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Our digest of, and commentary on today's Florida political news and punditry follows.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Bondi has succeeded in suppressing the black vote</b><br />
<br />
The <i>Saint Petersburg Times</i> editorial board: "The highly restrictive rules limiting felons' voting in Florida that
were put in place two years ago at the urging of Attorney General Pam
Bondi are having their predictable effect."<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Since then, fewer than 400
people out of hundreds of thousands have gotten back their right to
vote. It's no wonder the issue was featured last week among the concerns
Florida's black lawmakers brought to the governor. Florida's Clemency
Board, made up of Gov. Rick Scott and the Cabinet, have returned Florida
to a process that suppresses black voting strength under the guise of
criminal justice. The policy should be reversed and automatic civil
rights restoration adopted.</i></blockquote>
Bondi and fellow Teabagger, Rick Scott <br />
<blockquote>
<i>insist the tightening of the rules is about people
proving they have reformed before regaining their rights, and not about
keeping a disproportionate number of African-Americans who tend to vote
Democratic from the voting booth. But the numbers tell the real story.</i></blockquote>
"<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/SearchForwardServlet.do?articleId=1271267">Florida's unfair treatment of felons</a>".<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Angry GOPers</b><br />
<br />
"With former Rep.<b> </b>Allen West focused on his new online TV gig and ruling out a 2014 rematch against U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy,
D-Jupiter, there’s no slam-dunk early favorite candidate for the GOP in
a swing district that national Republicans say will be a priority next
year."<br />
<blockquote>
Longtime state Rep. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, who narrowly lost a 2008 GOP congressional primary to eventual U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Okeechobee, voiced cautious interest in the District 18 race. . . .<br />
<br />
Some Republicans point to up-and-coming St. Lucie County Commissioner Tod Mowery<b> </b>as
a potential congressional candidate, noting his ability to win as a
Republican in a Democrat-dominated county that is home to 37 percent of
District 18 voters. . . .<br />
<br />
Some Republicans point to up-and-coming St. Lucie County Commissioner Tod Mowery<b> </b>as
a potential congressional candidate, noting his ability to win as a
Republican in a Democrat-dominated county that is home to 37 percent of
District 18 voters.<i></i></blockquote>
"<a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local-govt-politics/with-west-forgoing-rematch-gop-has-no-clear-early-/nT3Jz/">With West forgoing rematch, GOP has no clear early favorite to oppose Patrick Murphy in 2014</a>".<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>"Scott is on pace to appoint fewer African-Americans to
judgeships . . ."</b><br />
<br />
"Gov. Rick Scott is on pace to appoint fewer African-Americans to
judgeships in Florida than either of his two predecessors, Charlie Crist
and Jeb Bush."<br />
<blockquote>
<i>In his two years as governor, Scott has appointed
91 judges. Six are black, including the reappointments of three judges
who handle cases involving benefits to injured workers.<br />
<br />
Scott has
appointed two African-Americans to the circuit court bench, both in
Miami-Dade County, and has appointed a black county judge in
Jacksonville.<br />
<br />
In a state as diverse as Florida, racial and ethnic
diversity in the court system has been debated for decades, and it
erupted anew last week in the state Capitol.<br />
<br />
At a roundtable
meeting with black legislators, Scott defended his appointments in the
face of criticism that his record is "appalling."</i></blockquote>
"<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/SearchForwardServlet.do?articleId=1271536">Scott appointed fewer black judges</a>".<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/ap/ap/florida/ap-fl-gov-scott-parade-fl/nT3Tz/">Meanwhile</a>, "Gov. Rick Scott
and First Lady Ann Scott will walk in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
parade in downtown Jacksonville."<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>"<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;">Florida to
re-examine its fear of gambling</span>"</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/source/jim-turner">Jim Turner</a>: "<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;">If there is any
indication that the gambling barbarians remain at the gates of Florida,
one has to look no further than the Senate Gaming Committee meeting on
Monday.</span>"<i><br />
<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;">When
Malaysian casino giant Genting and others were watching the doomed
destination-gaming bill they backed go before committees, well-tailored
lobbying suits created standing room only crowds during meetings in both
the House and Senate.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;">With the Senate Gaming Committee embarking
on what Chairman Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, said could be a
comprehensive two-year look at gaming in Florida, the scene in the
Senate Building’s first-floor committee room was once again
standing-room-only with proponents and opponents of any gambling
expansion.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;"><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;">First
up, Richter wants a House- and Senate-backed study that looks into the
economic impact on the state and each other of the Florida Seminole
Tribe compact, the Florida lottery, the 30 pari-mutuel locations that
include horse racing, harness racing, quarter horse racing, greyhound
racing, jai alai, poker and slot machines. Poker is available at 25
locations, while slot machines are available in seven locations in
Miami-Dade and Broward counties.</span></span></i><br />
"<a href="http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/gambling-issue-continues-hover-legislature">Gambling Issue Continues to Hover in Legislature</a>".<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/source/nancy-smith">Nancy Smith</a> thinks it is "<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5;">time for Florida to
re-examine its fear of gambling and put it where it can do the state
some good -- in smart, high-class state-of-the-art casinos.</span>" "<a href="http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/florida-why-not-casinos">Why Not Casinos?</a>". <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Rubio's immigration plan? Mimic the Obama plan</b><br />
<br />
The <i>Palm Beach Post</i> editorial board compares Rubio's immigration plan to the ideas Obama has had on the table for years and, lo and behold, "the two plans do not appear, in their broad strokes, very different."<br />
<blockquote>
<i> Both would expand guest-worker programs, require employers to verify
workers’ legal status electronically and create more opportunities for
highly skilled immigrants to remain after studying at American
universities. Most significantly, Mr. Obama and Sen. Rubio would allow
illegal immigrants already in the U.S. the chance to become legal
residents and, eventually, citizens.<br />
<br />
That last part – the
so-called “amnesty” question – has been the biggest sticking point, with
many Republicans opposed. It is not surprising that the president’s
plan creates a path to citizenship. (The New York Times reports that it
would require paying fines and back taxes and satisfying other
requirements). More significant is that Sen. Rubio’s does, too.<br />
<br />
Like
the president, Sen. Rubio has laid out no formal plan yet. But in an
interview with The Wall Street Journal this month, he said he supports
the legal-residency-to-citizenship path with elements similar to the
president’s: a criminal background check, verification that the person
has lived in the U.S. for several years, payment of back taxes and
mastery of basic English. His plan would require illegal immigrants to
wait for a substantial period of time — long enough, he said, “to ensure
that it’s not easier to do it this way than it would be the legal way.”
