I'm stoked to finally be here, sitting in the computer room of the very retro District Hotel in Washington D.C.
I'd like to thank Congressman Mike Rogers for getting me last minute tickets for my White House tour tomorrow morning and for the tour of the Capitol, which I'll be taking along with my Phi Gam/Access/Voice comrade-in-arms, Peter Gruskin.
The flights were pretty decent and gave me an opportunity to grasp the Parole Evidence Rule -- I was totally off topic for Saturday's class and I've really beat myself about it.
This is definitely a rambling post. I'm starving now, so I think I'll head to a coffee shop, then start walking around... I'm thinking I'll stroll down to the Lincoln Memorial, then maybe to the steps of the Supreme Court, and then maybe look for indie bookstores and such -- hope there's at least one. Oh yeah....and I totally have to visit the Wax Museum.
Pete gets off at 4:30 so hopefully he'll go drinking with me tonight. Anyways, that's all for now. Also I'm hoping to look up Andrew, but not sure if he's up here.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
july is the month of INDEPENDENTS
However, as far as Student Government goes, the Orange & Blue needs to reach out to the Students. With a seat on the R&A Committee and the peace of mind of being able to be part of the process for the summer term, the Minority needs to seize the moment.
The Gator Party is on the verge of collapse. So far, this blog has done more reporting in two weeks time on the inner-workings of SG, than the Alligator has done in an entire year. At least I have the decency to expect more out of my sources and guess what -- when I'm wrong and yes I'm wrong often, I have the class and professionalism to eat up the criticisms to follow and formerly retract myself.
I think Ken Kerns may have put it best, it was something along the lines of maybe I wasn't totally on mark, but I wasn't totally off either. Many of you on here fall into two distinct groups. There's the O&B Kids looking at this internal feud with Gator as a way to capitalize in the Fall elections, meanwhile the Gator stalwarts, most of you oblivious to the inner-workings of your party, most of you are agreeable at failing, so long as you err while celebrating the victories and the name of your System-borne entity -- & that's fine, but you're as wrong, much more wrong than I.
People are not happy with what Paul has left them, it makes the Gator Executive seem incompetent. The only reason the Majority won't formally support Impeachment is b/c that would be a rallying cry for Drayton and the NPHC Machine to swing into action. The African Americans don't have much to prove; when they wanted blood (with a hand from the GDI's) they got in 2004. Andre Samuels, from what I understand, lives in Gainesville and there is no reason why I should believe that the Kappas are in any less of a position today than in 2004.
Sig-Ep/Theta Chi fresh off pouncing on the Weiss Faction and the Sam Green Block will no doubt treat Drayton, Dale, & anyone the GDI's decide to run in 2009 as well.
If Gator isn't in shambles by the end of Summer B, it will by Fall, but there is no question that this election to come (unlike perhaps any in the last six years) rip this party into no less than three active factions, each of which will try and outdo the other, burying the competition and going for the top spot.
I believe that 2009 will be the year of the independents, I believe another Scooter Willis' ('88-'89) GDI is on the way. I predict, and mark my words, that Johnson, Dale, & Drayton and their respective factions, will bring about so much havoc to the Gator Party that the Machine will lose the presidency in 2009. I believe this soundly. The cookie has ALREADY started to crumble.
We should all take a moment to honor the First Response & PR-Geniuses at-work for the Machine, because they're working double-time and over-time to keep a lid on three burgeoning egos -- "tear down this wall Mr....."
Thursday, June 26, 2008
O&B: Immune From The Chaos?
A prominent member of the Orange & Blue Party has officially lashed out at Sen. Eric Wolf over his Q&A. The outspoken member had this to say:
"His defection was one of the last things I was made aware of before I moved on. What he says in his interview is false.
Eric Wolf didn't switch party affiliations until he ran for, and lost, the election for O&B party leader.
The circumstances of his defection were anything but heroic or noble. He didn't even tell the party leadership he was leaving. Cain and Huey sat for hours at the judiciary committee meeting right beside Eric -- a full day after he told Dale he was leaving O&B -- and he didn't even extend the courtesy of letting them know. Both had spent days working to get him elected.
He hid behind Kellie Dale. He asked her to tell O&B for him. When she did she didn't even tell O&B which senator had left the reservation.
It was surreal.
This email remains off the record but if you do a follow up interview with him, please do ask him when he lost his balls and if he ever plans to grow new ones."
WOlf has been hailed by several as a prospective candidate for Student Body President; more progressive-minded members of the Greek community of the historical line that have voted John Boyles and years past for Chris Carmody, could see themselves voting for Wolf as opposed to the incompetence of a Jordan Johnson and the unpopular Kellie Dale; meanwhile more pragmatic members of the Independent community, whose historical line goes back to supporting more middle of the road candidates like Mackenzie Moritz and Chris Chase (Veep Candidate) would prefer a more boring candidate with a greater vote-garnering potential.
However, with GDI's (as opposed to Independents), Wolf would never out muscle the likes of Sam Miorelli, Ben Cavatero, or even Frank Bracco who's arguably moved slightly away from the GDI base towards the mainstream spectrum of the independent movement.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Gator: On The Verge Of Disintegration
"When I first began working as CFO, Paul and I communicated a couple times daily. However, now we communicate more than anything if and when a major problem arises. The last couple weeks have been very slow in the Finance Office, with work mostly limited to approving SAR's. The need for constant, daily communication, therefore, is momentarily unnecessary.
