“It’s time to draw a line in the sand and not surrender our brand,” Rickey Cole, the party chairman in Mississippi, said. He believes candidates have distanced themselves from the past half-century of Democratic principles. . . .

Cole and other Southern Democrats acknowledge divisions with prominent populists such as Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is expected to run for president in 2016, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Yet they see merit in pushing stronger voting rights laws, tighter bank regulation, labor-friendly policies such as a higher minimum wage and other familiar party themes.

Democratic politics have become a tough sell in the conservative South. A major challenge in the region is finding candidates who can win high-profile races now that Republicans, who scored well in midterm elections earlier this month, dominate the leadership in state legislatures and across statewide offices.

Cole, the Mississippi chairman, acknowledged that any new approach won’t close the party’s gap in the South on abortion, same-sex marriage and guns, and said Democrats intensify that cultural disconnect with “identity politics.”

While the party’s positions on gay rights, minority voting access, women’s rights and immigration are not wrong, Cole said, “those people who don’t see themselves in those groups say, ‘What have the Democrats got for me?'”

Unapologetic populism, he said, would “explain better that the Democratic Party is for justice and opportunity — with no qualifiers — for everyone.”

"Living in Cloud Cuckooland."

Nancy Smith: "The cheer that went up Wednesday among NextGen activisits when Herschel Vinyard announced his departure was pretty silly. Anybody who thinks a new Florida Department of Environmental Protection secretary means a new climate-change policy is living in Cloud Cuckooland." "Climate Change Policy? What Climate Change Policy?."

Entrepreneurs in action

"South Florida Scammers Accused of Taking $25 Million from Taxpayers."

FlaDem task force

"Stung by the Nov. 4 election, Florida Democrats are turning to two Central Florida leaders, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and former Orlando police Chief Val Demings, to try to figure out what went wrong. The duo will lead a task force examining the machinery and heart of the party that once boasted dominant political figures such as former Govs. Bob Graham, Lawton Chiles and Reubin Askew." "Nelson, Demings lead job of reviving state Democrats."

Blah, blah, blah

The Gainesville Sun editors: "The cost of justice."

Time for "a new interpretive bulletin from Obama’s Labor Department"

Kudos to the Miami Herald for publishing this piece from the Washington Post this morning: "Public pension funds should invest the retirement savings of government workers to secure their financial future, not undermine it. Yet across the country, these funds are financing companies that privatize their own workers’ jobs. And because many of these investments are funneled through ­private-equity companies, the problem is still largely hidden from public view."

This pattern is surprisingly pervasive: The retirement funds of firefighters, teachers, prison guards and others are invested in private firefighting companies, private public-school-service companies and private prisons. These companies may offer the promise of high investment returns, but they may achieve those returns at the expense of the public employees themselves. The Florida Retirement System, with half its assets belonging to teachers and other school employees, bought Edison Schools, a company that ran public schools. Pension funds have financed the privatization of school bus companies, water utilities and libraries. Displaced workers not only stop contributing to the funds, losses that can harm other workers and retirees, but also often must turn to public assistance to survive, undermining the argument that taxpayers benefit from these transactions.

In restoring this proper understanding of a trustee’s role, a few well-placed lawsuits might help. Indeed, some helpful legal precedents already exist. Favorable pronouncements from state attorneys general or legislatures could also move things in the right direction.

Best of all would be a new interpretive bulletin from Obama’s Labor Department, with its national voice and its powerful, if informal, influence over state and local pensions, clarifying that when the duty of loyalty says that trustees should invest “solely in the interests of participants and beneficiaries” it means just that — not in the interests of “the plan,” or anyone else.

"Bowing to Utilities"

"Bowing to Utilities, Florida Regulators Cut Energy-Efficiency Goals and Sunset Solar Incentives."

