Who is most powerful person in American politics right now? It can be argued among many, but certainly one that surfaces this year, in particular, is the Secretary of Commerce, former Washington GovernorGary Locke, a Democrat. The Chinese American is responsible for the conduct of the U.S. Census. That tabulation in turn dictates the representation in the House ofRepresentatives, by state; and the formula by which billions of federal revenue sharing dollars are distributed.
In Florida, the Republicans are already arguing about whether unregistered or undocumented aliens should be counted. It is widely anticipated that traditional Rust Belt states, like Michigan,Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Katrina-torn Louisiana will lose states in the Congress. The winners, driven by the surge in immigrants coming from their borders, will probably be Sun Belt states like Florida, Texas and Arizonia, among others. It will get particularly ugly when incumbents run against each other for consolidated existing seats.
The stakes could not be higher. That's who dat--Gov. Gary Locke
The mid-term elections, since the President's historic win last year, occur in 2010. As typical of most elections, some surprises occurred in 2008--notably, Democrats elected from districts where the voters also preferred Barack Obama's opponent, Senator John McCain (R., AZ). Lumping first and second term members together, the total number falling in this category is approximately 50 members of the U.S. Houseof Representatives. Now the question is 'who brought them to the dance?' Said differently, one of the following probably apply to the 50:
1. They won their seats based upon their original conservative and perceived independent campaigns, and they created a comfortable distance from the Obama Campaign.
2. Their opponents were vulnerable and probably too tied to the unpopular President George Bush. However, their electorate supported the Republican nominee, thinking Senator McCain was sufficiently different from President Bush.
3. These districts had unusually discriminating voters.
What ever the reason, these 50 folks have problems now, and they are creating additional problems for their Democratic President. The Republicans are obviously targeting them, and the Administration cannot necessarily count on them on make or break votes on health care, energy and financial services reform, among many others. Also, keep in mind, historically the majority party usually loses seats in a mid-term election like this.
The outcome of these 50 House races may very well dictate the success or failure of this historic President's first term.
"The law firm led by newly appointed U.S. Senator George LeMieux was responsible for securing dozens of visas for foreign workers to enter the country and help construct the St. Regis hotel and condominiums in Bal Harbour – a move that left American sheet metal workers out of a job."
LeMieux is chairman of Gunster Yoakley, a Florida-based law firm which specializes in helping companies hire foreigners to replace American workers inside the United States.
As a result of the media evolution, those who have ready access to mainstream media have shifted the balance of political power away from the Voters towards entities who have the ability and money to drive and influence national conversations towards their point of view.
This very public access creates instant attrition to any Election result, as the winning Politician breaths a sigh of relief from the Voters and then begins facing anywhere from 730 to as many as 2192 days where Lobbyists and Media attention comprise their worst fears for no less than two years without end.
Today our news comes in undending fashion, 24/7 relentlessly requiring something either new and different from all sources.
This 24/7 society has led to the weakening of the Voter's Election Day power, rendering decisions made on election day that direct their Officials to do their bidding or else, be fired at the next election.
Voters now have one day that their Representatives must either respect or fear, namely Election day.
All other days belong to whomever can afford to relentlessly pound their messages into the consciousness of the Nation, all it takes is the money, and a strategy that feeds the media culture by providing "intellectual" analysis from Institutions set up to advance a philosophy, usually conservative, generally from a think Tank with a name that is designed to multiply it's authority.
Think about the disparity between "endless 24/7" and elections conducted every two, four, or six, years.
For every Congressional election there are a minimum of 730 24/7 cycles that 435 members of Congress can be subjected to the infamy that comes from being publicly excoriated by the political power of money, legally screaming loudly from any media outfit that lives off of Advertising revenue.
Presidents have a minimum of 1461 of those daily news cycles per Election.
