Crowley Political Report

A photo history of Florida dropping the hanky

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.

Jennifer Carroll explains her resignation as Florida lieutenant governor

From former Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll

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.

Who will replace Jennifer Carroll as Florida's lieutenant governor

Crisis in Tallahassee? Stay calm people. The resignation today of Florida's lieutenant governor means little to the overall body politic. 

The Federal investigation that led to her resignation is unpleasant - for her. And it certainly does not help the image of Gov. Rick Scott who judgement on a host of issues has led to him being one of the nation's most unpopular governors.

The most difficult part of all this for Scott is the fact that he must pick a replacement for Carroll. Already in campaign mode, Carroll is doing Scott a huge favor by getting out of the way now. Still, Scott is going to have to careful about his next selection.

Will he try to appease the Tea Party be picking someone that makes those folks happy? They are a bit ticked off with Scott after his embrace of ObamaCare, his proposal for across-the-board teacher raises and other issues where Tea Party advocates believe he has strayed to the left.

Or, will Scott look for a moderate? 

Whoever he picks, that person will be dissected by the Tallahassee Press Corps, Democrats and even some GOP opponents.

A couple of quick names: 

Former state Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff. She lost a her seat to Democrat Maria Sachs but Bogdanoff, 53, could help Scott in Broward and Palm Beach counties. More importantly, she could be very effective for Scott in pushing his agenda in the state Senate. At this point, he needs all the help he can get. If Scott has a miserable session, it's not going to help him during next year's campaign.

BOGDANOFF UPDATE: BUDDY NEVINS AT BROWARD BEAT.COM quotes Bogdanoff as saying: “If the governor called, I would be glad to have that conversation.” Read more here.

Bill McCollum. Okay stop chuckling. McCollum is not especially fond of Scott but he is even less
fond of not being in public office. McCollum could be a safe pick, a GOP establishment figure, and someone who could do more than just wait for Scott to croak.

Of course there are others who should be on the list. If you have any ideas share them. We know the gov's office looks here.

BREAKING: WCTV is reporting a raid in Tallahassee: About a dozen

Who not to tick off in Tallahassee

Many of them have been in Florida's Capital for decades. They have seen it all.  They have a reputation as one of the toughest groups in the nation. And they are not to be fooled with or you will really tick them off.

Florida's Capital Press Corps is about to embark on another legislative session. It is a considerably smaller group than it once was. News organizations have sharply cut back and much talent has been lost.

But for those of you who dismiss the "Mainstream Media," you do so at your peril. No one looks deeper, works harder, knows more, and has more impact in Tallahassee than the Capital Press Corps.

Period.

Many of the "leaders" in Tallahassee learn this the hard way. No one has had a tougher lesson than Gov. Rick Scott who stormed the Capital two years ago with a haughty attitude toward the press corps that created a lasting anmosity. He is still paying the price.

Consider this - some of the reporters have been in Tallahassee since Bob Graham was governor. Many can name the last 10 House Speakers and Senate Presidents. 

They know how long Wayne Mixson was governor (look it up).

Of course no one is perfect. The press corps will spend the next 60 days telling readers and viewers about every tiny step in passing the state budget. After all is said and done, they will spend almost no time during the next 10 months actually following how the money is spent.

Sometimes you get the feeling that they have been in Tallahassee too long and need to spend a couple of months back at their home newspapers to get a better feel for their readers. They might learn that no one cares that the deputy assistant to the assistant deputy has been transferred from the who-cares Senate Committee to the who-cares House Committee.

But that is nitpicking. When it matters, there is no tougher group of reporters. They carry on a long tradition that dates back to the 1970s when reporters like Bob Shaw, Virginia Ellis, John Van Gieson, Barbara Frye, Bill Mansfield, and others raised hell.

Who do you think are the best reporters in Tallahassee today?

Bonus points if you can name reporters in photo above.

 

Florida House stalls Right to Speak bill

Crowley Political Report will be the first to admit - it is a shame that legislation like this is necessary in the Sunshine State. 

Dark clouds hover over any number of public meetings where officials find the idea of allowing the public to speak to them a terrible inconvenience. 

On behalf of the public, Crowley Political Report apologizes. We would suggest, however,  that if allowing the public to speak to you is bothersome, it may be time for you to return full time to the private sector.

Now let's be frank, most government bodies allow folks to speak at their meetings. But from time-to-time, citizens are blocked from exercising what Crowley Political Report foolishly thought was an already a well established right in those documents called the U.S. Constitution and Florida Constitution.

Apparently not. So state Sen. Joe Negron offered up Senate Bill 206, that would put into Florida law the right for people to speak before boards and commissions subject to the Sunshine Law.

The Senate wisely passed this bill - unanimously. Thank you, Sen. Negron.

Now, the legislation sits in the House. The clock is ticking. We are a day away from the end of the 60-day legislative session.

House Speaker Dean Cannon can fix this. He needs to get SB 206 to the floor. And he needs to encourage his members to pass it. He owes it to every Floridian who deserves the right to be heard by their government.

