A National Convention in Florida?

"Local politicos want to bring a national political convention to Orlando in 2008, but with a Democrat running the city and a Republican running the county, which one should they go after? Both." "Orlando eyes GOP, Democratic conventions".

Lie Down With Dogs

"The president of a South Florida chapter of the Log County Republicans said Friday that he will file a grievance against the Republican Party of Florida, after learning that the state GOP contributed $150,000 to the group sponsoring a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage." "Gay Republicans are upset".

Reminder: The proposed amendment is not limited to "same-sex marriage", but also invalidates "the substantial equivalent thereof", which would appear to include mere civil unions and possibly domestic partner benefits. See "St. Pete Times mischaracterizes anti-gay amendment".

Right Outa Dubya's Playbook

"Gallagher is Catholic and Laura is Baptist and a born-again Christian, he says, and she's "pretty straightforward, pretty solid in her beliefs." She is on leave from her job at the powerhouse law-lobbying firm of Greenberg Traurig, where she is of counsel and specializes in telecommunications issues." "Gallagher's public side evolves through wife's faith".

Yes, that Greenberg Traurig.

<Tom Lee Stayin' in the Spotlight

Senate president Tom Lee "said Thursday his top goal in the legislative session that begins March 7 is banning unlimited contributions, a.k.a. soft money, in state campaigns. Lee, who has raised million in soft money himself, said those who doubt his sincerity 'grotesquely underestimate my veracity.'" "Tom Lee And Soft Money".

The Longest Story ...

about nothing that you will ever read: "Congress hopeful fixing his résumés" ("Republican Congressional candidate [for Harris' seat] Vern Buchanan prides himself as being a hands-off manager who worries less about details and more about the big picture.")

Wilma

"Wind was the culprit behind the failure of more than 11,000 FPL utility poles during Hurricane Wilma, but many also may have failed because of age and design, a Netherlands-based utility consulting firm said Friday." "Consultants: Age, design may have contributed to FPL poles' failure".

Could It Be?

A Scripps solution?

Voucher Madness

The views of one Andrew J. Rotherham, "co-director of Education Sector, a national nonpartisan education think tank. He is also a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute and writes the blog Eduwonk.com." "Hollow victory for voucher foes".

Begging the Question

"Gov. Jeb Bush's "Diversity Initiative" could boost minority enrollment in Florida's universities by directing financial aid to those who need it most." "Funding diversity".

That's all well and good, but let's not forget why we have a proplem with minority enrollment in the first place.

"Anonymous Criticism"

"Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher promised Thursday to post five years of tax returns on the Internet next week after anonymous documents were circulated to newspapers about a 5-year-old land deal he profited from." "Anonymous criticism decried by Gallagher". See also "Gallagher criticizes anonymous attack".

At The Trough

"Bush stops by and raises $4 million at Palm Beach party". I guess taxpayers picked up at least part of the tab due to a photo op, that "lasted only a few seconds": "President Bush praises school volunteer on way to fund-raiser in Palm Beach".

Scripps

"State lawmakers on Thursday rapped the Palm Beach County Commission for failing to deliver a final site for The Scripps Research Institute, saying that Florida cannot reap the economic benefits of its $310 million investment until the issue is settled." "Legislators' patience wears thin with county over Scripps sites".

Poor Things

"Candidates' fund raising lags because of hurricane".

"Yahoo" "'Death Wish' Law"

Daniel Ruth:

Once you pass a yahoo law making it easier for people to start shooting each other, you don't need to be Dirty Harry to figure out that people are going to start shooting each other.

Insert: V-8 forehead slap, a light bulb going on and a "Duh" right about here.

So it's hardly a huge shock that the mouthpiece for tow truck driver Donald Montanez would claim his client was acting well within Florida's "Stand Your Ground Law" when he shot to death Glen "Chuck" Rich last Sunday morning.

Rich found himself a fatal victim of Florida's "Death Wish" law after a dispute surrounding the towing of his car by Montanez.

GOoPer Primary Voters

"What could possibly explain Johnson's four-fold advantage in name ID over a sitting Senate president? It's got to have something to do with the fact that Johnson's name is the same as the New York Yankees' pitcher known as the 'Big Unit.'" "Johnson Wins Big in New CFO Poll".

Resistance Is Futile

"Florida legislators are looking at a bill that is hugely popular with parents, won't cost anything to do, and make local governments deal with the details. Yeah, hard choice. It's almost a shame they'll have to wait until the session begins to pass it. As it is, the measure was approved Tuesday by a House committee with an easy 10-1 vote." "School starting date push-back could find its way into law".

