Going low

State Representative Irv Slosberg is in the news again. I think this politician says the most outrageous things sometimes just to get his name in the paper.

In less than 36 hours last week, Democratic state Rep. Irving Slosberg was kicked off the county's Health Care District board, called a liar by a shouting County Commissioner Burt Aaronson, forced into a hoarse, jacket-shedding defense of his Democratic bona fides during a debate with state Senate rival Ted Deutch and even shoved by an angry female voter.

But on Wednesday night Slosberg seemed happy, and not just in a politician's put-the-best-face-on-things way.

The reason? During the debate with Deutch, Slosberg declassified some of his campaign intelligence-gathering to announce that Deutch had gone with his family on a brief cruise in the week after Hurricane Wilma.

Though Deutch is not a public official, and had filed for the Senate seat only six days before the hurricane, Slosberg says he should have stayed home.

"Ted was out there on a cruise while I was working 18 hours a day," said Slosberg, whose relief efforts in senior condos drew national TV coverage but also some accusations of grandstanding.

Deutch said the cruise took less than 48 hours out of a month of volunteering.

He and many in the audience accused Slosberg of a cheap shot.

"It's not fair to bring families into it.... It was out of line," said Democratic activist and state House candidate Harvey Arnold, who said he had worked alongside Deutch at least one day loading bags of ice at a county distribution center.

Wilma hit on Monday, Oct. 24. To give his wife and three kids a break, Deutch said, he and his family left Miami on Wednesday afternoon and returned early Friday morning. Deutch said he spent the days before the cruise and the weeks after it helping with Wilma relief. His campaign Web site includes two photos of Deutch doing so.

Slosberg said he learned of the cruise from Deutch's neighbors. Slosberg denied rumors among Dems that he hired a private investigator to unearth information on his rival.

My most recent post on Slosberg is here.

Ted Deutsch is not an official elected or otherwise. What Deutsch did with his family is own personal business. I'd have done it if I had the money. Its better than 11 days of being in the dark. Slosberg's attack is below the belt and I as I said before just designed for the news. Be careful Irv, your constituents could wise up to your tactics or at the very least you'll get a knucklehead award from me.

As bad as Shelley Vana is, I'm glad Slosberg is not my state representative.

Open Post- Right Wing Nation, Basil's Blog,