Category Jeb Bush

Jeb and the Bush legacy revisited and reassessed

Tuesday’s news that Jeb Bush will likely form a Presidential Exploratory Committee sent shockwaves through Florida politics and the Republican establishment. Bush remains arguably the most popular public figure in this state, and as heir to the Bush throne, his family legacy certainly buys him credit with the Republican establishment. Six years on from George […]

Monday Musings – Jeb Bush, Charles Van Zant, Our new look, FDP bench building, The Kartik Report

While Jeb Bush claims to be still mulling his Presidential decision all indications are he will seek to regain the White House for the Bush family in 2016. The former Governor’s decision to release over 250,000 emails from his time for Governor and the forthcoming release of his ebook seem to indicate he is well […]

High Speed Rail passes Florida by while the rest of the world cashes in

Florida should have been the leader – beginning in the late 1980’s High Speed Rail was talked about as a potential driver for the state’s economy. Florida would once again be the national leader, the first to innovate much as the Askew/Graham years had pushed Florida to the forefront of progressive business-friendly reforms nationally. Then […]

The “new” “reinvented” Jeb Bush a Presidential contender

Nobody in Florida’s journalist circles did a better job of covering the heavy-handed borderline dictatorship at times that was Governor Jeb Bush’s reign better than S.V. Date, then of the Palm Beach Post. Date held Bush’s feet to the fire like no other reporter in the state. He had the courage to say what needed […]

Monday Musings: Why Democrats need competitive primaries, UKIP emerging as a force, Jeb Bush and Republican nominating history, How the RPOF spends money differently than the FDP

While we are all are wondering who is going to run for Senate in 2016 and 2018, there is one thing that Democrats need to remember: we need a competitive primary process in order to build up field. While it will no doubt be expensive for each campaign (both in ’16 and ’18), the one […]

Air Florida making a comeback? The need affordable jet service or High Speed Rail greater than ever.

    I did a double take when I saw the above image on the internet yesterday. Air Florida, once the state’s “flag” carrier is attempting a comeback 30 years after going belly up. The return of Air Florida with its circa 1980 logo, if it really happens in 2015 s the above advertisement and […]

Thursday Bookshelf: Government in the Sunshine State

  Few Floridians know the state as well as UF Professor David Colburn and FSU Professor Lance deHaven-Smith. In 1999, Republicans took complete control of state government for the first time since the Reconstruction era-  that same year during Legislative Session Government in the Sunshine State: Florida Since Statehood was released and delivered to every Legislative […]

Thursday Bookshelf – American Dynasty: Aristocracy, Fortune, and the Politics of Deceit in the House of Bush

With Jeb Bush sniffing around a bid for the Presidency in 2016 now is the perfect time to discuss a timeless classic. 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 […]

DPCF Calls Democratic Gubernatorial Primary “A Referendum on Jeb Bush’s Education Policies”

The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF) has compared the Democratic candidates for Governor specifically on Education issues. Highlights of the report include: DPCF’s K-12 education platform, which includes opposition to Bush privatization efforts — corporate tax scholarships (vouchers), high-stakes testing, school grades, merit pay and Common Core State Standards Rich’s long-time support of early […]

Jeb Bush Foundation Report Card Released

Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future has released its annual report card for members of the Legislature. As we have editorialized strongly time and again against school “choice” schemes, this rating is an important barometer from where we sit. While the Democrats in the House did quite well from our vantage point, the Senate was […]