Florida Political News: Sept. 3, 2010

by: Florida Politics

Fri Sep 03, 2010 at 09:31:11 AM EDT

Scott accuses Sink of "socialism"

"In Brandon, Orlando and Jacksonville,"

Scott and Carroll talked up the importance of creating jobs in a struggling Sunshine State and Scott criticized Democratic rival Alex Sink for supporting "the socialist policies of President Obama.''

"Historic" laff riot

"Scott: 'Historic day' in choice of state Rep. Carroll as running mate".

"As Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott officially announced state Rep. Jennifer Carroll as his running mate Thursday, questions about when he chose the Fleming Island legislator and the experience she feels she brings to the ticket were left largely unanswered."

Touted for her legislative experience, Carroll would not give many specifics about her time in the state House. When asked about some of her proudest moments as a lawmaker, she encouraged a reporter to do some research.

"I don’t only have one," she said. "I have many, and you can certainly look up my resume."

When pressed on her tenure as a member of the Legislature, Carroll cited her work as chair of the House Economic Development Committee.

"There have been many measures that we put in place that created jobs, that reduced tax burden, reduced regulations on many companies to enable them to stay afloat," she said, without giving specifics.

Scott tried to characterize Carroll as the opposite of a career politician, although she has been a legislator in Tallahassee since her election in 2003 and was the head of Florida’s Veterans Affairs Department before that.

Lawson disses Meek

"State Sen. Al Lawson endorsed Gov. Charlie Crist for the U.S. Senate Thursday, saying "Charlie's always been there for us" when state employees, rural counties and universities needed help." "State Sen. Al Lawson endorses Charlie Crist for US Senate".

Crist releases internal poll

Daily Kos:

Given where public polling was on this race as recently as three weeks ago, it is hard to get a lot of confidence for Independent Charlie Crist based on the release of his own internal polling by Keith Fredrick. The new poll gives Crist a lead of just a single point, with Crist at 35%, Rubio at 34%, and Kendrick Meek well behind the pack at 17%. Crist did get some welcome news today, as he locked in a surprising endorsement in the form of state senator Al Lawson. Lawson just finished with a closer-than-expected primary challenge to Congressman Allen Boyd, one in which he challenged Boyd to his left. Lawson's defection is particularly notable, given that he is an African-American Democrat who is choosing Crist over Kendrick Meek, who is seeking to be the first African-American member of the U.S. Senate ever from the state of Florida.

Chiles will help Sink

Kevin Derby: "Lawton 'Bud' Chiles III made it official Thursday, pulling the plug on his gubernatorial campaign and endorsing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink." "Endorsing Alex Sink, Bud Chiles Exits Gubernatorial Race". See also "Bud Chiles will help Alex Sink's campaign for governor".

Population growth

"Florida's population grew slightly in 2009 after a one-year decline broke a steady string of growth dating to the end of World War II, according to preliminary estimates released Thursday. The University of Florida reported the state added an estimated 21,000 residents in the last year, bringing the state's population to 18,771,768. From 2008 to 2009, the state lost more than 56,000 people." "After a year of decline, Florida's population sees a slight amount of growth".

Entrepreneurs in action

"Hallmark Industrial Services, a company dogged by allegations of immigration and worker safety wrongdoing, had been working on oil spill cleanup operations in Florida". "Oil spill contractor with immigration, labor woes was involved in Florida cleanup".

Labor Day Insult in the Works

Hilda Solis is "Fighting for Workers This Labor Day".

In the meantime, we will be preparing the latest edition of the "Annual Labor Day Insult". Previous editions are here, here and here.

Rivera allegations

"A Democratic donor from Miami has filed a complaint against state Rep. David Rivera, asking the Federal Election Commission to investigate whether the Republican congressional candidate violated campaign finance laws by 'coordinating' attacks on Democrat opponent Joe Garcia with a political committee intended to remain independent."

The complaint, submitted by criminal defense attorney William Barzee, alleges there is a link between Rivera's campaign and a group named Voters Response. The link, Barzee says, is Rivera spokeswoman Sarah Bascom, of Tallahassee-based Bascom Communications & Consulting.

Federal campaign finance reports show Rivera's campaign has not made any payments to Bascom.

Voters Response, a Florida electioneering committee that has sent out fliers attacking Garcia in the hotly contested race, has twice made payments totaling $3,000 to Bascom Communications, according to the reports.

"It's outside the rules,'' said Barzee. "It's wrong and it's avoiding accountability.''

Unlike Florida law, federal campaign-finance law prohibits candidates from coordinating their campaign efforts with third-party groups.

But Bascom and David Ramba, who heads Voters Response, said the committee is not working with Rivera.

Bomb scare

"Miami Airport Evacuated After Bomb Scare".

"Suspicious financial arrangement"

The Tampa Tribune editors: "State Rep. Kevin Ambler's lawsuit may not undo his Republican primary loss to Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman in the state Senate District 12 race. It may forever cast him as a sore - and litigious - loser."

Yet the effort could benefit the public if it serves to cast light on a suspicious financial arrangement that allowed Norman's wife to pay cash for a $435,000 lakefront home in Arkansas.

Norman says there are other investors in the house, and they want to stay out of the limelight. But no investors are listed on the deed, which is highly unusual for a real estate investment.

The 2006 transaction has been subject to all sorts of rumors, and Norman blames the accusations on dirty politics.

But he has refused to provide the specifics that could quickly put an end to the matter.

Right wing poll puts Scott on top

Daily Kos: "Team Ras-sie put both Rick Scott (FL-Gov) and Dino Rossi (WA-Sen) out in front today. The only poll that can come close to being construed as positive for Dems is the relatively small lead for GOP incumbent Sean Parnell in Alaska."

FL-Gov: Rick Scott (R) 45%, Alex Sink (D) 44%

Florida bankruptcies up

"Bankruptcies in South Florida up 5.7% in August".

Campaign roundup

"Chiles endorses Sink as he bows out, Scott barely leads Sink in new poll, Crist won't say who should be the next governor." "Campaign roundup for Thursday".

"Unlike other schemes, this one's legal"

The Orlando Sentinel editors: "Unlike other schemes to disenfranchise voters, this one's legal. That doesn't make it any less outrageous. And it doesn't excuse legislators for allowing it."

In 1998, Florida voters, by nearly 2-1, amended the state constitution to open primary contests to all voters, regardless of registration, when the winner would not face opposition in the general election. The intent was to ensure that all voters could have a say in choosing their elected representatives.

But two years later, the state Division of Elections issued an advisory opinion that upended the amendment. The opinion said a single candidate entering a race as a write-in would be enough to limit the primary to one party's voters — even though write-ins don't have to pay a filing fee or collect signatures like other candidates, and don't even appear on the ballot.

Republican or Democratic candidates who have little appeal outside their parties would rather run in closed contests. And in the years since the Elections Division cleared the way, scores of primaries around the state have been closed thanks to write-ins.

Usually these candidates don't even bother to campaign. They have no hope or intention of winning. There's no obvious motive for them to run other than to close a primary. State Sen. Dave Aronberg, a South Florida Democrat who tried for years to close the loophole, said write-ins usually are registered with the party whose primary they wind up closing.

"Legislature lavishes tax dollars on an influential few"

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "An opulent $48 million courthouse being built for the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee highlights the hypocrisy of a Legislature that purports to be fiscally conservative but lavishes tax dollars on an influential few." "In contempt of state taxpayers".

Wingnuts go after Grayson and Kosmas

"For those few Florida voters unfamiliar with attacks ads, the latest TV spot by the conservative Americans for Prosperity offers a classic take on the genre."

It features ominous music, testimony from everyday people and unflattering pictures of its targets: Democratic U.S. Reps. Alan Grayson of Orlando and Suzanne Kosmas of New Smyrna Beach.

"Both supported Nancy Pelosi's liberal agenda," one grandmotherly woman tells the camera, moments before the ad condemns their support of the $787-billion stimulus bill.

Americans for Prosperity paid about $420,000 to run the 30-second commercial for two weeks on Central Florida over-the-air and cable stations. The ad is part of a nationwide campaign by the Republican-Libertarian group – underwritten in part by New York billionaire David Koch -- and marks the opening salvo in what's expected to be a barrage of spending by outside organizations in Florida before the Nov. 2 general election.

Fl-oil-duh

The Miami Herald editors: "Lift liability cap for oil spills". Related from Paul Flemming: "BP payments remain a mystery". Meanwhile, "Gulf Blowout II Ripples Across Florida". See also "New oil rig explosion causes political firestorm in Florida".

Be Bold, Not Meek

by: Tally

Thu Sep 02, 2010 at 13:26:39 PM EDT

Florida Political News: Sept. 2, 2010

by: Florida Politics

Thu Sep 02, 2010 at 10:15:44 AM EDT

The best Scott can do?

