Just when you thought Florida’s singular senate race — featuring a Tea Party Cuban, a newly-minted, blockbuster independent and a potentially history-making African-American — couldn’t get any more bizarre, it does. Witness the addition of Jeff Greene to the Democratic mix.
In all likelihood, U. S. Rep. Kendrick Meek will still inherit the Dems’ primary blessing, but Greene will get attention. He will buy it. Tons of it. He’s that rich. Ad agencies and electronic media will appreciate the stimulus package.
But he’s not your basic billionaire. Or even basic billionaire Democrat. He didn’t make his money the old-fashioned way; he came out way ahead in the credit default swaps sweepstakes. And Mike Tyson was best man, as it were, at his wedding. And Heidi Fleiss crashed at his guest house after getting out of the slammer.
Greene’s been here all of two years. He relocated from California in 2008 and recently bought Malcolm Glazer’s Palm Beach pad.
His message: He’s not a “career politician” and will not have to “take a penny of special interest money.”
Close enough. That’s what he’s not, and what he won’t do. That’ll have to do.
Remember when it was the Republican primary that was drawing all the attention and nightly notoriety? Seems like an eon ago now.