The Sycophancy Is Breathtaking

The Tampa Trib editorial board just can't help itself:

It's a good thing Gov. Jeb Bush is an idea guy. It's going to take his considerable intellect and political skill to find a way around the Florida Supreme Court's decision invalidating one of the state's four school voucher programs.

Corporate Tax Credit Scholarships, an ill-conceived voucher program that gives businesses a dollar-for-dollar tax break if they donate money to private-school tuition for poor children, wasn't addressed in the court's 5-2 ruling. In many ways, these vouchers are more insidious than Mr. Bush's Opportunity Scholarships, which give parents tax money to enroll their child in private schools.

The court's failure to address the corporate-tax-credit vouchers in its ruling defies logic and emboldens lawmakers to cement this bad idea into the Florida Constitution. Lawmakers would be wise to go the opposite direction and strike the program from the books before a second case finds itself before the state's highest court and meets the same fate as the Opportunity Scholarship.

And make no mistake: The corporate-tax-credit voucher deserves the same fate.

Testy

"Senate President Tom Lee sharply criticized Attorney General Charlie Crist on Thursday, hinting that Crist was using his office to gain publicity. Lee said that Crist's involvement in lawsuits concerning phone rate hikes and other utilities should be the responsibility of the public counsel, a legislative office that advocates on behalf of utility customers." "Senate president raps Crist's utility moves".

Mack

"U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV's claim[ed] in his last campaign that he had moved his family into the district in 2003. It seems divorce papers filed by his wife say that's untrue. The son of the former senator said she's mistaken." "Connie Mack, Mary Bono, And The Ex". See also "Divorce papers dispute date of Mack's residency"..

Charlie's Team

The Buzz tells us who is on "Crist's Team".

I Love It When They "Bristle"

"Senators bristled Thursday at a request from Florida's universities for a 5 percent tuition hike next year to pay for rising utility costs and professor salaries. If approved, it would be the second year in a row that in-state undergraduates saw their tuition grow by 5 percent, and lawmakers worried that poor and minority students wouldn't be able to afford a college education under increased prices." "Request for hike in tuition leaves senators skeptical".

"Fortunately, one doesn't have to be sacrificed for the other. Teachers can double-up with fewer students when needed for education. That way children continue to get individualized instruction and the voters' mandate, as expensive as it is, gets the respect it deserves." "Not a smart trade-off" ("Co-teaching need not be sacrificed to reduce class sizes.")

Super Troopers

"The Highway Patrol's seven-year staffing plan would add 425 officers by 2012, at a cost of $46 million, which is included in the FHP's current budget request to Gov. Jeb Bush. The governor plans to release his own 2006-07 budget proposal before the end of the month. Separately, the agency also wants $3.6 million to finish a pay-raise package halfway funded last year, giving troopers annual raises from $1,200 to $2,400 based on experience." "FHP ranks get a boost".

was among those Wednesday downplaying any connection between campaign dollars and the decisions made in December.

[H]istory also shows that when Republicans can distance themselves in fundraising, that spells doom for Florida Democrats.

Going back to 1998, Republicans have more than doubled Democratic fundraising in each election cycle except 2000 -- the year of President Bush's 537-vote victory of Democrat Al Gore in Florida and Democrat Bill Nelson's win over Republican Bill McCollum in their Senate race. That year, state Republicans mustered $37.6 million to the Democrats' $24.8million total.

There's A Reason For This

Curious to read that the drive to ensure that the anti-Gay marriage amendment (a nonissue if there ever was one) is on the ballot is a defacto official Florida Republican Party project:

The Republican Party of Florida gave $150,000 to the group that wants to put a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage on the November ballot, new campaign finance records show.

The party's donation -- more than three-quarters of the total that the group sponsoring the amendment, Florida4marriage.org, has raised so far -- comes as supporters are struggling to meet a state-imposed deadline for gathering signatures.

Privatization Follies

"The Florida Department of Corrections is touting this week's deal with a private prison health-care company that sounds too good to be true. It is — since the company is Prison Health Services." "Cheap deal, bad deal" (" Even if PHS had a sterling record, the bargain price would be suspicious. But PHS doesn't. A New York Times investigation found that the company's substandard care contributed to at least 15 inmate deaths in 11 Florida jails over the past 13 years.")

