The Way I See ItBy cj pollickBrrrr - When the temperatures drop to the low 30's in south Florida, you know it is mighty cold anywhere north of the Florida state line. However, don't tell that to the many beach visitors who are, yes, swimming in our local Gulf of Mexico waters and working on a January suntan. The past week has been a busy one along Clearwater Beach due to the Outback Bowl in Tampa and, as expected, what did you hear from visitors driving on Clearwater Beach? Where should I park? Parking remains an issue on Clearwater Beach even though this issue was discussed by previous city commissioners beginning with Karen Seel (who wanted more parking developed on Clearwater Beach before the Memorial Causeway Bridge was opened.) Rita Garvey Vs. Frank Hibbard - Voters in Clearwater will soon decide whether they believe a change in city leadership is necessary. There is only one city commission race and it is for the mayor's office. Incumbent Frank Hibbard is being opposed by former mayor Rita Garvey. Although the race for Clearwater's top office should be without mudslinging, it is likely to be only a matter of time before some people engage in such "gutter-level" tactics. Let's hope the city race centers around issues. Does Clearwater need new leadership or not? Is Clearwater headed in the right direction or the wrong direction? Which candidate offers the best ideas for a better Clearwater? Rita Garvey or Frank Hibbard? Voters in Clearwater will soon decide. Homeland Security - Since the attacks on 9/11 homeland security has been a top priority with our federal government and President Bush. Even though many Americans do not support the manner in which the war in Iraq had been handled, the same group of Americans perhaps support the President in the manner in which he and his administrative staff have handled homeland security. Yes, the US government has stopped terrorist's plans to attack America and kill innocent Americans. Yes, we are safer today than before 9/11. And yes, the terrorists still plan to bomb America. With so many negative articles and negative televised commentary about the war in Iraq, perhaps we should offer some credit to the President for our homeland security. Will the New York press offer any form of credit to the President for our national security? No. They only have an agenda to discredit the President and his staff. What does politics have to do with national security? Nothing. Our national security should have no political ramifications; of course, you might not observe that fact when reading liberals papers. Does Iowa Or New Hampshire Matter? - In the big picture, does it really matter which political candidates win support in Iowa or New Hampshire? When you think about major electoral states such as Florida, New York, California and Texas, you can't help but wonder why so much campaign attention is placed in the villages of New Hampshire or the small towns in Iowa. You might think that campaigning in Florida is more important than ... some other places. At least that is what candidate Rudy Giulianni is doing. Guilianni has spent more time campaigning in Florida than other candidates. Why? He thinks winning in Florida is important. On the other hand, candidate John Edwards has spent much of his campaign time in Iowa. Edwards is counting on Iowa to help propel his political campaign in New Hampshire. Same for Mitt Romney. How important is Florida? Time will tell, but The Way I See It, I'd sure like to have the support of Florida voters instead of New Hampshire or Vermont. Thanks FAU - Kudos to Florida Atlantic University (FAU) for beating Memphis and helping the State of Florida to proudly proclaim at least one college football bowl winner. Who would have thought that Florida Gators would have lost to Michigan? (Where was the Gator defense?) USF learned that it too needed a better defense -- same for UCF and an inspired and undermanned FSU. Of course, USC soundly defeated Illinois in the Rose Bowl and Georgia showed an undefeated Hawaii why they should avoid SEC teams. The Outback Bowl in Tampa had one of the better bowl games: Tennessee vs. Wisconsin. A close football game right down to the end for the happy volunteers. And, how about West Virginia spanking Oklahoma! If the Ohio State vs. LSU game is sloppy, look for some college football writers voting for USC as post-season number one. Ugly Side Of Politics - Not many people are so perfect that they would open their life for public inspection and criticism. Imagine the frustration of people who enter politics as candidates and become "fair game" to anyone and everyone in the business of writing articles for newspapers and television! Welcome to the world of Democrat candidate Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mike Huckabee. "Yes, I inhaled," answered Obama to a prying reporter asking if he had ever used drugs. Of course, he did not try to cover-up his past drug experience like candidate Bill Clinton who once said, "But, I never inhaled." Of course, Obama is being blasted by the Hillary Clinton campaign due to his recent surge in popularity among Democrats and minority voters. On the other hand, Republican Mike Huckabee is being put under the media microscope due to his surge in popularity among conservative Republicans. "Weak on illegal immigration," said opposing candidates, "Also, weak on fighting tax increases." Who really attacks these people? People who support other candidates and people who hold a grudge against the candidate. Call it envy, jealousy, greed, political bias or a host of other personal reasons. When you actually find the names of people who participate in such hate-mongering, you can better identify the reason(s) for such personal attacks. Bottom line? The people attacking candidates probably would not like to open their personal lives to the same scrutiny as the people they had attacked. Personal attacks are the ugly side of politics. Personal attacks typically have little to do with current campaign issues and, more importantly, the direction of our government. You rarely observe political candidates attacking other candidates on television since most every candidate could be open for immediate rebuttal. No, political back-stabbing typically begins in the privacy of telephone conversations where so-called private information is given to friendly media types. "Don't use my name, but...." Why is Hillary afraid of Obama's recent popularity surge instead of John Edwards? Obama can beat Hillary, Edwards can't. Why are Republican candidates afraid of Mike Huckabee? He attracts conservative GOP voters. With only a couple of weeks before some primary votes are tabulated, the personal attacks may get worse. Wait until special interest groups begin running outrageous televised ads attacking anyone in the way of their candidate. It will get ugly. Is it time for a third-party candidate? Yes.
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