Beach Peanuts

Kangaroos Captured, Llamas Tasered, But Republicans Still Loose And Creating Havoc In Florida

Time To Tame The Real Beast

While you were no doubt following breaking news over warnings of wild boars, escaped kangaroos, and police tasering llamas in Tallahassee over the weekend, here's some of what you may have missed on that other species running wild and destroying things in Florida, Republicans:

Because he assumes he's doing such an awesome job all by himself, or more likely because he's trying to find someone who will throw him a bone with voters, and who isn't afraid of his toxicity, Rick Scott hasn't bothered to name anyone to replace his Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll who was forced to resign last March.

And speaking of Carroll, guess who never spoke to her at all when he demanded her resignation, nor since? Why, that would be Rick Scott, and Carroll is still not happy about it. 

Carroll was asked if she felt she had been treated fairly by the governor.

“Anyone in my shoes would probably say no. I would have preferred to have a conversation directly with the governor, but I can’t bring back the past,” said Carroll. She said the last conversation she had with Scott was before her resignation.

In spite of that, Carroll says she still plans on supporting Scott's reelection, although if I were Scott, I wouldn't exactly hold my breath on that promise.

Rick Scott's latest gift to corporate welfare at the expense of Floridians over his "deal" with Heritage Property and Casualty Insurance, and their hefty donation to him just prior to the deal which he claims had nothing to do with it, of course, gained him well earned attention in the national spotlight last Thursday. If you missed it, see Kurt Eichenwald's scathing article in Vanity Fair, "How Tea Party Favorite Rick Scott Helped Cook Up A Sweetheart Deal For His Florida Friends" here.

In other "sweetheart deal" news, Rick Scott also signed a bill into law giving health insurance companies free reign to charge Floridians whatever they want, and allowing them to falsely blame the hikes on ObamaCare. Yes, thanks to Republicans in the legislature and Scott, it's essentially legal to raise your premiums, and blame it on the Affordable Care Act, when in fact the law is lowering costs and increasing competition. At the same time, the poor and uninsured can continue to die without health insurance as they've been doing up until now, as Scott has ignored calls for a special session on Medicaid. 

So far Scott is also ignoring demands to veto the pending paid sick time bill currently awaiting his signature.

You may not be able to afford a vacation this year as you look for those jobs he claims he's creating everywhere, but Rick Scott can, since he's jetting off to Japan now and calling it another "trade mission." Add this to his list of similar trips to Chile, Spain, the UK, Brazil, Colombia, and France. While he maintains that he pays his own way, taxpayers are still on the hook for many of his traveling entourage, and you won't even get a lousy t-shirt. 

And Scott wonders why he's unpopular.

Young conservatives are calling on Marco Rubio to deal with climate change. Good luck with that. As a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Rubio feels the "science" of climate change being caused by humans is debatable, and he's in no hurry to debate it at this time, but thanks for all your hard work writing that essay kids! Get back to him when you can compete with donations from the oil companies.

Do you miss Connie Mack? Well, neither does anyone else, including his wife Mary Bono Mack, who he split up with after they both lost their elections. But never fear, the grifter is still here. As usual, there are no losers in Congress when there are lobbying jobs to be had. Ka-ching.

Republicans in Tallahassee feel it's none of your business how they came up with their redistricting plans, they just want to make sure you vote accordingly, or don't get to vote, depending on where you fall on the political spectrum. Sunshine is selective in the Capitol.

He hasn't entered the race yet, but Republicans can hardly wait to get their Mean Girls act up and running against Charlie Crist. In fact, they aren't waiting at all. They've set up a website and everything, bless their little misguided hearts. Sadly, every time they take a shot at Crist, they inadvertently hit themselves. Walking away from Charlie won't be nearly as easy as they think.

Rick Scott's DEP Secretary Herschel Vinyard is quietly doing everything he can to kill what's left of the environment in Florida. 

Finally, Hurricane season began on Saturday, but sadly the sequester cuts forced by Republicans, all but one of them in Florida, will make forecasting and protecting the public's safety a little more difficult as the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service will be forced to begin furloughs. This year the NOAA has predicted above average activity with 13 to 20 named storms. Your safety can't compare to tax cuts for the wealthy that those Republicans will protect at all costs. Unfortunately those costs may be yours. 

