Florida Dem leaders bar Russell from party events, call him a "threat", tell him not to run again.

[madfloridian]

Let's be very clear about what Alison Morano is saying here. She is saying they plan to make District 5 against Ginny Brown Waite a well known race next year. She is saying the party will pick who runs, that John Russell is not to run again. Who gave her this power? Here are her words from October 18.

Let's be clear about what Mark Bubriski says as posted farther below. They are trying to harm the reputation of a candidate.

Alison Morano, chairwoman of the Pasco Democratic Executive Committee, said the five-member board decided to bar Russell from the event. He has been "disruptive" at previous fundraisers, she said, and senior party officials were "extremely concerned" that he was planning to harass guests at the gathering.

"This wasn't about politics," Morano said. "It was about personality."

Some top Pasco party officials said they weren't aware of the action taken against Russell.

"Regardless of any craziness that any one of us may have - by virtue of the fact that we are passionate - I've never heard anyone say, 'You're not allowed," said Alice Delgardo, a longtime party official and chairwoman of the West Pasco Democratic Club.

Dark Horse Raises Fist At Democrats

In 2006: "Two years later, Russell emerged from the primary to challenge Ginny Brown-Waite. His campaign was labeled as long-shot and received no money from the state party."

Morano said more. Read her words carefully. They tell you how things work here, that primaries challengers will be ignored, that the party leaders decide.

Morano said local and state party officials are setting their sights on 2008 when, besides the presidency, Ginny Brown-Waite's seat is up for election.

And Pasco is expected to be a major battleground for the party, Morano said. "We're focusing on candidates who can win elections," she said.

Russell isn't one of those candidates: "He's run and lost enough times," Morano said.

So, question is, will Russell run for Congress again?

"I haven't made that decision yet," he said. "But I haven't ruled it out."

I have been utterly amazed at how this unfolded. I have been amazed how they managed to get John Russell, who was a delegate to the convention according to paperwork, kicked out of the convention hall and banned for life from Disney. Alison Morano was one who greeted him along with the former pro-wrestler.

What about the guy who called John Russell a "physical threat"? His name is Mark Bubriski. He is the spokesperson for the Democrat Party of Florida. He is the one who declared in March 0f 2006 that Florida Democrats were all for the early primary.

Florida Democrats are all for it

"Florida Democrats are all for it," Mark Bubriski, spokesman for the Florida Democratic Party, said at the time. (The time was March 2006)

Then these same leaders went to the DNC and tried to pretend they were victims.

Other things said by Mark Bubriski should be alarming. They are alarming to me. His remarks declare a man who got 109,000 votes in 06 with no party help, no party funding as a threat. He is no doctor, he is speaking out of turn.

Maybe next when they figure who I am, they will also declare me a threat. Who the hell knows what they will do anymore.

As state party spokesman Mark Bubriski explains: "Yeah, he is not allowed at the events because he's proven to be a disturbance. He worries us when we have to deal with him." Bubriski goes as far as to say Russell is a "physical threat to the safety of others."

That is unbelievable for a state party spokesman to say such a thing. He owes John Russell an apology.

Kerfuffle earns man Disney ban,Democrat John Russell is banned for life.

I watched thr whole 27 minute video at the convention. There was not a thing there to get him banned from anything.

Told not to run again by a county chairwoman, told he would be evicted from a county fundraiser by that county chairwoman, banned from the state convention by a former wrestler, and the county chairwoman in view, banned from Disney for life...for what?

Here are John's words in response in the Kerfuffle article:

"I'm not crazy. I'm just crazy about my country, and that's why I ask questions," Russell said.

Well, call me crazy than as well. I think it may happen soon to me also.

Our state party is going to financially harm the national party deliberately and on purpose. Our state party leaders are telling people who can run and who can't run.

State spokesmen masquerading as psychologists are calling former candidates "threats." That is a very dangerous thing for party leaders to do.

109,000 people in that district disagreed, and voted for John Russell.

[Richard Steele]

1. K&R

[madfloridian]

2. I find it alarming that he was banned from convention and Disney...

I watched the video again of the confrontation. It is 27 minutes long. It was obvious the state party was banning him just like they did from the county fundraiser. Banned from Disney...I have no idea why.

