Beach Peanuts

RPOF Rolls Out Attack On Nan Rich And Florida Women

All The Qualities The GOP Oppose: Women and Women's Rights

In spite of boasting to the contrary, is the Republican Party of Florida not so sure they have a winning incumbent in Rick Scott? After all, common sense would say yes, given his record-breaking unpopularity. They showed their fear of Charlie Crist early on in spite of the fact that he's taking his time deciding whether to run or not.

Now it seems they fear another candidate and they're getting an early jump on attacking her while declaring yet another war on Florida women all at the same time. Because that's worked so well for them in the past. No doubt they're sad given that they were only able to pass one anti-abortion bill in this year's legislative session, and zero the year before, so I suppose this is another way to make sure women in Florida still know where they stand. They would also like you to know that liberals are scary. So given Nan Rich is and woman AND a liberal, she may be even more frightening than old Charlie.......to the RPOF.

But is Rich "scary" to voters? Not so much. Almost a year ago a PPP poll had local headlines declaring that Rich was already "trouncing" Rick Scott. Another poll from March had Scott leading Rich 42 percent to 36 percent, but that's apparently not good enough for the GOP.

Today the RPOF blog is attacking Democratic candidate Nan Rich in the largest red font they could find, blaring this headline (emphasis theirs):

THAT'S RICH! Liberal Champion Nan Endorsed By One Of Florida's Leading Pro-Abortion Organizations...Here's Why!

RICH SAYS DEMS SHOULD NOMINATE LIBERAL FROM SOUTH FLORIDA, GETS EARLY ENDORSEMENT FROM PRO-ABORTION ORGANIZATION

To back up those bold, nightmarish headlines, yes, both The Tampa Tribune and the Tampa Bay Times have in fact reported that Rich is a liberal. However, neither article paints her as a scary liberal, and one quotes from her endorsement by the National Organization for Women as "the best hope for Florida women." RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

Again, not nearly as haunting as the RPOF would have you believe, but OMG, did we mention she's "pro-abortion" asks the RPOF? Just in case anyone missed it in bold caps the first time:

RICH’S EXTREME LIBERAL POSITIONS ON ABORTION EARNED HER THAT ENDORSEMENT

They list several instances where Rich did indeed vote the opposite of Republicans for much of that abortion legislation they've failed to pass, which they feel proves her "extreme liberal position on abortions." Except that it's not so extreme in that the majority in Tallahassee agreed with her and those abortion bills failed. 

As for that endorsement from "Pro-Abortion organizations?" One might think by their claim illustrated in all caps in blood-red that this group must be spanning the State of Florida encouraging abortions, or perhaps gangs of women are hunting pregnant women and forcing abortions on them. Why, if women vote for Nan Rich, perhaps those groups will push for an Abortionplex mandate?

Uh, no. This "pro-abortion group" is actually NOW, the National Organization For Women. Rather than the roving abortion pushers Republicans would have you imagine, they favor reproductive rights. They also work on other "horrifying issues" like supporting equal rights, marriage equality, Social Security, student loans, and reducing gun violence. In other words, all things that Republicans don't like, nor support. NOW also opposes things like violence against women in the military, as well as violence against all other women, so BE AFRAID!

Voters actually owe some thanks to the RPOF for this attack though, because it reminds them of all the time and money the legislature spent in years past proposing abortion bills and those that would prevent women from getting the health care they need, rather than legislation on the things that are important to them involving jobs, the environment, education, and letting them vote.

Just another reminder that the War On Women is still alive and well, and operating out of RPOF headquarters everywhere regardless of who the Democratic candidate will be.

Great job on that whole re-branding project...

Rick Scott's Fractured Reelection Fairy Tale

"Once Upon A Time In Paradise Lost"

It's hard to say when exactly Rick Scott began his campaign for reelection, as he's been in campaign mode since his election. That's understandable I suppose, given that his approval numbers have barely seen daylight. Still, his reelection sales pitch is up and running......into the ground along with those poll numbers:

Speaking to Republicans in one of Florida’s most heavily Democratic counties, Gov. Rick Scott tonight said the GOP should win every election if Republicans do a better job of telling their story to voters.