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Marco Rubio Wants You To Look Away From The Real IRS Issue: Campaign Finance Laws

"Freedom Means Never Running Low On Campaign Cash"

Never one to miss an opportunity to raise money off of a GOP manufactured "scandal" Marco Rubio is at it again, trying to whip up a frenzy. This time over the IRS. Rubio has taken to the YouTubes for his latest faux rage aimed at Tea Party supporters suggesting that they are not only being unfairly "targeted," but are also about to lose more of their freedom! Be afraid. Be very afraid! Send money.

He's thrown out a "Constituent's Mailbox" video claiming to answer the email of a constituent, (wink, wink) named Larry from Orlando, which is nonsense. As we constituents of Rubio's know all too well, Marco never answers emails any more than he takes phone calls, holds town meetings, or pays even the slightest attention to what his actual constituents want. He only answers to his donors among the corporate and Wall Street welfare crowd. The rest of us never see him.

But getting back to "Larry from Orlando," Rubio reads that Larry is concerned about the IRS.....sort of. Rubio begins:

Is this America? We are all asking the question, Senator.

Coincidentally, old Lar's letter sounds almost exactly like Rubio's talking points. Oddly almost word for word. "Larry" feels that being able to see, much less afford a doctor will end freedom as he knows it. "Larry's" next request step jumps right into the subject of the IRS. If you're scratching your head wondering why a constituent would be concerned about how Tea Party groups are spending their "social welfare" donations and why the IRS should even care, wonder no more. He's not. You see, "Larry" thinks the IRS situation only points to a larger solution to holding onto his freedom: The IRS "scandal" must be used to repeal ObamaCare, otherwise Larry may be forced into being allowed to choose his own health insurance, his own doctor, and, God forbid, be able to afford both! Oh, the inhumanity!

"So the only answer to this is to repeal Obamacare," Rubio said in response to an email from a man in Orlando, Fla. "It’s just one more reason why this law is going to be a disaster for our country. And in the months to come, I’m really going to focus on the issue of repealing Obamacare because in addition to the IRS’s role there is all sorts of other problems with regards to Obamacare that we need to answer." 

What a coincidence! It seems Larry and Marco have some sort of Tea Party telepathy! If Tea Party groups are discovered to be violating campaign finance laws, the only logical solution to the problem is to repeal the Affordable Care Act. 

Of course, what Marco....I'm sorry, I mean "Larry" is really saying is "look away from the real issue that we should be investigating, which actually involves Tea Party and conservative groups who have taken advantage of a tax loophole to raise funds to use in political activities, which campaign finance laws say they can't do." This is the last thing Rubio wants you to focus on because he's a big recipient of Tea Party campaign cash, and the last thing he wants is an IRS investigation to come between him and the hard earned money of a gullible Tea Party supporter. While he and his witch hunting GOP colleagues are screaming: "Scandal! Investigate!" they should be careful what they wish for. This likely has finally occurred to Rubio.

Here's the thing, "Larry from Orlando." Marco wants you to keep those donations coming as he laughs his way to the bank, while at the same time making sure that when you need health care and insurance, it will be out of reach and unaffordable to you. Of course by the time you've figured that out, it will be too late for you, possibly in more ways than one. Now there's the subject of some really good questions for your next email to Rubio. Ask him to spend some time investigating those campaign finance laws.

Unfortunately if you do, you'll likely find that Marco Rubio's "Constituent's Mailbox" is full.

FL House Gives Scott An Unconstitutional Bill In Exchange For An "Ethics" Law?

The Florida Capitol: Where Ethics Go To Die

The sun is about to set on the 2013 Florida legislative session, and there is little doubt that uninsured Floridians with low incomes will once again be left in the dark with no good health care options. The Senate refuses to budge on taking any federal money for Medicaid purely for political purposes.

We've heard all the excuses from House Speaker Will-Medicaid-For-Me-But-Not-For-Thee-Weatherford, one being time constraints. He's said there's no urgency to doing anything about it now, and if Medicaid goes nowhere this year it "won't be the end of the world." True, it won't be the end of the world for him, he pays just $8 a month for health care, thank you very much.

