Either Bill McCollum doesnt know a principle from a prawn or hes as slippery as a Mississippi swamp.
Either way, this is one scary goober.
I cant make up my mind. Does McCollum the Republican candidate for governor truly believe that YOU need to be conservative and he doesnt a kind of royal privilege? Or is McCollum the disingenuous career politician playing a jolly game of stand-still-suckers-and-let-me-pick-your-pocket?
McCollum continues to make dour-faced speeches advising the people of Florida to exercise fiscal restraint, while explaining that the best thing for Florida is to let him feed at the public trough.
In a recent Tampa Bay-area TV interview, McCollum said this:
Theres going to be a $6 billion shortfall or more with the oil spill in state government alone.
I want to ask everybody to pull in that belt. School boards, local governments
Take some taxpayer-matching funds? Yes I am, because Ive got an opponent now whos a multi, multimillionaire. Hes spending unlimited wealth and Im going to have maybe $6 or $7 million to spend.
Have a look at the video on this page. This is classic, career-politician hypocrisy.
Surprisingly, Everett Wilkinson, a tea party leader, remains a McCollum loyalist. "Rick Scott really impressed me Tuesday night," he said. "But it's all about the money for me. I don't think a candidate should be able to buy an office. Besides, McCollum is the only candidate who agreed to hold an open debate with the tea party. Scott wouldn't do it."
What did Wilkinson, a devoted opponent of all expenditures wasteful, think of McCollum's willingness to take as much as $6 million of taxpayers' money at a time when 2.3 million Floridians are out of work? "I guess I need to be paying closer attention," he said.
Nothing has been quite so conspicuous in the weeks since fellow-Republican Rick Scott pulled ahead of McCollum in the governors-race polls than McCollums ruthlessness-over-substance ad campaign. Out it came. A storm of ads one after another attacking Scott for the "fraud" at Hospital Corporation of America while he was CEO. All negative, all the time.
McCollum blew through the millions of dollars the Republican Party of Florida poured into his campaign in the Jim Greer days (no wonder Attorney General McCollum was slow to prosecute party boss Greer); and, let's not forget, blew through the money from countless GOP leadership fund-raisers. The Republican establishment didnt mind. The old-guard wanted still wants to keep itself in power.
Trouble is, McCollum budgeted money that wasnt there counting on Scott to outspend him, counting on money guaranteed from Floridas public campaign finance law. Another career-politician blunder. What he didnt count on was Scott challenging the law in U.S. District Court. And even though Judge Robert Hinkle denied Scotts challenge, the case will surely be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Scott, a businessman, lives on the outside of the Capitol clique. He has his own money, wants to spend it on his campaign and claims it keeps him free of conflicts of interest. McCollum can make no such conflict-free claim.
Scott has spent $21 million today and could spend another $13 million. McCollums camp reckons that will entitle its candidate to $6 million in public money.
Perhaps McCollum subscribes to the motto, do what I say, not what I do.
Perhaps this is what the people of Florida can expect if Bill McCollum becomes their governor.
Perhaps the people should put their pockets under lock and key.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com, or at (850) 727-0859.