Putting aside the fact that Scott was preaching to the choir here, I say go ahead and give us the sales pitch Gov. Scott. Do tell us the Republican story. Give it your best shot.

“I have not met one Floridian that should be anything but a Republican,” said Scott.

Forgive me, but I've got to interrupt the narrative right here for a moment. If Scott has "not met one Floridian that should be anything but a Republican" that's probably because Republicans are the only people he talks to. He simply ignores anyone who isn't, ignores anyone who disagrees with him, and ignores their needs to boot. But please, do go on:

The GOP is the party of job creators, Scott said, and he said it should also be the party of people who rely on government social programs.

“Let’s say that you need a safety net,” Scott said. “Let’s say you need unemployment insurance or you need something to take care of you while times are hard before you get back on your feet, whether that’s health care, whether that’s unemployment insurance, whatever it is. Who pays for it? People that have jobs. So if you need anything from the government, any government, you should absolutely be a Republican because it won’t be there if it wasn’t for people who had jobs and build businesses.”

Wow. OK, let's unpack this, shall we? First, are we really going to continue this "job creator" charade? Because that argument has been debunked so often that no one really buys it anymore. While Scott may feel he has to rely on it because he's busy handing out tax breaks to any big corporation that so much as sneezes in his direction, it's hogwash, pure and simple. (And no, that's not a Disney World "work sick or else" pun, but more on that later.) If this were true, Florida wouldn't have an unemployment problem.

Second, that next comment is the most jarring statement he's made yet. I'm not sure how or why, exactly, Scott claims the GOP could possibly be the party of the voter who relies on a social safety net. Nationally the party favors the Paul Ryan budget, whose only provision for a safety net is scissors to cut it with, cuts that perhaps Ayn Rand herself might have thought were a tad severe, given her own reliance on them.

Beyond that, let's examine how Scott has addressed the other safety nets and social programs in his sales pitch. Unemployment insurance? Scott cut those benefits off early for Floridians. Heath care? Seriously. I don't even have to explain the absurdity of that comment.

To say that none of those things would be there if not for big business "Who pays for it?" Please. Aside from the fact that many employers these days don't offer health insurance benefits or cut hours to avoid having to provide them, what jobs would those be? Rick "Let's-Get-To-Work" Scott hasfallen rather short on his job creation promises, which is why he's no longer using that particular slogan. No matter how many times Scott rolls out the "big businesses create jobs" nonsense, there's little return on those forced tax break investments courtesy of Florida taxpayers. Many of those very beneficiaries took the tax cuts and ran, and yet Scott is still handing them out like Santa Claus at a Koch brothers Christmas Party. 

Scott's little narrative is ridiculous on its face. If his claim that he as a Republican "savior" of the people were serious, there are things he could do to prove it right now.

He could veto HB 655, the ALEC "kill-shot" that would end hopes of paid sick days for employees of Disney World and other employers.

He would call for a special session to expand Medicaid, which he opposed until he was forced to embrace it earlier in the year. The legislature ended this year's session without doing anything towards that end, and yet Gov."Now-I-Loves-Me-Some-Medicaid" has shown he really doesn't. He's been silent ever since he chose to embrace it as a political football. I predicted that he seized it as a chance to have his cake and eat it too: Pretend he favored it while knowing the legislature would never go for it, giving him political cover. He can't pull it off though because he's just as bad an actor as he is a governor.

Sorry Gov. Scott, but this just isn't going to cut it. Your ability to snow the voters reflects in your poll numbers. The notion that Floridians should not be "anything other than a Republican" just because you say so doesn't wash, and that's not going to change even if you do a better job of narrating the Republican fairy tale. Because this is the story you're telling others in the party behind closed doors, which worked so well for Mitt Romney when he tried it:

“It’s in their best interest. There’s nobody that shouldn’t be a Republican. If they’re not, it’s our fault. It’s our fault that we’re not telling our story.”

