Despite polling numbers far behind those of Rubio, Crist and Meek, self-made billionaire and Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene has nevertheless managed to acquire a good amount of media exposure for himself. But aside from the private jets (Greene reportedly owns three), lavish Palm Beach lifestyle, and celebrity friends, what exactly does Greene stand for?
In an age in which Lindsay Lohan’s SCRAM bracelet is likely to garner more Google hits than anything politically related, Greene is a media darling. During his race for Senate, his political dealings have been somewhat overshadowed by his friendship with boxer Mike Tyson, who acted as the best man at Greene’s wedding, and an interesting relationship with infamous Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss, who reportedly lived in Greene’s guest room during a rough patch with an abusive boyfriend.
In his campaign ads, Greene describes himself as a “Washington outsider” whose main goal is to create jobs in a dismal economy. Though the ads started out softly enough, Greene pulled out the big guns last Tuesday, accusing fellow Democrat Meek of being blind-sided by the housing crisis and failing to understand its root cause.
Greene then challenged Meek to a bi-weekly series of debates leading up to the primary, because “voters deserve a real debate about our ideas and the future, not Kendrick Meek dodging questions about his ties to a corruption scandal and his desperate personal attacks.”
Campaign spokesman Paul Blank says that Greene’s “outsider status” makes him a natural choice for the Senate: “Jeff is the embodiment of the American dream. He is self-made, came from nothing, and has a 7-year-old son who he wants to see eventually succeed. He is the only candidate that has created jobs in the past, so he has experience with job creation. The number one question in America right now is how to revitalize the economy and Jeff aims to do it. He is running because he is frustrated with Washington and he wants to put Florida first.”
Blank’s description of Greene’s agenda may lack specifics, but it’s lofty: “We want to level the economic playing field, make a large investment in green technology, end dependence on foreign oil, expand loans to small businesses and create a national infrastructure bank so that we can spur innovation.”
As for the potential debate between Greene and Meek, Blank makes it clear that the offer still stands: “Jeff thinks the public would benefit from a conversation. There are a lot of unanswered questions and a debate would give people the answers they need to make an informed decision.”
[Pic via facebook.com]
