Crowley Political Report

Will Newt Gingrich disappoint Palm Beach GOP?

Maybe it's a  Sid Dinerstein curse. Poor Sid had lined up Herman Cain to be his keynote speaker for the Jan. 28, Palm Beach County Lincoln Day Dinner.

Dinerstein had every reason to be thrilled. Cain was on a roll and the party could count on Cain bringing in lots of folks willing to pay $195 to hear him speak.

Cain implodes.

Dinerstein needs a new speaker. Now this shouldn't be hard. The dinner is just three days before the Florida presidential primary. 

Not bad timing.

Dinerstein reeled in New Gingrich. 

Looked great. Gingrich was hot. His poll numbers climbing.

Uh oh.

Gingrich was slaughtered in Iowa and now some wonder if he will still be a candidate by the time Florida's primary rolls around.

Crowley Political Report suspects Gingrich will still draw a crowd no matter what happens to his campaign. 

But if Gingrich is out of the race, well, it just won't be the same for Sid.

Is that Santorum on the phone?

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Can Florida voters fall in love with Rick Scott?

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has the worst poll numbers of any governor in the nation.  His dismal 29 percent favorability rating has climbed to a mere 35 percent in a new Quinnipiac poll.

Scott has taken notice.

Despite repeatedly telling folks that he does not read newspapers or polls, Scott is clearly paying close attention to both.

In recent weeks, Scott has reshuffled his staff bringing on Tallahassee insider Steve McNamara as his chief-of-staff.  And, as Crowley Political Report and others have noted, Scott is making a greater effort to mingle with the folks.

Scott clearly has is work cut out for him.

According to Quinnipiac, "Florida voters say 45 – 34 percent that they do not like Scott as a person.  This is the highest ‘dislike’ seen in any state surveyed by Quinnipiac University this year.  Voters tend to like their governor, even when they disapprove of the job he or she is doing.  Florida voters like President Barack Obama as a person 69 – 18 percent, but disapprove 51 – 44 percent of the job he is doing, as reported yesterday."

In other findings:

Voters dislike his policies 54 – 34 percent;

Voters disapprove 57 – 32 percent of his handling of the state budget;

42 percent say budget cuts went too far, as 20 percent say not far enough and 25 percent say the cuts are about right;

Voters say 39 – 26 percent that spending cuts in the budget will hurt, rather than help, the Florida economy;

Voters say 51 – 33 percent that the new state budget is unfair to them.

Scott has his work cut out for him. Can he pull it off?

Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,417 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.6 percentage points.  Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The survey was conduct from July 27 to Aug 2.

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Rick Scott tosses aside the velvet rope

Last February, Crowley Political Report wrote about the appearance of the velvet rope.

This was a very bad sign. The staff of Florida Gov. Rick Scott decided they wanted to use a velvet rope to bring more decorum to the Tallahassee press corps.

Here's part of what we said then:

Good lord, there is going to be a lot of strain between the Tallahassee press corps and the newly minted administration of Gov. Rick Scott.

Blame it on the velvet rope.

Brian Burgess, the communications director for Scott, informed the press corps that the time-honored scrum of reporters surrounding the governor for a few final questions at the end of a press conference would be no more.

The kids must stay in their seats until Gov. Scott leaves the room. And there will be no crossing of the velvet rope.

In the great scheme of things it is no big deal. The scrum was often painfully silly and it was not as if suddenly governors were answering questions they refused to answer at the podium.

Still, while it added a bit of decorum to press conferences, the move needlessly annoyed the press corps which is already deeply suspect of the Scott administration.

The velvet ropes quickly disappeared but things still got worse from there. Much worse. Over the months, the Scott administration was often aloof and hostile - and not just with the media.

Now, with Scott's popularity in the tank, the governor has made some important changes.

And they are more than welcome.

Under the direction of his new chief-of-staff, Steve McNamara, Scott's office is much more open. Just in the last couple of weeks, Scott's office has:

 * Reduced the once onerous pricetag for public records making it less expensive for the media and citizens to obtain public records.

 * Invited reporters, for the first time since becoming governor, to spend time with him in his office in a relaxed give-and-take that seemed to work for everyone.

