Florida Vote

Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry:

“Outnumbered Democrats in a rare position of power”

“When property tax notices arrived in mailboxes this summer, Florida had a Where's The Beef? moment. Yes, tax bills went down, as legislators promised. But homeowners hoping for dramatic relief were sorely disappointed.”

Don't worry, lawmakers said. The big savings will come in January after the vote on what's become known as the “super homestead exemption” amendment.

But on Monday a state judge struck the amendment from the ballot, ruling that the language was confusing and misleading. Now the Legislature faces an Oct. 29 deadline if there's to be a vote in January.

Time is the least of the Legislature's worries.

The legal setback has revived bitter divisions among Republicans in the House and Senate over the depth of property tax cuts. In so doing, it may have put outnumbered Democrats in a rare position of power, where their votes might be enough to kill the amendment.

“For GOP, fixing tax bill could kill it“.

Foley “a symbol for a weakened Republican Party”

“A year removed from his stunning retreat from power, Mark Foley is not just a man. He is a symbol for a weakened Republican Party and, experts say, a lingering liability as his old allies try to regain their political footing.”  “Former Congressman Mark Foley's scandal seen as turning point“.  See also “A year later, Foley fallout lingers“.

“On the chopping block”

The Palm Beach Post editors:

When legislators conclude the special session scheduled to start Wednesday, they'll congratulate themselves on having cut $1.1 billion from the budget in a responsible way. Residents - particularly public school and college students, the poor, the sick and the elderly - will be left with the consequences.

In a crude imbalance, drafts of House and Senate budget-cutting plans preserve $225 million in state road money but slash more than $735 million - nearly three-fourths of the needed cuts - from health and human services and education. The Legislature has decided to hold roads harmless and run over everybody else. …

For years, legislators have acted as if this day would never come. Flush with rising revenues from booming property values and construction, they refused to reform a sales-tax system riddled with $25 billion in exemptions. To help the rich, they eliminated the state intangibles tax.

Now that a housing market slowdown has forced a correction three months into the budget year, they're unwilling to reconsider bad decisions. …

It's never easy to cut $1 billion. The Legislature's refusal to consider fair and reasonable tax increases forces cuts to vital services. Legislators will be happy when the budget balances. Florida residents will be left holding the bill.

“Legislators acted as if boom would last forever“.

“Public schools, state universities, community colleges, courts, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, libraries and dozens of other programs are on the chopping block to varying degrees.”  “Some easy, some hard budget-cutting choices await lawmakers“.

Randy Schultz: “Not only does Tallahassee fail to give the legal system enough money, Tallahassee micromanages what money it does give. That's a holdover from the Jeb Bush days that Gov. Crist should end immediately. If he has any doubts, this next story might persuade him. … When the legal system works, the state benefits. If Tallahassee wants to be tough on crime, Tallahassee has to pay for it.”  “Judicial branch executioner: The budget ax“.

That's Our Mel

“Martinez, whose brief tenure as head of the Republican party has been marked with controversy, could be leaving his party job as soon as February”.  “Mel Martinez may quit GOP post”  

From yesterday: "Cellophane Man" to Hit the Bricks?  According to Robert Novak, Florida's own "reactionary ogre", Mel Martinez "who was named general chairman of the Republican Partyonly nine months ago, has advised associates that he will leave the post as soon as somebody clinches the party's presidential nomination … Many Republicans now grumble that Martinez has been ineffective in that role, partly because he has been drowned out by the many presidential hopefuls."  "Mel Martinez to call it quits as RNC chief?"

Remember … a toll increase  is not a tax increase

“Crist has been inundated with proposals from investment bankers on privatization since he took office in January.”  “I-75 tolls would increase under proposal“.

“No body blow appears out of bounds”

“In the fight between Florida Hometown Democracy and the development industry over how — and whether — to control sprawl, no body blow appears out of bounds.”

After pushing the Legislature unsuccessfully this year to ban the practice of paying signature-gatherers for citizen initiatives, the Florida Chamber of Commerce is now trying to lure away Hometown's paid signature-gatherers with higher salaries.

“It's a free market,” says the chamber's director of ballot initiatives, Adam Babington. “People are going to go where they get paid more to do the work. This is just something that happens in business.”

“John Kennedy and Aaron Deslatte: Upping ante for signatures“.

Off Topic

“A recent Gallup poll reported that 59 percent of those surveyed have an unfavorable impression of the Republican Party. By a margin of 47-42 percent, they said Democrats will do a better job of protecting against terrorism and military threats. Asked which party would better maintain prosperity, the majority preferred the Democrats, 54-34.”  “Indicators point downward for GOP in '08“.

Goin' Down?

The Wall Street Journal asks “WSJ: Is Florida Over?” (”The state's plentiful sunshine and open space has attracted “snowbirds” fleeing winter, retirees living out the last chapter of their lives and down-on-their-luck workers in search of jobs.  Florida has become a less-appealing destination. Moving company Atlas Van Lines brought 6,700 families into Florida last year and took 8,000 out, the first time it has moved more out than in. The number of people from other states who switch to a Florida driver's license is down more than 8% from last year. And the state's crowded schools actually lost students last year, prompting many counties to cut back on their construction schedule and, in some cases, look to close schools. While foreigners continue to arrive at a rate of about 100,000 year, migration from inside the country is slowing.”)

“The two-word reply of your choice”

Carl Hiassen begins with this:

You can be sure you're on the right side of an issue if John Thrasher is on the other.

And it only gets better:

Thrasher's deceptive and slimy letter is proof of the panic that has set in among those who've made a fortune raping the state and are afraid of losing their sweet ride.

The lobbyist ominously warns that, if the Hometown Democracy amendment passes, ''special interests'' will triumph and ''Big Developers'' will wreck Florida's “scenic beauty.''

Like it's not happening now?

More:

The Hometown Democracy movement undoubtedly was the prime target when pro-development legislators passed a law allowing voters to revoke their signatures from amendment petitions.

That opened the door for John Thrasher's specious letter pretending to denounce the very developers for whom he's shilling. In urging citizens to abandon the Hometown Democracy campaign, he blames ''slick lawyers'' for tricking them into putting their names on the petition.

Thrasher himself is one of the slickest lawyers in Tallahassee, and it is he who has stooped to shameless trickery.

His scare letter comes with a postage-paid envelope. Mail it back with the two-word reply of your choice.

Much more here: “Land-use initiative facing sneaky tactics“.

CSI Orlando

Believe it or not:

In April, Orlando police actually sent a team of undercover officers to shut down a coalition of groups - antiwar activists such as Food Not Bombs, CodePink and Young Communists - who were trying to circumvent the law on a technicality: It prohibited feeding more than 25 people, so each group purported to serve only 24.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, plainclothes police shot photos from the bushes and counted how many ladles of vegetable stew the activists served. When the 30th homeless person walked off with a full plate, the police moved in and arrested a 21-year-old college student and put him in jail.

Then police collected a vial of the stew as evidence. It wasn't exactly the kind of duty they had in mind back when they entered the academy.

“Orlando: Home of unenforceable laws“.  C'mon Buddy, you can do better than that.  Take a look at this: “Lakeland — a small city with a big heart for the homeless“.

While Iraq Burns …

the dopes on the Sun-Sentinel editorial board aid and abet the GOPer scheme to divert attention from Bushco's Iraq debacle (and take a cheap shot at a real newspaper to boot): “Attack ad shows real character of Times“.

Privatization Follies

The St. Pete Times editors: “In another attempt to reconcile his ambitions with his tax phobia, Gov. Charlie Crist is considering whether to essentially lease the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to pay for new professors at the University of Florida. As a financing plan for Florida's future, auctioning off public assets like roads is a dead end. … The practice of private roads traces largely to developing nations, where poor governments are unable to borrow the capital on their own. That's not the case in Florida, which is why privatization seems only to add a layer of political insulation and private profit.”  “Private roads a dead end“.

Scott Maxwell points out the folly of rampant privatization:

So Charlie Crist is thinking that maybe the state can make more money by letting private companies run the toll roads.

Sure, those companies would probably charge Florida drivers more. But the politicians and company execs will have more money. So you can see why this strikes them as a good idea.

But why stop there?

Just think about how much money we could make if we let Barnes and Noble run our libraries!

Or if Gold's Gym ran the rec centers.

Maybe McDonald's could even take over the free-lunch programs. Yeah, they'd no longer be free. But that seems like a small price for (poor) people to pay in exchange for jacking up income.

Come to think of it, if getting business execs to run certain divisions of the state is such a good idea, maybe we should call up Bill Gates — and ask him to run the governor's office.

“Privatizing, polling and packing big guns“.

“Don't fall for the ruse”

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: “Floridians are currently witness to the time-honored but hardly honorable practice of creating the illusion of a crisis where there isn't one. Don't fall for the ruse.”

This time its practitioners want us all to believe that the institution of marriage is under attack. Their straw man is gay marriage, and if it ever becomes recognized as valid and legal, they suggest that the pillars of civilization will crumble. …

But guess what? Marriage between two members of the same sex is already illegal in this state, and only legislative action - highly unlikely in Florida in the foreseeable future - could change that.

“Justice for all“.

Is it possible that the effort is merely another Republican GOTV scheme?  Nah, the GOPers wouldn't have “devious plans” like that, would they?

Gambling

“Lawmakers head to Tallahassee this week for a round of painful budget-cutting. The state's long-term budget picture is — at best — partly cloudy. Gambling is already making serious inroads in the state. That leaves some lawmakers wondering whether there's much point in saying no any longer. And boy, it would be great to have all that casino revenue.”  “State's budget struggle no excuse for gambling“.  See also “Slots talks to resume; suits could freeze any deal“.

All Hail the Associated Industries of Florida

“Crist's blueprint, drawn largely from a plan being implemented in California, extends more than 40 years into the future.”

It would require dramatic reductions in emissions from automobiles and power plants. It would require appliances to use less electricity. And it calls for a big increase in renewable power, such as solar, agricultural-waste and wind.

Experts, environmentalists and industry officials [???] agree the Republican governor's goals can be met.

Here's the rub, and it is no surprise: “they [the 'industry officials'] disagree on how to achieve them and whether anyone will suffer undue economic harm as a result.”  It's the usual suspects - you know, the mainstays of the RPOF:

the state's main business lobby fears it could put Florida at an economic disadvantage. “We'll make ourselves economically noncompetitive,” said Barney Bishop, president of Associated Industries of Florida. “Let's go slow, analyze the costs and make sure Florida is not doing this by itself.”

The greatest disagreements come over how to achieve the governor's goals. Utilities say they can be accomplished only by building more nuclear plants. Environmentalists say this is nonsense from companies that understandably prefer selling electricity to conserving it.

“Cleaner, greener Florida“.  See also “Florida must overcome obstacles on way to a cleaner, greener future“.  More: “Sun shines on Crist, FPL” (”FPL's decision to build a 300-megawatt solar-thermal operation in Florida comes about three months after the utility pooh-poohed solar energy as impractical for the Sunshine State.”)

