Author Archives: Dave Trotter
Is SunRail the right choice for Central Florida? – Part One
This is Part One of a two-part series on the SunRail project in Central Florida. While many are happy that some form of passenger rail has finally reached the Orlando area, it the type of service they are providing (which is commuter rail) beneficial? Today’s section will look at the history of the light rail/commuter […]
Trotter’s Take: Understanding voter turnout after Sink-Jolly
In the hours following the election defeat of Alex Sink, speculation as to why she was defeated started to surface. Some talked about her as a candidate, some talked about issues, others talked about how poorly her campaign ran. Basically, all of these are factors of an overall picture, which is voter turnout. In this […]
Setting up for failure: The Florida Democratic Party and Alex Sink.
Well, another race and yet another Democratic loss. For years, one of the most popular quotes in Democratic circles has been “as soon as Bill Young retires or dies, Democrats will easily win that seat”. Well, that time has come and, as of 7:30 PM EDT, that time has passed. Democrats blow another opportunity at […]
Trotter’s Take: How the neoconservatives destroyed US foreign policy and American prestige
Sovereignty. This one word is the cornerstone behind the concept of international relations, whether you are a realist, liberal, or proscribe to another theory of IR. The determination as to whether a state can conduct its own affairs without outside interference has been the law of the land since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. […]
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. […]
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 […]
Rick Scott praises Koch Brothers confidant on Twitter. #itsnotworking
So, Rick Scott is at it again. In a recent tweet about business moving to Florida, Scott gave a “shout out” to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. On the face of it, the gesture by Florida’s governor seems benign (no pun intended). But when we look at the owner of the company, we see […]
House District 44 Special Election: District Overview
As many of you know, Florida House District 44 is now up on the auctioning block. And as some of you may know, this is the place in Florida that I consider home. For nearly 20 years, I would go to Disney, I-Drive, Dr. Phillips football games (and see them destroy West Orange), any do […]
Trotter’s Take: Rick Scott solidifies base, Crist falters in latest PPP poll.
If there is one message we can take away from the latest Public Policy Poll, it is that the phenomenon known as Charlie-mania is now over. Even though Charlie Crist had a 12-point lead in May 2013, the race between the former governor and the current governor, Rick Scott, is now neck and neck. This […]
The Florida Squeeze 