News Room
News Clips - Jan 30
Jan 30, 2012 Blog
FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWS CLIPS — JANUARY 29, 2012
PARTY NEWS
**DRIVING THE DAY** Romney wallet is winning — not the candidate [Talking Points Memo] "'After failing to gain traction with Republican voters in South Carolina, anemic frontrunner Mitt Romney has turned to a scorched-earth spending approach in a desperate move to secure a victory,' Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Brannon Jordan told me in an email. 'Romney is clearly pulling from Governor Rick Scott’s playbook, depending on campaign slogans and dodging the press to avoid talking about his own record of Medicare fraud and killing jobs. Romney may survive on Tuesday, but his negative campaigning and pandering to the far-right have taken a toll on his appeal with the independent-minded voters who decide elections in Florida.'”
Fla Dems rally over 400 to protest GOP voter suppression law at "Our Voice, Our Vote" rally [FOX Tampa]
Also see rally video from Tampa's NBC, CBS and a roundup of the hearing from the Tampa Bay Times and Palm Beach Post ("Hundreds protest Florida election law change")
Chairman Rod Smith on MSNBC's Politics Nation [MSNBC] Do Republicans Trust Mitt Romney?
Don't expect Rubio to save the day for Republicans [USA Today] "Brannon Jordan with the Florida Democratic Party said it's Rubio and other Republicans who have hurt the economic recovery by being obstructionists. 'Rubio offers more rhetoric than reality when it comes to addressing the concerns of Florida's families," Jordan said. 'Since taking office he's failed to accomplish nothing other than playing politics and blocking the president's agenda at every turn. That's more of the same failed leadership that has brought the approval rating of Congress to an all-time low.'"
2012 RACES
Newt outspent by nearly 12 million on Florida airwaves [Politico] "Newt Gingrich has been outspent on the Florida airwaves by a nearly $12 million margin, according to a source monitoring the Sunshine State ad war."
Connie Mack: the Newt Gingrich Stalker [Politico] "'I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s stalking Newt Gingrich and heckling him at events. That’s not something you see from a sitting congressman. I think it’s odd and erratic,' said LeMieux, who has not endorsed a presidential candidate. “For somebody who doesn’t spend a lot of time in Florida to begin with and then parachutes in … I think that’s strange behavior.'"
Keith Fitzgerald on the attack on Medicare [The New York Times] "In the 13th District of Florida, which includes Sarasota, Keith Fitzgerald, a Democrat, said Medicare would be 'a major theme' of his campaign against Representative Vern Buchanan, a three-term Republican. The 2010 census found that this district had a larger proportion of residents 65 and older than any other district in the country. 'People here, including many rock-ribbed Republicans, get Medicare,' Mr. Fitzgerald said. 'They understand Medicare. They see the benefit. For them, it’s tangible, it’s real, it works.' By voting for the Republican budget plan, Mr. Fitzgerald said, Mr. Buchanan was 'marching in lockstep with his party' and against the interests of constituents.
President Obama in strong shape with Latinos [Politico] "Over the past few months, the Obama administration has rolled out a series of executive actions that often garner little attention from the English-language press but get huge coverage in the Spanish-language media and other outlets favored by Hispanics."
Jeb Bush's silence is deafening [The New York Times] "It has not been for a lack of effort by Mr. Romney, who has made phone calls, traded e-mails and met privately to try to win over Mr. Bush. The campaign was poised to make him a national co-chairman, a role Mr. Bush would have shared with Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, but several Republicans familiar with the offer say it was decline"
Freddie Mack attack boomerangs on Connie's Mack [Miami Herald] "Rep. Connie Mack has been criticizing Newt Gingrich’s ties to Freddie Mac, but the congressman is less willing to talk about his own profits from a government-sponsored mortgage enterprise."
GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE
U.S. Senate field hearing in Tampa exposes flaws in Florida's new voting law [WMNF] "Florida’s new voting law has received criticism from groups across the country who think it makes voting harder for minorities and people with low incomes."
Advocacy groups say Bondi going too soft on Big Banks [Miami Herald] "'Ms. Bondi’s attitude demonstrates how out of touch she and the rest of Tallahassee is with everyday people,” said Trenise Bryant, a resident of Miami and leader of the Miami Workers Center, via a news release. 'We need a settlement that repairs the harm that was done to homeowners in our community, not one that lets banks off the hook.'"
Not clear that privatizing prisons would save money [Orlando Sentinel, Deslatte Capitol View] "Lawmakers say they want to design a grand experiment between profit-driven prisons and those solely tasked with maintaining public safety. But if it isn't a fair competition, what have you proved?"
Rush to prison privatization a danger to Florida [The Ledger Op-Ed Column by State Sen. Dockery] "With so much at stake, including the jobs of 3,800 corrections employees and the public safety of 18 million Floridians, the rush to privatize prisons is not only an affront to the process, but a danger to our citizens."