Florida Latin Connection

(Photo Credit: AP)

Josh Romney
Campaigning with my brothers in NH today. Great crowd at the Windham Junction Restaurant. #mitt2012

Michelle Branch
@dusteallen it’s my understanding that Ron Paul is not a homophobe but more importantly, I certainly am not.

Shannon Travis
Bachmann just said she will soon be going pheasant hunting with Rep. Steve King. Her fave gun: AR 15. says she’s a good shot

Perez Hilton
Can’t @oprah run for President? She would have my vote!!! #Winfrey2012

Wolf Blitzer
Full disclosure: When I was on @MittRomney bus yesterday in #Iowa Ann Romney gave me a small homemade Welsh cake. Delicious!  (PoliticoStaff).  

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Comments (0) Dec 30 2011

News Service of Florida: U.S. Rep. Connie Mack hasa strong lead on his competitors for the GOP nomination to take on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, according to a new poll by TelOpinionResearch.

The survey of 780 Republican voters, conducted from Dec. 15-19, showsMack — the son of a former senator and grandson of a famous baseballmanager — carrying 39 percent of the vote, far outpacing the rest of thefield.

Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, tea-party favorite Mike McCalister andformer state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner all trailed insingle-digits. Former steakhouse executive Craig Miller, who was notincluded in the poll, has long been stuck in single-digits in otherpolls.

“Mack owns this at the moment, and it is his to lose,” said Bill Lee, aRepublican pollster who co-founded TelOpinion and polled contestedprimary states for U.S. Sen. John McCain’s presidential bid in 2008.Lee’s firm is not working for any of the candidates or so-called SuperPACs this cycle. … Read more

(StPetersbrugTimes/ Smith)   FloridaLatinConnection.org/ Varona 

Comments (0) Dec 30 2011

Jim Messina President Obama’s re-election chief, shares 5 of 40 paths to victory in this video. Florida, with 29 of 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House, plays a key role.  “We can’t just have a Florida strategy but Florida is the easiest way to 270 electoral votes. We have a big operation on the ground in Florida. We are working hard to carry Florida,” he says. Messina says he wants to put as many of the campaign’s map scenarios in play. And the campaign wants to register more voters — even in Republican-red Arizona. “The good news is we have a lot of options,” he says. But it takes money — just not the sum Republicans say Obama plans to raise. “People have speculated this is a billion dollar campaign. That’s bullsh*t,” he says, the swear bleeped out.

(Herald/NakedPolitics) Florida Latin Connection.org / Varona

Comments (0) Dec 29 2011

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As we tweak our playlists from holiday-themed to New Year’s Eve-friendly, POLITICO asked three senators about the tunes they rock out or unwind to. The genres of choice? Jazz, soul and a little Barbra, too. 

Sen. Barbara Boxer

“You’d see a lot of jazz and Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand. Also classical. You would not see hip-hop or rap.”

Any Lady Gaga tunes?

“No. I shouldn’t say that, but no.”

Sen. Barbara Mikulski

“Cocktail soul!”

Sen. Claire McCaskill

“Everything from Johnny Cash to Itzhak Perlman and a lot of Motown. When I’m in a bad mood, there’s nothing like The Temptations to make me smile.”

(Politico/Tanabe)

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Comments (0) Dec 29 2011

(Photo Credit: AP)

2011 proved that careers can be made or ruined in 140 characters or fewer. Or, as former congressman Anthony Weiner knows, sometimes all it takes is a misdirected twit pic. From the death of Osama bin Laden to the first tweet to use the #occupywallstreet hashtag, here are POLITICO’s picks for the top 10 tweets of the year.

Keith Urbahn

“So I’m told by a reputable person they have killed Osama Bin Laden. Hot damn.”

Hot damn was putting it lightly. Urbahn, chief of staff to Donald Rumsfeld, was the very first to break the news on Twitter that Osama bin Laden had been killed. Zillions of retweets followed.

Anthony Weiner

“Tivo shot. FB hacked. Is my blender gonna attack me next? #TheToasterIsVeryLoyal.”

First came the lewd Twitter pic, then the denial, the jokes and — 20 days after the infamous photo went public — Weiner announced his decision to resign.

Malik Al-Abdeh

“First to tweet this from on-ground sources and I can confirm: #GADDAFI IS DEAD. He was shot dead by#FF in #Tripoli. #Libya”

Journalist Malik Al-Abdeh was indeed the first person from the scene in Libya to confirm Muammar Qadhafi’s death on Twitter.

Sen. Claire McCaskill

“I’m tired of looking and feeling fat. Maybe talking about it publicly will keep me on track as I try to be more disciplined. Off to the gym.”