Tom Goes National

The Gallagher campaign has received some national media coverage, but not the kinfd they want. CBS news has picked up on the story earlier this week about the Gallagher campaign "spokesperson" secretly taping a reporter (original story: "Secret recording upsets Gallagher"); they use it as a jumping off point to address how "the ease and ability of public figures and institutions to produce their own version of events is threatening the traditional way they do business with the press.". "Who Will Control The Messenger?".

More McInvale

Scott Maxwell gives us his two cents:

Local Dems acted as if they didn't want McInvale in their party. And now they have their wish. Their minority party is even more minor.

Still, all's not rosy with McInvale either. While she may have found satisfaction in giving Democrats the boot, she also may have given her own political career a death sentence. After all, when the fanfare fades, the reality may set in that she's now a Republican running in a heavily Democratic district. And it will be interesting to see if all her Johnny-come-lately GOP friends hang around if her odds of winning turn long and her campaign donations run short.

The behind-the-scenes tale of this tiny tempest shows the ugly side of party politics -- one in which both sides have little tolerance for those who won't march lock-step and in which middle America loses out.

McInvale, you see, doesn't fit neatly into either party profile. ...

If McInvale had been a Republican all along, she would have been the kind of moderate that Democrats praised as an across-the-aisle compromiser.

But local Dems didn't see it that way. They saw her as a Benedict Arnold who betrayed core party values. And they were probably right in that she wasn't as liberal as her carefully carved district.

Still, Orange County's Democratic Executive Committee didn't spend much time trying to build bridges. Instead, in a shoot-first policy not unusual for the party, the committee cut a $15,000 check to a Democratic opponent.

It was friendly fire meant to kill.

McInvale won, though. And now, depending upon your perspective, she's either:

An opportunist who switches parties whenever it's convenient. (She was a Republican in college, an independent in early adulthood, a Democrat for the past eight years and now a Republican again.)

Or she's a rare courageous politician -- who is willing to end her own career to prove her independence.

Looks Like Window Dressing

The headline: "Gov. Bush proposes plan for increasing number of blacks in state universities". The reality:

Although a Democrat, Florida A&M alumnus Al Lawson of Tallahassee, is shepherding the measure in the Senate, other Democrats weren't impressed. They claimed their efforts to achieve similar improvements in recent years were rejected by the Republican-dominated Legislature.

"Don't ply us with token dollars when double-digit tuition hikes are making it harder and harder for lower income kids and their families to afford higher education," responded Senate Minority Leader Les Miller, D-Tampa.

"The $35.8 million he's proposing to add to student aid is a trinket compared to the more than $8 billion he's lavished on his tax breaks for the super rich over the same period," Miller said. "If the governor and other state officials are truly concerned about boosting the enrollment of blacks and other minorities, we urge them to match the rhetoric with serious action."

Wilma

"A Senate panel grilled Florida Power & Light Co. on Wednesday over its power-restoration efforts in the wake of Hurricane Wilma, questioning everything from the utility's number of work crews to the strength of its power poles." "Senators press FPL on how it restores, protects power". See also "FPL defends post-Wilma procedure".

Our Florida Legislature

- "When legislators unanimously passed the Jessica Lunsford Act eight months ago, they thought they were sending a clear message to would-be sex offenders that Florida would come down hard on their actions.". "Money's there, but few sex offenders get electronic monitors"

- "Close juvenile boot camps, legislator says" ("His proposal comes a week after a teen died after entering a Panhandle camp. But some lawmakers support the camps.")

- "Retailers could face jail time and fines for selling violent video games to minors under legislation that cleared the Senate Commerce and Consumer Services Committee on Wednesday." "Senate panel backs video game limits".

Didn't Miss A Beat

"One week after lung cancer surgery, U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fort Lauderdale, showed he's recovering fast, championing an effort to end cancer by 2015 and aggressively going after his Democratic challenger." "Shaw goes after his challenger in 1st appearance after surgery".

"Jeb!"'s Patronage System

Florida's judicial appointments have, with a few exceptions, been a purely partisan:

The results have been disturbingly partisan, as the governor has all but turned the judiciary into a patronage system. His picks to the appellate courts have included: Paul Hawkes, a former legislator and Republican operative for two House speakers; Charles Canady, Bush's general counsel and an ex-congressman; and Bradford Thomas, Bush's public safety coordinator who once described his support for lethal injection this way: "put them on a gurney and let's rock and roll." One nominating commissioner he appointed in Broward County, the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, a self-described "prayer warrior," was even reported as asking judicial applicants whether they were "God-fearing."

