Alex Penelas ((((Backstabbing Coward!!}}}}}}}}}}

[trumad]

I'm a Miami Native folks so don't try to out Miami me on this one. I remember the actions of Mr. Penelas during the Elian fiasco and during the Gore election. To save his sorry ass he literally threw Gore under the bus down in Miami. He's a fucking Coward!

This piece below captures the coward perfectly!

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/jim_defede/6291255.htm?ERIGHTS=2205283618386912064miami::[e-mail]&KRD_RM=3pjmlsmkqrkrsnjjjjjjjjkjsj|b|Y

[madfloridian]

1. This is powerful. This statement:

"Gore paused for a moment.

''I don't have any comment on that,'' he said. ``I would just prefer not to comment on it.''

But then he quickly added: ``I don't rule out commenting on it at a later time, but I don't care to comment on it right now.''

And to make sure I heard him, he said it again: ``I don't rule out commenting on it at some point in the future.''

Well, that ought to give Penelas a few sleepless nights. Gore is holding the proverbial sword over Penelas' head, allowing the mayor to squirm, and letting him know that some day soon he might talk candidly about his old friend."END SNIP

[Cheswick2.0]

2. Wow, this is a really hard hit at Penelas

Good.

[whistle]

3. Right and the article points out that 900,000 African americans...

...voted in the 2000 election, 93% for Al Gore. That was up from 500,000 four years earlier in the presidential election. I did not see where it mentions that over 100,000 black voters were not allowed to vote because of the Katherine Harris/Jeb Bush voter registration purges that took place during the months preceding the 2000 election. The Florida legislature is busy doing that again.

[trumad]

4. Here's more on the Political Opportunist....

Alex Penelas has begun airing television commercials touting his commitment to the environment, particularly the Everglades. ''Florida's environment is key to our quality of life and to our economy,'' Penelas says in the new ad. ``In the Senate, I'll fight to ban off-shore drilling in Florida, to protect the Everglades, our coastline, our air and water and the workers who rely on those natural resources.''

Penelas' words quickly drew derision from environmentalists. ''He has no shame,'' screamed Barbara Lange, an environmental activist. ``How can he say that? What did he ever do for the environment? I can think of plenty of things he did or tried to do that would have hurt the environment. Like how about Homestead Air Force Base? He stood up in favor of an airport between two national parks. How bad can you get?''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/jim_defede/8513063.htm

[JohnLocke]

5. So who do YOU support?

[trumad]

6. I'll support the nominee and if it's Pinellas I'll vote for him

But I won't vote for him to be the nominee.... Ya see...I stick with my friends and I consider Al Gore a longtime friend even though we've never met. That's what loyalists do...we watch each others backs...Unlike Alex who only watches out for his.....

[JohnLocke]

7. So Deutsch?

[trumad]

8. I haven't decided...

and one more thing... I see you working John and I respect your passion to win.... AND I may...er I May get over my dislike for Alex and end up supporting him,,,,, but that don't mean that I forgive the guy for his behavior in 2000. I'm only chiming into this frey because I've read other posters dissing Gore and they have no fucking clue what they are talking about.... Of course they are the usual suspects when it comes to anything Al Gore.

[JohnLocke]

