Author Archives: Kartik Krishnaiyer
Holiday book recommendations: Kevin Phillips on the Bush family
Kevin Phillips, who was dubbed in 1995 by one of my Political Science Professors at the University of Florida as “the smartest Republican around,” is widely viewed as the chief architect of the 1968 Nixon “Southern Strategy” which for 20 years remade the Presidential Electoral map. Beginning in that fall semester in 1995, I began […]
Holiday book recommendation: A Most Disorderly Court
A Most Disorderly Court: Scandal and Reform in the Florida Judiciary (Florida History and Culture) by Martin Dyckman is yet another important time piece by the former St Petersburg Times Associate Editor. Dyckman’s knowledge of the 1970’s Florida political landscape is second to none among reporters and having covered the events closely, he was able to first pen Reubin […]
Famous Floridian Friday Claude Pepper holiday book recommendations
For the holidays we recommend both Red Pepper and Gorgeous George: Claude Pepper’s Epic Defeat in the 1950 Democratic Primary (Florida Government and Politics) and Claude Pepper and Ed Ball: Politics, Purpose, and Power (Florida History and Culture) While most modern historians and political activists would point to November 7, 2000 as the most significant election in […]
Holiday book recommendation: Finding Dan McCarty and Jimmy Carter in Plains
Finding Dan McCarty, by Robert Buccellato, an important work on the evolution of Florida’s political history is a must read for any junkie of state government. I’m honored to have contributed to this work writing an afterward which was about the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s in Florida politics. From the book: A thin layer of glass separated him […]
Throwback Thursday: The Civil War in Florida- union blockade
Florida was the least populated state in the Confederacy during the Civil War. But with by far the longest coastline in the nation, the Union had to take seriously the ability of the smugglers to use Florida to get weapons and other raw materials to the Confederate Government. At the outset of the war, the […]
Holiday book recommendation: My Andrew Story
Editors note: Beginning today through Christmas Eve we will recommend a book for holiday gifts each day. Each of these books have been reviewed before on this site but the narratives are updated for December 2018. Hurricane Andrew’s fury was witnessed by South Dade residents and concerned citizens all over the region. But nobody has a more authoritative and credible voice on all matters Andrew and for that matter Atlantic basin Hurricanes in […]
Famous Floridian Friday: Lawton Chiles final term
This week marks the 20th anniversary of Governor Lawton Chiles’ untimely passing. At the time Governor Chiles was ending his days in the Governor’s Mansion, preparing to hand the state over to Jeb Bush whose policies were very different than his own. All our readers know Chiles’ history, from walking the state in the 1970 […]
Throwback Thursday: The Clinton Impeachment and Florida
Florida played a central role in the impeachment of President Clinton which happened 20 years ago this month. The nation nor our state have yet to heal from the wounds opened by the hunting of the President by conservative forces and elements of the media. Of course those elements were aided by President Clinton’s own […]
Regrets I’ve had a few – a Mea culpa
This column reflects the views of Kartik Krishnaiyer and not other TFS writers or columnists I had an interesting Twitter exchange with Matt Isbell, renowned Democratic numbers cruncher the other night (as a point I enjoy Isbell’s maps and will concede he was right about Jeremy Corbyn, and it hurts to admit that) . I […]
Famous Floridian Friday: Ar-pi-uck-i (Sam Jones)
Ar-pi-uck-i (also known as Sam Jones) was an important leader for the Miccosukee tribe (until 1962 officially a tribe of Seminoles) who lived to be about a 100 years old. Ar-pi-uck-i is perhaps most famous for his role in fighting against the United States in the Second Seminole War. Several of the Seminole’s great victories […]
The Florida Squeeze 