Senators face the electorate at a rate of once every 2191-2 of those 24/7 news cycles. It's little wonder that Senators are the least responsive to the Voters, and appear always to be pondering their positions. The insulation from the Electorate enjoyed by Senators ensures them little Voter pressure while exposing Senators to three times the amount of "high priced political speech" from entrenched interests.
While the Internet has given rise to the Blogger and commentators of all types and from all political views. This type of speech is powerful only in as far as the Bloggers have to either get noticed by feeding into the mainstream 24'7 news cycle.
This isn't an easy task, and the blogging world knows that most media look for our shiny aluminum helmets prior to involving themselves, unless their point is to make fun of a blogger.
Breaking that barrier requires quite a bit of ingenuity, hard investigative work, or by doing something strange and off the wall.
The other way is for the individual sources to come together and by using financial appeals gather the necessary funds to message as media Advertisers.
The evolution from Voter Power to Messaging Power driving Congress and Legislatures decision making processes is a 21st century problem that must be addressed.
Perhaps the best solution will never occur, because only a few brave Politicians would be willing to face the electorate more often, nor would such a change necessarily be beneficial in the long term.
Absent that, a US Supreme Court decision, removing the free speech rights from any non human entity, would go far to re-leveling the political playing field.
Corporations will not go away, nor will the nation's political discourse be impinged, the change will merely recognize that it is the individual citizen that holds the reins to his/her own Government.
Roger Stone also had a piece yesterday, "Crist's Vulnerability", subtitled "It's the little Frenchman", pointing out that "Crist's former Chief of Staff George LeMieux has made millions since leaving state government. Now LeMieux's business dealings are likely to become the focus of Democratic attacks on U.S. Senate candidate Charlie Crist."
"Huge State contracts with LeMieux's law-firm, awarded at the time LeMieux left the governor's office and which LeMieux claims he had nothing to do with, will be the focus of FOIA requests."
Stone goes on to mention that
worrisome to the Crist camp are conversations LeMieux had with indicted viatical scamster Joel Steinger of Mutual Benefits while Steinger was wearing a wire for the Feds. The Mutual Benefits scandal will take down more Florida politicians who the company approached to stem the federal investigation that ultimately brought the company down. LeMieux may be the biggest fish.
Atwater, Jeff (REP)(STS); many contributions to People for a Better Florida Fund, Inc. (ECO), "sometimes called the 'political arm of the Florida Medical Association'", and the Florida Medical PAC (CCE); Cappelli, Angelo (REP)(STR); Constance, Chris (REP)(STR); Frishe, James C. "Jim" (REP)(STR), Johnson, Randy (REP)(STR); Cut Taxes Now PAC, Inc. (PAC), an entity he incorporated; Citizens For A Fair Share, Inc., a tort reform PAC; Berfield, Kimberly "Kim" (REP)(STS); Cappelli, Angelo (REP)(STR); Crist, Charlie (REP)(GOV) [twice], Eaton, Christopher (DEM)(STR); Hasner, Adam (REP)(STR); Sullivan, Don (REP)(STR); Cut Property Taxes Now, Inc. (PAC); and Long, Janet C. (DEM)(STR).
While writing about the Florida flavor of politics for the last couple of months, I've been watching as battle lines get drawn over Obama administration initiatives meant to fix some of the more badly broken pieces of The American Dream - the healthcare system, the environment, the working middle class, for starters.
And I want to get in the game. While I'll keep covering Sunshine State doings, I'm also going to start writing more about these core national issues, and the related legislative reform efforts so necessary to restore -- and create anew - some semblance of socioeconomic equilibrium in our American Democracy.
But first, I need to get some Big Picture context off my chest - hanging a frame, if you will, in which the canvas of those and related stories can then be methodically mounted for maximum cumulative impact.
Because, if taken individually and out of their larger context, each of the aforementioned political battles now raging - and those yet to come -- may seem to some Americans to be just another round of partisan political bickering and business as usual BS - which is just what cynical Conservative and Republican politicians and pundits want people thinking.