 * Announced that he will do his own series of Bob Graham style "workdays" that will allow Scott to do the jobs of Florida workers. This was an invaluable tool for Graham that gave him  a deep understanding about how issues affected ordinary Floridians.

 * Agreed to visit newspaper editorial boards to discuss issues.

While it appears that the credit for this change in attitude should go to McNamara, it would be unfair not to give credit to Scott.

The governor clearly came to understand that his method of doing business in Tallahassee was not working. He made significant changes in his leadership team and brought on McNamara who has a deep understanding for how Tallahassee operates.

There will always be a certain amout of stress between the media and elected officials. And no one should expect these changes not to be greeted with a bit of suspicion.

But it is a step in the right direction and Scott should get credit for being willing to make the necessary changes.

 

Rick Scott, Hamster Rage and the Chicago Artist

 
Let's begin with Crowley Political Report taking pride in the above artwork featuring Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Mike Bender of the St. Petersburg Times was part of a gaggle in Scott's office Monday when he noticed a copy of the drawing on the wall of Scott's new chief-of-staff, Steve McNamara. The drawing was done by Chicago-based artist and graphic designer Brian J. Crowley.

The younger version of the editor of Crowley Political Report is a highly talented artist as his drawing of Scott demonstrates.  He is also the author of Hamster Rage, a web comic with a rapidly growing audience. Learn more about the artist here.

We're told Scott's wife likes the drawing because it captures his eyes.

Indeed. Well if the Scotts would like to pay for a print - I think the artist would be interested.

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Ted Deutch uses Rick Scott as a foil to raise money

 
Ted Deutch wants his fellow Democrats to worry that he might be screwed by Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

In an email to potential donors, the South Florida congressman says:

Governor Rick Scott and his allies control the entire process for drawing new congressional districts, and Democrats without strong support will quickly find themselves targets. We cannot let this happen.

This is a decisive moment for my re-election campaign. You have an opportunity to send a loud and clear message to Florida Governor Rick Scott that I have strong, loyal, and generous supporters who will stand with me in my re-election and in the battles we’ll wage together. Now is when I need you.

Well this is certainly an interesting fundraising ploy.  While Scott has no legal role in the reshaping of state legislative districts he does have veto power over congressional redistricting. But does anyone really believe that GOP lawmakers are going to give Deutch a break because he raises a lot of money?

Hardly.

The best thing going for Deutch is that the GOP will probably be happy to give him as many Democrats as they can squeeze into his  Palm Beach/Broward district to help protect Republican districts.

But now that Deutch has targeted Scott and the Republicans - maybe the GOP will try to make Deutch's life miserable.

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Art by West Palm Beach artist Patrick Crowley

Sarah Palin's emails less valuable than Florida's

Please keep these numbers in mind as you continue reading - State of Florida: 1,100, $784.84.

State of Alaska: 24,000, $725.97.

You should be outraged. These are the prices each state charged recently for public records. To be precise, the Great State of Alaska charged $725.27 for 24,000 pages of emails by former Gov. Sarah Palin. The emails came in five boxes. Each box weighed 55 pounds.

Meanwhile, Florida charged $784.84 for 1,100 emails (not pages). And these precious emails were not those of Gov. Rick Scott. No, these were the public records of his communications director, Brian Burgess.

Let's repeat - Palin, 24,000 pages $725.97. Burgess, 1,100 emails $784.84.

Crowley Political Report would like to think that Burgess emails are more fascinating than Palin emails but we suspect not.

 

Rick Scott, Garda and how to say Boca Raton

 
Crowley Political Report never understands folks who can't pronounce Boca Raton - especially Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Scott was on WJNO radio talking about his trip to Canada and noting that the Canadian company Garda will be moving 100 jobs from Pasadena, Calif, to Boca Raton.  Scott pronounced Raton like baton.

So wrong. As former Boca Raton Mayor Carol Hansen, used to say - "it is Ra tone, as in Al Capone."

And it is not Boca RaTAN, as some pronounce it.  Good grief.

When we tweeted this on @crowleyreport, one person noted they pronounce it just like Scott does. The fact that Scott is not the only one who mispronounces Boca Raton does not make it less incorrect.

And shouldn't a Florida governor know how to pronounce the name of a Florida city?

During Scott's interview on WJNO, Florida's governor was asked if his low polls numbers - his favorability rating dropped to 29 percent in the last Quinnipiac University poll - would hurt Republicans in 2012.

Scott said the key for the GOP, "to winning any race right now is going to be who has got the right blueprint for job creation. That’s the whole key.  . . .  That’s going to be the key in local races, that’s going to be the key in federal races, that’s going to be the key in the presidency who has the right blueprint for job creation that is the number one issue."

Scott noted that unemployment numbers have dropped since he took office and claims that Florida has generate 55,000 to 75,000 new jobs this year.

"That is the key and that is why we’re going to do well next year," in the election, Scott said.

Listen to the interview here.

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Art by Chicago artist Brian J. Crowley

Is Rick Scott helping Obama win Florida in 2012?

Crowley Political Report is not sure whether to admire Florida Gov. Rick Scott for sticking to his beliefs about state government or to simply note that once again Scott and his team remain clueless about what Floridians really want.

We'll go with clueless.

The latest Quinnipiac Poll suggests that most Floridians agree.  Rick Scott has managed to squander what little support he had on election-day 2010. In little more than six months, Scott's approval rating has sunk to 29 percent.

That May number is even worse than Scott's already dismal April poll numbers which showed that just 35 percent of Florida voters approved of Scott's job performance.

This is great news for the Obama administration. If Scott's numbers continue to remain abysmally low, he could pull down the Republican Party in Florida.

Republicans are not likely to win the White House without winning Florida's 29 electoral votes. The GOP should be looking at the Sunshine State with great anticipation - after all, the 2010 election gave the party the governor's mansion, all three cabinet seats and veto-proof majorities in the state House and Senate.

But the face of the party is Scott. And right now it is not a very pretty face.

Of course, that begs a larger question - Is Rick Scott really a Republican?

Rick Scott, Agenda 21 and the United Nations

You may not be concerned about Agenda 21 but Florida Gov. Rick Scott is not going to let it happen in the Sunshine State.

It is an odd but revealing tidbit about Scott, a Republican who still remains little known to most Floridians.

Crowley Political Report listened to an interview that Scott gave Matt Bruce host of the Sarasota radio program The Captain's America. Bruce's website describes the program as a "member of the American TEA Party Movement."

It was a fairly routine question and answer session between Scott and Bruce when Bruce asked this question:

A lot of people are concerned about this UN Agenda 21, sustainable development they don't understand it, lot of people don't even know what it is. We do have it in Sarasota County with what is called the 2050 plan, it is spotty to say the least around Florida. What do you know about this sir?

Without missing a beat, Scott replied:

I know it's not good for Florida and so I'm going to make sure we're not giving someone else the power to figure out our destiny. I'm focused on our rights as an individual state. I don't believe the federal government should be telling us what to do and clearly the UN should not be dictating how we build our state.

Bruce ended the segment with:

Oh yeah, this is what people don't understand this is the UN telling us what to do with our property and with our own lands.

Okay, Crowley Political Report was compelled to do a bit of research to find out  - what in the world is Agenda 21?

Just how much trouble is Rick Scott in?

Should we be worried about Florida Republican Gov. Rick Scott? You have to be in a heap a trouble to ask your mom to bail you out.

Crowley Political Report has been closely following Florida governors since 1979. This is the first time a governor has called his mom and asked her to tell Floridians that he is doing a good job.

This is just odd behavior.

It's a little like a grown man bringing his mom to the office to tell his boss that he's a swell worker and should have a raise.

So why would you ask your mother to make a 38-second internet ad declaring you a "good boy" just days after the end of your first legislative session?

It would appear this is Scott's way of  going to Poll Depot to purchase better poll numbers.  This is what Scott does. Cranky with Obama's health care plan? - dip into your checking account and start you own anti-Obama care organization.

Wanna be governor? - use the big debit card. Ditto the private jet. And now, it appears that Scott wants to buy some friends.

And what does that tell us about Scott and his advisors? That they have a very cynical view of Floridians.

