| Our digest and commentary on today's Florida political news and punditry follows.
The best the RPOF can do?
"Facing a roomful of reporters Wednesday, Florida's Republican candidates for U.S. Senate offered a glimpse of what's ahead in their campaigns when the heat is on: dodge and weave."
Former House Speaker Marco Rubio, who surged ahead in the polls this week and got a boost in fundraising, refused to answer several questions about his record from reporters and editors at the annual Associated Press meeting Wednesday. Instead, he talked about his anti-government, anti-tax agenda while offering few specifics.
His opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist, offered his trademark rosy view of state government, highlighted his plan to cut $100 million in corporate taxes and boost the education budget with money from a troubled gambling pact. Get a load of these deep thinkers:When asked how he would fill the state's $3 billion budget hole, Crist offered few specifics: Rely on more federal money and make unspecified cuts, he said.
Both candidates took swipes at each other. "I don't have the luxury of going around the state and politicking all day,'' Crist said referring to Rubio, who is no longer in public office. "I am the governor of Florida and I am going to fight for the people every day.''
Rubio ducked questions about whether he would support the use of federal money to bring high-speed rail to Florida, but slammed Crist for endorsing the federal stimulus money last year, saying he was "not informed.'' "Florida's GOP Senate rivals evade questions on records, policies". See also "Crist, Rubio join candidates for governor in addressing the media". FloBama
"In the morning, Obama will fly out to Tampa, Fla., where he'll tour a maintenance hangar and greet crew members who work on aircraft that refuel other planes midair. .... After that, Obama and Vice President Joe Biden hold a town hall meeting at the University of Tampa." "Obama to hold Fla. town hall on the economy". "A race to bash teachers"
The Miami Herald editorial board: "After several years of diminishing returns for Florida's public schools, Gov. Charlie Crist is proposing to increase the education budget from PreKindergarten to 12th grade." It's a key piece of an economic puzzle that has left Florida languishing as other states like Georgia and North Carolina connected the pieces by improving schools to attract high-tech jobs with a trained, educated workforce. That's good as far as it goes.
Unfortunately, the editors can't help themselves, and insist on inchoate "merit pay" plans - the editors continue:State proposals for merit pay for outstanding teachers continue to be blocked by teachers unions, for example. Yet studies show that beyond parental involvement, teacher quality is key for students to excel. Much more needs to be done. "Crist's gamble".
But how, how, one must ask, are "merit pay" artifices meaningfully connected to "teacher quality"; how and by who are "outstanding teachers" determined? Perhaps Florida should be paying teachers appropriately in the first place, before whinging on about vague, unenforceable, "merit pay" schemes.
Jac Wilder VerSteeg, the deputy editorial page editor of The Palm Beach Post recently explained the issue in connection with the silly "Race to the Top" imbroglio:Robert Dow and I don't agree on everything. He's president of the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association, and the union considers some of my recent columns too sympathetic to the controversial, rigid curriculum imposed by school Superintendent Art Johnson and Chief Academic Officer Jeffrey Hernandez.
Angry parents and teachers — many from the CTA — have forced the district to backpedal. But I agreed with Mr. Dow when he told me this week that "over the past few years, the whole thing has been to blame teachers — and especially teacher unions — for everything that's gone wrong in education."
It's so much easier to blame teacher than to blame, say, politicians who shortchange education budgets while dictating slavish adherence to high-stakes tests. ...
And the central factor in evaluations? FCAT results. Why? Because that's what we've got. Never mind that the FCAT is too narrow and too affected by factors outside the teacher's control, including socioeconomic status and parental involvement. Moreover, the FCAT already is used to grade schools. If praying to the FCAT idol — as we've done for a decade — could produce uniformly great teachers, we'd have them now.
Supplying eyewash, the state says that teachers would be evaluated on other factors, such as evaluations by parents and students. But the FCAT remains the biggie. Add a spoonful of caviar to bucket of spit and you've still got mostly spit. ...