It's your fault all right, but telling the story better isn't the problem. It's the story itself. Floridians don't have to be told your story, they're living it, and suffering for it. They reject it and the GOP, and they can't wait to prove it to you at the polls in 2014. 

The. End.

Because He's Not Unpopular Enough Yet, Rick Scott Says Allen West Would Make A Great Lt. Governor!

Mixed Nuts: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

It appears that one of the most unpopular Governors in the country, and perhaps history, is looking to see if he can beat his own record for low poll numbers.

Rick Scott said he wouldn't deal with his hunt to replace his last scandal-ridden Lt. Gov. until after the legislative session was over. Now it's decision time, and he's floating the name of a possible replacement that would most certainly rival Jennifer Carroll in the scandal, and WTH? department:

Allen West.

Yes, really:

Governor Rick Scott hasn't picked a new Lieutenant Governor, and it's not clear whether he will, but he says at least one Florida politician would make a superb choice. 

On AM Tampa Bay, the governor responded to a question by saying West "is a great American and a great patriot... he'd be a great Lieutenant Governor."

Well, he's certainly a favorite of the hard-core Tea Party extremist wing, and has so many qualities that the Republican Party values and requires these days: Intolerance, hate, being an avid Obama-basher-for-big-bucks, inability to focus on facts and the issues that are important to Americans, and a spinner of conspiracies that would rival Glenn Beck on his more severely incoherent days.

Here are just a few examples, in case you were somehow able to erase them from your memory. Although, if you did and prefer to keep it that way, I would recommend you not take this stroll down memory lane hell.

To those who like to live dangerously, well strap on that tinfoil hat! Here you go. 

May the farce be with you.

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

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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Florida Legislature's Newly Proposed Election Laws Could Cost Members Of The Military Their Vote

Under the guise of making changes to the voting laws they enacted last year that caused so many problems during the 2012 election, Republicans in the Florida Legislature are finding new ways to potentially suppress the vote in the next one.

This time it's a move that could cost members of the military, among others, their vote due to the potential for uncounted absentee ballots through additional paperwork and an easily overlooked witness requirement for signatures:

Latvala's [Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater] bill drew a rating of "B" from the League of Women Voters of Florida, whose president, Deirdre MacNab, called the bill "strong." She said the bill would be better if it repealed the 2011 requirement that voters who move from one county to another cast provisional ballots.

The Senate bill's most controversial provision remains a requirement that any voter who casts 
an absentee ballot has to get another adult to witness the voter's signature. "That is just a recipe for disaster," said Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley. His sentiments were echoed at Tuesday's Senate hearing by elections chief Paul Lux in Okaloosa County, where, he predicted, the ballots of many military personnel would be rejected.

"There's  no tangible benefit to the voter, and this provision will result in more ballots being not counted for our military members," Lux testified.

Elections supervisors say this will likely result in numerous absentee ballots being thrown out if it passes. There's also the potential for lost votes not only from the military, but college students as well. The bill also falls short of increasing adequate days for early voting as promised.

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Translating Rick Scott's 2013 State Of The State: You're Not In Kansas Anymore, Dorothy

Rick Scott's 2013 "Reelections First" Budget

Rick Scott gave his third State of the State speech today, which means there's only one more we'll have to endure before he's ousted from office in 2014, if we manage to survive that long during his quest to destroy Florida as we know it.

While Scott, who claims he's no politician, panders with the best of them, he still hasn't found a way to make himself sound or look sincere while he does it. He'll smile and look down his nose at you while handing you a pink slip and telling you it's really for the best that you can't afford meals, much less decent health care. 

Well, now he's trying to remake himself once again.