While Medicaid is such a long slog and a heavy lift, it's funny how fast Weatherford can move when a bill that greases the skids for him needs to go through. In fact, he jumped so quickly yesterday to speed a bill through giving away a big tax-break for manufacturers that it may well be unconstitutional.

And you thought that "Mary" the auto reader was fast.

Here's what happened. Rick Scott wanted desperately to get a bill through to give big tax-breaks to manufacturers. He also had a few bills that he either needed to sign into law, or veto by midnight on Wednesday. Yet he waited until only a few hours were left to act on them, and only after the day's legislative session came to a late end:

Earlier in the day, Scott said he was still reviewing the bills. He previously questioned why campaign contribution limits needed to be raised. The ethics bill (SB 2) was a priority of Sen. President Don Gaetz and the campaign finance bill (HB 569) was important to House Speaker Will Weatherford. The House and Senate sent him the bills knowing they would have to be signed by or vetoed before midnight Wednesday, two days before the legislative session ends.

All three had something they really, really wanted, but they had to act fast to get them. And work fast Weatherford did. The man who has no time for Medicaid suddenly moved at lightening speed to seal a deal in order to get what he wanted: To raise campaign contributions to $1,000 for legislative and local races and $3,000 for statewide races, and a few other goodies.

So in "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours" fashion, Republicans quickly produced a 96 page bill that many hadn't read, and that included language many had never seen before. Weatherford then pushed it through with no debate. The bill "passed" 68-48. But did it really pass? Democrats say no because the bill did not get the two-thirds majority required to constitutionally change local government tax rates.

Yes, they rammed through a potentially unconstitutional bill to get Scott to sign ethics and campaign finance bills into law. 

Democrat are crying foul, and rightfully so:

But House Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, a lawyer, said that was plainly wrong, and a lawsuit challenging the tax-change would be coming "immediately."

"The legal implication is that it requires a two-thirds vote on at least on bill in the package. We don't know everything that as in there. They did not get two-thirds vote," Thurston said. "Unfortunately, it looks like that is something that has to be challenged, and we're sure it will be challenged with all due speed."

The section of the constitution relevant states that "Except upon approval of each house of the legislature by two-thirds of the membership, the legislature may not enact, amend, or repeal any general law if the anticipated effect of doing so would be to reduce the authority that municipalities or counties have to raise revenues in the aggregate."

Surely Will Weatherford has a good answer to charges that in his haste he passed a bill that wasn't constitutional and possibly illegal? Well, funny story there.....no, he doesn't:

"We looked into that very closely. We do not believe it needs a two-thirds vote," Weatherford said, although his office declined to release any legal opinion.

"I disagree with [Thurston]. I think the bill is extremely constitutional," he said. "We do not believe [that section of the constitution] applies. I can't give you all the specifics. We talked with our attorneys. We had an entire team that looked at it and studied it. We do not believe it required a two-thirds vote."

After the brief media interview, Weatherford's office declined to provide any more specifics about the legality of the bill.

So Weatherford says it's not only constitutional, but it's extremely constitutional. So extreme in fact that he cannot give any details or specifics, but he believes this, and you'll just have to take his and some attorneys word for it.

Dare we ask, is this due to some sort of "double secret extreme constitution" we don't know about? Of course we dare not, because Weatherford is not discussing the matter further.

And what about Scott changing his mind so quickly on those campaign finance changes? What about that last minute signature on two bills he suddenly decided were just dandy?

Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott told reporters this morning that he decided to sign a bill raising campaign contribution limits – after saying repeatedly that he didn’t like the idea – because he listened “to a lot of people.”

“Like everything, you listen to a  lot of people and try to make the best decision I can for every citizen in the state, so I made that decision to sign that bill last night,” Scott said.

“I look at everything but I made the right decision for all Floridians,” he said.

Oh, right. It's those "lots of people" he talks to again. We hear a lot about those guys, but oddly, we never see them. They must be in an extremely secret location somewhere hanging out with Weatherford's phantom attorneys, those scamps.

And how thoughtful of Scott to make sure he acts on things that are of the utmost importance to Floridians everywhere: Raising campaign contribution limits.