11. I respect Al Gore, Tru, but he's wrong on this one.

1. Supported Iraq War.
2. Enthusiastic Death Penalty Proponent.
3. "Obnoxious, abrasive and aloof"
..... "He can be a vile human being," said a Democrat in Congress.
..... "Several of his congressional colleagues from Florida had surprisingly harsh things to say about Deutsch during recent interviews in Washington. None would allow his name to be used. After all, Deutsch could win and they would have to deal with him as one of Florida's two senators." {I wouldn’t be too worried. If the Repubs put up Martinez, it’s all over}.
4. Continually attacks Penelas in Bizarre, Irrational Manner
..... "Deutsch's tougher side showed up early in the campaign. In August, a full year before voters were to go to the polls, Deutsch went on the attack, accusing Penelas of "criminal activity" in raising money for his campaign." {This from the guy who is the leader in taking donations from outside Florida}.
..... "When Penelas said it was untrue, Deutsch called him a 'pathological liar.' Then Deustch filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission urging it to investigate Penelas. That complaint is under review."
5. Supports Republican Agenda
..... "Voted for welfare reform, saying, 'People respond to incentives. No one wants to be on the public dole.' And he voted in favor of a ban on burning American flags."
..... "'The flag is a symbol and there are certain limits to free speech,' Deutsch says. 'It is not just a piece of cloth. When coffins come back from Iraq, they are covered with an American flag, not just some piece of paper or cloth. You can protest without destroying the flag.'"
=========
Source: The Palm Beach Post

[Bombtrack]

19. Well before you decide whether or not to support him, maybe you should

get your facts straight about what he did do in 2000 because you and other people have been repeating alot of falsehoods

[Cheswick2.0]

27. and you have provided not one shread of evidence as to what happened

I'll take Al Gore's word for it, thank you very much.

[Bombtrack]

36. I posted a link in the other thread about this PROVING that he went

on the TRADE MISSION in MID OCTOBER, not during or after the recount as you FALSELY stated.

[liberalpragmatist]

9. Gore called him "treacherous" the other day

The issue is now causing a war in Florida dems over Penelas' candidacy.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/politics/8861772.htm

Supporters of Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas roared to his defense Sunday after former Vice President Al Gore called him ''the single most treacherous and dishonest person I dealt with'' during the contested 2000 presidential campaign.

The most powerful comeback came from Florida's top Democrat, U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, whose seat Penelas is seeking.

''People in Florida who know Alex Penelas know he is a quality person and has been a Democrat under difficult circumstances,'' Graham said in a telephone interview with The Herald that was facilitated by the Penelas campaign. ``It is not easy in Miami-Dade County to be a vocal Democrat as a Cuban American.

[trumad]

10. Bob Graham my former Senator from Miami Lakes is wrong

It may not be easy to be a Dem in Miami but at least show some political conviction.... Telling Clinton and Reno to fuck off during Elian and then turning away from Gore at a critical moment in the election was cowardly.... all for the sake of his political career!!!...

So now us Dems are supposed to embrace this guy like he's A OK? OK..sure, whatever...

italics mine

[madfloridian]

12. I seldom find myself siding with Trumad, but I am now.

Graham did not make an effort to help in 2000 either. I remember calling and asking him and other party leaders to help. For the good of the country...they said....be nice.

Sorry, but that is how it went down.

This time Graham is just plain taking the wrong side.

[Cheswick2.0]

29. Graham had his own political aggenda in 2000

and it certainly wasn't helping the people of Florida get their votes counted. I remember he made one statement and then shut right up. I wonder who bought him off and at what price.

[Bombtrack]

15. What is so hard about getting the fact through your head that Penelas

didn't abandon Gore. First of all, after Penelas ENDORSED Gore, he got the cold shoulder and mixed signals from the Gore campaign of when and how to help him on the campaign trail, because Gore's handlers were aprehensive/cautious(hay that ring a bell?) about reminding people about their spat over Elian.

Second of all he went on a long scheduled TRADE MISSION, BEFORE, not after as you people have repeatedly said, the election.

[Cheswick2.0]

30. prove it

you keep making that same argument...prove it.

[Cheswick2.0]

28. Bob Graham is and always has been Repug lite

He only voted against the IWR because it didn't go far enough. I think he would have been happy to nuke Iraq.

[JohnLocke]

37. Do you even live here?

Graham is a Florida institution. He's one of the best men in the congress.

