Crowley Political Report

One of the many things that make this an odd election year is the apparent decision of many Florida political candidates to spend as little time as possible at voter forums and debates.

Crowley Political Report just left a board meeting of the non-partisan Forum Club of the Palm Beaches. Founded in 1976, the group's monthly luncheons have attracted the nation's top political, business and military leaders.

Florida political candidates eagerly have been regulars every year at the Forum Club. They have been attracted by the crowd of more than 700 of the area's top political and business leaders and the extensive media coverage.

Not this year.

Mike Bender, one of the Palm Beach Post's best political writers, is moving over to The St. Petersburg Times.

Bender, based in Tallahassee, is a tireless political junkie who is an excellent reporter and writer.

Bender will remain in Tallahassee.

This cartoon video featuring Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and President Obama comes from the conservative group Right Change. Whether you agree with it or not you have to enjoy the creativity of it.

Charlie's In Wonderland Too from RightChange on Vimeo.

 
Alex Sink parted ways with President Obama and many other Democrats today when she said in Delray Beach that she favors extending the Bush tax cuts.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Sink said: “I support the extension of the Bush tax cuts because to let them expire is going to hurt our ability to get people back to work. “We need to do everything we can to put people back to work. So that’s why I support the extension of the Bush tax cuts.”

U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek uses a little humor to convey his message in this ad.

Recent polls suggest that Meek remains well behind no-party Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican Marco Rubio in the race to be Florida's next U.S. Senator. Will this ad close the gap? Time will tell.

Crowley Political Report first spotted this ad very late Monday night. We only caught the final seconds of it but this new Charlie Crist ad is intriguing.

Good production by the ad team and Crist performs well in his effort to sell his new message as an independent candidate for U.S. Senate.

Will it work? Don't underestimate Florida's governor. He has spent years convincing voters that he is just an ordinary guy trying to do what is best for Floridians and this ad builds on that image.

From Crowley Political Report cartoonist Pat Crowley.

Apparently the Republican Party of Florida now embraces "let's get to work."

Democratic Alex Sink is being strongly linked to President Obama in this ad paid for by the Republican Party of Florida.

The ad suggests ominously that Obama will do "whatever it takes" to help elect Sink Florida's next governor.

Republican candidate for Florida governor Rick Scott said Thursday that he believes newly hired teachers should not have tenure.

"Most employees don't have employment contracts and news teachers shouldn't have tenure," Scott said during a media gaggle where he introduced his new running mate, state Rep. Jennifer Carroll.

Asked if he was sending a message by picking a black woman to be his running mate, Scott said he was not.

"My goal is that at the end of my first term people will say that he did what he said he was going to do."

And we may have gotten a hint at to how many debates he is planning to have with Democratic candidate Alex Sink.

"I look forward to a debate with my opponent."

A debate? Really?

Let's hope that's not what he meant. It really is time for Scott to make a bit more of an effort to talk to the voters for more than 30 seconds.

UPDATE: Crowley Political Report posted this link See a video of Carroll's speech here. to a Clay County GOP video featuring Jennifer Carroll and the remarks noted below.  Apparently the link has been "removed by the user."  

So here's the video from another source. Carroll's remarks about Scott are at about 5:53 in the video.

About an hour from now, Rick Scott will formally announce in Jacksonville that he has picked state Rep. Jennifer Carroll to be his running mate.

Carroll supported Attorney General Bill McCollum in the race to win the GOP nomination for Florida governor.

During a meeting of Clay County Republicans last month, Carroll told the crowd that she supported McCollum over Scott for governor because:

"We do not need that seat to be a seat where you're learning, to be a seat where it's for personal gain, to be a seat where the residents and the citizens of the state of Florida will be negatively impacted because of a lack of vision."

Apparently she has changed her mind.

Rick Scott will name his running mate at 10 a.m. Thursday in Jacksonville.

The Republican candidate for Florida governor will then make stops in Orlando and Tampa with his new running-mate.

It is widely expected that he will name Jacksonville state Rep. Jennifer Carroll as his choice for lieutenant governor.

Carroll, 51, retired from the Navy as a Lt. Commander. She has an M.B.A. from St. Leo University and B.A. from the University of New Mexico.

Carroll was born in Trinidad. 

No party Gov. Charlie Crist and Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek will debate at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches on Sept. 15.

Republican Marco Rubio declined because of scheduling conflicts.

Forum Club debates often draw more than 800 people from the area's business and political communities. This being one of the most watched U.S. Senate races in the country will make this a must-see debate.

Marco - it's not too late to change your mind.

UPDATE - The debate is planned for Oct. 16, at the University of Miami. Alex Sink has accepted and organizers believe Rick Scott will accept as well.

The University of Miami and The Children's Movement of Florida are hosting a conference call this afternoon for the media to outline plans for the first-ever gubernatorial debate to discuss children's issues.

Former Miami Herald publisher David Lawrence, who heads the Children's Movement, and University President Donna Shalala will be on the call.

The debate, is likely to be televised live by Univision (in English, with available Spanish translation), will be offered to television stations across the state.

No word yet as to whether Republican Rick Scott or Democrat Alex Sink have accepted.