I had originally had planned a rant-y Rude Pundit sorta thing today about how the GOP needs a collective Punch in the Taint, but instead I am going to write about something that transpired on Tuesday in S. Miami Florida. I hopped online Wednesday to see what my various friends were doing and saying on the Facebook and this status update caught my eye, "Go to MiamiHerald.com for front page article on son Philip's great victory; check late Tues or Wed paper." I thought to myself 'what is Philip Stoddard up to now?' Well, he has been elected mayor of South Miami. This is a guy I have known my entire life. He beat the incumbent mayor like a rented mule! Wow!

Philip's platform was fairly simple: good, open honest government. He is a community activist, recently fighting a plan of the former mayor's to allow high power lines down Route 1 in S. Miami. This didn't sit well with Phil for a couple of reasons; one, the power lines are ugly; two they are a potential health hazard. Being a biologist by training, Phil did some research on high power lines and found some studies that link the electro-magnetic radiation from them as cause of childhood leukemia in kids who live near or under these type of power lines. Realizing the incumbent mayor was - as Rachel Maddow would say - living in the pants of Florida Power & Light, Dr. Stoddard decided he had to run for mayor pledging he would bring, open honest government to South Miami. He won with 59% of the vote. Not only did he win, but the entire city council was voted out as well. This is what progressive populism looks like. No overheated rhetoric, no signs with misspellings, no ugly undercurrents of racism.

Here are a couple of links about Philip.

This is he campaign website


A profile from the local CBS station in Miami