"Republican nominee for governor Rick Scott is set to name State Rep. Jennifer Carroll as his running mate. ... The 51-year-old Carroll served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years and was elected to the Florida Legislature in 2003. She would become the state's first black woman to be a candidate for lieutenant governor." "Scott will name running mate".

See also "Rick Scott's likely No. 2: Navy vet", "Scott to name Carroll as his running mate", "Rick Scott to name Jacksonville-area lawmaker as running mate" and "Rick Scott's No. 2 expected to be Rep. Jennifer Carroll".

We look forward to Carroll trying to debate Rod Smith, a tough lawyer who spent decades in the trenches of labor and civil rights law.

Oil? What oil?

"Republican House Speaker Larry Cretul shot down a special legislative session to study oil spill remedies, saying no urgent action was needed." "House speaker nixes special legislative session on oil spill". See also "Legislative Leaders Pull Plug on Special Session" and "Florida leaders kill plan for fall special session on oil".

The Cuba thing

"In a year when the political refrain is jobs, neither candidate wants to risk being seen as out-of-touch by emphasizing an issue that affects a vocal minority in the sprawling, diverse 25th congressional district, which stretches from Homestead and Doral and across the Everglades to near Naples."

Yet Cuba is a passionate point of contention in the fiery race between Rivera, a Republican, and Garcia, a Democrat. The two Cuban Americans -- who at different times each worked for the same powerful Cuban-exile group -- back the trade embargo and a ban on U.S. tourist travel, but are otherwise at odds on greater engagement with the island.

Scott's "steroidal disdain for the press"

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board: "If Mr. Scott really wants to get to work as Florida's next governor, ducking appearances and having his mother speak on his behalf is the wrong way to go about it."

The electorate deserves candidates for the state's highest office who won't just advertise but who also defend their policy positions in public. Instead, Mr. Scott has shown a disdain for debate and public forums that include his opponents. And he has exhibited a steroidal disdain for the press which, if it had the chance, would simply challenge Mr. Scott face-to-face in much the same way the public would.

"Goodbye, Charlie"

Rubio lapdog, Mike Thomas says "Goodbye, Charlie. Enjoy the time you have left." "Charlie is flipping, flopping, fumbling and losing".

Chiles effect is "not cut and dry"

TPM: "So what should we make of the withdrawal of independent candidate Bud Chiles from the Florida gubernatorial race, and his endorsement of Democratic nominee Alex Sink? At first glance, it would seem that this is a pure plus for Dems -- but a closer look shows that it's not so totally cut and dry." "Will Indy Chiles Dropping Out Help Dem In FL-GOV Race?".

Related: "Chiles drops out of governor race, throws support to Sink", "Bud Chiles to endorse Democrat Alex Sink for Florida governor" and "Chiles throws support to Sink in Fla. gov's race".

"Some pretty rough neighborhoods"

"If U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek expects to win Florida's U.S. Senate race, his road to victory will run through some pretty rough neighborhoods."

Meek, who is polling a distant third in a three-way race with Republican Marco Rubio and independent Charlie Crist, finished behind Jeff Greene in 34 of 67 counties in the Democratic primary. In 20 counties, Greene garnered an outright majority in the four-candidate contest.

While Meek racked up landslide margins in his home base of Southeast Florida, the rest of the state proved problematic for the Miami congressman. If Meek has any hope of winning this fall, or even being competitive, he will have to dial far beyond his 305 area code.

A Sunshine State News analysis suggests that Greene voters won't necessarily come home for Meek in those counties. Even if the congressman stumps through Florida's rural counties where he performed poorest, he will face gale-force headwinds.

Party boy

"The Republican Party is supplying $2.5 million in advertising support to Marco Rubio's Senate campaign in Florida, a sizable commitment to a candidate the party once tried to push out of the contest."

The money from the National Republican Senatorial Committee is the maximum the party can spend in coordination with Rubio. A party official said the money will be devoted to television ads at a time that is agreeable to Rubio's campaign.

"Hot issues in November’s election"

"The two major party nominees in the race for governor threw some jabs at education Wednesday, setting the stage for what will be one of the hot issues in November’s election." "Primaries Done, Statewide Candidates Focus on Education".

Teabaggers = RPOF

"Leaders of the Florida TEA ('Taxed Enough Already') Party chose Tallahassee Wednesday to promote their 21 candidates across the state and to endorse Rick Scott, the Republican gubernatorial candidate." "TEA Party Backs Rick Scott for Governor in November".

FCAT follies

"How FCAT will change".

Marco's "huge taxpayer rip-offs"

The Saint Petersburg Times editors: "Since St. Petersburg Times senior correspondent Lucy Morgan detailed the evolution of this palatial building, the Republican legislative leaders with their fingerprints all over it have been pointing away from themselves. U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio was House speaker when money for the new courthouse was approved. He claims that the project was a Senate, not a House, priority. That's not how everyone remembers it."

Intense lobbying for the building came from 1st District Court of Appeal Chief Judge Paul Hawkes and Judge Brad Thomas — Republican insiders with friends in high places. Hawkes is a former legislator from Crystal River, and both men are former staff members for the Legislature and former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, who was chairman of the House committee that oversaw court expenditures, said after he refused to fund the courthouse, Hawkes and Thomas enlisted help from Richard Corcoran, then Rubio's chief of staff, and from Hawkes' son Jeremiah, who was Rubio's general counsel. Dean says that the decision about the money was left to Rubio and his budget chief, Rep. Ray Sansom, and the final budget included $7.9 million to start work on the building.

Rubio is campaigning for the Senate as a fiscal conservative, yet his tenure as House speaker features two huge taxpayer rip-offs that rewarded political friends and associates: One is the $6 million set aside by Sansom for an airplane hangar for a friend and political contributor. Sansom now faces grand theft charges for that arrangement. The other is this unnecessary and luxurious courthouse that was originally slated to provide each judge on the appellate court with a 60-inch flat screen television and individual kitchens — accoutrements that have disappeared since the public attention.

Stem cells

"Area lawmakers urge Congress bypass judge, pass law allowing embryonic stem cell research".

Send the check, just don't hug me

"Despite fierce opposition from GOP leaders, state agencies are seeking federal help." "Florida is going after millions tied to health care reform".

Outa here

"The threat of illegal immigration may have been a political flashpoint in the recent Florida primaries, but a new study suggests that fewer undocumented immigrants call the state home. The analysis by Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C., found that more illegal immigrants have been leaving Florida than have moved in during the past few years. A small percentage have become legalized." "Florida's illegal immigrants have fled state".

Not enough

"In the wake of a rash of fish and bird deaths likely due to toxic blue-green algal blooms in the St. Johns River, there are renewed calls for standards that dictate how much nutrient runoff citizens and businesses can dump into Florida’s fresh water. The recent gulf oil spill brought to light the fragility and importance of waters on the state’s economy and ecology, but the ocean isn’t our only at-risk body of water."

The St. Johns has long suffered the effects of nutrient pollution, but the past several months have been undoubtedly worse than usual. Those fish and bird deaths, plus the sudden appearance of a bizarre foam, are just a few of the symptoms of nutrient overload, and it is becoming apparent that the agencies governing Florida’s water bodies need to accelerate the adoption of a stringent set of rules to protect them.

Probably not a contingency fee arrangement

"Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene accused The Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times in a libel lawsuit filed Wednesday of orchestrating a "plan to assassinate [his] character'' that cost him the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Florida."

Greene, who lost to Miami U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek by 26 percentage points, said the newspapers published stories about his real estate dealings in California and his 145-foot yacht Summerwind that were "knowingly based on false information.''

"Defendants . . . published the articles with the goal of destroying the personal, business and political reputation of Greene,'' the suit claims.

Fl-oil-duh

"BP oil spill claims czar Ken Feinberg has overpromised and underdelivered, Florida officials and others said Wednesday. Feinberg's new claims process, called the "Gulf Coast Claims Facility," isn't any more popular than the maligned BP process it replaces, members of Gov. Charlie Crist's Oil Spill Economic Recovery Task Force learned Wednesday, as they heard a litany of complaints from Panhandle claimants." "Despite critics, Feinberg says he's paid $17 million in 3,000 emergency oil-spill checks".

"Alternative parties hold some sway"

"If they voted as a bloc, Florida's third-party members could have a decisive impact on close races throughout the state, including some in Central Florida. More than 350,000 Florida voters are registered as members of political parties other than the Republican Party of Florida or the Florida Democratic Party, records show." "Alternative political parties hold some sway in Florida".

Ambler wants election voided

"Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman has refused to discuss who helped his wife buy a $435,000 lakefront home in Arkansas, but a lawsuit by his political nemesis claims conservative activist Ralph Hughes was the source of the money."

The lawsuit, filed by state Rep. Kevin Ambler, charges that Hughes loaned Norman $435,000, which Norman never disclosed nor paid back.

Ambler, defeated by Norman in last week's Republican primary for state Senate District 12, wants the results of the election voided and election officials to declare him the nominee. Ambler argues that Norman was not a legally qualified candidate because he didn't disclose the loan from Hughes or ownership of two boats purchased in conjunction with the Arkansas home.