I guess I am alarmed that none of the party leaders finds it alarming. It seems natural to them to declare a candidate to have problems, to ban him, to declare the party will pick the candidate.

It just seems so natural to them. Now that alarms me.

Here is the video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-547222172065922876

[nickgutierrez]

3. Just what is their plan?

I mean, what do the Florida Democrats hope to accomplish by taking on the DNC?

I've read this post, and the other one you posted earlier today about the state party, and I see a lot of troublemaking with very little apparent intended effect. I just don't see where they're headed...

[madfloridian]

4. Well...good question.

It is giving Bill Nelson loads of attention and his name in the news a hell of a lot more.

There are many reasons, and the best way is to think who benefits and who does not.

[Dr.Phool]

14. Rumor has it......If you liked Joe Lieberman in 2000, You're gonna love Bill Nelson in 2008!

I've gotten several calls about this, from pretty reliable sources. I guess the only way to verify it, is to waterboard Bill Nelson for a while.Other than that, it's just gossip.

People have been telling me that it's a done deal. If Hillary wins the nomination, Nelson has the VP slot.:puke: :puke: :puke:

[flyarm]

8. destroying the DNC and stealing fla for Hillary! thats what! eom

[LiberalFighter]

5. If they say Russell can't win then why aren't his primary opponents beating him?

If his primary opponents can't beat him in the primary then how have the opponents proven that they are capable of running a campaign that will beat the Republican in the General election?

[Dr.Phool]

6. I feel qualified to weigh in on this one.

Let me start with a few disclaimers. John Russell is a close personal friend of mine, and I was his deputy campaign manager in 2006. I wrote all of his speeches, prepped him for debates, etc. As for Alice Delgardo, mentioned in one of the articles, I was her campaign treasurer in her 2004 run for Supt. of Schools. She is also a good friend, and an honorable person. I was a candidate for Congress myself in 2004, and have worked extensively on other campaigns, and with DFA, PDA, and probably a dozen DEC's in this part of the state.

I was also a member of the Pasco County DEC until I resigned recently over Democrats voting for continued funding of the war. I was John Kerry's Pasco County spokesperson in 2004, and I worked many events for Kerry that year, and John Russell joined us after he finished 2nd in the 2004 congressional primary.

The FDP, and several DEC's (Pasco and Hernando counties in particular) are waging an organized smear campaign against John. They're saying that he's really a repuke, because in 2000 he engaged in "crossover voting" when he changed his registration to vote against the chimp in the primary. He actually went to work for Al Gore the same day. He has never voted for a repuke.

As far as being disruptive, the only thing I've ever seen, is when John called out several members of the Pasco DEC, including, at the time, the State Committeeman for donating money to the Republican running in the Supt. of Schools race against Alice Delgardo. In 2006, the Pasco DEC was also quietly supporting a Republican in the non-partisan school board race.

A year before the elections, Karen Thurman was pushing certain candidates to support. I was at a fundraiser in Hernando County, where she spoke, and she was really pushing Jim Davis for Governor, Christine Jennings, and Rick Penberthy (our primary opponent, and the DCCC pick) for congress. I talked to her on the side, and asked her about this, as I knew Jan Schneider was running again (she walloped Jennings in the 2004 primary), and John Russell and Rod Smith were already announced. She just mumbled some bullshit, and walked away.

Things got stranger a few weeks later. We had a good seasoned campaign team on our side. The 5th District covers 8 counties. We were in contact with, and had good relations and promises of support from all the DEC's. Then all of a sudden, in about a 2 week period, they all became noticeably hostile towards us. I talked with a FDP insider, and was told, that a meeting was held, and in our district, everyone had to support Jim Davis and Rick Penberthy. Period. One county Vice-Chair, got booted for not going along with the program. All funding was dried up. After we won a 3-way primary by 10 points, you would have expected some support from the FDP. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. People told us that the DCCC and the FDP told them not to donate to us (a familiar pattern around the state). The Pasco DEC conveniently "forgot" (Alison Morano's words) to form a Federal PAC, to be able to donate money to us. Out of 8 county DEC's, we got money from ONE, and they caught hell for it.