The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid

After realizing he had no choice but to accept the Affordable Care Act, it being a law and all, and giving in to the Medicaid exchanges last week, he now wants you to believe that he did that out of the goodness of his heart. Really. He said:

"We didn’t win every battle over the last two years. After a long fight, we lost in the Supreme Court over the President’s healthcare law, and we lost a presidential election along with the promise of the law’s full repeal.

Now, our options are either having Floridians pay to fund this program in other states while denying healthcare to our citizens – or – using federal funding to help some of the poorest in our state with the Medicaid program as we explore other healthcare improvements. As I wrestled with this decision, I thought about my Mom and her struggles to get my little brother the care he needed with very little money.

I concluded that for the three years the federal government is committed to paying 100 percent of the cost of new people in Medicaid, I cannot, in good conscience, deny the uninsured access to care."

You see there? After an entire career in health care for profit running a company that broke the record for Medicare fraud, and fighting against President Obama's Affordable Care Act, it's now his "conscience" and of course, Mom, that made him change his mind. If you believe that one, then he's still got that tried and not true line on job creation he'd like to sell you, which brings us to:

Jobs

Scott:

"Of course, the best way for any family to access great health care is to have a great job.

Like my mom, I am an optimist.

I believe in big dreams.

I believe Florida will be the number one place in the world for job creation; the number one place in the world to get a great education; and the number one place in the world where families can afford to live.

I believe that as we all continue to work together, Florida’s job growth will outpace the nation and our unemployment rate will drop below the national average."

Memo to Rick: I'm sure at one time in your life, you also believed in Santa, the tooth fairy, and that your vast fortune meant you could buy virtually anything you wanted, as well. But that doesn't mean you can tap your cowboy boot heels together three times like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, say your new slogan "It's working, it's working, it's working," and jobs will multiply like red ant mounds in your yard when you open your eyes. Sure, your money can buy you a lot of things, but selling that tired, three year old job creation line to Floridians isn't one of them. Nice try.

The reality is that, while over the last three years, you've claimed we can't afford things like education, the ACA, Medicaid, and pensions, among other things, but the one thing we could afford was to hand out tax giveaways to any company that was here, or would come here, and create jobs like nowhere else "in the world?" Except that hasn't happened yet. Sure, some jobs have materialized, but many companies aren't hiring as promised, and some have left altogether, waving good-bye and keeping the money. Others went bankrupt. Of those who do provide jobs, much of those wages are slim, and many don't offer benefits like health care anyway.

Psst, Rick: It's NOT working. And while we're on the subject of corporate tax giveaways:

More Corporate Tax Giveaways

Scott:

"Here in Florida, our work to reduce spending and cut taxes – along with making critical investments in priorities, like education - is working.

Top CEOs now rank Florida the second best state in the nation for business."

Why wouldn't CEO's feel that way? You fling the door wide open, smile, and tell them "No no, you keep those tax dollars!" In return, if they hire workers at all, they don't have to provide benefits if they so choose, don't have to pay a decent wage, and if they happen to build in a "high-crime area" they get yet another tax break, AND they can force workers to stay on the job when they're sick. Some can even charge exorbitant prices to lure the tourists in while they do it. Can you say "Ka-Ching?" So yeah. If you're a CEO, what's not to love about Florida? Unless of course, those CEO's have school age children. Which brings us to your new pet project and so-called priority:

Education

Scott:

"When I first stood before you in 2011, I said, “The single most important factor in student learning is the quality of teaching.”

And then you showed how important "student learning and the quality of teaching" was to you by........cutting education to the bone. But please, do go on....

"Since that time, we eliminated teacher tenure. We signed performance pay into law, and it will take effect in 2014.

Florida’s education system is making tremendous progress, due in large part to our great teachers and the work begun by Gov. Bush and many in this legislature."

Again, Scott slashed education that first year, then threw a bone back into funding it last year. Why the shout out to Jeb Bush? Well, aside from the fact that Bush isn't a fan, and that he's rumored to be working with Republicans in the legislature to undermine Scott's acceptance of Medicaid, one might assume it's a prelude to helping with Bush's plans to privatize education while his foundation profits at the same time. 

