Beach Peanuts

Winner Takes All, Literally

This video from the  Transport Workers Union of America looks perfectly believable to many of us living in Florida, who are literally the losers either way. Texas too for that matter.

Sorry people.

No pie for you.

 

Rick Scott, GOP: "Pay No Attention To The Stimulus Behind The Curtain"

Hey, remember the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act? (You know, the Republican "four letter word" also known as the "stimulus?")

Well guess what?

A new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report estimates that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) increased the number of people employed by between 1.0 million and 2.9 million jobs as of June.

In other words, between 1.0 million and 2.9 million people employed in June owed their jobs to the Recovery Act. This estimate, by Congress' non-partisan economic and budget analysts, is more comprehensive than the 550,000 jobs that ARRA recipients reported in July, CBO explains.

While the report focuses primarily on the second quarter of 2011, CBO also includes new projections of the Recovery Act's jobs impact through 2012. It finds that in the current quarter (the third quarter of 2011), there are 0.8 million to 2.5 million more people employed because of ARRA.

The CBO report indicates that ARRA succeeded in its primary goal of protecting the economy during the worst of the recession. As the economy recovers, ARRA's effects will continue to decrease. CBO estimates that ARRA's impact on employment peaked in the third quarter of 2010, when between 1.4 million and 3.6 million people owed their jobs to the Recovery Act.

Not included of course, all those jobs in Florida that would have been, had Governor Rick Scott not thumbed his nose at stimulus dollars for high-speed rail. Luckily people who have smarter leaders in other states are the beneficiaries of Ricky's "genius" business model. Maybe Scott can dazzle the folks in the unemployment line with his "Seven Steps" speech during his next "Let's Get To Work Day?"

As for the rest of the Republican party, tell us about those tax cuts for the "job creators" again?

How's that working out?

The Straw Poll That Broke The Camel's Back?

(Graphic: Beach Peanuts)

If the Florida Republican "Presidency 5" straw poll is such a strong indicator of which candidate will win the state primary and the Presidential nomination, then why are so many of the current crop of GOP houseplants candidates so afraid to participate in it?

The short answer: it helps to show up.

This year, though, the so-called “Presidency 5” straw poll has most of the presidential campaigns skittish, confused or decidedly unenthusiastic. Only Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul have committed to participate in the mock election, which essentially means showing up that Saturday afternoon and giving a speech.

“I don’t see any path to the White House that doesn’t include victory in Florida and for Republicans that starts when you have 3,500 of the most active Republicans in the state coming to see you and hear you to understand if you’re the best candidate to defeat Barack Obama,” said Brian Hughes, the Republican Party of Florida communications director.

In a campaign cycle where the GOP field is trying to marshal resources, though, Florida’s mock election has most of the top-tier candidates steering clear. Romney and Michele Bachmann have already announced they won’t participate, while Texas Gov. Rick Perry hasn’t decided.

In Michele Bachmann's case, her own ignorance may be the reason for her lack of interest, if she thinks like in Iowa she has to bus in her own supporters and spend big bucks to wine, dine, and corn dog them in exchange for votes. After all, her win in Iowa came at a price but it didn't last. All she has to show for it is that embarrassing photo-op.

Nope. To win in Florida you have to show up, work a little, and actually campaign for your trouble. Plus, why work up a sweat when you have your very own television network like FOX-GOP-TV hosting your next* debate right here in Florida that will eliminate the weaklings in the party for you? It's probably no wonder the lesser candidates are the only ones willing to work the crowds. They know it's their only chance. The established Republicans are still pulling the. strings. The problem for them is those debates only illustrate to a nationwide audience that Republicans have no platform beyond criticism and tax cuts.

The candidates aren't the only ones who are suffering from a lack of interest. So are the voters.

And for good reason.

*Correction: The FOX debate in Florida is on Sept. 22. The next debate is in California on Sept. 7 on MSNBC.

Put In Perspective: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

On the current Supreme Court judicial nomination process:

"Today, my ACLU connection would probably disqualify me."

     - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

(h/t Think Progress)

Irene Is Gone But Hurricane Bachmann Still Threatens The Country And She's Moving South (UPDATED)

The Face Of The GOP: Be Afraid

(Updated Below)

A good friend who comes from Michele Bachmann's home state once told me this in response to a question about what exactly makes Bachmann tick:

"She really believes in what she says."

That's the scary part.

Hurricane Bachmann is making her way through Florida right now and she's shown that she's not above exploiting natural disasters to claw her way back to the top in the polls since her numbers fell after winning the straw poll in Iowa. Whether she believes in what she says or not, this statement of hers over the weekend deserves some much needed attention:

“I don’t know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We’ve had an earthquake; we’ve had a hurricane. He said, ‘Are you going to start listening to me here?’ Listen to the American people because the American people are roaring right now. They know government is on a morbid obesity diet and we’ve got to rein in the spending.”

