Good morning everyone.
Exactly five months from tonight, the Republican Vice Presidential nominee will be giving his or her nominating speech at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Most Republicans, especially in Florida, seem to salivate at the prospect of that speech be given by one Marco Rubio. Whether that happens or not, Rubio decided to join his mentor Jeb Bush in bowing to the inevitable and endorsed Mitt Romney yesterday.
At that convention there will be protestors, and yesterday Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn unveiled his new ordinance to deal with those demonstrators, including rules for those who want to get a permit to protest or march through downtown. Of course the question about how close they can actually get to the Times Forum remains a mystery until the Secret Service announces that this summer.
Former Tampa City Council member and Hillsborough County Commissioner Tom Scott brings some strong name recognition to the Democratic race for Supervisor of Elections in Hillsborough. Scott would like to succeed Earl Lennard in office. Lennard isn't running for re-election, but his chief-of-staff, Craig Latimer, is running for the Democratic nomination against Scott.
And remember when conservatives accused some liberals of being guilty of Bush Derangement Syndrome? The Trayvon Martin case seems to be bringing more of the crazy of some conservatives now when it comes to Barack Obama.
And by the way, Obama now leads Mitt Romney in Florida, if that matters to you in a poll seven months before the general election.
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 4, 2012.