Here is Esther Scott speaking about her son (note: she does not live in Florida). (Note 2 - some have grumbled about the ad being shot in the governor's mansion in Tallahassee - who cares, really?)

Art by Patrick Crowley

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New York, New Jersey get Florida High Speed Rail money

Crowley Political Report is back from a break with this tidbit from the New York Times about how politicos in  New York and New Jersey are snagging the $2.2 billion that Florida Gov. Rick Scott told the Obama administration he didn't want.

According to the NYT - "The federal transportation secretary, Ray Lahood, rode Amtrak to Manhattan to announce that $795 million of the money would go instead toward improvements along the Northeast Corridor, the rail line that runs between Washington and Boston."

"A governor that rejects transportation money is penny-wise and pound-foolish,” said Democratic U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey.

You can read more here.

Gov. Rick Scott statement on killing of Osama bin Laden

Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued this statement on Sunday's killing of terrorist Osama bin Laden:

"The death of Osama Bin Laden marks a great victory for Americans and for freedom-loving people worldwide. Finally, some degree of justice has been achieved after nearly a decade of death, war and untold sacrifices because of that man. For the loved ones of all those we've lost in this war on terror, may this bring some measure of peace.

“I am so proud of our dedicated military men and women and our intelligence community for not giving up in our pursuit of justice. I am grateful for their tenacity and their deep sacrifices. President Barack Obama should also be commended for doing the right thing and following through with the promise of justice initially given by President George W. Bush.

“While threats remain, today the world is a safer place.”

Is Marco Rubio the key to Florida's U.S. Senate race?

Marco Rubio may be the most valuable player in the 2012 Florida GOP primary for U.S. Senate.

Rubio's endorsement could turn out to be more valuable than that of former Gov. Jeb Bush or Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Rubio has been a U.S. Senator for about four months - long enough for conservatives like Rush Limbaugh to swoon over the idea of a Rubio presidency.

And the fact is that despite Jeb Bush's enormous popularity, the luster starts to fade when you have been out of office for more than four years and are showing no signs of getting back in the game.

And while a sitting governor can be a huge help, if Rick Scott's popularity doesn't begin to climb his endorsement may do more harm than good.

Which brings us back to Rubio - who will he endorse?

Rick Scott says you shouldn't be surprised

In a lengthy video interview with the Wall Street Journal, Florida Gov. Rick Scott offers many of the same answers he gives to most questions.

Asked if he has taken on too much in the legislative session, Scott says, "no."

A few other quotes:

"I'm not going to say I'm going to do some of it (his ideas)  this year and I'm going to do some of it next year."

"If you do the right thing, the right think will happen."

"I told people what I was going to do. No one is surprised."

Here's the interview:

 

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott's marketing crisis

Last night on Twitter, Crowley Political Report asked this question - Rick Scott's public support is tanking - so how does the CEO explain such poor customer satisfaction?

When Gov. Scott campaigned he offered himself as an experienced businessman who would bring sound business practices to the art of governing.

Apparently, that concept did not include successful marketing which is a bit of a surprise considering how well his marketing team did in getting him elected.

Scott made it clear shortly after becoming governor that the first job of a new CEO is to "get control of the checkbook."

But while Florida's 45th governor is busy getting control of the checkbook, slashing dollars and people, and looking for wholesale revamping of government agencies - he is doing a lousy job of public relations and marketing.

Rick Scott or Marco Rubio for vice president

On Jan. 3, Crowley Political Report wondered how long it would take for folks to start wondering if Florida Gov. Rick Scott was vice presidential material.

It didn't take long. Within weeks some speculation began trickling out - with a few folks wondering if Scott could make the top of the ticket.

Scott doesn't appear to be thinking about the White House in 2012, but as we wrote in January if you are Florida's governor, someone is thinking you might be a dandy vice-president.

By the summer of 2012, Scott - assuming he is not a disaster - could be getting a lot of national attention as Republicans begin to gather in Tampa for their national convention.

Unfortunately for Scott he is being eclipsed on the national stage by Florida's newest United States Senator - Marco Rubio.

Rubio rolled out his national visibility campaign this week insisting all he wants to be is a good senator for Florida.

President? Nope. Vice President? Nope.