Any and all issues pertaining the Treasurer's office at this point are resolved by me; those were the powers given to me by the Senate when Paul left for New York. This is why the SBT official SG email account is daily monitored by me, not Paul, meaning that at this point and time, I've sent no emails there. Paul has shown confidence in my ability to resolve the couple of bigger issues regarding the office in his absence with the understanding I report to him any and all decisions I make."Rene Medina
Let me start off by commending Rene Medina for all his fine work by the side of the students and then for all his work by the side of the Student Senate and of Student Body Treasurer Paul Drayton. You all know my feelings on the SBT Scandal, but I really think a good man is being exploited here by the Student Senate. I mean, you give him the responsibility, you give him the work, but you deny him the job. Anyways, I think Rene has done the Gator nation and Hispanic-Latino Community proud at UF, even if he's being exploited by Black & White Greeks.
From Inside FBK:
"He's [Reilley] looking out for his brothers Goldberger and McCarthy) and it wouldn't make sense for them to blow their relationship with BSU over something that would benefit a Sig Ep who could be considered a direct rival. From their actions so far (i.e. people who got hit at spring tapping) the system is protecting Dale for SBP."
TheRaDiKaL: "Is it possible for the African American bloc at UF to defeat a divided IFC/PC alliance in a Spring election, without a run-off, and using an embattled SBT like Paul Drayton? Please give us a good Ken Kerns take.
Signature Kerns
Legendary GDI Assesses Scenarios
"signature Kerns take" as in long-winded? :-)
"I'd say it's possible, but the African American bloc would have to craft its own coalition. Think Access of 2004. One would need the GDIs, any minority groups you can get on board (including lesser-political ones like the Jewish Student Union), and either support from the college councils or from some breakway Greek houses."
"A three-way race is almost impossible to win without a run-off, but an African American candidate could conceivably build the kind of coalition it would take to exploit a rift in the IFC/NPC alliance and make it to the run-off, perhaps even as the top vote-getter."
"I don't know if Drayton himself can pull that off like Jamal did, as I seriously doubt Drayton could bring aboard any significant GDI/IRHA/BOCC support. It would have to depend on how the controversy over Drayton is handled - and so far, I don't think he nor his critics within the Gator Party are handling things in a way that would make either side look good."
"In the end, I don't know if this will split into so many camps. Drayton will either be the System nominee or be pushed out and forced to run a'la Access, if he can make a deal with O&B (not likely). IFC and NPC could split, but whoever doesn't win FBK's support would be smart to approach the GDIs if Drayton can't/won't."
"I would not be surprised if this situation builds into the four-way race from Spring 2000, but I also would not be surprised if Gator/FBK settles this before it gets to that point."
A source from the Gator Party in cabinet, claims that Yooni has voiced displeasure at her counterpart's summer internship; the Madam Vice President is perhaps the dimmest prospect for SBP next year, but my sources claim she will show absolutely no mercy should either faction try to muscle her out. The SBVP controls Student Government's Cabinet through a trusted inner circle of Cabinet Chairpersons and past officers (Joyce Medina & Jennifer Puckett) have been able to govern almost autonomously through internal power that can exist in a very safe gray area beyond the reach of the SBP and the Student Senate's reach. Unlike members of the Senate (elected), members of cabinet are appointed and are much easier to dismiss. Additionally: houses, cultural orgs, and political parties depend on cabinet to keep its top members (not elected) within the institution of Student Government.
SBVP is a great spot for someone looking to serve and move on after their term , however, for a career SG'er looking to run for president (unlikely in past years), the post can be quite problematic to cast aside. Some sources claim all hell will break lose if the System gives the nod to Dale over Yooni without so much as a moment's deliberation. And although we're merely in summer, Drayton's folly has expedited Gator-splinters to rush towards the finish line early.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
It's A No Go On Phi Tau
Ok. Not much to report today, except for a bit of bad news and some more questions for the readers - five to be exact. Reporting from here on out will have to consist of one less source; sadly it's gotten "too risky" for SW 13 & 2nd to continue passing along. The last email includes little, "the houses e-boards are antsy." Several house e-boards are rumored to be summoning their House Keys (each house may have several keys, but there is only one intermediary between the honorary & the house) to assess the situation. For Fiji, our last House Key was Collin Colverson and in 2004, when he'd already graduated and we had no Keys, Colverson returned to meet privately with our house president Dave Basadre who up until that point had been with us (Duque/Gruskin/Goldman) to support Access. By the time he left Dave's room and the others (E-Board) re-emerged, there was zero chance they'd touch anything yellow & blue.
Ok, sorry for the tangent, but I like to add extra factual info into pieces I KNOW will be refuted by the Greeks as "you're not Greek so how do you know."
The three sources' info seems to meet on one point: houses are unsure who the right candidate is going to be. Some houses are convinced it will be Johnson, at least one House Key is already decided on Kellie Dale but his house wants to no part of that proposition (lol), and another house [that's traditionally been very active] has an e-board that said at chapter it would boycott the entire election if Gator splits.
Chapter meetings are rare moments when fraternity members go back to a time when the fraternal orders were respected -- you don't bullshit during that hour a week; you're usually in your CR a place built by generations before you, it's the one place , for the one time that the whole Fraternity experience they sell you seems like it could be real. If anything remotely SG is discussed down there, it's going to be pretty serious. Now not to diss my source, but I'd rather die that repeat what I heard in my CR, but he perhaps feels the need outweighs the oath and perhaps it just might.
I don't know how many houses want to go down the road to perdition, breaking the Greek bloc in two, maybe even three ways with the GDI's and Cultural Groups set up to gain the largest slices (provided they sit the fence while the Greeks destroy one another).
So for the Questions to the readers:
1. If the Greeks continue on this path...will the GDI's have enough sense to sit out the fighting - or - will their thirst for power force them into the fight and possibly onto the wrong side?
