Max Linn is a tall, perpetually smiling self-made millionaire who runs his Reform Party candidacy for governor out of a lime-green building in St. Petersburg, the thousands of square feet inside approximating the look and feel of a medium-sized insurance firm. He's fed up with politics as usual.

Max Linsky is shorter, with a scruffy beard and a much smaller, less businesslike office. Creative Loafing's former Urban Explorer (in Tampa) and current editor (in Sarasota), Linsky is fed up with the Boston Red Sox's collapse, as usual.

The two men share most of a name and — the vast majority of political analysts would agree — the same chance of becoming Florida's next governor: zero. Most polls haven't even included Linn, and those that do put him at less than 2 percent of the vote. He's mostly mentioned as a possible spoiler, at best, in the race between Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis.

But after meeting with Linn last week to discuss his campaign, I realized we have a unique chance at CL to contrast Linn's views with Linsky's:

Illegal immigration

Linn: Made cracking down on illegal immigration one of the centerpieces of his campaign. He chose as his lieutenant governor running mate Tom Macklin, who made national headlines when he tried to crack down on illegals as mayor of Avon Park.

"The stealth financial bomb is immigration. The Republicans won't address it because their supporters (big business) make money from illegals as cheap labor," Linn said. "The Democrats won't address it because they want cheap votes. It is bankrupting our nation. (Illegal immigrants) need to be taken out of the prison system and put into Mexico's prison system."

Linsky: "That trench idea in Baghdad seemed like a good one."

Education

Linn: Would get rid of the FCAT test and the teaching-to-the-test curriculum that has come to dominate Florida's public schools. He would also set a minimum salary for Florida's teachers at $50,000 a year with incentives that would pay more.

Linsky: Would set the minimum teacher's salary at $100,000, $25,000 of which would be earmarked for teachers' significant others (Linsky's girlfriend is a teacher). He would also allow student-loan relief for recent graduates from public universities who taught at Florida's lowest performing schools.

The current state of politics

Linn: "People are fed up with politicians in both parties. Charlie Crist represents big government and big taxing. The Democrats are the modern Socialist Party. They haven't had a new idea in 40 years. We need to shake up Tallahassee."

Linsky: "We've got a president who can't admit mistakes, a presidential hopeful who just found out he's Jewish and is publicly embarrassed about it, and Katherine Harris just won a primary. No wonder The Daily Show is the best news on TV."

Charlie Crist's sexuality

Linn: Maintains that Crist confided his homosexuality to Linn at a Leadership Florida function years ago. (Crist and his campaign have denied both that claim and rumors of Crist being gay.) Linn said he supports the GLBT community (he is for civil unions and gay adoptions), but that Crist's secret could lead to extortion in Tallahassee. Linn cites the example of New Jersey's formerly closeted gay governor, Jim McGreevey.

Linsky: Has horrible gaydar; he was even, somehow, shocked by the whole McGreevey thing. After that and Lance Bass — really? — Linsky has decided to steer clear of innuendo for political purposes.

Term limits

Linn: Broke onto the Florida political scene by first helping pass term limits and then defending them when the Legislature tried to extend terms to 12 years instead of eight. But even he acknowledges that they haven't had the effect of infusing new blood into government, as many lawmakers now simply jump from the House to the Senate to get around their eight-year limits. Linn as governor would counter that by getting laws to force "eight and out," requiring term-limited politicians to sit out for three years between running for different offices.

Linsky: Has never held a job for more than 18 months.

His chances of winning

Linn: "We're getting so much momentum every day, I find it hard to believe we won't win." Linn traveled the state in 2005 to fight against lengthening term limits and said he "realized there was a huge ill wind that was blowing" among Florida's voters about their government.

Linsky: "Two words: Ru-dy. Ru-dy. Ru-DY. RUDY! RUDY!"

This article appears in Oct 4-10, 2006.