Yearly Archives: 2014
Thursday Bookshelf: Civil Rights, Lyndon Johnson, MLK Jr. and Congress
Review of When Freedom Would Triumph: The Civil Rights Struggle in Congress, 1954-1968 and Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Laws That Changed America While the History of Florida is somewhat different from the rest of the south in the 1960s thanks largely to the efforts in the 1950s of one man, […]
#ItsNotWorking: Rick Scott’s BIG Jobs Problem
Like most (wonky) people this past week or so, I was salivating over new economic data for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the subsequent analysis of those numbers by economics blogosphere. In between such readings, I scurried over to the twitter machine and found Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Chairman Lenny Curry, Rick Scott’s […]
Has Dependence on Sugar Money Made Florida Democrats Soft on Environmental Issues?
Florida’s sugar companies have been waging a public relations campaign that aims to create a perception that sugar is a responsible partner in protecting Florida’s environment. But the truth in the past has been quite different. The Everglades ecosystem is arguably the most important driver of Florida’s sustainability (at least peninsular Florida). The one […]
Former Governor Buddy MacKay Endorses Nan Rich
Just last week Buddy MacKay was one the subjects of our Thursday Bookshelf column describing his courageous fights with reactionary elements in our state. MacKay who was one of the most thoughtful and forward-thinking Florida officeholders from the 1970s to the 1990s today endorsed Nan Rich for Governor of Florida. While I am somewhat surprised […]
North Florida revisited: To target or not to target for Democrats?
As many of you might know, I have been a vocal critic of Democratic campaign strategy in North Florida for some time. There are three main reasons why I have been opposed to this strategy. First, targeting North Florida is a logistical nightmare. Unlike the nice and tidy urban or suburban neighborhoods of Florida’s major […]
Florida Democratic Party accepts $20,000 from group headed by Tom Feeney.
During fourth quarter fundraising, the Florida Democratic Party took in a $20,000 contribution from a group called Save Our Constitution Now. The chairman of the organization is Tom Feeney. Yes, that Tom Feeney…the right-wing Speaker of the Florida House who during the 2000 election debacle tried to award Florida’s electoral votes to George W. Bush. […]
Florida Democrats Fundraising Smells of Desperation and Conflict
We know being a Democrat in Florida is tough. Sixteen years of complete Republican rule of State Government which has included maintaining over 70 House seats (out of 120) and 25 Senate seats (our of 40) during the entire period from 1998 to the present will hurt any political party’s efforts at fundraising. However, it […]
TFS Pod 11- Polk, Hillsborough and Pasco House Seats
On this week’s TFS Podcast we discuss a few critical State House seats in Polk, Hillsborough and Pasco counties. We look at multiple seats the Florida Democrats failed to target in 2012 despite a favorable redistricting situation and the strength of the Obama/Biden ticket. We also look ahead to 2014 in the region.
Trotter’s Take: Party/Ideology support starting to solidify in governors race. Good news for Crist.
With the race for Florida’s governor little over ten months away, poll numbers regarding the race is going to start being a regular occurrence. As predicted, the gap between former Gov. Charlie Crist in current Gov. Rick Scott has lessened. But even though this is the case, Crist still leads in all the polls of […]
Thursday Bookshelf: The Doghouse Democrats – Bob Graham and Buddy MacKay
A look at How Florida Happened: The Political Education of Buddy MacKay (Florida Government and Politics) and Quiet Passion: A Biography of Bob Graham Once upon a time Florida’s Legislature was an effective body and the State House was largely progressive. Florida moved vastly ahead of other southeastern states thanks to the leadership and vision of those […]
The Florida Squeeze 