2. If Gator splits how many houses would just sit the election out? (I personally see this as the safest move for the future)
3. If Gator splits who'd have the strongest faction Dale, Drayton, or Johnson?
4. Would Drayton or Dale take Veep to Johnson? (Me personally I see the Veep offer as an insult to both the SBT & SSP, as both posts are substantially more powerful than SBVP)
5. If Drayton & Johnson were the top vote getters and made it to a run-off, who would Dale endorse and why?
For the bad news: Look to the Entry Title. Rumor has it Phi Tau wasn't willing to commit to the task asked of it.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Women of the System
Not since Nikki Fried has UF had a female student body president, but one thing's for certain, the Women of SG will play a key role in the rebuilding process. I'm not sure how active they'll be in the infighting, but the advent of a serious, female contender and the presidential campaign to follow just might be the calm after the storm.
Paul Drayton, Jordan Johnson, and their respective core of hardliners have already dug themselves in and with even an even deeper, more pronounced riff in FBK (inter alia the Sam Green Block) than in the pre-Access Summer/Fall 2003, I suspect there will be no way for either man to emerge with a united party to support. There's also no chance in hell that either faction would run a GDI for SBP, but there is a possibility that our friend on the right or our friend on the left may have something to say in the matter...our friend in the middle - let's just say even I'm surprised she got this far.
And as much I've received emails from old Access buddies and mixed nutjob emails, I seriously don't think Renfroe is in the category of three ladies pictured above, though, I could see her running with Drayton for veep. There has long been discussion of a Multiculural-Alternative ticket; the AA, Hispanic, & Asian communities have always worked very effectively together. With a strong AA-Hispanic ticket, the Drayton Group might try to re-live Access, minus the GDI's and replacing them with Hispanics -- I wonder who chose Rene Medina anyways?
Tapering Off The Chaos
Rumors are probably the lowest grade of information out there. Sources help, especially when you can research the person(s). But perhaps the best source of those listed is a phone call, actually talking to a real person, as opposed to reading an email. Anyone can start an email account and normally you don't follow-up on your sources, you don't phone a source, you just go by what's being told to you, you could ask a question or two, or you could ask for a generic message sent from the primary email, but you're really kind of out there as far as verification goes.
This morning I received a phone call from someone close to me, I guess you could say family and what I was told was very troubling. Whatever I can give you guys, please be content with it, because I hate posting half-truths and bits & pieces, but the information needs to go out. From what I was told, there seems to be a subtle type of alliance being formed between Sig Ep, Theta Chi, & Phi Kappa Tau. I can totally understand the SE/OX connection and would have understood including an AEPi, Delt, ATO, or even an SAE, but apparently Phi Tau's stock has risen or perhaps they're more gungho. I don't know - so please don't ask - I seriously don't know.
There was also from what I'm told, a good amount of activity at Sig Ep house last night. For those of you unfamiliar with Fraternity-life, members of other fraternities usually don't come over to visit. I'd be a liar if I told you that Theta Chi's or Phi Tau's were seen going in, but my source on SW13/2nd (not in Phi Tau -- so that further narrows the guessing game for you P.I.'s out there) insists that his/her house tried to get in on the pact and were basically blown off. Apparently whatever is going on is not a Greek-House-Pile-Up, whatever is going is being very carefully planned and if I had to guess, it's going to royally suck to be Paul Drayton in the coming weeks. It kind of angers me that these System brats can have a couple meetings and rock the system more than my blog has in three years, but whatever, that's just the name of the game I guess.
Two things I've deduced from all this and it just hit me square in the face is that (1) Reilly must be abreast of what's going on here, I never really figured he was this smart; and (2) I suspect and that point have no idea how, but I have a rather substantiated belief that this Gator-faction is going to turn Greek Judicial Affairs on Kappa Alpha Psi, but on what grounds or charges, I have no idea.
Potentially dismissing Renfroe from R&A or colluding to have Drayton brought up on Impeachment as part of a greater aim for SBP is all part and parcel of the SG game, but NEVER in history - at least not that I'm aware (Ken? James? Nick? Chris? anyone?) has an SG political faction used a University review or court to directly counteract another student interest group. Some could argue the online voting issue, but that was a student court against a student issue -- not saying that's the case, but even still, that's student:student. If the puzzle I put together is correct, we could be entering a new, sleazier, darker era of SG Politics.
The real question here isn't really how much of this is true, I guess the real and important question, how badly does Johnson want SBP, how badly does Drayton want to hold on, and what, if anything, will the Senate do when this little happy family, arguably, devolves into infighting, cliques, and daily sparring? To tell you the truth, I don't even see O&B coming out whole from such a saga either.
Let's hope that these entries taper off the chaos a bit. I love chaos, but some reason is needed. I've seen Senate split in three before, but God help us, no, God help you, if Senate has a hostile Greek, hostile black, hostile GDI block. NOTHING WOULD GET DONE.
Will They Survive As One?
Retraction: Earlier a photo of Dresher was posted. Frank Bracco had informed me that SBP President was traveling with a member of OX, External Affairs. I went to the SG website and pulled the name I found; needless to say, I pulled the name of the previous year's officer. My apologies for the mix-up.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Pick Your Guy & Tell Us Why
Late Night EditionQuestion of the night seems to be what, if any, role would D’Oyley play in Impeachment proceedings. Another huge question mark (for myself as well) is how the alleged rogue faction intends to have Sen. Renfroe dismissed and what possible hindrance could she be to their plans? Only thing I know for certain, is that the upcoming senate meeting will be a snoozer in terms of any movement. I'm hoping the O&B will wait out at least 7-10 days, now more than ever, because I'm getting pretty reliable tips that meetings have taken place or will take place between SE/OX, as well as 'private discussions' with members of Sig Ep's alumni pool.
Who the hell really knows what's going on. All I know is that in my day we had Bryson and Jared, both, as top prospects for SBP and we had OX openly defy Jamal and even Innovate by threatening to wreak havoc if Jeff Yeatman didn't get SGP. These are very powerful houses and I just don't know how well the NPHC can do against them. If things got real hot down there, I suppose that Council might pressure Drayton to come back early. With Drayton physically in office, nothing shy of a Dooms Day would allow even the houses to counteract the electoral mandate; but with Drayton out and rumors growing that Paul's own proxy has done little next to nothing, it sure opens up a path for Johnson.