As the general election approached, we only had enough money for a few radio ads and robo-calls. John Edwards was willing to do a recording for us, but he had to have guidance from the DCCC. They wouldn't give the OK. Max Cleland agreed to do a recording, but the request had to come through the State Party Chair. After promising to do so, and dragging her feet for a month, Karen Thurman finally made the call on the Friday before the election. Debbie Wasserman-Shultz, Rahm Emanuel's deputy, did everything short of an outright endorsement of Ginny Brown-Waite (R-5), praising her spine of steel in the newspapers.

Needless to say, John was a little pissed off at Karen Thurman, and he videotaped an interview with her after it was disclosed that she had a lobbyist job, with the former chair of the Florida Republican Party, and Greenberg-Taurig (Jack Abramoff's old outfit). In the interview, he happened to ask her about all the thousands of dollars the FDP managed to pump into her sons statehouse campaign. She denied it, and John pulled out the campaign finance reports and embarrassed the fuck out of her. He then posted the tape on YouTube and sent it all around the state. Since then, he's been barred from any event that Thurman attends.

Which brings up another little aside. The point of Alison Morano telling John that he can't run again. Besides the fact that she has no authority over that, is another story. John called Alison a few weeks ago, and asked if he could have a few minutes to speak at the "Unity Dinner". She asked what he wanted to say, and he replied that he may have an announcement to make. She said "WHAT!??, you can't run again! You have to give someone else a chance!" But, it get's funnier than that. Two years ago, when she was plotting a coup to oust Lavaunne Miller as DEC chair, she was seeking advice and support from another good friend of mine, and he told me back then, that she has her eye on that 5th Congressional seat for herself. So, it's no wonder that she has her head buried so far up Karen Thurman's ass.

I was in South Carolina on Saturday, when John called to tell me he lasted about 5 minutes at the convention. Karen Thurman had put the word out to throw him out on sight. Never mind that he was a delegate, just hadn't purchased his credentials yet. They said it was too late to purchase them, but Samm Simpson and Lauren Hallahan managed to purchase theirs 4 hours later. No reflection on them, that's just how it happened.

There's a lawsuit cooking. When they get the security camera tapes from Disney, they'll show John being assaulted by a former pro wrestler, standing with his back to the door, talking amiably, and being thrown out by the "big tent" party.




And people question why I won't work with these motherfuckers any more.

[madfloridian]

7. Oh, geez. That is horrible.

Signing off tonight, but will comment more tomorrow. I will say he was screwed by the party here in a very underhanded way, but I had not heard some of that.

Hang in there. I know you are going through a lot in back and forth to SC, and hope you are holding on ok. Take care of yourself at this stressful time.

[Dr.Phool]

9. Let's just say, I can name all the names

And I know where the bodies are buried.

[flyarm]

10. hey Doc..one of the people you mentioned called me saturday Night and told me what happened..

what a disgrace this is..

i can assure everyone here John Russell is a wonderful man..he worked very hard for the Kerry Campaign..in 2004 ..i know he worked with me whenever i needed his help ..and i am not in John's county! He was always willing to drive a distance to help us out ..for any request we had!

But please people see what the big picture is..this did not just happen to John , we in other counties in Fla had the same crap pulled on our great dem candidates!..they got no money and no support from the DEC DNC or the FDP..if they were not DLC picks!

This was planned and organized.

Doc ..please send my regards to John..and tell him i am stunned by the bullshit they are pulling on him! I am proud to call John friend!!!

fly

[Dr.Phool]

11. I'll be talking to him tomorrow.

I'll tell him you said "Hi".

BTW, Jim Clarke, our general campaign manager, and myself are looking at buying a pizza joint in Tampa. You gotta come in and try it!

[flyarm]

13. ummmm ..when i get down there ..i will gladly!!..miss you guys!!

doing a bit of traveling..so won't get home there till after new year..but will then be settling in!!

Hubby and i will come and join you in your new digs!!