"Peacocking across the sprawling grounds of a pink-hued luxury resort"

A truly ugly visual, courtesy of the Miami Herald: ""

A half-dozen potential Republican presidential contenders spent last week peacocking across the sprawling grounds of a pink-hued luxury resort, schmoozing with donors and sizing up the competition in the party's most fractured field in decades.

Walmart remains open

"Small Business Saturday."

"Rearranging the building blocks of democracy"

The Daytona Beach News Journal editorial board: "In a sharply worded opinion last week, the Florida Supreme Court punctured the hopes of political operatives hoping to conceal key documents behind Florida's messy, secretive 2012 redrawing of legislative and congressional districts."

[T]he emails paint a distressing picture, demonstrating that, within months of an overwhelming vote by Floridians demanding better and more accountable districting, political forces were intent once again on rearranging the building blocks of democracy for their own political gain.

Grayson a kingmaker for Democrats in 2016?

Jeff Henderson: "Looking at the debacle for Democrats earlier this month, Alan Grayson somehow is claiming it shows that running to the center doesn’t work and his party needs to be more liberal."

Despite his growls at the White House, Grayson could actually end up being something of a kingmaker for Democrats in 2016 if he plays his cards right -- something Republicans would relish. Grayson has always been a strong fundraiser and he can rely on a grassroots base of liberal donors across the nation. If he chooses not to back Hillary Clinton in 2016, Grayson would be a major asset to whichever liberal challenger he ends up supporting, especially with Florida shaping up as an important presidential primary.

On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott, who has signed more death warrants in a single term than any other governor, on Monday signed his 21st death warrant, tying him with Jeb Bush, who signed 21 death warrants in eight years as governor.

"DEP chief resigns at critical time"

"Herschel Vinyard Jr. is leaving the DEP at a critical time: The agency will guide Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature as the state implements Amendment 1." "DEP chief resigns at critical time for Florida environment."

FlaGOP cost cutting jeopardizes kid safety

News Service of Florida: "After months of reports about problems in Florida's child-welfare system, lawmakers this year approved a reform bill that included establishing an institute to guide state leaders by evaluating the success of policies."

"The institute's interim director, Patty Babcock, said workforce issues remain Florida's biggest problem in keeping children safe."

"We just don't have the manpower to do what we need to do," she said. "Without the dollars for that workforce issue, we're not going to be able to, one, keep kids safe. And two, we're not going to be able to get them into the services they need in a timely manner."

"A wildly delusional leap"

Nancy Smith: "Make no mistake, Kevin Cate is a sharp, young political consultant with solid Obama campaign creds and offices in St. Petersburg and Tallahassee. I admired his work, especially for the president. But I must tell you, I think this commentary of his, 'How Charlie Crist Won' is a wildly delusional leap even for me -- who loves an edgy turn of phrase and daring intent as much as anyone." "Pssst, Kevin Cate: It Wasn't Just Money That Sank Charlie Crist."

Jeb Trails Romney and Clinton in Latest Q Poll of 2016 Hopefuls

"A new poll released Wednesday morning found Republican voters are still inclined to back some familiar names in the 2016 presidential race."

Two-time presidential candidate Mitt Romney led the crowded field with 19% support, the Quinnipiac University survey found. The runner-up was former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), the brother and son of two recent presidents, with 11%.

Meanwhile, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and Dr. Ben Carson, a prominent conservative activist, each had 8% support in the poll. No other Republican candidate topped 6%.

In the general, Romney runs best against Clinton, "taking 45 percent to her 44 percent. In other matchups:"

- Clinton gets 43 percent to Christie's 42 percent;

- Clinton tops Paul 46 - 41 percent;

- She beats former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee 46 - 41 percent;

- Clinton tops Jeb Bush 46 - 41 percent;

- She gets 46 percent to 42 percent for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin;

- Clinton tops U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas 48 - 37 percent.

"Bainter's shop provided a pipeline from the Republican Party of Florida"

These are the kinds of stories we will lose if the print media continues its economic collapse - From the Orlando Sentinel's Aaron Deslatte yesterday: "Long before the first public maps were released, critics say Florida Republican political operatives were creating an 'illusion' of non-partisanship over the once-a-decade redistricting process with a 'wink and a nudge toward their collaborators in the Legislature.'"