From what my source at SW 2nd/13th just emailed me "JJ will act deaf, dumb & stupid to all of this...." And to be honest, if I were him, I don't know that I do it any other way. If I were Johnson I'd tell my people to sit calm and if the Drayton thing gets worse and if O&B for instance gave support (a symbolic more than anything, not really numerically so intrinsic), then perhaps he'd act, or at least I would. But the O&B's favor Rene, so I'm not sure they'd go for Johnson, unless something could be worked out.
Another interesting factor might be this rumored Renfroe dismissal, also not going to be happening this week. A part of me is thinking (but mainly from piecing together tips) that this little feat may be nothing more than a practice test for the upstart faction. If they can't bounce one member off R&A, they probably won't get many votes from the floor. Still, there must be more here than I know about, because even as a test, it seems a bit silly. There's so many other ways to test your strength in chambers.
Sucks being away and having to rely on rumors and sources, but hey, at least I'm covering SG 100x better than the Alligator. lol
Gator Insider Reveals Plans
A reliable source, who asks only for identity withheld, told TheRadikal.com that several key senators of the Gator Party have been contacted over the last few days. The source includes that only a select few (not even all of the committee chairs) have been contacted, "people are tired of hearing about this, no one's really happy to have seen Paul go." But even far more importantly and less easy to cut and paste from the exact context used, my source claims that within two more senate meetings Renfroe will be dismissed from the R&A Committee. So maybe the party won't split to impeach Drayton, but if everyone's so united as even my own GP claims, why kick someone off the top committee? When I asked who was doing the calling, I got no reply and when i asked if it was tbe Boca Princess, my source just replied wit this ":cP."
I also want to stress that Jordan Loh is not a source of this blog, at this time, but there are member(s) of Gator and alumni associated with Gator that pass information along.
I also want to apologize for heightened comment moderation, but there is a growing number of racist comments being left. I will approve mostly everything, but certain comments are just to vile for this site. I have deleted several comments pushing for Jordan Johnson to replace Paul Drayton b/c they include information that would create a security breach for my source(s) and potentially for other projects I am working on.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Public Recommendations
If I were Sam Miorelli I would do exactly as he is doing, with the only exception being that I would hold off on formally acting on the impeachment proceedings by at least one more week -- not the summer long stall tactic being floated around by certain GDI's stalling for time to test the waters for compromises of their own. As of now there is even one Gator senator (still unnamed in ALL of the comments and emails, the lone Gator mentioned several posts ago, that has authored a somewhat interesting proposal which I suspect will get support in the more extremely hawkish wing of the Gator Party - check around SW 2nd Avenue & 13th St...
Miorelli with Tommy Jardon and with favorable Alligator coverage could really start to gain passive Gator supporters in Senate. It's imperative that the Orange & Blue Party rent out space on the colonnade, get 25-50 chairs, bust out the campaign-era banner, and invite the Alligator, the Gainesville Sun, the radio and tv stations, Student Org. Treasurers, strongly urge all Party Senators and office-holders to be in full attendance, where Miorelli, flanked by Jardon (for pull with the grad communities) and Norris (for the undergrads) gives a short :30-1minute explanation of what the Minority Party is trying to do, read out the Articles of Impeachment, to urge the Senate & the SBP to act, and finally to request that Drayton spare the Org.'s present, represented by their treasurers of any difficulties with the budget and the 2008-2009 Fiscal Year.
If Gator hawks and/or Kappas and/or Renfroe want to attend and heckle, even better, in fact that would only help in further alienating their centrist support.
Miorelli must VOICE the Independent Community's outrage, as well as publicly try to bridge that GDI Outrage to System Pragmatism.
I would hold off at least 7-10 more days, but no way in hell would I wait the whole summer. For what? So Drayton returns? Whoever says wait the summer is either delusional or stalling for time to either devise their own exit strategy or simply keep the Indies from engaging all together.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Promote Rene, Demote Paul
There are two United Fronts at this time. One on the verge of crumbling and one in the process of being built. There's so many questions racing through the minds of the people with the biggest perks to lose. Renfoe and the Drayton-apologists should wise up, because we're slowly but surely moving away from the encapsulated point in time when party loyalty was very much in vogue. And for those you Gator stalwarts insistent upon selling the image of the same Gator Party that bested Orange & Blue last election, you're about as delusional as those of you that believe Drayton will actually get impeached.
So why Impeachment? Well, there's no other threat as bold and as direct. While a campus-wide, official referendum seems bleak, having Articles of Impeachment reach the Senate floor is just as problematic, because a vote for Impeachment is in a sense a vote of no-confidence in the Gator Party. So even if Drayton easily saves himself, Gator may have to face the reality that five, ten, maybe even a dozen of its own have publicly gone on record to voice a loud cry of defiance.
Ask a J.C.B., or a Pedro Allende, or a Chris Carmody, or a Marc Adler what kind of consequences that could have for the System. I ask you to indulge me here, don't go and ask Sen. Renfoe or the Boca Princess that presides over Senate, go and ask a real mover-and-shaker, a real prominent Key just what something like I've described would mean for the "Traditional" Party.
At this point, Paul Drayton could save himself as well! This is not a witch-hunt, we're not out for Paul - but I speak only for myself as a blogger and alumnus here. What I suggest is compromise:
If everyone is so concerned about Paul's resume, why not reward the person doing the work with some credit, even at an interim level? B/c I know Paul's salary is not being given to his proxy - or is it?