First of all, she said this while making a campaign speech/sermon at a mega-church, and the response was laughter. Mind you, this as Hurricane Irene was still unfolding and killing people in the process. Since videos of the statement surfaced (she made it twice during separate campaign stops) some have made the claim that she was joking.

Really? She was just joking....at the same moment that people were dying in the storm? (Bachmann "Humor" Update Below)

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the face of today's GOP. If you thought the Republican response to Katrina was a "joke" the next disaster will be a riot if the Republicans get back into the White House. Sadly we won't have to wait that long. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor has said once again, as he did for tornado and earthquake aid earlier, that Republicans won’t allow emergency aid in the wake of Hurricane Irene unless Democrats meet GOP demands: dollar-for-dollar spending cuts elsewhere. Of course that probably translates to another attempt at safety net blackmail instead of cutting oil subsidies and asking the rich to pay their fair share of taxes like the rest of us.

Hilarious.

That brings me to the second point. Hurricanes and earthquakes are God's way of telling politicians to cut back on spending? Really? I could have sworn they were God's way of punishing homosexuals? What about abortions? No matter though. Apparently God multi-tasks when handing out punishment, and Michele Bachmann has all of those wayward souls covered. She and the hubby "pray away the gay" (funding provided by Medicare) and counsel women against having abortions. Never mind that when those children grow up, President Bachmann would then rob them of affordable health care while lowering their wages if they're lucky enough to find employment, as she rakes in her family farm subsidies. (Subsidies aren't "socialism" if they go to Republicans and billionaires.) Isn't that, after all, what Jesus would do?

Back to the current disaster in the making. Potential President Bachmann's stand-up tour is moving South. After charming the silly socks off parishioners in Lutz, Bachmann moved on from getting heckled in Naples over her proposal to open up the Everglades to drilling "safely" while also proposing to kill the EPA, she's heading to Miami. No doubt she'll continue to push a Marco Rubio VP slot while she's there. (Good luck with that!) Maybe she can charm them as she did in Lutz with this line:

“You’re Cuban, yay!’’ Bachmann exclaimed in response to a question about Fidel Castro from 66-year-old retiree Gabriela Menendez, who has lived in the U.S. since 1961. “You made it out, yay! We’re glad that you’re here.’’

Maybe ask another senior citizen if they're "old enough to remember Ronald Reagan?" (Go ahead, scratch your head over that one for a moment. I'll wait.)

Whatever she says, I'm sure her views on God and natural disasters will be a big hit to those who still remember Hurricane Andrew and lived to tell the tale. 

They might be surprised to hear that they suffered the brunt of too much government spending back in 1992.

They may also be surprised to hear that if another one comes their way, praying for help may do them absolutely no good if President Bachmann or the Republicans are in charge.

UPDATE:

Bachmann confirmed that her comments on hurricanes and earthquakes were indeed jokes, and has responded to criticism of her natural disaster "humor."

From The Hill:

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) said Monday that her comments that a recent earthquake and Hurricane Irene were a message from God were a joke, Reuters reported.

“Of course I was being humorous when I said that. It would be absurd to think it was anything else,” Bachmann said at an event in Miami.

“I am a person who loves humor. I have a great sense of humor.”

It's "absurd" all right.

Thanks for clearing that up "Dr. Bachmann."

Hurricane? Ron Paul Says "Let's Party Like It's 1900!"

I've heard people complaining lately that nobody in the media is covering Ron Paul, in spite of the fact that he's running for President.

My first reaction was "There's a good reason for that. He's Ron Paul."

Well, I read something today that changed that initial reaction.

Since he won't go away, and is currently number four in the latest polling for candidates in the GOP clown car, maybe he does deserve more coverage. Granted, I'm not a member of the traditional media, but I'll jump in anyway, because this little item deserves all the coverage it can get:

Ron Paul slammed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and said that no national response to Hurricane Irene is necessary.

"We should be like 1900; we should be like 1940, 1950, 1960," Paul said. "I live on the Gulf Coast; we deal with hurricanes all the time. Galveston is in my district.

"There's no magic about FEMA. They're a great contribution to deficit financing and quite frankly they don't have a penny in the bank. We should be coordinated but coordinated voluntarily with the states," Paul told NBC News. "A state can decide. We don't need somebody in Washington."

Yeah! Who needs FEMA? 

