Plenty of GOP desperation obvious already in Florida, tucked deep in an article in Monday's Miami Herald. Hardly surprising, given exit polls suggesting Kerry is leading heavily among early voters. I've seen one DU thread listing 51-43, but today's USA Today is reporting a Herald poll on Sunday giving Kerry's edge at 56-39 among 16% who have voted early.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-10-31-fla-voters_x.htm (note: the 56-39 number is also deep in that article)
Kerry campaign signs in South Florida were defaced with stickers reading, ''Arafat Endorses,'' suggesting Kerry has the backing of the ailing Palestinian leader.
Here are the paragraphs detailing anti-Kerry literature from Jeb Bush's former aide:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/10066653.htm "Republican voters received a torrent of negative anti-Kerry campaign mailings Saturday, some from an organization with strong Republican ties, the Florida Leadership Council. The group is headed by Cory Tilley, a former aide to Gov. Bush, and David Johnson, former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida.
The mailings range from images of the party's stalwart leaders -- like Ronald Reagan -- to more ominous pieces that equate a vote for Kerry as the first step in leading to a terrorist attack on South Florida.
The most negative mailing from the Florida Leadership Council has a fake newspaper story from the year 2007 underneath a photo of children in a classroom wearing gas masks. The dateline is ''Florida Red Zone,'' and the fake story reads: 'President John Kerry warned parents and children in South Florida that mandatory radiation and chemical gear would be required to be worn `for the foreseeable future' since the Suitcase Dirty Bomb terrorist attack on South Florida in the spring.'' On the reverse side of the mailing, it says ``The last line of defense must be stronger than John Kerry.
Another piece from the Florida Leadership Council says ''defending America must never be put to a global test'' and has photos of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac."