Government and Politics

Five Reasons Charlie Crist Will Not Run For Governor

Citing a slew of insider folk who compose the "Charlie Crist camp," Politico recently unleashed one of the most unintentionally satirical articles of Washington reporting this side of a Joseph Heller novel. According to "Democratic sources closely watching the race," and "operatives familiar with [ ... More >>

Tea Party to Recount Votes in Allen West Congressional Loss

Shady For-Profit College Welcomed With $350,000 in Tax Breaks

Tea Party to Recount Ballots in Allen West Congressional Loss

A Texas-based Tea Party organization and the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections have agreed on a plan to provide the group access to county voting records from the 2012 federal election and voter registration and other records going back to 2009. See also: - Allen West Will Soon Be an Ex-Con ... More >>

Anti Gun Rally Going Down In Delray on Saturday

Community leaders will be gathering in Delray Beach on Saturday for a "We Have Not Forgotten and Demand Action" event. And while the name is overly long and uninspired, the event itself is intended to be a loud shout in the face to Congress and lobbyists alike that gun control laws must pass. With ... More >>

Everett Wilkinson: Media Darling, Fringe Tea Party Extremist

Assault Rifles Are Big Business in Florida as Federal Ban Looms

Jim Greer: Racism and Dead Bodies Ahead

Marco Rubio Among Eight-Member Bipartisan Group Behind Immigration Reform Deal

A group of eight Democratic senators and Republican senators have decided to stop it already with all the bickering and do some bipartisan work and have released an immigration reform framework that includes a "path to citizenship" for undocumented immigrants -- a day earlier than when Obama is supp ... More >>

Some Tamarac Residents Want Patte-Atkins Grad Recalled

Just because you're a public official once accused of corruption, doesn't mean you can't pick make a comeback. Tamarac city commissioner Patricia Atkins-Grad in December was acquitted on corruption charges stemming from a 2010 indictment. The commissioner, a realtor who goes by the nickname "Positi ... More >>

Rick Scott Continues to Do Nothing About Gun Control in Florida

Fresh off admitting that he gave away the dog he had adopted before being elected once he was elected, Rick Scott has moved on to tackling more current events. Such as gun control. Specifically, gun control in Florida. And, in what has been his go-to move, Scott plans to do nothing but will listen ... More >>

Marco Rubio, Dissing All His Tea Party Pals, Pushes a "Pathway to Citizenship"

With Republicans foundering amid fiscal-cliff apoplexy and John Boehner looking more bewildered by the day, Marco Rubio, in a sharp departure from earlier hard-line immigration positions, said yesterday he's in favor of a pathway to citizenship. Wait, wait, wait. Actually, what he said was: "The b ... More >>

Is Charlie Crist Florida's Next Governor?

Fiscal Dairy Cliff: Farm Bill Stall Could See Milk Prices Double

Leaving cookies and milk for Santa could get pretty expensive if Congress doesn't pass the Farm Bill, created in 1933 to provide subsidies to U.S. farmers during the Great Depression.  Since then, the Farm Bill has grown and expanded to include not only farm subsidies, but disaster assistance, ... More >>

Rick Scott's Approval Ratings Are "Just Plain Awful"

It's official. Everyone pretty much thinks Rick Scott is crappy at his job. That, according to a new Quinnipiac poll that has a large number of people saying Governor Voldemort doesn't deserve a second term. (And that number includes GOPers!) Rick Scott has feverishly been trying to make people f ... More >>

Florida to Have the Most Concealed Weapons Permits in the U.S.

Hey good news, everybody! In only a matter of days, Florida will officially be number one in the most people with concealed weapons permits in the country! According to Florida's Secretary of Agriculture Adam Putnam -- who seemed so proud of the milestone, he thought it would be neat to hold a pres ... More >>

How South Florida's Jews Are Driving Zionism In Israel

With tensions continuing to writhe in the Middle East as Israel and Palestine fall into an uneasy calm, a group of Zionist Jews in South Florida condemns both the cease fire between the neighbors as well as the United Nations' decision yesterday to award Palestine the status of nonmember observer st ... More >>

Allen West Getting His Very Own Lighted Holiday Sign on Saturday

As you may have heard, Allen West lost his election battle with Patrick Murphy, as well as math. But the fine folks at Stand Up Florida want to remind West not to lose his battle with common sense. On Saturday, local constituents will be putting up a lighted message at Cultural Plaza in downtown L ... More >>

