A Tale of Two AGs -- Pam Bondi vs. Dan Gelber.

Happy Monday, kids!

Did you watch a bunch of show business kids making movies of themselves, you know they don't give a....

Oh well, you know the rest.

(Lost Wages)

Remember the last election?

As they say, these things have consequences.

That's why at the same time Miami Beach mensch Dan Gelber is helping foreclosure lawyer Marc Ben-Ezra "provide support with quality control and to help evaluate policies and procedures," whatever that means, the actual AG, Pam Bondi, is doing something really important -- stopping felons from ever voting again:

Attorney General Pam Bondi says it is too easy for felons to regain their civil rights in Florida and wants new restrictions, including a waiting period of up to five years before they can seek clemency.

“I don’t believe that any felon should have an automatic restoration of rights,” said Bondi, a former Tampa prosecutor elected in November. “I believe you should have to ask, and there should be an appropriate waiting period.” (ed. note -- right after the next election!)


Bondi’s proposal, set to be formally discussed at a March 9 Cabinet meeting, would reverse a major change that took place in April 2007 at the urging of former Gov. Charlie Crist, who said the civil rights restoration process in Florida was too cumbersome and cruel to many ex-offenders.

Crist’s changes streamlined the restoration process to allow tens of thousands of felons to regain their right to vote, sit on a jury and obtain various state licenses without having to undergo a lengthy review and hearing process.

 See what happens when people vote (except released felons)?

While the poor people sleepin'
With the shade on the light
While the poor people sleepin'
All the stars come out at night

Dan Gelber Won the AG Election?

Well, according to Palm Beach County, he did:

Dan Gelber may not have won the race to become Florida's Attorney General, but Palm Beach County's official Guide to Services says he did.

The 88-page book, which includes names and phone numbers for county and state offices, lists Gelber as the state's attorney general, even though Pam Bondi defeated the former democratic state senator in November.

"We have apologized," said Lisa De La Rionda, the county's public affairs director. "We recognize our mistake."

The county printed 35,000 copies of the services guide. About 13,000 have been distributed since it was printed last year, county officials said.

Although the name is wrong, the guide lists the correct phone number for the attorney general's office in Tallahassee.

So at least the guide has that going for it.

BTW, this thing costs the county $27k to produce.

Simple question -- why?

Why spend that much money (and get it wrong) when the entire enterprise has been superseded by a Google search?

As they say....follow the money.

Oh well, enjoy the commercials and intermittent violent ground acquisition, kids!

Trust Me, Dan Gelber Likes Jews!

It seems every lawyer I know has been sending me emails about this scurrilous attack by Karl Rove and Citizen United's unholy love child, the "Committee for Florida's Education Inc.," that alleges Dan Gelber -- a mensch by any measure and I can vouch for this personally -- is somehow anti-Semitic.

It's too bad Dan is a down-ticket candidate in an election where a bunch of yahoos are apparently going to get elected, but this latest attack is just simply beyond the pale.

Here's an excerpt from the attachment to the email making the rounds among lawyers on Dan's behalf:

If  this “Committee” were truly interested in providing access to Jewish education for needy children, they could have accomplished that with all the money it is spending to finance these defamatory pieces.  But, of course, the purpose of these flyers is not to ensure “access to Jewish education for needy children.”   They were bought with undisclosed, anonymous money in an effort to get Senator Gelber’s opponent, Pamela Bondi elected. 

Not true, Ms. Bondi?  Then renounce these despicable practices immediately.  The Attorney General is supposed to do justice.  To allow such lies to stand unchallenged while you reap their political benefit without absorbing their taint is unworthy of a person who would presume to lead our state’s highest law enforcement office.  Your deafening silence on this issue speaks poorly for your sense of justice and your candidacy.

The more worrisome issue is what do these big money GOP guys have in mind with Ms. Bondi?

We may have the unfortunate honor in this election cycle of catapulting two Palinesqe rock stars into national orbit.

But that's why we love our silly State!