Push Poll Targets Black Judges
BY BUDDY NEVINS
A shady group is calling Broward residents and telling them which candidates are black on the judicial ballot next month.
Two who got the call describe it as a push poll, designed to smear the black candidates and not ascertain views like a real survey.
“This was solely a call to tell voters who was the black judges, said one voter.
It is not known who is making or paying for the poll. The call’s origin did not appear on caller IDs.
Voters were asked whether they are supporting the black judges on the ballot. Then the caller carefully listed the black judges by name.
The caller repeated the process with the Hispanic judges.
Because Judges Carlos Rebollo and Carlos Rodriguez have clearly identifiable Hispanic names, the target of this push poll is obviously the black incumbent judges.
One insider speculated that the call was designed to make sure voters knew that incumbent Judges Kenneth Gillespie and Mary Rudd Robinson were black. Judge Elijah Williams has a name that is more identifiably black.
The three black incumbents have opponents in the Aug. 24 election.
History has shown that blacks and Hispanics have a harder time being elected countywide. The reason is that some voters clearly will not support a minority candidate for judge.
July 25th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
This is no different than the advertisement showing the white candidate alongside a black candidate that has been mailed to condominums for years. The advertisement is wrong and so is this phony poll.
July 25th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Sorry LBR (Ret.), I agree the push poll is wrong, but sending out comparison pieces is as old as sliced bread.
At what point can someone do a comparison piece that has pictures of (OH MY GOD) a minority candidate without being branded a racist?
Do we have to wait for the entire county to be black or hispanic to do so?
At that point will it be racist to put a white candidate’s face on a comparison piece?
July 25th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
I disagree. The only purely identifiable minority is Carlos Rodriguez, cleaarly a hispanic name. The other names are ambiguous.
Wouldn’t a voter be suspicious if someone started asking about a candidate’s race?
July 25th, 2010 at 9:43 pm
The names were listed on jaablog long ago. smells fishy to me. lots of people are playing the race card to get people to the polls. same old games by the same old Broward power brokers.
July 26th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
It seems Judge Carlos Rebollo is counting on using his name in this election. I’ve heard that he told the Sun Sentinel that he thinks it is immoral for anyone to ever run against a minority incumbant, regardless of their qualifications, unless that minority has been involved in some significant scandal. With rules like that, does he automatically win through entitlement?
July 26th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
I have been involved in Broward politics for over 30 years.
I have never seen such a vile, hateful and morally bankrupt campaign season like this 2010 election year is shaping up to be.
No one talks about a candidates positive attributes i.e. what benefit is the voter going to get by voting for this candidate.
Instead, we have plastic wood scandals, RRA contribution tainting, golf membership & golf cart scandals, etc. etc.
Very sad indeed and those of you who are participating in this behavior should be ashamed.
…but of course, you have to have morals and a conscience to feel shame.
July 26th, 2010 at 9:53 pm
It is disgusting that somebody sees fit to exploit racial prejudices in these judicial races. It is what we could expect when candidates ran just because they had the right ethnic name and not the right qualifications like Oliver Parker, Frieda Goldstein, Alan Schneider or Jordon Breslow, aka Jordan Jordan. Robert Nichols is qualified, however,in the wrong race against Carlos Rebollo.
This judicial race has been an exercise in intolerance.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:56 am
Call Judy Stern, I read on Jabblog that she is running Oliver Parker’s campaign. I also read there and other blogs that because Parker was a very popular Mayor in District 91 where Momma Stern’s former Republicn daughter Barbara is running fo State House. Also read that Stern’s other candidate Mindy Solomon is herself running against a qualified black opponent. Seems to make sense that Judy Stern who handed out Israel flags at the poll when Soctt Israel ran for Sheriff would have no problem doing whatever it takes to win.
July 27th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Didnt Mayor Parker endorse Barbara Stern sometime last year?
I tried to look on her website to confirm but I checked google and there she does not seem to have a website. It seems that she doesnt want the voters to know much about her if she cant even put up a website?
Maybe she doesnt want her picture out there because her fellow former BREC members will see her as the Republican turncoat that she is.