When Rubio declines this causes genuine pain for the nation's conservative commentators. They L-O-V-E Rubio.

Meanwhile, let's just say Scott is a little less loved.

Helping Bill Nelson, Charlie Crist testifies, Rick Scott's a cowboy

Busy day in Florida politics so let's do a quick round-up.

Vice President Joe Biden is in the Sunshine State helping to raise money for Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson who has a very large target on his back.

Republicans believe they can take Nelson's seat in the 2012 election and there are already a handful of potential GOP candidates - Adam Hasner, George LeMieux, Mike Haridopolos and some unknown filthy rich guy hovering in the background.

Biden is going to the Winter Park home of developer Alan Ginsburg and then on to Tampa for another Nelson fundraiser.

Meanwhile, former govenor and independent U.S. Senate candidate dropped by the courtroom to testify this morning at the trial of former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom. Crist didn't stay long and his testimony probably didn't add much to the trial.

More on Crist's appearance complete with photo of his swearing to tell the whole truth.

Now the boots.

Clearly Gov. Rick Scott has a huge fondness for cowboy boots and now he has an interesting new pair featuring a large rendition of the state seal.

A picture of the boots and some thoughts from presidential boot maker Rocky Carroll are on The Buzz.

Of course the one question we're still trying to answer about our new governor - is he all hat (in this case boots) and no cattle?

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Sarah Palin to visit Rick Scott's hometown

 
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is expected in Naples, Florida next week for a "town hall" meeting.

Naples is where Florida Gov. Rick Scott calls home when he is not residing in Tallahassee. Not sure if Scott will join Palin at the March 23 event.

Only in Naples would you have a "town hall" meeting at the Ritz Carlton.

Palin will arrive in Naples for the Wednesday, 6 p.m. event after spending a few days in India and Israel.

Does her foreign travel mean she is ramping up her presidential campaign?

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Art by Patrick Crowley

Gov. Rick Scott wears a Panama hat

  
Admit it...that's a picture you would like to see - Gov. Rick Scott donning a Panama hat when he leaves to visit the Panama Canal Wednesday.

He is taking a commercial flight from Miami to Panama leaving his private jet at the Miami airport. Crowley Political Report can't help but wonder whether Scott will be traveling First Class, Business Class or Coach.

Scott's trade mission to Panama is an effort to convince folks that after the widening of the canal is completed in 2014, those large container ships should stop at ports in Miami and Jacksonville.

Scott is convinced that Florida could become an even greater hub for international commerce with the Sunshine State's proximity to the Panama Canal.

Now about those hats. While Sean Connery and a host of other celebrities have adorned their skulls  with the classic Panama hat,  Crowley Political Report has learned that Panama Hats are not from Panama.

The folks from Ecuador are the creators of the Panama Hat. We get this from the website Panador.

Surprisingly, the Panama Hat is not from Panama. It's always been made in Ecuador. The misnomer stuck after the Ecuadorian straw hats were worn by workers building the Panama Canal for protection against the heat and sun.

Scott returns on Friday. We suspect he will be hatless.

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Do newspapers still matter?

People have been signing the death warrant for newspapers for decades. With the emergence of the internet and the titanic sinking of ad revenue, many newspapers in Florida and elsewhere are a shadow of their glorious past.

Now, iPads, smartphones, Twitter, Facebook and other platforms are not only redefining news but further dismantling the traditional advertising model.

And it may be one explanation for why Florida Gov. Rick Scott and other politicians feel less inclined to cater to news media.

A PEW research study released today titled - State of the News Media 2011 - finds a few glimmers of hope but only a few.

Below are a few excerpts. You can read the entire PEW study here.

In a media world where consumers decide what news they want to get and how they want to get it, the future will belong to those who understand the public's changing behavior and can target content and advertising to snugly fit the interests of each user. That knowledge -- and the expertise in gathering it -- increasingly resides with technology companies outside journalism.

In the 20th century, the news media thrived by being the intermediary others needed to reach customers. In the 21st, increasingly there is a new intermediary: Software programmers, content aggregators and device makers control access to the public. The news industry, late to adapt and culturally more tied to content creation than engineering, finds itself more a follower than a leader in shaping its business.