The Tampa Tribune has also learned from sources at two government agencies that the FBI has begun investigating Norman's finances in relation to the Arkansas house purchased by his wife, Mearline, in 2006. The sources requested anonymity.

Spokesmen for the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's office said they could not confirm or deny an ongoing investigation.

"Legislature’s deceptive efforts ... to amend the state Constitution"

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "The Florida Supreme Court has properly responded to the Legislature’s deceptive efforts to get voters to amend the state Constitution to suit its political purposes." "Florida’s high court stands up for voters".

New Reagan-Rostys

by: Robert McKnight

Wed Sep 01, 2010 at 20:19:42 PM EDT

With the recent passing of former U.S. Congressman Dan Rostenkowski (D., Ill.) one could not help but remember his leadership in helping pass the historic tax reform of 1986.  Democrat Rosty teamed up with Republican President Ronald Reagan to do what most said could not be done.  It was a perfect combination of political powerhouses that made it work.  Are there other bi-partisan combinations who could again pass tax reform today?  Possibilities?

Republicans:  Bob Dole, George Shultz, Pete Peterson, and Howard Baker.

Democrats:  Sam Nunn, John Breaux, Mario Cumo, and Bob Graham.

Two that don't work are Eskine Bowles and Alan Simpson.

Florida Political News: Sept. 1, 2010

by: Florida Politics

Wed Sep 01, 2010 at 07:52:55 AM EDT

Chiles drops bid, boosting Sink campaign

"In a sign of relief for Democrats,"

Lawton "Bud'' Chiles III is expected to abandon his independent bid for governor.His departure would make it a two-way race between Democrat Alex Sink and Republican Rick Scott -- a contest in which Chiles, a former Democrat, was expected to play spoiler.

No wonder Jebbie likes Scott

The irrelevant "Jeb!" Bush has discovered he loves Rick Scott.

"Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Scott is prepared to be Florida's next governor and has the background for the job, former Gov. Jeb Bush told some 200 GOP loyalists Tuesday. Bush, who was Florida's governor from 1999-2007, formally joined ranks with the Republican nominee at a Republican Party unity rally in Jacksonville after supporting Attorney General Bill McCollum in last week's primary."

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, head of the Republican Governors Association, joined Scott and about 200 mostly elderly supporters at a Miami-area community center.

Scott's campaign called the appearances a "unity tour," a week after a terse exchange between Scott and the governors' group over a primary ad attacking McCollum.

Senate President Jeff Atwater and incoming House Speaker Dean Cannon emphasized Republican teamwork was needed to send Scott to the governor's mansion in November instead of members of what they called "Obama's team."

former Gov. Jeb Bush is joining the board of Tenet Healthcare, the national hospital that has been working to clean up its image and performance since dealing with widespread allegations of fraud. ...

The hospital chain has been struggling to emerge from a series of legal and financial problems. Earlier, it paid $10 million to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into Medicare fraud allegations. Last year, it reached an agreement with the federal government to pay $900 million to settle allegations of Medicare fraud.

Florida in the front lines

"Needing to pick up 39 seats to take control from the Democrats, Republicans are dreaming of picking up more U.S. House seats -- and Florida is in the front line of their effort to take the gavel from U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as they focus on four possibilities to pick up seats." "Florida Becoming Front Line in Battle for Congress".

Special session needed

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Is the time for a special legislative session that in July Speaker Larry Cretul and Senate President Jeff Atwater said would be more appropriate in September? No." "Our Opinion: Special session on oil issues deserves full attention".

"A blow to Republican legislative leaders"

"The Florida Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld lower-court decisions to remove three legislatively drafted constitutional amendments dealing with property tax breaks, redistricting and the federal health-care reform from the Nov. 2 ballot."

Leon County judges had removed Amendments 3, 7 and 9 from the ballot this summer because they deemed their summaries for voters to be too confusing — and a majority of the justices on Florida’s high court agreed, delivering a blow to Republican legislative leaders who had pushed the measures.

Earlier this month, House Speaker-designate Dean Cannon took the unusual step of appearing before the court to defend Amendment 7, which would have given lawmakers broader power to draw political districts regardless of other standards currently in the Constitution. Critics said it would have also weakened Amendments 5 and 6, which are also on the ballot and seek to limit lawmakers’ power to gerrymander districts.

"Political hacks" take it in the shorts

Scott Maxwell: "In wrestling terms, Florida politicians have suffered a pile-driver, full-nelson and double-knee gut-buster. All within the last few weeks. And all delivered by judges who say political hacks don't have the right to thwart the people's will, or trample on the state constitution, just because they want to." "Legal smackdowns should send politicians a strong message".

Sink's school plan

"Democratic gubernatorial nominee Alex Sink's education plan proposes sending education decisions back to locals and strengthening state standards." "Sink unveils plan for school changes".

Crist "a campaign chameleon"

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Charlie Crist seems to have become a campaign chameleon, shifting shape and changing colors depending on where he is and to whom he's talking." "Charlie, who are you now?".

Rubio "supporters eager for more"

Tom Jackson "Two months remain in the dash to Election Day. Two months to work the stump speech and tilt the fence-sitters. Perhaps the best thing about the Taste of Marco Tour: He left his supporters eager for more." "Rubio blitz leaves backers hungry for more".

RPOFers urge Scott to pretend ...

... that he never said those things. "The '800-pound gorilla' at Tuesday's closed-door meeting between the newly crowned Republican nominee for governor and Hispanic state legislators wasn't their strong support for his former rival, according to one participant."

It was Rick Scott's hardline stance on illegal immigration.

Scott has championed Arizona's new crackdown that requires police to question suspected illegal immigrants and says he wants to bring a similar law to Florida. Some Hispanic Republicans say they hope the issue will take a back seat to the economy between now and the Nov. 2 general election.

Early-Retiree insurance

"Sixty-nine Florida businesses and government entities have been accepted into a new federal program designed to help employers and unions maintain health coverage for early retirees not yet eligible for Medicare." "Early-Retiree Insurance: a Broken Bridge?".

"Reminiscent of Fiasco 2000"

"It's not deja vu all over again. There are no 'butterfly' ballots, no presidency at stake, no Supreme Court arguments and no candidates by the name of Bush or Gore."

But Sarasota County's latest recount battle is reminiscent of Fiasco 2000 in one key respect: It again proves that human error can lead to some very controversial election results.

The error this time is a certain lack of foresight on the part of two people, Kathy Bolam and Kathy Dent, in connection with last week's primary vote.

Bolam, a county Charter Review Board candidate, conceded a very close race too soon. Worse, she did it by e-mail -- which is considered legally binding by the Florida Division of Elections. When she tried to undo her decision and get a recount, it was too late, state law suggests.

Bolam (down by 136 votes, according to the election supervisor's Web site) should accept the result and learn from what amounts to a beginner's mistake. She apparently plans to formally contest the decision, however.

Teachers = their union

The Orlando Sentinel editorial board can't get it through their heads that the teachers union is not comprised of a bunch of Bolsheviks, but rather the teachers themselves: "Don't give on merit pay reforms".

Sore loserman

"State Rep. Kevin Ambler, who lost a bitter Republican primary election to Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman for the state Senate District 12 seat, has named his opponent in a lawsuit filed Tuesday."

Ambler, who has represented state House District 47 for eight years, did not immediately concede defeat to Norman after the election. An Ambler spokesman said the state representative planned to take some time to consider his options.

The lawsuit marks Ambler's first public response since the primaries. Neither Ambler nor his Tallahassee attorney, Mark Herron, could be reached for comment.

Norman issued a statement late Tuesday critical of Ambler's action. He urged his opponent to end his campaign.

More RPOFer legislation bites the dust

The Miami Herald editorial board: "Local governments -- and the taxpayers who pay for them -- got a fair shake when a judge struck down a controversial 2009 growth-management bill that put an undue financial burden on cities and counties." "Good riddance to sprawl-promoting law".

Debates

by: Tally

Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 14:35:10 PM EDT

Florida Political News: August 31, 2010

by: Florida Politics

Tue Aug 31, 2010 at 10:20:22 AM EDT

RPOFers "zipping on their Hazmat suits and embracing Scott"

"Once viewed as a pariah among Republicans, Rick Scott is embraced by top party leaders who hope he can forgive and forget."

Politics is funny sometimes in Florida.

One day people call you a fraud who ripped off taxpayers and financed smut, the next day they hail you as a visionary leader, job creator and good friend. One day you're denouncing special interest and lobbyist money, the next day you are courting it.

Such is the case with Rick Scott, the mega-rich businessman ['who has more baggage than J-Lo on a camel safari'] who stunned the GOP establishment last week by beating Bill McCollum for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Only a week ago, state and national party leaders treated Scott as a dangerous pariah, but now they're eagerly embracing him and hoping for forgiveness.

Whether Sink can capitalize on the rancorous split in the GOP remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the efforts of Thrasher and others to present a unified front will provide some much-needed comedy, if nothing else.

