Well this could be interesting. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Republican Florida Gov. Rick Scott is considering a Democrat to be his lieutenant governor.
The Sentinel is reporting that Orange County schools superintendent Barbara Jenkins is on Scott's short list for the largely meaningless post that has no job description other than taking the governor's place should he die.
Why would Scott pick a Democrat? With Scott who knows. The one consistency about Florida's governor is his inconsistency.
According to the Sentinel, when Jenkins was asked about becoming Scott's new LG she said, "I can't talk about it."
Watching Scott's transformation continues to be fascinating. He took office as a champion of the Tea Party. Since then he has swung to the left and to the right confusing Republicans and Tea Party stalwarts.
The fact that he is even considering someone from the Democratic Party to replace Jennifer Carrol, who quit the job in March, is only going to contribute to the confusion about Scott.
Of course, Jenkins is not a done deal. Scott could still pick a Republican.
Meanwhile, former Repubican, no party, now-Democrat Charlie Crist must be very amused.
We should note that Florida has survived not having a lieutenant governor since Carrol's resignation in March. Maybe the time has come to consider abolishing the office.
Former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney tells CNN that he was upset about his "47 percent" remark during a campaign stop in Boca. It's not clear whether he is upset that he said it, or that he got caught saying it. You decide:
Floridians have known Rick
Scott as their governor for 883 days. So far, they still do not think much of
him. Lord knows he’s tried to win their affection. But it seems no matter what
Scott does, he still comes across as that slightly odd uncle who you politely
endure during a family gathering.
His political advisers don’t
seem to know what to do with him. At
first they seemed to think he was the imperial governor of the Tea Party State.
When that idea started to unravel someone must have whispered in his ear to let
him know about the rest of the Republican Party.
Pity the GOP. When Scott slipped onto the Florida political stage
in 2010 they didn’t have a clue about Scott. The GOP establishment was backing
then-Attorney General Bill McCollum. His folks were already dreaming about the
inauguration when this unknown bald guy started airing commercials. Even the
Tallahassee press corps was caught flatfooted.
Seventy million dollars
later, Scott had ousted McCollum and squeaked out a victory over Democrat Alex
Sink.
Scott got 48.9 percent of the
vote. No Florida governor has won with less than 50 percent of the vote. In 2006, then-Republican Charlie Crist won
with 52.2 percent. Republican Bush won in 2002 with 56 percent and in 1998 with
55.3 percent. In 1994, Democrat Lawton Chiles won with 50.8 percent and in 1990
with 56.5 percent. In 1986, Republican Bob Martinez won with 54.6 percent.
Democrat Bob Graham won with a huge 64.7 percent in 1982 and 55.6 percent in
1978.
It bears repeating. Scott got
48.9 percent.
And his approval rating
remains, well, dismal. A March Quinnipiac
University poll found that only 32 percent of Florida voters think Scott
deserves a second term. Only 36 percent approved of the job he is doing.
Those numbers explain why
Rick Scott is worried. Even if his political advisers publicly dismiss the
polls, you can be certain that their own internal polls are not any better. It
explains why the Florida GOP, on behalf of Scott, have been attacking Charlie
Crist –let’s dub him a RepInDocrat – who is seriously thinking of challenging
Scott.
Crist has them worried. Scott’s
team is convinced that they must tear Crist to shreds now in order to bloody
him before he formally enters the ring.
This does not suggest that they have a great deal of confidence in Scott’s
reelection chances.
Polls show Crist winning by
double digits if he becomes the Democratic nominee. Even Alex Sink, who brings
heavy sighs to many Democrats when there is talk about her possible candidacy, easily
defeats Scott in the polls.
Give Scott credit. Despite
883 days of dismal polls, he appears to be sticking by his political team led
by Tony Fabrizio. Of course some folks who have worked with Scott suggest that
the problem is not Scott’s political team but Scott himself. They acknowledge
that Scott is “odd” and doesn’t always follow advice.
Scott’s biggest problem is
not Crist or Sink. It is Scott. Floridians just don’t have a connection with
him. They knew little about him when he suddenly appeared in 2010. They
overlooked controversies involving Scott because of a crummy economy and
disgust with the status quo.
Scott promised to bring jobs
and to his credit he has worked doggedly at doing that. He aggressively courts
companies and has had considerable success. He now hopes that he can translate
that success into a winning formula for his reelection.
But here’s the most important election question – even if voters give Scott credit for improving Florida’s
economy, will they like him to give him a second term?
