Tallahassee's latest parlor game/game show, Who Wants to Be a Senator?
is now featuring former U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw among the chattering classes as the
likely Chosen One. A few days ago, the buzz was all about former U.S. Attorney Bobby
Martinez. Now, some folks think Shaw now has the best shot, and as evidence of
that, there are whispers like:

1) Shaw belonged to a club that once excluded Jews, and 2) The NRA strongly
opposes him as "anti-gun." Well, number 1 looks false. Number 2 is true.

First off, Shaw acknowledged he belonged to the Lauderdale Yacht Club for
years. But, to his knowledge, it wasn't anti-Semitic. When asked about the
alleged "no Jews" policy, he almost laughed.

"There was nothing ever in its bylaws that excluded members that I ever knew
of. I co-sponsored members of the Jewish faith. For a period of time I was an
honorary member, I just know there was never an exclusionary clause," Shaw said.
The Jewish man he sponsored, Ralph Marrinson, said he's not the only one of his
faith to be a member. Why such a rumor? Well, in the early 1990s, the state
cracked down on yacht clubs that had discrimination policies, but the club that
was the target was located in Palm Beach (not Broward) County.

2) Shaw voted for the so-called "assault-weapons ban" in 1994. And for that,
there is no forgiveness from the likes of Marion Hammer, chief lobbyist for the
National Rifle Association. When Hammer heard that Shaw was being interviewed,
she left a voice-mail message on Gov. Charlie Crist's cell phone.

"The governor's not a gun-banner," Hammer said. "And Clay Shaw, through his
votes, is. ... Florida has more than 6 million gun owners, and 6 million gun owners
don't support those who ban guns."

Why would Crist pick Shaw? He knows Washington, and if the governor doesn't
pick his former close adviser, George LeMieux, he might feel about as
comfortable with Shaw, whose former staffer, Eric Eikenberg, is Crist's staff
chief.

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