Attack Ad Traced To DUI Judge’s Campaign
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Circuit Judge Lynn Rosenthal’s campaign has tried to hide her attack mail, but failed.
In case you somehow were living in a cave and missed it, Rosenthal really shouldn’t be sending attack ads at all.
She is the judge busted earlier this year for DIU and running into the Broward Main Jail’s fence. Contending she was “sleep driving” on prescription drugs, she pleaded no contest to reckless driving after the DUI was dropped.
There continues to be some controversy surrounding her case as she had a prescription bottle of Xanax when arrested and is seen on a Broward Sheriff’s Office video refusing a blood and urine test in the jail.
So Rosenthal obviously forgot that when you live in a glass house, you shouldn’t thrown stones.
Rosenthal’s latest piece slamming her opponent Franz Jahra McLawrence for seeking a seat on the bench looks to me like the work of her campaign consultant, Alain Jean.
Jean told JAABLOG, the courthouse website, that “neither the campaign nor the judge knew anything about the ECO or the mailer until we called, and that his candidate will not go negative.”
That’s funny because anyone connecting the dots could believe Jean is directly involved in the piece.
Here are the dots:
- The ads states that it is the work of Voters Response, a Tallahassee Electioneering Communications Organization.
- Voters Response has hired Stratford Strategies for “consulting” in the past, according to state records.
- Strafford Strategies uses the same East Las Olas Bouelvard address as Jean’s consulting company The August Company. That address appears to be a United Parcel Service mail drop.
- August got $25,000 from Rosenthal’s campaign in May, the same month that Strafford got $2,225 for “data-scheduling” from the judge’s campaign, campaign financial records indicate.
Jean denied to Browardbeat.com like he did to JAABLOG that he had anything to do with the attack.
“Strafford Strategies and August are not the same companies. The campaign did not know about the piece Am I happy that someone is fighting on her behalf? Not at all,” Jean said.
ECO’s are usually a way to hide who is behind sleazy attacks in more political partisan races. It looks to me like Rosenthal’s campaign has interjected this shady political tool into a judicial race.
Rosenthal may have been worried that putting her campaign’s name on the ad would have violated the Supreme Court’s code governing judicial campaigns.
She shouldn’t have worried. The ad is weak and makes a meaningless allegation.
McLawrence ran before. Big deal.
He lost in 2010 to Judge Mardi Anne Levey Cohen.
Interestingly enough, Cohen beat McLawrence after losing her two previous races in 2006 and 2008.
August 6th, 2014 at 1:10 pm
What a waste of money.
August 6th, 2014 at 1:35 pm
The boxing glove is supposed to imply that this black man is fighting or has fought white Jewish women?
The randomly placed “TKO” aka technical knock out…again this seems to imply mclawrence may be fighting a woman? So how many times did you beat your wife?
Photo of Mc Lawrence, well that is obvious. only surprised they didn’t use the mug shot
So it is a strike against a man of color to exercise his Constitutional right to run for office. Interesting the piece is not critical of the named Judge Levy-Cohen who ran and lost twice prior to her race with McLawrence. What about Rhoda Sokoloff and many others?
August 6th, 2014 at 2:16 pm
Remember Buddy your said you like Alain Jean. So you must love his politics as well. Now lets see what he has for Ian Richards.
August 6th, 2014 at 3:53 pm
Pieces like this serve as a reminder as to why Alain has lost so much work this cycle…
Perhaps he should consider switching professions.
August 6th, 2014 at 4:12 pm
Looks like from Alain Jean’s denial this morning he may have been suffering from Ambien induced sleep denial.
August 6th, 2014 at 4:15 pm
The point of the piece is not the words but the picture.
A not subtle way to show voters he is African-American.
For shame.
I will tell everyone I know to vote against Judge Rosenthal.
August 6th, 2014 at 5:44 pm
I would not exactly call this an “Attack” ad. It does not look like a big deal to me. What does the back of the flyer look like?
August 6th, 2014 at 6:11 pm
The point of the piece is not the words but the picture. A not subtle way to show voters he is African-American.
Jahra is putting his own picture — the same one used here — on his own campaign mailings, so he isn’t trying to hide his ethnicity.
As for this attack piece by Rosenthal’s opponent, it seems a total waste of money. The entire hit is Jahra ran for office in 2010 and lost. That’s a big yawner “So what?” If that is the best dirt that she has on Jahra, he must be pretty squeaky clean as a lawyer.
August 6th, 2014 at 9:29 pm
52-48 is a very narrow loss. Those numbers show that Franz Jahra McLawrence is a serious candidate who earned the voters’ respect and came very close to winning.
August 6th, 2014 at 10:26 pm
Kasen has the same campaign manager. Kasen is seeking to unseat incumbent black Judge Richards. Richards is one of 4 black Judges in Broward out over 100 total slots. Isn’t it ironic that Jean is fighting dirty for Rosenthal against McLawrence and for Kasen against Richards?
August 6th, 2014 at 11:21 pm
Voters Response is a Republican attack ad ECO that sent out a lot of negative lying attack ads against Democratic candidates in competitive races in the 2012 General election. You might want to ask John Paul Alvarez (Candidate for HD100) about Voters Response. Its the same organization that sent out negative attack ads against him in the 2012 General election in HD55. He had won the Democratic primary, and was polling to win the general until the attack ads went out.
August 7th, 2014 at 10:13 am
When you are running againt a severely underfinanced opponent, why would you want to give him any kind of exposure?
August 7th, 2014 at 10:49 am
Ross, is cackling about one group that has noting to do with the other, can you say brainless moron, why is he even talking
August 7th, 2014 at 1:25 pm
@10:49
Tim Ross is a good man. It is clear to me that Rosenthal’s campaign is in a panic. McLawrence is going to win.
Why??? Because Rosenthal’s reckless driving while on ambien and maybe xanax was scary. She could have hurt or killed someone. Rosenthal is a Rick Scott right wing extremist Republican. The condo folks are running from her.
The desperate racist mail piece sent out by her campaign manager’s ECO, besides being racist, is pretty much the last straw. Even the Republicans may start running away from this greatly flawed judge appointed by Rick Scott. It’s time for the voters to vote her out.
August 7th, 2014 at 4:21 pm
Alain Jean could fuck up voting for himself if he was on the ballot running for office.
August 7th, 2014 at 7:12 pm
This is GROSS!!!! GROSS. How could rosenthal get this low??? She could lose based on this piece alone- and would deserve it. I’m outraged that she could stoop so low. Disgusting.
September 5th, 2014 at 2:40 am
Once again everyone on this blog says negative things about a candidate and she wins as did Anne Murray and sbby freeman! Again why are bloggers on one side of an issue and the majority of voters on the other? I agree Rosenthal. Murray n freeman should not be in elected office, but for some reason all won, why? Money? Incumbsncy thru patronage or name recognition? Ethnic or organizational influences? Without knowing this this blog is just people gazing at their navels like fox or msnbc both of which I have stopped watching