Election Problems? Blame These Five

Two Activists Infiltrate a Facility Where Illegal Immigrants Are Held

Trick-Or-Treat On K Street

Federal Tax Loopholes: They're Like a Mafia Protection Scheme Where Big Corporations Profit

Marco Rubio Gets After Joe Biden's Latest Gaffe

Crazy Uncle Joe was campaigning in Charlotte on Tuesday and did that thing where he said stuff that makes Democrats smack themselves on the forehead. Speaking of Mitt Romney and how he and Paul Ryan would raise taxes on the middle class, Biden said, "How they can justify... raising taxes on the mid ... More >>

How Allen West Uses the Military and Ignores Its Biggest Problems

The political entity that is Congressman Allen West would not exist without the military. It is his sole qualification for office, and he touts it at every opportunity. You would be hard-pressed to find any public statement from "the Colonel" that doesn't mention his military service, and he's justi ... More >>

Rick Scott's "Transparency:" Release All Email... From an Obscure, Unknown Account

Twitter recently suspended the account of Independent reporter Guy Adams, who had been writing tweets critical of Twitter partner NBC's coverage of the Olympics. The reason they gave? In one of the rants, he gave the corporate email address of an NBC executive. Twitter said they booted him for shari ... More >>

Supreme Court Shoots Down Large Parts of SB 1070, Arizona Immigration Law That Rubio Dislikes, Romney Might Dislike, Who Knows?

We had a four-story package a few weeks ago that looked at Arizona's SB 1070, the controversial law that would turn local law enforcement into immigration officials -- the controversial law that was just gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court.The court said this morning that Arizona was not allowed to mak ... More >>

Arizona's Immigration Enforcement Law: Florida's Stances on Both Sides of SB 1070

This week's issue includes a four-story special report from Village Voice Media about SB 1070, the Arizona immigration law that both casts criminal suspicion on anyone who looks Latino and transforms local law enforcement officers into immigration investigators. It's featured nationally because it i ... More >>

New Laws in Dozens of States Could Take Out Barack Obama This Fall

Bordering on Revolution: America's War on Mexicans Has Gone Too Far

Why Arizona-Style Immigration Law Stands Little Chance in Florida

As the U.S. Supreme Court debates the Arizona law destined to make life miserable for brown-skinned people, advocates on both sides of the immigration-reform issue are freaking out.  Senate Bill 1070 requires Arizona cops to detain immigrants they suspect are in the country illegally and check ... More >>

Oceans 234 Shows Love for Tax Professionals With Free Bar Tab Today

Tax day is tomorrow, April 17, and whether we owe money or are getting a refund, most of us can agree that the tax accountant, relentlessly figuring out tax rules and punching numbers on a calculator, usually gets no love... until now.Oceans 234 in Deerfield Beach has heard the plight of the tax ... More >>

John L. Mica Is the Latest Florida Congressman to Screw Everything Up

​A maddening story in the New York Times this morning about the House transportation bill has a Chicago placeline, but the real story is here in Florida. Specifically the seventh congressional district, which elected John Mica to Congress. This guy is chairman of the House Transportation and Infra ... More >>

Senate Committee Passes Bill Mandating Schools Teach About 9/11

​A state Senate bill mandating all Florida public schools teach students about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, passed an education committee this morning.SB 1422 seeks to add "the events surrounding the terrorist attacks occurring on September 11, 2001, and the impact of those ev ... More >>

Allen West on Contraception: Mocks Obama's Knowledge of the Constitution, Completely Mangles Constitutional Argument

​Congressman Allen West sent out his weekly newsletter Monday, barraging his constituents with an almost predictable combination of hyperpatriotic mumbo-jumbo and misguided, pseudo-academic posturing about his favorite book in the history of words, the United States Constitution.Once you get past ... More >>

Broward County Has Lowest Republican Primary Voter Turnout in Florida

​As you may have already heard 3 million or 4 million times, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Florida Republican primary last night with 46.4 percent of the vote -- though more than seven in ten Broward Republicans didn't even bother showing up to the polls.Only 28.7 percent of regist ... More >>

Rick Scott's Approval Rating Is Great! (According to Lobbyists and PR Firms)

​If you ask Floridians if they approve of Gov. Rick Scott's job performance, between 26 and 38 percent would say yes.In the last week, though, two "polls" have been released that claim the governor's approval rating is much, much higher.According to a public relations/communications firm hired by ... More >>

Floridians Now Slightly More Likely to Approve of Governor Than Believe in Haunted Houses