Sen. Rubio also suggested that illegal immigrants who were brought as
children should have a quicker path to citizenship, echoing supporters
of the failed DREAM Act.<br />
</i></blockquote>
"<a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/opinion/editorial-let-the-politics-align-on-immigration-re/nT2Rs/">Let the politics align on immigration reform</a>".<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The best he could do? Really?</b><br />
<br />
"It's
not cheap, but the fastest way to score prime tickets for
inauguration weekend is to raise money — lots of money — for the winning
presidential candidate. Just ask John Morgan, the Central Florida
attorney and fundraiser extraordinaire for President Barack Obama."
"<a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-florida-inauguration-boosters-20130120,0,6745727.story">Florida
fundraisers land VIP seats for
inauguration</a>".<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>"Cool reception"</b><br />
<br />
"A proposal that could
help cities and counties pay down their massive liabilities for police
and fire pensions is getting a cool reception from both the unions and
from local governments. The legislation would
give cities more flexibility in how they use insurance tax revenue to
fund pensions for police and firefighters." "<a href="http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130120/ARTICLE/130129981/2416/NEWS?Title=Pension-proposal-gets-cool-reception">Pension proposal gets cool reception</a>".<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Get over it; you lost</b><br />
<br />
" Low-income Floridians, small businesses and mega health care companies
are all waiting on Tallahassee lawmakers to decide how and when the
state will implement the Obama administration's signature accomplishment
– the Affordable Care Act."<br />
<blockquote>
<i>House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Matt Hudson,
R-Naples, chastised the Obama administration for a lack of flexibility,
for its refusal to allow the state to consider a partial expansion.</i></blockquote>
"<a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-obamacare-q-and-a-20130120,0,2182142.story">Fla. lawmakers face big questions in health care debate</a>".<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Almost true</b><br />
<br />
Marco "Rubio told the <i>Wall Street Journal</i> he didn't "'think that in
the 21st century we can continue to have an immigration system where
only 6.5 percent of people who come here, come here based on labor and
skill. We have to move toward merit and skill-based immigration.'"<br />
<blockquote>
<i>In evaluating Rubio's statement, his larger point is correct:
Immigration data shows that most people come here for family reasons.
But the number of legal immigrants who come based on employment varies
depending on the type of visa and category of employment. One valid
example is to look at legal permanent residents — 13.1 percent were
employment-based preferences in 2011, and professionals with advanced
degrees accounted for 6.3 percent.<br />
<br />
The data isn't as precise as
Rubio made it sound, but his basic premise is correct, and some numbers
do support his claim. We rate this statement Mostly True.<br />
</i></blockquote>
"<a href="http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/politifact-florida-rubio-correct-that-most-immigration-is-not-connected-to/1271538">PolitiFact Florida: Rubio correct that most immigration is not connected to labor or skills</a>".<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Time to challenge tax dollars already funding religion</b><br />
<br />
Stephen L. Goldstein<i> </i>asserts that in<i> </i>"November
2012, Florida voters showed laudable wisdom by
voting down proposed state Constitutional Amendment 8, which would have
allowed tax dollars to be used for any religious purpose. Now, the state
needs to challenge tax dollars already funding religion—like
faith-based prisons." "<a href="http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/fl-sgcol-oped0120-20130120,0,2809921.column">Religion
poisons political discussions</a>"<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>"Obama-paranoia at Miami gun show"</b><br />
<br />
Marc Caputo writes that the "word “Obama” was frequently mumbled, muttered, hissed, cursed at Saturday’s Southern Classic Gun and Knife Show." <br />
<div style="color: black; font: 10pt sans-serif; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-transform: none; width: 1px;">
<br />
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/20/3191830/high-prices-obama-paranoia-at.html#storylink=cpy"</div>
<blockquote>
<i>A clerk said they quickly sold 40 AR-15s for as much as $2,800
shortly after opening. Some people had to wait two hours until their
paperwork cleared before taking their guns home.<br />
<br />
At a nearby
booth, one seller soon ran out of hundreds of “bump-fire” trigger kits
that, as a video showed, convert a semi-automatic weapon into a full
machine gun that can fire 800 rounds a minute.<br />
</i><br />
<div style="color: black; font: 10pt sans-serif; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-transform: none; width: 1px;">
<i><br /></i>
<i>Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/20/3191830_p2/high-prices-obama-paranoia-at.html#storylink=cpy</i></div>
<i>
</i></blockquote>
"<a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/01/20/3191830/high-prices-obama-paranoia-at.html">High prices, Obama-paranoia at Miami gun show</a>".
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