Florida gubernatorial election 2014

[BrainGlutton]

@adaher

That’s what his record is. I dont think rational people favor campaign words over what someone has actually done.

Perhaps not, but one needs a majority to win.

[BrainGlutton]

Billionaire Mike Fernandez just resigned as finance co-chairman of Scott’s campaign, apparently in resentment over staffers making racist jokes about Latinos.

[adaher]

It’s a little thing, but it’s one of my pet issues: government efficiency, management skill, etc. Florida had the second lowest rate of erroneous food stamp payments in the country:

Florida wins $7 million for wasting $47 million in food stamp funds

“This is the seventh year in a row that DCF’s improvements and accuracy in correctly processing food assistance applications has received accolades and bonus money from the federal government, totaling more than $54 million.”

Of course,wasn’t Charlie Crist governor seven years ago? So it looks like both of them deserve a pat on the back.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

Meanwhile, Scott is in hot water for allegedly tricking uniformed police officers into attending campaign events, in violation of the “Little Hatch Act”.

[adaher]

Crist seems to have moved into the lead. Right around the time that I’ve decided to vote for Crist.

[DigitalC]

I thought Crist was in the lead most of the time.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

Scott seemed to have edged ahead in July/August.

[adaher]

Scott’s been pounding away at Crist in a pretty effective way. But it’s tough for an incumbent with his level of support to win reelection and he’s running against a popular former governor. Whose only negative is that he’s the biggest flip-flopper of all time. Scott’s been pointing out that he’s been pro-life and pro-choice while insisting he’s never changed his views on abortion. IMO, I just don’t think Crist cares about abortion one way or the other, personally.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

[I don’t think Gov. Scott did his campaign any favors last night.

It’s no secret in Florida that former Gov. Charlie Crist likes to stay cool by using a portable fan.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s efforts to turn Crist’s devotion to the device into a debate-night advantage disrupted the start of their second televised encounter Wednesday night. And the finger-pointing over “fangate” that followed brought renewed ridicule Thursday to Florida’s elections.

When the debate started, TV viewers initially saw an empty stage. After moderator and Miami television anchor Eliott Rodriguez called it a “peculiar situation,” Crist came out.

Rodriguez then told the audience at Broward College that the panel of questioners had been told Scott was refusing to take the stage because Crist’s use of a fan under his lectern violated debate rules.

Boos erupted, and another panel member asked Crist about the fan. Crist responded by asking whether it was more important to discuss his fan or discuss issues such as education and the environment.

That was apparently enough for Scott, who walked out on stage, and the debate soon began.

](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOVERNOR_FLORIDA_DEBATE_FAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-10-16-11-10-07)
His campaign manager has been trying to spin it; you can almost hear her grunt from the effort.[

“Let’s get one thing clear: Rick Scott never refused to take the stage and debate,” Sellers said in an email to supporters shortly after 11 p.m. “In fact, our campaign was not notified Charlie had even taken the stage because the last we heard, Crist was in an `emergency meeting’ with debate organizers pleading for his precious fan.”

](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GOVERNOR_FLORIDA_DEBATE_FAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-10-16-11-10-07)
If I still lived in Florida, I might write something about how electoral politics in the state was so shitty as to be almost unbelievable, about how Florida deserves all the scorn and jeers and catcalls from the rest of the civilized world, and about how all these damn kids won’t stay the hell offa my lawn.

But I don’t live there any more, so instead I’ll just point and laugh at electoral politics in Florida and know that in making fun of the state and it’s politicians, I’m doing the right thing. I’ll worry about those damn kids later.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

Sad face.