[Bombtrack]

13. Defede is a distorter of the highest caliber.The guy disides who he want's

to demonize and he stays on the smear train. Penelas told my college class that he refused a 2 page profile/interview sit down with him during his first campaign, so he holds a grudge, you can believe him or not, but just look at Defede's history. The people he doesn't like never get one sentance of reporting that isn't negative, and quite often he uses lies by omition of facts.

[TSIAS]

14. I've heard that Penelas does have a nemesis in the press

I talked to a neutral observer a few months back. He said that there was one journalist in Miami-Dade that was responsible for 90 % of the negative press. Is this that guy?

[Bombtrack]

16. Absolutely, The Penelas demonizers get 99 percent of their ammo

from Defede's columns and from blowhard Deutsch of course.

[trumad]

22. Horseshit...

I get 99 percent of my info researching all that is Miami politics. Alex ran and hid from Gore at the end...Period!

[JohnLocke]

18. Yep, that's him (nt).

[deminflorida]

17. Let's not get wrapped around the wheel hub about Gore....

Intelligent thinking people know that his only chance of survival in Politics is for Bush to win in 2004 and what better way to do that than somehow cause Florida to lean slightly toward the GOP. Hence his stirring the shit-pot in Florida with the Cubans...

Turn his ass off just like you would Fox News.....

Do something else too Mr. Gore, lets face it....it wasn't because you didn't win your own state that lost the election for you, it was because you were too stupid to insist on a state-wide recount of Florida.

You screwed things up down here in 2000, so I guess your now an expert on screwing them up again for us in 2004. Only this time your working for the other side in order to save your political hide.

Get Lost and go back to Tennessee.

[last_texas_dem]

20. Huh?

1. Sorry I'm just not "intelligent" and "thinking" enough to know this, but how in the world is Al Gore's political life over if Shrub doesn't win in '04?

2. It seems quite a stretch to imply that Gore is trying to tilt FL to the 'pugs just to allow Shrub to win. Not only because it implies "stupid" Al has that much sway, but also because if the Kerry campaign is counting on FL to carry the day for them they're displaying a good deal of short-sightedness themselves. I don't think any Dem should count on carrying FL as long as Jeb and his Repug "mafia" are running the state.

3. Please explain how Gore could have effectively caused a statewide recount of FL to take place, and how this would have ensured he would be sitting in the Oval Office today.

4. Comparing the rightfully elected President of the US, Al Gore, to the right-wing trash Faux News Channel is just flat-out wrong...

[deminflorida]

21. O.K. here's 1, 2, 3, and 4.....

1. If Kerry wins....that's it Gore will never be President.
2. Florida has 27 electoral votes, please note that there are more registered democrats in Florida than Republicans. Also note that the entire world will be watching the election process this time and it will mighty hard for Jeb to cheat...the Cuban vote IS important and they are currently becoming disenchanted with the Bush administration.
3. Gore only asked that recounts be conducted for Florida counties he believed should have voted democratic in 2000, vice a state wide recount. Hey that's history, period.
4. Yes the treacherous way that Gore is currently trashing Panellas and trying to affect the Cuban vote down here is a tactic comparable to Faux News...

Hope that answers all of your concerns....by the way "last_texas_dem" did Delay and the Boys chase you out of your state again, so now your stirring the shit-pot in Florida too?

Trust me we're not as stupid down here as old Al would like you to believe...

[trumad]

23. OK...Answer me this Alex lovers....

It's October, just days away from the Election, and Alex leaves Florida and misses an importnat Gore Campaign event in Miami. Are you folks telling me that a 12 day trade event in late October was more important than the election?

Ya see, this is where I depart with you Alex lovers... You can't be honest about this part of Alex. You simply can't concede that Alex DID run away from Gore at the end just to save his political ass. I keep hearing excuses from you guys why he took off and they're all bullshit... Oh...the Trade Conference was long planned.. That's a big bunch of Bullshit. Who fucking planned it at such a critical juncture? The guy vanished!

