Beach Peanuts

Scott Fail: Gutless Backtrack And Response Edition

Enterprise Florida, Our Job...Is To Spend Your Money!

Yesterday we heard of yet another potential waste and abuse scandal involving an agency under the direction of Rick Scott. This time it's once again Enterprise Florida, the public-private agency charged with recruiting business and jobs to Florida. Turns out, in exchange for less than half of the jobs promised by Scott and crew, millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent by the agency on things like luxury hotels and restaurants, sky boxes, limos and some mighty eye-popping charges on the Enterprise Florida American Express cards. In other words, when Rick Scott said he would run Florida like a business, he neglected to mention that includes a limitless "company expense account" on your dime.

At the time of the CBS 12 report, Scott issued this response:

Rick Scott's "Job Recruiters" Are Getting A Luxurious Bang For Your Buck

Shoveling Your Money Into Their Pockets?

(Enterprise Florida Rebranding Courtesy of The Highest Bidder In...Tennessee)

What with all of Rick Scott's promises of job creation and a booming Florida economy since he first ran, you would think after three plus years under Gov. Wonderful's rule, our unemployment rate would be rock bottom and our economy would be better than leading only two other states, Wyoming and Alaska. Hardly the rainbows and unicorns we were promised.

He certainly wants us to believe he's laser focused on jobs, because no matter what question he's asked, and no matter what the issue, be it health care, or legalizing discrimination in Arizona, his answer is always the same: I'm focused on bringing jobs to our state.

He also would have us believe that all his taxpayer funded vacations travels to Spain, the UK, Brazil, Israel, Colombia, Canada, Chile and Paris, or what he calls "trade missions" are really paying off. The only problem is that, for most of those trade missions, we hear a lot about the missions, but not so much the "trade." Have we gotten an abundance of jobs in return for our pricey trade mission investments? Hardly.

Sounds Like We Got Rick Scott's "Answer" On Gay Discrimination Loud And Clear (Updated)

So, We Take It That's A "Yes" On Discrimination?

(Updated below)

Rick Scott made a national embarrassment of himself again this morning when he was asked if he thought Arizona's Governor Jan Brewer should sign the state's anti-gay bill into law, which would allow business owners to discriminate due to their "religious beliefs." As always, Scott refused to answer the question repeatedly.

Instead, he offered this:

No, You're Not Hallucinating, Rick Scott Is Accusing Others Of Raiding Medicare

A Once Prolific Taker Of The Fifth: Look Who's Talking Now!

Rick Scott has done a lot of, well, gutsy things, to put it mildly (and some things 75 times over), but his latest maneuver may just be the most blatantly hypocritical, and dare I say "one for the record books" to match the other record breaker he's famous for: Running a company that literally broke the record for Medicare fraud fines.

Since he doesn't have much of a record to run on given his last three disastrous years, he's returning to his old tricks by pretending he's running against President Obama again, to distract voters from real issues, and of all things, he's accusing President Obama of, wait for it....."raiding Medicare."

Another Rick Scott Claim Goes Down In Flames: Florida's Economy

When Rick Scott's claims of job creation weren't backed up by actual numbers, he just revised the math. He also ignored the fact that many of the jobs that were created were low paying jobs, and jobs likely without benefits, thanks to his corporate friendly policies. Many workers in Florida are barred from taking paid sick days, just for one example, while others were moved into part-time positions in order to avoid providing health care and other benefits. With more low paying jobs, there are more who could qualify for Medicaid, but Scott and the legislature said "no" to that too. Finally, for those who have lost their jobs altogether, Scott's botched unemployment website has made it nearly impossible to get benefits.

Yet Rick Scott chooses to hide all those factors in a little box, wrap them up, and put a "jobs and economy savior" bow on it.

Now, not only has his job creation claim gone down in flames, but his platitudes on what he's done for Florida's economy are tanking too.

Revisionist History With David Jolly

The Errors And Omissions Candidate

Hey GOP, that's some candidate you've got there. Just when voters might think they know everything about David Jolly, something new turns up. Sometimes several times in one day. So far, the only thing genuine about him seems to be that he's a slick politician.

Take the revisionist history in his campaign for the seat of his old boss, Bill Young.

Nelson On Scott's UI Delays: Investigate Possible Waste, Fraud, Abuse, Or Violations Of Law

DisCONNECT By Design?

Florida's Sen. Bill Nelson is calling for an investigation into Rick Scott's Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's handling of their new unemployment website that failed as soon as it launched back in October, delayed benefits for months, and is still facing problems. Add to the $63 million that Scott and the DEO threw at a company with a history of similar failures elsewhere, another $300,000 along with 250 new staff positions at $165,000 a week each, and the bill to taxpayers for little more than failure is really adding up.

Florida's Water Issues "Too Broad" For A Not Too Deep Weatherford

Floridians are being shortchanged and are suffering a huge disservice from their so-called political "leaders" in Florida. It's stunning. No, I'm not just talking about Rick Scott. Things were bad in the legislature under Republican control long before Dr. Evil came to Florida, met his residency requirement, then inserted himself as CEO while gutting Florida for profit, bowing at the altar of big business.

Sure, Rick Scott gets most of the attention these days both locally and nationally because of his sheer gall, not to mention his death stare. But there are many, MANY others deserving of attention, not only for their unbelievably bad political policies and decisions, but for their utter stupidity.

Case in point: Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford.

Florida Republican Matt Gaetz: SYG, Mugshots, Privilege, And Hypocrisy

Matt Gaetz: Arrested In 2008, Elected In 2010

Just after Michael Dunn was found not guilty of murdering 17-year-old Jordan Davis in Florida, Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz told CNN that the Stand Your Ground law, which he strongly supports, actually benefits African-Americans:

Shell Games? Florida's War On The Unemployed Gets A Wink And A Nod From Officials?

Hart, Scott, And DisCONNECT: A Wink, And A Nod To Disaster?

It seems that for the 100,000 Floridans who lost their jobs (through no fault of their own), and who now cannot gain access to the unemployment benefits they're eligible for, they and the state's costly but botched website is just a joke to the officials charged with running it.

Literally.