push for more than $100 billion in spending cuts, tax reductions and attempts to undo key parts of President Barack Obama's health care and financial regulation laws.

The question is how much of the GOP's government-shrinking, tax-cutting agenda to advance, and how fast.

It's certain that Republicans want to capitalize quickly on tea party-fueled anger and the antiestablishment fervor that they believe will provide momentum to accomplish an activist to-do list. It's equally clear, however, that the outsized expectations of a fed-up electorate and a crop of unruly newcomers could complicate the plans. So could Obama and fellow Democrats who will still be around after Tuesday's elections.

GOP lawmakers are publicly mum about much of what they intend to do if they prevail in midterm congressional contests. Many say privately they want to avoid appearing to "measure the drapes" for new leadership offices before winning any majority.

But especially in the House - where Republicans have a clear shot at scoring the 40-seat gain they would need for control - they are in intense internal talks about how a GOP-driven agenda would work.

Rep. John Boehner, in line to become speaker under that scenario, and Rep. Eric Cantor, his No. 2, have had initial discussions to ensure a plan is ready, a spokesman said.

Most agree a marquee item on a new GOP majority's agenda would be an aggressive package of spending cuts, on the order of $100 billion or more, that could also be paired with steps to block implementation of key parts of Obama's health care law and new financial regulations.

What's less clear is how Obama would respond, and whether a turbocharged Republican majority could muster a bipartisan compromise, especially when its freshman class will probably have little appetite for following any established party position or leader.

"The Republican Party is still a tattered brand. It's not as if people are enthusiastically embracing the Republican brand - they're rejecting what has been done the last two years," said Michael Franc of the conservative Heritage Foundation, a House aide following the 1994 Republican takeover. "They're going to have to do something that is dramatic enough to say to people, 'We heard you.'"

GOP leaders are working to calibrate expectations, Franc said, so they don't end up being accused of "being a fiscal squish" if they compromise on cuts.

Republicans laid out some of their wish-list last month in the "Pledge to America," which called for tax and spending cuts, health care law repeal and congressional reform, among other things. Some GOP leaders argue a victory on Election Day would give them a strong mandate to carry out such changes, although many of them are likely to run into strong Democratic opposition.

"If the public puts us in the majority, they're saying that they want this to go forward," said Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., one of the pledge's architects.

Obama, he added, "would be in a hard position not to support this."

That's not necessarily a view shared by the Senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who'll have a vital role leading a strengthened GOP team in that chamber, regardless of whether the party reaches the long-shot goal of gaining the 10 seats necessary to get control.

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Rivera brushes off past attacks, controversies

Of this, there is little doubt: David Rivera lives and breathes politics.

Less clear are other aspects of his career as a Republican state representative, powerful Florida House budget chief and, now, candidate for Congress.

During a high-profile campaign to replace Republican Mario Diaz-Balart, the eight-year legislator has given muddy answers to questions ranging from his past political campaigns to his work outside of lawmaking, which he does not clearly identify.

Yet Rivera, 45, is hoping his conservative credentials, hard-line stance on U.S. policy toward Cuba and reputation for playing political hardball will propel him to best Democrat Joe Garcia and represent the swing district that stretches from Homestead to Doral and into Collier County.

``Everything I've done has involved the community,'' said Rivera, recently campaigning at the West Dade Regional Library, an early voting site. ``I've been in public life in one way or another for 20 years.''

BACKGROUND

David Mauricio Rivera was born in New York City, the second child of Cuban exiles, he said: Daisy, who ran a driving school, and William, a taxi driver. His parents divorced when Rivera was 2 years old; by age 9, his mother moved him and his sister Diana to Miami.

Rivera considered a career in sports writing, the next best thing to playing shortstop for the New York Yankees. But he volunteered for his first presidential campaign -- Reagan-Bush in 1980 -- as a ninth-grader at Miami Christian School near Sweetwater and never looked back.

At Florida International University -- where he played ``Chino'' in the musical West Side Story -- he graduated with degrees in political science and public administration. He helped elect former Republican Rep. Connie Mack and followed him as an aide to Washington.

After stints at the Cuban American National Foundation and a human-rights group, Rivera landed a job as aide to the board of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which operated Radio Martí and TV Martí at the U.S. State Department. There, Rivera likes to say, he held a ``top secret national security clearance.''

It wasn't until 2002, after years of running Hispanic outreach for the Republican Party of Florida, that Rivera sought public office.

ROUGH START

His first election was marred by controversies that have resurfaced in this year's congressional campaign.

Four days before the 2002 primary, Rivera was involved in a collision on the Palmetto Expressway with a truck carrying his opponent's attack ads to the post office to be mailed to voters. A Florida Highway Patrol report did not assign fault for the crash.

The ads linked Rivera to a domestic-violence restraining order submitted in Miami-Dade Circuit Court in 1994 against one David M. Rivera. The court file has long been destroyed, and a computer record available today contains no additional identifying details.

Rivera denies he is the man named in the complaint and says he does not know Jenia Dorticos, the woman who filed it. He also says he does not recall a response flier produced by his campaign with a photo of Dorticos and a statement defending Rivera under her purported signature. The ad says it was paid for and approved by Rivera's campaign.

Rivera narrowly won the primary and made it to Tallahassee, where he rose to power as former House Speaker Marco Rubio's right-hand man. The two shared a home in the state capital that a bank sought to foreclose on earlier this year after the pair missed payments. The case was quickly resolved.

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Wrestler's father slams McMahon in Conn. race

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The father of Chris Benoit, the professional wrestler who killed himself, his wife and their 7-year-old son in 2007, accused former wrestling executive Linda McMahon on Monday of running for U.S. Senate in Connecticut to fight any attempts to regulate the industry.

Michael Benoit, who lives in Canada, appeared at a Hartford news conference that was organized by McMahon's Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. Benoit said he is "almost thankful" that McMahon is running for public office so he draw attention to what he argues is a need for government oversight of professional wrestling.

"The only reason that woman wants to go to Washington is to protect the dollars that WWE makes, to head off any attempt to regulate their industry," said Benoit, who appeared at the same hotel where the widow of another late wrestler, Owen Hart, held a news conference in June to announce plans to file a federal lawsuit against World Wrestling Entertainment.

Benoit blames his son's violent acts on the effects of suffering numerous concussions over the years and hits to the head with metal chairs while in the WWE ring. The mother of Chris Benoit's wife, Nancy, meanwhile, has sued the physician who prescribed the wrestler steroids and other drugs, which she blamed for the deaths.

McMahon, dogged by criticism of her family's wrestling empire throughout her campaign to fill the seat currently held by U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, said shortly before Benoit's news conference that the "motivation is clear" as to why Benoit would address reporters about a week before the Nov. 2 election.