[BrainGlutton]

Regarding the fan:

If this weird, petty nonsense is the sort of thing that decides the next governor of Florida, it won’t be a tragedy. It will be fitting. This is a race between two notorious creeps. Rick Scott is an arch Medicare fraudster. Charlie Crist, who was a Republican vice-presidential short-lister not that long ago, is one of the purest opportunists in modern American politics. The debate that eventually happened between the two last night consisted of them flinging these very valid critiques of each other back and forth. This race, like so many others in this cycle of blanket unpopularity, is not one of profound optimism and inspiration. If a trivial dispute over a portable fan is what decides this race, that’s because conditions were trivial enough to allow for such a trivial decider.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

I don’t agree with that at all. There’s not much to choose between Scott and Crist as people. But there is plenty of difference between their respective platforms, which are ultimately what really matters.

[adaher]

Crist was a solid governor and I think his party switching and flip flopping has more to do with the fact that he just doesn’t care about anything but the nuts and bolts of governing rather than him being a man with no principles.

Florida has actually been blessed with pretty solid governance for a long time compared to most other states. We’ve had some cringeworthy headlines since about 2000, but things actually go pretty well here. And this race has been portrayed nationally as a “hold your nose” election, but for me it’s actually been a choice between two governors I like. In the end, my choice was simply based on two things:

1. My incumbent rule: if an incumbent can’t easily win reelection given all the advantages incumbency has in our system, he shouldn’t even be running. I was willing to still consider Scott only because Crist was also an incumbent, of sorts.

2. Scott’s a divisive figure. Crist is not. I tend to hang around in liberal circles despite my conservative/libertarian tendencies, and almost everyone I know hates the guy with a passion. Crist will give me Republican-lite governance without all the hate.

[Reepicheep]

I’ve work in New Tampa and have been counting yard signs on my way to and from work. So far Scott has 4 of the really large signs, and 6 of the normal sized signs. Crist has 2 really large signs and 4 of the normal signs. I’m going to be paying much more carful attention after yesterday’s debate on what shows up outside in the next week.

BrainGlutton what are you seeing in the yards on your commute? Do you expect it to change due to the debate?

adaher the Republicans, talking around the water cooler at work, all hate Crist with a passion. Switching parties and flip flopping on ObamaCare are the two big issues. If he wins, are you expecting the Republicans to eventually approve?

I admit I only started paying attention in the last week, getting people back to school and ending the quarter has been much larger in my world.

[BrainGlutton]

@Reepicheep

BrainGlutton what are you seeing in the yards on your commute? Do you expect it to change due to the debate?

I’ve seen hardly any signs, actually, but, my commute is from Hyde Park to downtown Tampa, few front yards on the route.

[GrumpyBunny]

Team Charlie as well.

But I’d vote for Voldemort over Rick Scott. Rick Scott was CEO of HCA, which under his watch committed the largest healthcare fraud in Medicare’s 40+ year history. At least Voldy owned his evil.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

I haven’t seen a single sign for Scott or Crist. Surprising, because I live in a fairly conservative area (Oviedo, south Seminole County) that is otherwise quite politically active. I’m seeing a hell of a lot of Scott (or rather, anti-Crist) advertising, though.

I am actually more concerned about the AG race. Crist may be a shithead but Pam Bondi is incompetent and a shithead. Unfortunately, she is comfortably ahead in the polls.

[adaher]

@Reepicheep

adaher the Republicans, talking around the water cooler at work, all hate Crist with a passion. Switching parties and flip flopping on ObamaCare are the two big issues. If he wins, are you expecting the Republicans to eventually approve?

I admit I only started paying attention in the last week, getting people back to school and ending the quarter has been much larger in my world.

Crist is going to be working with a Republican legislature, and to put it gently, he’s not a fighter, and his approach to executive leadership is heavy on doing his own job and light on worrying about what the legislature is doing. I don’t actually think he’s going to be very different as governor than he was the first time.

Crist still has the same relationships with people in Tallahassee that he always had. He’ll never win the love of rank and file Republicans due to his party switching, but he’ll still have working relationships with all the same people he did before. The legislature won’t be out to get him or anything.

[Reepicheep]

Sunshine State News calling it for Scott

[Elendil_s_Heir]

I’m amazed. I thought he was doomed.