But getting back to the teachers:

I'll Take Teacher's Votes, For $2,500, Alex

Scott:

"The best way we can build on this progress is to reward our hard-working teachers with a $2,500 pay raise."]

["The hard work done over the last two years has set us up with a simple formula for success this year. We must remove the sales tax on manufacturers and invest in future generations of Floridians – by investing in Florida teachers."

Scott mentioned "teachers" 14 times in the speech. (And almost every time, he mentioned tax breaks for businesses in the same sentence, because...families first??) I suppose he thinks he gets bonus points for saying "teachers" as many times as possible. Same thing for "It's working." What he didn't say about teachers was "I value your vote, which is worth $2,500 to me."

One doesn't have to have a college education to understand that pulling huge amounts of funding from education one year, putting back a fraction of it in the next, and then tossing a meager pay raise at the teachers you've demonized in the third isn't exactly what you would call "progress."

Sorry Rick. I hate to be the one to burst your "I believe" reelection bubble, but "it's NOT working."

(Photo: Florida Governor's Office)

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Rick Scott Tops Most "Most Vulnerable Incumbent" List

See Ya!

The Washington Post just published it's list of the 15 top gubernatorial races in 2013-2014 and it's no surprise that Rick Scott made the list.

While some may feel that 2014 seems a long, long way off with Governor Voldemort at the helm, this might cheer you up just a little. 

The Dark Lord is the number one most vulnerable on the list!

1. Florida (R): Gov. Rick Scott (R) grabbed headlines when he agreed to accept an expansion of Medicaid that is part of the federal health care reform law he has so often bashed. But just like LePage’s refusal to budge on Medicaid won’t likely determine the outcome of his race, Scott’s decision probably won’t, on its own, determine his own fate. He remains the country’s most vulnerable incumbent right now. (Previous ranking: 1).

No small feat when you're up against Tea Party extremists like Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), and South Carolina's Gov. Nikki Haley (R). 

So while Rick Scott may be near the bottom of the approval rating barrel at 33%, he can take heart that at least he's number one at something. 

Heart felt congratulations!

Looks Like Rick Scott May Face A Republican Challenge In 2014 After All?

In spite of Rick Scott finally accepting Medicaid expansion in Florida, the Republican legislature has threatened not to implement it. If they don't, it may or may not matter as far as Scott's credibility with the Tea Party is concerned, but as of yesterday, it didn't look like they'll be so forgiving.

Today, State House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, said this to the National Review Online:

“Without the legislature passing the exchange and expanding, we don’t expand. It’s completely incumbent on the legislature.”

Also, word comes today that Weatherford will now be a featured speaker at CPAC 2013:

State House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, has been recognized by the American Conservative Union as one of nine young “rising elected leaders” nationwide who will have speaking slots at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March.]

[Weatherford was chosen along with eight other state legislators from around the nation who will appear at the same podium as top speakers including former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio at the Washington event.

Mitt Romney will end his post-election withdrawal from the public spotlight with a speaking spot.

Other speakers will include some of the most controversial figures from conservative politics—Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, NRA President Wayne LaPierre, and former U.S. Rep. Allen West of Florida.

But who's not on the speaker's list this year?

Rick Scott.

I guess he's no longer crazy enough for prime time.

Now he may no longer be far enough to the right to avoid a Republican-Tea Party challenge in the 2014 election, something that no one was saying just weeks ago.

How times change when one is actually "forced" to do the right thing.

Yesterday after his Medicaid press conference, others were scrambling on Twitter to voice their opinions and possibly shore up Tea Party cred besides Weatherford. 

Pam Bondi said this:

Concerned about consequences of greater fed control over healthcare, a major expansion of govt. At least FL lawsuit gave each state a choice. 

Adam Putnam said this:

It’s extremely disappointing to learn that Florida may take on billions in additional costs to taxpayers by expanding Medicaid coverage.

