Meek loves the sound of Ka-ching, even when the $$ comes from hard-core republicans

From the start I said that former Miami Mayor Maurice Ferre would have a tough time raising money in his Quixotic attempt to win the nomination on the Democratic Party side for the Senate seat left open by the quick exit of Mel Martinez earlier this year. All indications point to that fact.

What I found most interesting in a recent report by Miami Herald reporter Beth Reinhard on who is giving money in this race, and to whom… The name that struck my fancy was one Ana Navarro. She is a Republican political strategist, with particular expertise on Florida and Hispanic politics. Over the years she has been closely linked to Jeb Bush, plus the congressional Diaz-Balart brothers — Lincoln and Mario.

Financial reports on the senate race demonstrate that she has given money to Marco Rubio. No surprise here. What struck me as strange was her fundraising for democrat Kendrick Meek. Then again, Meek is a very close friend of the Diaz-Balart brothers, especially Mario, who he happens to like sharing cigars with (some say even a few from the forbidden island of Cuba).

But Meek, who touts himself a liberal and a defender of the underrepresented, receiving money from Navarro who can be considered the antithesis of a liberal? That’s weird.

Unless, of course, you consider the fact that Meek has acquired a certain taste for campaign money — wherever it comes from. And he happens to know that the Cuba issue (whether he agrees with it or not) can represent the sound of Ka-ching to his bank account.

Alvaro F. Fernandez