Showdown

“Florida Democratic Chairwoman Karen Thurman took the phone for an hour long teleconference Saturday with state party leaders, saying the party still intended to select 210 delegates to next year's Democratic National Convention, even though national leaders have banned the state's delegation.”  “Thurman: State Dems won't budge“.  See also “Who, if anyone, will party with Democrats?“.

“As the deadline for complying with their national party's rules passed, Florida Democratic Party leaders searched Saturday for ways to make the Jan. 29 presidential primary matter for their voters and salvage something out of their state convention next month.”  “Making votes count“.

Your Tax Dollars at Work

Mike Thomas: Orange County “Sheriff Kevin Beary is not only loaded for bear but elephants too.”

He bought 14 high-powered rifles that could take out a charging Chevy Suburban. The purpose is to blow away “large or exotic animals,” says the department.

Say, for example, a special-ops surveillance team detects a gang of crack-dealing hippopotami moving into the area.

The SWAT team mobilizes, only to have one of the beasts refuse to assume the position.

The natural next step is the Taser, which has been shown capable of bringing down a heckling Gator, an Orlando black bear and even Sheriff Beary.

But a hippo, particularly one under the influence of amphetamines, is another matter. Even a .12-gauge shotgun might not do the trick.

What to do?

That's when you need to call in the department's elite Big Game Unit. Members quickly don their ninja masks and pith helmets, break out the .499-caliber Alexander Arm Beowulf rifles, and pluck off the hippos from 300 yards using the laser sights. …

Such firepower is well worth $100,000, even at a time when tax cuts are threatening law enforcement budgets.

“Coming soon: Horton Hears a . . . BANG!“.

Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry:

FlaDems Let Deadline Pass

“Florida Democrats plan to let a deadline pass today without making any changes to their Jan. 29 presidential primary.  The decision probably will cost the state's party delegates their vote at the national convention next year, but Florida Democrats hope it will lead to a higher voter turnout in November and, perhaps, a successful fund-raising effort.”  “Medical schools' swelling budgets criticized“.

Update: “State Dems teleconference as deadline passes“.

Meanwhile, “Kendall Coffey, the former U.S. Attorney for South Florida known for high-profile, sometimes controversial cases, is preparing a lawsuit by Florida Democrats over the state’s primary date and the Democratic National Party sanctions.”  “Coffey To File Nelson’s Lawsuit Over Primary“.  More: “Primary vote now Nelson's primary quest“.

On top of that, “While many state Democrats on an ongoing conference call appear supportive of chairwoman Karen Thurman’s leadership in the squabble with the Democratic National Committee over the stripping of state delegates, not all of them are.  George Maurer, a state Democratic committee member from Monroe County, said he wants to be put on the state executive committee’s Oct. 28 meeting to remove Thurman 'for malfeasance.'”  “Monroe Dem wants Thurman out“.

“Cellophane Man” to Hit the Bricks?

According to Robert Novak, Florida's own “reactionary ogre“, Mel Martinez “who was named general chairman of the Republican Partyonly nine months ago, has advised associates that he will leave the post as soon as somebody clinches the party's presidential nomination … Many Republicans now grumble that Martinez has been ineffective in that role, partly because he has been drowned out by the many presidential hopefuls.”  “Mel Martinez to call it quits as RNC chief?“

On Second Thought

“A revised ruling Friday from Florida's Supreme Court cleared the way for school districts to continue to borrow billions of dollars to build new schools.”

Districts across the state had been in a panic since the court declared three weeks ago that local governments must seek voter approval before they borrow money for construction projects and pay it back with future property taxes.

That had put a giant question mark over more than $1 billion in planned school-construction projects in Central Florida alone.

“Justices said the complex lease-purchase program that school districts have heavily relied on to build schools in Florida does not need the public's nod.”

The court issued its clarification in response to a flurry of requests from governments for a rehearing after its Sept. 6 ruling on an Escambia County case, a decision that prompted warning signals from bond-rating agencies. …

But on Friday, the justices essentially greenlighted plans by districts statewide to spend $8 billion during the next five years to build or repair schools.

The court also clarified that bonds already issued do not now need voter approval. Credit agencies immediately began to lift their warnings.

However, the future of other public projects remained cloudy.

“Revised ruling calms schools“.  See also “Borrowing option for schools“, “Supreme Court lifts cloud from billions in local borrowing” and “Borrowing option for schools“.

That's A Relief

“'Mooning' won't be sex crime“.

“Cruel and unusual”?

“Lethal injection was supposed to be the humane, enlightened way to execute inmates and avoid the pain and the gruesome spectacle of firing squads, the electric chair and the noose.  But now it, too, is under legal attack as cruel and unusual, with the U.S. Supreme Court agreeing this week to hear arguments that lethal injection can cause excruciating pain.”  “Lethal injection, once seen as more humane, comes under scrutiny“.

The Palm Beach Post editorial board:

In one sense, it is good that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the method of lethal injection used in most states, including Florida, is constitutional. In another sense, it just bumps an insane question up to another level.

The specific case the court will consider is out of Kentucky. But, as in so many other bizarre areas, Florida has been at the forefront of the “Is it painful?” argument. Last year, technicians trying to execute Angel Diaz incorrectly placed the needles and it took him 34 minutes to die. …

Lots of people, of course, don't care whether the method of execution is painful - a human failing that is precisely why the ban on cruelty is in the Constitution.

The Supreme Court can't hear from those dead witnesses any more than lower court judges can. But at least the examination is likely to be as thorough as possible.

Florida and other states using lethal injection obviously should halt executions until the Supreme Court rules. A stay most immediately would affect Mark Dean Schwab, a pedophile and child murderer scheduled to die Nov. 15.

Even those convinced that Schwab should die should be worried by the number of inmates freed from Death Row because of court mistakes. Don't look for a way to kill Schwab and others “humanely.” Look for a guarantee that the system won't kill an innocent person. Perhaps the right “cocktail” can be found. The guarantee can't.

“A painful argument“.

Charlie's “heart bleeds for the Democrats”

“Republican Gov. Charlie Crist said Friday 'my heart bleeds for the Democrats in the state of Florida' because of the fight with their national leadership over the state's Jan. 29 presidential primary.”  “Crist sympathizes with Democrats in 2008 primary fight“.

Increase?

“Allstate Floridian on Friday asked to raise premiums up to 42 percent, further challenging Florida's efforts to lower home insurance prices.”  “Allstate asks for rate increase“.

Well … Which Is It?

“The joint proclamation sent out by Senate President Ken Pruitt’s office makes it clear: No-fault insurance will not be discussed during the special legislative session that begins next Wednesday. The only subject, the proclamation says, is the state’s budget. But 30 minutes later, an email came from House Speaker Marco Rubio copying the letter Rubio wrote to Gov. Charlie Crist, indicating that maybe the two chambers’ leaders were not in agreement.”  “Coffey To File Nelson’s Lawsuit Over Primary“.  See also “Rubio wants property tax, car insurance on agenda” and “Special session addresses revenue“.

Not Ready for Prime Time

“When Fred Thompson said it might be time to review the practice of granting citizenship to every child born on American soil, he didn't acknowledge the seismic shift such an idea represents.”

Citizenship by birth has been prescribed by the Constitution since 1868 — and upheld for 109 years by the Supreme Court — but the Republican presidential candidate made it sound anachronistic. …

Thompson's comments have angered Hispanic leaders — many of them Republicans — who say they are a crass attempt to court the GOP base.

“Thompson angers state Hispanics“.

“Rubio is losing traction”

“Desperate to fix a troubled property-tax plan that his Senate partner won't take up, House Speaker Marco Rubio all but begged the governor in an extraordinary letter Friday to force the issue onto the Legislature's agenda next week.  The apparent end run around Senate President Ken Pruitt was the most open sign that Rubio is losing traction over an issue to which he tied his political fortunes.”  “Set up tax vote, Rubio urges“.

Stupid Is …

“After failing to land a job as a U.S. postmaster, Gerardo Boloy berated the post office's spokesman in an angry e-mail — pretending to be a Florida congressman's aide, authorities say.  That landed him in jail.  He was charged this week in Miami-Dade for allegedly claiming to be the chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, a Palm Beach Gardens Democrat.”  “A postmaster reject tied to fake e-mails“.

“Deserved drubbing”

“The Department of Children & Families got a deserved drubbing in Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri B. Cohen's courtroom this week.”

The DCF went off course when it curiously switched gears in the wrenching custody case of a 5-year-old Cuban girl. The agency usually advocates for family unification, but in this case the DCF expended the bulk of its energy and resources attempting to prove that the biological father, Rafael Izquierdo, was unfit. With Thursday's ruling, Judge Cohen rejected the DCF's arguments and found that Mr. Izquierdo was a fit parent.

“DCF changed its role in custody case“.

Who Knew?

“Largely out of the public eye, Florida has spent millions in the past decade to settle lawsuits, many stemming from DCF child welfare cases.”  “Settlements set Florida taxpayers back $196M“.  See also “Abuse cases settled for $14 million“.

“Big bull's eye on Florida's most vulnerable”

“It sounded good when lawmakers promised to set priorities and target their cuts during next week's special session aimed at erasing the state's budget deficit.”

Unfortunately, this Legislature believes targeting cuts means hanging a big bull's eye on Florida's most vulnerable: the poor, children and the elderly. What priority list were lawmakers working from when they decided to cut $185 million from health care and $286 million from schools?

The public may never know because the Legislature's Republican leadership cooked this up in secret. It looks like House Speaker Marco Rubio and Senate President Ken Pruitt are prepared to ram this through the special session that starts Wednesday. …

When times are bad, the easy fix is to go after groups that can't afford to hire well-connected lobbyists.

“Pull together“.  See also “Special session may be about more $1 billion in cuts” and “Lawmakers face unpleasant chore:Cut $800 million“.

“Plenty of fault”

The Tallahassee Democrat editors: “It is unfortunate that this unsatisfying situation has been allowed to linger on so long, and to the point that there will be no clear direction for consumers in the coming months - almost regardless of what happens next week. Unlike with PIP, there's plenty of fault to go around in the creation of this lawmaking mess.”  “Fault lines“.  The St. Pete Times editors: “A way forward on no-fault“.

“Snow job”

“Members of Florida's university oversight board lashed out at two university presidents this week, calling their pleas for new medical schools a 'snow job' after budget requests approved last year grew by tens of millions of dollars.”  “Medical schools' swelling budgets criticized“.

Lake O

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: “The South Florida Water Management District must do better at living up to its mission of managing our water supplies, and the public has to accept its responsibility in supporting those efforts — with its pocketbook and conservation efforts at home.  The long-term answer is two-pronged. The district has to build more reservoirs, outside of those already planned for Everglades restoration and future growth. And the region has to get serious about recycling wastewater into drinking and irrigation supplies — treating it, rather than dumping it into the ocean or injecting it deep underground — an expensive but essential proposition.”  “Deluge misses Lake O, underscores need for better water plan“.