 

Florida Senators nearly come to blows

"You little shit, I'm going to whip your ass and throw you out of the Senate right now." - June 1, 1981.

One of the journalism phrases that should be edited out of news stories is "in recent memory." Usually that just means the memory of the writer.

Some folks in Tallahassee say the feuding in the state Senate this year is the worst "in recent memory." They need longer memories.

You know things have gotten ugly when the Senate President and its most powerful member nearly get into a fist fight on the Senate floor.

In June 1981, Senate President W.D. Childers and Senate kingmaker Dempsey Barron got into a very personal quarrel. The two North Florida men had been roommates and friends. But that all ended once W.D. became president and made the mistake of thinking he was really in charge.

Barron began plotting an overthrow and Childers - nicknamed the Banty Rooster - grew increasingly paranoid. Barron would wander around the chamber whispering to other senators and giving public hints that a vote to oust Childers could come at any time.

Childers began to think Barron was making his move on June 1, 1981. Childers, who had been roaming the floor, suddenly rushed to the podium, grabbed the gavel and ordered an immediate recess. Barron stood up and suggested that one of his senate buddies take over as presiding officer.

Childers ignored Barron and ordered the recess. Seconds later Childers charged down the center aisle to confront Barron

Barron, who towered over Childers, looked at Childers and said: "You little shit, I'm going to whip your ass and throw you out of the Senate right now."

"You're going to do what?" replied Childers as he lunged toward Barron.

Sen. Edgar Dunn quickly stepped between the two men, put his hands on Childers shoulders and tried to lead him away. Childers tried to spin away but Dunn, with the help of Sen. Pete Skinner, was able to restrain Childers.

Later, Childers said he wanted Barron to repeat his comment, "to make sure I didn't need a hearing aid."

Childers didn't need one. He heard it right the first time.

In the picture above, Dunn is wearing glasses. His hands are on Childers who has his back to the camera. Barron is facing Childers their noses just inches apart.

Follow us on Twitter @crowleyreport

Florida Republican says lets have firing squads - or toss them off a bridge

Sometimes Crowley Political Report worries that Florida is becoming the nation's largest lunatic-fringe state. Now, we have a Republican legislator who is introducing legislation to use firing squads to execute death row inmates.

This story was first reported by The Florida Current and you should click on over and give it a read.

State Rep. Brad Drake of Eucheeanna is frustrated with legal maneuvers over lethal injection. So Drake would like to replace lethal injections with firing squads of electrocution. Somebody is going to have to find Old Sparky.

"There shouldn't be anything controversial about a .45-caliber bullet. If it were up to me we would just throw them off the Sunshine Skyway bridge and be done with it," Drake told The Current.

Crowley Political Report would like to congratulate the voters of Brad Drake's district - you should be proud.

Follow us on Twitter @crowleyreport

Claude Kirk and his lost hat

By Brian E. Crowley

I ran into former Gov. Claude Kirk at a green market in West Palm Beach. I would bump in to him from time-to-time and he always seemed pleased, especially if there were folks nearby, when I called him Gov. Kirk.

He started to tell me about his lost hat.  But more on that in a bit.

Gov. Kirk's  death this week, at the age of 85, marks the passing of one of Florida's most flamboyant and underrated governors. In some ways, he was ahead of his time. He arrived in Tallahassee to take the oath of office n 1967 and the next four years were turbulent ones.

Gov. Kirk arrived determined to shake things up. He also dearly wanted to advance his own political career and took deep pleasure in being in the spotlight.

I didn't get to know Gov. Kirk until many years later. The early history of his governorship was harsh. But as time passed, historians and governors who succeed him began to recognize that Kirk had accomplished quite a bit during his four years in office.

He created the FDLE helping to break the hold of county sheriff's who sometimes abused their power. He helped usher in the new 1968 state Constitution - which had been penned by others - but would have had more difficult time without Kirk's help.  Few today understand just how sweeping the 1968 constitution was in changing how Floridians are governed today.

  Gov. Kirk created the first statewide environment effort and helped bring the 1968 Republican National Convention to Miami Beach where he dearly hoped Richard Nixon would pick him to be vice president.

Gov. Kirk opposed school busing at a time when such opposition was considered racist. When Florida teachers went on a statewide strike in 1968 he helped break the strike and more than 40 years later the teacher unions have still not fully recovered.

Gov. Kirk, because of the 1968 constitution, was the first governor eligible to run for a second consecutive term. But voters had enough and the first modern Republican to be elected governor lost to Democrat Reubin Askew.

Gov. Kirk would run again, even as a Democrat, but the campaigns were more about getting attention than winning.

 In 2006, Gov. Kirk and former governors, Askew, Bob Graham and the soon-to-leave office, Jeb Bush, got together at the University of Central Florida to talk to the students.

Jim Greer blames Florida Republican leaders for his downfall

Tampa television station WTSP is airing a two-part series on the downfall of former Florida Republican Party chairman Jim Greer.

