Government and Politics

Julio Robaina squirms and Michael Putney flubs

Obama's Approval Ratings Get Big Bump in Florida

The 2012 election is still 17 months away, but the latest numbers from Quinnipiac show hopeful news for Democrats for the first time in month. President Barack Obama's approval ratings are back above 50 percent in Florida since 2009, and more Floridians say they would definitely vote for him than a ... More >>

Rick Scott's Plummeting Popularity: 57 Percent Disapprove

​Gov. Rick Scott's popularity continues to plummet after the legislative session. Only 29 percent of Floridians approve of the way he's handling his job according to a new Quinnipiac poll. While a whopping 57 percent disapprove. That's down from an already dismal 35/48 split back in April. Mos ... More >>

Miami-Dade Election Results: Julio Robaina and Carlos Gimenez Heading to Runoff

​With all precincts reporting, former Hialeah mayor Julio Robaina and former county commissioner Carlos Gimenez will be heading to a runoff election to determine Miami-Dade's next mayor, to no one's great surprise. Meanwhile, the noble campaign of our own columnist Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbel ... More >>

Lady Gaga Jumps into Immigration Reform Debate

​Rick Scott failed this year on his campaign promise to bring Arizona-style immigration laws to Florida, but if he tries to push the controversial reforms next year, he could make himself a very powerful enemy: Lady Gaga. Never one to shy away from GLBT issues, the Fame Monster has now expanded he ... More >>

Bay of Pigs 50 Years Later: Miami Mourns, Cuban Gov Celebrates - But for How Long?

via Wikimedia CommonsBay of Pigs Memorial in Little Havana.​They landed silently in the pre-dawn darkness: small groups of armed men seeking to overthrow Fidel Castro and his young government. Then everything went wrong. Two days later, the mission was in flames.This Sunday marks the 50th annivers ... More >>

Rick Scott Had His Facts Wrong When He Trashed High Speed Rail

​Perhaps Rick Scott's biggest action during his first 100 days in office was the killing of Florida's federally-funded high speed rail project. It would have revolutionized our transit system and had an effect on the economy like no other project in recent Florida history. So, you would have hoped ... More >>

Special Election for Mayor Officially Set for May 24

​Clear your calendar on May 24 because we're holding an election! The Miami-Dade County Commission meet this morning and, as expected, officially set the day for the election to replace recalled Carlos Alvarez on that Tuesday. Though, the mayoral race won't be the only thing on the ballot. Voters ... More >>

Conservatives Outraged as Hispanic Republicans Water Down Florida's Arizona-style Immigration Bill

​Florida's so-called Arizona-style immigration bill, which Governor Rick Scott campaigned on, is looking less and less Arizona-style as it makes it way through the state legislature. Republican state Senator Anitere Flores, who had authored the original Senate version of the bill, helped approve a ... More >>

Rick Scott's Staff Gets Bitchy With Reporters

Why must Rick Scott's Coffee Talk be ruined? ​Former Gov. Charlie Crist gave out his personal cell phone number to journalists and kept their favorite beers stocked in his office. In stark contrast, current Gov. Rick Scott and his staff seem to have an unhealthy amount of disdain for the press cor ... More >>

Rick Scott really understands blacks

Protests Staged in Cuba, Miami to Commemorate Hunger Striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo

​Some 130 dissidents were arrested in Cuba, while several hundred demonstrators hit the streets of Miami to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of hunger striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo. The arrests on the communist island included the reported harassment and roughing up of a doz ... More >>

Governor Rick Scott Really Understands Blacks. Really!!

​Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke addresses Gov. Rick Scott's alienation from African Americans.Last week, Good Ole Gov. Ricky tried to explain to a group ... More >>

Marco Rubio Doesn't Really Want to Join the Senate's Tea Party Caucus

​Last year, Marco Rubio ended up on the cover of The New York Times magazine with the headline "The First Senator from the Tea Party?" Well, there's no question anymore about whether or not he's a Senator, but now that he is, he's not so sure he wants to join the actual Tea Party caucus. It's not ... More >>

MSG Murals

Palin and Beck killed 'em in Tucson

Recall Election for Alvarez and Seijas Set for March 15

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and County Commissioner Natacha Seijas better beware the Ides of March. Voters will take to the polls on March 15 to decide whether they want to recall the beleaguered politicians, the County Commission decided today. The decision to hold both elections on the ... More >>

Will Gay Voters Save the Republican Party?