Expect staged photo opportunities of Scott posing with ex-McCollum backers, pained smiles all around. It will also be intriguing to see how party godfather Jeb Bush devises to appear enthusiastic about Scott, when the truth is the opposite. ...

McCollum will face mounting pressure from GOP insiders to hold his nose and praise a man whom he truly believes is unqualified to be governor.

With his résumé reeking from one of the nation's worst health-care ripoffs, the new GOP gubernatorial nominee is now being courted by the same stalwarts who did everything in their power to sink his self-financed excursion into politics.

Scott's surprise victory last week over Attorney General Bill McCollum was a gift to the Democrats and a blow to the wobbly state Republican machine.

Now comes the fun part, when all the GOP bigshots who spent months trashing Scott now pretend that they didn't do that, or didn't really mean it if they did.

Listen to this kissy-face lie from incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos: "When you people check the record, you'll see it's only positive from me.''

Haridopolos, a vocal supporter of McCollum, was one of numerous Republican leaders who helped raise millions of dollars for attack ads against Scott.

Free Choice Kerfuffle

"There’s no doubt Florida’s business community holds a lot of sway when it comes to electing the state’s next governor. Associated Industries of Florida boasts the most powerful business lobby in the state and the Florida Chamber of Commerce claims the largest membership with 139,000 businesses in its group."

One issue important to both of them, affecting endorsements and fund-raising for the candidates, is the Employee Free Choice Act, or card-check.

Card-check is currently being considered in Congress. It was co-sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., and is expected to be taken up by the Senate this fall. The bill would change the way unions can organize by getting rid of the secret-ballot system, and allowing businesses with as few as 10 employees to become unionized.

Many in the business community worry that getting rid of the secret ballot would allow unions to intimidate employees, essentially checking their cards while voting.

AIF president Barney Bishop says that’s one of the major reasons they are not endorsing Alex Sink, even though she’s described herself as a business-friendly Democrat.

"She’s a business person who just happens to be a Democrat," said Bishop. "And that dog just ain't going to hunt."

Bishop says one of his primary concerns with Sink is that she will side with Congress and the White House when it comes to the union-favored card-check legislation.

Scott claims he was "a victim of Bill and Hillary Clinton's wrath"

Myriam Marquez the other day:

Hi, it's me again!

With his ah-shucks, Opie Taylor demeanor and his "Let's get to work!'' slogan, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott pulled it off. He beat seasoned politico Bill McCollum in the primary by campaigning against his own party.

At his victory party in Fort Lauderdale Tuesday night, I marveled at the rise of a businessman who just a decade ago was forced to leave the company he created after a multibillion-dollar criminal scandal. Scott maintains that the $1.7 billion paid by Hospital Corporation of America -- the largest fine in U.S. history -- was not an admission of fraud.

As he implies on the stump (check out YouTube for illuminating videos of his "explanation''), he was a victim of Bill and Hillary Clinton's wrath once their healthcare reform plan went bust.

"Scott must choose a running mate by Thursday"

"The Florida Republican Party’s newest supernova, gubernatorial nominee Rick Scott, blazed Monday across Central Florida on a party unity tour with legislative leaders – and a star-studded fly-around on deck. ... But while the self-styled political outsider basks in the glow of party insiders, Scott also is getting ready to create an instant celebrity of his own. Scott must choose a running mate by Thursday, under state law." "Who's Ready for 15 Minutes of Fame? Scott to Choose LG".

Never mind

"As a House panel wrapped up its work on Monday, chances for a September oil spill special session appeared to be slim and none." "Oil spill special session not likely". Related: "BP data reveals high stakes for Florida in oil spill claims process".

Crist "hedging, backpedaling and two-stepping"

"A longtime target of finger-to-the-wind accusations, Gov. Charlie Crist has engaged in an unusual amount of hedging, backpedaling and two-stepping since Tuesday's primary crystallized his opposition in the U.S. Senate race."

What's more, he is refusing to join his chief rivals, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek, on NBC's Meet the Press this Sunday.

"When it comes down to the governor, I think Florida voters are going to really pay close attention because you don't know where he stands on the issues,'' Meek said in Tallahassee on Monday.

Twice in the past three days, the Crist campaign has scrambled to put out statements clarifying his remarks on healthcare and same-sex marriage. The Republican-turned-independent candidate has also given muddy answers on returning money to disgruntled donors and on which party he would caucus with if elected.

The difficulty in pinpointing Crist's positions reflects the unprecedented balancing act of an unaffiliated candidate trying to hold together a fragile coalition of Democratic, Republican and non-partisan voters.

SOE stoties

"The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is reporting new accusations that Sarasota County Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent influenced charter review board candidate Kathy Bolam’s decision to concede last Wednesday, after primary results indicated she had lost her bid by just over 100 votes. The narrowness of that margin would have triggered an automatic recount, if Bolam had not conceded." "Sarasota supervisor of elections accused of influencing candidate’s decision to concede".

"Smaller this storm season"

"Florida's massive reinsurance fund is much smaller this storm season".

The week ahead

"The Week Ahead for Aug. 30-Sept. 3".

Grayson - Webster on the air

Mark Schlueb reports that the Webster - Grayson "TV battle began last week. Americans for Prosperity, the stealth conservative group backed by oil billionaire David Koch, launched attack ads against Grayson and fellow Democrat Suzanne Kosmas from the neighboring 24th District, noting their support of the federal stimulus. Grayson has paid for a spot slamming Webster for spending $32,000 of taxpayer money to install a spiral staircase in his state House office in 1997 and for billing taxpayers for 68 flights private jet flights. The staircase claim is true, and the information about the flights is partially true."

That Webster would associate himself with "Americans for Prosperity" speaks volumes. Jane Mayer has a lengthy piece in the New Yorker titled "Covert Operations", about the Koch brothers, who are "the billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama". She writes:

The Kochs are longtime libertarians who believe in drastically lower personal and corporate taxes, minimal social services for the needy, and much less oversight of industry—especially environmental regulation. These views dovetail with the brothers’ corporate interests. In a study released this spring, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Political Economy Research Institute named Koch Industries one of the top ten air polluters in the United States. And Greenpeace issued a report identifying the company as a "kingpin of climate science denial." The report showed that, from 2005 to 2008, the Kochs vastly outdid ExxonMobil in giving money to organizations fighting legislation related to climate change, underwriting a huge network of foundations, think tanks, and political front groups. Indeed, the brothers have funded opposition campaigns against so many Obama Administration policies—from health-care reform to the economic-stimulus program—that, in political circles, their ideological network is known as the Kochtopus.

"We love what the Tea Parties are doing, because that’s how we’re going to take back America!" she declared, as the crowd cheered. In a subsequent interview, she described herself as an early member of the movement, joking, "I was part of the Tea Party before it was cool!" She explained that the role of Americans for Prosperity was to help "educate" Tea Party activists on policy details, and to give them "next-step training" after their rallies, so that their political energy could be channelled "more effectively." And she noted that Americans for Prosperity had provided Tea Party activists with lists of elected officials to target. She said of the Kochs, "They’re certainly our people. David’s the chairman of our board. I’ve certainly met with them, and I’m very appreciative of what they do."

Venable honored several Tea Party "citizen leaders" at the summit. The Texas branch of Americans for Prosperity gave its Blogger of the Year Award to a young woman named Sibyl West. On June 14th, West, writing on her site, described Obama as the "cokehead in chief." ...

During a catered lunch, Venable introduced Ted Cruz, a former solicitor general of Texas, who told the crowd that Obama was "the most radical President ever to occupy the Oval Office," and had hidden from voters a secret agenda—"the government taking over our economy and our lives." Countering Obama, Cruz proclaimed, was "the epic fight of our generation!" As the crowd rose to its feet and cheered, he quoted the defiant words of a Texan at the Alamo: "Victory, or death!"

Americans for Prosperity [the organization that David Koch started in 2004] has worked closely with the Tea Party since the movement’s inception. In the weeks before the first Tax Day protests, in April, 2009, Americans for Prosperity hosted a Web site offering supporters "Tea Party Talking Points."

Only the fat cats change — not their methods and not their pet bugaboos (taxes, corporate regulation, organized labor, and government "handouts" to the poor, unemployed, ill and elderly). Even the sources of their fortunes remain fairly constant. Koch Industries began with oil in the 1930s and now also spews an array of industrial products, from Dixie cups to Lycra, not unlike DuPont’s portfolio of paint and plastics. Sometimes the biological DNA persists as well. The Koch brothers’ father, Fred, was among the select group chosen to serve on the Birch Society’s top governing body. In a recorded 1963 speech that survives in a University of Michigan archive, he can be heard warning of "a takeover" of America in which Communists would "infiltrate the highest offices of government in the U.S. until the president is a Communist, unknown to the rest of us." That rant could be delivered as is at any Tea Party rally today.