[T]he Legislature might try to use Race to the Top as way to bludgeon teachers. Vern Pickup-Crawford, the lobbyist who represents all the local districts, told me this week that he would not be surprised to see Legislation to turn the Race to the Top teacher evaluation provisions into law, regardless or whether Florida actually gets any of the Race to the Top money.
If that happens, districts could fire teachers and principals, promote this one, demote that one, shut down schools or convert them to charters all based on FCAT results. How would that be better than seniority? How would that encourage the best people to become teachers and tackle the toughest schools?
Mr. Dow said the Department of Education is using Race to the Top "to basically open up every single bargaining unit in the state so the districts can basically impose anything they want." That's not a race to the top. That's just a race to bash teachers. "The amazingly silly race: State already relies too much on the FCAT".
The Sun-Sentinel editorial board can't give it up, in this editorial today: "School Board never should have turned down $34 million" - "The Race to the Top program gives state money to solve issues such as teacher development, and improving low-performing schools. The Broward board apparently had concerns there would be too much importance placed on the FCAT if they took the money. The teachers' union, predictably, also opposed signing the Race to the Top deal, not wanting teacher performance evaluations connected to test scores."
The editorial board are of course mere cogs in the Zell Corporation machine, and that editorial no doubt made their master happy. Daily Rothstein
"Scott Rothstein pleads guilty, seeks shorter jail term". Related from Michael Mayo: "Adopted son of Scott Rothstein: 'I never saw this coming'". Thank you, Mr. Obama
"Florida to get high-speed-rail cash". See also "Obama's announcement: $1.25 billion to Florida", "Fla. trip could bring $1B for high-speed rail", "Pledge of railway grants to arrive today" and "Florida to get $1.25 billion from feds for high-speed rail". The "Plea agreement and statement of facts" (pdf). "The Obama Hug of Death"
Mike Thomas: "The bull is coming down the track at bullet speed" Republicans have set a new standard for political hypocrisy in their quest for choo-choo dollars.
And now that their wildest dream has come true, with President Barack Obama flying in today with stimulus dollars to build the Boondoggle Express from Orlando to Tampa, they are scattering like roaches in a Raid commercial.
Won't any Republican volunteer for the Obama Hug of Death?
Charlie Crist? Marco Rubio? Bill McCollum? Paula Dockery? Dean Cannon?
You know you all want the money. Republican opposition to the Obama stimulus is skin-deep, dependent entirely on whose constituents are being stimulated. Thomas stuns his readers by pointing out the hypocrisy of the one he luvs:This is going to be the Ghost Train.
Jeb Bush understood that in 2004 when he called a planned bullet train "a boondoggle of epic proportions." So he led the effort to kill it over the objections of state Sen. Paula Dockery, who argued the train would create jobs and reduce traffic congestion.
Two years later, Jeb pushed for commuter rail in Central Florida because it would create jobs and reduce congestion. And Dockery opposed it because it was a boondoggle.
Republicans have been a conflicted bunch when it comes to trains.
For 'em one day.
Against 'em the next. "Bullet train: Classic case of GOP hypocrisy". Cotterell loses it
Bill Cotterell has apparently lost his mind: "Court ruling won't ruin us unless we let it". Sinking
"McCollum's lead over Sink shows a steady improvement compared with previous polls. He led her 36 percent to 32 percent in an October Quinnipiac poll; 38 percent to 34 percent in August; and in a January 2009 poll he trailed 34 percent to 38 percent." "Health plan boosts McCollum".
Back at the ranch: "Sink shrugged off Republican Bill McCollum's double-digit lead in a new poll Wednesday, saying she still has plenty of time left to introduce herself to voters." "McCollum's lead in poll doesn't concern Sink". "He may be too optimistic"
"Admitting he may be too optimistic, Gov. Charlie Crist said Wednesday he does not expect to call for layoffs or pay cuts in the state budget recommendations he sends to legislators." "Crist: Budget outlook hopeful for state workers; legislative leaders skeptical". RPOFer laff riot
No wonder Grayson is always smiling. This "campaign stunt[er]" is apparently the best the RPOFers can do: "Armando Gutierrez's whiff". Insurance
"Maintain insurance controls, Crist says". |
