Author Archives: Kartik Krishnaiyer
Flashback Friday: The Pork Chop Gang led by Charley Johns fights integration and disgraces Florida
Senator Charley Johns (D-Starke) is one of the best known figures in the political history of this state for multiple dubious reasons. The leader of the infamous “Pork Chop Gang,” Johns became Governor in 1953 after Governor Dan McCarty the first Governor elected from southern Florida died just months after taking office. Prior to 1968, […]
“YES” vote on Tuesday referendum helps but still doesn’t ensure MLS in St Pete
The Tampa Bay Rowdies want to move from the second division USL to first division MLS. Tuesday’s city of St Petersburg referendum which will allow the city the flexibility to give the Rowdies a long-term lease for prime waterfront property is certainly low-risk for local voters as the Tampa Bay Times outlines (at least at this point […]
What we are reading: NY Times calls out Florida Legislature’s continued derailment of democracy
It may be difficult for those who don’t follow state politics or didn’t grow up in Florida to understand. This state has become a one-party bastion with dangerous overreaches from the governing Republicans that you might have even found in the Soviet Union or Germany under National Socialism. Time and again going back to the […]
What we are reading: Four of the five deadliest roads in the country are in Florida
If you think that driving in Florida is more dangerous and challenging than in other parts of the country, empirical evidence backs you up. The Sun Sentinel reports that a study by Geotab finds that US 1 in Florida is the deadliest highway in the country with three other US highways’ portions in Florida (US […]
What we are reading: Budget talks collapse
No surprise but still confirmation from the Tampa Bay Times/ Miami Herald that budget talks between the House and Senate have indeed collapsed. The budget impasse means a Special Session or the extension of session is almost now a certainty and with the ideologically driven House Speaker Richard Corcoran giving no quarter to what he perceives […]
What we are reading: Tallahassee Democrat on Andrew Gillum and the Democrats dilemma
Here we go again. An email scandal involving a Democrat running for high office. In case you missed it, The Tallahassee Democrat blew the lid off something that has been percolating on the cocktail circuit and among Democratic insiders for months – Tallahassee Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum’s sloppy use of email. At […]
Inside the Florida Democrats Q1 fundraising and expenditures (UPDATED)
Under the direction of newly-elected Chair Stephen Bittel who came to office touting his fundraising ability, Florida Democrats recorded the worst post-election Q1 since 2005. The low fundraising number came as a shock to many when the anti-Trump energy which has seen a remarkable amount of money raised by both progressive groups and Democratic candidates […]
Flashback Friday: The Democrats who happily handed our state over to the GOP two decades ago – #neverforget
After losing a close election in 1994, Republican Jeb Bush faced Lieutenant Governor Buddy MacKay in the 1998 General Election. MacKay who was one of the most qualified candidates ever to run for Governor in this state suffered from a divided Democratic Party which was full of political opportunists who backed Bush. The election was […]
Surprise! JetBlue applies for additional Fort Lauderdale-Havana service
Surprise surprise! As Cuba travel falls well below expectations and airlines bail on flights, Jet Blue has applied with the DOT for 6 additional weekly flights from Fort Lauderdale to Havana per DOT documents. The flights would be served with an Airbus A-320 jet. This must be seen as a surprise considering the struggles of […]
The shifting numbers for Clintonian candidates in Florida
Clintonism is an ideology that has become the predominant movement within the Democratic Party – an emphasis on free markets combined with pride in racial, gender and ethnic identity. Bill Clinton benefited in 1996 from what was called condescendingly by smug (northern and California-based) elite commentators as the “bubba factor” but did in fact allow […]
The Florida Squeeze 