"The implication is that it’s a mystery why a sixty-two-year-old third-generation politician, the grandson of a senator and the son and brother of Presidents (his own son George P. Bush, an office-holder in Texas, is fourth-generation), would be capable of making stupid mistakes in a campaign that he has to have been thinking about for decades."

For a very long time, Presidential politics have been stuck in a dynamic in which Republicans attack “government” without getting too specific about which of the government’s activities they have in mind, and Democrats defend popular programs but not the over-all idea of the welfare state. Bill Clinton’s typically centrist attempt to address the larger issue was to say, in his second inaugural address, that government was not the problem but neither was it the solution. Who can argue with that?

Anyone who has found this situation frustrating ought to be happy with the way this campaign season is going. The legacy of the financial crisis and the rise of Bernie Sanders have pushed Hillary Clinton to be more open about offering government as a corrective to the excesses of the market than either Bill Clinton or Barack Obama has generally been. And Jeb Bush is one of several Republican candidates—one of whom isn’t Trump—to make specific, non-consensus proposals.

It seems possible that, in a year, we might have two candidates who openly disagree, both about the proper role of government in theory and about many specific programs in practice. That would be wonderful, because voters would have an unusually clear sense of the choice they are making. Let’s keep those unfortunate comments coming.

Related: "6 cringeworthy moments in Jeb Bush’s foreign policy speech."

Jeb has a long history of this, on and off (he thinks) the record, and Floridians are familiar with it: see, e.g., "'Devious plans' -- how Jeb Bush's words continue to haunt him" and "When Jeb Bush speaks, people cringe" ("The governor's lesbian joke . . . is the latest example of his mean sense of humor -- when he thinks the media isn't listening.")

Confederate Flag on Florida's Senate Seal

"Florida Might Remove Confederate Flag From State Senate Seal."

Tally Judge hands Legislature "a stinging defeat"

"A Tallahassee circuit judge handed the Legislature a stinging defeat Friday, recommending that the Florida Supreme Court adopt a congressional map drawn by plaintiffs challenging the state’s current political lines." "Judge sides with plaintiffs' maps, handing lawmakers stinging defeat." See also "Circuit Court Judge Recommends Plaintiffs' Congressional Maps" and "Judge wants Webster's district redrawn."

One supposes that any press is good press

Marc Caputo writes that out that, "If anything, these kinds of attacks helped Obama and could help Rubio, said Bill Burton, Obama’s spokesman who defended his candidate’s voting record in a November 2007 CNN story."

“It’s a massive mistake to attack him over something most people don’t care about. All it does is elevate Rubio into the discussion with Trump and Bush,” Burton told POLITICO. “The fact that we have President Barack Obama helps prove my point.”

Because he's Pierre Tristam

Pierre Tristam: "A Hillary Clinton Playground at Old Kings Elementary: What’s the School Board Smoking?"

For background, see "A Ben Carson Reading Room at Old Kings Elementary: What’s the School Board Smoking?"

Speaker Webster?

Kevin Derby: "Dan Webster Optimistic as Kevin McCarthy Drops Out of House Speaker Race."

"First Speaker of the House From Florida? Rep. Dan Webster Considered Dark-Horse Candidate." More: "While Jolly backs Webster’s bid, he nudges Ryan to run" and "Ted Yoho, David Jolly Go to Bat for Dan Webster."

Meanwhile, "Webster is rallying votes to become House speaker, but his chances of keeping his seat next year were dealt a severe blow Friday by a Leon circuit judge, who sided with plaintiffs in Florida's congressional-redistricting case . . . ." "Judge wants Webster's district redrawn."

What's wrong with Hillsborough?

"Sam Rashid, a conservative activist who last month called a Tampa businesswoman a “slut” on Facebook, has resigned his position on the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority." "Activist Rashid resigns from aviation board after ‘slut’ comment."

"What's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State"

Marc Caputo: "POLITICO Florida Playbook."

Jeb opposes VRA "as is"

"Two leading Republican presidential candidates expressed divergent views on the Voting Rights Act on Thursday, setting up a split within a party that has been accused of seeking to suppress minority voter turnout in the name of combating fraud at the polls."

Asked about the law at a forum in Des Moines, Mr. Bush said he was uncomfortable placing “regulations on top of states as though we’re living in 1960.”

