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April 04, 2006

Talk About Radioactive...

That would be Katharine Harris. She oughta take a deep, DEEP breath and get a clue. And a GOOD therapist.

Changing locks on her campaign headquarters and accusing her staff of disloyalty and her own party of spying on her are signs of erratic behavior that some Katherine Harris staff members say has worsened since her father's death.

Harris is restaffing her campaign and will announce new key staff members today, a campaign spokeswoman said Monday.

But in the past 10 days, Harris has:

•Had locks changed and posted a security guard at the door of her campaign headquarters in Tampa and had former staff members escorted in to retrieve their belongings.

•Told a gathering of supporters in Cocoa Beach on Saturday that the Republican Party had "infiltrated" her campaign staff to put "knives in my back."

•Told a reporter that a longtime, trusted political adviser had leaked a story about her staff members quitting, then called back to retract the comments.

•Announced hiring her new staff without identifying them.

Those events come atop previous reversals and contradictions, including her announcement last month that she would spend her inheritance from her father on her campaign, which she changed, saying she would sell her assets.

Former campaign manager Jim Dornan, who left in November, called the most recent events in the campaign "unbelievable."

"It smacks of real paranoia," he said of the headquarters lockout and comments about infiltration. "That campaign staff was so loyal to her, and to be treated like that is absolutely unconscionable."

Posted by tree hugging sister at April 4, 2006 10:20 AM

Comments

Maybe it was all the chemicals from that Tammy Fae makeup of hers finally leaching into her brain...

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at April 4, 2006 10:36 AM

She's a loon. A rich one, but a loon none the less. It's going to take Moses on high to beat Bill Nelson. The old boy's just too all American hero and I can't think of a Republican that can take him on successfully. Now, our Tallahassee insider Dave might be able to, but short of Jeb running for that seat, I can't see the Dems losing it.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at April 4, 2006 11:51 AM

There's been stuff flaking off the edges since the moment she stepped into the public eye. Even so, with the hit she took for doing her job in 2000 you'd think the party could have found someting nice for her without unleashing her on the public.

Posted by: Sluggo at April 4, 2006 01:36 PM

Oh Sluggo, they have tried MIGHTILY to keep her someplace other than the campaign trail. The girl doesn't take a hint or straight talk and, since she's got the wherewithal to tell the GOP to piss off, she does what suits her. However it suits her to do it.

She's a loon.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at April 4, 2006 02:24 PM

THS: the one candidate the GOP could've put up with a decent shot at beating Bill Nelson would've been Charlie Crist. For the rest of the audience here, that's Florida's Attorney General, who is currently running to replace termed-out Jeb as Governor. I still expect him to spend the majority of his political career as a US Senator from Florida: he has much more of a legislative than an executive temperment, having been a state legislator and a staffer for Paula Hawkins. Yes, I know and like the guy after working with him on a few bills over the course of my three years in Tallahassee, but this is MOSTLY not personal bias speaking.

As for Florida citrus-heiresses-turned-politicians, I'll take Marty Bowen over Kathy Harris any day of the week and twice on Sundays: a very VERY well-preserved 52 years old, and, um, that's really all I've got to say about that. ;-)

Posted by: Dave J at April 5, 2006 12:32 AM

I can't stand Charlie Christ ~ what a smooth operator ~ but you're right. He might have had a shot. But Bill Nelson is one formidible hombre.

And whoa! on your girl Marty there, Dave.

Posted by: tree hugging sister at April 5, 2006 10:44 PM