There is always room for compromise, but banking on the fact that 70+ will risk their political future for one, out-of-town elected official (from a DIFFERENT branch of government) is really pushing it. If Drayton were in Reilly's shoes, then at least an incumbent senator could count on an appointment or cabinet spot should the gamble result in a Fall-time loss, but what's Paul going to do for a defeated senator?
You want to let it all ride? Fine. But know you won't have the 70 behind you. One thing I'll give System Bureaucrats is this, they don't let emotion get in the way of business. If you think System Senators are going to risk their future to save Paul Drayton, then you you're just plain stupid.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Miorelli Must Organize THE United Front
There needs to be dialogue with members of the Gator Party, perhaps even in the vein of approaching a viable Gator Party Senator (e.g. a Budget or Allocations Committee Chairman - or - perhaps even a key cabinet director) and recruiting that person to a Drayton-Ouster-Plan. The end result would not be to divide Gator to turn on Drayton to replace him with an O&B interim -- that's just not going to happen. We must concede that Gator won the majority in both branches of government, with the courts being impartial...
Still, the O&B Party could reap benefits; they could recruit the right person and give him/her a good amount of initial backing and support. Additionally, even with a Gator replacement to Drayton, the majority party will surely suffer at the polls in Fall and possibly well into Spring, however, Drayton can't go without members of his party voting him out and THAT will win incredible student-recognition.
Finding the right person, the guy the party may well have overlooked for Drayton and getting that person on a ballot in an emergency election could also pave the way for this overlooked, cast-aside rising star's presidential ambitions with the System Party. Interestingly, the System candidate for '09 could owe his stripes to the Opposition Party fielding his/her competition.
But more practically speaking, everyone would benefit here. Gator would retain power, O&B would gain leverage in selecting Drayton's replacement, and the students would have a chief fiscal officer. More importantly, just think what kind of internal revolution would play out within the ruling party and even as deep as Florida Blue Key, 2008 could see a whole different group of people, a faction per se, usurp another. It could start Gator and end Gator, yet the whole playing field could be revamped by one faction trading places with another.
At this point, the bar is set real low, all we need is body with a pulse in the Student Body Treasurer's office.
Right now, above & beyond strategy plays that might and probably will go wrong, the Minority should hold a caucus meeting with its party brass and scour the senate and/or cabinet for replacement options. There should only be 1-3 prospects. These student leaders should then be contacted by Miorelli as representing the Orange & Blue Party and an informal interview should be called, preferably at the private residence of a party member. At the interview, all O&B Senators should be present, in addition to the Party's Executive Committee, as well as a reporter from the Independent Florida Alligator - on condition that the paper only report once a prospective candidate is formally selected.
While this idea will surely get laughs from the Establishment, remember that laughter is almost more a knee-jerk reaction to nerves than to actual humor. Defeating an enemy 7:1 is money in the bank...but add just one of their own to the mix and then a couple of his/her friendly colleagues rush to his side and then two or three of the two or three that jumped ship start to feel a little uneasy about the majority taking potshots at the kids they got elected with and then others that know these start to get a bit offended and before you know it, Glenda is wishing she could go home, the Reitz Union staff is threatening to shut the power off in chambers, the blogs are lit up, the Alligator is re-updating by the hour, the students start to get word throughout the night, hours later SG is being mentioned in average-joe and plain-jane conversations on the Set, at the Plaza, at the Row, at La Casita, in the IBC, and all over the Reitz Union 3rd floor. Once the word is out, the Machine is forced to submit to the student will, it has never been able to damage-control it's way out of a mess like this could be.
Miorelli Must Organize the UNITED Front (Gator & O&B).
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Drayton Lashes Out -- Via Speakerphone....
University of Florida Student Government Treasurer, Paul Drayton, lashed out at TheRadikal.com during last night's Student Senate meeting -- only thing is, the elected leader wasn't physically at the meeting, he phoned in. Drayton, who receives a salary from Student Activity & Service Fees, is currently working a New York City internship while his very own auto-designated proxy manages the finances of one of the largest, most expansive student budgets, far exceeding $13 million.
Although Drayton is a member of the ruling Gator Party, I firmly believe that at least some of the 70 Gator senators (outnumbering the minority party by roughly seven times) disagree on principle with Drayton's decision to abandon his post. Senators are the rank-in-file of the Student Government, they are the blue collar meat & potatoes class of an institution largely associated with banquets and brass gavels and chocolate fountains. Silly party names and campaign rhetoric go out the wayside pretty quickly in these chambers -- when it's time to work, they All work. Drayton has a staff (senators don't), Drayton has an office (senators don't), and Drayton gets paid (senators don't). I think if the Treasurer is brought up on charges based on materially breaching the duty he assumed, that many of his own party would vote in favor of a just end, on principle.
But I also have no doubt that any impeachment proceeding would fail, though how miserably is the question. Who will risk standing up? Would a party risk laying it all on the line for what they believe to be just? Would they risk losing that one thread that keeps them on the R&A Committee? Would the lone senator(s) of the ruling party risk appointment and/or getting re-slated to rise in support of the few?
"Amazing, you scared the entire Senate into thinking we were bringing forth impeachment charges this week. Kappas turned out along with their little Kappa bunnies (or whatever the heck the girls are called). Senators were asking Eric, Sam, and Frank what to expect at Senate and the Alligator even called Sam to confirm. Senator Renfoe blasted your post about impeachment in public debate for 5 minutes while Paul delivered a long statement by speaker phone claiming you weren't worth attention and that O&B should not brought forth impeachment charges (apparently no one called him after public debate to let him know before his report that the party did not do anything)." -- Anonymous
Kudos to Sen. Renfoe for standing by what she believes in.
You should all take a lesson.
Just-In
A friend from the Gator camp has told TheRadikal.com that a few members of his/her party are "really on the line" at this point. I am, of course, doing my best to have this senator go public. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Maverick GDI Speaks!
