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't leading: "That's disappointing."

That same day, Scott was asked how he felt about the health-care chain he cofounded packing up its headquarters in Jacksonville and taking those jobs out of state: "It's disappointing that they're moving."

That led to the Florida Democrats issuing a news release about the governor's "disappointing Wednesday." We'll give you a hint -- it's a bit more than just Wednesday.

There's the news release the governor's office put out today about the state pissing away money to defend the welfare pee tests: "I cannot fully express my disappointment in the federal district court's decision."

Before that, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that Scott overstepped his authority by freezing rulemaking. Cue the governor: It was a "disappointment."

Hey, uh, governor -- remember when the unemployment rate went up in June and stayed that way for three months? "It's disappointing that they didn't go down."

How did the governor feel after the Legislature didn't consider a bill about consolidating administrative functions that he asked it to support? "I am disappointed..."

Hey, Florida Independent -- what did the governor say about the Legislature's not passing an immigration bill? "He said he was disappointed..."

Of course, let's not forget that prewritten letter the governor asked people to send to newspapers in June (the emphasis is ours):

Dear Editor,
When Rick Scott ran for Governor he promised to create jobs and turn our economy around. I voted for Rick because he's always been a businessman, not a politician. While politicians usually disappoint us and rarely keep their promises, Rick is refreshing because he's keeping his word. His policies are helping to attract businesses to our state and get people back to work. Some of the special interests are attacking the Governor for making tough decisions, showing leadership, and doing what he told us he would do. Rick Scott deserves our unwavering and enthusiastic support. How can we expect to elect leaders who will keep their word and do what's right for our state if we don't stand up for those with the courage to set priorities, make difficult choices, and actually deliver on their promises made?