That illusion was outed Tuesday when the Florida Supreme Court released thousands of pages of emails, testimony and sealed court records related to the GOP political consulting firm Data Targeting, which was at the center of the two-year legal fight over lawmakers' attempts to implement anti-gerrymandering reforms passed by voters.

The Gainesville-based company's president, Pat Bainter, has been fighting to block the release of over 500 pages of emails, maps and other records from 2011 and 2012. The records provide some insight into the lengths to which the political operatives went to influence the 2012 redistricting process in which the Legislature had been tasked for the first time with drawing new legislative and congressional maps without partisan intent.

Last June, Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis ruled the GOP had violated the 2010 Fair Districts reforms when it drew new congressional districts, and blasted Republican political operatives for waging a "secret, organized campaign to subvert the supposedly open and transparent redistricting process."

"They managed to taint the redistricting process," Lewis penned, "and the resulting map with improper partisan intent," by writing scripts for people to use when testifying, and submitting public maps through third-parties.

arranged for intermediaries to submit five maps drawn by GOP operatives. Bainter suggested he could round up “10 more people at least” to do the same.

Through fellow Gainesville Republican Stafford Jones and consultant Rich Heffley -- who has worked for current Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando -- Bainter's shop provided a pipeline from the Republican Party of Florida, which was preparing draft congressional and legislative plans, to the Legislature's portal for public map submissions, records show.

After RPOF operative Frank Terraferma submitted a proposed congressional plan to Bainter in October 2011, Bainter wrote to his staff that "We will NOT exactly copy this map, but it does give you something to go on. In particular take note of the new Hispanic Central Florida District," a version of which would later be won by Democrat Alan Grayson.

In another message that month to Bainter, consultant Anthony Pedicini wrote he had an alternative map called "Impartial" that constructed a Central Florida Hispanic congressional seat which would draw three Tampa Bay Republicans into the same district.

"If that happens, I am going to talk to Dean and Cretul," Pedicini wrote, referring to then House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, and former Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, who went to work lobbying with Cannon.

Bainter replied the same day, "I need a map. Time critical. I am being pinged as we speak."

Over the next two months, his associates prepared draft maps, enlisted people in specific legislative districts to submit them with instructions on what to say, briefed GOP lawmakers and their political consultants on maps, and repeatedly warned all the participants to avoid creating an email chain.

"Want to echo Pat's reminder about being incredibly careful and deliberative here, especially when working with people who are organizing other folks," one Data Targeting employee, Matt Mitchell, wrote on Nov. 29, 2011, ahead of legislative meetings on the maps.

"Must be very smart in how we prep every single person we talk to about all of these," he went on. "If you can think of a more secure and failsafe way to engage our people, please do it. Cannot be too redundant on that front. Pat and I will probably sound almost paranoid on this over the next week, but it will be so much more worthwhile to be cautious."

Another consultant then replied, "Just to ease your minds, I have tried to do most of the asking over the phone, so their is no e-mail trail if it gets forwarded. . . .

One of the biggest bombshells of the trial came courtesy of former Florida State University student Alex Posada -- once praised by GOP lawmakers for maps he supposedly submitted to the Legislature in 2011 – who said under oath he was asked to participate and did not draw any of the maps submitted under his name.

Gambling deal with Seminoles a crapshoot

"Re-upping a lucrative gambling deal between the state and the Seminole Tribe could become a crapshoot when lawmakers return to Tallahassee next year."

Florida stands to lose about $116 million a year if the portion of the compact giving the Seminoles exclusive rights to table games such as blackjack expires, according to the latest estimate from state economists.

The high court officially unsealed hundreds of pages of emails and documents, as well as court testimony that had been given behind closed doors by one consultant from Gainesville.