As of about 3:08 p.m. on June 5,
2013, the Nov, 4, 2014 election is in:
Each year at the close of Florida's 60 day legislative session, the sergeants of each chamber go the Rotunda to drop a handkerchief signaling the end of the session. It doesn't always work out. There have been times when one chamber has left early, sometimes in a huff, which makes a mess of the hanky drop.
The whole thing got started when the Senate President and House Speaker had no other way to signal the end of the session. There was a time when the chambers did not face each other. That got remedied when the chambers were aligned. Then of course with the advent of phones the whole ceremony became simply symbolic.
In one of these photos one might spot a young Ron Book looking on. And you will also see when one chamber sergeant dropped a tablecloth instead of a handkerchief. Is is also interesting to note that until fairly recently, spectators were not roped off.
1955 - House Sergeant-at-Arms Amos Davis dropping
handkerchief.
1961 House Sergeant-at-Arms Amos Davis dropping
handkerchief.
1963 House Sergeant at Arms, W.A. Ballentine
(l), and Senate Sergeant at Arms, LeRoy Adkison.
1978 House Sergeant-at-Arms
Wayne Westmark (l), Senate Sergeant-at-Arms John Melton.
1979 House Sergeant-at-Arms
Wayne Westmark (l) brings a tablecloth. On the right is Senate Sergeant-at-Arms John Melton.
George P. Bush is just a few monthes into his bid to be Texas Land Commissioner and apparently he is running against Barack Obama. The son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is showing a bit of flare is this video that one never saw in his dad's ads.
In the video, Bush the younger says today is President Obama's favorite day of the year. Why you ask? Because it is April 15 - Tax Day. A grinning George sprinkles the ad with video of Obama dancing.
We're not exactly sure what the Texas Land Commissioner has to do with Tax Day. Maybe Uncle George W. and granddad George H.W. could let us know.
Look, the fact is that any poll on April 3, 2013 trying to tell you what voters are really thinking about 2016 is, well, silly.
Most voters don't give a flip about 2016. They don't care about 2014. But, what would a pollster do if pollster wasn't polling. Birds have wings, birds fly.
Supporters of Florida Senator Marco Rubio will point to the poll and note that he with a meager 19 percent support, he leads the field. Others will note that former Florida governor, Jeb Bush is at the bottom with a mere 10 percent.
This poll really tells us very little about the future. But it is fun to read anyway. Just keep in mind what Peter Brown of Quinnipiac writes:
“Three years before the nominating process, the Republicans have no clear favorite.”
They sure don't. Nor should they.
Here's the Quinnipiac statement:
There is no front-runner now for the 2016 Republican
presidential nomination, leaving a five-way horse race with no candidate above
19 percent among Republican voters, according to a Quinnipiac University
national poll released today.
New Jersey
Gov. Christopher Christie, who ran better than other Republicans against top
Democrats in a March 7 survey of all American voters by the independent
Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University, gets only 14 percent of Republican
voters today.
Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio gets 19
percent of Republican voters, with 17 percent for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin,
15 percent for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and 10 percent for former
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Other contenders
are at 3 percent or less.
The March
7 poll of all American voters, pitting Vice President Joseph Biden, former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo against
Christie, Ryan or Rubio showed Christie was the second most popular leader,
topping Biden and Cuomo but trailing Clinton.
“Three years
before the nominating process, the Republicans
have no clear favorite,” said Peter A.
Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Sen. Marco Rubio benefits from his exposure
giving the GOP response to the State of the Union while Congressman Paul Ryan
is known as the Republican vice presidential candidate. But history tells us being the running-mate on
a losing ticket does not help one’s presidential chances. The last three
Republicans in that spot were Sarah Palin, Jack Kemp and Dan Quayle, while the
Democrats in that role were John Edwards, Joe Lieberman and Lloyd Bentsen.”
Republican voters say 59 – 23 percent
that they prefer someone with experience as a governor, rather than a senator
as their party’s nominee.
Look, the fact is that any poll on April 3, 2013 trying to tell you what voters are really thinking about 2016 is, well, silly.
Most voters don't give a flip about 2016. They don't care about 2014. But, what would a pollster do if pollster wasn't polling. Birds have wings, birds fly.
Supporters of Florida Senator Marco Rubio will point to the poll and note that he with a meager 19 percent support, he leads the field. Others will note that former Florida governor, Jeb Bush is at the bottom with a mere 10 percent.
This poll really tells us very little about the future. But it is fun to read anyway. Just keep in mind what Peter Brown of Quinnipiac writes:
“Three years before the nominating process, the Republicans have no clear favorite.”
They sure don't. Nor should they.