“A good swift kick in the pants”

The Orlando Sentinel editors:

Set a goal in government, like having Florida's utilities generate 20 percent of their electricity from renewable forms of energy, and chances are it will atrophy.

But launch it with a good swift kick in the pants, and you might just reach it.

FPL Group got the boot in June when the Public Service Commission denied its application for a 1,900-megawatt coal-burning plant near the Everglades.

“Sunny comeback“.

Tuition Hike

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: “The state tuition hike approved by the Board of Governors this week was the correct, necessary decision for a couple of reasons.  First, the 5 percent tuition increase for the spring semester is expected to generate $9.5 million for the financially-strapped university system. Gov. Crist had wrongly vetoed a 5 percent increase last May. Almost as important, the action by the Board of Governors should settle, finally, the question of who gets to set tuition in Florida's public universities.”  “Board right to raise college tuition“.

Thomas Loses It

Delusional Bushco hood ornament Clarence Thomas “settles scores in an angry and vivid forthcoming memoir, scathingly condemning the media, the Democratic senators who opposed his nomination and the 'mob' of liberal elites and activist groups who he says desecrated his life.”

In the book, Thomas writes that Hill was the tool of liberal activist groups “obsessed” with abortion and outraged because he did not fit their idea of what an African-American should believe.

“The mob I now faced carried no ropes or guns,” Thomas writes of his hearings. “Its weapons were smooth-tongued lies spoken into microphones and printed on the front pages of America's newspapers. … But it was a mob all the same, and its purpose — to keep the black man in his place — was unchanged.”

“Justice Thomas rakes critics in memoir of his early years“.

Ironic, that the man who conducted hillbilly heroin addict, Rush [sic] Limbaugh's wedding would have the audacity to play the race card.  Thomas attacks “liberals” while at the same time hanging out with racists like Limbaugh.

'Glades

The Palm Beach Post editorial board:

One day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a report saying the Everglades remains sick, besieged with toxic mercury, phosphorus and other pollutants. The next, Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, opened a hearing asking why the U.S. Interior Department removed Everglades National Park from a United Nations World Heritage Site list of endangered environmental sites. Good question. As Sen. Nelson's probe showed, however, Bush administration officials have no good answers. …

So how did the Interior Department decide that the Everglades has recovered enough to be taken off a prominent world “endangered” list? Sen. Nelson's inquiry showed that Todd Willens, a deputy assistant secretary at the Interior Department, asked the U.N.'s World Heritage Committee to remove the Everglades from the endangered list at a July meeting in New Zealand. The National Park Service and the committee's own science advisers opposed removing it. A word in a document was changed from retain to remove and the U.N. committee followed Mr. Willens' recommendation. Before he joined the Interior Department, Mr. Willens worked for then-Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif. whose anti-environment staff lingers despite his defeat in the last election.

“Decision on Everglades was polluted by politics“.

“Huckabee rolls on”

“Huckabee, 52, attended a fundraiser in Ocala, then participated in the Values Voter debate in Fort Lauderdale, after which he overwhelmingly won a poll among viewers. In this month's Mason-Dixon poll, he was polling at 6 percent in Florida.”  “No heavyweight, Huckabee rolls on“.

Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry:

“Feeney, R-Where's Mine?”

Daniel Ruth: “For the third straight year Feeney, R-Yes I Think I Will Have Seconds, has been labeled one of the 22 most corrupt members of the United States Congress.  Uh … way to go, Tom!”  And “what might we call this dubious dishonor for Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Where's Mine?”

The Trifecta of Cronyism?

“In but a mere five years in the House,”

Jeb Bush's former running mate has accumulated such a remarkable record of freeloading, junketeering and vague record-keeping that pols with much more experience could only envy the chutzpah of it all.

“For his part,”

Feeney, R-Bo Peep, insisted he was as pure as the driven snow and will continue to fight for the great unwashed against partisan attacks.

The congressman's press pro-counsel, Pepper Pennington, petulantly pouted CREW was little more than a “pitiful partisan attack dog organization, created by Hillary Clinton and funded by George Soros and other wealthy socialists. It's the left-wing arm of the Democratic Party.” …

Still Feeney, R-Travelocity, is running for re-election. And why not? So many golf courses, so little time.

“1 Good Thing About Ol' Tom: He's Consistent“.

 

That Was Easy

“Florida lawmakers proposed Wednesday to pull the state out of its budget hole by slashing spending for schools, colleges, health care and other programs.”  “Secret's out on budget cutting“

The almost identical plans from the two chambers on what is usually a controversial issue were just one example of the harmony between GOP leaders in the House and Senate as they try to avoid bitter fights in a special session next week to plug a $1.1 billion revenue shortfall in the state budget. …

House Democratic Leader Dan Gelber of Miami Beach said the plans for auto insurance and budget cuts resulted from “secret negotiations.”

“I believe it is time for Florida to reconsider whether giving the legislature a pass on compliance with Florida's 'sunshine law' is a good idea,” Gelber wrote in a column offered Thursday to newspapers. “We need to change the rules governing the budget and appropriations process to afford greater transparency so Floridians can see how the legislature allocates people's money.”

“GOP chiefs agree on cuts in budget“.  See also “State budget cut deep, broadly“.

“The axe began swinging Thursday, with legislative committees following a script calling for $790 million in cuts to the state's $71 billion plus budget.”  “Committees begin trimming budget“.

 

“Gall”

The Sun-Sentinel editors: “When it comes to gall, it's hard to top the Broward Republican Executive Committee.”

The Republicans, it seems, are really concerned that Crist might actually be — gasp! — too bipartisan in his approach when he picks a replacement for Jenne. He might actually consider everything and name — another gasp! — a Democrat.

“How about picking the best person for the job?“.

 

“40 years insulting, disenfranchising and otherwise stomping on the interests of black Americans”

Bob Herbert has had it with the GOP:

What I'd really like to see is a million angry protesters marching on the headquarters of the National Republican Party in Washington.

The GOP has spent the last 40 years insulting, disenfranchising and otherwise stomping on the interests of black Americans. …

he major GOP candidates for president were offering a collective slap in the face to black voters by refusing to participate in a long-scheduled, nationally televised debate focusing on issues important to minorities.

This is the party of the Southern strategy - the party that ran, like panting dogs, after the votes of segregationist whites who were repelled by the very idea of giving equal treatment to blacks.

Carolyn Goodman, a woman I was privileged to call a friend, died last month at the age of 91. She was the mother of Andrew Goodman, one of the three young civil rights activists shot to death by rabid racists near Philadelphia, Miss., in 1964.

In one of the vilest moves in modern presidential politics, Ronald Reagan went out of his way to kick off his general election campaign in 1980 in that very same Philadelphia, Miss. He was there to assure the bigots that he was with them.

“I believe in states' rights,” said Reagan. The crowd roared.

In 1991, the first President Bush poked a finger in the eye of black America by selecting the egregious Clarence Thomas for the seat on the Supreme Court that had been held by the revered Thurgood Marshall. Bush seemed to be saying, “All right, you want your black on the court? Boy, have I got one for you.”

Republicans improperly threw black voters off the rolls in Florida in the contested presidential election of 2000, and sent Florida state troopers into the homes of black voters to intimidate them in 2004.

Blacks have been remarkably quiet about this sustained mistreatment by the Republican Party, which says a great deal about the quality of black leadership in the United States. It's time for that passive, masochistic posture to end.

“Blacks Must Wake Up To GOP“.

 

Rubio Pouts

“Rubio vents frustration at Senate“.

 

Veto Threat

The Palm Beach Post editorial board: “Bush has promised to veto a $20 billion water resources bill that authorizes $1.36 billion to clean up the Indian River Lagoon and millions for other Everglades projects. But because the Water Resources Development Act won strong bipartisan support and passed by wide margins in the U.S. House and Senate, Congress could - and should -override the veto.”  “Florida's economic storm offers us choices“.

 

“There is no end in sight”

“The battle raging between Florida Democrats and their national leaders over the state's primary date is already costing the party money and grassroots support — but now some worry it will cost votes that could be crucial if the 2008 presidential contest is a squeaker.  'It's reinforcing the image of the gang that can't shoot straight,' said state Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller of Cooper City.  And there is no end in sight.”  “Squabble over Florida presidential primary may haunt Democrats“.

 

No Comment

“Orange Sheriff's Office buys 14 elephant guns“.

 

The “Values” Crowd

Elisa Cramer:

Someone please pass Marco Rubio a mirror.

On a North Florida talk radio show Wednesday, the leader of the House of Representatives spread a lot of blame for the state not covering the medical expenses of an 8-year-old former Palm Beach County girl who was beaten nearly to death after state child-welfare workers released her broken body to a mother they knew didn't want her. House Speaker Rubio and other legislators have for years ignored Marissa Amora and refused since 2005 to pay what a jury ordered for her lifelong care: $26.8 million.

“Rubio won't pay claim - or attention“.

 

Hill Snags Bill

“Prominent attorney Bill McBride, one half of Tampa's leading Democratic power couple, has joined Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign for president, the campaign announced Thursday.”  “McBride Joins Clinton Campaign“.

 

Mulligan

“Univisión and the University of Miami are offering Republican presidential candidates another opportunity to face off in Spanish on national television.”  “GOP given 2nd chance at Spanish debate“.

 

Poor Things

“As Citizens Property Insurance Corp., once the state's carrier of last resort, continues to offer coverage to more and more homeowners, a lobbying group took the unusual step Thursday of publicly bashing the state-run company that has turned into Florida's biggest home insurer.”  “Insurance lobbyists warn potential clients about Citizens' fees“.

 

“Commission, not Legislature, should improve tax system”

The News-Journal editors:

Leon County Chief Circuit Judge Charles A. Francis couldn't come right out and say it when he ordered off the ballot the proposed constitutional amendment that would supposedly give homeowners the biggest property tax cut in the state's history. But he might as well have: The issue doesn't belong on the ballot to start with. It belongs with the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, which is constitutionally responsible for examining the “appropriateness of the tax structure of the state.”

“Off the ballot“.

 

Flood Insurance

“Despite a White House veto threat, the U.S. House on Thursday approved a bill that would add wind insurance coverage to an already debt-ridden national flood insurance program.  Before the measure was passed 263-146, Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa and Republican GOP Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville successfully pushed for a study to be done on the potential effects on state insurance programs such as Florida's Citizens Property Insurance.”  “House Adds Wind Coverage To Flood Insurance“.

 

Slots

“A lawsuit challenging the legal basis for slot machines in South Florida should go back to the trial court for a full hearing, the Florida Supreme Court said Thursday.  In a win for anti-slots forces, the high court said the case did not meet basic criteria for a Supreme Court review, especially in a case that could have far-reaching consequences.”  “Slot-machine case sent to lower court“.

 

“Too late”

“Too late to keep Florida's mandatory auto insurance alive, legislators are scrambling to build a replacement that leaves little interruption.”  “Lawmakers seek replacement for mandatory auto insurance“.