The expansion of Medicaid in FL does not create jobs or strengthen our infrastructure. And it will cost Florida $5B over the next 10 years.

Both have been mentioned in the past as possible candidates "if" anyone were to challenge Scott, and now Weatherford is a new "rising star" in the conservative clown car?

My, my. Something tells me this could get ugly....

They've Only Just Begun: Rick Scott And Republicans Are Killing Florida

If you live in Florida, you already know much of the story published in this month's Mother Jones: What's It Like to Wake Up From a Tea Party Binge? Just Ask Florida!

The horrors of reality for just a few of the many in Florida who don't have health insurance in graphic detail are just one part of the story, and it will likely only get worse as Florida has just been given the go ahead for privatizing Medicaid, provided that it's done with "transparency." If it weren't such a serious undertaking with potentially deadly consequences, the talk of such "transparency" would be a sick joke, given the state's more recent track record, but in Rick Scott's Florida, Inc., there's nothing funny about it. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but in this case it's dark enough to be the plot of a Stephen King novel. Given that King is a part-time Florida resident himself, I would imagine he might agree:

Take a man who ran a company that was dealt the largest fine in history for Medicare fraud, and who made a career out of preventing people from obtaining affordable health care, elect him as governor of a state chock-full of retirees, not to mention Republican and Tea Party lawmakers, give him free reign to run the state "like a business" and oh, while you're at it, put him in charge of privatizing Medicaid after he spent most of his time in office saying no to the same until he he was able to control it. So yes, truth is worse than fiction. After all, while he fights against your ability to get good health care without going bankrupt to do so, he pays less than $400 a year for his own. 

Nice benefits, if you can get them. But you can't. You aren't Rick Scott, or one of his puppets in the legislature. Membership has its privileges.

Of course, the Mother Jones piece is only the beginning of the story, and many chapters are yet to be written. We're almost two years out from the next election and the chance to be rid of Scott and those Republicans. The only problem is, at the rate they're going, we may not be afforded that opportunity. If you take a look at some of what they tried to do in last year's legislative session, but failed, look at this year's agenda and you'll soon discover they haven't given up hope. 

They botched the 2012 election in spite of rewriting the election laws, but now with promises of "reform" they probably won't make that mistake again if we let them. Anyone who pays attention to the Republican-Tea Party "business model" knows that "reform" has an entirely different meaning for them than it does for the rest of the world. (They're already taking "field trips" to voting equipment centers.) But there's lots to come between now and that election. Here's just a few of the things they've put on the table this year:

Giving Scott more power to pick judges. Today the House will take up a measure that gives the governor more control over judicial nominating commissions. Last year a similar measure passed in the House, but failed in the Senate. 

"Is our children learning yet?" Much like "reform," the phrase "parental choice" isn't what it sounds like when it comes to schools. Last year, the controversial "parent trigger" bill failed after a tough fight. Unfortunately it's back this year, and Democrats say this time they can't stop it. As if he hadn't done enough damage to education here already, the Jeb Bush charter school privatization model will take root with Republican's help. Any hope of students learning how to do something other than take tests is now merely a dream for previously hopeful parents. Ka-ching.

Ethics? Again, not what you think it means. Delay the time frame to step out of elected office and immediately into a private lobbying firm? The Senate is all for it.......no, just kidding! And again, Ka-ching.

Domestic partnership rights? Sorry, you'll likely have to find a state that has moved on from the stone age. But those in Florida who speak out against it "pray for you." So there's that....

Court orders are nothing to sneeze at....unless you're in Orange County. In that case, they are ignored, especially if they involve a bill giving workers paid sick time. Spoiler alert, it's not exactly the "happiest place on earth" to work.

A wage you can live on? No, Orange County also says "no" to a living wage for the trouble of working while sick. (But bless you!)

The low cost of doing business. Tax giveaways to those "job creators" whether they create them or not, and if so, whether they pay a living wage if you're sick or not? You can probably bank on it, in spite of Rick Scott's track record.