​After their success in the midterm elections, many Republicans probably think their party is in pretty good shape and doesn't need to be saved. But one local GOP group is thinking long term. It argues that the party needs to moderate itself on social issues and attract gay voters in order to rema ... More >>

What would immigration reform look like if the Feds got off their duffs?

Latin American Round-Up: Hugo Chávez Gets Decree Powers, Raúl Castro Gets Depressed

Cheer up buddy. I've got decree powers!​Hugo Chávez won't be making any Obama-like compromises in 2011. The Venezuelan National Assembly is expected to pass a ley habilitante today that would allow the bombastic president -- best known for his twitter histrionics -- to pass laws by decree for 12 ... More >>

FAIR-y tales: The immigration saga continues

Christian Family Coalition Asks Rick Scott to Stop Selling Pornography to Latinos

The Christian Family Coalition, a Miami-based group that hems way to the right on social issues, is calling Gov-elect Rick Scott to stop selling pornography to Latinos. So when reviewing Scott's business past they weren't, like every other sane person, so much concerned that he ran a company that wa ... More >>

The Marco Rubio for President Campaign Might as Well Begin Tomorrow

​Let's not be cynical. We don't know who is going to win the Florida senate race (so please go out and vote), but polls indicate Marco Rubio is the favorite. If he does emerge victorious tonight, then it's only a matter of time until some speculation that he may run for President in 2012 at least ... More >>

Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner Dead

​Nestor Kirchner, the former president of Argentina and husband of current president Cristina Kirchner, has died this morning due to heart failure at the age of 60. The leftist-Peronist politician was widely expected to mount another presidential campaign in 2011.

Five More Cuban Dissidents to be Freed

In a carefully timed move, Cuba will free five more political prisoners, bringing the total number to 57, the Roman Catholic Church announced Thursday. The announcement comes before the 27-nation E.U. block meets to review its hard-line policy toward the totalitarian nation, which is seeking to bol ... More >>

Marco Rubio to Appear with Sarah Palin This Weekend

Tea Party dreams do come true! Two stars of the conservative movement, Florida's Republican senate candidate Marco Rubio and right wing queen bee Sarah Palin will share a stage this weekend in Orlando. Somewhere an eagle is surely weeping with joy.

Aliens, military wackos, and the next war

The U.S. Military Ready to Wage War on Outerspace Terrorists

​Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke dissects the worldwide UFO conspiracy.A propaganda campaign to prepare us for the next big war is underway. But this time ... More >>

North Miami Beach Manager Canned After Snitching On City Council

Kelvin Baker is no longer North Miami Beach's city manager.​The Miami Herald reports this morning that the North Miami Beach City Council fired Manager Kelvin Baker last night. Although no specifics were given, Banana Republican wonders if his termination had anything to do with Baker accusing som ... More >>

Alex Sink Supports Permanent Extension of Bush Tax Cuts, Putting Her At Odds With Obama

via MSNBC​Yesterday we noted Alex Sink's tricky new TV ad that put distance between her campaign and President Obama. Today on MSNBC, she explicitly sided with Republicans against Obama on the issue of permanently extending all of the "Bush Tax Cuts." She claims they help small businesses, but the ... More >>

Only a fraction of Mexicans get U.S. asylum

With Greene Gone, Meek Still Has Mountain to Climb in US Senate Race

kendrickmeek.comMeek on Election Day​Kendrick Meek will not miss Jeff Greene. Like that guy at your party who shows up uninvited, plays Kelly Clarkson so loud the cops come, and then bolts before you're handed a noise violation, Greene has been a major headache.But Meek will miss Greene's money. T ... More >>