A Hillsborough County Thing

"This is supposed to be public service, not room service." "Commissioners Ponder Their Just Desserts".

And So It Begins

This might be the first of the "Jeb!" media legacy pieces to which Floridians will be exposed over the next year: "Gov. Bush's legacy will be a mixed bag".

"[A] blow for fairness and common sense"

The OrlandoSentinel editorial board:

When the Florida Supreme Court ruled Gov. Jeb Bush's school-voucher program unconstitutional, justices struck a blow for fairness and common sense in deciding that the state must offer a unified, quality education system.

Unfortunately, it was only a glancing blow.

Corporate Tax Credit Scholarships, an ill-conceived voucher program that gives businesses a dollar-for-dollar tax break if they donate money to private-school tuition for poor children, wasn't addressed in the court's 5-2 ruling. In many ways, these vouchers are more insidious than Mr. Bush's Opportunity Scholarships, which give parents tax money to enroll their child in private schools.

The court's failure to address the corporate-tax-credit vouchers in its ruling defies logic and emboldens lawmakers to cement this bad idea into the Florida Constitution. Lawmakers would be wise to go the opposite direction and strike the program from the books before a second case finds itself before the state's highest court and meets the same fate as the Opportunity Scholarship.

And make no mistake: The corporate-tax-credit voucher deserves the same fate.

Couldn't Resist ...

putting these two headlines together: "Health, insurance cash fuels state GOP" then "GOP fuels gay marriage ban"

Throw The Bums Out

If the judges keep insisting on following the Florida Constitution, throw the bums out:

A key architect of Florida's education policy on Tuesday said he wants to oust the Supreme Court justices who declared the state's private school voucher law unconstitutional.

The high court last week threw out the voucher program, a cornerstone of Republican Gov. Jeb Bush's education reforms, in a 5-2 vote.

Three who voted in the majority -- Chief Justice Barbara Pariente and Justices R. Fred Lewis and Peggy Quince -- are up for merit retention this fall. Pariente and Lewis were appointed to the court by former Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles. Quince was appointed jointly by Chiles and Bush.

"I'm against all three of them. Get me their names so I can start a political action committee against them," said Rep. Ralph Arza, R-Hialeah, chairman of the House Pre-K-12 Committee.

"Late Start

"A deluge of constituent e-mail favoring a late August start for the school year prompted members of a House committee to throw aside their usual support for local control and approve the legislation Tuesday." "House panel OKs bill to delay school starting dates". See also "Do school years start too soon?"

"Closed to the Public"

"President Bush will travel to West Palm Beach on Thursday to speak at a Republican National Committee fund-raising reception. The event, to be held at a private home in Palm Beach, is closed to the public." "President Raising FL Money".

"Florida graded F"

"Florida graded F for anti-smoking programs".

Strange

"A spokeswoman for state CFO Tom Gallagher might have broken Florida law when she failed to tell her boss and a Miami Herald reporter that she was recording an interview." "Secret recording upsets Gallagher".

School Districts

"Bush on Tuesday said the idea of splitting up large school districts is worth considering, and a House committee approved a bill that would give voters the right to do that after a Tampa Bay area mayor spoke in favor of the concept." "School Districts May Split".

A Bit Much ...

don't you think: "Florida An Ethical Example For GOP".

No Show

"Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, drew criticism from a Senate committee Tuesday after being a no-show for the second month in a row on legislation he filed to prohibit police from using stun guns on children." "Bill's sponsor a no-show -- again".

Natural Gas

"If Florida hopes to wean itself off of pricey natural gas, the legislature will have to create an energy policy that both encourages conservation and provides incentives for alternatives such as solar roof panels, utilities industry and regulatory officials told a Senate panel Tuesday." "Florida focuses on reducing natural gas dependance".

Finding His Religion

"While most Florida voters spent last year ignoring the looming 2006 race, Gallagher - a longtime moderate Republican who used to call himself 'pro-choice' on abortion - has quietly been winning over leader after leader among Florida's increasingly important Christian conservative activists." "Gallagher fast making inroads with the religious right".

State House District 70

"He's lived in Sarasota County for less than a year, yet real estate broker Doug Holder says that's long enough to know he wants to represent the county in the state Legislature. A month after he moved to Sarasota in August, the Republican filed to run for the District 70 seat. Holder, who has already put $50,000 of his own money into the race, said he knows the other three GOP candidates in the race will try to make an issue of his short tenure in Sarasota, but he says it shouldn't be an issue for the voters." "Newcomer pursues seat for District 70".