Really? I'll bet the people of his district in Galveston might feel a little differently about that, especially if they have to rely on Ron Paul to act in their best interests the next time a hurricane comes their way. Do they agree with Paul, that "We should be like 1900?"

Like this 1900, from the NOAA website?

On September 8, 1900, the greatest natural disaster to ever strike the United States occurred at Galveston, Texas. In the early evening hours of September 8, a hurricane came ashore at Galveston bringing with it a great storm surge that inundated most of Galveston Island and the city of Galveston. As a result, much of the city was destroyed and at least 6,000 people were killed in a few hours time. The following is the account of Isaac M. Cline, the senior Weather Bureau employee present at Galveston, of the events leading up to the storm, his personal experiences in the storm, and the aftermath. The horror of Galveston is only partly described in this work. He was probably somewhat still in shock when he wrote this report as he lost his wife when his house collapsed during the storm and virtually all of his possessions. In a later biographical work, he referred to the shooting of hundreds of looters by vigilantes in the aftermath of the storm and the cremation of hundreds of unknown storm victims who otherwise would have decomposed where they lay. This particular report is excerpted from the Monthly Weather Review for September, 1900. 

You can read the entire account from Isaac M. Cline here.

Doesn't that paint a rosy picture of Ron Paul's vision for America 111 years later?

It's bad enough that the current Republicans in Congress want to cut funding for weather satellites and hurricane hunters from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, all of which provide critical information and help predict the path of a hurricane. That's not nearly good enough for Ron Paul. He not only doesn't want "demon big government" to prevent disaster, he doesn't think it should lift a finger to help in the aftermath either.

To quote President Obama, when speaking of the GOP: "You're on your own!"

And then some, says Ron Paul!

Ron Paul may have some warped romantic vision of the good old days before there was "modern technology" and an evil organization like FEMA, but many of us who live along the Gulf Coast and have lived through actual hurricanes don't share it.

Meanwhile, back to those of you who say there's not enough coverage of Ron Paul?

Well, there ya' go!

Rick Scott, Jeb 2.0, And The Case Of The Missing E-Mails

Gov. Ricky-Jeb

Transparency in government. What a concept.

By now I'm sure you've heard the story of Florida Gov. Opaque And The Missing E-mails.

If not, to make a long story short, it seems that the e-mail accounts of Rick Scott and most of the governor-elect's transition team were deleted soon after he took office, potentially erasing public records that state law requires be kept.

To make a long explanation short, Chris Kise, Scott's transition attorney and public records adviser summed it up this way:

But Kise describes it as an oversight, the result, he said, of a chaotic transition run by a largely out-of-state staff still learning Florida law and unfamiliar with the technology that ran the e-mail system.

A few observations here:

1. Right....

2. Rick Scott has a "public records adviser??"

3. That paragraph pretty much explains the entire Rick Scott administration, which is why many of us          said he shouldn't be the governor in the first place.

The governor now claims to be on the case and is investigating himself. The suspense is killing me on just how that will pan out.

However, all was not lost. Some records were actually recovered. Among the recovered e-mails was one from a former governor to the present office holder, and that governor apparently wasn't finished being governor yet.

Despite his two terms in office, it seems Jeb Bush has some unfinished "business" he wants to take care of. Business he was hoping Charlie Crist would take care of for him. Sadly for Jebbie, Crist didn't take the hint, so Jeb tried again, in spite of his claim that he didn't "want to be presumptuous."

Right. Because everyone knows the Bush clan is anything but "presumptuous!" That's why Jeb's little known son recently announced he was endorsing Jon Huntsman for President, and the nation reacted thusly:

"Who? Oh. Whatever..."

So former Gov. Un-Presumptuous sent an e-mail to current Gov. Presumptuous AND Incompetent outlining some to-do items apparently left over from his own list:

"Save the e-mails!"

No, not really. Just kidding. Although I'm sure Jeb wishes the cyber-dog had eaten this particular e-mail.

Here is some of the actual advice and some of the "guidelines" Jeb Bush kindly wrote out for Rick Scott to follow:

"You didn't ask for this, but it is the standard envelope in the desk to the new guy' for words from the old guy," Bush wrote. "To be honest, I did the same thing to Gov. Crist but he did nothing I suggested, so with the risk of being presumptuous, I am trying again."

Bush's list of "lessons learned through trial and error" covered a range of issues, including an assurance that it was "OK to veto stupid bills" from lawmakers and to make sure Scott's wife, Ann, had an effective staff as first lady.

Bush's e-mail was sent just days before Scott was sworn in on Jan. 4.

In two separate documents attached to the e-mail, Bush urged Scott to end one of the state's pension plans, sell the Florida Virtual School and take his first trade mission to Brazil and Colombia. (Scott is traveling to Brazil in October.)

