Florida: Dumb and Dumber

I don't want you to be true
I just want to make love to you
--I Just Want to Make Love To You,
Muddy Waters
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Florida, besides being a Winter escape for snowbirds and home to transient hucksters and grifters, and hiring 10,000 criminals to work in the mortgage industry between 2000 and 2007, has made another very bad political decision.

Northwest Florida specifically, the current home of toxic bacteria-laden beaches and occasional tourist death knell site. You see, our own Democratic party is running Rudy Maloy for State Representative, District 8.

Rudy Maloy has managed to evade four sexual misconduct allegations along with charges of expense account fraud. Maloy even got Leon County to pay $238,836 plus interest to Tallahassee attorney Stephen Dobson for successfully defending Maloy on charges of theft and official misconduct.

When then-Governor Jeb Bush reinstated Maloy to the Leon County Commission in 2002 after his acquittal on the fraud charges he said, "I don't do this with any joy in my heart. The use -- the public use -- the power of an elected official should not be used to create a bad working environment or abusive working environment. And that occurred (For Voters, Maloy May be the Issue.)"

Tallahassee Democrat writer Gerald Ensley said the ethics hearing was "wild" -- "an X-rated cavalcade of marital infidelity, swimming naked, spanking, lesbians and desktop trysts (The Logistics of Infidelity.)" Ultimately, the county commission's insurance company agreed to a multimillion dollar confidential settlement with three of the alleged sex victims who were threatening to sue Maloy.

"The Florida Department of Law Enforcement ... found Mr. Maloy subjected female employees to unwanted touching; appeared to hire and fire employees on the basis of their willingness to engage in sexual relationships with him; and frequently had sex in state offices, sometimes during business hours," Bush said in his statement to commissioners. "Mr. Maloy's behavior was absolutely deplorable, particularly for an elected constitutional officer charged with a duty of public service (Gov. Reinstates Man Despite Sex Charges.)"

Why then Maloy? In a word: Obama. Most liberals I have spoken with are tickled that "we finally have a black man running for office." I am always appalled by these interchanges. It is not that I do not want a black President, but that I want the best person to be President. Race and gender ought to be a moot point, but they are not, alas.

The Democrats are trying to hitch their wagon to a star. Maloy is not the best Democrat District 8 could field.

But he may be the blackest.