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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Previous Articles by Derek Newton: Ten Things Fox on Line 1 Stem Cells are Intelligent Design Katrina Spin No Can't Win Perhaps the Most Important Race Senate Outlook The Nelson Thing Deep, Dark Secret Smart Boy Bringing Guns to a Knife Fight Playing to our Strength  

The Blog for Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Smart Boy

    by Derek Newton

    In late 1999, I attended a dinner meeting with a few state Senators and the head of a prominent statewide business group who was also a lobbyist and not shy about being a Republican.

    At the time we were all learning how political life would change under a Republican Governor. Over dinner, this GOP stalwart made a comment about Jeb Bush that has stuck with me to this day.

    He said, "You can't tell a smart boy much."

    Jeb Bush is a smart boy. He knows it.

    The problem with being a "smart boy," as this Republican operative crystallized, is that they don't listen. They have no need for input. Smart boys have all the answers already. Just ask them.

    But only those who think they're smart are smug enough to believe they have nothing to learn. Rejecting facts and informed opinion doesn't make you smart. It makes you a fool.

    That's our Governor: equal parts ignorance and arrogance.

    But our governor has another character flaw. One he likely owes more to genetics and his pampered upbringing.

    Governor Bush, like his older brother, can't admit he's wrong. He doesn't make mistakes or misjudgments. Having all the answers means you can't be wrong. He's clearly above such earthly limitations. Being infallible must one of the benefits of being a smart boy.

    Our Governor's special stew of ignorance, arrogance and infallibility have never been more obvious than during the national embarrassment surrounding Terri Schiavo.

    Numerous Florida courts, pondering evidence and opinion from both sides, found Terri's loving and supportive husband Michael to be a fit spokesperson for his incapacitated wife.

    But Jeb "the omniscient" and other Republicans just knew that couldn't be right. So hearing information from only one side, they sought to discredit and slander Michael Schiavo.

    When independent and respected doctors said Terri's condition was severe and beyond repair, Jeb "the soothsayer" and other Republicans just knew that couldn't be right. So disregarding science, they rolled out their own docs to disagree - including one truly bizarre video-tape diagnosis from the floor of the U.S. Senate by Senator Bill Frist.

    When Florida courts followed the law and ruled to get government out of family decisions and allow Michael Schiavo to implement his wife's wishes, Jeb "the almighty" and the other Republicans just knew that wasn't right. So they sent the power of big government through armed agents to forcibly take custody of Terri.

    This week when another independent, scientific voice confirmed what Michael Schiavo, dozens of doctors and a thorough and judicious consideration of evidence already revealed, Jeb "the clairvoyant" and other Republicans knew this couldn't be right.

    So setting sail again on a journey that is certain to crash on the reef of truth, Jeb "the perfect" is seeking another useless investigation into Michael Schiavo. This time he wants to know if Michael Schiavo asked for help in a timely fashion the night of Terri's tragedy.

    No doubt that Jeb's latest actions caused many in Florida and around the country to scratch their heads. Some will believe that Jeb "the political" is playing to national Republican conservatives to set himself up to run for President in 2008 - or later.

    But the real reason that Jeb "the self-important" can't let this one go is even simpler than that. He can't let this one go because he's Jeb Bush. He already has all the answers. He can’t listen to other opinions. And he can't be wrong.

    Doctors, paramedics and police have already testified that Michael Schiavo acted quickly and responsibly that night.

    It's someone else's conduct that needs to be investigated - someone who has clearly acted irresponsibly. You get three chances to guess who. But here's a clue: He's a smart boy. And you can't tell him much.

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