Florida Political News and Commentary for 4/21/08

by: Florida Politics

Sat Jun 21, 2008 at 22:13:21 PM EDT

Why haven't you checked out the Miami-Dade Dems Facebook thingy?: "A Facebook development".  Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry follows.

Obama "slamming" McSame

"Obama on Friday opened a two-day Florida campaign swing by slamming Sen. John McCain for shifting [sic] his position in favor of lifting the moratorium on drilling off the coast of Florida and elsewhere."  "Obama zeros in on drilling, McCain".

Qualifiers

"Nearly one-quarter of the 160-member Florida Legislature was returned to office on Friday by doing no more than filing papers with state officials."  "Lawmakers win new terms without election".

"Secretary of State Kurt Browning said the end of qualifying 'was somewhat anticlimactic,' with none of the last-minute switching to open races or jostling for position that has marked past post times."  "Qualifying for Florida's state races comes to 'anticlimactic' end".  Broward: "Qualifying under way for Aug. 26 elections".  See also "Candidates qualify" ("Big races in 21, 27").

And then there's the empty suit thing ...

"The first flashes of the 2010 race for governor of Florida flickered across cable TV screens Friday morning, but most people probably missed it."

Appearing on the CNBC Squawk Box program, Democratic Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink weighed in on the week's top story: Republican Gov. Charlie Crist ending his long-standing opposition to oil drilling off the Florida coast.

While Crist stood with John McCain in backing a lifting of a federal ban on drilling and letting states decide whether to drill, Sink opposes drilling, period. She sounded like the Crist of old.

Laff riot

"Winning Florida is critical to Sen. John McCain's bid for the presidency, and his campaign announced a team Friday that it said will overpower Sen. Barack Obama's volunteer army."  

How many Young Republicans driving mommy's Beemer and screaming about inheritance taxes does it take to make a political "machine"?

"It's a very strong political machine," said Arlene DiBenigno, director of the Florida campaign. "And it's a machine you can point to. It's there. It's in every county."

Florida's booming economy

"More than a half million workers statewide are out of work."  "State's jobless rate is worst in five years".

Pathetic

Dead enders:  "A planned rally by Cuban Republicans at the home of Elian Gonzalez, the boy rafter who was returned to his father in Cuba eight years ago, never materialized. About 15 anti-Obama demonstrators, waving Cuban and American flags, protested in front of the hotel.".

Cut the crap

"New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg this morning urged a Jewish audience to reject the "whisper campaign" that says presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is a Muslim ...".  "Bloomberg tells Jewish Floridians Obama is not a Muslim".

Not ready for prime time

After all those years of receiving a pass from Florida's compliant newspaper company employees, Charlie wilts before a less than difficult crowd.  

"The first reviews are in on Charlie Crist's performance as a high-profile stump speaker on the Republican circuit. It ain't pretty, and it's why the Veep-O-Meter swings backward this week."

The speech by John McCain's potential running mate to Orange County, Calif., Republicans last weekend really helped his party. "By showing unequivocally he would be a complete disaster for the GOP — the worst running mate since Dan Quayle," Orange County Register columnist Frank Mickadeit wrote in a column headlined "We know who McCain shouldn't pick."

"Mr. Crist looks great: … silver hair, warm smile, great tan, perfectly tailored suit of clothes, decent teeth. It's when he uses his facial musculature to try and form cogent sound that he falls apart."

"I would say he was stunned and distracted for minutes, as he absorbed the lack of popularity in this room for the governor," one Republican activist, Jon Fleischman, wrote on a California political Web site.

Crist's support for McCain's new proposal to allow drilling off Florida, may endear him to McCain, but it's not helping Crist's national image. The political Web site the Hotline even suggested it may have sunk Crist's veep prospects if Florida voters recoil: If "taking one for the team" compromises your home-state standing, doesn't that make you less helpful to the party?

The justices will determine if the proposed state constitutional amendments each covers only a single subject as required and whether their ballot summaries and titles are clear and accurate.

The tax cap would limit property taxes to 1.35 percent of the highest taxable value of a home, business or other piece of real estate.

A second apportionment initiative for legislative redistricting went to the Supreme Court last month, but the justices have not yet heard arguments in that case.

More floppery

"The issue of illegal immigration used to set Sen. John McCain apart."

While many in his party called for taller fences and harsher penalties, McCain wanted to give undocumented workers a path to citizenship. When his Republican rivals for the presidential nomination called him soft on border security, McCain flew to Miami last June to say they were "pandering for votes."

Now McCain is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, and he's still running as a party maverick on fighting global warming and cutting federal spending.

But not immigration.

McBush fatigue sets in

"Obama leads McCain in Florida for 1st time in poll".

"Partner in the White House"

"Vowing to be a 'partner in the White House,' Democrat Barack Obama Saturday told the nation's mayors that Republican John McCain's proposed tax cuts would deny federal funds to fix decaying infrastructure in regions like South Florida, and prevent development of inner cities with block grants and anti-poverty programs."  "Obama talks transportation, education at mayors' conference in Miami".  See also "Obama gets warm welcome at mayors conference".

A Florida thing

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Pythons, iguanas and other exotic animals are some Floridians' pets of choice, but they pose danger to the state's native wildlife and fragile ecosystems if they escape or, worse, are illegally let loose.  Fortunately, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission plans to give unlicensed pet owners a legal - and humane - way to get rid of exotic wildlife and fish they no longer want or can't continue to care of. They should take advantage of the opportunity."  "Herding Florida's Unwanted Beasts".

Cheats

"The state no longer requires real estate buyers and sellers to reveal their sales price in government documents, leading local officials to worry about a rise in tax cheats."  "Officials worry about upsurge in real estate tax cheating".  See also "Officials worry about upsurge in real estate tax cheating".  See also "How the documentary stamp tax works".

Obama: "Drilling futile"

"Obama on Friday criticized a Republican proposal to lift a ban on oil drilling off the Florida coast, saying it would take at least 10 years for that to offer motorists relief at the pump."  "Drilling futile, Obama insists".  See also "Obama: I'd keep drilling ban intact".

Yippee!  More outlet malls

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: "Turning I-4 Into Job Magnet Requires Focus And Caution".

BOGged down

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: "Management of Florida's overall higher-education system has been anything but stable the past five years. That's when the Board of Governors was established as a constitutional body meant to replicate but be more invincible than the old Board of Regents — which was axed by an angry Legislature."

New BOG Chairman Sheila McDevitt, a Tampa-area attorney, said Thursday "we need stability," recognizing that the BOG needs to somehow mend fences and get out of court with lawmakers over who gets to set tuition.

Yet, just as it seems possible to ease tensions with lawmakers — not easy, but possible — the board has fanned a brush fire with 11 boards of trustees, which are set up to more immediately oversee their separate universities.

Yet, just as it seems possible to ease tensions with lawmakers — not easy, but possible — the board has fanned a brush fire with 11 boards of trustees, which are set up to more immediately oversee their separate universities.

For the time being, the BOG has backed down on its proposal, issued on May 30, to have greater involvement in the hiring and evaluating of university presidents. But it's expected to continue pursuing this, as well as a requiring universities to get BOG approval before they acquire property for instruction or research sites.

Off probation

"The state is laying off 80 probation officers due to budget cuts ordered by the Legislature, but they will be offered lower-paying jobs as correctional officers in Florida prisons."  "Florida DOC announces 80 layoffs".