 

Going Up

“Barring a constitutional showdown with Gov. Charlie Crist, Florida's college students who pay in-state tuition and carry a full load of classes will have to cough up $55 more in January.”  “Small tuition increase is likely at state colleges“.  See also “Florida universities say 5% increase won't solve woes“, “Board of governors approves 5 percent tuition increase” and “State tuition may rise $55 next semester“.

The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board: “Having already put a freeze on freshman enrollment in Florida's public universities - which haven't received legislative funding to accommodate growth in nearly six years - the Board of Governors on Thursday took its second bold step forward in bolstering the State University System.”  “Board of Governors“.

 

Is this News?

This reporter can't seem to distinguish editorial commentary from news: “While there may be chagrin over the prospects of that money lining the pockets of New York bankers or European road managers, there is an economic case for privatization.”  “Would Lottery Lease Be State's Winning Ticket?“.

 

Whatever

“Florida’s GOP Sen. Mel Martinez is hitting the road for appearances at two major universities starting next week to make the case for comprehensive immigration reform.”  “Martinez Taking Immigration Reform Show on the Road“.

 

“The GOP and Dems will each debate in Boca Raton”

“Two nationally televised presidential debates will be held at Florida Atlantic University's Boca Raton campus just days before the state's January presidential primary.  Republicans and Democrats will debate Jan. 23 and Jan. 25, leading into the state's new Jan. 29 primary, said Wendy Abberger, executive director of Leadership Florida, the nonprofit group organizing the debates.  However, it hasn't been decided which night will feature Republicans and which one Democrats, Abberger said.”  “South Florida lands political debates“.

 

Decision

“The Cuban father of a 5-year-old girl who has been cared for by a wealthy Cuban-American couple for nearly two years did not abandon his daughter and is fit to raise her in Cuba, a Miami-Dade circuit judge ruled Thursday.”

But the decision by Judge Jeri B. Cohen does not mean Rafael Izquierdo, a farmer and fisherman from rural central Cuba, will be reunited and return home with his daughter any time soon — or perhaps at all.

Underscoring the extraordinary nature of this only-in-Miami case, Cohen will allow attorneys for the state Department of Children and Families and the girl's temporary guardians to argue that separating her from her half-brother and the Miami couple with whom she has lived for the past 18 months would endanger the child's emotional or mental health.

Cohen warned that the state would have a hard time proving endangerment. During the three-week trial, she said the department had created “a tragic situation” by allowing Miami's anti-Castro Cuban politics to guide its decisions.

“You're going to have a very steep mountain to climb,” she told DCF attorneys. “The department needs . . . to take their blindfolds off and see the forest for the trees.”

But she allowed the so-called endangerment hearing — likely next month — despite ardent objections by Izquierdo's lawyers that it was never intended to be used against a parent who has been found fit.

“Cuban girl's future still in U.S.“.  See also “Father fit in Cuban custody case” and “Florida judge rules father fit to get girl in Cuban custody case“.

Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry.

The Fab Five

Wexler makes a good point:

Five Florida Democrats were among 79 House Dems voting against a Republican-backed measure to condemn MoveOn.org's ad that referred to Gen. David Petraeus as “General Betray Us.”

“Congress should not be in the business of policing political ads,” said Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, who voted against the bill, which passed 341 to 79. “The priorities of Congress are ridiculously misplaced when we condemn an organization for a pun that some people found offensive, while previously failing to condemn vicious campaign ads against decorated veterans like Senator John Kerry and Senator Max Cleland.”

He was joined by fellow Democratic Reps. Kendrick Meek of Miami, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, Alcee Hastings of Miramar and Corrine Brown of Jacksonville.

“'Policing political ads'“.

 

Giuliani in the Lead

“A new Rasmussen poll shows Rudy Giuliani with a 6-point lead over Fred Thompson among Florida GOP voters while a new poll by the Republican Strategic Vision firm has the former New York mayor up by 11 points.”  “Rudy up in two new Fla. polls“.

 

Cuts

“Florida lawmakers proposed Wednesday to pull the state out of its budget hole by slashing spending for schools, colleges, health care and other programs.”

House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, and Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, released plans to slash about $750 million from Florida's $71 billion budget. Among the proposed cuts: $185 million from health care and $103 million from law enforcement and prisons.

The blueprint for dealing with a projected $1.1 billion budget deficit sets the stage for a special session beginning Oct. 3. The plan all but ignores Gov. Charlie Crist's ideas for how to ride out the shaky real estate market that is sending tax collections tumbling downward.

“Secret's out on budget cutting“.  See also “Legislators look to cut money for schools, health care“, “House includes tuition hike in bid to ease budget shortfall” and “House details proposed cuts“.  More: “State Leaders, Crist Still Split On Tuition Hike“.

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: “'Targeted' budget cuts should be the approach“.

 

Florida's Booming Economy

“Well, yippee. We're No. 1 again — for all the wrong reasons.  This time, South Florida tops the nation in inflationary costs. That's right. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale area's annual inflation rate outpaces even New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta or any of the other big dogs of high prices, according to the latest major metropolitan rankings by the federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics.”  “Yippee: South Florida is tops — in inflation“.

 

“What on earth happened?”

Scott Maxwell: “In recent years, you couldn't throw a maraca around a room full of GOP politicians without hitting one who was trying to convince Hispanics that Republicans were their new best amigos.”

The party brought in mariachi bands for its 2000 convention. It unfurled “Viva Bush!” banners in 2004. Charlie Crist actually grabbed hold of a Spanish guitar when he hit the campaign trail in Orlando last year. And President Bush claimed he was sending a message when he put Orlando's own Mel Martinez in charge of the Republican National Committee.

The same can be said for the GOP's outreach to black Americans.

Back when they were running for office, Jeb Bush promised help for the mostly black town of Eatonville, and his brother spoke to the NAACP. And Republicans everywhere got giddy when Orange County's very own NAACP chairman, Derrick Wallace, dropped his Democratic Party label in 2005 and became a Republican.

In short, minority outreach has been a staple of the Republican Party for the past decade — with Central Florida at the center of it all.

So what on earth happened?

Tonight, all four of the GOP front-runners are expected to be MIA during a forum on minority issues at a historically black college.

Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and John McCain all say they had scheduling conflicts.

These conflicts come on the heels of most Republican front-runners also skipping a forum with Latino Elected Officials here in Orlando . . . and an NAACP convention . . . and a planned debate on a Spanish-language network

“I mean, come on. As a presidential candidate, you want us to believe you're tough enough to take on terrorists who want to kill Americans — but too scared to walk into a room of fellow countrymen who want to challenge your viewpoints?”

Republicans are, of course, free to ignore blacks and Hispanics or anyone else they want as they troll for votes.

They just shouldn't think that the public is stupid enough not to notice.

“GOP message to minorities: Catch you later“.  “Karl Rove's Florida Frankenstein” begs to differ: “Martinez: GOP'ers not snubbing blacks, Hispanics“.

Cat-fund

“A House panel approved a Florida-led bill that would create a national catastrophe fund and potentially curb soaring insurance rates for homeowners in states prone to hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters.”  “Cat-fund bill advances“.

 

Lake O

“Rain helps Lake Okeechobee, but it's still 4 feet too low“.

 

Flip-Flop?

“Flip-flop on Petraeus ad?“  More: “Klein: There was no flip-flop“.

 

Good Luck

“Hoping to tamp down the partisan rhetoric over Iraq, [Rep. Allen] Boyd has joined 27 other House lawmakers in a bipartisan agreement intended to end the political infighting over the war.”

The 14 Republicans and 14 Democrats who joined the Bipartisan Compact on Iraq Debate, signed Tuesday, agreed there must be a clearly defined mission for continued military involvement and that the government of Iraq must be responsible for its future course. …

Boyd said the key to making the compact work is soliciting cooperation from the White House, something he doubts he will see

“Boyd hopes to halt war bickering“.

 

Appeal

“The state Wednesday appealed a court ruling removing a property tax-cutting constitutional amendment from the Jan. 29 presidential primary ballot.”  “State appeals removal of tax amendment from Jan. 29 ballot“.  See also “State wants property tax on ballot“, “Crist backs appeal of ruling on tax amendment“, “Florida appeals to keep homestead referendum on ballot“, “Ruling on tax ballot question appealed” and “Republicans in court over property-tax ruling“.

The St. Pete Times editors: “The most prudent approach: Fix the ballot language to address the judge's concerns, and let voters decide the amendment's fate on Jan. 29. It is more important to hear their voices now in the great tax cut debate than more bluster from pandering politicians in Tallahassee.”  “On taxes, let the voters decide“.

 

Stop the Presses!

The Orlando Sentinel mentions the word “union”, will wonders never cease: “OIA, union turn to a third part to break impasse“.

 

Solar Charlie

Is it me, or does Charlie looks a bit uncomfortable in this picture:  “Solar plan shares the limelight“.  More: “President Clinton, Crist announce FPL solar power plans“.

A little late to the game: “Florida's biggest utility announced Wednesday a $2.4 billion energy plan that includes building what would be the world's largest solar-power plant in the Sunshine State.”  “Plans call for world's largest solar-power plant to be built in Florida  “.  See also “FPL plans solar plant in Florida“.

 

No More Ink Blots

“Does it make sense for Florida to have contorted congressional districts that wind through half a dozen counties?”

Not to the government watchdog group Common Cause, which last year spent more than $3-million trying to revamp how Florida political districts are drawn but couldn't even get the matter on the ballot.

Now Common Cause is trying again, only much more cautiously.

A Common Cause-backed political committee called FairDistrictsFlorida.org has asked the Florida secretary of state to review two proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution, to be put on the ballot in 2010.

Leaders of the effort include chairwoman Ellen Freidin, a Democratic lawyer in Miami who served on the 1998 Constitution Revision Commission and Republican former Comptroller Bob Milligan and Democratic former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

“Proposal would reshape districts“.

 

A Fine Idea at the Time

“Nearly six months after Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet made it easier for some felons to regain their civil rights, the system is choked by a backlog of more than one hundred thousand cases awaiting review.”  “Restoring felons' rights slowed by bureaucracy“.

 

Custody Dispute

“The judge in a contentious child custody dispute is expected to reveal today her ruling on whether a Cuban father is a fit parent to his 5-year-old daughter.”  “Ruling on Cuban father is expected“.

 

Hero Worship

Mike Thomas cherry picks some stats and goes off the deep end: “Jeb's education legacy proving to be historic“.

 

Whatever

“Crist meets with NFL, MLB officials to promote Florida sports“.  I wonder if they discussed this.

 

The Early Primary

“Florida Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller called Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina 'terrorist rogue states' and said he's contemplating a lawsuit against them for pressuring Democratic presidential candidates to boycott Florida.”  “Senate leader ponders suing 'rogue states' over primary“.  See also “Senate leader ponders suing 'rogue states' over primary“.