“There’s been dramatic improvement in access to voting,” he said, adding, “I don’t think there’s a role for the federal government in play in most places — there could be some — but in most places where they did have a constructive role in the ′60s.”

He did not detail any changes he might prefer at the state level, but concerning the 1965 federal act, he said he did not support “reauthorizing it as is.”

Weekly Roundup

"Weekly Roundup: Firearms, Religious Freedom and the Rebel Flag."

Who owns Marco?

"Campaign finance reform advocate-turned-presidential candidate Lawrence Lessig has dropped his first campaign ad, which skips right over his Democratic primary opponents to jab Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio."

The 15-second spot opens with the question, “Who owns Marco Rubio?” before showing a picture of the Florida senator adorned with logos of big-money contributors including Wells Fargo, Honeywell, Goldman Sachs and other financial services companies.

Panther still needs protection

The Palm Beach Post editors: "Panther needs protection."

"Thank you, Bwana Jeb"

A well-known columnist let's Jeb! have it:

Nothing is more refreshing or endearing to African-Americans than when a rich, privileged, white politician born into a political dynasty who never had nor ever will have to worry about money for the rest of his life, lectures us on what we want and how we think. Thank you, Bwana Jeb. If only Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had been so eloquent and insightful, we could have gotten off the “free stuff” cold turkey (unless the free stuff included a turkey).

"Tallahassee's trick on taxpayers"

The Sun Sentinel editors: "Tallahassee wants to provide 'historic' school spending next year by continuing to play Tallahassee's trick on taxpayers." "State prepares school tax trick — again."

Is Jeb! "Freaking Out Right Now?"

FiveThirtyEight’s political team asks "Should Jeb Bush Be Freaking Out Right Now?"

Arrest somebody

"Jeb Bush Mixes Up Campaign and ‘Super PAC’."

Except for the part that they were both born to wealth

"Donald Trump and Jeb Bush aren't on the same planet."

In Florida's 2016 U.S. Senate race, Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy leads Republican Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera 37 - 29 percent and tops U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis 37 - 30 percent. Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson gets 35 percent to Lopez-Cantera's 32 percent and leads DeSantis 37 - 31 percent.

Jeb's "cash-flush tangle of entities created to boost his bid."

"Super PACs are supposed to be both transparent and independent from the politicians they are supporting."

But it’s not clear that Right to Rise USA, the super PAC formed by Republican Jeb Bush prior to his presidential bid, is either.

The super PAC’s biggest single vendor this year through June is a mysterious limited liability company, LKJ, LLC, whose owners are hidden behind the state of Delaware’s opaque registration laws. The company doesn’t appear to have a website or a physical office.

The company’s Delaware origin makes it impossible to determine whether a chief Bush lieutenant is embedded in — and profiting from — the cash-flush tangle of entities created to boost his bid.

The arrangement is also a prime example, in the post-Citizens United era of politics, of how the borders separating presidential campaigns and super PACs can be simultaneously porous and difficult to penetrate.

Right to Rise USA, the Bush campaign and Larrison all refused to answer, or did not respond to, questions from the Center for Public Integrity.

Is Obama appointing a Jeb Hack?

"“Obama’s pick for education secretary worked with Jeb Bush foundation,” by POLITICO Florida’s Jessica Bakeman: Shortly before he was named by President Barack Obama to replace Arne Duncan as U.S. education secretary, John King appeared in a video produced by Jeb Bush's education reform foundation." "From Jeb to Obama."

"Fear is a powerful unifier"

Nancy Smith: "To my knowledge, nobody has threatened a single Florida clergyman. But never mind that. Fear is a powerful unifier. And now legislators in each chamber are plowing ahead with bills to protect the religious freedoms of lawsuit-fearing clergy in case the U.S. Constitution doesn't." "Sad Day if Our Constitution Needs Another Layer of Protection for Religious Freedom."

Senate Dem lawyer shut out of redistricting process

"Tensions mounted Wednesday more than a week before the special session on Senate redistricting is set to begin as House and Senate leaders acknowledged that staff had begun drafting maps using guidelines agreed to exclusively by the leaders and their lawyers, but the lawyer hired to represent Senate Democrats would not be allowed to take part in the process."

