Monthly Archives: April 2014
The Rise of the Republican Party of Florida & the Decline of the Middle-Class
Florida Governor Rick Scott has claimed that the Florida economy is doing better than the rest of the nation and business publications, like Florida Trend, have proclaimed, “Florida is back!” The headlines sound great but the facts tell another story. A recent study by Florida International University’s Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy found […]
Hillsborough Democrats pass debate resolution
Tonight at the monthly meeting of the Hillsborough Democratic Party, the local party in the state’s fourth largest county passed a resolution urging the Florida Democratic Party to push for a debate to be held between Democratic Gubernatorial candidates after the conclusion of candidate qualifying. Several other local DECs are considering similarly worded measures. Whether […]
Wall Street Journal – GOP Beats Democrats to Spanish-Language Airwaves
Former Miami Herald writer Beth Reinhard who is now based in Washington has an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal regarding the aggressive courting of Hispanic voters via TV ads by Republican Gubernatorial candidates across the country. Including in this Governor Rick Scott who began similar ads last cycle in October. Full article here.
Florida House Democrats – What is the plan for 2014?
TFS Deputy Editor Ryan Ray contributed to this story The word coming from many in the Florida Democratic Party is that 2014 will be at best a “hold” cycle when it comes to State House seats. While the dynamics of this particular election year are currently not favorable to the Democratic cause, the party is […]
Should Russia be considered a state sponsor of terrorism?
This week I have been reading heavily about the Ukraine crisis from multiple news sources. Particularly useful have been the Economist and Bloomberg Businessweek who have both had excellent coverage. But one particular article stood out by Rutgers University Professor Alexander J. Motyl. Motyl argues that the involvement of Russia directly and indirectly in Eastern […]
Remembering the “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy” and its media component
Those of us who come of political age in the 1990s as Democrats had to deal with schizophrenia of the Clinton Presidency and all of the scandals associated with that era. Yesterday Politco revealed the emergence of the infamous “conspiracy commerce” memo. This memo basically outlined the links between elements of the media and various […]
The Pulp: Why Charlie Crist Won’t Debate Nan Rich; Spoiler Alert: He’s Not Chicken
Earlier this week, the Florida media and Florida Democrats were circulating a Palm Beach Post video of Charlie Crist engaging with Lieutenant Governor Carlos Lopez-Cantera at the Forum Club in West Palm Beach, in which Charlie Crist interrupts the LG’s interview, and takes a question from the press pool, to which he responded with the tagline […]
Calls for Democratic Primary debates growing
Former Governor Charlie Crist made headlines earlier this week when he refused to engage Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera in a debate. Governor Rick Scott responded to the awkward event by stating Crist ought to debate his Democratic Primary opposition former Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich first. In the past few days calls for a Democratic […]
Thursday Bookshelf: We Can End Global Poverty
I know what you’re thinking. No way. That this vision could never really materialize into a reality. But, Nobel Winning Economist and Grameen Bank founder, Muhammad Yunnus as made that vision his ultimate goal in this life. Yunnus’s ambitions do not end at eliminating poverty, rather they extend into addressing gender discrimination, health care access, […]
Poll: How should party nominees be selected?
In some states, the state Democratic Party chooses nominees for statewide election via convening a convention. In other states like Florida we have a primary process. Some states have a mixed process and in others, the party tends to stay out of primaries. While no model is perfect, Florida Democrats have amassed the single worst […]
The Florida Squeeze 