In announcing his candidacy for Governor of Florida on Monday, Bill McCollum described how if elected his administration would demonstrate "a renewed commitment to our environment." It sure better be "renewed", given that in McCollum's last year in the U.S. House of Representatives, the estimable League of Conservation Voters gave him a dismal 26% lifetime environmental rating, gaining him infamous addition to their "Dirty Dozen" list of the most anti-environment members of Congress -- see http://tinyurl.com/q6aymn).
But that's not the only "Dirty Dozen" list that McCollum has been named to. No, in fact the venerable Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence put the then-congressman in its own hall of shame, citing him as having one of the "worst records on the issue of guns" of anyone in Congress -- see http://tinyurl.com/o5tybz. Of course, McCollum describes that status as nothing more than support of the constitutional right to bear arms.
What chilling examples these are of the kind of Herculean makeover campaign the McCollum team has already begun to mount, in hopes of finally getting him the kind of high profile statewide gig he has so longed for. His 2006 election as Attorney General just doesn't seem to have done enough to heal the wounds of unsuccessful U.S. Senate runs in 2000 and 2004. He is an ever-ambitious lifer in the grimy game of electoral politics, which usually means prioritizing one's own advancement over and above the positive impact one can have at any particular level of achievement, or responsibility.
I'm tired of hearing Florida Democrats tell me how much they like Governor Crist, now an official candidate for the U.S. Senate seat soon to be vacated by Mel Martinez. "He’s such an improvement over Bush.” they say, or ”He's not a real Republican." Really? Okay, maybe Charlie Crist is the Florida Republican version of Miller Lite Beer -- you know, “Tastes Great!” -- compared to the bad taste Jeb left on our political palates. No, wait; make that “Less Filling!” -- of our heads with empty Republican rhetoric. But that's not good enough for me, and it shouldn't be good enough for any self-respecting Florida Democrat.
While political pundits turn their -- and the public's -- attention to Charlie Crist's U.S. Senate run and a series of chain reaction announcements to follow from Florida pols like Alex Sink and Bill McCollum, it's worth taking one more look at what the state's Republican leadership "accomplished" by the time they finally passed a budget and adjourned last Friday.
Forget the spin coming out of self-congratulatory press conferences like the one on Friday afternoon that featured Crist, Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottcamp, Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul patting one another on the back for reaching compromise "agreements" and making "tough choices". The Governor's office immediately issued a long list of accomplishments in the new budget. Atwater and other Republican leaders went on their own media tour, desperately trying to re-frame the legislative session as some kind of a mixed-bag success. The economic crisis, of course, became the be-all, end-all explanation for their more glaring slaps across the faces of Florida's already reeling Middle Class and working families.
May 1st marked the official end of the 60-day legislative session in Tallahassee. No balloons or ticker tape. No, you see, the one and only task that the legislature was actually required to accomplish by May Day was to pass the state budget for the next fiscal year, which starts July 1st. They couldn’t get it done. So now House and Senate “leaders”, Republicans like House Speaker Larry Cretul and Senate President Jeff Atwater, huddle over the weekend and try to come up with a final budget that the entire legislature can vote on next week. These are the same Republicans who had promised an open budget process last week -- just before making a mad dash for closed-door budget negotiations amongst themselves. Talk about an economic strategy echo chamber. After their secret meetings, they refused to reveal any details of what they’d discussed. But they did want to make an announcement: that the budget negotiation “will be an open process…a very, very open process.” Does that sound more than a little like the twisted double-talk that came out of the Bush administration for eight long years?