"I think Mr. Blumenthal has really tried to focus in only saying that WWE does not treat its performers well, when in fact, WWE treats its performers incredibly well and it wants to make sure that those men and women in the ring are protected," she said.

Asked to respond to Benoit's accusations, McMahon's campaign issued a statement that also took aim at Blumenthal.

"Chris Benoit murdered his family, and he alone is responsible for that. It is outrageous and reprehensible that Dick Blumenthal's campaign is now suggesting someone else is responsible for this heinous crime," McMahon spokesman Ed Patru said in the statement. Patru called it troubling that Blumenthal believes "a murderer's behavior ought to be excused and instead someone else should be held accountable."

A message seeking comment left with Blumenthal's campaign wasn't immediately returned.

McMahon said there were no hints of any issues with Chris Benoit, whom she described as upbeat and dedicated to his performances. She said she understands that his father, who has been a critic of WWE, is suffering because of the deaths, which occurred at the Benoits' home in an Atlanta suburb.

"I can truly understand the pain of a father who has not only lost a child but a son who was involved in a heinous crime of killing his wife and his son," McMahon said Monday morning after a speech to a Hartford business group. "I can understand that his feelings are bitter, sad, wants to find answer and would like to also find someone to blame."

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Libertarian candidate for Senate fights for spotlight

Alex Snitker was shadowboxing three men the other day -- as usual, from a distance that would not get him arrested.

The Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate was standing with a microphone across the street from Orlando's ABC affiliate, where the three major candidates -- Republican Marco Rubio, independent Charlie Crist and Democrat Kendrick Meek -- were sparring in a live debate.

Outside, Snitker answered the same questions as the Big Three -- only he had a volunteer watching the debate from home feed questions to him via cellphone.

``I will be at every debate,'' Snitker, 35, of Spring Hill, later declared, ``whether I'm invited or not.''

Even in this political moment that hails the ``citizen candidate'' over the ``career politician,'' Snitker, the office supply salesman-turned-Senatorial candidate, can't get much traction -- no matter how much noise he makes.

He crashed a media-sponsored candidate forum to which he had not been invited. His campaign volunteers flooded pollster Rasmussen Reports with e-mails and calls after his name was excluded from polls. He puts out news releases that lambaste his opponents and peddle his own conventional wisdom, such as ``Snitker is considered to be the most consistent Constitutional conservative in the race.''

And with a few exceptions, silence follows.

Snitker blames the usual suspects -- the mainstream media, the Republican/Democratic establishment, the pollsters -- for his relative anonymity.

But he also wants to know why the tea party crowd flocked to Rubio and not him. And why won't Glenn Beck's producers put him on a show, anyway? And why does Bubba the Love Sponge -- ``Bubba's a Libertarian!'' said Snitker -- never take his calls?

``I really thought those guys would welcome me with open arms, and they have shunned us,'' said Snitker. ``The one thing this campaign is going to show is if you're a regular guy, you can't get into this thing no matter what.''

SERVED IN MARINES

Snitker grew up in New Port Richey. His father is a retired machinist, and his mother works for the Pasco County Tax Collector's office. He graduated from Gulf High School in 1993, served in the U.S. Marines and later worked as a recruiter.

He married his high school sweetheart, Kelly, now a medical assistant at a dermatologist's office. They have a son, Michael, who turns 3 next month.

A few years ago he got a job in Orlando selling fax and copier machines to businesses. The Snitkers in 2007 bought a home outside Orlando, but had to short-sell last year after the bank began foreclosing. The couple had fallen behind on their $184,000 adjustable-rate mortgage. They now rent a home from relatives in Spring Hill.

``I blame myself more than anyone for that one,'' he said.

Politics? He never ran for anything before, not even student council in high school, but being a former Marine, he tried to pay attention. ``I've always been an observer,'' he said, ``but I would get frustrated because I never heard an answer to my questions.''

HIS PLATFORM

Snitker said his run got its beginnings a couple of years ago when he spent hours yelling at the television news.

``I was going back and forth on every issue, almost debating myself,'' he recalled recently. ``Little did I know I was building a platform at the same time. Because later on when I decided to run I just sat down and wrote out everything I could possibly write out.''

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Prosecutor uses lobbyist's e-mails against him

WASHINGTON -- A prosecutor said Thursday that he will use a lobbyist's e-mails about behind-the-scenes dealmaking to convict him of corrupting officials in Congress and the Bush administration.

In one e-mail, lobbyist Kevin Ring wrote that "the ethics thing is a real turn off" and that his team preferred working with "amoral pond scum."

Prosecutor Nathaniel Edmonds told jurors that Ring showered officials with event tickets, fancy dinners, never-ending drinks and even a $5,000-a-month job for then-California Republican Rep. John Doolittle's wife to get policies and taxpayer expenditures in favor of his clients instead of for the public good.

The Justice Department is trying for a second time to convict Ring, a 40-year-old former associate of corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The first trial ended a year ago with jurors unable to agree on Ring's guilt after defense lawyers argued he was just doing his job by trying to build relationships with policymakers.

Edmonds addressed that defense before Ring's lawyers delivered their opening statement. "There is no lobbyist exception for bribery and corruption," Edmonds said.

The second trial is being held in a newer courtroom in federal court in Washington with individual video screens in the jury box that Edmonds used during open arguments to display Ring's written words in large type.

In an e-mail, Ring wrote that former Attorney General John Ashcroft's top aide should "pay us back" for owner's box seats at the 2002 NCAA March Madness tournament.

After Abramoff's lobbyists got what they wanted from Ashcroft's Justice Department - a $16.3 million grant for their client the Choctaw Indian tribe - Ring e-mailed his associates to say they should respond by thanking "your friends on the Hill and in the administration."

"In fact, thank them over and over this week - preferably for long periods of time and at expensive establishments," Ring wrote in another e-mail Edmonds showed jurors. "Thank them until it hurts - and until we have a June bill that reflects the fact our client is about to get a $16.3 million check from the Department of Justice!!!"

The prosecutors' challenge could be even more difficult in this trial because a leading congressional witness has recanted testimony from the first trial that he was corrupted by meals and tickets. And the Supreme Court issued a ruling that weakened the "honest services" law that Ring has been indicted on to require prosecutors to prove a "quid pro quo" exchange of gifts for official actions.

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NAACP to release report on tea party links to hate groups

Three months ago in Kansas City, the NAACP first raised charges of racism within the tea party movement. Today a report is being released accusing tea party groups of providing platforms to anti-Semites and other bigots.

“These groups and individuals are out there, and we ignore them at our own peril,” said NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous in a statement announcing the report. “They are speaking at tea party events, recruiting at rallies, and in some cases remain in the tea party leadership itself.”

The 94-page report is being released by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in a teleconference today.