The Tallahassee Democrat editors: “Threats. Punishments. Lost delegates. Intrigue. Lawsuits.”

The battle over the date of Florida's presidential primaries includes all of that as state and national Democratic Party leaders try to decide - by Saturday - what impact Florida will have in presidential politics. …

In typical fashion, Florida Republicans are confining their disagreements to the board room and keeping a low profile. Though they face the loss of half of their delegates at next year's national convention, they plan to challenge the Republican National Committee's ruling at the convention.

Also in typical fashion, the Democrats have turned their dispute into a street fight. Suggestions on how to work around their party's national rules have been publicly spurned by DNC chairman Howard Dean. At the moment, Florida Democrats are in danger of losing all of their delegates, a Tampa activist has sued the party, and on Tuesday U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson threatened to do the same.

“Regional primaries could let Florida be heard“.

Via the Florida Progressive Coalition: “The Democratic Dark Side“.

 

Mandatory meningitis vaccine?

“Today the board that oversees Florida's 11 universities will consider a recommendation from student health directors to make the meningitis vaccine mandatory for all incoming students, not just those living on campus.”  “State to join vaccine push“.

 

Troxler

“After viewing a demonstration Tuesday of the four choices for replacing Florida's touch screen voting machines in 2008, I wondered whether we're just trading one set of problems for another.”  “New vote machines, new set of problems?“.

 

Have a Cigar

“Though she is one of Congress’ biggest advocates for expanding children’s health insurance, Tampa’s Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor was one of just eight Democrats Tuesday night to vote against such a measure.”

The proposed $35 billion, five-year expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was still passed, 265 to 159.

The Senate is expected to take it up on Thursday.

But in a statement today, Castor described the two-house agreement reached with the Senate as “a poor substitute” for an earlier version of the bill she helped to pass in the House in August.

“Fewer children in America will be eligible for health insurance under the Senate package, Medicare overpayments to HMOs will continue, and bureaucratic barriers will remain,” said Castor.

Castor said the bill passed Tuesday night by her House colleagues “relies too heavily on cigar taxes” in place of overpayments to private health insurance companies.

“Castor Votes No On House Plan For Children’s Insurance“.  It's a cigar thing: “House Set To Pass SCHIP Bill Feared By Cigarmakers“.  Castor ought to be careful about keeping company with the Bushco hood ornament: “Martinez To Vote Against SCHIP“.  See generally: “Republicans will pay dearly for SCHIP vote“.

 

No-Fault

“Changing Florida's car insurance system apparently isn't so easy a caveman could do it.”

The requirement that Florida drivers carry no-fault personal injury protection is set to expire Oct. 1. Lawmakers, however, are expected next week to try to pass a measure to re-enact it, but in a form that aims to reduce the fraud many have complained has plagued the system.

“PIP coverage set to expire _ but likely to come back in some form“.

 

Florida for Sale

“The state lottery and a handful of toll roads and bridges are drawing the interest of private investors who are putting a price tag on those assets and want a piece of the action.”  “State May Cash In On Lotto“.

 

“Which Senate is Dan Gelber running for?”

“The House Minority Leader - and state Senate candidate - sent an open letter to Sen. Mel Martinez today,”

slamming the Florida Republican for siding with President Bush and opposing a Democratic-led children's health insurance bill.

“As chairman of the Republican National Committee, I recognize your role and responsibility to defend and endorse President Bush's legislative agenda…” the Miami Beach state representative wrote. “However, the rhetoric of “entitlements” and “socialized medicine” seems designed to fire up the president's political base rather than honestly helping your colleagues figure out how to fix a system that has left more than nine million American children without health care.”

Party insiders have talked about Gelber as a potential challenger to Martinez who is up for re-election in 2010. Gelber said it would be “presumptuous” to talk about a U.S. Senate bid while he's running for state Senate, but added, “you don't have to be running for office to see that Sen. Martinez's unthinking allegiance to President Bush does a disservice to Floridians.”

“Looking at 2010? Gelber slams Martinez“.

Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry.

The Fab Five

Wexler makes a good point:

Five Florida Democrats were among 79 House Dems voting against a Republican-backed measure to condemn MoveOn.org's ad that referred to Gen. David Petraeus as “General Betray Us.”

“Congress should not be in the business of policing political ads,” said Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, who voted against the bill, which passed 341 to 79. “The priorities of Congress are ridiculously misplaced when we condemn an organization for a pun that some people found offensive, while previously failing to condemn vicious campaign ads against decorated veterans like Senator John Kerry and Senator Max Cleland.”

He was joined by fellow Democratic Reps. Kendrick Meek of Miami, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, Alcee Hastings of Miramar and Corrine Brown of Jacksonville.

“'Policing political ads'“.

 

Giuliani in the Lead

“A new Rasmussen poll shows Rudy Giuliani with a 6-point lead over Fred Thompson among Florida GOP voters while a new poll by the Republican Strategic Vision firm has the former New York mayor up by 11 points.”  “Rudy up in two new Fla. polls“.

 

Cuts

“Florida lawmakers proposed Wednesday to pull the state out of its budget hole by slashing spending for schools, colleges, health care and other programs.”

House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, and Senate President Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, released plans to slash about $750 million from Florida's $71 billion budget. Among the proposed cuts: $185 million from health care and $103 million from law enforcement and prisons.

The blueprint for dealing with a projected $1.1 billion budget deficit sets the stage for a special session beginning Oct. 3. The plan all but ignores Gov. Charlie Crist's ideas for how to ride out the shaky real estate market that is sending tax collections tumbling downward.

“Secret's out on budget cutting“.  See also “Legislators look to cut money for schools, health care“, “House includes tuition hike in bid to ease budget shortfall” and “House details proposed cuts“.  More: “State Leaders, Crist Still Split On Tuition Hike“.

The Sun-Sentinel editorial board: “'Targeted' budget cuts should be the approach“.

 

Florida's Booming Economy

“Well, yippee. We're No. 1 again — for all the wrong reasons.  This time, South Florida tops the nation in inflationary costs. That's right. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale area's annual inflation rate outpaces even New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta or any of the other big dogs of high prices, according to the latest major metropolitan rankings by the federal Bureau of Labor and Statistics.”  “Yippee: South Florida is tops — in inflation“.

 

“What on earth happened?”

Scott Maxwell: “In recent years, you couldn't throw a maraca around a room full of GOP politicians without hitting one who was trying to convince Hispanics that Republicans were their new best amigos.”

The party brought in mariachi bands for its 2000 convention. It unfurled “Viva Bush!” banners in 2004. Charlie Crist actually grabbed hold of a Spanish guitar when he hit the campaign trail in Orlando last year. And President Bush claimed he was sending a message when he put Orlando's own Mel Martinez in charge of the Republican National Committee.

The same can be said for the GOP's outreach to black Americans.

Back when they were running for office, Jeb Bush promised help for the mostly black town of Eatonville, and his brother spoke to the NAACP. And Republicans everywhere got giddy when Orange County's very own NAACP chairman, Derrick Wallace, dropped his Democratic Party label in 2005 and became a Republican.

In short, minority outreach has been a staple of the Republican Party for the past decade — with Central Florida at the center of it all.

So what on earth happened?

Tonight, all four of the GOP front-runners are expected to be MIA during a forum on minority issues at a historically black college.

Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and John McCain all say they had scheduling conflicts.

These conflicts come on the heels of most Republican front-runners also skipping a forum with Latino Elected Officials here in Orlando . . . and an NAACP convention . . . and a planned debate on a Spanish-language network

“I mean, come on. As a presidential candidate, you want us to believe you're tough enough to take on terrorists who want to kill Americans — but too scared to walk into a room of fellow countrymen who want to challenge your viewpoints?”

Republicans are, of course, free to ignore blacks and Hispanics or anyone else they want as they troll for votes.

They just shouldn't think that the public is stupid enough not to notice.

“GOP message to minorities: Catch you later“.  “Karl Rove's Florida Frankenstein” begs to differ: “Martinez: GOP'ers not snubbing blacks, Hispanics“.

Cat-fund

“A House panel approved a Florida-led bill that would create a national catastrophe fund and potentially curb soaring insurance rates for homeowners in states prone to hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural disasters.”  “Cat-fund bill advances“.

 

Lake O

“Rain helps Lake Okeechobee, but it's still 4 feet too low“.

 

Flip-Flop?

“Flip-flop on Petraeus ad?“  More: “Klein: There was no flip-flop“.

 

Good Luck

“Hoping to tamp down the partisan rhetoric over Iraq, [Rep. Allen] Boyd has joined 27 other House lawmakers in a bipartisan agreement intended to end the political infighting over the war.”

The 14 Republicans and 14 Democrats who joined the Bipartisan Compact on Iraq Debate, signed Tuesday, agreed there must be a clearly defined mission for continued military involvement and that the government of Iraq must be responsible for its future course. …

Boyd said the key to making the compact work is soliciting cooperation from the White House, something he doubts he will see

“Boyd hopes to halt war bickering“.

 

Appeal

“The state Wednesday appealed a court ruling removing a property tax-cutting constitutional amendment from the Jan. 29 presidential primary ballot.”  “State appeals removal of tax amendment from Jan. 29 ballot“.  See also “State wants property tax on ballot“, “Crist backs appeal of ruling on tax amendment“, “Florida appeals to keep homestead referendum on ballot“, “Ruling on tax ballot question appealed” and “Republicans in court over property-tax ruling“.

The St. Pete Times editors: “The most prudent approach: Fix the ballot language to address the judge's concerns, and let voters decide the amendment's fate on Jan. 29. It is more important to hear their voices now in the great tax cut debate than more bluster from pandering politicians in Tallahassee.”  “On taxes, let the voters decide“.

 

Stop the Presses!

The Orlando Sentinel mentions the word “union”, will wonders never cease: “OIA, union turn to a third part to break impasse“.

 

Solar Charlie

Is it me, or does Charlie looks a bit uncomfortable in this picture:  “Solar plan shares the limelight“.  More: “President Clinton, Crist announce FPL solar power plans“.

A little late to the game: “Florida's biggest utility announced Wednesday a $2.4 billion energy plan that includes building what would be the world's largest solar-power plant in the Sunshine State.”  “Plans call for world's largest solar-power plant to be built in Florida  “.  See also “FPL plans solar plant in Florida“.

 

No More Ink Blots

“Does it make sense for Florida to have contorted congressional districts that wind through half a dozen counties?”

Not to the government watchdog group Common Cause, which last year spent more than $3-million trying to revamp how Florida political districts are drawn but couldn't even get the matter on the ballot.

Now Common Cause is trying again, only much more cautiously.

A Common Cause-backed political committee called FairDistrictsFlorida.org has asked the Florida secretary of state to review two proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution, to be put on the ballot in 2010.

Leaders of the effort include chairwoman Ellen Freidin, a Democratic lawyer in Miami who served on the 1998 Constitution Revision Commission and Republican former Comptroller Bob Milligan and Democratic former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno.

