Author Archives: Kartik Krishnaiyer
Jeff Atwater: Less Moderate than you may think
Florida CFO Jeff Atwater has cultivated an image as a business-savvy moderate Republican.While Atwater is far from the most ideologically driven Republican, he is no moderate. Many have speculated that if Rock Scott’s poll numbers continue to lag (though much of this talk stopped last week when the Q-poll showed Scott closing the gap on […]
Marco Rubio wrong on Iran deal and Middle East regimes
President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have secured one of the great achievements of recent American Diplomacy with the Iranian nuclear deal. Florida’s press-hungry, ideologically motivated Junior Senator who is often the first Republican to make a statement on anything was quickly out of the gate Saturday night with a statement: Sen. Marco […]
The JFK Reader: Recommendations
As an amatuer political historian I own and have read lots of books about JFK over the course of the last two decades. With the recent upsurge in interest about the Kennedy Presidency and his life I’ve decided to list a five of my favorites below. I should also note Robert Caro’s most recent book […]
Rubio’s right-wing rhetoric is continued bad news for Florida
The continued desire of Florida’s first-term Junior Senator to put national interests above Florida, and specifically the national interests of the most reactionary portions of the GOP electorate leaves our state without adequate representation in the nation’s capital. Even when voting like conservative Republicans Senators Connie Mack and Mel Martinez were closely attuned to local […]
TFS Pod #7: Crist v Nelson, Q-poll, state of media and capital press corps in Florida, Trey Radel, and JFK
The latest edition of the Florida Squeeze podcast is embedded below. In this edition we discuss: The continuing talk of Senator Bill Nelson potentially running for Governor. Governor’s race tightening according to latest Q-poll. Newspapers vs Independent Media and the decline in resources for journalists at major papers to do the job they once did. […]
The Crist Files: Charlie Crist and teacher tenure
Just days before leaving the Republican Party and becoming an Independent (though still a self-proclaimed Jeb Bush conservative at the time) Governor Charlie Crist vetoed a dangerous teacher tenure bill. This one action seemed to cement the loyalty of Florida’s Teachers Unions to him, leading to a stunning split-endorsement between Crist and US Rep. Kendrick […]
The Crist Files: Charlie Crist and school “choice”
Many leaders of Florida’s Teachers Union have made it clear that they find Governor Charlie Crist, now seeking a return to the office he quit four years ago an acceptable choice. While it is entirely possible Crist’s views on education have evolved swiftly over the past few years, his record is very poor especially when […]
Kurly’s Kommentary – Oprah’s Racial Neurosis: It’s not black and white when it comes to President Obama
By Steven Kurlander @kurlykomments It seems that these days, when a celebrity is promoting a book or movie, it’s SOP to make a controversial statement about racism to heat up the coverage. First, it was Sarah Palin’s rather stupid remark about how the national debt was “going to be like slavery when that note is […]
Bill Nelson for Governor? Impact on Charlie Crist, progressives and whether a run is wise.
Florida is alive with speculation that 71-year-old US Senator Bill Nelson who has been very critical of Rick Scott will jump into the Governor’s Race thus potentially saving the Democrats from a messy primary process and/or the possible nomination of former Governor Charlie Crist. Nelson’s unwillingness to definitively rule out a race for Governor has fueled […]
The view from abroad: Iran and Obama’s potential deal
First off, I want to thank Ryan Ray for holding down the fort here at the Florida Squeeze this past week while I have been traveling abroad. Ryan is also working on a number of new features for the site which will launch soon. We will also have a lengthy article on Bill Nelson’s plans […]
The Florida Squeeze 