In July, NAACP delegates passed a resolution at their national convention in Kansas City condemning racism within the tea party movement, creating a national furor. The NAACP board of directors ratified the resolution last week.

Tea party leaders condemned the report on Tuesday.

“Here we go again,” said Judson Phillips, founder of Tea Party Nation. “This is typical of this liberal group’s smear tactics.”

A Kansas City Star article in July found ties between several racist groups and tea parties, but tea party leaders said such incidents were not widespread.

The new report describes what it calls links between tea party factions and white supremacist groups, anti-immigrant organizations and militias, according to a news release issued by the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, which wrote the document.

Not only have tea parties given platforms to extremists, the news release said, the movement is a recruiting ground for hard-core white nationalists who are “hoping to push these (white) protesters toward a more self-conscious and ideological white supremacy.”

The report, “Tea Party Nationalism: A Critical Examination of the Tea Party Movement and the Size, Scope, and Focus of Its National Factions,” was written by Leonard Zeskind and Devin Burghart of the Kansas City-based Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights.

To read the complete article, visit www.kansascity.com.

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Rick Scott's mantra: I'll make job creation my mission

After buying and selling everything from doughnuts to hospitals, Rick Scott is trying to make his toughest sale: persuading voters to elect him governor of Florida.

Scott's campaign, with a heavy reliance on his fortune, is a product of savvy marketing, a simple message of jobs and careful management of access to voters and the media.

Rick Scott the TV image -- bald guy who promises to create jobs -- is well known. Rick Scott the man isn't.

``When you come from nowhere -- and we started April 9 -- no one knew us,'' Scott, 57, tells a crowd at a fundraiser at Captain Anderson's restaurant in Panama City. ``I'm going to work my tail off to do everything we said we're going to do when we win. We're going to turn this state around, create the jobs and we're going to run this state like a business.''

In a year when voters seem to crave outsiders as never before, Scott is well positioned. If he wins, it will be on the strength of money, moxie and a rags-to-riches profile packaged through saturation TV advertising.

Funny thing, though: Scott can't stand to watch television.

``He loves to read. I never see my dad watch TV,'' says his eldest daughter, Allison Scott Guimard. ``In two minutes, he either falls asleep or goes and does something else.''

o o o

Already late on a Saturday afternoon, Scott speed-walks to a crowd of 200 tea party members enjoying vanilla and orange swirl ice cream at Mixon Fruit Farms in Bradenton.

LOUD CHEERS

Wearing the uniform of a ``Let's Get to Work'' candidate, starched white dress shirt with sleeves rolled, Scott leaps on stage with his entourage: wife Ann, daughters Allison and Jordan with their husbands, and his mother, Esther, who draws loud cheers from a crowd that recognizes her from a TV ad promoting her son.

``I'm not the smartest guy in the world. I had a mother that told me what to do all my life, and I traded that in for a wife,'' Scott jokes as Ann winces slightly. ``We got married two years out of high school, which is not what you tell your kids to do, right?''

After six months on the campaign trail, Scott is unpolished and at times awkward, talking too fast and sometimes too long. But crowds respond to his promises of smaller government and his blunt criticism of President Barack Obama's ``job-killing'' health care changes and stimulus program.

The tightly wound, hard-charging former CEO of the Columbia/HCA health care chain becomes as shy as a schoolboy when voters fawn over him. He tugs at the forearms of curious voters who have questions, then directs them to his website for more specifics.

When one asks for his autograph, he scribbles ``Let's get to work -- Rick Scott.''

As Scott leaves the citrus plant, Tad Mackie of Sarasota shouts: ``Hey, Rick! Your stage presence is getting a lot better. A lot better.''

o o o

Richard Lynn Scott was born in Bloomington, Ill., on Dec. 1, 1952, the second-oldest of five children.

The birth date is significant, his mother recalls, because it was the last day to be accepted into public schools. As such, growing up, Rick was always smaller and skinnier than his classmates.

``He would have loved to play sports, but he just wasn't able to,'' Esther Scott says. ``He was just smaller.''

Rick's birth father was an abusive alcoholic, his mother says. She divorced when her son was a toddler and married Orba Scott, a long-haul truck driver who adopted Rick. The father was a paratrooper and part of the D-Day invasion in World War II.

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Jabs grow sharper in 3-way Senate debate

TAMPA -- Republican U.S. Senate front-runner Marco Rubio may be leading Charlie Crist by double digits, but he didn't pull his punches as he ripped the governor as a phony opportunist in a combative televised debate Friday.

``This notion, Governor, that you switched to become an independent because you're some kind of a centrist who's looking out for the betterment of our country quite frankly is a fairy tale that only you believe,'' Rubio said after non-partisan Crist promised to put Floridians ahead of party politics. ``You're running as an independent not because you took a principled stand on issues; You're running as an independent because you took a poll.''

Crist in turn cast former House Speaker Rubio as a political insider who can't be trusted.

``When he was Speaker of the House he steered millions of dollars to a university and to a hospital, and after he left public office he got two jobs -- not one, but two jobs -- at $165,000 a year. The last guy who did that as a speaker is now indicted and facing trial,'' the governor said. ``I mean it's unconscionable.''

The dynamic in a three-way debate with Crist, Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek is much different from a traditional two-person face off, and on Friday each candidate over and over again claimed to be ``the only candidate,'' who will do this or that: Rubio, the only one to stand up against the Obama administration agenda; Crist, the only one who will pursue common sense policies rather than blind party allegiance; and Meek, the only ``true blue'' Democrat to stand up for the middle class.

`EVERYDAY PEOPLE'

``I'm not here on behalf of the CEOs of the world. I'm for the everyday people,'' declared Meek, noting that he is the only candidate who opposes extending the Bush tax cuts for families earning more than $250,000.

The WTVT-Fox 13 Tampa debate moderated by anchor John Wilson was the third of six. All three candidates turned in polished, aggressive performances, but the debate probably did not shake up the campaign, where Rubio is comfortably ahead of Crist and Meek lagging well behind in third place.

HEATED EXCHANGES

The most blistering exchanges were between Crist and Rubio, who in a debate last week took repeated criticism from both Crist and Meek. This time Crist went even harder at Rubio, but never got the better of him.

The governor at one point quoted from the Democratic-leaning Tampa-based newspaper that recently endorsed Crist for Senate.

``La Gaceta talks about the fact that my opponent on the right has essentially blind ambition and -- these are their words, not mine -- that you've turned your back on your Hispanic family as it relates to so many issues going down the line,'' Crist said.

Rubio looked livid.

``We're all used to hard-knuckle politics in these debates, but that's quite frankly, governor, offensive and outrageous for you to talk about me turning my back on my Hispanic family,'' Rubio said. ``Let me tell you about my family. My family worked very hard so that I could have opportunities they didn't have. My father worked 30, 40, 60, 70 hours a week as a bartender. My mother was a cashier, she was a stock clerk.''