“Proposal would reshape districts“.

 

A Fine Idea at the Time

“Nearly six months after Gov. Charlie Crist and the Cabinet made it easier for some felons to regain their civil rights, the system is choked by a backlog of more than one hundred thousand cases awaiting review.”  “Restoring felons' rights slowed by bureaucracy“.

 

Custody Dispute

“The judge in a contentious child custody dispute is expected to reveal today her ruling on whether a Cuban father is a fit parent to his 5-year-old daughter.”  “Ruling on Cuban father is expected“.

 

Hero Worship

Mike Thomas cherry picks some stats and goes off the deep end: “Jeb's education legacy proving to be historic“.

 

Whatever

“Crist meets with NFL, MLB officials to promote Florida sports“.  I wonder if they discussed this.

 

The Early Primary

“Florida Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller called Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina 'terrorist rogue states' and said he's contemplating a lawsuit against them for pressuring Democratic presidential candidates to boycott Florida.”  “Senate leader ponders suing 'rogue states' over primary“.  See also “Senate leader ponders suing 'rogue states' over primary“.

The Tallahassee Democrat editors: “Threats. Punishments. Lost delegates. Intrigue. Lawsuits.”

The battle over the date of Florida's presidential primaries includes all of that as state and national Democratic Party leaders try to decide - by Saturday - what impact Florida will have in presidential politics. …

In typical fashion, Florida Republicans are confining their disagreements to the board room and keeping a low profile. Though they face the loss of half of their delegates at next year's national convention, they plan to challenge the Republican National Committee's ruling at the convention.

Also in typical fashion, the Democrats have turned their dispute into a street fight. Suggestions on how to work around their party's national rules have been publicly spurned by DNC chairman Howard Dean. At the moment, Florida Democrats are in danger of losing all of their delegates, a Tampa activist has sued the party, and on Tuesday U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson threatened to do the same.

“Regional primaries could let Florida be heard“.

Via the Florida Progressive Coalition: “The Democratic Dark Side“.

 

Mandatory meningitis vaccine?

“Today the board that oversees Florida's 11 universities will consider a recommendation from student health directors to make the meningitis vaccine mandatory for all incoming students, not just those living on campus.”  “State to join vaccine push“.

 

Troxler

“After viewing a demonstration Tuesday of the four choices for replacing Florida's touch screen voting machines in 2008, I wondered whether we're just trading one set of problems for another.”  “New vote machines, new set of problems?“.

 

Have a Cigar

“Though she is one of Congress’ biggest advocates for expanding children’s health insurance, Tampa’s Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor was one of just eight Democrats Tuesday night to vote against such a measure.”

The proposed $35 billion, five-year expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) was still passed, 265 to 159.

The Senate is expected to take it up on Thursday.

But in a statement today, Castor described the two-house agreement reached with the Senate as “a poor substitute” for an earlier version of the bill she helped to pass in the House in August.

“Fewer children in America will be eligible for health insurance under the Senate package, Medicare overpayments to HMOs will continue, and bureaucratic barriers will remain,” said Castor.

Castor said the bill passed Tuesday night by her House colleagues “relies too heavily on cigar taxes” in place of overpayments to private health insurance companies.

“Castor Votes No On House Plan For Children’s Insurance“.  It's a cigar thing: “House Set To Pass SCHIP Bill Feared By Cigarmakers“.  Castor ought to be careful about keeping company with the Bushco hood ornament: “Martinez To Vote Against SCHIP“.  See generally: “Republicans will pay dearly for SCHIP vote“.

 

No-Fault

“Changing Florida's car insurance system apparently isn't so easy a caveman could do it.”

The requirement that Florida drivers carry no-fault personal injury protection is set to expire Oct. 1. Lawmakers, however, are expected next week to try to pass a measure to re-enact it, but in a form that aims to reduce the fraud many have complained has plagued the system.

“PIP coverage set to expire _ but likely to come back in some form“.

 

Florida for Sale

“The state lottery and a handful of toll roads and bridges are drawing the interest of private investors who are putting a price tag on those assets and want a piece of the action.”  “State May Cash In On Lotto“.

 

“Which Senate is Dan Gelber running for?”

“The House Minority Leader - and state Senate candidate - sent an open letter to Sen. Mel Martinez today,”

slamming the Florida Republican for siding with President Bush and opposing a Democratic-led children's health insurance bill.

“As chairman of the Republican National Committee, I recognize your role and responsibility to defend and endorse President Bush's legislative agenda…” the Miami Beach state representative wrote. “However, the rhetoric of “entitlements” and “socialized medicine” seems designed to fire up the president's political base rather than honestly helping your colleagues figure out how to fix a system that has left more than nine million American children without health care.”

Party insiders have talked about Gelber as a potential challenger to Martinez who is up for re-election in 2010. Gelber said it would be “presumptuous” to talk about a U.S. Senate bid while he's running for state Senate, but added, “you don't have to be running for office to see that Sen. Martinez's unthinking allegiance to President Bush does a disservice to Floridians.”

“Looking at 2010? Gelber slams Martinez“.

Take a look at the Florida Progressive Coalition's “The Daily 15“.  Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry follows.

Dazed and Confused

The mighty Florida GOP can't seem to figure out what to do:

A plan to change Florida's property tax system has fallen, and it remains to be seen whether the governor and Legislature will be able to pick it up.

Gov. Charlie Crist and legislative leaders sent different signals Tuesday about resurrecting the Jan. 29 referendum issue, setting up a showdown next week that could determine whether it will go to voters.

The lack of unity on how — or even whether — to revive the issue reflects the diminishing prospects facing what legislators only a few months ago boasted would be a key piece in the largest tax cut in state history.

“Unity lacking on Florida's property tax issue“.  See also “No Decision Yet on Appeal“, “GOP aims to salvage tax-cut proposal“, “Gov. Crist to lawmakers: Fix amendment or expand it; just get it to voters“, “Senate wants to appeal rejection of property tax amendment“, “Appeal, rewrite? Leaders might try both tacks” and “Florida may decide today whether to appeal ruling on property tax referendum“.  More: “Legislators at odds over tax bill again” (”After a judge axes the property tax plan, the House leader wants to fix it and the Senate leader forget it.”)

Indeed, Rubio is saying that “'the Legislature now has the opportunity to give voters the option of pursuing additional property tax measures,' … Rubio stopped short of calling again for eliminating homestead taxes in favor of raising the state sales tax. The radical tax cuts Rubio sought paralyzed the Legislature during the regular spring session, ruffled longtime state senators who wanted more modest tax cuts and led to a June special legislative session on property taxes.”  “Tax fight brews on two fronts“.

The Miami Herald editors:”The proposal's 'language is misleading and confusing, and does not provide fair notice to the voter, educated or otherwise,' Circuit Court Judge Charles Francis wrote.”

He was kind.

The impenetrable ballot language seems designed to hide one important fact about the Legislature's proposed constitutional revision: that it would phase out the popular Save Our Homes tax cap, which limits property-tax increases to 3 percent a year for homestead properties. The language mentions ''preserving'' Save Our Homes provisions. Nowhere does it say that, eventually, Save Our Homes would go away.

“A good ruling on bad ballot language“.  The Sun-Sentinel editors: the “judge's ruling gives Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature another opportunity to do the wise thing, and hand this contentious, complicated issue to the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission.”  “Judge's ruling on “super-exemption” a chance to let tax reform panel have issue“.

Spillover Effect

“Just when Florida Democrats decided to stay the course with a bright and early Jan. 29 presidential primary, one of the big drawing cards - the super homestead exemption amendment - was knocked off the ballot by a Leon County circuit judge.  This winter election is quickly losing its luster, given that the chance to cut their own property taxes - or so many voters have been lead to believe - would probably attract more voters than would the presidential candidates. That's because it's still unclear whether candidates will break with the national Democratic Party and really campaign to get a feel for our issues rather than just fly in to raise money.”  “Crystal clear“.

Laff Riot

“A Florida Republican Party mailer encourages Florida Democrats to join the GOP as a way to cope with the frustration over the national party's decision to punish the state for scheduling an early presidential primary.”

“There is hope. You'll find it with the Republican Party of Florida,” promises a mailer to an undisclosed number of Florida Democrats, with the registration form voters can use to switch party affiliation.

“Now - thanks to their egos and political infighting - you, as a Florida Democrat, may lose your right to vote. No delegates. No votes. Because of the Democrat rules, Democratic presidential candidates say they won't campaign in Florida - they'll only raise money here,” says the mailer.

“GOP to Dems: Switch parties“.

“If you've been following the news about the Florida presidential primary, you may have asked: How did we get in this mess? Here are some answers.”  “States Shuffle Primaries In A Bid For Attention, Influence“.  The Miami Herald editors: “This is no way to choose a president“.

Meanwhile, with Dean having “rejected a last-ditch appeal to save Florida from sanctions at the 2008 convention, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said he's going to court.”  “Nelson says he's going to court“.  See also “Nelson headed to court over primary date“.

Improvement

“Florida posted significant gains in its reading scores over the past two years, joining Hawaii, Maryland and the District of Columbia as the only jurisdictions in the country to show improvement, a new report released Tuesday shows.”  “State reading scores improve on national test“.  See also “Tax-bill cuts, dispute could get a do-over“.

Fool Me Once…Go Ahead, Fool Me Again …

“Broward County will get new voting equipment for the August 2008 primary, supplied by the same manufacturer who sold the machines the county no longer wants.  The optical-scanning equipment is being adopted by counties statewide, to solve problems created by touch-screen machines — especially the fact that the votes are never recorded on paper, which makes recounts virtually meaningless.”

In a no-bid contract, Broward commissioners agreed earlier this year to buy the equipment from Election Systems & Software — the same company that in 2002 provided the touch-screen voting machines that are now being replaced in both Miami-Dade and Broward. Broward still owes about $8 million of the $20 million those machines cost.

“Herald: Paper ballots to be back for August 2008 primary“.

Don't Hold Your Breath

“The U.S. Supreme Court decided Tuesday to hear a case that challenges the constitutionality of death by lethal injection, putting Florida's on-again, off-again death penalty back in limbo and potentially postponing executions around the nation.”  “Challenge may halt Florida's scheduled lethal injections“.  See also “Federal lethal injection case could affect Florida“.

“Turf Battle”

“The 17-member board that oversees Florida's higher education system is expected to approve tuition increases this week — setting the stage for a showdown with the governor and Legislature.”  “Turf battle near on tuition“.

“Without public involvement in divvying up how the money gets spent”

“Water managers propose using $10 million of taxpayer money to jump-start 'clean technologies' that could help the environment, but without public involvement in divvying up how the money gets spent.  The plan calls for the South Florida Water Management District to establish a venture capital fund that could be tapped by private businesses or other organizations developing technologies such as alternative water supplies and new ways to remove pollutants from the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee.”  “Water managers want to give businesses $10 million for 'clean technologies'“.

Whoopee!

