Rick Scott and inaugural intrigue
01/04/2011
Today Rick Scott will be sworn in as Florida's 45th governor but the real fun is watching eveyone gathered on the stage.
Crowley Political Report found this photo of the 1971 inauguration of teetotaler Democrat Reubin Askew in top hat on the right. Standing next to him is flamboyant Republican Claude Kirk who had just lost his reelection bid to Askew.
A look back at news reports at the time make it clear that Askew and Kirk did not like each other much. They were very different men. One can only imagine what each was thinking when this picture was taken.
As you watch the men and women gathered at Scott's inauguration you might wonder what Scott thinks of the career politicians on stage with him.
And what will be going through Gov. Charlie Crist's mind as he sees what could have been a second term going to someone else.
Watch Senate President Mike Haradopolos sizing up the competition for the 2012 U.S. Senate race.
Will outgoing Sen. George Lemeiux be there and if so will he be hanging out with his old friend Crist?
Is outgoing CFO Alex Sink plotting her revenge on Scott who squeaked by her in the election?
What will Attorney General Bill McCollum be thinking as his final minutes of political life are counting down?
And don't forget the lobbyists who are still trying to figure out whether they can succeed with the new administration. They may strut but look closely and some of them may be a tad worried about whether they will continue to have to access that once took for granted.
Even the Tallahassee press corps is in uncharted territory. Scott won without a single newspaper endorsement. And increasingly politicians, both Democrat and Republican, are less inclined to cater to the media's needs.
Enjoy the day - there will be plenty of theater.
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