Ask any Floridian what matters most to them:  Jobs? High-speed rail? Health care? Clean air and water? The right to vote? The desire to foot the bill for nuclear power plants that will never materialize? Protection from oil spills and hurricanes? Good education? Payng the bills? Nope.

What matters to them most is that politicians can be purchased at even higher prices by those who really run the show in Tallahassee. Just ask Rick Scott, Don Gaetz and Will Weatherford, they'll set you straight.

Yup. That's how Republicans do "ethics" in Florida.

(Capitol photo: Martha Jackovics)

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Rick Scott And AT&T: I'll Take 350 Jobs For $100,000.00, ALEC!

Sorry Rick, It's Not Working

Today Rick Scott boasted that AT&T would be expanding in Florida, and that expansion would bring 350 jobs to the state. To some that may sound like good news.

What Scott doesn't mention is that last December he received $100,000.00 in donations from AT&T.

Also consider this, as explained recently by WFTV:

Utility rates in Florida are regulated by the Public Service Commission. Commissioners are appointed by the governor and then confirmed by the State Senate, which should keep leaders totally independent.

But 9 Investigates found in practice, there's often just one degree of separation between regulators who set the rates you pay and the powerful utilities they regulate. 

The common link is almost always the governor.

Yes, a link who is the beneficiary of hefty campaign contributions, in this case $100,000.00.

Also consider the 2012 tax breaks Scott and Republicans in the legislature handed out:

Other winners: AT&T, Verizon and other telecommunications companies, who saw taxes on communication services slashed anywhere from $35 million to $300 million per year.

AT&T, which has 74 Florida lobbyists, spent $1.68 million on lobbying last year, more than any other company.

AT&T is also a member of ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council), which writes model legislation that many in the legislature copy and paste into laws, and SPN (State Policy Network) which then "spins" misinformation to the public about how swell companies like AT&T are. (For a full list of Florida legislators who are ALEC members, click here.)

Oh, the ties that bind and propel Rick Scott and the legislature through that giant revolving door in Tallahassee...

So while AT&T may well be adding jobs that allow Scott to brag, consumers and employees pay the price one way or another. Amazingly, Scott thinks they, and the rest of the voters will reward him for that with a second term in 2014.

What do you think?

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More Tax Breaks For Sports Franchises? Legislators Should Dress The Part Like NASCAR

We're constantly told by Rick Scott and the Republicans in the Florida legislature that the state "can't afford" things like health care and education, things that would improve our lives and create jobs like high-speed rail, and we have to cut regulations for clean air and water, just to name a few. And yet those same politicians think when it comes to corporate welfare, the sky is the limit.

Today they handed out several more taxpayer subsidies, this time to sports franchises:

The Major League Soccer provision, HB 219, sponsored by Central Florida lawmakers, is widely expected to help draw a new soccer team to the Orlando area. It would offer up $60 million in tax subsides to the new stadium, over 30 years.

The International Speedway bill, HB 1049, would help the Daytona racetrack do a major renovation, providing up to $60 million in taxpayer subsidies.

The Jaguars bill, HB 721,would increase a tax subsidy that currently goes to the Jacksonville stadium from $2 million per year to $4 million per year, kicking in up to $60 million for the team over 30 years. The stadium has already received some $37 million in tax support since 1994, part of more than a quarter billion dollars that have gone to Florida 's pro sports franchises in the 20 years.

If legislators think that those "poor" corporations are in such dire need of our tax dollars to our detriment, then in the spirit of NASCAR, who they're apparently so fond of, and the interest of "government in the sunshine," why not go a step further and let them dress the part? Since they have to fork it over anyway, I'm sure most taxpayers wouldn't mind a little of that money going towards suits adorned with logos of all the corporate beneficiaries to be worn by lawmakers while they hand them out.

Sure, it would be a tight squeeze combined with all the campaign contributions, but at least Floridians would get to see where their money was going and who was benefiting from the legislation they have to live with.

Besides, they'd have plenty of room to add the new Jaguar, Major League Soccer and Daytona logos after they rip out the old ones from Allied Veterans of the World.

