It has been 100 days now since the Dark Lord Voldemort took over the governor's mansion, and since he arrival, we have seen nothing but the smugness, arrogance and generally evil stance that almost enough of us predicted before his election.
Today, unions in the state came out to give him failing marks on everything. No surprise. Only the state constitution stops him from going the full Scott Walker and trying to ruin the employment of every government officials on his quest to get Florida to work. It seems the entire polling public in Florida has also caught on the his wicked ways.
I wish I could say I was surprised at what a bad job he has been doing. I also wish I was surprised how long it has taken the general public to catch on. But this is pretty status quo for Florida. Democrats hurt when the crazies in Tallahassee take over, but never enough to do anything about it. Then again, maybe that is starting to change.
That is why today I want to offer an unusual bit of celebration on this 100th day of madness in Florida. The reason? Not because I think Rick Scott is now or ever will do anything that results in positives for the state of Florida. I don't believe that will ever happen. But there just may be method to Scott's madness. Not method to his own ends, mind you, but a method which may finally result in an awakening of state progressives.
For too long, this has been a state that was 50-50 when it came to votes on national politics but which has reliably and inexplicably sent just one party to Tallahassee with enough power to truly govern. It is no wonder Rick Scott thinks he has a mandate to gut public good and ignore the law with executive whim. Even if he came in by an historically-slim margin, the man is surrounded by GOP compatriots.
But even in a Capital where Republicans can't lose, there is resistance to Scott. Lawmakers don't like his budget. Law Enforcement officials don't like his plans for the prisons. And nobody seems to like his tendency to act more as a king than a single person within a single branch of government.
Yet, this man is the face of the Republican party. Heck, he has become a national figure even as he has met only resistance among those he must work with in Tallahassee. Politically speaking, this man is a godsend for progressives. He represents the worst of the no-government branch of the GOP. He makes Ayn Rand look a bleeding heart Huey Long seem like a model for good government practices.
There will likely be a primary challenge of Scott in four years, but it won't work. The man feeds red meat to the base, and until their heart explodes because of it, they will keep him around. But general election voters likely will have far less taste for what he is serving. And without a Republican tide inching him across the finish line in four years, it will be a hard fight.
In the short term, though, the man is going to weigh down every Republican running in two years who has to face a legitimate Democratic challenger. Even if they fight Scott at every turn, GOP lawmakers will be branded with his policies. That means we need to contest the GOP in as many places as possible. Even districts which will be handdrawn by this legislature and which look unwinnable could turn blue in 2012 if Obama performs well again and the voters maintain a distaste for Rick Scott's politics.
So today, I revel in the madness, only because the madness may hold the promise of a better tomorrow
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You might note that, although his disapproval ratings have jumped in the last two months, a substantial percentage of those polled seem to disapprove because he hasn't been "evil" enough. From your link, "47 percent of those surveyed believe his budget cuts go 'too far,' 29 percent say they're 'about right,' and 16 percent say they don’t go 'far enough.'"
ReplyDeleteAlthough the article doesn't mention it, I'd guess that the people that approve of his performance overall track pretty closely with those who support his budget cuts. So 45 percent of respondents wouldn't agree with your characterization of "wicked ways". You overstate your case. Those respondents that don't think he's gone far enough aren't going to vote Democrat in 2012. They might stay home, but with the chance to cast a vote against Obama, that's unlikely. You'd have better luck if ultra-conservatives run as third parties and split the Republican vote.
Tom, people care about jobs. If Rick Scott continues to do nothing but damage employment benefits, layoff workers and turn down funding for other jobs, he will fail politically and practically.
ReplyDeleteAs for 2012, what really needs to happen is for Democrats to run a competitive slate statewide. They have't bothered doing that since the mid-90s. I always say the trick isn't getting the biggest slice of the pie, it's making the most pie. Democrats can win if they offer more reason for voters to come out to the polls. Rick Scott is helping Democrats by giving them a big reason. And yes, Obama gives Republicans a reason to vote as well. But we need more voters at the polls. That would be good for Democrats and good for democracy in general.
Let's stop the silly name calling. Calling Scott DARK LORD VOLDEEMORT would be like me referring to President Obama as BARRY O (after a WWF wrestler of bygone days) or BARRY BIG EARS. Just stupid and pointless.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I agree with everything GOvernor Scott has done, but I'd be really disappinted if he behaved like a Democrat because that would mean he had no principles at all. We already had thatwith Governor Crist, who campaigned as a conservative Republican but pandered like a Democrat.
It is true that Scott has a responsibility to his constituents to govern in a conservative fashion, but he was not elected king of Florida. Even more than his far-right policies, which have made many conservatives in the Legislature balk, my problem is with his apparent belief that his narrow margin of victory gives him the right to completely restructure the state government in his own image.
ReplyDeleteAs for Crist, he governed exactly as he campaigned - as a two-faced slimeball. Sadly, voters in Florida seem to repeatedly vote for people without developing a decent sense of who they are electing.
Honestly, my greatest issue with Scott is not that he is a conservative. I have always, for example, shown a greater level of respect for Jeb Bush than Scott because while I disagreed with Bush's policies and would never vote for him, I think he governed with respect and promoted his own agenda without trying to undo the checks and balances of government.