E-Mail Sniping Over Lamberti vs. Israel Race
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Andrew Perez publishes an online news letter called The New Argument. He has published several articles on the Broward sheriff’s race.
On Wednesday after the race, he sent Israel’s campaign manager Judy Stern a gloating e-mail which prompted the following exchange.
Perez apparently has some connection to Roger Stone, a political consultant whose history goes back to Richard Nixon.
Stone, who now works out of an office at Scott Rothstein’s law firm in Fort Lauderdale, had a mysterious, backroom role in the sheriff’s campaign and may have shaped the message of the committee that ran negative ads against Israel.
The Lamberti race was classic Stone — slashing negative attacks combined with a few positive feel good ads. It was exactly the kind of race Stone said a month ago that Lamberti needed to overcome the Democratic advantage in Broward.
It worked. If Stone was behind it — I think he was — it is another notch in his gun!
Here is the amusing exchange that was copied to me and the Sun-Sentinel, which to date hasn’t published it. Read from the top down:
*******************
From: On Behalf Of Andrew Perez
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 12:15 PM
To: judy stern
Subject: The New Argument — Request for comment
Hey Judy
Looks like Roger Stone beat your ass!
Obama wins the county by 200,000 plus votes and you cant elect a Democratic sheriff. You are truly incompetent.
You are so out of your league. Stone played rope-a-dope with you.
Any comment for The New Argument?
I am writing the “End of Judy Stern” piece. As I call around, you really don’t have any friends.
PS – is it true your ass is so big it can be seen from outer-space?
**********************
On Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 5:00 PM, judith stern wrote:
Dear Mr. Perez-
Obviously you are mistaken in your spin. Since Al told all the news stations that he did not have a relationship with Roger Stone except to accept a $500 contribution and stated to the press on several occasions that Mr. Stone was not involved in his campaign, you are either mistaken or just made Al a liar to the press. Also, since Al and his campaign team announced the weekend before the election, they were 10, 12- 15 points up, I am proud to say we knocked him down inspite of the money machine and the type of individuals and felon who worked the polls for Team Lamberti from the old organized crime days under Navarro. Good luck to your future in Washington and I hope to see you do well under the Obama administration.
J
***********************
From: On Behalf Of Andrew Perez
Sent: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 9:34 PM
To: judith stern
Cc: SWyman@sun-sentinel.com; browardbeat@hotmail.com
Subject: Re: The New Argument — Request for comment
Dear Judy,
So now you say Stone was not involved and are therefore admitting that all your TV ads were a lie. You can’t have it both ways.
The inability to elect a Democratic Sheriff in a year in which Barack Obama carried the county by a record margin speaks to the miserable negative campaign you ran.
In case you didn’t notice, the messaging of Rick Lemack’s campaign – to which you lost on primary day – and the messaging of Lamberti’s campaign were identical. Coincidence? I think not.
We both know the only criminals involved in this race were your shoplifting client (ask retired Sgt. James Farrell), the most colorful Mr. (Ron) Cacciatore, and twice convicted felon Wayne David Collins.
Don’t give me your condescending crap. It’s people like you that make people my age reconsider a career in politics.
You got your ass beat. It’s time to admit it.
****************************
judith stern
Thu 11/06/08 10:29 AM
To:
‘Andrew Perez’
Cc:
SWyman@sun-sentinel.com; browardbeat@hotmail.com
Mr. Perez- We never said Roger was not involved. Al was the only person who repeatedly made that statement. To both newspapers and the tv stations. I guess you have proven us correct and our lawyers appreciate it. Thank you for your statement of the facts. We will add this to the records we have in our possession of other documentation. Please remove me from your email address as you have now provided me with the final documentation that our legal team was looking for.
J
November 6th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Ha Ha Ha Ha
November 6th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Israel ads were right? Lamberti had a Republican hitman working for him. Shame on him. He should hang his head in shame.
November 6th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Israel’s campaign manager couldn’t refute the fact that his campaign accepted money from a twice convicted felon, or that she gave $6,000 to an ECO that took in over $40,000 from the same felon. Israel and co. may soon be in big trouble with the law.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Roger Stone had nothing, NOTHING, to do with Al Lamberti winning this race. Nice try to make himself relevant.
November 7th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Help me understand this. Roger Stone’s boss Scott Rothstine gave over $200,000 to a group that ran ads on behalf of Scott Israel. The ads attacked Stone, his employee. And now you’re trying to convince us that Stone was secretly running Lamberti’s campaign, while his boss was funding the other one? Right
FROM BUDDY: Members of the Rothstein law firm were supporting both candidates. Playing both sides of the street is an old tradition in politics.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:06 am
So if Stone didnt elect Lamberti- who did? Certainly not Al Lamberti who will tell you he is a law-man not a politician.
Certainly not the clowns Lamberti surrounds himself with.
Nope- all fingers point at Stone.
November 11th, 2008 at 6:10 am
Truth-teller wasnt in the meetings when Stone told Lamberti what he had to do to win. I was.
Ask Howard Gruverman,Scott Rothstein,Bill Rubin- they were there.
Stone’s plan- re-cylced from the Lemack campaign- worked like a charm.