Big Plans

"South Florida's Democratic legislators have plans for how the state can spend almost half a billion dollars in extra sales taxes from consumer spending after last year's hurricanes." "S. Florida legislators have plans for sales tax revenue".

Abramoff Money

"The biggest Florida political check was written in 2003 after SunCruz had entered bankruptcy. It went to the Florida Leadership Association, a political action committee created by Rep. Bob Allen, R-Merritt Island, to promote his aborted run for House speaker." "Abramoff's SunCruz money becomes political liability".

"C-minus"

"A national physicians' group issued a scathing report Tuesday on the state of U.S. emergency care, giving Florida a C-minus grade for not ensuring that residents have adequate access to hospital emergency rooms." "Report raps Florida hospitals for lapses in emergency care".

Our Education Governor

"Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Kathleen Shanahan, his former chief of staff, to the Florida Board of Education and reappointed two other members Tuesday." That makes a lot of sense, inasmuch as she is an expert in educational issues: "Shanahan, 46, of Tampa, now is chief executive officer of WRS Infrastructure & Environment Inc., an environmental consulting, engineering and remediation company." "Bush names Shanahan to state Board of Education".

Feeney

"When Tom Feeney got to Washington in 2003, he knew right where to get his ticket punched. Feeney made a beeline for then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and jumped on his leg like a year-old Labrador in need of neutering. The liberal Public Campaign Action Fund once ranked Feeney as the nation's lawmaker most in the 'pocket' of DeLay. It was a proud day for the Oviedo Republican." "Tangled webs may catch up with Feeney".

Revisit Law

"Sen. Al Lawson is so very right that lawmakers ought not run from their own shadows. They certainly should step up and revisit the inscrutable ethics legislation that was signed into law last month to keep lobbyists from feeding the bears - that is, lawmakers." "Revisit new law".

Davis Gets Boost

"Miami lawyer Kirk Wagar, one of John Kerry's top Florida fundraisers in 2004, is jumping aboard the Jim Davis ship." "Wagar Backs Davis".

Pay Up

"State Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla should pay $8,750 in fines related to campaign law violations that occurred during a 1999 special election, a judge has ruled." "Judge: Fine senator $8,750".

Good Luck

"Members of a legislative committee tackling migrant labor issues outlined Monday what they believe are the most pressing issues to the migrant community." "Group outlines most pressing issues for migrants".

Since We're "Grading" Everything These Days

"Florida ranked C- in national report on emergency medical care" "In its "National Report Card on the State of Emergency Medicine," to be released today, the group also said Florida needs to add emergency rooms because it ranks near the bottom nationally in the number of emergency departments and trauma centers per 1 million people." And isn't this the cat's meow: " Alan Levine, secretary of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, said the report oversimplifies a complicated problem, and said the state has some of the country's best emergency care providers." "Physicians group gives low grade to our ER's". See also "Emergency room crisis diagnosed; now treat it".

Early Start

"An effort to restore a more-traditional calendar will get a hearing in Tallahassee this week." "House to begin talks on bill to ban early start of school". See also "Mom and lawmaker leading fight to delay school start dates".

Troxler

"Next governor should be ready to make tough choices".

"Wasserman Schultz And Alito"

"Democrats have added first term U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, to their list of witnesses to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Supreme Court nonmination of Samuel Alito." "Wasserman Schultz And Alito".

"Jeb!" Money To Gallagher?

"While Charlie Crist has been outraising Gallagher, Zachariah's addition to the Gallagher camp is a giant coup. Not only is he a fundraising titan, but his close ties to the Bushes will have tea leave readers seeing a signal of Jeb Bush's preference in the race." "Zachariah Joins Gallagher Team".

Boyd

"Boyd concerned about nation's budget".

A number of studies have been conducted of the "spoiled ballots" in Florida. The most thorough was by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago. It examined all of the 175,010 spoiled ballots that were excluded from the vote tabulations in Florida in 2000. Ballots were examined by multiple coders to assure reliability, and a dataset (available on NORC's website) was constructed that included each coder's judgment on each ballot. NORC also provided a program for applying different criteria and calculating the results. If the most restrictive criteria are used, Gore's margin of victory is 158 votes. By "most restrictive," I mean ballots are counted only if the voter's intention is totally unambiguous (no partially punched chads, no unclear write-ins, etc.).