The documents were considered key evidence for why a judge ruled this summer that the GOP-controlled Legislature violated a voter-approved law that congressional districts cannot be drawn to favor incumbents or the member of any political party.

Pat Bainter and his firm Data Targeting have fought for months to keep the records sealed, arguing that disclosing them would violate their First Amendment rights and expose trade secrets. The state Supreme Court unanimously rejected those arguments and instead released them all online.

"Republican consultants had to be hush-hush — 'almost paranoid'"

"The Republican consultants had to be hush-hush — 'almost paranoid' in the words of one — because of their high-stakes mission: Get go-betweens to help circumvent a Florida Constitutional ban on gerrymandering." "."

Wingnuts at Florida TaxWatch jump on pension hater bandwagon

The creeps at Florida Taxwatch are drooling hard after police, firefighters, their families and their supposedly "over-generous pensions." "Taxpayers lose on over-generous pensions."

No surprise to see that TaxWatch is joined by the minimum-wage haters at The National Federation of Independent Business/Florida in the anti-pension crusade. The last thing the NFIB wants is their uppity minimum-wage employees getting ideas about pensions.

Scott forced to disclose secret email account he used for state business

"Gov. Rick Scott exchanged emails dealing with vetoes, the state budget and his speeches from a private email account, according to records turned over to the Associated Press on Tuesday."

This despite his previous representations that he did not use private email accounts for state business:

Scott has previously said he used a Google email account to communicate with his family and not for state business. He also said that if ever he got an email dealing with state business he would forward it to his public email accounts.

"This email account is [now] closed and the personal email account the governor uses now has not been given out beyond his family," . . . .

Scott's Google email account has been at the center of an ongoing lawsuit filed against Scott by a Tallahassee attorney and a frequent critic of the Republican governor

Steven Andrews is suing over records related to a dispute about land near the governor's mansion that Andrews wants to buy. During the ongoing legal tussle Andrews got permission from a Florida judge to ask Google about email accounts set up by Scott and other Scott aides. But the governor has privately hired lawyers in California to fight the request.

Curbelo already in a jam with the FEC

"The Federal Election Commission has asked the campaign of Miami Republican U.S. Rep.-elect Carlos Curbelo to explain tens of thousands of dollars in omitted or mislabeled financial contributions." "Newly elected Miami congressman asked to explain errors in campaign reports."

OK to campaign in uniform?

"Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, a Democrat, hasn't shied away from politics in the two years he's been in office. He has taken sides, issued endorsements, and appeared at political events in uniform." "BSO attorney: Sheriff can campaign in uniform."

"Obama’s immigration 'trap'"

Marc Caputo: "Obama’s immigration ‘trap’ already snaring, irking Republicans."

Get a job

"James Grant won’t be representing Tampa Bay when the Legislature convenes in March but that just might be all right with him as he looks ahead to the future."

Grant was caught in the legal mess of a judge improperly throwing his write-in opponent off the ballot in this year’s general election. Rick Scott set a special election on Monday and Grant will run again for the seat which represents parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Grant will be a heavy favorite to win the special primary on Feb. 10 and then the special general election on April 21.

But despite all the hassle, Grant could end up with the last laugh. First elected in 2010, Grant is only 32 and has strong roots in the area. His father John Grant served 20 years in both chambers of the Legislature. Despite his age, Grant was starting to move up the ranks in his second term, serving as vice chair of the State Affairs Committee.

Within days of FSU shooting, NRA pushing guns on campus

"Days after a gunman opened fire in the Florida State library, a student group is calling for legislation allowing guns on campuses." "FSU shooting revives debate over guns on college campuses."

More guns

"Pam Bondi: School Districts Can Hire Armed Security Guards." See also "Guns for Surrogate School Resource Officers Returning in 2015 Bill Proposal."

Ethics case settlement

"Broward Commissioner and former mayor Barbara Sharief will admit she broke the law and will pay a fine for filing error-filled financial disclosure forms, under a proposed ethics case settlement." "Broward's Sharief to admit guilt, accept $3,000 fine in ethics case."