Bush, the state's last two-term governor, also told his fellow Republican to "own the budget," even though lawmakers are in charge of appropriating money.

"By aggressively dominating the budget, the Legislature will grouse but it brings order to the whole process for them to be working off your budget and agenda," Bush said. "The budget drives policy."

Some of Bush's ideas were turned into state law this year, including a plan expand online education in public schools and another to put Medicaid patients into managed care. Scott supported both on the campaign.

Surely his advice on virtual schools and online learning had nothing to do with Jeb's Foundation For Florida's Future, or Ignite!, the education software company run by Jeb's brother Neil?

Bush urged Scott to push for "education savings accounts," acknowledging that the universal private school vouchers would be a constitutional issue.

"I don't know how our court will respond but it will be a game changer for the country and you might have the chance to change the makeup of the court," he wrote.

Coincidentally, Rick is already working on that whole "makeup of the court thing."

Bush also suggested saving more than $150 million a year by stopping the state from paying for "institutes" at universities and selling off the Florida Virtual School while using the proceeds to fund a technology initiative that would lead the nation.

Bush's advice veered away from policy to suggestions on how to lead the fourth-most populous state in the country.

Bush said the ability "to convene to listen and learn" was among the most "understated" powers of the office.

Listen and learn? Sorry Jeb. Scott's ignoring that one, for the most part.

"You can bring together the best and the brightest throughout the state and around the country, and you should take advantage of it," Bush wrote. "If you have a view already, the power to convene can validate that view and allow for a great chance of its implementation."

So it looks like the governor who rarely takes advice from anyone is taking quite a bit from Jeb Bush. For Floridians who thought they were finished with Jeb, only to descend to the bottom of the barrel with Rick Scott, it looks like they're getting the worst of both worlds.

Welcome to your worst nightmare: Jeb 2.0.

Word Salad à la Rubio

Here is Marco Rubio's speech at the Reagan Library Tuesday night below, in a nutshell.

Three words that don't stand out but were far from obscured in his speech?

"Social Security, Medicare and weakened."

In that Social Security and Medicare are working out great for Momma Rubio, but the rest of you? Forget about it. They only make you weak, so catch up on your own!

"Now can I have my entitlement VP spot on the 2012 ticket please?"

All Aboard? Following The Rick Scott Rail Money Trail

If you're wondering where that $2.4 billion's worth of high-speed rail money that Rick Scott blew off and all the jobs that went with it, wonder no more. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced that a portion of the high speed rail money that Gov. Rick Scott sent back to the Obama administration will go toward construction in the Northeast Corridor to upgrade some of the most heavily-used tracks.

“These grants are a win for our economy and a win for commuters all along the Northeast Corridor,” said Secretary Ray LaHood in a news release. “We are creating new construction jobs, ordering American-made supplies and improving transportation opportunities across a region where 50 million Americans live and work.”

LaHood said that the Northeast Corridor would receive $449.94 million to upgrade electrical systems and tracks between Trenton, NJ and New York City. Another $295.78 million will be spent on alleviating delays for trains coming in and out of Manhattan, but creating new routes that will allow Amtrak trains to bypass the busiest passenger rail junction in the country.

Meanwhile, back here in Florida Rick Scott continues to peddle his own facts to justify what a bad idea high-speed rail would have been. He probably knows what a big mistake it was to reject the project, but also probably doesn't care. By labeling it "ObamaRail" he telegraphs to commuters sitting in traffic for hours on end that he values his party over what's best for Floridians, and they can just eat those exhaust fumes as he flies over them on his own private jet.

Speaking of privatized travel, you might be surprised to know that the state has been conducting talks in secret over privatizing Tri-Rail, the south Florida commuter line. Tri-Rail board members certainly were surprised. They were never even informed of the idea which Rick Scott is of course open to.

The state has been in secret talks to transfer the operations of the South Florida commuter rail line, Tri-Rail, to the Florida East Coast Railway, The Palm Beach Post has learned.

The FEC, owned by the $44 billion capital management firm Fortress Investment Group, wants to provide passenger service on its line, which cuts through downtowns along the southeast coast. Tri-Rail operates on the CSX Railway farther to the west.

Negotiations have been so quiet that even Tri-Rail board members have not been informed.

"This has been so cloak and dagger the way this is all working out," said Tri-Rail board Chairwoman Kristin Jacobs, a Broward County commissioner. "We’ve never had dealings with another public agency where we were not at the table."

The talks have been led by the Florida Department of Transportation, which contributes about $30 million a year to Tri-Rail’s $61 million annual capital and operating subsidies. About $13 million comes from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties and the rest from the federal government.