SOCIAL SECURITY

Seniors are the most reliable voters in off-year elections, and Meek made a point of noting that he's the only candidate who has never supported private investment accounts for Social Security (Neither do Crist and Rubio any more). Crist repeatedly hammered Rubio for saying he is open to raising the retirement age.

``Those senior citizens have to pay for food, they have to pay utility bills, they have a lot of challenges they have to deal with,'' Crist said.

``The last thing we need to do is any of these things that right wing extremist Marco Rubio has talked about.''

``You just looked into the camera and said something that is categorically false,'' Rubio responded, noting that Crist's political mentor, former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack, has condemned Crist's attacks as false. ``You know why I know it's shameful, governor? You can't even look at me as I tell you this.''

Meek and Rubio each said they respected each other for standing by their principles -- Meek said Rubio is a right wing tea partier, Rubio said Meek is a Nancy Pelosi Democrat -- suggesting Crist lacks core values.

Still, some Democrats have fretted that the only way to beat Rubio is for Meek to drop out and let Crist be the only major alternative. Moderator Wilson asked Meek about that prospect.

``I will not drop out of this race for any reason,'' Meek said. ``I am nominated by the Democrats of the state of Florida. I am in this race to run to be the next United States senator. And no, I am not running for second.''

Adam C. Smith can be reached at asmith@sptimes.com.

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Obama raising money for Senate candidates

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama is asking big donors to help embattled congressional Democrats prepare for a final two-week push to Election Day.

The president is to raise money for the Senate Democratic campaign committee Monday night at a private event in Rockville, Md., a Washington suburb. Guests were paying the maximum of $30,400 a ticket to listen to him speak at a reception at the home of Rajeev and Seema Sharma.

Obama has been campaigning and fundraising around the country as he works to limit Democratic losses on Nov. 2 that could cost his party control of the House and maybe even the Senate. Later this week he heads West for a four-day campaign swing that includes stops in Seattle, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

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Florida congressional races attracting national money

WASHINGTON -- The independent groups spending hundreds of millions nationwide on congressional campaigns are moving into two competitive South Florida House races with an ad blitz.

The cash infusion by the national players suggests both parties see prime opportunities in Florida to determine control of the House.

A powerful action committee with ties to Republican strategist Karl Rove and former Republican Party chair Ed Gillespie is targeting Rep. Ron Klein, the Boca Raton Democrat who wrested the Broward-Palm Beach district from the GOP in 2006. Klein, facing a challenge from Republican Allen West, is being bashed for supporting healthcare reform in TV ads that began airing Friday.

America's Families First Action Fund, a group with ties to Democrats, is spending more than $400,000 to take on state Rep. David Rivera, who is challenging Democrat Joe Garcia for a GOP-controlled seat. The group is also active in House districts in Colorado, Arizona, Illinois, New Mexico, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, but as of Friday, it was spending the most money on the Garcia-Rivera race.

The Miami district ``presents a key pickup opportunity in what is otherwise a very challenging year,'' said Ramona Oliver, a spokeswoman for the fund.

NEW RULES

The two groups can raise and spend unlimited money, thanks to a controversial Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that removed curbs on independent expenditures by wealthy individuals, corporations and unions. It frees them to spend without limit from their own treasuries on campaign ads and advocacy efforts so long as they're not coordinated with the campaigns. They must also regularly disclose donors to the Federal Election Commission.

Some groups -- including Rove's -- have also set up separate divisions not required to disclose contributors but that can take unlimited contributions; Democrats have assailed Republicans for the proliferation of those groups, though America's Families First has created one as well. Oliver said that group is not involved in the Florida race.

America's Families notes in a document obtained by the New York Times that ``right wing groups are on a path to raise a record amount of independent funding and progressive forces have to be prepared for the worst.''

Indeed, Republican-leaning organizations are outspending Democrats by a nearly 9-1 margin in House and Senate contests, a recent Wesleyan Media Project study found.

And in the election's closing weeks, with some analysts suggesting Republicans will take control of the House, increasing amounts are being spent on House races.

Rove's American Crossroads and several other Republican leaning groups are pouring $50 million into 50 or 60 competitive House races, said Peter Stone of the Center for Public Integrity, which is tracking outside spending.

American Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio said the group is contributing $227,000 for TV ads against Klein and that more spending is possible.

American Crossroads -- along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the anti-tax Club for Growth -- is already spending money in Florida on behalf of front-running U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio.

A Klein spokeswoman said he was undeterred by the ads. ``Karl Rove tried to beat Ron Klein once before,'' said Melissa Silverman, referring to Rove's role as former President George W. Bush's chief political strategist in 2006 when Klein defeated Rep. Clay Shaw. ``He failed that time and will fail again.''

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State Senate staff growing more conservative

The once-moderate Florida Senate is growing more conservative under incoming leader Mike Haridopolos in the wake of high-level staff firings and resignations that have thinned the ranks of Democrats in the upper chamber.

The shakeup could leave the ``New Senate'' filled with the most Republican members and staff members since Reconstruction, which paves the way for swifter approval of budget and tax cuts, pension reform and conservative social issues.

``We are rightsizing the Senate -- saving taxpayers money,'' said Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, adding he hopes to trim $1 million from the Senate's budget by consolidating staff positions and shedding highly paid staffers.

``I want to have the credibility when people ask, `Are you tightening your own belt?' And I can look them in the eye and say, `Yes we have,' '' Haridopolos said.

But to some, the effort resembles a political purge as well. And they worry that an overly partisan staff could fail to give the neutral, expert anaysis needed to properly vet legislation ranging from taxes to criminal justice to the environment.

A number of Senate staffers grew so worried about job security at the end of last year that many thought their party affiliations, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter posts were being monitored. Haridopolos, who is set to assume the Senate presidency from Jeff Atwater after the Nov. 2 election, said the fear resulted from a false rumor.

Still, an unprecedented number -- 15 -- switched their party registrations this year out of the 44 high-level posts Haridopolos reviewed for cost savings, according to a Herald/Times analysis of voter data since 2000. Nine staffers became Republicans; the rest no-party-affiliation voters.

A total of 10 Democrats left their party. No Republicans did. Of those who switched their party registration, five were dismissed anyway.

In all, 13 staffers were let go. Only one of the dismissed -- an independent voter just days before switching to the GOP -- was a Republican. Nine more staffers are leaving of their own volition, most of whom are Democrats or independents.

Haridopolos has hired 11 replacements so far. Six are Republicans; three Democrats; the rest aren't registered with either party.

Haridopolos said he knew nothing of all the partisan issues. He said he didn't know of any rumor that he, his staff or anyone connected to him was checking party registrations.