TheRaDiKaL: Who are you? When did you arrive at UF and what organizations/causes are you active with?
Sen. Eric Wolf: I'm a fourth-year Political Science and Geography student from Bradenton, Florida. I started at UF in Fall 2005 intending to study Political Science and Music. I've been involved in Model United Nations, several music organizations, and I was Treasurer of Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership honorary, which took up a lot of my time prior to entering Student Government.
After being elected to Senate, I was asked by Senate President Kellie Dale to serve as the Student Government Finance Liaison. I've been working with the finance office ever since to streamline the budget process for student organizations. I'm also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Budget and Appropriations Committee, and I'm co-chairing an ad hoc committee to overhaul the Student Government website.
TheRaDiKaL: What got you factor(s) got you involved in Student Government? And what's it like serving the most important College at the University (I too was a CLAS Senator)?
Sen. Eric Wolf: I had little interaction with UF's Student Government until this last semester; I have always been interested in politics generally, and much of my youth was spent learning about government and public administration at the local government level. Last summer, I interned as a business climate analyst at Manatee County's Economic Development Council, and worked at a law firm representing clients who had been ripped off by corrupt stock-brokers and investment banks. Helping people fight against massive corporations—and often winning those battles—was a great thrill for me, and really inspired me to consider going into public service.
Serving as a Senator representing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is an incredible honor. Undoubtedly, what I love the most about CLAS is its remarkable diversity. CLAS includes people from every walk of life, studying an amazing range of disciplines, and I'm really humbled to be their voice in Student Government. It drives me to work as hard as I possibly can for them.
TheRaDiKaL: What can you tell us about the Orange & Blue Party's role in Senate? Are caucus meetings run collectively? To what extent do the Party senators listen to the Party's campaign-time Executive Board?
Sen. Eric Wolf: Since our party is vastly outnumbered in chambers—roughly, 10 Orange and Blue Senators to 80 Gator Party Senators—we have to pick and choose our battles wisely for maximum effectiveness. I think the majority party was surprised that they would have to adjust to our presence in chambers as much as they did. Perhaps this initial discomfort would be best represented by the fight over Sheldon Nagesh's residency in District E.
I would say that there is generally collective decision making within the party. I think one of the best things about Orange and Blue is that we have a great base of people who aren't in Senate—they're students who just truly care. Hearing their ideas and perspectives about watching Student Government from "outside the box" is really healthy.
Most of the Executive Board has input in these discussions, which I think is also healthy. I'm sorry to see that many of them are gone for the summer—it's been a different atmosphere without them.
TheRaDiKaL: Recently you made news when there was speculation that you had defected. In the end you remained loyal soley to preserve political diversity (a very noble cause), but was this really why you stayed? And if so, what pushed you to your initial decision?
Sen. Eric Wolf: The situation where I switched my party affiliation to Independent was sort of blown out of proportion. I mainly did it because I do consider myself an "Independent" in the Senate chambers, and I've been striving to place the best interests of the students in CLAS before any party label.
However, the way Senate rules work would have denied Orange and Blue a seat on the Replacement and Agenda committee, which certainly wasn't fair to all the people who voted for Orange and Blue and expected that party to be their voice in Senate. So, I quickly changed back my affiliation so that Orange and Blue could keep that seat on R&A.
TheRaDiKaL: Do you see yourself loyal to the O&B Party post-Fall 2008 elections, in which case they may have enough seats w/o you to be represented on the R&A Committee?
Sen. Eric Wolf: I can't really speculate on that. I'm loyal to the causes that Orange and Blue advanced in their Spring campaign—openness in government and making the Student Government work more effectively for all its constituents.
TheRaDiKaL: Again, back to your perception, do you feel as if you were somewhat of the Joe Lieberman of the Independent Party today? In other words, you are O&B on paper, but given your recent defection-scare, do you believe the Party considers you as close and friendly to its line as say those around elected with you last Spring?
Sen. Eric Wolf: I suppose this is a question that's better asked of the other Orange and Blue Party Senators. Something I respect about Orange and Blue is that there isn't such a premium on ideological purity. We have a great group of Senators with wide-ranging interests and areas of expertise, and I think we genuinely value each other's talents. I'm still continually impressed by the maturity and poise of Ben Cavataro, the intelligence and encyclopedic memory of Kyle Huey, the wit and charm of Liz Stinson, and the grit and tenacity of Mark McShera.
TheRaDiKaL: What was your overall take on the O&B Presidential ticket and to what extent would you as a Party Senator expect to be consulted in regards to next Fall's O&B Senate slate and next Spring's prospective Executive & Senate selections?
Sen. Eric Wolf: Well, I have the utmost respect for Tommy Jardon. I think he's a brilliant thinker and strategist, and I truly admire his commitment to "speaking truth to power." Tommy understands the structure and functions of Student Government far more than many give him credit for.
Frank Bracco is a good friend of mine, and I'm continually impressed by his depth of knowledge—especially for someone who has only had two years to learn the historical nuances of UF's Student Government. He works harder than just about anyone I know, and I'm very pleased to be serving in Senate with him currently. So far, as the Graham Senator, Frank's been a great addition to Senate, and I'm sure he has a bright future ahead of him.
I hardly know Shea Parrish, Orange and Blue's candidate for Treasurer. I only met her a few times, in fact, so I don't have much to say about her. She did seem knowledgeable and personable, and I'm sorry that I didn't get the chance to get to know her better.
I'm planning on graduating in December of 2008, so I don't expect to have much input in next year's ticket. I have confidence in the judgment of Ben Cavataro, Kyle Huey, and Mark McShera, and I'm looking forward to hearing about their accomplishments after I leave Gainesville.
TheRaDiKaL: Are you a member of, have you applied to, or do you plan on applying to Florida Blue Key? Why or why not?
