Another sheriffs lunch, another political veteran complaining about his wealthy outsider rival
by George Bennett | July 27th, 2010FORT LAUDERDALE — For the second day in a row, members of the Florida Sheriffs Association spent part of their lunch listening to a veteran elected official complain about the wealthy outsider who has surged against him in a statewide primary.
On Monday it was Attorney General Bill McCollum, who has gone from party establishment favorite to underdog in the GOP governor’s primary against multimillionaire Rick Scott.
McCollum described his race as one in which “the other guy’s spending all these millions of dollars” and blasted Scott’s leadership of Columbia/HCA, which paid $1.7 billion in fines for Medicare fraud.
Today it was U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, whose easy path to the Democratic Senate nomination has been complicated by Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene.
“I think this race that I’m facing right now, as relates to this primary, running against a billionaire who just got here a few minutes ago and his depiction of who he is and who I am is going to be a real test for Floridians,” Meek said of Greene, who became a Florida resident in 2008.
Both McCollum and Meek assailed their rivals’ lack of experience.
McCollum on Monday on Scott: “I don’t think he knows that much about state government and he shows that in his policies that clearly somebody wrote and he paid them a lot of money to write.”
Meek today on Greene: “Do you want somebody who’s just going to come and have no perspective…Or are you going to have someone who has walked the walk, someone that you know, someone that you understand and someone who can stand up and speak without talking points?”
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July 27th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Their lack of experience as a politician is a big plus for this upcoming election as far as I’m concerened…
July 27th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Bunch of babies. I’m so sick of people complaining about “other peoples” money. Stop crying and get for yourself. Bunch of complaining children. I want everyone to make as much money as they can
July 27th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Not the billionaire Greene. He ran as a Republican in CA, LOST, then moved to FL and is running as democrat. Greene donations $3000, Greene spent $5.6 million of his OWN MONEY. Do you want a carpetbagging billionaire moving to gain political power.
The average,little guy will NEVER win political seats if BILLIONAIRES continue to buy their way to power.
July 27th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Rather have a billionaire, rather have just about anyone, except Meek
July 27th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
An angry black guy against a rich jewish guy? No thanks, I’ll just skip this election
July 28th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Nothing ironic about a millionaire complaining about a billionaire. In both cases (McCollum & Meek), these guys have had ample opportunity to perform within our state system. Their performance is indicative of their place in the polls against two outsiders. Incumbents, stop complaining about the $$$ and focus on defending your track record. Like how Meek missed a vote yesterday on the Afghanistan-Iraq funding bill and he wants to be our US Senator? Or how McCollum hired a gay minister as an expert witness against same sex adoptions, even against the advice of his own counsel.
Its an uphill climb, gentlemen.