`NO IDEA'

``I have no idea what anyone's political affiliation is,'' Haridopolos said.

Some insiders thought ideology mattered in Haridopolos' hiring decisions.

Rick Watson, a conservative activist and lobbyist, e-mailed Haridopolos' incoming staff chief, Steve MacNamara, and recommended they hire Tim Leadbeater, ``a solid conservative with excellent credentials.''

The next day, Aug. 17, Leadbeater followed up and wrote in his own job-application e-mail that his interest in a job was ``less about money for me than supporting the GOP Senate leadership in achieving their goals.''

Leadbeater was soon hired to serve as the budget-committee counsel for $105,000, a relatively low amount for such a highly regarded tax lawyer. He had initially applied to be the Finance & Tax Committee's staff chief. In his e-mail, he said he was ``puzzled, perhaps frustrated, over the years since the GOP gained control of the legislature'' that some staffers didn't have a ``world view'' that reflected mainstream Republicanism.

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Sink's pledge: I'll bring business acumen to governor's office

When Alex Sink returned to North Carolina after a failed marriage and a three-year stint in West Africa, she threw herself into something just as foreign: the male-dominated world of banking.

Sink eventually rose from lowly branch planner to chief executive of NationsBank Florida -- now Bank of America -- becoming one of the highest female executives in her field.

``I worked harder and had to be smarter,'' Sink said of her 26 years at the bank. ``I had to be tough and not take no for an answer.''

Now Sink, 62, wants to pierce the gender barrier again. This time, to become Florida's first female governor.

``It didn't take me 24 hours to get into the race,'' Sink tells her audiences. ``I've sat back for the last four years and watched the state that I love fall into an economic abyss.''

For Sink, the quest to become Florida's first female governor seems less of a distinction than a natural progression in a life spent crossing divides.

A North Carolina farm girl who doesn't flinch at eating possum, she excelled in the buttoned-up world of the nation's largest banking chain. A Southerner with the argot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, she bridged cultures to succeed in cosmopolitan New York and Miami. A lifelong Democrat, she's earned the loyalty of Republicans.

But her feats in finance have not perfected her as a politician.

`PROBLEM SOLVER'

She's an awkward orator, often stiff on the stump. A trained mathematician, she is sometimes so deliberate and methodical that she appears indecisive. Inherently cautious and risk-averse, Sink is so guarded with the media that she often comes across as evasive.

Those closest to Sink acknowledge that the public side of politics is not her strength.

``Sometimes she's criticized for not having charisma or not being a great public speaker, it's because she has to do that to get her where she needs to be,'' said Dorothy Sykes, Sink's younger sister. ``She's a problem solver. That's what she does. If there's a problem she wants to tackle, she will get out that legal pad and pencil and will start problem solving.''

***

Alelaide ``Alex'' Sink and her sister Dorothy ``Dottie'' Sink are the children of Adelaide Bunker and Kester Sink. The couple married after World War II and inherited the Bunker family homestead in Mount Airy. The town was the prototype for the famous ``Andy Griffith Show.''

The Bunkers, however, are descendants of the other famous residents -- conjoined twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, born in Thailand in 1811. The twins traveled the globe as circus curiosities until settling in Mount Airy, built a tobacco farm, and famously fathered 21 children.

The novelty of her great grandfather Chang Bunker is a point of pride for Sink, who admires the perseverance and spunk of the odd Asian men who moved to ``redneck country'' and were accepted. Instilled in all their children, she said, is the notion that ``being different is OK.''

That same spirit characterized Sink's mother's very private battle with breast cancer, diagnosed when Sink entered 10th grade. A talented musician who led the junior high school choir, her mother was determined to fight her cancer -- and keep it quiet.

She was diagnosed on a Friday, had a doubled mastectomy on Tuesday and ``we kept a secret a secret,'' Sykes said. ``We were not allowed to tell anyone about it so she could lead a normal life.''

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President Obama visits Coral Gables for fundraiser

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama urged Democratic donors at an NBA star-studded Coral Gables fundraiser to get out the vote and boost Democrats, telling them that his election ``was only the beginning of the dream.''

Obama spoke at the Biscayne Bay home of former Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning, who was at the event along with Miami Heat players Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and former L.A. Lakers and NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson.

Obama told donors that the economy is begining to recover because lawmakers were willing to take tough votes. But Republicans, he said, ``said no each and every time...they don't have new ideas.

``We've got to tell them in this election you can't have the keys back,'' he said of Republicans. ``You don't know how to drive!''

The event was to pull in $1 million for congressional Democrats and Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, whom Obama apologized for calling Ron Klain, vice president Joe Biden's chief of staff.

He gave two speeches open to the press; Klein did not appear next to him at either.

Obama boosted another campaign before leaving Washington, recording a radio ad for the lagging U.S. Senate campaign of Kendrick Meek. Obama urges supporters to vote for Meek, noting ``If we work together, he will win.''

Meek greeted Obama at the airport, along with Reps. Ted Deutch, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, congressional hopeful Joe Garcia and Democratic Attorney General candidate Dan Gelber.

Obama's visit comes a week before early voting starts Oct. 18 and marks his third fundraising trip to Miami this year as he looks to protect Democratic majorities in the House and Senate.

Republicans hope to pick up 39 Democratic seats to overtake the House and have set their sights on Klein's Broward/Palm Beach swing seat. In 2006, Klein ousted longtime Republican E. Clay Shaw amid voter anger about President George W. Bush and the Iraq war.

Now the political mood has shifted and Allen West, a black Republican with a $4 million warchest, has tapped into anger about the economy and Obama's sagging popularity ratings. In the 22nd congressional district, voter registration has slightly tipped to the left, though it's pretty even among Democrats and Republicans.

Republicans panned Obama's visit before he arrived, with Sen. George LeMieux telling reporters on a conference call that the president should visit with out-of-work families in Miami. He accused the administration's ``job killing agenda'' of ``doing more to hurt the economy than any other factor in the past 18 months.''

A group of about 20 activists pushing for a quicker end to the military's ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell,'' policy sought to pressure Obama, standing at stations near the gates of Mourning's house. Others launched three boats with signs saying, ``Stop the Discharges'' and ``We'll Give When We Get Equal'' to protest at Mourning's Biscayne Bay house.

The pool report said the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell'' protestors could be heard, but the noise isn't loud enough to disrupt.

Though West has surpassed Klein in fundraising for this election cycle, Klein is ahead by about $500,000 in cash on hand due to money he carried over from a previous race. Klein easily beat West in 2008 when West wasn't well known and had little money.

