KATHERINE HARRIS HAS A NEW EXCUSE FOR WHY HER CAMPAIGN IS A DISASTER: "THE BELWAY BOYS" WON'T SUPPORT ME BECAUSE I CAN'T BE CONTROLLED

Despite Adam's lovely artwork, I don't want to get into another discussion of Katherine Harris' seriously deteriorating mental health, although almost nothing about her catastrophic campaign isn't impacted by it. Yesterday's SUN-SENTINEL, the media folks who have covered her the most, have presented her latest excuse for why the campaign has spiraled so dismally down the drain: "The Beltway Boys Won't Support Me Because I Can't be Controlled."

Contributors aren't contributing and Florida Republican Party stalwarts are keeping their distance-- like fleeing town when she threatens to visit-- but she thinks it's all about her "independent streak." (Harris' abysmal congressional voting record clearly shows a rubber-stamp Republican who votes with the party whips almost always. If she ever gets independent at all, it's when the far right maniacs who control the House GOP caucus aren't extreme enough for her. She is tied for the absolutely worst congressperson in the United States on lavishing excessive tax breaks on corporations, on tax breaks for oil and gas companies, on tax breaks for religionist schools, on tax breaks for the wealthy at the expense of the middle class, on bank foreclosure legislation, on funding for federal housing programs, on every single item involving aid to poor people, the chronically ill, America's children, the disabled, poor women, veterans, senior citizens, as well as on the environmental disaster of brownfield sites, women's choice [of course], every issue involving fair, impartial and equitable justice, and all issues involving labor unions and working people. She gets a zero on all these issues-- the GOP Stepford Congressperson sign of perfection.)

"Perhaps in some elite circles, the reason I have not gotten more support...is because they don't believe I can be controlled," she groused, somewhat irrationally. Bizarrely casting herself into the role of populist, the spoiled, uber-elitist multimillionairess told stunned listeners that she won't "be beholden to no one but the people, not the party elite, not the press and certainly not even doing what's popular. I'm going to be doing what's right."

She made no mention of the frequent staff turnovers her campaign has been suffering and didn't comment on the illegal contributions she has taken from Mitchell Wade, the Republican defense contractor whose testimony helped send her pal Randy "Duke" Cunningham to the fate that awaits her: federal prison. Nope, she blame sit all on "the Beltway boys." So who are they?

Well, apparently Governor Jeb Bush, who has been majorly unsupportive of her bid for higher office. ("He had a friend that he wanted to run," she claimed, again, bizarrely.)

I don't know if this is bathos or pathos but she was expressin' some deep shit when she started babbling to the rapidly departing crowd that "I realize that I'm a caricature to some degree. But I would never sacrifice my integrity...I simply obeyed the law." The poor thing seems to have a persecution complex, a nice fit with her delusional nature.


6PM UPDATE: NY TIMES REPORTS THAT HARRIS HAS BECOME A GOP PARIAH

Actually it won't hit the paper 'til tomorrow, but RAW STORY has gotten its hands on an advance copy and Harris is back on page 1 (just like the good 'ole days when she worked so hard to steal the Florida electoral votes for Bush). "Harris is the former Florida secretary of state who is best-- or worst-- remembered for her role during the state's election recount of 2000. The incumbent Democrat, Bill Nelson, leads Harris by upwards of 30 points in recent polls. In her insistence on running anyway, Harris has become something of a pariah among many of the people whose power she indirectly helped ensure six years ago." I guess we'll read all the juicy details tomorrow here.