MacManus explains everything

Right wing columnist Lloyd Brown writes that all purpose political expert, political science professor Susan MacManus, has "told the Orlando Sentinel, while blacks made up 14 percent of all voters in 2014, compared to 13 percent in 2012 and 11 percent in 2010, Rick Scott doubled the percent he won in 2010 and did far better than the 4 percent of the black vote won by Mitt Romney in 2012. Scott won by about 64,000 votes." "Alienating People Doesn't Help Democrats Win Many Elections."

Dropbox Lawsuit

"Ninth Circuit Judge rules against Mayor Jacobs and Orange County in public records lawsuit." Here's the background. Here's a link to the decision.

Yee Haw!

"A hotly debated bill that would let school leaders designate certain employees to carry concealed weapons on campus is coming back for a do-over in 2015." "Guns for Surrogate School Resource Officers Returning in 2015 Bill Proposal."

United Way supports charter schools

"United Way helps charter school get an electronic library." "Charter school gets electronic library."

"Bring on the bills"

"With state lawmakers sworn in last Tuesday and organized for next year’s legislative session, it means one thing: Bring on the bills." "From taxes to texting: First bills filed for 2015 legislative session."

Can Jeb even beat Hill in Florida?

"A poll released over the weekend finds clear favorites on both the Democratic and Republican side, as presidential candidates ready to line up to run in 2016. Florida has traditionally been the first large state to hold its primary, after the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries." "Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton Start Out Ahead in Florida for 2016."

"The Man to Beat"

"Paul Renner the Man to Beat in Special Election for House Seat".

HD 64 Special Election

"As expected, Gov. Rick Scott on Monday ordered a special election for the vacant seat in Florida’s House District 64 for Hillsborough and Pinellas counties." "Scott orders special election for Tampa House seat." See also "Election snafu could leave Dist. 64 constituents without representation."

They highlight, among other things, an early plan that would have drawn the then-longest serving GOP member of Congress out of office, the admission that former state Sen. John Thrasher did not live in his district, and a strategy to use a well-known GOP consultant to recruit people to submit maps as part of the formal process.

The stars of the emails are [Pat Bainter, the founder of Data Targeting], Rich Heffley, a consultant who advised the Republican Party of Florida on redistricting matters, Frank Terraferma, who led the party’s House redistricting efforts, and Anthony Pedicini, a Tampa-based political consultant. . . .

The emails also indicate that Stafford Jones, a political consultant and head of the Alachua County Republican Party, recruited people to submit maps drawn by political consultants as part of the formal state process.

“I can direct Stafford to have his people send these maps via email,” wrote Matt Mitchell, a firm staffer, in an Oct. 17, 2011 email to Bainter.

It was a reference to sending maps to the redistricting email address setup by the state for public submissions. That chatter referred to state Senate maps, but it did follow a pattern that was laid out during the trial focused on congressional districts.

Heffley and Terraferma both testified that maps they drew were identical to those submitted by members of the public. That includes a map submitted by Alex Posada, a former FSU student, who became a star witness during the trial.

A Seminole (and Brevard) County Thing

"The 18th Judicial Circuit is small. It's made up of Seminole and Brevard counties and has just 43 judges, about 4 percent of the state's total, yet there's one area where it leads the state: Judges formally charged with ethics violations." "Small judicial circuit has big problem with judges in Central Florida."

Just Another Day at the Office

Sit back and enjoy your morning coffee, reading about how our courageous lawmakers are "likely to try again on pension reforms; by the way, yesterday morning a "deputy was ambushed and killed by a gunman while responding to [a fire in Tallahassee]. A second deputy was shot and injured before the man was shot and killed by Tallahassee Police Department officers who provided assistance." "Leon County Sheriff's deputies shot in ambush."

Update: "Deputy Chris Smith killed in ambush."