West sent an e-mail Monday blasting Klein for holding a fundraiser with Obama. He contrasted the fundraiser, in which tickets cost up to $17,600, to the $5 breakfast West said he shared with House Republican leader Rep. John Boehner at the Gun Club Cafe in West Palm Beach. ``You know your opponent is in trouble when they call in one of the most unpopular people in the United States for help,'' West said in a statement.

Klein has tried to portray himself as a moderate. He announced Monday morning that a few Republican city officials had endorsed him, including Lighthouse Point City Commissioner Sandy Johnson, Palm Beach Mayor Jack McDonald, and City of Riviera Beach Council Chair Dawn Pardo. And Klein has repeatedly talked about his clashes with the Obama administration about Israel.

But Klein has little to lose by schmoozing with the President -- West and his supporters have repeatedly linked Klein to the president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi even before Obama's visit was announced. Billboards within the district paid for by the We Love USA Pac show Klein dangling from puppet strings being directed by Pelosi.

Guests were asked to pay at least $1,000 and up to $17,600 for a photo and VIP dinner with Obama. The DCCC said about 100 people were expected at the reception; 120 for dinner.

Herald staff writer Robert Samuels contributed to this report.

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CFO Alex Sink licensed ex-felons to sell insurance after bashing other agency for similar moves

TALLAHASSEE -- At the same time Alex Sink tried to ban felons from selling mortgages in Florida, her own state office was licensing ex-cons in the insurance business.

As Florida's chief financial officer, Sink oversees about 527,000 insurance licenses in the state. Her office could not identify how many of those belonged to agents with criminal backgrounds.

But the Herald/Times has identified at least 11 agents convicted of felonies such as grand larceny, fraudulent use of credit cards and writing bad checks who received their license from Sink, the Democratic nominee for governor.

A twelfth applicant was licensed nine years after a shoplifting conviction, despite rules that appear to require a 15-year waiting period for that crime. Sink's office did not respond to a question about that case.

State law prohibits Sink from using a criminal history as the sole reason to deny an insurance license application so long as the applicant has met a list of other requirements.

But Sink can use that criminal history against an applicant if the crime is ``directly related'' to the insurance business. She also has broad discretion to withhold a license if the crime shows the applicant has a ``lack of fitness or trustworthiness'' commensurate with the insurance industry.

Sink could not name one case in which she used that authority. And her CFO office could not find any examples after three days of searching.

``We follow the laws,'' Sink told The Miami Herald editorial board on Thursday. ``There are very strict laws and guidelines on who can and cannot be issued insurance licenses and they've been on the books for 40 years in Florida. We're not doing anything different or new.''

Questions about giving ex-felons insurance licenses were first raised during a debate last Friday by Sink's Republican rival in the governor's race, Rick Scott.

``You don't know what you're talking about,'' Sink said to Scott's prodding.

Scott replied that Sink ``takes no responsibility for anything.''

Sink's campaign shoots back that Scott has dodged his fair share of accountability.

Scott promises voters that he'll apply business principles to government but refuses to release a sworn deposition given earlier this year as part of a lawsuit against his latest business venture, a chain of health care clinics in Florida known as Solantic.

Scott also says he takes responsibility for ``mistakes'' made by Columbia/HCA, his chain of hospitals, that led to the company paying $1.7 billion in fines for Medicare fraud and pleading guilty to 14 felony charges for a variety of violations.

He was not charged with a crime, denies he was warned that the company was violating the law, and said he should have hired more auditors.

CRITICISMS

Meanwhile, piling up are Scott's criticisms that Sink distances herself from controversies the happen on her watch:

• In the late 1990s, Sink was on the audit board of Sykes Enterprises, a Tampa-based call center, when it was sued by investors for improper accounting procedures. Sink said she was unaware of the problems.

• As a member of the board that oversees state investments, Sink didn't object to some questionable transactions, notably the $266 million Peter Cooper Village real estate debacle, until the investments went south.

• While she was president of NationsBank Florida, the bank's parent company paid a $6.7 million fine for hoodwinking customers into buying high-risk securities. Sink said she had nothing to do it, because the suspect activity was ordered by her superiors.

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Source of Rivera's income unclear

Over the past seven years, Republican state Rep. David Rivera repeatedly said in sworn documents that his main source of income, outside of his salary from the Legislature, came from consulting work he did for the U.S. Agency for International Development.

But USAID has no record of ever hiring Rivera -- now a candidate for Congress -- or his company.

``We do not have Mr. Rivera nor the corporations you referred to in our records,'' USAID press officer Annette Aulton told The Miami Herald in an e-mail.

When asked by The Herald about his work with USAID, Rivera gave conflicting explanations, first saying he won the USAID contracts through competitive bidding, but later saying he worked only as a subcontractor to other USAID contractors -- whom Rivera would not identify.

Rivera listed USAID as a source of income in financial-disclosure forms filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics from 2003 to 2009. In the documents, required of all elected officials, Rivera said he worked for USAID through a Puerto Rican company called Interamerican Government Relations, performing ``international development consulting.''

Rivera told The Herald that he started the company with a partner he would not name. Corporate documents in Puerto Rico show only the existence of the company, but does not name the principals.

For the past four years, USAID was the only additional source of income reported by Rivera, aside from his $30,000 annual salary from the Legislature. Since 2003, Rivera has not disclosed how much money he earned from his consulting work -- though state ethics rules require lawmakers to report any annual income over $1,000.

Violations of state ethics laws can lead to civil fines.

After initially agreeing to an interview, Rivera declined to speak with reporters for this story, and he would only respond to written questions from the newspaper.

The Herald first began making inquiries about Rivera's USAID work last month while researching the backgrounds of congressional candidates. USAID is a federal agency that offers aid to developing countries, and its budget is approved by Congress.

On Sept. 21, The Herald asked Rivera if he obtained USAID contracts through competitive bidding or through a no-bid award. Three days later, Rivera said his company won the USAID contracts through competitive bidding.

But last week -- after learning that USAID had no record of his company -- Rivera said he misunderstood the questions and said he only worked for USAID as a subcontractor to other companies. USAID does not keep records of subcontractors hired by its vendors, Aulton said.

However, Rivera would not provide The Herald with the names of any USAID contractors for which he worked. Sarah Bascom, a spokeswoman for Rivera's campaign, said Rivera could not release any information about his contracts without the approval of his clients.

Rivera also could not provide tax returns or other records verifying his USAID consulting work because he was too busy campaigning for Congress, Bascom said.

``Mr. Rivera is not going to take time away from campaigning during the day with voters to be stuck in his garage sifting through boxes,'' she said.

A CLIENT

Rivera listed USAID as a consulting client from 2003 to 2009 in sworn financial disclosure forms filed with the state. State ethics rules require lawmakers to publicly disclose any ``customer, client or other source of income'' that provides more than 10 percent of the total income of the lawmaker's private business.