And what about Elian... What about Alex telling the US Gov to go fuck themselves? You except that? And most recently he kissed the Ass of Spains Royal family when he trashed the Transportaion workers who were only doing their jobs. What's wrong Alex, the rule of U.S Law to much for you.

BTW: Isn't anyone concerned that this guy could be a Zell Miller Democrat... It sure looks to me that when the right-wing Cubans tell Alex to jump, he asks "How High". AND I'm all for opening up relations with Cuba... Do you think it would be easier with Alex involved... Me no think so...

[last_texas_dem]

38. Response

1. I don't believe Kerry winning would mean Gore could never be President. After all, Richard Nixon came back and won eight years later, Reagan ran for the nomination a couple times unsuccessfully before getting it and won later, etc. Perhaps less likely but not out of the question for Gore.

2. I've heard before that FL has more registered Dems than 'pugs, but the same is also true of states like OK and LA (by much larger margins, I believe) and I don't think Kerry has either of them in the bag. Sure, Kerry should campaign heavily in FL, it has a lot of electoral votes, etc.- I just don't think he should count on it as the one to "save" him; just taking into account the corrupt stuff that occurred in 2000, and didn't seem to be exactly fixed by the time of the midterms.

3. I believe the argument Gore used was based upon which counties had the most irregularities in the process, not simply based upon the way he thought they should have voted. Sure, it might have been a more effective argument to ask for a statewide recount, but at the time that route seemed more implausible than just getting the recount in a few counties. Just look at all the shit that went down (the Miami "riots" and whatnot) trying to get the counts to occur in the three requested counties. And anyway, the FL Supreme Court ruled (I believe rightfully so) in favor of a statewide recount, but the Felonious Five axed that option to install the boy-king.

4. Sorry, I don't see it.

Re: getting chased out of the state, that was the only real option, and thus the most effective one despite it not killing the gerrymandering in the end, the TX Dems had to fight Delay and the boys. I feel they did the best they could have done, and just might have succeeded had it not been for state Senator John Whitmire giving the Repugs the vote they needed. Backstabbing Dems can be a pain in the ass...

[NewYorkerfromMass]

25. It was indeed stupid not to insist on a state-wide recount.

Fatal error. He would have won.

[trumad]

26. You folks have to take into consideration the Florida Repuke Legislature

They were a major player in the fiasco and they would have done everything in their power to make sure the recount wasn't going to effect the outcome.

[Cheswick2.0]

32. the law didn't allow for him to do that

only if bush had agreed, which he did not when Gore asked could a state wide recount have happened.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

34. I forget the exact process re: "challenge" vs. "recount" phases

As I recall, the legal overview after the fact was that as a challenger you wanted to move quickly in to the recount. Something caused the recount (the way Gore wanted to do it) to get delayed. That's what it all came down to: how much time was left to do the recount as finally mandated by the FSSC. The USSC said no more time was left.
The critical thing was to get to the recount which included statewide consideration of ALL undervotes.

[Name removed]

31. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[deminflorida]

35. Really...

"Florida Supreme Court recount ruling

On December 12, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Florida Supreme Court ruling ordering a full statewide hand recount of all undervotes not yet tallied. The U.S. Supreme Court action effectively ratified Florida election officials' determination that Bush won by a few hundred votes out of more than 6 million cast."

"Gore's four-county strategy

Suppose that Gore got what he originally wanted -- a hand recount in heavily Democratic Broward, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Volusia counties. The study indicates that Gore would have picked up some additional support but still would have lost the election -- by a 225-vote margin statewide."

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/florida.ballots/stories/main.html

[dusty64]

24. I do not know a lot

about this but am willing to back my President on this one. Gore is not one to bash someone without reason, unfortunately it looks like once again the party is not going to back him. Is it any wonder the coup was able to happen.

[Cheswick2.0]

33. and that is the main reason bush is president

because the democratic party was too busy telling Gore to give up and making deals with the pugs over committe positions to give a shit about our vote.