Why The GOP "Autopsy" Should Actually Be Called The "Government Outsourcing Project"

David Koch, Fleeing The Press At The RNC, Tampa 2012

(Photo: Martha Jackovics)

If you've read the GOP's "autopsy" of their losses in the 2012 election (re-branded as the "Growth and Opportunity Project") but haven't come to the conclusion that it's mostly nonsense just yet, this could do it for you.

One of the things that stood out for me was a small section buried in the Campaign Finance, and State Campaign and Finance Laws and Regulations recommendations. It's just a couple of sentences, but it's in conflict with a majority of the other recommended policies in the report. Or rather, what they would have people believe they want to do to woo voters.

Here's the snippet, which is listed twice, word for word, on pages 69 and 97:

3. Model legislation should be developed by interested organizations and state legislative leaders to improve state campaign finance laws. Organizations such as the RNC, the RSLC, and ALEC may wish to take a leading role. To turn ideas to action nationwide, experts should develop model statutes that can be replicated across states.

The two paragraphs are identical, almost as if they were a cut and paste job from something like, oh, I don't know, an ALEC "model" maybe?

If you're not already familiar with ALEC, that's the American Legislative Exchange Council, which is the corporate funded group who work with lobbyists and conservative politicians to write the "model legislation" that legislators then bring home to their states and pass into law. They get a large amount of their funding from the Koch brothers. (I've written more about them and their involvement in Florida here, here, here, here, here, and here, just to link a few of those posts.) ALEC has brought Florida laws like the Stand Your Ground gun law, election laws, and were behind many of the Amendments on the 2012 ballot. That's just a small sample.

ALEC largely operated in secret, and many elected officials passing off their cut and paste legislation did too. But when ALEC's behind the scenes operations were exposed to a little sunlight, corporations who had quietly worked with them began getting push back from activists, angry consumers and voters. Many of them quit working with ALEC because of it.

But there are plenty of those who still work with ALEC, lawmakers, and work "for" Koch, and not in the best interest of voters and consumers.

According to the GOP's new recommendations, they're practically saying they are fully prepared to hand over governing to ALEC, and the Koch's for a price. No more secret dealings. They're indicating right there in black and white for everyone to see that they're willing to sell out the country. "ALEC may wish to take a leading role?" There's no "may" about it. They want the whole ball game and the GOP knows that. They've already made a big investment as it is. 

Shamelessly outsourcing "Democracy." Welcome to the GOP's real model for America.

It's not like many of us weren't already aware that it was really the Koch brothers and corporate America who were pulling our elected officials strings, but this is blatant. It's like the GOP is saying: "Yeah, you actually elected the Koch brothers, corporations and lobbyists, and guess what? From now on we're just going to cut to the chase and hand everything over to them for a price. We're going to let them write any old law they want. Hey, it's not like we work for a living anyway, and we certainly don't know what we're doing. Now excuse us while we jet off for another taxpayer funded vacation." Boom. No pretense about it anymore.

And of course, who is behind a lot of the laws and policies that earned the Republican Party losses in the last few elections? That's right, all of the above.

So while they claim they're going to change their ways and tinker with their policies and their messaging, the biggest "message" of all is really contained in that one little paragraph found on pages 69 and 97. Combined with even more leeway in campaign finance laws, that pretty much cancels out the rest of the report as merely window dressing.

Any questions?

Pam Bondi, Romney Fundraisers, Foreclosures, And Deregulating Banks

About 200 Republicans attended a fundraiser, some at $50,000 a pop, for Mitt Romney in Tampa following a campaign event in St. Petersburg where the candidate spun misinformation about President Obama's record, but refused to answer questions from reporters.

While Florida Governor Rick Scott is in the state himself, he was absent from not only the fundraiser, but steered clear of Romney altogether, which almsot certainly was no accident.

Also absent was Florida Senate candidate Connie Mack IV, although not surprisingly, Romney did endorse him, and according to the Tampa Tribune, several other well known big donors didn't show, like developer Al Austen.

So who was there? Well, Attorney General Pam Bondi, for one.

That may seem like no big deal. After all, Republicans regularly attend this kind of thing all the time. Still, I have to wonder how people who are either under water on their mortgages, or homeless thanks to the predatory lender foreclosure crisis would feel about it. That disaster is far from over for many, like the case last week of a man who comitted suicide after being scammed with a predatory mortgage.