Sen. Eric Wolf: I've never applied to Blue Key, and I haven't really considered to too seriously. I don't know how the application process works, so I suppose I'd want to know more about it before I thought about applying.
TheRaDiKaL: Are you a member of any social or academic Greek-letter organization? If so, of which?
Sen. Eric Wolf: As I said before, I was Treasurer of Omicron Delta Kappa. I've met some of my favorite people at UF through ODK, and I encourage anyone interested to get involved and apply.
TheRaDiKaL: What is your take on the Turncoats (e.g. Kim Cruts, Ryan Day, Josh Simmons, Ben Grove)? Would you ever leave the side of the movement that represents 85% of the Gator Nation for "greener pastures?" Why or why not?
Sen. Eric Wolf: Ben Grove has been a classmate and good friend for a few years. We never really talked about Student Government politics, and I've hardly seen him since I was elected—last semester, he was away most of the time campaigning or doing work for the RNC. Ben and I have rather deep political differences, nationally-speaking, and we've always been able to respect each other for those beliefs. I'm pretty sure that we could handle not seeing eye-to-eye on Student Government politics, as well. Now that he and Kim have both moved off to DC, I don't think they're too eager to involve themselves further in the tussles of campus politics.
I really don't know Ryan, Kim, or Josh very well. I got to know Ryan somewhat during the first few months of my term; it seemed that he was a valuable asset to Ryan Moseley when he was President.
As far as "greener pastures" go, I'm perfectly content with the pastures I'm currently grazing. I'm not looking to represent 85% of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or The Gator Nation—I'm trying to represent every single student.
TheRaDiKaL: Tell us what's it like working with the Gator Party in senate. Also include your best bipartisan moment to date, your worst partisan-based horror story, and what major showdowns and/or collective efforts you expect for the summer session.
Sen. Eric Wolf: My time in Senate has been, hands down, the best practical experience I've gained at UF. Legislative politics is all about relationship building, give-and-take, forging alliances, and creating consensus, and all of those skills take practice. So far, I feel I've had a good working relationship with the Gator Party—many of their Senators don't care much for party politics, and are eager to find ways to transcend the partisanship and attain real results.
I would say that I'm most proud of the bipartisanship that we reached in the ad hoc committee on overhauling the SG website that I co-chaired. The committee consisted of four Orange and Blue Party members, including myself, and five Gator Party members, led by my co-chair, Senator Jason Hancock, and I&C Chairwoman Suzanne Hershman. We were given only two weeks to produce a report on what we would like to see in an ideal website—and I think our results were remarkable. Senators Cain Norris, Kyle Huey, and Joshua Horton, all Orange and Blue Senators, helped Senator Hancock build a mock-up website that we all felt would be an excellent way to get students involved in SG. Our committee is going to be working with the Executive Branch to implement the site for the fall semester.
I think the only real "horror story" would be the situation surrounding Sheldon Nagesh's residency.
I think many of my fellow Orange and Blue Senators would be surprised to hear how highly many of the Gator Party Senators think of them. If anything, Senate's not boring anymore for the majority party Senators.
TheRaDiKaL: Last, but most certainly not least, please tell us what you'd like to accomplish during your time at UF SG.
Sen. Eric Wolf: I'm really focused on getting a better website up, right now. That's my immediate goal; long term, I'd like to see some of our party's platform points move along in chambers, specifically the Webmail overhaul. It's a platform point that both parties are extremely eager to work on—and summer is the perfect time to do it.
Another project I'm very excited to be working on is a new "Budget 101" training manual that Budget Committee is creating. We're hoping that it's a user-friendly guide that will allow student leaders to navigate the often confusing SG budget process with confidence.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
The Fist: What Little Is Known
Thanks to the successful Grapski lawsuit against Florida Blue Key, we were able to learn a great deal about what was otherwise a well kept secret at UF. But one club that's been able to really keep a lid on its business has been 'the Fist', a highly secretive group inner circle of National Pan Hellenic Fraternity leaders, one per Greek letter organization.
In 2004 I was given rare permission to speak at NPH chapter meetings, largely because of the support of the then presiding officer, who I believe to have been Andre Samuels. There is no way my fraternity or any other fraternity in any of the three council would have allowed an outsider into chapter, much less to speak to the brothers -- this is not only a serious break with Greek tradition but the sanctity of the Fraternity's Ritual Rite is at great risk. Several of the NPH fraternities kept younger brothers outside the doors (as most met at the Reitz Union), the sororities would go even further in blocking off entire hallways during initiation(s) and our more secretive ritual (the pitfalls of not operating from a house). Our own fraternity conducted chapter in a basement room, reached either by passing two double latched doors or secret entry. In all the times FIJI had been broken into, never did anyone get near our CR.
I know very little about 'the Fist' and have bit my tongue for years, mainly out of respect for Jamal and the great work the African American community allowed for in 2004-2005, but what Paul Drayton is doing, is very much over a lot of people's heads. Five years after Jamal, same position, with largely the same backing, Drayton has trumped the Student Body President, the Student Senate, and gone further, by creating a proxy out of thin air. Whereas Jamal played the game, Drayton seems poised to be assertive and bold and some of my readers believe there was never any doubt in him taking the job.
There's no use commenting to the contrary, I speak with knowledge from one of the highest members of Florida Blue Key confirming that the Sam Green Block was in fact carried out to prevent the African American community from securing the post Drayton currently holds for Green under a Weiss candidacy. Drayton will be the candidate of the Machine for Student Body President, he will not make the mistake Jamal made, in leaving, his rivals will be the ones forced to leave. It will be a very interesting time, with Barack Obama having defeated John McCain and the pale-faced fraternity boys in polo shirts and bubbly blonde sorority girls at their side, wanting to be part of their very own black power ticket and I guarantee you, 'the Fist' will wrestle a mainstream nomination, much like it has finagled System brass to sit idly by as Drayton turns his back on them and does as he pleases, knowing full well that much like Keys wouldn't ever vote with the GDI's, they'd equally never dare cross the you-know-who's.