Like clean water? Too bad, you're out of luck again this year, and for years to come unless things change. Take it from former Governor Bob Graham. 

State Parks? Ditto.

Scott's goodie bag: The "Families First" budget. Yes, he's up to his old tricks what with his fuzzy math and education shell games, and Democrats are crying foul. 

But then it's what we've come to expect from Rick Scott: Very little.

Of course it goes without saying, this year we'll probably see plenty of bills that allow abortions for no one, but guns for everybody, because that's just how the Republican-Tea Party rolls these days.

Those are just a scant few of the items up for this year. I've barely scratched the surface.

Now about that "election law reform......"

On March 5th, find an Awake The State "Free The Vote Rally" near you, here. 

GOP Seeks To Give Rick Scott More Power Over Election He's In Danger Of Losing

"No Pressure"

I touched on this briefly in a post yesterday, but it's a revelation so blatantly appalling that it really deserves it's own post.

It surfaced when Secretary of State Ken Detzner informed the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee that on election day last November, some elections supervisors management was so poor that it could have led to Rick Scott actually removing them. Detzner told them:

“Without pointing any fingers, and without calling out names, I would say that there were situations, both in the general election and prior to that, that the administration of an election in a county came very, very, very close … to a decision to have somebody relieved of their duties.” 

This led to a proposal from Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla. (R-Lines Were Long And I Helped By Sponsoring HB1355). Never mind the "coulda', woulda', shoulda' "no finger pointing suggestion" from Detzner, the Miami Republican thinks that removing a election official should become a promise, rather than a threat:

Targeting five counties that saw the worst problems during the 2012 elections, Florida legislators are considering giving Gov. Rick Scott and his administration broader power to remove elections supervisors or put them on probation.

Some critics say the move is an attempt to scapegoat supervisors for long lines caused mainly by legislators, who shortened early voting and lengthened the ballot with 11 proposed constitutional amendments.

The proposal came from Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, a Miami Republican who sponsored the 2011 election bill (HB 1355), signed into law by Scott, that critics say made voting more arduous last year. Diaz de la Portilla’s latest measure would require supervisors to issue reports to the Florida secretary of state three months before an election, attesting to their readiness.

Because a governor who currently has an approval rating of 33 percent, faces a difficult reelection, and trails his would be Democrat Charlie Crist opponent by 14 points, can never have too much power over the election process. Am I right?

Seriously.

Never mind that he and the Republicans used their "power" (and some they shouldn't have) over the last election by purging voter rolls and changing the election laws, and successfully disenfranchising many of those voters. They still lost.

Never mind that the Detzner Pointing Fingers Listening Tour on "what went wrong" with the election was really just a cosmetic effort.

They know very well what went wrong. They had a plan that worked as intended: HB1355, but it didn't work well enough. No matter how many times Rick Scott says "he did the right thing" we know he was warned of the problems that would ensue, had the chance to change his mind and didn't, signed the bill into law anyway, and when he had the chance to merely extend voting hours when those lines kept growing on election night, he said no.

So now when there's the honest chance to really fix what is clearly wrong, the Republican solution is to give him even more power over the election process?

What's wrong with this picture? Because he can't simply declare himself King Of The Swamp he's creating, this is the only alternative?

Sure looks like it. Because if they throw up all those roadblocks, but the voters insist on exercising their right to vote, and would probably prefer to elect one of the pythons currently slithering around in the Everglades rather than hand Lord Voldemort a second term, the next natural step would be the potential threat of firing an election official if they don't perform to Scott's liking? 

Because we've already heard that the election from hell "wasn't the fault of the Republicans, Detzner, or Scott." We've seen the "proposed changes" that would supposedly put many of the pre-HB1355 procedures back to what they were. But those are just proposals, and we've got a long way to go before 2014.

When Scott faces an even worse chance of being reelected than he had as an unknown candidate, except for his history running a company that broke new records for Medicare fraud, the incentive to really "fix" the system is very low.

Or very high, depending on your definition of the word "fix."