This, after weeks and weeks of the usual Florida legislative war dance -- the overwhelmingly Republican House vs. the less-overwhelmingly Republican Senate. How about a couple of examples? Well, Florida homeowners’ “insurer of last resort”, government-backed Citizens Insurance, wanted a rate hike. The state Senate approved a 5% hike. Then the House said no, that’s not enough. They wanted to give them increases of up to 20%. That's called chutzpah in Yiddish, cujones in Spanish, shameless in any language. Then there’s the Clean Energy bill, intended to force electric utilities to use more renewable energy sources, like wind and solar. Even our Republican Lite governor, Charlie Crist, is a big advocate of the legislation. But House Republicans blocked the bill throughout the session.
What are badly outnumbered Democrats to do? Some continue to fight for what's right. Others are just desperate for a win. In the case of the Clean Energy bill, at the last minute the Senate tacked on a ridiculous new feature that would allow nuclear power to also be classified as a renewable energy source. And that, folks, is the kind of wrong-headed cave-in that leaves so many principled citizens disgusted or disengaged with politics, and politicians.
However, it is important to note that there are in fact some hard-working, ethical, progressive Democrats in the state legislature, fighting the good fight against all odds -- people like Dan Gelber, Ted Deutch, Dave Aronberg, and others. But far too often, their hands are tied. There just aren’t enough of them. And that’s because of how successfully the Republicans have gerrymandered our legislative districts. The good news is, there's hope on the horizon. A vitally important new ballot referendum initiative called Fair District Florida may just be the beginning of a new day in state politics. Stay tuned for an upcoming article on this potentially game-changing new initiative.
Progress Florida Executive Director Mark Ferrulo sent the following letter to Republican Party of Florida Chairman Jim Greer this morning:
April 27, 2009
Dear Chairman Greer,
The trustees of Northwest Florida State College have called an emergency meeting for tomorrow in response to developments surrounding the $6 million of taxpayer funds appropriated for an aircraft hangar at Northwest Florida State College.
Gov. Crist, State Attorney Willie Meggs and others have stated publicly that these funds should be returned to taxpayers. Last week Sen. Don Gaetz indicated that the $6 million had become a "toxic issue" in the legislature, and that lawmakers would take steps seeking return of the funds if the board of trustees doesn't vote to do so themselves.
We're writing to find out if you agree with Gov. Crist and others that the aircraft hangar project should be abandoned and the funds returned by the school.
If so, we'd like to know why the money that the Republican Party of Florida received as part of this scandal shouldn't be given back to contributor Jay Odom, for whom the hangar was allegedly to be built.
Returning Mr. Odom's campaign contributions would help restore people's faith in the integrity of the political process, and make clear that the days of allowing political donors to dictate public policy and abuse taxpayers are over.
Progress Florida joins with Gov. Crist, State Attorney Meggs and others in urging the trustees of Northwest Florida State College to return the $6 million so it can be used for more critical needs by the citizens of Florida. In the spirit of good government, we also call on you to return the more than $1 million in tainted political contributions that Jay Odom leveraged through the Republican Party of Florida to help create this debacle.
St. Pete Times writer Steve Bousquet has two must read articles regarding Republican efforts in both the House and Senate in the Florida Legislature to change the rules to restrict voting.
Meantime, Charlie hides under the Chamber of Commerce's skirt. The Tallahassee Democrat editorial board takes the self-proclaimed "People's Governor" to task this morning:
Taking a stand against the beating, threatening and restraining of employees, the act of locking them in trucks to force them to work, should be among the easiest calls a politician ever makes.
That's why it's dumbfounding that Gov. Charlie Crist refuses to meet with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers [the "CIW"]. ...
For some inexplicable reason, Crist has remained silent on what Gourmet magazine recently dubbed "Florida's slave trade," the scourge of our state's agricultural industry. There have been seven federal prosecutions for slavery in Florida's fields since 1997, freeing more than 1,000 people ... .
"Slavery lingers here" (editorial originally published by The News-Press (the Democrat's sister paper in Fort Myers)).
