Florida Abandons McCain GOP Ship

There is in fact a high price to pay for over the top negative campaigning and in the case of the Presidency of the United States it is 27 Electoral College votes in Florida. Late reports are that even Governor Charlie Crist, once a contender as John McCain’s Vice President has to distance himself from the McCain campaign. Governor Crist does not have a choice if he wants to continue his political career in the State of Florida.

Losing the State Governors full political support is a direct link to losing the state even though the state of Florida has voted Republican since the election of JFK some forty plus years ago. Governor Crist is concerned about the economy in Florida and he should be, that is what the people of the state elected him for. Over at the Miami Herald they have this to say on it…

Florida Republicans cast blame as McCain trails in polls

John McCain's plunging poll numbers in Florida have top Republicans second-guessing and starting to distance themselves from the campaign.
BY MARY ELLEN KLAS AND MARC CAPUTO

For the first time in more than a decade, Florida Republicans are considering the almost unthinkable: Their presidential nominee could lose the state.

The economy, an unpopular president, a strong opponent, and the inability of John McCain to reverse poll numbers despite repeatedly revising his strategy has top state Republicans looking for someone to blame.

''There are a lot of folks who have never been in a foxhole before and are clearly nervous,'' said Brian Ballard, a major McCain fundraiser. ``There is some finger-pointing going on a little bit too soon.''

Even Gov. Charlie Crist, who helped deliver Florida for McCain during the primary, said he will spend the final weeks before Election Day minding the state's weak economy rather than campaigning for the Arizona senator.

''When I have time to help, I'll try to do that,'' Crist said last week, after he flew around the state with McCain running mate Sarah Palin. Saturday, he skipped a McCain football rally and instead went to Disney World.

Once considered a potential running mate, Crist had pledged to do all he could for McCain and spent several days this summer campaigning for the Republican nominee in and outside Florida. He faults the tough economic times for McCain's difficult time in Florida, where he trails rival Barack Obama by about 5 percentage points in the polls.

SNIP and Tan

Crist has stressed the need to focus on the economy and, close allies say, has grown troubled with the negative direction of the McCain campaign as it focuses more on Obama's connections to 1960s radical William Ayers, rather than on pocketbook issues.

''Everybody runs their campaign the way they think is the best to run it,'' Crist said last week. Asked about the Ayers attack, the governor raised his eyebrows and said: ``It is what it is.'' - Miami Herald

You have to agree with Charlie Crist when it comes to voting your pocketbook! One of the largest industries in Florida is tourism and all of the money flowing into the state treasury from people visiting Florida and paying the sales tax on all the goods they carry back home. When the economy tanks in the rest of the nation, peoples first reaction is not “Let’s go to Disney World”. Expensive vacations are the first items chopped out of family budgets when times get hard.

Even Bill Gates of Microsoft and Fortune 500 Magazine fame has to make some cutbacks in the family budget after being kicked off the top of the list of billionaires in the world. He’s had to cut back so much that he just might have to retract his bid to buy Iceland that declared bankruptcy this past week. MS Word on the street is that his Island Buyer Realtor had it on the Multiple Listing Service and Bill was in the market for an island retreat for his family. Over at Reuters they have Bill’s dirty laundry airing…

The magazine took another look at the fortunes of some of the billionaires on its Forbes 400 list to assess the effect of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Depression and released a select list naming some of those hit hard.

But while 17 billionaires on Forbes list lost more than $1 billion in the past month, Buffett managed to boost his wealth by $8 billion to $58 billion, pushing him ahead of Gates, whose fortune fell to $55.5 billion from $57 billion.

Gates had been ranked No. 1 on the Forbes 400 list for the past 15 years with his Microsoft fortune. - Reuters

Getting back to my rant, it is one thing when a multi billionaire loses a couple of billion in wealth, Bill has another $55 billion towards his retirement. Recent losses in the stock market are destroying many middle and lower class voters retirement portfolio’s. Questions at the kitchen table now revolve around the oldest of us “Baby Boomers” having to work a couple of more years to recoup the losses. We can’t retire at 62, not even 65, 68 is close but 70 is probably the new target date to retire.

Gates can afford to lose a couple of billion and still pay cash for Iceland if he wanted too. Middle and lower class voters have to rethink retirement when they lose 18% of their investments in one weeks time.

Make no mistake about it, this election will be about the economy and that finger points to John McCain’s new best friend George W. Bush. Florida relies heavily on retirees spending their golden years and retirement funds in all of the counties across the state. Charlie Crist is right to distance himself from the McCain campaign.

Papamoka