‘Eclipse’ At The Box Office: What Does The Future Hold?Payment to Rubio’s car leasing company in 2002 raises questions

No sign Meek or Crist will drop out -- but chatter builds

Three weeks from election day, the math is clear:

So long as nonpartisan candidate Charlie Crist and Democrat Kendrick Meek divvy up Democratic votes, Republican Marco Rubio is poised to comfortably win a U.S. Senate seat.

There is zero evidence either Meek or Crist is remotely considering dropping out, but that's not stopping growing speculation fueled by Gov. Crist's allies. It's a sign of deep trouble for Meek that less than a week before early voting starts the Miami congressman has to repeatedly deny talk of quitting and defend his decision to continue campaigning.

``I just have a feeling that Rubio is going to win, and it scares the hell out of me. That's why I'm urging people to vote for Charlie Crist,'' said Ellie Forte, 80, an ardent Democratic activist who had been volunteering for Meek until recently concluding Meek can't win.

The average of recent polls compiled by Pollster.com shows Rubio pulling 43.6 percent support, Crist 28.4 percent and Meek with 21.4 percent, suggesting the only real contest is whether Crist or Meek finishes in second place.

Meanwhile, an automated poll released Tuesday by Public Policy Polling found that if Meek dropped out, Crist and Rubio would be tied at 46 percent, but if Crist dropped out, Rubio would lead Meek 48 percent to 41 percent. With the current field, the poll showed Rubio with 44 percent support, compared to 33 for Crist and 21 for Rubio. Among Democrats, Crist and Meek were effectively tied, while Crist had 14 percent of Republicans and 50 percent of independents.

Crist met privately Monday with a group of influential Palm Beach County Democratic clubs, who in turn formally called on Meek to quit the race. The request was supposed to come in a meeting with Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson on Wednesday, but Meek canceled after learning of the agenda.

``We waited this long to see what's happened with Kendrick Meek's fundraising and polling and so forth. I'm 99.8 percent certain it's hopeless for Meek,'' said Jay Weitz, chairman of the People's Choice PAC, which is made up largely of Democratic clubs representing thousands of voters.

MEEK SCOFFS

Meek has repeatedly scoffed at the notion that he might bow out. Former President Bill Clinton will be campaigning with him in St. Petersburg and Orlando next week. Still, nothing illustrates the tough state of his campaign than that he has to spend much of his time denying he'll quit or should quit. Crist needs to peel off more Democrats from Meek, and open doubts about Meek's viability can only help.

While Democrats enjoy a significant voter registration advantage in Florida, Democrats and Republicans each are expected to account for roughly 42 percent of the electorate in November. Crist can't win without a big share of those Democratic votes, combined with enough Independents and Republicans.

On Tuesday, Crist won another prominent endorsement -- from California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who made his announcement via Twitter. ``I endorse Gov @charliecristfl for Senate. Great leader, works with both parties, and our country needs someone like him in DC right now,'' wrote the governor, whose home-state popularity is in the cellar.

President Barack Obama has endorsed Meek, and while there's no sign of the national party investing in Florida's Senate race, don't expect many national Democrats to snub this year's only credible African-American Senate candidate.

Marco Rubio continues to lead in U.S. Senate race‘Eclipse’ At The Box Office: What Does The Future Hold?

Sink's ad attacking Scott gets fraud claim right, but also misleads

Democrat Alex Sink aired a new ad in Tampa and Jacksonville this week that whacks Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott for alleged fraud at Columbia/HCA, his former healthcare company, as well as at Solantic, his current healthcare business.

We (and likely you) have heard many of the claims before. Among them -- that Scott took the Fifth Amendment 75 times in a deposition, that Columbia/HCA paid $1.7 billion in fines and that Solantic has been accused of fraud.

But this ad is different.

It's two minutes long and produced as a faux-news magazine segment called ``Fraud Files.'' The only giveaway that the ad is political is the disclaimer saying the spot is paid for by the Florida Democratic Party.

How much of it is true? PolitiFact Florida analyzed the ad's claims.

The ad begins more like an introduction to a Dateline NBC episode than a campaign commercial, showing a much younger-looking Scott -- with curly hair around the sides and back of his head -- and adds the voice of a narrator with video news clips.

``Is Columbia/HCA putting profits ahead of patients?'' NBC's Brian Williams asks in an undated video clip. Then, another male announcer asks, ``Did Columbia treat a patient for a mild disease, then bill Medicare for something more expensive?'' Then, a female reporter . . . ``Three executives of Columbia/HCA healthcare corp. have been indicted.''

Quick background. Scott started Columbia in 1987 by purchasing two hospitals and grew it to be one of the nation's largest, merging with HCA in 1994. In 1997, federal agents launched an investigation into the chain for, among other things, Medicare and Medicaid fraud.

Scott resigned in the middle of the investigation in July 1997, saying he wanted to fight the accusations. But the corporate board of Columbia/HCA chose to settle, pleading guilty to 14 corporate felonies and agreeing to pay $1.7 billion in fines and penalties.

So we rate as True accusations that Columbia/HCA committed fraud.

On the claim that three executives of Columbia/HCA were indicted, we find that Half True. (Four were indicted, but none were convicted).

The ad then pivots to allegations specifically about Scott.

A narrator claims: ``A whistleblower revealed that Scott's company was cooking the books. Refusing to cooperate, Rick Scott gave a deposition in which he invoked the Fifth Amendment 75 times.''

That's Mostly True. Scott did give a deposition in 2000 when he invoked his constitutional privilege not to provide information about himself. But the deposition was not part of the criminal investigation. It stemmed from an unrelated civil case.

The ad then makes a murky claim about the Fifth Amendment and what voters can take away from Scott using it 75 times. The ad quotes Palm Beach County's Democratic state attorney, Michael McAuliffe, who says a ``truthful answer to the questions that [Scott] was asked would incriminate him.''

That's Half True. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Fifth Amendment cannot imply guilt in a criminal trial. In a civil trial, a judge and jury can infer that Scott's answers would incriminate him, but they also can choose not to.

``If this was a criminal prosecution, I would not refer to his invocation of the Fifth Amendment, but that's not what we're talking about,'' McAuliffe said. ``This is not a criminal prosecution. It's the political process and he has put himself out there to be vetted by voters. They're the jury in this case.''

The second half of the ad talks about Solantic, an urgent patient care business Scott co-founded in 2001.

``In 2008, new allegations emerged that Solantic was also engaging in multiple forms of fraud,'' the narrator says over visuals of flapping sheriff's police tape, a detective in a suit taking notes and men in police T-shirts carrying boxes out of a building.