After all, Pam Bondi is currently sitting on about $300 million in mortgage-settlement funds and getting lots of advice on how to spend it, from homeowners to realtors, to Congresswomen. It's also probably little comfort that other states have taken the money and used it to plug holes in their state budgets rather than spend it on those it was intended for: The victimized homeowners. 

In a state where the governor is cutting everything out from under those who need it most but spreading the wealth in the form of big tax cuts for corporations under the false guise of "job creation," and where Bondi herself is spending tax dollars to fight against the health care benefits those very taxpayers want and need, the chance of that relief getting to those who need it may seem like wishful thinking.

Here we have Mitt Romney who is now the presumed Republican presidential nominee, and who is also the big beneficiary of Wall Street donors who no doubt expect a return on their investment which Romney is almost certain to give them if elected. Romney has already said he wants to repeal the Dodd-Frank financial regulations. He's the leader of a party who is peddling the false narrative that banks need less regulation, not more. Even after the $2 billion loss by JPMorgan Chase last week, where CEO Jamie Dimon shrugged the loss off as merely getting "sloppy." Dimon has been no fan of tighter bank regulations either, and perhaps thanks to watered down regulations in place now, none were able to catch those who got "sloppy" before it was too late.

The banks like Pam Bondi too, and she holds the purse strings to all that foreclosure settlement money.

Once again it begs the question, where do her loyalties lie? With the homeowners and her constituents, or with big donors willing to shell out $50,000 so that she, her party, and Mitt Romney can all gain more control and get the "government out of the way" rather than preventing more of the same?

Mitt Romney Goes Palin In Florida

"No questions!"

That apparently was the order of the day for Mitt Romney's campaign stop in St. Petersburg, Florida this morning. Several national reporters covering his campaign Tweeted how they announced on his campaign bus that there would be no questions, and others said reporters were blocked from Romney's rope line altogether. Not too surprising from the man with no plan beyond "lie, rinse, loot, repeat" but a bold move anyway. A common problem when you refuse to even take questions, much less answer any makes it appear you have none. For Romney it's worse: We've heard his ideas enough to know this about him already. If he can't stand the scrutiny of reporters, he certainly has no business trying to lead the country.

Is the plan to hide from world leaders and tough situations in a bunker somewhere for four years? If so, his campaign slogan should be "Mitt Happens."

Reporters weren't all that Romney was ducking either. He spoke "of" but not directly about "He Who Shall Not Be Named," George W. Bush. Sadly he couldn't escape the plague Bush legacy, as Dubya managed to snag him with an endorsement yesterday in spite of an elevator door with other plans. Too bad there, Mittens. Or as George himself would say: "Heh, heh!"

Romney also made it a point to avoid "He Who Shall Not Be Named Number Two," and that would be Florida Governor Voldemort, Rick Scott. (Not to mention his secondary title: "He Who Will Not Answer Questions From Reporters Either.") Scott could be an even worse albatross around Mitt's neck than Bush, given that their careers of crash and burn at the expense of others for profit mirror each other, it would be kind of like trying to launch a cruise to the White House with a nod from the captain of the Titanic. What better preview of what Romney would do to the country than showcasing what Scott has done (so far) to Florida? "Like disaster on a grand scale? Then Mitt's your guy!"

You're welcome.

So no, not a big surprise that Romney fears reporters almost as much as he fears having principles and a spine. It just seems natural that he would pull a Palin and refuse to further make a fool of himself. Why bother talking to the "little people" you may not be able to trick anyway?

Especially when, also like Palin, you've already won over the ones who really matter, the ones who would gladly finance the looting?

Rick Scott: Enough About Governing, Let's Just Skip To My "Re-Election"

Rick Scott seems confident that his initial investment of $73 million towards his seat in the governor's office has paid off, so much so that he can sit back and reap the benefits come his re-election campaign?

From the Tampa Bay Times:

Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday that not only will he seek a second-term in 2014, but he predicted that he won't have to reach into his own pocket to pay for a re-election campaign like he did the first time.

"I won't have to," Scott said, adding: "I'm running for re-election. I like this job. This is the best job you can imagine ... In this job, if you care about anybody's family in this state, you can have a positive impact. You can impact their education system."