Those close to the negotiations say legislation is likely to be proposed for the session beginning in January that would allow private firms to bid on running Tri-Rail, with the winning company agreeing to operate and manage the line at a price below the current taxpayer contribution.

"The governor is always willing to privatize portions of state government that doesn’t compromise public safety or necessary services," said Steve MacNamara, Scott’s chief of staff. "But I have not yet seen a good privatization plan for Tri-Rail."

The Republican governor used Tri-Rail as a weapon last spring against the state’s high-speed rail proposal. Scott refused $2.4 billion in federal money for the Tampa-to-Orlando leg of high-speed rail, saying he didn’t want to become embroiled in another money-losing venture.

The Scott administration has little control over the decisions of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the nine-member board that oversees Tri-Rail. The governor has just three appointees to the board, dominated by officials from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. The chairwoman, Jacobs, is a Broward County Democrat.

Among the governor’s advisers on transportation is Robert Poole of the Reason Foundation, who advocates road-building over passenger rail. He served on the governor’s transition team and will be among the speakers, along with Jacobs and an FEC vice president, at a transportation forum this afternoon at Lynn University.

The rail line is poised to profit from the expansion of the Port of Miami, recently keyed by the Scott administration’s infusion of $77 million toward a dredging project to enable the port to accept the largest cargo ships from the soon-to-be-expanded Panama Canal.

The FEC also is moving forward with government-subsidized, $50 million projects to provide direct links between docks and rail lines at the Port of Miami and Port Everglades in Broward County.

If the Reason Foundation rings a bell, it should. They're the manufacturers of those "facts" Gov. Scott used to reject the high-speed rail project in the first place. 

When Scott rejected the high-speed rail project he instead spoke of his plans for expansion of the Port of Miami.

CREW Asks FBI To Investigate Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)

Witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and bribery?

The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has asked the FBI to investigate Sarasota Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan for witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and bribery over campaign contributions based on a deposition given by Buchanan's former auto dealership partner Sam Kazran. CREW also made a request to the House Office of Congressional Ethics to conduct an inquiry. 

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the FBI to investigate Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) for witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and bribery.  CREW’s complaint is based largely on the deposition testimony of Rep. Buchanan’s former car dealership business partner Sam Kazran.  CREW also asked the House Office of Congressional Ethics to conduct an inquiry.

From CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan:

“The more you learn about Rep. Buchanan, the more morally bankrupt he appears.  “Not content with merely coercing employees to participate in a conduit contribution scheme, he offered a former business partner nearly $3 million to lie under oath about it.”

According to Mr. Kazran and several former employees of Rep. Buchanan’s dealerships, partners and employees who made contributions to Rep. Buchanan’s congressional campaigns were reimbursed with corporate funds.  CREW and two former Buchanan car dealership employees filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) regarding these allegations in August 2008.

During the course of the investigation into those allegations, the FEC deposed Mr. Kazran under oath.  Mr. Kazran explained that sometime after Rep. Buchanan launched his first campaign for Congress in 2005, and after Mr. Kazran had contributed the legal maximum to the campaign, Rep. Buchanan suggested he have others write checks to the campaign and reimburse them through the car dealerships.

Mr. Kazran’s relationship with Rep. Buchanan soured in June 2008, and the two ended up in litigation.  As part of a proposed settlement, Rep. Buchanan agreed to pay Mr. Kazran $2.9 million and to buy out Mr. Kazran’s share of a Kia dealership they were in the process of buying.  A caveat to the agreement required Mr. Kazran to sign an affidavit -- under penalty of perjury -- attesting that Rep. Buchanan had no involvement in or knowledge of the contribution scheme.  Another paragraph said Mr. Kazran consented to Rep. Buchanan filing the affidavit with the FEC.  In his sworn deposition testimony, Mr. Kazran said because the information in the affidavit was untrue, he had refused to sign it and the settlement talks fell apart.

“There is no question Rep. Buchanan sought to have Mr. Kazran lie under oath.  It’s right there in black and white in the text of the affidavit,” said Ms. Sloan. “By offering Mr. Kazran almost $3 million to sign a false affidavit to undermine the FEC’s investigation, Rep. Buchanan may have illegally engaged in witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and bribery. The FEC may have let Rep. Buchanan get away with this, but that doesn’t mean the FBI has to.”

You can read CREW's letter to the FBI here.

Rep. Buchanan currently holds the number 10 spot in the list of the 50 richest members of Congress with assets in the neighborhood of $77 million.

Buchanan also has a 110-foot, four cabin motor yacht he'd like to sell you for a mere $4.9 million, if you're interested.....