Here's the Quinnipiac statement:
There is no front-runner now for the 2016 Republican
presidential nomination, leaving a five-way horse race with no candidate above
19 percent among Republican voters, according to a Quinnipiac University
national poll released today.
New Jersey
Gov. Christopher Christie, who ran better than other Republicans against top
Democrats in a March 7 survey of all American voters by the independent
Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University, gets only 14 percent of Republican
voters today.
Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio gets 19
percent of Republican voters, with 17 percent for U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin,
15 percent for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and 10 percent for former
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Other contenders
are at 3 percent or less.
The March
7 poll of all American voters, pitting Vice President Joseph Biden, former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo against
Christie, Ryan or Rubio showed Christie was the second most popular leader,
topping Biden and Cuomo but trailing Clinton.
“Three years
before the nominating process, the Republicans
have no clear favorite,” said Peter A.
Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “Sen. Marco Rubio benefits from his exposure
giving the GOP response to the State of the Union while Congressman Paul Ryan
is known as the Republican vice presidential candidate. But history tells us being the running-mate on
a losing ticket does not help one’s presidential chances. The last three
Republicans in that spot were Sarah Palin, Jack Kemp and Dan Quayle, while the
Democrats in that role were John Edwards, Joe Lieberman and Lloyd Bentsen.”
Republican voters say 59 – 23 percent
that they prefer someone with experience as a governor, rather than a senator
as their party’s nominee.
Is U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson the real savior of the Florida Democratic Party? Some folks think that Nelson should run for governor.
So with that in mind, a few questions:
Would newly minted Democrat Charlie Crist run against Nelson in a Democratic primary?
Could Crist defeat Nelson?
Would Nelson be able to raise the money?
Would Crist stay out of the raise if Nelson got in?
Is there anybody else in the Democratic Party who could give Crist a serious run for the nomination?
These questions are being asked in Democratic circles - the answers will say a lot about the future of the Florida Democratic Party.
Last week, The Palm Beach Post reported this:
“Right now Sen. Nelson cannot envision a circumstance under which he would run for governor. But he remains very concerned about the state’s future,” Nelson communications director Dan McLaughlin said.
If you are one of those who believe Nelson should run - hang your hopes on the words, "Right now."
Another poll, another bad day for Florida Gov. Rick Scott. A new Quinnipiac University poll has Scott trailing former Gov. Charlie Crist by 16 points.
Even worse is this tidbit from the Q-poll:
Florida voters say 50 – 40 percent that Crist’s
switch from Republican to independent and now to Democrat is a positive thing
that shows he is a pragmatist, rather than a negative thing that shows he lacks
core beliefs.
And then there is this:
Scott’s potential vulnerability is evidenced by
the fact that only 32 percent of voters say he deserves a second term in
office, including just 28 percent of independent voters. His job approval rating is a negative 36 – 49 percent,
compared to his negative 36 – 45 percent disapproval in a December 19 survey. . .
There is a touch of good news for Scott. The poll suggests he should win the GOP primary:
Scott’s support among Republicans appears
pretty solid, although he has a lot of fences to mend with independent voters
and he has virtually no crossover appeal to Democrats.
The poll suggests that if Republican Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam wants to challenge Scott in the GOP primary Putnam would have a difficult time.
Here's how the poll was done:
From
March 13 – 18, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,000 registered voters with a
margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points.
The survey includes 353 Republicans with a margin of error of +/- 5.2
percent. Live interviewers call land
lines and cell phones.
My decision yesterday
to resign as Lieutenant Governor represents my unwavering commitment
to the great state of Florida. I simply refuse to allow the allegations facing a
former client of my public relations firm to undermine the important work of the
Governor and his administration. It was a difficult decision, but one that I know
is right for Florida, my family and me.
As has been widely
reported in the press, prior to my election as Lt. Governor, a company I co-owned, 3
N.&J.C. Corporation, provided consulting services for Allied Veterans of
the World, Inc. Having learned that Allied Veterans is now the subject of an
investigation by federal and state agencies, I have and will continue to fully cooperate
with any investigation. Although I do not believe I or my company are targets
of the investigation, I could not allow my company's former affiliation with
Allied Veterans to distract from the administration's important work for the families
of Florida.
Through my years of
public service, I have always tried to work for the betterment of my state and my
nation. The jobs I was able to bring to Florida in the space, aerospace and the
military support industries provided job opportunities for many displaced
workers. I am particularly proud of our successful efforts over the last two years to
bring aircraft manufacturing for the Light Air Support program to Jacksonville.
