Author Archives: Kartik Krishnaiyer
Orange County Grassroots Activists Making A Real Difference
Orange County stands alone among large Florida counties for its strong and effective progressive infrastructure. Despite repeated efforts by the Legislature to dilute the voting power of minorities and non-Republicans in the county, the area continues to become more and more progressive. We have through the past few months featured stories on progressive efforts throughout […]
Is it time to worry about Charlie Crist poll numbers? No, if Democrats acknowledge 2014 is about turnout
With buzz around the state focusing on Governor Charlie Crist’s “sinking” poll numbers and a supposed Rick Scott “surge,” we once again hear from different quarters that Crist and the Democratic ticket need to replicate the Alex Sink playbook and chase mythical swing voters. Many Democratic voters have been sold on the need to nominate […]
Thursday Bookshelf: Wealth and Democracy – A Political History of the American Rich
In our continuing reviews of books by former Republican Strategist turned radical Independent thinker and pundit Kevin Phillips, today we look at Wealth and Democracy: A Political History of the American Rich which was written during George W. Bush’s first term but is still very pertinent today. The long narrative about the impact of money […]
Legislative Races Need to be Given Higher Priority by Elected Officials and Local Parties
Coming off a special session where the Republicans Leadership once again showed arrogance and the contempt for the will of Florida’s citizens, the Democrats would have a unique chance to target vulnerable Republican lawmakers. But unfortunately due to the Florida Democratic Party’s emphasis on the Governor’s race legislative races and particularly House races have taken […]
Thursday Bookshelf: American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century
As we discussed two weeks ago, former Republican strategist Kevin Phillips, the architect of Richard Nixon’s 1968 Presidential Election victory has a uniquely intellectual perspective on the Bush family. Two years after penning American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush Phillips expanded on that work with American Theocracy: The […]
Legislative Malpractice: Redistricting Special Session
I feel to a certain extent that my arguments about the Florida Legislature and Reapportionment are going in circles. For the last week, it has been abundantly clear to regular readers of this site where we stand on this matter. This is not about partisanship but about fundamental fairness and honoring the will of Florida’s […]
Some Democrats Need to Stop Lobbing Bombs at Activists
For many months now the tension around activists involved the Gubernatorial Primary has reached a fever pitch. The name calling which has dominated social media in recent weeks reached a new level in the past seven days with the temperature rising seemingly on a daily basis. The willingness of some Nan Rich supporters to attack […]
The GOP and Central Florida: Mapping out a Decade of Partisan Gerrymandering
Al Gore’s 2000 victory in Orange County, the first in the county by a Democratic Presidential candidate since 1944 sent shockwaves through the consulting class of Florida’s GOP. Having just captured complete control of state government in 1998, Central Florida was thought of as a reliable Republican area, the top of the “Republican Horseshoe” that […]
GOP Arrogance on Redistricting Continues in Special Session
This morning Florida House and Senate committees have been hard at work on Redistricting. The GOP has submitted maps which are likely to pass given the partisan conformity of the legislature. These maps submitted by the majority party reflect the arrogance and recklessness of the current leadership of the Legislature. Having failed to deliver constitutionally […]
Do Isolated State Capital’s Like Tallahassee Impact Corruption?
Interesting nugget today in the Buzz blog. Something I have theorized for years appears to now have empirical evidence to back it up. From Adam Smith in the St Pete Times today: For those of you who haven’t yet finished the latest edition of The American Economic Review, Profs. Filipe R. Campante and Quoc-Anh Do […]
The Florida Squeeze 