Will George W. Bush win Florida? - GREAT piece on why some here are wrong

[Bombtrack]

about the notion that Florida is any REDDER than in was in 2000, or that Graham is a worse vp choice than anyone else. Don't listen to the media whores, Ohio is not the Florida of 2004, Florida is the Florida of 2004, except the Nader voters, the purged minorities, and the jews for Buchanon are back, bigger, and ABB - - - - - - -
--------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/democrat/news/opinion/8088116.htm

Will George W. Bush win Florida?

He has plenty of reasons to worry about November

By Mark Logan

MY VIEW


President Bush made his 19th visit to Florida at the Daytona 500, sporting his best "Bubba attire." Not wanting to leave out the wine and cheese set, the president later stopped by one of the state's ritziest restaurants - Bern's Steak House in Tampa. If Bush keeps up this pace, you can expect to see him soon walking down Florida's beaches every weekend in presidential surf shorts offering tanning butter for votes.

Why all this interest in Florida? The president's own political czar, Karl Rove, had already declared Florida "Ground Zero" in 2004. The president's baby brother, Jeb, was re-elected to an unprecedented second term as a Republican governor and now leads his party and the state with an iron fist.

The Bush Brothers Inc. also regularly harvest millions of dollars from Florida's wealthy. Every time President Bush visits the sunshine state, he not only takes back a tan and, no doubt, some Indian River grapefruit, but also a couple million bucks. They even have names for the guys who raise a hundred grand (Pioneers) or two hundred (Rangers). Florida is swarming with these guys.

Why the concern about Ground Zero?

One simple reason: If W doesn't win Florida, he doesn't win the election. If the Democratic nominee wins Florida, the Democrats win the presidency. There are at least six reasons Rove is legitimately worried about Florida: polarized voters, veterans, jobs, the deficit, Hispanics, and the Graham factor. . . .