Grayson debate debate

"The candidates in the most closely watched congressional race in Florida might not have a televised debate because the campaigns disagree over who should be invited."

Incumbent Democrat U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson refuses to debate Republican challenger Dan Webster unless lesser known candidates are invited to the stage. Webster, a former state senator and the GOP standard-bearer, says he wants to take on Grayson solo. ...

In addition to the two major-party candidates, the Nov. 2 ballot in Florida's 8th Congressional district also will include Florida Tea Party candidate Peg Dunmire and independent George Metcalfe.

The choice of which candidates would participate is a calculated one for both camps. It is to Grayson's advantage to have Dunmire and Metcalfe there because they'd likely peel conservative votes away from Webster.

"Webster wants me and Peg Dunmire to go away," Metcalfe said. "He wants to frame this as a two-party election. This is not an exclusive boys' club.''

Dunmire called her exclusion "elitist."

What say you ... Mr. Scott

"Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Francis has agreed with the city of Weston that a law passed last year by the state Legislature would create unconstitutional expenses for local governments. He threw the ill-advised bill in the trash can. Gov. Charlie Crist, who signed the Community Renewal Act, should not appeal." "On growth law, judge protects taxpayers".

"All that stood between the GOP and dynastic dominance were ..."

Thomas Tryon: "When the Republican Party gained firm control of Florida politics in the late 1990s, all that stood between the GOP and dynastic dominance were ... the Republican Party and its members." "Tryon: GOP's challenge is to keep it together".

"Frequent filer"

"Frequent filer Josue Larose runs for governor, raises questions". "$14.2 Million Write-In 'Challenges' Division of Elections".

Pathetic turnout

"Final turnout figures for the primary election are in: statewide, the 2.43 million votes cast were 21.9 percent of registered voters, according to the state Division of Elections. Leading the pack were the smaller counties, like Liberty, where more than 51 percent of the 4,237 voters turned out. ... Miami-Dade, 17.2 percent, Palm Beach, 16.2 percent, Broward, 14.7 percent". "21.9% of state's registered voters in cast ballots in primary, final figures show".

"Perverse political hubris at work here"

Daniel Ruth complains, "so it was the other day as we attempted to enjoy our first cocktails of the evening while watching the news only to be exposed — again and again and again — with yet another wave of campaign commercials."

Couldn't we just have a break from this silliness — just a short one? Haven't we earned it?

There is a perverse political hubris at work here — that the general public is sitting at their kitchen counters breathlessly, anxiously awaiting the next commercial pimping a candidate's fitness for office or why their opponent is a vile agent of darkness who makes Saddam Hussein look like Dr. Seuss.

Really, do either Rubio, Sink or the Committee of Sleazy Mysterious Touts for Rick Scott honestly believe if they merely went away until after Labor Day they would lose potential votes to be cast more than two months from now?

It is estimated that during the recent primary mosh pit, the average television viewer in the Tampa Bay area was treated to 266 commercials — most of them portraying Bill McCollum as a shiftless poltroon — hawking the candidacy of Rick Scott. Madonna hasn't exposed herself this much.

Imagine — if you dare — what we can expect going into the general election.

Of course the argument for the airwaves carpet bombing is that it is important for the public to get to know these candidates. But the problem, unfortunately, is — we know, we know.

At the risk of committing heresy — could we just know a little less?

Union hating fun

The Sun Sentinel editorial board: "Palm Beach County teachers are forced to watch from the sidelines, because their union, in a petulant fit, opted not join in the Race to the Top fun." "Palm union's petulance cost teachers a bundle".

"Strange"

"Just two weeks after publicly pumping up U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek in the U.S. Senate Democratic primary race against Jeff Greene, state senator-to-be Maria Sachs yesterday pulled a switch and endorsed Meek’s general election rival Gov. Charlie Crist." "Sachs' defection to Crist in Senate race strange, Meek tells reporters". Related: "Meek, Thurman: Few Dems will defect".

Taj Mahal audit

"Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, was chairman of the House committee that oversaw court expenditures."

Dean says he rejected a plea from Hawkes and Thomas to fund the courthouse after Dean toured the existing courthouse. He said he rejected it because the state was slashing budgets, and he said the courts had more important needs than the construction of a new courthouse for the appellate court.

Dean said Hawkes and Thomas indicated they would go around him to get the funding they needed.

"He (Hawkes) just looked at me and grinned and said, 'I got friends,' '' Dean said.

Dean said the two judges had help from Richard Corcoran, then chief of staff for House Speaker Marco Rubio, and from Hawkes' son Jeremiah, who was general counsel for Rubio.

Skip the scotch and read the cross tabs

The wingers on The Orlando Sentinel editorial board are outraged that Florida's overworked, underpaid (they haven't had a raise in years), state employees have ... get ready for this ... not had their pensions gutted. They whine this morning: "Most legislators panicked at the idea of antagonizing the state's politically powerful public employee unions in an election year." "Make state pensions more equitable, more affordable and more sustainable".

Of course, "equitable, affordable and sustainable" pensions are code words for cutting pensions. The editors then whine about "apologists [who] bring up poor pay for public employees, ignoring a Bureau of Labor Statistics report that shows public employees make more than their private counterparts". Of course, the editors are merely passing along the propaganda they hear from their Chamber buddies at the club - we urge the editors to skip the scotch and read the cross tabs.

To complete the whinge, the editors look adoringly into the eyes of Rick Scott: "only Republican Rick Scott is proposing to raise employee pension contributions. Good for him."

Related: "Millions in salary, pension cuts in front of Miami Commission on Tuesday".

In the heart of darkness

"Rubio campaigning in Pasco and Hernando". See also "Warm welcomes greet Rubio in Pasco, Hernando visits".

Meek Needs To Sell Obama To Win

by: Tally

Mon Aug 30, 2010 at 18:49:26 PM EDT

Florida Political News: August 30, 2010

by: Florida Politics

Mon Aug 30, 2010 at 08:23:34 AM EDT

Florda a key state in Dem control of Congress

"Florida's party primaries last week set the stage for a half-dozen closely contested congressional elections this fall that could help resurgent Republicans regain majority control of Congress."

National political analysts foresee a Republican gain of two or three U.S. House seats in Florida.

Four Democratic incumbents appear vulnerable: Alan Grayson of Orlando, Suzanne Kosmas of New Smyrna Beach, Allen Boyd of Monticello and Ron Klein of Boca Raton. On the other hand, two open seats vacated by Republicans in South and Central Florida offer opportunities for Democrats.

"I expect Republicans to pick up three seats in Florida on their way to the 40 they hope to get nationally," said David Wasserman, who tracks House campaigns for The Cook Political Report, which analyzes elections across the country. "The primaries demonstrated that there is more enthusiasm on the Republican side this year."

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami is leaving the 25th District to run unopposed in the more Republican-friendly 21st District now represented by his brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who is retiring from Congress.

Competing for the open seat are Democrat Joe Garcia and Republican state Rep. David Rivera. Garcia has a slight lead in the money chase, raising $1.6 million to Rivera's $1.3 million. ...

A similar contest is unfolding in the 12th District, an area marked by suburban sprawl and citrus groves, where Republican Adam Putnam is retiring to run for agriculture commissioner. That sets up a competitive race between Republican Dennis Ross, a former legislator, and Democrat Lori Edwards, the supervisor of elections in Polk County.

And so it begins ...

"Crist won the backing of two state Democrat legislators this morning in his quest to become a United States Senator. State Sen.-elect Maria Sachs, Delray Beach, and State Rep. Darryl Rouson, District 55, based in St. Petersburg, praised Crist at the South County Civic Center before a crowd of about 100 voters who braved the rain to snack on bagels and meet the Republican-turned-Independent." "Democrat state lawmakers Sachs, Rouson endorse Crist in Delray".

Is Scott FlaDem dream or nightmare?

"Rick Scott's triumph in the GOP gubernatorial primary may have drawn almost as many cheers from Democrats as it did from Republicans."

Several polls showed that Alex Sink, the presumptive Democratic candidate, was leading Scott before Tuesday's election. The Republican elite wanted state Attorney General Bill McCollum to win, and McCollum had done a yeoman's job of highlighting vulnerable spots in Scott's background.

Scott, Democrats surmised, would be the easier opponent. Now the question remains: is Scott's nomination the gift that many Democrats think -- or will the political newcomer turn out to be their worst nightmare?

LeMieux laff riot

Florida Trend: "LeMieux has a lot bigger agenda than warming a seat for whoever is elected to the Senate in November". "Climbing the Hill".

Fladems might change three key things

"William March writes that FlaDems have "the potential for change in three key items on the Nov. 2 ballot – the governor's race, in which Democrat Alex Sink appears tied or narrowly leading; and constitutional amendments seeking to outlaw gerrymandering of legislative and congressional districts.".

"Where the next governor will stand on the growth issue?"