For the first time ever, more people approve of Gov. Rick Scott's job performance than believe that houses can be haunted by ghosts.Scott scored his highest approval rating ever in a Quinnipiac University poll released this morning, with 38 percent of folks thinking he's doing an OK job.According to ... More >>

Florida Legislators Want to Declare That Osama bin Laden's Death Was a Good Thing

​It hasn't passed either chamber of Florida's Legislature yet -- so it's not official -- but memorial bills filed in the House and Senate suggest that Osama bin Laden's death was a good thing.Ranking somewhere around Sen. Stephen Wise's "Christmas break" bill as far as importance is concerned, the ... More >>

Rick Scott's Trip to Israel: Most Readers Didn't Buy the "Trade Mission" Title

Avi HayunGov. Rick Scott givin' the eyes to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.​According to the results from our highly unscientific reader poll yesterday, nearly 44 percent of our readers thought Gov. Rick Scott's "Israeli trade mission" was more of a political vacation.Nearly 37 perc ... More >>

Rick Scott Breaks His Record for Crappiest Approval Rating -- 26 Percent

​Gov. Rick Scott is still the least-popular governor in the country, but according to the latest poll released this afternoon, it's the crappiest approval rating he's ever had.Scott's approval is down to 26 percent of Floridians, according to the freshest numbers from Public Policy Polling, easily ... More >>

Earl Rynerson Gets a Supporter to Run for Fort Lauderdale Mayor to Force a Primary

​Earl Rynerson, who's running for Fort Lauderdale mayor (again) against current Mayor Jack Seiler, deployed an interesting campaign strategy in his effort to get elected -- admittedly convincing someone else to run for mayor to force a primary election.Rynerson doesn't specifically use the word, b ... More >>

Connie Mack Enters U.S. Senate Race With 23-Point Lead Over Other GOP Hopefuls

FlickrConnie Mack​Whereas "someone else/not sure" was the overwhelming leader in previous polls for the Republican nomination in next year's U.S. Senate race, Rep. Connie Mack's entrance into the race changes things a bit.Mack enters with the support of 32 percent of Republican voters, according t ... More >>

Rick Scott Maintains Crappy Approval Rating but Registers Higher Than Occupy Movement

​Gov. Rick Scott maintained his position of having the crappiest approval rating among the country's governors, but Floridians like the governor more than they like the Occupy movement, according to a poll released today.Quinnipiac University -- which announced the highest approval rating of Scott ... More >>

Disappointment: The Rick Scott Story

​Gov. Rick Scott's reaction on Wednesday to a former staffer for Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll being charged with illegally recording a conversation: "It is a disappointment." (He said that twice.)His reaction to the part of that audio recording in which Carroll's chief of staff said the governor isn' ... More >>

Poll: Marco Rubio on GOP Ticket Would Win Florida, Unless Hillary Clinton Gets Involved

saucesome.netFifty percent of Florida voters say otherwise.​According to a poll released yesterday evening by Suffolk University, Florida voters like highly unlikely vice-presidential scenarios.If Sen. Marco Rubio were to be the selection on the GOP ticket, pollsters say Republicans would carry Fl ... More >>

Florida Ethics Commission: No Problem With Rick Scott's Cash From Private Prison Firms

​The Teamsters' ethics complaint filed last month against Gov. Rick Scott -- which alleged his million bucks from private prison corporations was somehow affecting the state's decision to enter contracts with the companies -- has been tossed out by the Florida Ethics Commission.Among other things, ... More >>

First Amendment Right to Blast Music to Be Considered by Florida Supreme Court

inquisitr.comThe Florida Supreme Court will decide whether this is your First Amendment right.​The issue of whether it's the First Amendment right of Florida drivers to blast obnoxious music from their cars way louder than anyone needs to will be heard before the Florida Supreme Court.The court sc ... More >>

Marco Rubio Butt-Kissing Won't Help GOP Candidates Win Florida, According to Poll

​There's been a common theme among this year's GOP presidential candidates -- firmly planting their lips on the buttcheeks of Sen. Marco Rubio and dropping his name as a potential running mate.If that's a ploy to win Florida in a general election, it won't help, according to survey results release ... More >>

New Voting Laws in Florida and 13 Other States May Affect 5 Million Eligible Voters, Study Says

​New voting laws passed in 14 states -- states that control 171 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win a presidential election -- could make voting "significantly harder" for more than 5 million people who are actually eligible to vote, according to a new study.As many as 1 million of those peop ... More >>