Notwithstanding Florida's newspaper companies' relative silence (with occasional exceptions like this extraordinary work)*, the existence of Florida's "Modern-Day Slavery" is no secret.**
However, and although the law is stacked in favor of the slave-owners, there has been occasional litigation. See e.g., "Ag-Mart to pay for limbless child's needs" (about a court settlement to provide "care for 3-year-old Carlitos Candelario, born without arms and legs to parents who picked tomatoes in fields sprayed with pesticides.")
Bill Maxwell wrote this about a recent slavery case:
Five Immokalee field bosses, all relatives, pleaded guilty to several charges of enslaving Guatemalan and Mexican farmworkers, forcing them to work and brutalizing them.
[the slaves were] kept more than a dozen men in boxes, shacks and trucks on their property. The workers were chained, beaten and forced to work on farms in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. Incredibly, the indictment shows that the men were forced to pay rent of $20 a week to sleep in a locked furniture van. They were forced to urinate and defecate in a corner of the vehicle. ...
A federal plea deal was entered, giving the two ringleaders 12 years and fines from $750,000 to $1-million each. Formal sentencing is at the end of the year.
The Coalition of Immokalee Workers conducted the initial investigation in this case and six other successfully prosecuted cases that have freed more than 1,000 field hands.
"Florida's leading lawmakers [many who wear their religion on their sleeves],
not to mention ordinary citizens, have rarely expressed outage over such abuses, and even fewer have raised a finger on behalf of farmworkers. Former Gov. Jeb Bush and his labor emissary openly criticized the coalition for its work, and Gov. Charlie Crist has yet to show real interest.
Strange that there have been no recent hearings on this issue in the Florida Legislature. Can't imagine why.
***However, slavers with money - and slave-owners tend to have cash on hand - can litigate the cases for years, and win on occasion if they can find friendly judges. See "Slavery Update". More here.
Besieged by criticism and facing criminal and ethical investigations into his dealings with a state college, House Speaker Ray Sansom resigned his post today. "Effective immediately, I have decided to recuse myself from the exercise of my duties as Speaker of the House of Representatives," Sansom said in a statement.
Here's a statement from Progress Florida's Executive Director, Mark Ferrulo:
"This is a perfect example of democracy at work. Engaged and informed citizens, combined with a vigorous and undeterred media, have forced one of Florida's most powerful politicians to answer for his actions.
"For months, Ray Sansom has been a student of the Rod Blagojevich school of denial. In the end, the tide of public opinion trumped personal ego. In December we launched SackSansom.com after our online poll found that 96% of respondents wanted Speaker Sansom held accountable for his 'cash and carry' style of leadership.
"Today Sansom got sacked, and it was long overdue.
"Floridians are tired of hypocrisy and abuse of power in our political system and Ray Sansom is the embodiment of both.
"This is a victory for good government and a testament to the importance of an independent press. From today forward, Florida's elected officials should be on notice - they will be held accountable."
We undoubtedly have big problems to solve in Florida right now, but none of them can truly be addressed with a tainted leader. This is both a testament to how democracy works, and a step forward for Florida.
I also want to thank those of you who participated in all of Progress Florida's Sack Sansom activities - this is your victory, too.
President Obama overturned Bush's ban on aid to international organizations who provide information on birth control, i.e., contraceptives, last Friday. So now the ReThugs, led by Mel Martinez of Florida, introduced an amendment to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the so-called Mexico City amendment, which would reinstate that ban. The good news is, it was just defeated by a vote of 37-60.
Securing the votes in Congress to pass real immigration solutions into law isn’t going to be easy. The next President – no matter who wins – will need to lead his own party first to get it done.
The campaign web sites of select candidates; click on "FB" to check them out on FaceBook, "T" to follow them on twitter, and "$" to donate. These are not paid ads.
- At "After All, He Is Black", we look at the inability of Florida "conservatives" to deal with racial issues.
- "Take this job ..." is a compendium of some of the things Florida employers are permitted to do to their employees.
Please leave comments or e-mail us with additional material for these projects.
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