It's certainly going to be an interesting race come next Spring.
Past leaders of 'the Fist,' I believe, include Andre Samuels (2003-2004, 2005), Will Atkins (2005-2006), Sam Green (2006-2007), and Paul Drayton (2008 - ). Interestingly, I do know that the club bars non-Greeks from membership, but will elect a non-Greek to preside during rare instances. Another piece to the puzzle is that many of the alleged presiding officers have been members of an organization known as Progressive Black Men. I am not sure if Drayton is officially affiliated with them, however.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Impeach Drayton!
This is a call to the UF Student Senate, to both parties, to consider taking action on your current Student Body Treasurer Paul Drayton, via Impeachment. The Student Body Treasurer is charged with being the highest elected, student official on finance, with veto powers that trump the authority of the Student Body President and that of the Student Senate. The Treasurer is directly elected by the Student Body of the University of Florida and does not have the constitutional right to delegate said powers onto others and should not be allowed to designate and/or carry out his electorally mandated duties by proxy.
The Student Body of the University of Florida should not be forced to bear the brunt of Mr. Drayton's personal employment endeavors.
In the absence of Kim Cruts and thanks in no small part to the effects of transition, it seems SG-damage-control was off for the day, when the second highest SG official, Mr. Drayton stated:
“After doing much research and speaking with many influential people in my life, I have decided to take on this once in a lifetime experience and still be capable of fulfilling all the needs of treasurer position."
As happy as I am that said influential people, which I take to include the brass of the Gator Party and key members of Florida Blue Key, I do not feel that Mr. Drayton acted on the side of the Student Body and I fail to see what benefit, if any, the Students will derive from this action.
Some time ago, we saw a Student Body Vice Presidential election in a Fall race, and I know many of us (students & alums) are scratching our heads wondering what caliber of an individual runs for SG Executive office, dumps that office on a proxy, and leaves the State for a summer internship not even one month after taking office.
While I respect the machine wanting a Minority Stand-In for its ticket, as it has for decades to date, the Senate should require that the living, breathing human being (whether competent or inept) serve the duty he/she was elected to carry out by the Students. Paul Drayton should either comply with the electoral mandate or be removed from office, immediately.
A lot's going on here at TheRadikal.com. For starters, I'd like to announce that the Ken Kerns' Q&A Raffle will begin sometime next week and that the Q&A will hopefully come out sometime in late July or early August. The Q&A Roster also has a few prospective names, including Fmr. Unite Party Leader Adam Roberts and current O&B Senator Eric Wolf, who recently made news when he nearly defected from the minority party in the UF Student Senate.
For those of you looking for something different, I encourage you to read my Alachua Blog, currently addressing the ever-growing rumors of a paramilitary/vigilante group in Alachua, FL: "the Community Action Patrol." The Alachua Blog also follows the travails of Charles Grapski and focuses more on a county-wide slant.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Vice President of the United States
Of all the names being looked, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton,Joe Biden, what would you say if UF's own Charles Grapski was being eyed by some as a possible selection for Democratic Party Nominee Barack Obama's presidential campaign?
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Can't You Just Be Normal?
Seriously. Who the fuck wAnTs to be normal? Who wakes up in the morning striving to blend into the mainstream? I guess you could wear polo shirts, sun glasses, sandals, and walk around campus like a douche bag, commenting on fashion, and talking about random nonsense and watching gusts of wind knock over newspaper machines, knock the elderly over, yet have absolutely no impact on your moused, aquanet-hardened-hair.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
The Independent Conscience
For years, if not decades, the Machine (through its agents in power) sought to build an iron clad appearance of absolute rule. Campaigning against all odds and eating consecutive losses might have been enough to throw off the Indie-Brass, but to keep the rank-in-file GDI thinking small, the System had to have active "press" & "PR" heads to design, gloss, and mass-market an 'open' on the surface regime, candy-coated-sweet, but vast & intricate, ready to take on any Indie Party and/or pounce on even the most minute defiance.
You'd have to be a fool to think that the Machine is run by one. Even the Keys know they can't run SG alone. In the early days, FBK had to push ODK out of the way -- there wasn't enough pie even then; next FBK only had to worry about pinning Greek houses against each other, but with the advent of Civil Rights and seeing itself forced to accept African Americans and women, the organization had to evolve its strategies; but today, maintaining power is a far more delicate and complex artform.
Elitism at the Florida campus has become far more subtle - or secret, depending on your slant. Still, every so often you have a blunder, take the UF College of Medicine Scandal for instance or go back in history to Jamal Sowell's Endorsement of Mel Martinez, Joe Goldberg keeping UF in FSA, AIPAC ties, Tutor Zone, Premier Productions, SG as buffer between student outrage and UPD headquarters....
You'd have to be a fool if you thought one FBK or even all the fraternities together could keep this little bunch in charge of, arguably, the largest incubator of prospective Floridian politicians-to-be!
For years, if not decades, the Machine wanted the rank-in-file Independent to feel ostracized, a nomad on his own college campus. Green, recycling, more club funding (Frats have houses, students have the Union), libraries open later, extended bus routes (name me an ATO or ZTA that rides RTS except for the Later Gator?), study centers, stripping Gator Growl, FBK, and the Greek Council of disproportionate representation in SG, Radical Rush, the CMC, Hare Krishnas, and protests, guitars on Turlington, non-conformity...
If this blog does anything, hopefully it will dispel the Machine's media power play of painting over all GDI's with brush strokes of defeat and making Independents feels like a scattered bunch of left-outs.
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