The claims of fraud are real, but suggesting through images that police raided or seized records from Solantic is misleading. Ads are about both the visuals and the words campaigns choose. In this case, the Democratic Party is inflating the allegations against Solantic by including video of sheriff's tape and police collecting evidence. There have been no reports that we could find of police raiding a Solantic facility. And the Democratic Party, when asked, could provide no evidence of any such search. We rate that claim False.

To see the full PolitiFact Florida story and ruling, visit www.politifact.com/ florida

Sink, Scott escalate attacksRidley Scott Plans User-Generated YouTube Documentary

Robert Kennedy Jr. to endorse Crist for Senate

A member of the Kennedy clan said Wednesday that Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek cannot win the Florida Senate race and instead endorsed independent Gov. Charlie Crist.

Speaking at a press conference in Deerfield Beach, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Crist has a better shot than Meek at beating tea party-backed Republican Marco Rubio, who has a big lead in recent polls.

Kennedy called the Florida Senate race the most critical in the country and urged voters to combat what he calls the radical tea party movement by voting for Crist.

Rubio ``has a very radical vision, a very narrow vision, an I-can-be-as-stupid-as-I-want vision of this country, and that has a little bit of appeal to people when they're angry - but it is not a good long-term plan,'' Kennedy told dozens of people gathered at a South Florida diner for a Crist campaign event.

Asked if Meek should drop out, Kennedy pointed to his dismal poll numbers.

``At some point it becomes clear in political life we all have to make choices that are bigger than ourselves,'' he said. ``I hope that Kendrick will look at the entire landscape as he assesses the future of this election.''

A new Quinnipiac University poll shows Crist and Meek trailing Rubio by double digits. Rubio had 44 percent of the vote, compared to 30 percent for Crist and 22 percent for Democratic candidate Meek.

Experts say Crist would need the Democrats who are now backing Meek to even have a shot at winning, but Meek insists he has no plans to abandon the race.

Meek campaign spokesman Adam Sharon responded to Kennedy's endorsement by saying Meek has fought to invest in renewable energy and ban offshore drilling.

Kennedy, president of an environmental advocacy organization, called Rubio a ``crackpot.''

Rubio campaign spokesman Alex Burgos said the attacks prove Crist has broken his promise to end partisan bickering and return civility to Washington. Crist bolted the GOP to run as an independent when it became clear he could not beat Rubio in! a prima ry.

Diners grew emotional Wednesday as Kennedy spoke of his father's 1968 assassination and the train ride he took as a 14-year-old to accompany the body - a story that resonated in an area full of retirees and party faithful.

Bob Weiner, a 40-year-old small business owner eating at the diner, said he will likely vote for Crist now.

Kennedy ``is one of the few politicians I actually trust,'' he said. ``The fact that a Democrat was willing to cross a line, it's impressive.''

Associated Press Writers Jennifer Kay and Travis Reed contributed from Miami.

Peter Facinelli Shows Behind-The-Scenes ‘Eclipse’ Footage On ‘Jimmy Kimmel’Poll: Marco Rubio maintains big lead in U.S. Senate race

Sink keeps running mate Rod Smith in the background

TAMPA -- Democratic candidate for governor Alex Sink didn't have to look far to find a credible bulldog to raise sharp questions about Republican Rick Scott's extensive legal and business baggage. Her running mate, Rod Smith, was a longtime prosecutor who knows how to play rough in politics.

But Sink, who on Monday unveiled a two-minute ad attacking Scott's business record, has kept Smith in the background. The low profile for Smith, a charismatic speaker and former leader in the state Senate, has been noted by Democratic activists across the state. Sink hasn't even added his name to campaign signs or stickers, an apparent cost-savings measure as they face a candidate who already has spent about $55 million.

``Anyone notice that Lt. Governor candidate Rod Smith has disappeared off the radar?'' Michael Hussey of Tampa's Pushing Rope blog tweeted over the weekend. Miami Democratic consultant Derek Newton joked that Smith must be in the witness protection program. ``I was just thinking about that the other day. I haven't seen any sign of him here or heard anything,'' he said.

While Republican lieutenant governor candidate Jennifer Carroll is appearing before the cameras in major cities, Smith is more likely to show up in weekly newspapers published in north Florida communities that often favor Republicans -- rural counties such as Levy, Gilchrist, Okeechobee and Dixie.

``I can tell you I am very busy,'' Smith, the former Gainesville area prosecutor, said in a phone interview Monday. ``We are doing what Democrats haven't done so much in recent years -- and that's campaign everywhere in Florida. I feel very good about how we're doing in some of these areas Democrats don't always do well.''

After a combative Univisión debate between Scott and Sink in Miami on Friday, Carroll walked into the spin room with former Gov. Jeb Bush to tout her partner's performance to reporters. Smith was busy campaigning 400 miles away at the Brown Lantern restaurant in Live Oak.

STRENGTH IN N. FLORIDA

Smith, 60, offers a number of advantages as a running mate, including his strength in north Florida, his money-raising connections and his long-standing ties to law enforcement. He's happy to challenge Scott's record and character, he said, but said it's more effective to have ads featuring prosecutors and officers saying Scott can't be trusted.

On Monday, Sink showed off a two-minute documentary-style TV ad that will debut Wednesday during the 6 p.m. newscasts on Tampa Bay area stations.

``Multimillionaire Rick Scott's massive hospital chain was built on cutting corners and outright fraud,'' says a narrator, referring to the $1.7 billion in fines Scott's former company, Columbia/HCA, paid for Medicare fraud.

It's unclear where else or how often the spot might run, or whether it was aimed mostly at generating free publicity.

``It takes more than a 30-second ad to detail my opponent's long record of unethical business practices and even fraud investigations and criminal investigations. . . . This is tough, but it's tough because it's full of facts. It's nothing more than a summary of my opponent's background,'' Sink said in Tampa, joined by two retired Tampa police officers active with the Police Benevolent Association that supports Sink.

SCOTT RESPONSE

Scott responded with his own law enforcement news conference in Orlando. Standing in front of a ``Law Enforcement Trusts Rick Scott'' banner, he announced the endorsements of 11 sheriffs including Jim Coats of Pinellas County and Bob White of Pasco County.

``The first and best economic development dollar spent is safe communities, safe schools and safe streets. And if we don't have that, it's very difficult for our state to prosper. So we're standing with Rick Scott today,'' White said.

Smith, who was state attorney in the Gainesville area and ran for governor in 2006, said Sink has been receptive to his ideas and that they will make a good team in Tallahassee. Given all the controversy in Scott's background, he said the only reason the race is close is because Scott is spending so much money.

Said Smith, quoting a friend: ``Somebody who spends $60 million for a $185,000 job is not going ti fix the economy.''

Times researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Adam C. Smith can be reached at asmith@sptimes.com.

Ridley Scott Plans User-Generated YouTube DocumentarySink, Scott escalate attacks