The Saint Petersburg Times editorial board: "From the beginning, Senate Bill 360 — the 2009 Legislature's assault on Florida's growth management laws — was a rash deal. Cooked up by Republican leaders in a matter of weeks at the behest of powerful development interests, the law gutted decades of careful, if imperfect, law under the guise of jump-starting Florida's economy. Now that a judge has ruled the law unconstitutional, those same legislative leaders are planning to try again in 2011. Floridians must know where the next governor will stand on the issue." "Growth bill becomes election issue".

"Doomed by late start"

"In a state of 4 million Republicans, McCollum lost by fewer than 38,000 votes. Now with three losses in four statewide campaigns, many expect it to be his final race." Michael Bender takes a detailed look at his campaign strategy here: "Despite last-minute surge in spending, McCollum bid doomed by late start".

FCAT Follies

"Big disconnect seen in testing as reading results run 20-40 points lower". "'Inflated' FCAT Writing Scores Pad School Grades".

Tubby bullies duke it out

"It’s not talked about much, but the rivalry between Florida’s top business associations is real, and it’s beginning to show itself more in the 2010 elections. The Florida Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Florida have long sparred for the position of top dog." "Top Business Associations Fight for Political Prominence".

"The union president is seeing red"

"Deltona firefighters are asking to wear pink shirts as a show of support for women whose lives have been impacted by breast cancer. City Manager Faith Miller says she supports their cause and has encouraged other city workers to wear pink shirts on Fridays in October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But she doesn't think the firefighters' request -- pink uniform shirts for six weeks -- is a good precedent to set. Miller's decision has the union president seeing red. " "Deltona manager, firefighters clash over pink shirts".

Business speaks, editors jump

The Sun Sentinel editorial board: "Candidates hoping to win posts in Tallahassee should latch on to a promising 2009 proposal to change the way Florida taxes corporate income. Florida TaxWatch says its approach, already adopted by about a dozen other states, would stimulate business investment and create jobs — the very goals to which the candidates claim to be dedicated." "Florida's approach to corporate tax discourages business investment and hiring".

"His lips moved, he said nothing"

Nancy Smith: "Does Charlie Crist believe in anything?"

You have to ask yourself.

Did you watch his performance on CNN’s "State of the Union" Sunday?

I’m beginning to think that thick coat of Teflon covering Florida’s governor, the independent duck-and-dodge candidate for U.S. Senate, is finally breaking down. And it’s happening before our very eyes.

Crist didn’t just look like a candidate without a party Sunday, he looked like a man without a principle to his name.

There were moments in the 15-minute segment when I was actually embarrassed for Crist. He couldn’t for the life of him explain why he said one thing in October or March when he was a Republican, and another thing since he became a left-leaning independent.

His lips moved, he was forceful, he said nothing.

Meek says he's earned it

"Florida Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek said Sunday that he's earned the right to be his party's Senate nominee after a bruising and expensive primary battle with a wealthy real estate mogul."Meek stakes claim in Florida". Related: "Senate Candidates Crist and Meek Tout Plans To Stimluate Economy".

"Florida, the last frontier"

"Ah, Florida, the last frontier. A daunting wilderness filled with snakes, gators, black clouds of mosquitoes, cockroaches and other despicable creatures of the night that slithered and crawled. What an image. It began to soften in the early 1920s as the Florida real estate market took off like a shot and fortune seekers poured into the state in black Model Ts, looking to get rich and drive home in a Packard." "Florida history: spinning wetlands into cities".

Florida Political News: August 29, 2010

by: Florida Politics

Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 09:21:26 AM EDT

Teabaggers have captured the RPOF

"The tea party movement muscled its way into the American political psyche over the past year with huge rallies, angry voters and colorful rhetoric. It’s not clear how much voters are responding, but in Florida, at least, the Republican Party appears to have taken notice."

Nearly all of the statewide candidates on the GOP ticket have embraced – and been embraced by - the tea party movement, the group of disenfranchised, mostly conservative voters who paraded the call for a change from the status quo over the past year, spurred at least in part by opposition to federal health care reform and the Obama administration in general.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Scott has sounded tea party themes and showcased tea party paraphernalia on his campaign tour bus.

Senate nominee Marco Rubio became the immediate darling of the movement, gracing the cover of a New York Times Magazine titled “The First Senator From the Tea Party?”

And the woman who is arguably the tea party movement’s leader, Sarah Palin, is stumping for attorney general candidate Pam Bondi.

While the more formal Tea Party itself may not have actually convinced any candidates to run as representatives of that party, political scientists Susan MacManus aruges the group had a strong impact nonetheless, dictating the issues that GOP candidates have taken on and even the tone, with which they’ve campaigned.

Campaigns to go negative early and often

Eager for a respite from the political attacks of the primary season? Anxious for a nuanced debate over Florida's jobless rate, the housing market, the cost of healthcare? Turn off the television. But for a brief post-primary lull, the airwaves are expected to be flooded until Nov. 2 with attacks and counterattacks" "Experts expect to see Florida campaigns go negative early, often".

"Some Democrats see a change in the air"

William March: "On the morning of Nov. 4, 1998, Florida Republicans awoke to a new political world - one they controlled."

The previous day's election meant that for the first time in modern history, a Republican governor, Jeb Bush, would take office along with Republican majorities in both houses of the state Legislature.

That election led to a decade of GOP dominance of state politics.

Republicans used the power of the Legislature and governor's office to draw GOP-friendly districts for state legislators and members of Congress, to influence the outcome of presidential elections, and to twist the arms of industries and their lobbyists for political donations.

After 2002, when the new districting plans took effect, Democrats became virtually irrelevant in state politics. They have since regained ground, but remain the minority party.

Some Democrats, however, see a change in the air.

"Endorsement came with a caveat"

"Days before Florida’s primary, President Obama finally did what Rep. Kendrick Meek’s supporters had been begging him to do for some time: He showed up in the Sunshine State and referred to Meek as 'the next senator from the state of Florida.' But the in-person endorsement came with a caveat." "Meek won his primary, but still struggles to rally Democrats".

"Republican wave" or "enthusiasm deficit"

"Despite outnumbering Republicans by more than 612,000 in Florida, Democrats saw 912,044 voters for the Democratic Senate primary, while nearly 1.3 million Republicans cast ballots in the GOP primary for governor. Turnout was about 32 percent for Republicans, 19.7 percent for Democrats." "'Enthusiastic' GOP gets out the voters in Florida".

"Florida Republicans angry about President Barack Obama's health-care reforms and government bailout defied the rain and flocked to the polls Tuesday, a turnout that dwarfed the Democratic total and bodes well for GOP candidates in November."

There's just one problem: They nominated Rick Scott, a gubernatorial candidate whose checkered business history complicates the mission of now uniting Republicans and their major donors behind a ticket, according to many party leaders and donors.

Whit Ayres, a national GOP strategist and senior advisor to Marco Rubio, pointed out that more than 1.25 million Republicans voted in the Scott-McCollum primary, while only about 912,000 Democrats turned out for their U.S. Senate primary between Kendrick Meek and Jeff Greene. In the GOP Senate primary, Rubio — running virtually unopposed — received more than 1 million votes, Ayres said, or about 150,000 more than the total cast in the Meek-Greene race.

Of those who voted early or by absentee ballot, Republicans had a huge 190,000-vote advantage, with 572,579 compared with 382,544 Democrats.

Ayres said Republicans enjoy a "huge intensity" edge over Democrats. He said his firm recently conducted a poll for the Republican National Committee and found that 53 percent of Republicans said they were "extremely interested" in the fall elections. About 43 percent of independents and 35 percent of Democrats answered the same way.

"We've passed the point now where there's a question about whether there will or will not be a Republican wave this fall," Ayres said. "There will definitely be a Republican wave. The only question now is the size of that wave."

Florida Democrats dismissed Tuesday's turnout gap, with state-party spokesman Eric Jotkoff noting that GOP turnout fell well short of the 1.7 million Scott's campaign had predicted might show up.

"Rick Scott's own analysis," Jotkoff said, "shows a major enthusiasm deficit."

Along the critical Interstate 4 corridor from Daytona Beach through Orlando to Tampa Bay, Scott spent $18.2 million on TV commercials — 45 percent of the total $39.6 million he devoted to the air war. That compared with McCollum's $8.7 million — which was 64 percent of his total TV money.

As a result, McCollum lost six of the eight counties in the Central Florida television market — all but Seminole and Orange — and eked out only an 8,092-vote advantage in a region he represented for 20 years in Congress. In comparison, Scott amassed a 24,768-vote lead in his home turf in the Naples-Fort Myers media market.

Meanwhile, Scott cleaned up in conservative North Florida counties and outspent McCollum heavily in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, where McCollum was banking on his historical Hispanic support and didn't spend much money on television. At the same time, Scott forced McCollum to break with his supporters in the Hispanic community and embrace a hard-line, Arizona-style immigration bill.

McCollum won 61 percent of the Miami-Dade vote, but the turnout was only 17 percent. The 27,000-vote advantage McCollum drew from Miami-Dade and Broward was almost entirely offset by Scott's 22,000-vote advantage in the eight-county Jacksonville television market.