“Facing a boycott by presidential candidates over the state's hijacking of the presidential primary calendar, Florida Democrats are bracing themselves for the next best thing: their spouses.”  “Democratic candidates to get plenty of spousal support in Florida“.

“Criminal Conversation”?

“On Friday, Crist showed up at Yom Kippur Service in Miami with another beauty on his arm, WFOR-Ch. 4 TV reporter and former Playboy model Jennifer Santiago.”

“It's not clear the extent of the relationship,” says the Miami Herald's Naked Politics blog, “but Santiago has boasted on her Web site that the single governor granted her his first 'exclusive interview in the mansion' in February.”

“Crist an item with TV reporter?“.

One supposes that the “exclusive interview on the mansion” was not a “criminal conversation“.

Science Fiction

“The teleplay reportedly chronicles the five weeks between Election Day and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld Harris' decision.”  “HBO puts '00 election back in the spotlight“.

No-Fault

“The threat that lawmakers next week might resurrect Florida's no-fault auto-insurance law has insurers scrambling to kill the deal before it gathers momentum.”  “Insurers clamber to prevent no-fault insurance's return“.

“Group slams Florida”

“Florida may be one of only seven states offering pre-kindergarten to all of its 4-year-olds, but a national advocacy group derided its lawmakers Tuesday for being the only ones in the country to cut their state's pre-K budget in the past two years.”  “Advocacy group slams Florida for reducing pre-K budget“

“Attack dog”

One can't imagine an emptier suit than Adam Putnam, “a main House attack dog against Democrats” - in yet another sign of the GOP decline:

Nearly 400 people were expected to fill a $2,500-a-table fundraiser for GOP Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon near Los Angeles Saturday night.

The main draw: U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam.

The Bartow Republican was to attend a cocktail party and be the dinner's guest speaker. …

Putnam said he has not ruled out an eventual bid for statewide office - or for a higher leadership position in the GOP - but said all of these moves are just a part of being a Republican leader in the U.S. House.

Others agree, but as Putnam is fulfilling that role, they say he is also raising his national profile, making contacts in other states and building political chits that could have a huge bearing on his future.

“Putnam's Profile Rising Within GOP“.

Tough Sledding

“If Democrat Christine Jennings is going to win her rematch against Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, next year, she’s going to need to spend even more than the nearly $3.3 million she spent last go around.  Or at least that’s how much EMILY’s List is telling its supporters in a advertisement on its web site.”  “Jennings needs $4 million, group says“.

Whatever

“Charlie Crist will be a featured speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative, the brainchild of former president Bill Clinton. Crist has been invited to speak on a panel titled 'Redefining Business As Usual.' Crist surprised many in Tallahassee by waiting until Tuesday to announce his participation.”  “Crist warms to climate change“.

It is apparently banner news when a GOPer recognizes the obvious - that climate change is a problem.  ANd this headline is a bit much don't you think, “Crist takes global initiative“?

Grinding to a Halt

School “districts throughout Florida struggle with a recent state Supreme Court decision that cast legal doubt on a borrowing program that pays for billions in new schools. … If the controversial decision stands, administrators have few other options to find construction money. They fear projects will be scrubbed or significantly delayed even as the demand for classroom space increases because of Florida's class-size law.”  “School construction could grind to halt“.

Where is the Demand that Republicans Repudiate These Statements?

Off topic: Inasmuch as Republicans are demanding that Democrats repudiate the recent MoveOn ad, perhaps Dems will demand that Republicans repudiate the following remarks by GOPer shill Bill O'Reilly:

After eating dinner at a famed Harlem restaurant recently, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly told a radio audience he “couldn't get over the fact” that there was no difference between the black-run Sylvia's and other restaurants.

“It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun,” he said. “And there wasn't any kind of craziness at all.”

“Group Points Out O'Reilly Race Comments“.

Take a look at the Florida Progressive Coalition's “The Daily 15“.  Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry follows.

Dazed and Confused

The mighty Florida GOP can't seem to figure out what to do:

A plan to change Florida's property tax system has fallen, and it remains to be seen whether the governor and Legislature will be able to pick it up.

Gov. Charlie Crist and legislative leaders sent different signals Tuesday about resurrecting the Jan. 29 referendum issue, setting up a showdown next week that could determine whether it will go to voters.

The lack of unity on how — or even whether — to revive the issue reflects the diminishing prospects facing what legislators only a few months ago boasted would be a key piece in the largest tax cut in state history.

“Unity lacking on Florida's property tax issue“.  See also “No Decision Yet on Appeal“, “GOP aims to salvage tax-cut proposal“, “Gov. Crist to lawmakers: Fix amendment or expand it; just get it to voters“, “Senate wants to appeal rejection of property tax amendment“, “Appeal, rewrite? Leaders might try both tacks” and “Florida may decide today whether to appeal ruling on property tax referendum“.  More: “Legislators at odds over tax bill again” (”After a judge axes the property tax plan, the House leader wants to fix it and the Senate leader forget it.”)

Indeed, Rubio is saying that “'the Legislature now has the opportunity to give voters the option of pursuing additional property tax measures,' … Rubio stopped short of calling again for eliminating homestead taxes in favor of raising the state sales tax. The radical tax cuts Rubio sought paralyzed the Legislature during the regular spring session, ruffled longtime state senators who wanted more modest tax cuts and led to a June special legislative session on property taxes.”  “Tax fight brews on two fronts“.

The Miami Herald editors:”The proposal's 'language is misleading and confusing, and does not provide fair notice to the voter, educated or otherwise,' Circuit Court Judge Charles Francis wrote.”

He was kind.

The impenetrable ballot language seems designed to hide one important fact about the Legislature's proposed constitutional revision: that it would phase out the popular Save Our Homes tax cap, which limits property-tax increases to 3 percent a year for homestead properties. The language mentions ''preserving'' Save Our Homes provisions. Nowhere does it say that, eventually, Save Our Homes would go away.

“A good ruling on bad ballot language“.  The Sun-Sentinel editors: the “judge's ruling gives Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature another opportunity to do the wise thing, and hand this contentious, complicated issue to the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission.”  “Judge's ruling on “super-exemption” a chance to let tax reform panel have issue“.

Spillover Effect

“Just when Florida Democrats decided to stay the course with a bright and early Jan. 29 presidential primary, one of the big drawing cards - the super homestead exemption amendment - was knocked off the ballot by a Leon County circuit judge.  This winter election is quickly losing its luster, given that the chance to cut their own property taxes - or so many voters have been lead to believe - would probably attract more voters than would the presidential candidates. That's because it's still unclear whether candidates will break with the national Democratic Party and really campaign to get a feel for our issues rather than just fly in to raise money.”  “Crystal clear“.

Laff Riot

“A Florida Republican Party mailer encourages Florida Democrats to join the GOP as a way to cope with the frustration over the national party's decision to punish the state for scheduling an early presidential primary.”

“There is hope. You'll find it with the Republican Party of Florida,” promises a mailer to an undisclosed number of Florida Democrats, with the registration form voters can use to switch party affiliation.

“Now - thanks to their egos and political infighting - you, as a Florida Democrat, may lose your right to vote. No delegates. No votes. Because of the Democrat rules, Democratic presidential candidates say they won't campaign in Florida - they'll only raise money here,” says the mailer.

“GOP to Dems: Switch parties“.

“If you've been following the news about the Florida presidential primary, you may have asked: How did we get in this mess? Here are some answers.”  “States Shuffle Primaries In A Bid For Attention, Influence“.  The Miami Herald editors: “This is no way to choose a president“.

Meanwhile, with Dean having “rejected a last-ditch appeal to save Florida from sanctions at the 2008 convention, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said he's going to court.”  “Nelson says he's going to court“.  See also “Nelson headed to court over primary date“.

Improvement

“Florida posted significant gains in its reading scores over the past two years, joining Hawaii, Maryland and the District of Columbia as the only jurisdictions in the country to show improvement, a new report released Tuesday shows.”  “State reading scores improve on national test“.  See also “Tax-bill cuts, dispute could get a do-over“.

Fool Me Once…Go Ahead, Fool Me Again …

“Broward County will get new voting equipment for the August 2008 primary, supplied by the same manufacturer who sold the machines the county no longer wants.  The optical-scanning equipment is being adopted by counties statewide, to solve problems created by touch-screen machines — especially the fact that the votes are never recorded on paper, which makes recounts virtually meaningless.”

In a no-bid contract, Broward commissioners agreed earlier this year to buy the equipment from Election Systems & Software — the same company that in 2002 provided the touch-screen voting machines that are now being replaced in both Miami-Dade and Broward. Broward still owes about $8 million of the $20 million those machines cost.

“Herald: Paper ballots to be back for August 2008 primary“.

Don't Hold Your Breath

“The U.S. Supreme Court decided Tuesday to hear a case that challenges the constitutionality of death by lethal injection, putting Florida's on-again, off-again death penalty back in limbo and potentially postponing executions around the nation.”  “Challenge may halt Florida's scheduled lethal injections“.  See also “Federal lethal injection case could affect Florida“.

“Turf Battle”

“The 17-member board that oversees Florida's higher education system is expected to approve tuition increases this week — setting the stage for a showdown with the governor and Legislature.”  “Turf battle near on tuition“.

“Without public involvement in divvying up how the money gets spent”

“Water managers propose using $10 million of taxpayer money to jump-start 'clean technologies' that could help the environment, but without public involvement in divvying up how the money gets spent.  The plan calls for the South Florida Water Management District to establish a venture capital fund that could be tapped by private businesses or other organizations developing technologies such as alternative water supplies and new ways to remove pollutants from the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee.”  “Water managers want to give businesses $10 million for 'clean technologies'“.

Whoopee!

“Facing a boycott by presidential candidates over the state's hijacking of the presidential primary calendar, Florida Democrats are bracing themselves for the next best thing: their spouses.”  “Democratic candidates to get plenty of spousal support in Florida“.

“Criminal Conversation”?

“On Friday, Crist showed up at Yom Kippur Service in Miami with another beauty on his arm, WFOR-Ch. 4 TV reporter and former Playboy model Jennifer Santiago.”

“It's not clear the extent of the relationship,” says the Miami Herald's Naked Politics blog, “but Santiago has boasted on her Web site that the single governor granted her his first 'exclusive interview in the mansion' in February.”

“Crist an item with TV reporter?“.

One supposes that the “exclusive interview on the mansion” was not a “criminal conversation“.

Science Fiction

“The teleplay reportedly chronicles the five weeks between Election Day and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld Harris' decision.”  “HBO puts '00 election back in the spotlight“.

No-Fault

“The threat that lawmakers next week might resurrect Florida's no-fault auto-insurance law has insurers scrambling to kill the deal before it gathers momentum.”  “Insurers clamber to prevent no-fault insurance's return“.