She may have felt fat when she tweeted her frustration back in May, but she doesn’t any more. The senator from Missouri lost 50 pounds with the help of Twitter, portion control, walking two miles on her treadmill every day and a personal trainer.

White House

“@wiggsd Sorry to hear that. Fiscal policy is important, but can be dry sometimes. Here’ssomething more fun: #WHChat”

When Twitter user David Wiggs tweeted, “This WH correspondence briefing isn’t nearly as entertaining as yesterday’s,” the White House responded by “Rickrolling” Wiggs and the rest of its followers. Everyone who clicked on the link ended up watching a music video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin

“Marriage equality…. vote yes” – Alec Baldwin

“Alec! Now we can get married!” – Steve Martin

“Ok. But if you play that effing banjo after eleven o’clock….” – Alec Baldwin

Buddies in life and on Twitter, actors Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin celebrated the legalization of gay marriage in New York with a mock-proposal playing off their bromance.  (Politico/Tanabe)

Florida Latin Connection.org/ Varona 

Comments (0) Dec 29 2011

Iowa Republicans are just days away from kicking off the presidential nominating contest, and Republicans ought to hope the primary ends sooner rather than later.

The GOP’s ultimate goal, of course, is to make Barack Obama a one-term president, but as 2011 draws to a close there are signs the volatile primary has done more to damage the party for the general election than help it.

The year has been defined largely by the lack of enthusiasm most Republicans have for frontrunner Mitt Romney and serious shortcomings in other leading candidates to replace the president. Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich have all surged to the top only to be dragged down by doubts about their fitness for the nomination.

“At least we’ll know who we’re electing. It’s good to get everything on the table. I truly believe the man that will be left standing at the end will be the best,” said Rose Rauschkolb, a Republican activist and retired real estate broker in Miramar…. … Read More     (St.PetersburgTimes/Smith)

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Comments (0) Dec 29 2011

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To most, Callista Gingrich’s children’s book character, Ellis the elephant, probably looks like a fluffy little American flag-waving cartoon animal. But to Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, he is much more.

In September, he called the arrival of Callista’s children’s book, “Sweet Land of Liberty,” “One of the most exciting events this fall.” But that praise has nothing on his recent comments in aNew York Times magazine piece posted online on Wednesday. Gingrich said that the furry star of Callista’s book “saved” him during the summer months when he lost the majority of his senior campaign staff. 

From the Times:

“The months of June and July were the hardest in my career,” he told me. “You had people you thought you knew and you liked, at places like Fox News, asserting enthusiastically that you were dead. Not sadly — enthusiastically, happily.” He sipped his coffee but looked as if it tasted bitter. “One of the things that actually saved us,” Gingrich told me, “in addition to Callista’s stubbornness, was Ellis the elephant.”

I checked to make sure I heard this right. Ellis the elephant is the main character in Callista’s new children’s book, “Sweet Land of Liberty,” a New York Times best seller. In what way had a fictional elephant salvaged his presidential campaign?

“Happy, positive,” Gingrich replied, searching for the right words. “Interesting. Creative. It gave you an oasis psychologically. Literally, Ellis was sort of a ray of light.” (Politico/Tanaba/AtlanticWire)

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Comments (0) Dec 29 2011

‘I hope the Speaker understands that was humor,’ Romney said. | AP Photos

Comments (0) Dec 28 2011

Floyd Mayweather
Me, Jerry Jones and President Bush in Jerry’s suite

Sen. John McCain
Hiking the Bright Angel trail at the Grand Canyon, a truly magnificent experience – a bit slipperyin the snow

Michael Steele
“@LeighannLord: 70% of us drink orange juice daily. The other 30% have the good sense to add vodka.” Call me Mr. 30% with a twist.

The White House
Photo of the Day: While visiting military families during Xmas dinner @MCBHawaii, #cutebaby grabs the President’s face

Savannah Guthrie
Thanks for all the wonderful bday wishes. I guess forty is the new forty. (PoliticoStaff)

FloridaLatinConnection.org/ Varona 

Comments (0) Dec 28 2011

The New York Times determined that the freshman class in the U.S. House has missed the fewest votes since electronic record keeping began in 1990, and Florida Rep. Sandy Adams was among six members not missing a single vote.

Adams, R-Orlando, defeated one-term Democrat Suzanne Kosmas and has gained a reputation as a hard-working and knowledgeable conservative. She’s the only Floridian on the list of representatives not missing a single vote this year. (St.PetersburgTimes/Leary)

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Comments (0) Dec 28 2011