Senate Redistricting Chairman Bill Galvano acknowledged that the drawing of Senate districts is well underway by House and Senate staff for the three-week special session that begins Oct. 19. They are working in a sequestered space in the Senate redistricting suite and are being advised by the lawyers hired by the GOP-led Senate and House but, he said, the Senate Democrats will not have a separate lawyer at the table.

Senate Democrat Leader Arthenia Joyner told the Herald/Times she has hired Tallahassee attorney Mark Herron to represent Senate Democrats in the redistricting process, using funds from the Florida Democratic Party, after Senate President Andy Gardiner twice rejected her request to allow the Democratic caucus to have its own lawyer advise them during the drawing of the Senate redistricting map.

“I had no choice,” Joyner said. “There is an inherent conflict because they drew the maps to favor Republicans. These same lawyers defended the maps and then admitted they violated the Constitution. Now, these lawyers are giving advice ... Either fire them and get new lawyers, or hire us our own lawyers.”

"Cantero’s signature was on the stipulated settlement agreement admitting that the Senate map violated the state constitution’s Fair Districts standards." "Tension mounts over which lawyers get access to Florida Senate redistricting maps."

As an aside, Cantero is former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista's grandson, who during his brief career as a lawyer before being promoted to the Florida Supreme Court by Jeb Bush, helped defend Orlando Bosch, an anti-Castro extremist who was labeled a terrorist by the U.S. government for his purported ties to bombing raids on Cuba.

Florida voters support legalizing MJ

"Florida voters support legalizing personal marijuana use 51 - 45 percent. Men support it 57 - 41 percent, with women narrowly opposed 49 - 46 percent. Support is 66 - 30 percent among voters 18 to 34 years old, 52 - 44 percent among voters 35 to 49 years old and 55 - 43 percent among voters 50 to 64 years old. Voters over 65 are opposed 56 - 39 percent. But 65 percent of voters say they would "definitely not" use marijuana if it were legalized. " "October 8, 2015 - Florida, Ohio Back Personal Pot; Pennsylvania Split, Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll Finds."

"Bush family’s War on English continues"

The Miami Herald editors: "And the Bush family’s War on English continues."

You are, by now, familiar with the astonishingly tone-deaf response by Jeb Bush, the nation’s would-be 45th president, to last week’s shooting at a community college in Oregon in which a gunman killed nine people. “Look,” said Bush, “stuff happens.” . . .

When a reporter asked about the wording afterward — perhaps trying to spare Bush some grief — the former Florida governor turned attitudinal. “No, it wasn’t a mistake,” he said. “I said exactly what I said. Explain to me what I said wrong.”

“You said, ‘stuff happens,’ ” said the reporter.

Whereupon, Bush hunkered deeper into his snit. “ ‘Things’ happen all the time,” he said. “ ‘Things.’ Is that better?”

Um . . . no.

And the pasting that followed was entirely predictable. Bush was slammed by Hillary Clinton and President Obama. In Mother Jones, the liberal magazine, his words were called “callous.” In Salon, they were dubbed “tactless, graceless and ham-handed.”

But let’s not miss what’s truly offensive here.

Latvala takes Scott shill to the woodshed for his "arrogance" toward union rep

"Gov. Rick Scott's jobs guru, Jesse Panuccio, never got a chance Wednesday to make his pitch for $3.5 million to fight benefits fraud in the Department of Economic Opportunity. Instead, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, took the DEO chief to the woodshed, criticizing his "arrogance" toward a union lobbyist and telling Panuccio, a Scott favorite: "I frankly don't like your attitude.""

It's the latest sign of open hostility between the Senate and Scott, and it's clear Panuccio could have problems winning Senate confirmation next session. If Panuccio is not confirmed, he'll lose his $141,000-a-year job -- a decision the jobs chief says is "out of my hands."

That was the opening senators were waiting for. They cited persistent complaints from constituents who can't file for unemployment because of problems with Connect, DEO's troubled online system for filing claims. Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Delray Beach, said of the unemployed: "They don't get paid, therefore the statistics look good. You can't get anybody on the phone. I just want the system to work."

AFL-CIO lobbyist Rich Templin cited statistics on the unemployed that Panuccio called "invalid" and suggested the left-leaning labor organization had a political agenda for refusing to acknowledge that Scott's policies have improved the economy. At that point, Latvala defended the AFL-CIO lobbyist for his "courage" and tore into Panuccio.