Florida’s Democrats have gone wobbly yet again, and this time on the most important issue of our time. While Rick Scott and Pam Bondi barnstorm cable news programs attacking the Heath Care ruling and get sweetheart treatment from FOX News, Florida’s Democrats have done little to alter the debate. Scott and Bondi have decided to wage a public relations fight against the Affordable Heath Care, by impugning the motives of the Supreme Court Justices and those elected officials, activists and health professionals who support this historic law. Both have publicly attacked President Obama, Former Speaker (current Minority Leader) Pelosi and other Congressional Democrats the past several days on FOX News programs.
Scott’s decision to opt out of parts of the law has been met with public silence by Florida’s Democrats. But why? This Governor who has fostered a culture of cronyism,corruption and my way or the highway rhetoric is the most unpopular public official in the state. Yet Florida’s Democratic leadership continues to be asleep at the wheel, unaware of potential political opportunities and chances to crystallize the differences between the parties. One has to wonder if the FDP and the statewide leadership is really interested in taking advantage of ready made opportunities to define the ideology and principles of the party.
Regardless of the FDP’s lack of messaging on this matter, Democratic legislative candidates locked in tough campaigns should seize this opportunity to demonstrate the type of leadership progressives throughout Florida seek. Attacking Pam Bondi and Rick Scott for playing politics with the health, welfare and lives of Florida’s citizens is good politics and good policy. Let us hope the FDP wakes up and realizes that.
UPDATE: At 1:01 PM following the publication of this post Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich issued the following statement.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: MICHELLE DeMARCO
JULY 2, 2012 850.487.5833
SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER NAN RICH CALLS ON GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT TO HALT POLITICAL GRANDSTANDING
TALLAHASSEE – Reacting to the news late Sunday that Republican Governor Rick Scott is once again attempting to block President Barack Obama’s health care reform from implementation in Florida, Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich (D-Weston) released the following statement:
“This latest announcement by Republican Governor Rick Scott speaks not only to a blatant disregard for the well being of the people he promised to serve, but a complete deference to right wing ideology over his constitutional obligations.
“His ‘more choice for patients, more free-market competition, increased accountability for providers, and incentives for personal responsibility’ are exactly the things the Affordable Care Act promises to deliver. What the law will not provide, however, is the continued free reign to health care companies to cancel policies at whim, deny coverage for pre-existing conditions, or spend more on their CEO’s bonuses than actual medical care for patients. And I fear that the governor’s objections stem more from corporate concerns than what’s best for the citizens of Florida.
“Pitting health care reform against education funding is the same false argument Governor Scott attempted to use during the last legislative session. This is the same governor that wanted to slash public education by 10 percent; the same governor that signed a budget raiding public universities’ reserves and operating funds by $300 million; the same governor who has no problem doling out hundreds of millions of unaccountable tax dollars to corporations to create phantom jobs; and the same governor that touts a dropping unemployment rate but ignores the real reason that rate is dropping – namely that more Floridians are simply giving up because his ‘job-creating’ strategy has been just another empty promise.
“One of the greatest ironies in his decision to forestall any action until the presidential election is the fact that the candidate he’s supporting created an almost identical health care system while Governor of Massachusetts – with the exception that his mandated penalties for failing to obtain “Romney-care” were much higher than the new national plan.
“Rick Scott is the Governor of Florida, not Florida’s CEO. He needs to remember that while he insists on running government like a business, he cannot deregulate his way out of the constitution he took an oath to uphold. Whether he likes it or not, the Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. It’s time for Governor Scott and the Republican leadership in Tallahassee to stop the partisan war against the law, and work together on behalf of the people of Florida.”
You act surprised?
Look K, I know you know this but just repeating it. The Florida Party is nothing but a pass through entity for soft money at this point. They have complacent staffers and an absentee chairman.
Great stuff lately on the site.
As inept as the FDP is I am stunned by this which represents a new rock bottom.
I said TPH must be wrong but I just went to the newsroom on the Florida Democrats site and sure enough no comments at all about Bondi and Scott touring cable news shows and saying Florida will opt out of the law.
They are pitifully weak. A new low. One party state.
July 4th holiday?
Oh I forgot the FDP takes holiday 24/7/365.
🙂
FDP asleep on a big issue?
You don’t say!!!!
While Nan Rich’s statement is one thing sending out press releases does little. We need Florida Dems on the TV/Radio etc taking on the Governor. Right now the silence is deafening.
Sad, sad times to be a Democrat.
Again I’m consciously agreeing with your comment “The most important issue of our time”.. is health care……why don’t folks get it…..
yes it is jobs and the economy stupid…..but isn’t health care part of the economy……of course we need good paying jobs…..
but this is one time I was in agreement with the President ……since 2008, as the banks, wall street and the housing market
caused the recession ….and .trillions were added for the (invasions) wars on the credit card, the President knew that while folks
needed jobs (to eat and pay bills)….the health care crises could be handled in Congress as the the country was recovering…..
This makes sense to me……we are 37th in health care outcomes, number one is cost……a healthy society is a productive society…..
where have those Democrats of the New Deal and the Great Society gone………are they in lock step with the current political system…..
of ignorance, I got mine and what’s in it for me…..It’s far from a perfect law…..of course big pharma and the insurance lobbyists
worked their deals…..And yes cronyism and corruption in Tallahassee is the play book of the current administration…….
Who is Rick Scott representing besides Rick Scott and why isn’t that apparent to the majority of Floridians…..
What is Smith supposed to do? He’s the party chair. Blame Rich for taking three days to respond and Saunders for his usual AWOL behavior or desire to cut a deal.
Your critiques are right but misdirected. Blame the legislative leaders NOT Smith.
Agree here with the sentiment but facts are that this not the fault of the FDP.
The legislators are not willing to step up their efforts to communicate. They are waiting around for deals. They are constantly playing defense. No offense but this is due to our leadership being out of touch with what is going on at the grassroots level.
This direction comes from House and Senate not party staff.
Sad but true.
The FDP has to be the most pathetic Democratic State Party. Heck, Texas, and Alabama do a better job running Democratic candidates. If this was some other state, Rick Scott would be hit left and right. But, the FDP leadership and legislatures have no spine. We need a new leader. I hope Scott Randolph becomes the new chair.