“Group slams Florida”

“Florida may be one of only seven states offering pre-kindergarten to all of its 4-year-olds, but a national advocacy group derided its lawmakers Tuesday for being the only ones in the country to cut their state's pre-K budget in the past two years.”  “Advocacy group slams Florida for reducing pre-K budget“

“Attack dog”

One can't imagine an emptier suit than Adam Putnam, “a main House attack dog against Democrats” - in yet another sign of the GOP decline:

Nearly 400 people were expected to fill a $2,500-a-table fundraiser for GOP Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon near Los Angeles Saturday night.

The main draw: U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam.

The Bartow Republican was to attend a cocktail party and be the dinner's guest speaker. …

Putnam said he has not ruled out an eventual bid for statewide office - or for a higher leadership position in the GOP - but said all of these moves are just a part of being a Republican leader in the U.S. House.

Others agree, but as Putnam is fulfilling that role, they say he is also raising his national profile, making contacts in other states and building political chits that could have a huge bearing on his future.

“Putnam's Profile Rising Within GOP“.

Tough Sledding

“If Democrat Christine Jennings is going to win her rematch against Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, next year, she’s going to need to spend even more than the nearly $3.3 million she spent last go around.  Or at least that’s how much EMILY’s List is telling its supporters in a advertisement on its web site.”  “Jennings needs $4 million, group says“.

Whatever

“Charlie Crist will be a featured speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative, the brainchild of former president Bill Clinton. Crist has been invited to speak on a panel titled 'Redefining Business As Usual.' Crist surprised many in Tallahassee by waiting until Tuesday to announce his participation.”  “Crist warms to climate change“.

It is apparently banner news when a GOPer recognizes the obvious - that climate change is a problem.  ANd this headline is a bit much don't you think, “Crist takes global initiative“?

Grinding to a Halt

School “districts throughout Florida struggle with a recent state Supreme Court decision that cast legal doubt on a borrowing program that pays for billions in new schools. … If the controversial decision stands, administrators have few other options to find construction money. They fear projects will be scrubbed or significantly delayed even as the demand for classroom space increases because of Florida's class-size law.”  “School construction could grind to halt“.

Where is the Demand that Republicans Repudiate These Statements?

Off topic: Inasmuch as Republicans are demanding that Democrats repudiate the recent MoveOn ad, perhaps Dems will demand that Republicans repudiate the following remarks by GOPer shill Bill O'Reilly:

After eating dinner at a famed Harlem restaurant recently, Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly told a radio audience he “couldn't get over the fact” that there was no difference between the black-run Sylvia's and other restaurants.

“It was like going into an Italian restaurant in an all-white suburb in the sense of people were sitting there, and they were ordering and having fun,” he said. “And there wasn't any kind of craziness at all.”

“Group Points Out O'Reilly Race Comments“.

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Our review of today's Florida political news and punditry:

The Privatization Scam

Bill Cotterell: “You don't need to be a statistician to draw some interesting conclusions from the first annual report of the Council on Efficient Government. It provides some insights into the legacy of ex-Gov. Jeb Bush and his eight-year effort to privatize state government.”

Actually, the report indicates that “outsourcing” progressed like a roller coaster - chugging upward in Bush's first term, then cresting the summit and plunging wildly ahead. It's been quite a ride.

It also appears that Bush, who admitted being impatient once he got one of his big ideas, was not a stickler about looking before he leaped. Such was his faith in the private sector, combined with his disdain for most things governmental, that his administration didn't fret too much about cost-benefit ratios or performance measures when deciding whether to privatize something. …

“Bush liked to say, in education, that “if you don't measure, you don't care.” But apparently his commitment to standardized testing didn't apply to privatization contracts.”

So, do Jebbie's privatization schemes achieve anything other than, as Paul Krugman puts it, spawning “a network of contractors who have given … Republican politicians and the Florida G.O.P. millions of dollars in campaign donations“?  Cotterell writes:

“A project cost-benefit analysis exercise is fundamental to the business case submissions process and essential to a sound financial evaluation of an outsourced project. Without valid cost-benefit calculations, it is difficult to access the true value and benefit of proposed outsourced projects,” said the [legislatively created 'seven-member council last year after a series of spectacular flops in state contracting'] …

“Of the 226 outsourced projects submitting cost-benefit related data only 16, or 7 percent, reported complete cost-benefit analysis before project solicitation,” it said. One other project had a cost-benefit analysis done after solicitation started. Ready, fire, aim.

“The remaining 209, or 92 percent of the projects, reported not completing a cost-benefit analysis at any time,” said the council staff report. “Without a complete cost-benefit analysis, it will be difficult for the council to assess the feasibility of an outsourced project and the benefit provided to the agency and the public.”

“Numbers show it's hard to rate privatization“.

 

Charlie's New Prop: A “Voluptuous Vixen”

“At the governor's side was CBS-4 reporter Jennifer Santiago. … a graduate of Villanova University law school, and a former Playboy model. At the time of her Playboy pictorials, such as Voluptuous Vixens and 1998 Nudes, she used the name Jennifer Klarman.”  “Crist brings newsy date to temple services“.

 

The “Wide-Stanced” Effect

George Bennett asks whether “wide-stanced Republican U.S. Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho be a factor in a 2008 Palm Beach County state House race? Republican Rob Siedlecki, who lost a challenge to state Rep. Shelley Vana, D-Lantana, for the District 85 seat last year, says his decision on whether to try again next year will be based in part on whether Craig and others have created a “negative climate” for the GOP. Siedlecki believes the Mark Foley scandal contributed to his 41.9 percent showing in 2006.”

 

“Saber-rattling” Over

“Ending weeks of saber-rattling, Florida Democratic leaders on Sunday embraced the state's Jan. 29 presidential primary and said the early date will give the state an influence that outweighs candidate boycotts and threats by the national party to strip Florida of delegates.”  “Top Democrats in state endorse early primary“.

“Once and for all to settle this, we will be voting on Jan. 29, with our presidential candidates on the ballot,” state Democratic chairwoman Karen Thurman declared Sunday to cheers from Democratic activists in Broward County. “That's what the United States is about, making our voices heard.”

Their voices will surely be heard. But in a twisted irony for Democrats in the recount and hanging chad state, their votes officially won't count in picking their presidential nominee.

That's because winning the presidential nomination is about winning delegates in primaries and caucuses. The Democratic National Committee intends to strip Florida of all its 210 delegates for scheduling its primary earlier than allowed.

“Party gives pep talk“.  See also “Florida Democrats reaffirm Jan. 29 primary, despite sanctions“.

“Striving to erase doubts about whether Democratic votes in Florida's presidential primary will matter, party leaders on Sunday launched a public relations campaign featuring a website and bumper stickers.”  “State Dems' cry: 'Make it count'“.  And, “Florida Democrats might sue own party over seating of delegates“.

 

Stem Cells

“Two studies starting in South Florida will, for the first time, test the long-dreamed vision that the body's own stem cells can be deployed to reverse the damage from heart disease.”  “South Florida studies aim to mend hearts with patients' stem cells“.

 

No-Fault

“The compromise on no-fault auto insurance announced Friday won't make everyone happy, which is why the Legislature should pass it.”  “Grab chance to reform, renew PIP insurance“.”.

 

“Pettifoggery”

The Tampa Tribune editorial board: “Thrasher's letter to thousands of Florida voters might be the most brazen use of double-talk in the history of pettifoggery.”  “Hometown Democracy Opponent Pens Dreadful Letter To Voters“.

 

Whatever

“Miami Republican Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart has been named to an investigative subcommittee charged with reviewing a misdemeanor charge against Rep. Bob Filner, D-Calif., accused of assaulting an airline employee at a D.C.-area airport.”  “Diaz-Balart to probe D.C. assault charges“.

 

Desperate

“There have been so many dismissive or blistering articles about Fred Thompson in recent months, I half expected last weekend to see Larry, Curly or Moe lead a bumbling three-day bus tour through Florida.”

But even after Thompson's weakest performances - in Cape Coral he breathed heavily into the microphone, lost his train of thought, and at one point under the sweltering sun, his hand started shaking ominously - people gushed with passion and constantly compared him to Ronald Reagan. …

Despite his many years as a Washington lobbyist, Thompson is pitching himself as a folksy, outsider with a track record for stepping up for public service when his country needs him: as the 30-year-old minority counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee; as the lawyer in a Tennessee whistle-blower case that wound up leading to the imprisonment of a governor and Thompson playing himself in the movie; as part of the Republican Revolution in 1994.

If he can bump off Romney as the viable conservative alternative to Giuliani - thrice married, estranged from his own children, supports gay rights, abortion rights and gun control - the nomination may be Thompson's for the taking. It won't be easy, but there is a path for Thompson and Florida is a key part.

“Where voters live, Thompson matters“.

 

Legal Challenge

“The state's defense lawyer association has asked the Florida Supreme Court to block a new law that sets up a second tier of public attorneys to represent indigent criminal defendants.  Lawyers working for the five appointed criminal conflict and civil regional counsels will replace private attorneys that courts appoint when elected public defenders have a conflict of interest.  That typically happens when multiple defendants are charged in a single crime. The new offices also will provide legal representation in child dependency cases.”  “Defense lawyers challenge new public attorney law“.

 

Paey

The Miami Herald editorial board: “Beneath the surface, Mr. Paey's story is really about what happens when bad law and overzealous prosecutors combine to produce a disastrous outcome. Here's what can be learned from Mr. Paey's odyssey of pain:”

• Mandatory minimum sentences don't always work.

• Police and prosecutors must understand that their job is not only to prosecute, but also to seek justice.

“Tough laws can go seriously awry“.

 

Five Gears In Reverse

Last week, Tom Blackburn “wrote that in 2000 the Florida Senate was set to follow the House by ignoring the voters and certifying the electors for George W. Bush. John McKay tells me that it was no sure thing.”  Today he writes:

Mr. McKay, who was Senate president then, reminds me that the state faced a reporting deadline for the Electoral College. He called the Senate session only to act if Florida's 25 electoral votes otherwise would be lost. He advised senators to keep quiet until they saw events shape up and didn't take a position himself. What the Senate might have done if the U.S. Supreme Court had not intervened is speculative, but it wasn't wired to follow the House.

With all due respect, there was little doubt that the Florida Senate would have followed Feeney's lead.  McKay understandably wants to distance himself and the Florida GOP from “the worst president in U.S. history.”

 

Ugly

Bill Maxwell: “Every Florida resident should be concerned that we are losing our precious environment. To see the damage being done and what is left to be saved, all of us should get in our cars and drive some of the back roads across and up and down the state.”  “Florida, you get uglier by the day“.

 

Pathetic

“In the most hypocritical speech of any presidential candidate so far, Rudy Giuliani told a National Rifle Association audience he no longer supports the tough gun-controls laws he once fought for as mayor of New York. Apparently that shameless denial of his past even embarrassed Giuliani, who interrupted his speech Friday to take a personal cell phone call from his wife. It was a bizarre moment, though not nearly as unsettling as watching a man who had once prided himself on his tough stance against urban gun violence now kissing up to the NRA.”  “Giuliani kisses up to gun lobby“.