Notes For Monday, October 21, 2002

Joe Conason tells us "who, besides the candidate, is responsible for the missteps that are allowing McBride to catch Bush in Florida?" 8:02 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

Tyler Bridges: McBride bristles at a Bush ad as he campaigns in Broward.
7:58 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

Did They Watch The Same Debate? "McBride has acute grasp of issues", according to a Daytona Beach News-Journal headline. As usual, McBride comes off best in a small group setting (say, in speaking to an editorial board). 5:13 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

More Newspaper Endorsements: As reported in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the Vero Beach Press has endorsed John Ellis Bush, and the Tribune of Fort Pierce has endorsed McBride; the Fort Pierce endorsement is significant because it is the leading paper in St Lucie County, which was described today in the Miami Herald as a bellwether which "year after year, election after election, governor after governor, president after president, . . . [has] proven itself a winner." McBride has a clear lead in the endorsement race thus far, with three majors endorsing him (the St Petersburg Times, Tallahassee Democrat, and The Daytona-Beach News-Journal), as well as his childhood home town local paper, the Leesburg Daily Commercial and now the Fort Pierce Tribune. Bush, by contrast, has endorsements from two small newspapers, the Stuart News and the Vero Beach Press Journal. Bush can probably expect the Florida Times Union (Jax), the Miami Herald, the Pensacola News Journal and other, smaller, papers; the Palm Beach post may be leaning toward McBride. The remainder (particularly the Tampa Tribune, the Orlando Sentinel and the Sun Sentinel are toss ups).

4:56 PM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

About Bush's Income Tax Threat: We will be closely monitoring the media's reaction (or non-reaction) to the propriety of Bush's recent advertisements wherein he suggests, to put it mildly, that McBride will create an income tax. Putting aside the absurdity of the claim - both politically and mechanically (there would have to be a referendum and change to the State constitution) - it will be interesting to see if Bush pays any price in the media for such a misleading claim. 8:53 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

Newspapers Begin To Weigh In: McBride was endorsed this weekend by the first three major newspapers to endorse thus far: the St. Petersburg Times, the Tallahassee Democrat and The Daytona Beach News-Journal. McBride earlier received the endorsement of The Daily Commercial of Leesburg, his native city. Bush received the endorsement of the Stuart News.
8:49 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]