They leapt off to vote for Scott

"A 48-foot yacht has mysteriously run ashore on Florida's Gulf Coast west of St. Petersburg." "Luxury yacht washes up on Gulf Coast".

Help us, please, Mr. Obama

"Florida's Department of Transportation is seeking more federal funding to boost high-speed rail and regular passenger train service." "Fla. seeks more funding for train projects".

Form over substance

"Rick Scott's campaign a massively funded marketing machine".

Credit to, ahem ... "unions"!?!

No, that's night a typo. Rather, a traditional media outlet refrains from urinating upon a group of employees who have the temerity to get together and act collectively to improve their working conditions: "Florida's state officials, school districts and teachers unions deserve extra credit for winning up to $700 million in the federal Race to the Top initiative. The grant money will support efforts over the next four years that have the potential to transform Florida's public school system." "Race for the grant".

Wingnut in the house

"Despite the dismal turnout for Jacksonville anti-abortion group Heroic Media’s 'An Evening of Hope' event, keynote speaker Sarah Palin still managed to stray from pregnancy to politics." "Palin goes rogue, uses anti-abortion event to tout her stance on health care reform".

"Market forces" in action

"The size of Florida’s state-created reinsurance fund has dramatically reduced in size this storm season. A combination of market forces, as well as a higher cost now attached to certain types of coverage, has resulted in a much smaller Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. The Cat Fund as it is known had up to $8 billion worth of coverage available for sale in its top optional layer of coverage. But insurers this year only bought $1.3 billion." "Florida's massive reinsurance fund is much smaller this storm season".

"Their own words"

"Florida's candidates in their own words".

"Scott will do to Sink what he did to McCollum"

Mike Thomas: "Attacking ['the corrupt, rusting machinery of political parties and special-interest groups'] was a key part of Alex Sink's battle plan back when McCollum was a shoo-in to face her in November. That's what you get with one-party rule by career politicians. But Scott beat her to the punch."

Why would he now put himself in those same crosshairs by embracing the state party?

And why would he put himself in our media crosshairs either?

Let's be honest. We hate the guy. We think he's a crook. We think people who vote for him are a bunch of dumb bigots.

We will profess objectivity in this election, just like we did in Obama v. McCain.

But we're [the media] in the tank for Alex Sink.

Scott will do to her what he did to McCollum. He'll pound her with populist positions from the right and wait for her to crack. And we won't be able to save her.

Sink is worse at dodging and shifting than McCollum.

"NPA's could hold the key"

"Looking ahead to the Nov. 2 general election, the truly independent voter, the NPA's (No Party Affiliation), could hold the key in tilting the balance of the year's closest contests -- particularly between the increasingly polarized major political parties. They were the fastest-growing segment of registered voters, even before Gov. Charlie Crist bolted the Republican Party for an NPA designation in his run for the U.S. Senate." "Candidates put faith in No Party Affiliation voters".

Poor Bill

"McCollum said he was defenseless against Rick Scott's biggest weapon — his deep pockets." Especially damaging in a primary dominated by right wingers, however, was McCollum's brief display of decency: "the attorney general saying Florida likely would never invoke anything similar to the Arizona immigration law was – in the minds of many conservatives — an early bull's-eye for Scott." "McCollum: Lack of money caused defeat".

FlaDem "unity rallies"

"Florida Democrats kicked off their run to November's elections Saturday with a spirited show of party unity and promises of a rugged race to reverse a dozen years of Republican rule in state government."

"Our grassroots can beat Rick Scott any day — any day!" Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, the nominee for governor, told about 350 party activists who fanned themselves with blue spray-painted signs proclaiming "UNITY" in a sweltering pavilion of the Florida State Fairgrounds.

RPOFers in Tally ... unemployment climbs to 11.4 percent

Randy Schultz: "So voters should fire all congressional incumbents, most of whom are Democrats, right? Sure. Check the numbers."

In January 2007, when Democrats won control of the House and Senate, the nation's unemployment rate was 4.6 percent. Since then, it has more than doubled, to 9.5 percent. It got as high as 10 percent, and hasn't been below 9 percent since April 2009.

Using that same logic, though, voters also should fire all the incumbents in the Florida Legislature, most of whom are Republicans. In January 2007, even as the real estate bubble shrunk, Florida's unemployment rate was 3.3 percent. Since then, it hasn't just doubled. It hasn't just tripled. It's gone up to 11.4 percent.

Unlike congressional Democrats, Tallahassee Republicans can't claim that they inherited an economy heading for the cliff. The GOP has controlled the Governor's Mansion and Legislature for 11 years. But you can imagine the incumbents' defense: Hey, Florida can't escape what's happening across the nation as we go through the toughest times in decades.

To a degree, that's true. You also can't expect Florida to be like North Dakota, where the jobless rate is 3.6 percent but the population of the state is half that of Palm Beach County.

Still, Colorado, like Florida, is a fast-growing state, but that state's unemployment rate is 8 percent. Minnesota, hardly a backwater, is at 6.8 percent. Among other large states, New York and Minnesota have unemployment rates almost one-third lower than Florida's.

Drag a dollar bill through a polo game ...

"The GOP establishment essentially locked down Florida Republican money for Bill McCollum during the primary, but now it looks like Republican lobbyists/fundraisers/legislative leaders are jumping as fast as they can to get on the Rick Scott train." "GOP heavy-hitter$ lining up for Rick Scott and Jeb may join unity tour".

Keeping the wingnuts happy

"Crist says he'd have voted for health care, then retracts—'I misspoke'".

Marching in lockstep

"After a bruising Republican primary for governor in which millionaire Rick Scott ousted the establishment candidate, Attorney General Bill McCollum, Broward Republicans gathered over eggs, grits and potatoes Saturday morning to declare unity. Both Scott and McCollum were invited. Neither showed." "Broward GOP stresses solidarity".

Webster and the accidental neo-Nazi

by: Florida Politics

Sun Aug 29, 2010 at 07:36:27 AM EDT

"Taliban Dan" Webster has provided a list of endorsements to the Orlando Sentinel, which has in turn published them to allow readers "to compare candidates". They include these delightful folks:

Endorsements:
A few are listed below:
Governor Jeb Bush
Governor Mike Huckabee
Governor Bob Martinez
US Senator George LeMieux
Congressman Bill Posey
David Barton, WallBuilders
David Gibbs III, Christian Law Association ...

Barton has [not just once, but] twice addressed white-supremacist organization with ties to neo-Nazis, but both times has done so accidentally, he says. He has also been a leader in the movement to rewrite American history to remove Civil Rights leaders and knock down the wall separating church from state, arguing that it is a myth. He led the recent effort to rewrite Texas textbooks to describe America as a Christian nation.

Barton addressed the Rocky Mountain Bible Retreat of Pastor Pete Peters' Scriptures for America and Kingdom Covenant College in Grants Pass, Oregon, both associated with neo-Nazi ideology. "At the time we were contacted by Pete Peters, we had absolutely no idea that he was 'part of the Nazi movement,'" Barton's assistant wrote later in explaining the speaking gigs. Barton didn't return a HuffPost message left with his assistant and Websters campaign didn't return calls, either.

"The Religious Right's leading practitioner of this type of historical revisionism is David Barton, who runs an outfit called WallBuilders out of Aledo, Texas," Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State has written. "Barton makes a lucrative living traveling the right wing's lecture circuit where he offers up a cut-and-paste version of U.S. history liberally sprinkled with gross distortions and, in some cases, outright factual errors. Crowds of fundamentalist Christians from coast to coast can't get enough of it."

Barton's religious revisionism has continued since his addresses to the neo-Nazi groups. Earlier this year, he pushed for César Chávez and Thurgood Marshall to be removed from Texas textbooks. Barton argued that civil rights leaders can't be given credit for civil rights victories because only "majorities" - white people - have the ultimate power to change the law, according to the Washington Monthly. "Only majorities can expand political rights in America's constitutional society," he testified.

"Texas Textbook Massacre Architect Backing Grayson Opponent" (underscoring supplied; links original).  That, together with this wingnuttery, suggests that "Mr. Webster remains unfit for office.

Not only should Mr. Webster repudiate Mr. Barton, Mr. Webster's cheering section on the Orlando Sentinel editorial board - which can't wait to endorse Webster against Grayson - should in turn repudiate Mr. Webster.

Don't hold your breath.

Tea Party Ticket

by: Tally

Sat Aug 28, 2010 at 11:05:47 AM EDT

With the successes of Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, and Pam Bondi it certainly seems that way here in Florida.

But can Democrats actually take advantage of this?

If He is Skater Tonya Harding, Are You Robber Willie Sutton?

by: Robert McKnight

Sat Aug 28, 2010 at 09:27:55 AM EDT

If a candidate holds a statewide news conference to declare his opponent is the "Tonya Harding of Florida Politics," it brings to the public's attention that the opponent will do almost anything to win, right?

