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 Sunday, January 08, 2006

Sunday's News and Punditry

    A Closer Look At The Voucher Ruling

    Mark Lane writes that the "Supreme Court last week did what I expected it to do and found the state's voucher programs unconstitutional. Everything else about the ruling was a surprise." "Voucher ruling has lasting effects".


    Good Question

    In connection with the Abramoff thing, Steve Otto asks: "Well, didn't the Republicans come to power by getting all huffy about morals and ethics and sucking up to the likes of Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and James Dobson, the Larry, Curly and Moe of the New Testament?"


    Where's Jack When You Need Him?

    "There are still many hurdles ahead for the Seminole Tribe of Florida in its quest to offer Las Vegas-style slot machines." "Slots deal faces tough road". See also "Gambling" ("Even though Gov. Jeb Bush has finally signed long-overdue legislation permitting slot machine gambling in Broward County, there's still much work to be done before Florida's schools see any benefit.")


    FCAT Foolishness

    "Racial Stereotypes May Affect Test Scores".


    Alito

    "The Florida Coalition for an Independent Judiciary plans to speak out Monday in Tallahassee against confirmation of U.S. Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito to the U.S. Supreme Court." "Critics to rally against Alito".


    "Jeb!" Is Simply Amazing!

    Just ask Mike Thomas: "Jeb Bush knows everything but his next move".


    Wouldn't Wanna be "Sore Loserman"

    "It is not possible that one simply lost. The judges must have been "activist." They were using "ideology" instead of 'just following the law.'" "Crying out against the justices isn't answer"

    "Gallagher ... called the ruling 'judicial activism based on ideology and not the law.' Gallagher added that if he gets to be governor, he will name Supreme Court justices who 'follow the rule of law as opposed to legislating from the bench.'" Id.

    As for Jebbie's response, well ...

    One of the best scenes in the hilarious movie Wedding Crashers shows Isla Fisher, in the role of the treasury secretary's daughter, throwing a temper tantrum. She scrunches up her face, swings her arms and stomps her feet. It's funny because she's a grown woman acting like a little kid.

    Gov. Bush acted much the same way on Thursday after the Florida Supreme Court, in a decision that everyone but he and his delusional aides saw coming, ruled that Gov. Bush's system of vouchers is unconstitutional. He fumed about the public school "monopoly." He railed against the court — except, of course, the two justices he appointed. They backed the illegal voucher program.

    It was familiar petulance. The governor shows it each time he is challenged. He blew up six years ago when two African-American legislators staged a sit-in to protest his policies toward minorities. He pouted when court after court ruled against him in the Terri Schiavo case. When environmental groups sued to block the Mecca Farms site for The Scripps Research Institute, the governor called them "legal terrorists." It is the arrogance of an ideologue who thinks he's never wrong.
    "Jeb pouts in 'Voucher Crashers'". See also "Kids need resources, not vouchers".


    Earth to "Jeb!"

    The Buzz reports that

    Jeb Bush says Florida Republicans don't have to worry about a voter backlash from a rising tide of special-interest slime emanating from the Jack Abramoff scandal and other ethical lapses in Washington. Why? Because they've taken steps to inoculate themselves from the sleaze factor by outlawing free meals, drinks and gifts from lobbyists.
    Some might differ with that assessment:
    As members of Congress scramble to give away campaign money they have received from Jack Abramoff, a lobbyist who pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe members of Congress and evading taxes, watchdog organizations say they're not fooling the public.
    "Shrewd move, or just plain politics? Harris, Foley will donate money linked to Jack Abramoff, but some say it's for show".


    "A National Joke"

    Scott Maxwell:

    Depending on which study you read, Florida ranks as low as 47th among the states (there are 50 of them, for those of you who attended our schools) when it comes to per-pupil spending.

    So Florida politicians continue to invest as little as possible on education and then scratch their heads in gee-willikers fashion, trying to figure out why our school system is a national joke.

    None of this should surprise anyone. Back in 2002, when the class-size amendment was on the ballot, Gov. Jeb Bush was caught on tape saying he had "devious plans" to fight back the class-size amendment if voters passed it. Bush -- who was in the throes of a feisty campaign at the time -- quickly back-pedaled. He said he was being sarcastic. And yet, here we are, witnessing yet another attempt by Bush and other leaders to keep classrooms overloaded.
    And my favorite cheap shot:
    The irony here is that you essentially have politicians trying to make the case that voters were too uninformed to cast logical ballots on this issue -- while choosing to believe it was a well-versed electorate that voted them into office. None of them, after all, are pushing for similar do-overs for their own elections.
    "State still scrimping on schools".


    Martin Dyckman

    "His passion and fearlessness made Florida a better place".


    It's A Start, But ...

    "The Florida Legislature scrubbed some of its darker corners by banning gifts from lobbyists and their clients, then let in some welcome sunshine by requiring lobbyists to disclose their fees. But those reforms that were approved last month should be just the start of the housecleaning, for a bigger job awaits. Now is the time to rein in the slush funds legislators have created that make limits on campaign contributions meaningless and pose a greater threat of corruption and influence peddling than free dinners or football tickets." "Rein in the slush funds".


    The Problem With Term Limits ...

    or, who is Dean Cannon?


    Those "Enviromental Wackos"

    "Environmentalists are pushing two bills in Congress that call for research and protection of corals and deep sea communities." "Hidden treasure lies off our coasts, full of life and needing protection". See also "Keeping growth at bay".


    "Diminishing public oversight"

    "Sunshine Law experts fear that using e-mail and cell phones to conduct government business is diminishing public oversight." "Technology is testing open-government laws".


    Like A Bad Penny

    "With George LeMieux leaving his post as Attorney General Charlie Crist's top deputy for a new role as chief of staff of Crist's gubernatorial campaign, a few more office changes have swiftly followed. Clay Roberts was named deputy attorney general last week, moving from an executive deputy post. Roberts was the state's elections director during the 2000 presidential recount and recently was edged out in a bid for a Tallahassee-area judgeship." Capitol View.


    Redistricting

    "A lot of Democrats like the idea of amending the state Constitution to make the drawing of political districts less partisan and more competitive by having it done by a commission rather than directly by state lawmakers. But Democratic state Rep. Frank Peterman says he won't vote for the ballot initiative until he's more assured it won't dilute the strength of districts drawn to ensure minorities are elected." "Persuading Peterman".


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