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FLORIDA POLITICS
Since 2002, daily Florida political news and commentary

 

UPDATE: Every morning we review and individually digest Florida political news articles, editorials and punditry. Our sister site, FLA Politics was selected by Campaigns & Elections as one of only ten state blogs in the nation
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Welcome To Florida Politics

Thanks for visiting. On a semi-daily basis we scan Florida's major daily newspapers for significant Florida political news and punditry. We also review the editorial pages and political columnists/pundits for Florida political commentary. The papers we review include: the Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Naples News, Sarasota Herald Tribune, St Pete Times, Tampa Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Tallahassee Democrat, and, occasionally, the Florida Times Union; we also review the political news blogs associated with these newspapers.

For each story, column, article or editorial we deem significant, we post at least the headline and link to the piece; the linked headline always appears in quotes. We quote the headline for two reasons: first, to allow researchers looking for the cited piece to find it (if the link has expired) by searching for the original title/headline via a commercial research service. Second, quotation of the original headline permits readers to appreciate the spin from the original piece, as opposed to our spin.

Not that we don't provide spin; we do, and plenty of it. Our perspective appears in post headlines, the subtitles within the post (in bold), and the excerpts from the linked stories we select to quote; we also occasionally provide other links and commentary about certain stories. While our bias should be immediately apparent to any reader, we nevertheless attempt to link to every article, column or editorial about Florida politics in every major online Florida newspaper.

 

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The Blog for Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Social Security "Flash Point"

    Florida will be ground zero in the GOoPer fight to phase out SS:
    President Bush's controversial proposal to overhaul Social Security has huge political repercussions in Florida -- home to more than three million senior citizens. ...

    "This is, without a doubt, precarious territory," said U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, an Oviedo Republican who backs Bush's proposal but admits that "no one is betting the ranch we're going to have success."

    Feeney notes there may be long-term political advantages for Republicans among younger voters who are worried that Social Security will go belly-up long before they hit retirement age.

    "There's a risk here for Democrats, as well," Feeney said.

    But Florida's nearly three million seniors remain one of the state's most avid voting blocs, resulting in election-year pilgrimages by political candidates to city-size retirement centers such as Broward County's fabled Century Village, Sun City near Tampa and The Villages in Central Florida.

    "People in the system have their antennas up," said Jeff Johnson, a strategist for the Florida AARP. The national chapter is running newspaper ads that denounce Bush's proposal as risky and dispute his contention that Social Security in the future will run out of money. "It's a critical issue, if not the critical issue."
    Heck, even Bill Nelson's on board with the Dem efforts to save Social Security.
    Nelson said he has sought assurances from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada that he'll play a leading role in Democratic efforts to rebuff Bush and portray his proposal as a "breach of a sacred trust."
    "Social Security plan a Florida flash point". See also "AARP survey says most U.S. workers oppose Bush plan to revamp Social Security".

6:14 AM

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