Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Bob SparksNovember 23, 2014

After every election, three things are certain. First, the winning party claims a mandate followed by the losing party lamenting the failure of their voters to turn out. The final story of the post-election trilogy features the losing side commissioning a self-analysis to find out what went wrong. Following their wipeout at the hands of […]

Daniel TilsonNovember 19, 2014

Let’s get it straight. Open political warfare over immigration reform isn’t starting with President Obama’s pre-Thanksgiving Executive Order on immigration. It started more than 16 months ago when the U.S. Senate did something amazing in this age of congressional gridlock, passing a compromise immigration reform bill with bipartisan input and support. That proposed legislation was […]

Guest AuthorNovember 18, 2014

“Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.” Those sweeping words of the First Amendment are the crown jewels of our Bill of Rights, the equivalent of “Let freedom ring,” the bedrock of our Republic. If Americans cherish anything, it is their constitutional protection to speak their minds. But however […]

Martin DyckmanNovember 10, 2014

Sarcasm alert! The election campaign was not altogether a disaster. It revealed that I have more friends than I could have imagined. Michelle. Barack. Joe (as in Biden.) Wendy (as in Davis.) Robert (as in Redford.) Al (as in Franken.) Harry (as in Reid.) Even Scarlett. As in Johansson. And dozens more — mostly from […]

Julie DelegalNovember 10, 2014

On Nov. 4, Republicans seized control of the U.S. Senate from Democrats, and not a single bullet was fired. In a world still filled with civil wars and religiously motivated slaughter, conducting peaceful elections is no small thing. It turns out that the GOP didn’t need any bullets, though. Instead, they used their bankrolled brainchild, […]

Peter SchorschNovember 6, 2014

When a candidate loses an election, there’s a tendency to ask what could have been done differently. Coulda, woulda, shoulda is a natural part of the post-election period. But when a candidate loses by a margin as tight as Charlie Crist fell short against Rick Scott — 48.2 to 47.1 percent — there’s an obligation […]

Adam WeinsteinNovember 6, 2014

In 1994, at the height of the nationwide electoral wave against Bill Clinton — a force so great and enduring it would be remembered as “the Republican revolution” — there was one bright spot for Democrats: They held on to the Florida Governor’s Mansion. Lawton Chiles, a self-described cracker and populist, fought off a challenge […]

Guest AuthorOctober 27, 2014

Election Day is a week away. I understand that millions of Floridians will vote for Gov. Rick Scott, but I’m begging you to vote for him for reasons other than these: His mother divorced an abusive husband. That gave me the creeps the first time he mentioned it in the Fangate debate but then he […]

Guest AuthorOctober 26, 2014

Once upon a time — so goes a Jewish folk tale — in the small town of Belz in Poland, the Yom Kippur fast became a trying ordeal for the pious congregants. Normally, Yom Kippur is a solemn occasion. On this day each year God judges us to life or death with irreversible finality. No more prayers, nighttime recitation of psalms, no […]

Guest AuthorOctober 14, 2014

Historically, Florida has been a hellish place to live for black men. But don’t take my word for it: look up the Groveland Boys. The state may be turning a corner. Here’s why some optimism is warranted: Last week, a jury in Jacksonville concluded that it is not OK to kill a black male merely […]

Tag: Barack Obama
Image via the Associated Press.

Bob Sparks: Elections show that National Democratic leadership needed to change

Daniel Tilson: We should welcome Obama immigration reform with open hearts, minds

Stephen Goldstein: Democrats must become better liars than Republicans

Martin Dyckman: The upside of campaign season: Scarlett Johansson is now my friend

Julie Delegal: The nation is not tacking right, even though Congress is

Peter Schorsch: Here are 16 factors that contributed to Charlie Crist’s loss

Adam Weinstein: The three big reasons Florida Democrats still can’t elect a governor

Tom O’Hara: If you vote for Scott, don’t do so for any of these 10 reasons

Rachel Patron: We need dynamic leaders to restore the nation’s self-confidence

Chris Timmons: Jacksonville verdict, Ocala council decision are cause for hope