Predators

Carl Hiaasen: "Predators follow prey to Florida" (subscription only).

Hypocritical Rubio blasts Obama's support of his bill

"Even before President Barack Obama's speech on immigration Thursday night, GOP voters weren't thrilled that Sen. Marco Rubio, a likely 2016 presidential candidate, had supported legislation calling for comprehensive immigration reform — including a pathway to citizenship for people in the country illegally."

"Rubio was a co-sponsor of a Senate bill that would grant legal status to some 11 million undocumented immigrants, toughen enforcement of rules against overstaying work and student visas, and double the number of border patrol agents. That's the same bill that Obama castigated House leaders for failing to bring up for a vote."

Yet the hypocritical "Rubio blasted the president's announcement Thursday, saying it will make compromise much harder." "Obama's immigration order could cause problem for Rubio."

Gambling

The Tampa Tribune editorial board worries that "competing interests are now threatening to either weaken or eliminate the compact as the five-year [gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe] giving the Seminoles exclusivity for those games nears its end. When they meet next year, lawmakers should resist the pressure from out-of-state casino interests and work with Gov. Rick Scott to renew the Seminole Compact." "Lawmakers should respect the Seminole gaming pact."

45 percent of Florida households face "ongoing financial hardship"

The Sarasota Herald Tribune editorial board points out that Scott's attention to job growth has been good for both his political career, "yet a recent, thorough report -- a project of United Ways in Florida and five other states -- offers a stark reminder that having a job does not ensure economic survival."

The report is the product of a wide-ranging study by the ALICE Project. The acronym stands for Asset Limited Income Constrained, Employed.

One purpose of the study is to determine how many people who are employed consistently struggle to afford the basic costs of living -- housing, care for family members (children and seniors), food, transportation, health care, taxes and some miscellaneous expenses.

The answers are: a lot and too many, especially in Florida.

In our state, the ALICE Project found, 30 percent of households earn less than what's needed to reach a "household survival budget" -- an average of $47,000 annually for a family of four.

Add in the 15 percent of Florida families with incomes below the federal poverty level -- about $23,000 for a family of four -- and a total of 45 percent of our state's households face ongoing financial hardship.

Clearly, then, one of the challenges for Florida is to generate not only more jobs, but jobs that pay higher wages.

FlaGOP to go after Deputies, Firefighters and Teachers' Retirements

Disappointing to see Bill Cotterell fall into the "pension reform" trap. It ain't "reform" unless the change leads to "an improved form or condition." The Florida Legislature has no intention to "improve" FRS, and Cotterell should know that. Using the word "reform," instead of - say - "deform," falls into the FlaGOP spin-trap.

In any event, Cotterell writes that "we will hear more about the Florida Retirement System in the 2015 legislative session. This time, though, it appears that legislators are not going to let their wishes get in the way of their political capabilities."

Shortly after formally assuming his office, House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said last week that he has heard from some members who remain interested in overhauling the FRS. Whether anything happens next March, when the session convenes, will depend on the Senate – where past pension proposals have died.

The situation is this: The FRS has a $22 billion unfunded liability, with assets equal to about 86 percent of its overall liabilities. Legislators put up $500 million a year to keep the system going, and the conservative Republicans who run the House and Senate (and governor) would like to use that money for other things — schools, ports development, environmental restoration or (what really makes their hearts go pitter-patter) more tax breaks for the folks who write campaign contribution checks.

Words like “unfunded liability” sound scary, but the FRS is not in any trouble. Actuaries consider anything above 80 percent to be a healthy funding ratio. It’s a little like your home mortgage — if you had to pay it off tomorrow, you might have a problem, but that’s not going to happen.

"Lawmakers refuse to revise idiotic provision"

The Tampa Trib editors write that "lawmakers have no one but themselves to blame for this mess. A measure that allows a write-in candidate to close what should be a universal primary open to all voters is the source of this farce. Yet lawmakers refuse to revise the idiotic provision." "Change stupid write-in law."