Congrats Doc!! and good luck!!

fly

[JAbuchan08]

16. You should crosspost this as a diary or as its own thread

it is very interesting

[madfloridian]

17. Yes, he really should post it separately.

. It's alarming.

[1monster]

18. So, has the Democratic Party in those and other counties been infiltrated and taken over

by the Republican Party?

[Dr.Phool]

21. I wouldn't go that far.

But, you can't tell that much of a difference.

[Sam Ervin jret]

26. Make sure the Courts make THE Money do The talking and get all you can. It seems to be

THE only thing POWER of any size or party understands.

[McCamy Taylor]

12. Florida is a dirty state. I never visit there if I can help it.

[blackspade]

15. Great Odin's ghost!

And I thought Kentucky's politics were dirty!
Wow, we are amateurs compared to these guys!

[Colobo]

19. I'm live here in Pasco and I don't expect

Ginny to lose anytime soon.

[madfloridian]

20. Especially with Dems like Wasserman Schultz praising her...

and not her opponent. :shrug:

"“The bottom line is that the voters, whether they’re in the most liberal or conservative or moderate districts, they like their elected officials to have the backbone of steel that Ginny Brown-Waite has,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a liberal Democrat from Broward County who has worked with, and against, her since their days in the Florida Legislature.

“When constituents know they are represented by someone who is willing to vote her conscience and do the right thing and is independent and not a rubber-stamp, that’s going to be tough to beat.”

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/27/Tampabay/Brown_Waite_s_no_one_.shtml

Looks like the Pasco Chair is in charge and leading the way to find just the perfect candidate to beat Ginny. That is if the other Democrats quit praising her during campaign season.

I remember her wanting to bring the WWII soldiers' bodies back from France.

I guess Debbie WS forgot that.

[Colobo]

23. Debbie ain't no liberal.

[boofdah]

22. John Russell

Please be warned that John Russell has caused many in the Hillsborough and Pasco Democratic Party organizations grief by stirring up negative attention and sowing discord among Party members. He has also verbally threatened and harrassed several members of the Democratic Party orgs., up to and including Karen Thurman. These attacks were not warranted, and were more or less histrionic attempts to be self-promotional rather than to help advance the Democratic mission and values at large.

I'm in the Hillsborough County Democratic Party org., and I believe our attention is best spent fighting Republicans, not each other. John Russell does more harm than good when he distracts us from our mutual goal in electing Democrats to local, state, and federal offices.

[madfloridian]

24. Yes, let's fight the Republicans. I agree. Let's not ban candidates...

from fundraisers and conventions.

Your opinion of John Russell is not the issue here. Who gets to decide who is acceptable and who is "crazy" and who is a "threat" IS the issue.

The party should not be doing these things. I have seen way too many candidates get "taken out" by their own because they were not far enough to the "right" to get the votes of Republicans.

It is seldom in Florida's party that anyone thinks about the people of the party.

Nelson and his buds took it over as a attack vehicle to go after the DNC and give Nelson a world of attention.

The Florida party is going out its way to make a candidate look bad who got 109,000 votes in a Republican district. There is so much wrong with that.

And BTW the values of which you speak are not served by a party that uses its bloggers to spin about the DNC and about the role they played in moving the primary.

This is so little about John Russell, and so very much about what a state party that is more about doing what is convenient.

Do not talk to me about the Democratic values until the party quits passing out "Screw Howard Dean" buttons at the convention, until they quit sending out emails saying not to donate to the DNC, and until they tell the whole truth about their role in the early primary fiasco.

I don't listen to the let's play nice stuff anymore. We are in Iraq because of it, we are going to let Bush attack Iran because of it, we are going to let him appoint an AG who said Bush could hold anyone as long as they wanted for no reason.

Baloney.

[madfloridian]

25. Oh, BTW who gets to decide "Democratic mission and values "

Maybe if they listened to people first.

And perhaps posting something about a person on a forum should be done with great care....don't you think?

[provis99]

27. Florida? That's in the Third World, isn't it?

The Democratic Party of Florida sure acts like a phony front for a tinhorn Central American dictatorship.