Part 2 is the most interesting. The reporter, Mike Deeson, gives Greer free rein. If Greer was challenged about any of his assertions, viewers don't see it. Deeson also interviews Greer's wife, Lisa, Greer attorney Cheney Mason, and other Greer supporters.

An excerpt:

Oviedo, FL - Money, greed and political backstabbing appeared to have been commonplace in the Florida Republican Party's effort to oust former Chairman Jim Greer and undermine former Governor Charlie Crist's Senate bid.

Greer, who ended up in jail, has never talked about the inner workings of the Republican Party until now.

When 10 News asked Greer how this incident affected his life a year later, Greer choked up. He couldn't talk for more than 20 seconds and finally said, "Well, I can't get a job and I have no money to take care of my family because I have to give it all to my attorneys."

Greer says his problems began when he fired party fundraiser Meredith O'Rourke. O'Rourke was making $30,000 a month and a 10% commission on everything she brought in.

Greer says he underestimated her ties to the conservative wing of the party and influential lobbyists.

Joe Biden will speak to Florida Democrats

Florida Democratic Party chairman Rod Smith announced a few minutes ago that Vice President Joe Biden will attend the party's 2011 state convention.

In a statement, Smith said:

Our state is at a crossroads and Democrats are more determined than ever to fight. With 29 crucial electoral votes, Florida is one of the most important swing states in the country.

With your help, we will re-elect President Obama, Senator Nelson and send more Democrats fighting for middle class families to Congress to join our Democratic Delegation. This year's State Convention is exactly what we need to harness our collective enthusiasm and focus on electing Democrats in 2012.

The convention is Oct 28-30, at Disney Worlds' Contemporary Resort.  The convention website is here.

Follow us on Twitter  @crowleyreport

 

 

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.

Follow us on Twitter @crowleyreport

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.

Follow on Twitter @crowleyreport

 

Florida Senate race looking for a frontrunner

 
Crowley Political Report drops off the grid for a few days and the next thing you know there is a shake-up in Florida's U.S. Senate race. Or was there?

Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination with the feeble excuse that he just now discovered that running for statewide office while being senate president is very time-consuming.

Really?

Of course, that excuse is nonsense. There is lots of speculation that Haridopolos will soon be embroiled in the legal problems of ousted and arrested former state GOP chairman Jim Greer. He is scheduled to give a deposition in the case next month.

Whatever the real reason for Hariodopolos' hasty departure from the race, the fact is that he was very unlikely to win the nomination.   And while everyone, including Gov. Rick Scott, went through the motions of wishing Haridopolos a fond farewell from the race, seconds after he dropped out the scrambling for position began.

If you're anybody of importance in Florida GOP circles who supported Haridopolos,  your phone is already ringing with calls from former  substitute U.S. Sen. George LeMieux and former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner.

Neither Hasner nor LeMieux have shown a commanding presence at this point.

Rick Scott's folks defend handling of public records

On Monday, Crowley Political Report told readers how the state of Alaska charged $725.97 for 24,000 pages of former Gov. Sarah Palin's email record while Florida Gov. Rick Scott's administration charged $784.84 for just 1,100 email records belonging to communications director Brian Burgess.

Our report has spawned a gread deal of reaction including this story today by New York Times Regional reporter Lloyd Dunkelberger. Crowley Political Report is quoted at length in the story questioning the administration's public records policy.

Since our report, Burgess has sent numerous emails telling Crowley Political Report that the administration is complying with the law.

Here's a sense of the administration's position as quoted in Dunkelberger's story:

Scott's aides said the more stringent public records policies are a response to the flood of public records requests that have hit the governor's office in its first six months.

And they said most requests are being handled in a timely manner.

"Since January, we've fulfilled 669 public record requests with an additional 74 in the process of being completed," said Scott spokeswoman Amy Graham. "This is more than any other administration after just six months in office, proving that we not only comply with public record laws, we exceed them."

....

Graham called the comparison of Palin's emails to those from Brian Burgess, Scott's communications director, unfair, because Palin's records were more accessible since they were segregated in a special email account.

In contrast, many of Burgess' government-related emails end up in his long-established private email account and the cost comes from having to sort out the public records from his personal messages, Graham said.

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.

 

Teachers sue Florida, Cops want to help

 
Well this is gonna be ugly.

The Florida Education Association is telling Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature that they are breaking the law by forcing teachers to contribute 3 percent of their pay to pay for their pensions.

So, of course, the FEA is going to court to stop what it calls an illegal "pay cut" for Florida's teachers.

Whether it is a "contribution" to their future pensions, or a "paycut," many teachers are unhappy. And they are not alone, the Florida Police Benevolent Association filed a motion to join the teacher suit.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott and GOP legislative leaders believe that the state is doing the right thing by requiring state employees to contribute to their pension fund.

Most Florida voters agree. They see little reason why public employees should not pay something for their own retirement plans.

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

Follow us on Twitter @CrowleyReport