Never mind that we're still waiting for that "positive impact" Scott speaks of, and exctly which families would those be?

As for that impact on the education system? Well he's right about that one. Thanks to Rick Scott and his cut-happy cohorts, the impact he's had on Florida's education system (so far) will indeed devastate schools and universities for years to come, long after Scott has moved on to his next "business deal."

Getting back to the money:

Asked how much a 2014 race would cost, Scott said: "I don't know what it will cost, but we'll have the money to win."

Note that he says he'll "have the money to win." Not the votes. The money.

That pretty much says it all given that his approval ratings continue to all but scrape bottom. He doesn't appear to care about how the people of this state feel about him. He doesn't have to. He'll have "the money to win." He's got the big donors and their deep pockets, and he's doing everything he can to keep them happy for his next three years with all those big tax cuts he gave them.

Votes? (How quaint.) Yes, unhappy voters are pesky things when the most unpopular governor in the country is faced with re-election, but that's where the Florida Legislature and severe voting restrictions come in. 

Again, getting back to the money:

Scott's political fund-raising 527 organization, Let's Get to Work, collected $910,000 in the first quarter of this year. Four donors kicked in $100,000 each: Miami investor Miguel Fernandez, The Villages, Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Group Underwriters, a Miami Gardens insurance firm. 

These days, while corporations may qualify as "people" in the wallet department, they still can't "vote" (so far) but they can buy you one heck of a campaign machine when big profits are on the horizon if you get the right guy in office.

In his comments, Scott appeared relaxed and upbeat and sounded eager to hit the campaign trail, despite his persistently low approval ratings in public opinion polls.

As for governing, just a little over one year in office and Rick Scott is too busy thinking ahead to re-election while in absolute denial of what his policies so far have done, and will do to Florida. 

Still, a little over two and a half years is a long time and some of those impacts Scott speaks of will begin taking their toll come election time. When you put the kind of bad ideas in place that Scott has, it won't just be the voters he's alienating and driving out of the state.

Those who run businesses have families, and they have to live here too. Plus, it's hard to run a business where there's no consumer demand.

Cliff Stearns Joins Buchanan, Rivera, And Rubio On List Of Florida Republicans Under Investigation

Latest Member Of The Club

You can add another to the list of a group of Florida Republicans currently under investigation of one kind or another: Leader of the movement to defund Planned Parenthood, Cliff Stearns:

A private clash became public Wednesday when Clay Clerk of the Court James Jett accused U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns of plotting to buy him out of this fall’s Republican congressional primary. Stearns’ office turned the table, calling Jett’s actions a “contemptuous” ploy to solicit compensation.

Jett said the FBI wiretapped his phone and recorded conversations about offers to withdraw.

The FBI wouldn’t confirm or deny an investigation, and no one would corroborate Jett’s accusations.

Jett is running against Stearns in newly drawn Florida District 3, which includes much of Clay County. Stearns now represents Clay in 6th District from his home in Ocala, but that city is now in U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent’s district. Stearns said he will move to Orange Park.]

[Jett said one offer included a job on Stearns’ campaign staff that would pay him to cover the approximately $25,000 he had spent on his congressional run. He also said he was told there could be a job heading the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or a U.S. marshal position once there are vacancies.]

[According to paperwork Jett provided to the Times-Union, he also gave Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll’s name to the FBI. Jett said Carroll, a former Clay County state representative, confirmed the job offer to his political consultant, Matt Justice.

Stearns has led the push in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood. Stearns is endorsing U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV in his bid for the Senate and will be fund raising for him.

Stearns joins the group of several Florida Republicans who are currently under investigation:

Rep. Vern Buchanan is under investigation over campaign contributions, an investigation that is widening. In spite of that, John Boehner recently held a fundraiser for Buchanan.

David Rivera and Marco Rubio have both been under investigations for their financial disclosure problems. Rubio recently also asked that an ethics investigation against him be closed, I suppose just in time for a hopeful VP run?

Let's hope the Stearns investigation will keep him busy enough to keep him from further policing women's unteri.

Photo: Cliff Stearns, U.S. House