Please note that this estimate of Gore's margin is very conservative. It only counts ballots that are totally unambiguous. Also, it deals only with votes as they were actually cast - it does not address the votes lost by Gore because of the butterfly ballot in Palm Beach County or the faulty ballot instructions in Duval and Gadsden Counties. Nor does it take into account the effects of Florida's flawed program of felon disenfranchisement, which excluded many eligible voters from casting ballots and also created delays and confusion at polling places. During the election controversy, most observers acknowledged that more voters had gone to the polls to vote for Gore than for Bush, but it was unclear whether Gore had actually received more legally valid votes. We now know that he did.

Today, this would be widely recognized if NORC had published a report on its findings, but instead it chose simply to release the data and let everyone make sense of it on their own. My assumption is that NORC and the research sponsors did not issue a report because they did not want to embarrass President Bush. The study was concluded just after 9-11-01.

Moreover, the official counting of these ballots during the recount was truncated by the SCOTUS stay order.

Bottom line: these "spoiled ballots" which for the most part clearly showed what the voter intended (e.g., Gore's name on the ballot might have been circled on a optical scan ballot instead of the small circle being filled in, or the ballot might have double marked, or overvoted (e.g., one mark properly placed next to Gore's name and the "write in" also marked with Gore's name, etc.) were never included in the vote totals because they did not register on the vote tabulating equipment in the initial count and the requisite hand review of these so-called spoiled ballots" was never undertaken (except in a handful of Florida counties).

"Preserv[ing] his Legacy"?

"Bush has an ambitious agenda for his final year in office, but he may wind up spending time and energy trying to preserve his legacy." "Bush sets ambitious agenda for final year".

Corporate Precincts

"Sometimes good intentions can have unintended consequences. This may be one of those times." "Corporations will be invited to "adopt" election precincts"

Gift Ban

"House members will undergo a training session Tuesday regarding a new law prohibiting gifts from lobbyists to lawmakers. Today, legislators begin a week of committee meetings in Tallahassee, their first official gathering since the law went into effect on Jan. 1." "Legislators to learn ins and outs of ban on lobbyists' gifts". See also "Registration clause stymies lobbyists".

"Where's GOP outrage"?

"[I]t's odd that [the Bush] administration seems blithely unconcerned about state personnel information that might be floating around cyberspace." Bill Cotterell says it makes "you wonder whether they [Crist and Gallagher] fear being too inquisitive about the popular governor's biggest "outsourcing" initiative would alienate legions of his fans, who vote in Republican primaries." "Where's GOP outrage over floating data?"

Harris - Where's the National Support?

"It's now been seven months since Katherine Harris, R-Longboat Key, announced she would run for the U.S. Senate. Still, national Republican Party groups still aren't embracing her, as apparent by the National Republican Senatorial Committee - a group charged with helping Republicans win Senate seats." "Will National Support Come?".

House Races

There are only a few competitive U.S. House races.

Only one of those [truly competitive races according to "experts"], the district of Fort Lauderdale Republican Rep. Clay Shaw, is in Florida.

Shaw, just released from the hospital after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, faces Democratic state Sen. Ron Klein in November. Klein has raised more money than Shaw, and both parties have made the district, which votes for Democrats in presidential campaigns, a priority.

Feeney is being opposed by Andy Michaud, a 47-year-old Democrat who says he doesn't plan to raise the issue of Feeney's dealings with Abramoff and his golfing trip to Scotland with the lobbyist. And while the Democratic Party decries what it calls a "culture of corruption in the GOP," Michaud said he would rather talk about Social Security, health care and Feeney's vote to allow some oil drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. ...

Democrat Charlie Stuart, who wants to run against Orlando Republican Rep. Ric Keller, wasted no time after Abramoff's guilty plea in criticizing Keller for taking money from Abramoff and others tied to the scandal.

Orlando Sentinel Hearts "Jeb!"

"More good grades for A-Plus".

Cabinet Races

"The race to replace Gov. Jeb Bush, who must leave office because of term limits, and Republican U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris' attempt to oust Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson from office have grabbed most of the headlines leading into the 2006 election. Further down the ballot, though, are some races well worth watching that could have a profound effect on the state." "Florida's Cabinet races well worth watching".

Abramoff's "Tampa Tangle"

"A trip by congressional staffers to the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa has emerged as a key part of the federal investigation into the scandal involving Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and members of the House and Senate." "Lobbyist case has Tampa tangle".

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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".