Florida Primary Election Results Live Blog

​Today Florida went to the polls for the 2010 primary election. While tonight's big theme involved controversial, self-funded billionaire outsiders taking on establishment career politicians in both the Republican primary for Governor and Democratic primary for Senate, there's still lots of ballot ... More >>

Ex-Hialeah Police Chief Rolando Bolanos trashes Mayor Julio Robaina on Facebook

If Republicans Lose Both Governor and Senate Races, Is the Tea Party to Blame?

via OnePennySheet​Back in early 2009 it seemed that Charlie Crist was a guarantee to win the Senate race as a Republican, and Bill McCollum had the edge in the Governors race. Now the latest Quinnipiac poll shows that GOP candidates are trailing in both the Senate and Governors race. What happened ... More >>

Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina Exposed on Facebook By Former Allies

City of HialeahJulio Robaina double-crossed two former allies who are now out to destroy him.​Last Wednesday, shortly before dawn, Rolando Bolaños logged on to his Facebook account to update his status regarding his favorite subject, Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina. The ex-Hialeah Police chief inform ... More >>

Hamid Karzai likely had Louis Maxwell killed

Marco Rubio Calls for More Tax Cuts, But Could That Hurt The Economy More?

​It seems so simple that Republicans have taken it as fact: tax cuts will lead to greater economic strength. Lower taxes mean people have more money to spend, businesses have more payroll to add jobs, and hence our economy should get a jolt, right? It's no surprise that Marco Rubio has now come ou ... More >>

Video: Think Tank Reps Omni Heavy in "Gun In My Hand"

Think Tank, a project of the Llamabeats and Parable MC, have a new video out for their song "Gun In My Hand" all shot in the City Of Miami in and around the Omni area of Biscayne and NE 2nd Ave South of 36th street. Recognize the landmarks, graffiti, pawn shops? This and other recent videos signal ... More >>

Cuban punk rockers Gorki and Gil used music to take on Castro

Rick Scott Hates the Stimulus, But Company He Invested in Got $60m in Stim Funds

Billionaire GOP Governor candidate Rick Scott says he has conservative values, but the kind of companies he invests in don't seem to. One company Scott invested in was shown to help send money from illegal immigrants back to Mexico even though he backs Arizona's immigration laws. Another h ... More >>

Cuban Dissident Leaders call for Lifting Travel Ban

Hardliners opposed to lifting the travel ban to Cuba have been among the staunchest champions of the Communist island's increasingly vocal dissident movement. But a letter released Thursday by 74 of the Cuba's most prominent dissenters undermines some of the key arguments made by leaders of Miami's ... More >>

No Green Party, Twitter-Driven Miracle In Colombia as Santos Wins Big

Millions of Colombians turned out to the polls yesterday to elect a new president, and the environment, Facebook, and free-thinking lost out to security, money and familiarity.via Antanas Mockus' facebookMockus' Green Party captured just 21 percent of the vote in Colombia on Sunday.That's oversimpli ... More >>

The Tea Party is the KKK

Betrayal: Sen. George LeMieux Says He'll Support Rubio over Crist

​Talk about betrayal! Sen. George LeMieux says the he'll support the Republican nominee over his old friend Charlie Crist: "I will support our Republican nominee and will continue to do everything I can both in Florida and across the country to increase the number of Republicans in the United ... More >>

David Rivera Takes Lobbyist Cash During Legislative Session

Former Miami-Dade Democratic Party Chairman Joe Garcia is wasting no time knuckling up for  Via David Rivera's FacebookAt a recent fundraiser, Rep. David Rivera (left) serenades supporters with the help of actor Steven Bauer, whom, as far as we know, doesn't do business with the state of Florid ... More >>

The Humane Society Began Its Battle with Farmers Right Here in Florida

New Poll: Crist Would Win in Three-Way Race

​Republican voters may be wild over Marco Rubio, but a new Quinnipiac poll shows that no matter what the situation Charlie Crist would be a more viable general election candidate. In fact, if he decided to run as an independent he leads in the polls. Which doesn't do anything to hush those rumors ... More >>