Now, what if a candidate was the CEO of a public company that was found guilty of commiting not one, but multiple federal crimes?  What if that candidate's company agreed to pay a record billion dollar fine for stealing money from the government (a program benefitting the elderly mind you)?  Should that candidate be called the "Willie Sutton of Florida Politics?"

Florida Political News: August 28, 2010

by: Florida Politics

Sat Aug 28, 2010 at 08:54:37 AM EDT

Scott, the rural teabagger candidate

Jeremy Wallace: "Republican Rick Scott needs an urban renewal project if he hopes to get elected governor of Florida, judging by this week's primary election results."

A Herald-Tribune analysis of Tuesday's vote across the state's 67 counties shows that Scott, the former hospital company CEO, captured a large section of Florida, including the Panhandle and Central and Southwest Florida. In those areas, which have a higher percentage of Tea Party followers and more conservative voters, Scott showed that he could inspire the electorate. The counties in which he won big had turnouts 10 percent higher than the state average.

A cornerstone of Scott's campaign is reducing the size of government, and he is proposing cuts far larger than most mainstream Republicans have advocated. He wants to cut state spending to 2004 levels, to slash property taxes and to eliminate the state's corporate income tax.

While such cuts are in line with what many Tea Party groups are advocating, it is uncertain how Scott's message plays with independents and moderates. Tuesday's results showed he struggled in areas with more moderate voters.

Crist's "political amnesia"

"In an Orlando television interview, Gov. Charlie Crist told an interviewer he would have voted for the health care reform plan proposed by the Obama administration—a dizzying reversal of his previous position—but then retracted the comment, saying he misspoke."

That reverses Crist's position, stated on his web site, plus other past comments including his support of Attorney General Bill McCollum's lawsuit against the health care legislation.

Crist's opponents, Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Kendrick Meek, both pounced on Crist's reversal and re-reversal -- Meek saying Crist has "political amnesia" and Rubio saying, "This is getting ridiculous ... [Crist] doesn't actually care about health care, he only cares about getting himself elected."

Even Crist supporters would have to acknowledge he's shown flexibility in his views since he began becoming alienated from the Republican Party, but this reversal is in a different category.

Joint appearance

"In their first joint appearance on the campaign trail Friday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink challenged Republican Rick Scott to five statewide televised debates and chastised him for a running an overwhelmingly negative primary." "Finalists for Senate, governor jostle, dodge and schmooze at Realtors' forum". See also "Sink challenges Scott to five televised debates".

"Plenty of contrasts"

"If you're looking for a statewide race with substantive differences between the two candidates, your search is over. In the race for attorney general, Pam Bondi and Dan Gelber provide plenty of contrasts."

They disagree on Obamacare, education, guns and vouchers, and they seem to differ on how to utilize the assets of the office: the bully pulpit, the subpoena, the hundreds of lawyers skilled at chasing down the scammers and ripoff artists that are as much a part of the fabric of Florida as sunshine and orange juice.

Bondi, 44, the Republican, won 38 percent of the vote in a three-way race. She took only 26 counties, but ran strongest in Tampa Bay, Orlando and Jacksonville.

Gelber, 50, a Democrat, raised $1.7 million to overcome doubts about his fundraising ability. He took 59 percent of the vote against Dave Aronberg, winning 56 of 67 counties and exceeding his statewide average with 65 percent in Hillsborough and 63 percent in Pinellas.

The bay area is vital in this fight. Advantage Bondi at this point, because of her familiarity to Tampa-area TV viewers.

Saint "Jeb!" flops

Beth Reinhard gives us her "winners" and "losers"; some of her choices follow:

Winner: Marco Rubio. With only token primary challengers, the Republican Senate candidate scored more than 1 million votes -- roughly 150,000 more than the Democratic candidates combined. The lopsided turnout reminded me of a recent call from a Democratic consultant professing amazement over the thousands of people who turned out for conservative talk show host Sean Hannity's Freedom Concert'' in Orlando. Rubio could ride this so-called enthusiasm gap all the way to Capitol Hill.

(Sore) loser: Bill McCollum. The unsuccessful Republican contender for governor won't endorse nominee Rick Scott or quit talking about his former company's Medicare fraud scandal. Guess you can't blame McCollum for feeling bitter about the end of his political career and his third statewide loss, but Democrat Alex Sink will exploit the Republican rift every day he spends sulking. ...

Loser: South Florida. Turnout was about 17 percent in Miami-Dade, under 15 percent in Broward and just over 16 percent in Palm Beach, among the worst showings in the state. Pathetic. ...

Winner and loser: Jeb Bush [who] filmed a television commercial for McCollum, campaigned around the state with him and raised money for the campaign.

Loser: Charlie Crist.

"Florida lost"

Howard Troxler: "In case you missed it, the battle for the soul and future of Florida was waged during the 2009 session of our state Legislature."

Florida lost.

After 25 years of at least pretending that this state is "managing" its growth, the Legislature instead voted to repeal a key part of our growth law.

The Audubon Society asked Gov. Charlie Crist to veto SB 360.

The 1000 Friends of Florida asked him to veto it.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Association asked him to veto it.

The Florida chapter of the American Planning Association asked him to veto it.

Crist signed it.

At the time Crist was still a Republican, trying to curry favor with business and the Republican establishment. He signed the bill in private, and announced his action after hours, even while he was holding big showy "signing ceremonies" for lots of other bills around the state.

It was the low point of his governorship, and he will go down in the history books as the governor who rolled back Florida's growth management.

And yet Crist didn't do it by himself. SB 360 passed 78-37 in the House and 30-7 in the Senate.

"Winners, losers and lessons"

Scott Maxwell "takes a look back at the winners, losers and lessons learned from this week's elections."

• Watch out for whiplash. Get ready to watch some big-time back-tracking among members of the GOP establishment who are suddenly desperate to kiss Rick Scott's ring after weeks of trashing him. Take RPOF chairman John Thrasher, for example. Last week, Thrasher accused Scott of orchestrating "a multifaceted campaign of misinformation in an effort to mislead Florida voters …" On Wednesday, Thrasher touted Scott's "commitment to conservative values and his plan for creating jobs, reducing government spending and empowering the private sector." We can take you at your word, Mr. Thrasher … just let us know which of your words to take.

• Uplifting message. Dan Webster had a great campaign slogan that distinguished him from so many of the constant carpers whining about the downfall of America. Said Webster: "America is not broken. Washington is." Such a line hints at hope and optimism — which is something I think people crave.

"...with the one what brung ya"

Nancy Smith urges Rick Scott to "remember to dance with the one what brung ya". "Voters' Iron Will, Not Rick Scott's Money, Won the Day".

"Financial and legal burdens numbering in the hundreds"

"As dozens of attorneys gather in Miami Beach this week to brainstorm and share ideas, this fact remains: For thousands of gay couples in Florida and across the country, not being able to marry carries financial and legal burdens numbering in the hundreds." "Same-sex couples in Florida face myriad legal, financial hurdles".

"GOP voters were 'exceedingly conservative'"

PPP out polled Mason-Dixon and Quinnipiac by recognizing that Florida's GOP primary voters were one step away from Attila the Hun (with apologies to Attila who at least had the courage to fulfill his military obligations).

Aaron Deslatte explains: "PPP was more accurate than conventional pollsters. PPP director Tim Jensen said his best guess was he got better results because his shop used a looser screen for the voters it sampled, calling general election GOP voters instead of past primary voters."

"If the folks who voted [Tuesday] had been exactly the same as the folks who voted in the 2006 primary, I imagine McCollum would have won," Jensen said. "That's because he was the Republican establishment choice and the kinds of folks who vote in every primary likely went to him. But there were hundreds of thousands more people voting ... than in 2006 and my sense is the newbies went strongly for Scott."

Jensen also said his poll detected that the more-likely GOP voters were "exceedingly conservative" compared to those who voted in the 2008 presidential primary.

Step Up 3 Way

by: Tally

Fri Aug 27, 2010 at 14:51:12 PM EDT

A Pro-Business D?

by: Robert McKnight

Fri Aug 27, 2010 at 11:10:49 AM EDT

When is the last time you saw the business community enthusiastically endorse a card carrying Democrat?  Yes, there was some high tech business support for Bill Clinton and even Al Gore, but you really have to go back to Lyndon Johnson to see across the board big business support for a Democrat.  What about Democratic Nominee for Governor Alex Sink?  Consider:

1.  Sink has been active in the Miami and Tampa Greater Chambers and has been on the Board of the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

2.  Her husband, attorney Bill McBride (and a former Democratic candidate for Governor) was the Chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

3.  Sink was the Florida CEO of Bank of America, with daily contacts among the movers and shakers of the sunshine state.

4.  Her opponent, Republican nominee Rick Scott did himself few favors with the Florida business community with his, maybe over the top, attacks on business favorite Bill McCollum.

A pro-business Democrat may be Alex Sink.