Tag: Republicans
Screwing Up Voting as Only Florida Can: Look for a Very Bad Election Day 2012
This picture of the line for early voting on Saturday in Miami* should explain why a Florida judge ruled on Sunday that early voting must be allowed to continue today, despite Gov. Rick Scott’s order that it would end.
What’s happening at the polls in Florida feels a lot like “self voter suppression.”
The Republican super majority in the state legislature loaded the ballot with ONE DOZEN deceptively and circuitously worded amendments. These would, among other things, exempt Florida from healthcare reform; interfere with a woman’s right to choose; provide more tax breaks to big business that will cut funding from schools, fire, and police; and give the legislature the ability to meddle with the state Supreme Court, among other GOP wish list items that would be unconstitutional if not passed by voters.
The amendments take up a full three 8 1/2 x 14 pages, front and back, on the ballot and it is estimated that it would take the average voter at least 45 minutes to read them all, and that’s not counting the time it will take to consider all the other offices and local initiatives. Officials, of course, have been stressing the need to bring a filled-in sample ballot to the polls.
Waiting Game: Longest Ballot Ever Presented to Florida Voters
17
Number of minutes it will take to read a general election ballot in Florida, where the state legislature has added 11 constitutional amendments for voters to consider. All amendments are deceptively worded and written by the Republican-led body, and all received a thumbs-down from the League of Women Voters. Thanks to the 3,000 words on the ballot, the longest lines in history are expected at the polls. No doubt voters who can’t wait more than an hour or two will give up in frustration.
Why “Independent” Doesn’t Equate to “Idiot”
It’s hard for those of us who have absolutely no trouble whatsoever figuring out how to vote to understand what’s going on in the heads of “the undecideds.” It’s also easy to believe that they’re like the folks in this video, clueless morons distracted by irrelevant issues — and not all that bright.
When the dust settled, the choice given was Romney, a candidate McCain himself considered a poorer choice than Palin in 2008
But an essay* from a retired cop in Jacksonville named Jim Crosby, who’s changed parties several times, shows that not all independents are self-absorbed halfwits. In fact, some of them do a more thorough job of thinking through the issues and making a decision than those of us whose leanings in one direction or the other allow us to get there faster. For proof, read on.
I defected…I changed my voter’s registration from Republican to Democrat.
Another One Bites Rick Scott’s Dust
Will the last person to leave Governor Rick Scott’s communications office please remember to turn off the lights?
— Peter Schorsch, on his St. Petersblog, noting that with Lane Wright’s announced resignation, the Florida tea party governor has a hard time retaining spokespeople.
If Even One Woman in Missouri Votes for Todd Akin, I Would Like a 500-Word Essay Explaining Why
She had a confidence and was much more ladylike (in 2006), but in the debate on Friday she came out swinging, and I think that’s because she feels threatened.
Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), describing Sen. Claire McCaskill, the incumbent Democrat whose seat Akin is running for. Akin is still in the race, despite his parsing of rape and legitimate rape, and disclosing his complete lack of understanding of how the female body works.
Why CEOs Are Not Presidential Material
After living through two years of bumbling attempts by a former CEO to run state government like a business, I had a flash of recognition when I heard Mitt Romney’s take on the Israeli/Palestinian problem.
Tea Party Republican and former HCA Columbia Chair Rick Scott, who spent $75 million of his own money on his campaign, took over the Florida governorship confident he would use his business skills to root out waste, slash the state payroll, get rid of regulations that hold back business, and create jobs. One of his first moves was to turn down millions in federal assistance to build a high-speed rail line that would have employed Floridians, taken cars off the eight-lane parking lots that serve as commuter roads, and made the state a leader in the transportation technology of the future.
When Romney says there is no hope for peace in the Middle East, he’s really telling us he doesn’t have what it takes to be president
From there, he rolled out a series of privatization proposals, such as turning over prisons to corporate managers and allowing developers to build golf courses in state parks. Within weeks of taking office, Scott’s approval ratings hit record lows, along with Florida’s employment numbers, which under Scott’s leadership have remained worse than the nation as a whole.
Rommey Admits He Isn’t Qualified to Be President
I don’t pay more than are legally due and frankly if I had paid more than are legally due, I don’t think I’d be qualified to become president.
Mitt Romney, talking about his taxes to ABC News in July. The candidate for president recently released his 2011 tax return, which showed that Romney intentionally claimed less in charitable deductions than he was entitled to in order to make sure he paid at least 13% in taxes, as he previously swore that he did. Romney’s income is almost totally from investments which are taxed, thanks to Republicans, at a much lower rate than work. His campaign admitted rigging the return in this statement: “Gov. Romney has been clear that no American need pay more than he or she owes under the law. At the same time, he was in the unique position of having made a commitment to the public that his tax rate would be above 13%. He directed his preparers to ensure that he is consistent with that statement.
How Much Does Obama Want to Hug Charlie Crist?
I can admit it now – I can hug him all I want.
— Pres. Obama, coming out of the closet about his affection for former Gov. Charlie Crist at a fundraiser in Tampa, site of the recent 2012 GOP convention. Crist went down in flames in his race for U.S. Senate against Marco Rubio as he switched from Republican to no party affiliation, married a New York socialite amid rumors that he is gay, and was dogged by a photograph of a clearly platonic shoulder hug with the president shortly after Obama was elected. Crist is said to be contemplating running for his old office of governor in 2014, but this time as a Democrat.
Latest Republican Dirty Trick Could Keep Democrats Home Voluntarily
Florida Republicans are redefining the word “dirty” in the phrase “dirty politics.” Their latest trick is intended to keep Democrats away from the polls — voluntarily.
Mailers were sent to Democrats calling out candidates, like state Sen. Audrey Gibson, for not being progressive enough — especially for working or compromising with Republicans — and the pieces appear to come from fellow Democrats.
“Progressives” is run by a group of Republican operatives who are using mailers designed to look like they are from a Democratic-leaning group to attack Democrats across the state…
Guess who wins if Democrats stay home?The group is chaired by Alachua County Republican Party Chairman Stafford Jones, who runs several other fund-raising groups that pay for political advertisements. It shares an address with the law firm of Richard Coates, general counsel for the Republican Party of Florida…
