Race For The Open Attorney General Seat In Florida-- Gelber Vs Rubio?

With far right extremist Marco Rubio about to pull the plug on his Senate campaign-- unable to hold up against pressure from the hysterical GOP establishment in Tallahassee and, worse, in DC-- it looks like the Florida Attorney General contest will be a real classic: a Rush Limbaugh dittohead against Dan Gelber, one of the most respected, energetic and intelligent men in Florida's often seamy political landscape. First Dan has to get by a more corporate-oriented Democrat in the primary, Dave Aronberg. As Gary Fineout points out at The Fine Print, it's exceptionally easy to compare the voting records of Aronberg and Gelber-- a system that will also apply to Rubio when he jumps in. Of the three Gelber has a consistent record of supporting ordinary Florida working families and consumers. Aronberg and Rubio often sided with Big Business against working families and consumers.

HB 1171, the insurance deregulation bill or "consumer choice bill" that would allow well-capitalized companies such as State Farm to bypass state rate regulation. Now sitting on the desk of Gov. Charlie Crist, who has hinted he plans to veto the measure.
Aronberg: Yes - Gelber: No

HB 1495, the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund and Citizens bill which allows Citizens to raise rates and requires private insurance carriers to pay into a cash build up fund to boost the size of the Cat Fund, the state-created reinsurance fund. Crist signed this bill into law.
Aronberg: Yes - Gelber: No

SB 360, the controversial growth management bill that was roundly criticized by environmental groups but still signed into law by Crist.
Aronberg: Yes - Gelber: No

SB 1122, the measure that requires insurers to pay directly to doctors even if the doctor is not in the insurer network. This bill was a top priority for the Florida Medical Association yet opposed by some consumer groups, Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and the state's insurance consumer advocate.
Aronberg: Yes - Gelber: Yes

SB 1696, Higher education. This legislation made several changes to Florida's higher education system, including revising the state's Bright Futures scholarship program (forcing students to refund money they received for a dropped course), cracking down on students who don't graduate quick enough or students who try to establish residency to avoid higher tuition costs, and raising the amount that universities can increase out-of-state or graduate tuition.
Aronberg: Yes - Gelber: No

But it's another side of Dan Gelber that made me decide to write about him today. I ran across a post on his blog, one that shows the human side of a guy who I've already learned can always be depended on to stand on the right side of issues politically. Thus might be even more important in some ways:

TRAVIS IS GETTING MARRIED

by Dan Gelber

I became Travis’ big brother when he was just 6 years old. He was a cute kid who lived with his Aunt who was and continues to be a terrific influence in his life. I had already been in the Big Brothers program for a few years in Miami and in Boston (during college). Matches usually last 2-3 years as someone often moves away, or grows up. I expected a couple year run with Travis. Tomorrow, 20 years later, I’ll stand next to Travis as his Best Man in his wedding. He stood next to me at my wedding 12 years ago, and for all the years in between-- through thick and thin-- we’ve been a part of each other’s lives.

When I met him I drove a 66 Mustang Convertible (Wimbledon white). I was single with a healthy head of hair. Travis was really tiny, and pretty-much only liked Miami football and music. We would see each other every weekend for movies, sports, or just hanging out. Sometimes, we went to a book fair or a concert. What is so great about being a Big Brother (or any mentor) is that the things you regularly do that may have no particular significance become more important and more gratifying because you’re sharing your world with someone else. You see the world through someone else’s eyes.

Once when I was a federal prosecutor trying a civil rights case I brought Travis to sit through closing arguments. It was a criminal case where a racist had tried to keep a black woman from moving into his Broward County neighborhood through physical threats. He sat through the hours of argument perfectly behaved (imagine an 8 year old sitting still for 2 hours). When the verdict came back “guilty” he rushed into the well of the court and started hugging me (actually he hugged my leg given his height). I asked him what it meant to him and he said: “It means me or anyone can live anywhere we want to.” I had prosecuted hundreds of cases before and since-- and many were much bigger or seemingly more important-- but none had the poignancy of that verdict.

So now, 20 years later Travis is getting married. He has a family, and is at Miami-Dade College so he can better make his way in a tough economy, and I couldn’t be more proud. Wilsa-- like any good spouse-- has brought out a part of him that I knew existed but needed to be inspired. He is embracing responsibility, serious about his future, and wants to be a Big Brother himself. Boy, do I feel old and happy.

UPDATE: Will Sink And Gelber Lead Democrats To Victory In 2010?

That's a tall order but Adam Smith's political report in today St Petersburg Times augers ill for Republicans:

• 1,740 people contributed to the Florida Democratic Party in the three months that ended June 30, compared to 224 to the Florida GOP. It's the first time since 1996 that Democrats outraised Republicans in that fundraising period.

• The latest voter registration statistics show that Democrats accounted for 39 percent of the new voter registrations in Florida since the last election, while Republicans accounted for 25 percent.

• Mini rebellions against the state Republican leadership are popping up in local parties across the state. For months, vocal party activists have bashed state Republican Party chairman Jim Greer over spending, over his effort to muscle Marco Rubio out of the Republican Senate primary, and for allegedly "purging" conservative activists and Ron Paul acolytes from local parties. A "Recall Jim Greer" group recently formed on Facebook.