Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Darryl PaulsonNovember 13, 2013

Charlie Crist has never had a political job he wanted to keep. He has served one term as state senator, one term as education commissioner, one term as attorney general and one term as governor. Not once did he seek re-election to any of those positions. “One and done” Charlie was always looking for his […]

Darryl PaulsonNovember 4, 2013

Democrats love Harry Truman, the president of the common man, and his “the buck stops here” philosophy. He took personal responsibility for what happened during his tenure. Fifty years later, Democrats have another president, Barack Obama, whose philosophy is apparently “I never saw the buck. It wasn’t until several days later, when I read about […]

Darryl PaulsonNovember 3, 2013

With Charlie Crist set launch his bid as the Democratic nominee for governor, he will have to address the following 10 questions. No. 1: Will Crist exercise better judgment concerning his friends, advisers and political associates? Crist’s hand-picked choice to lead the Florida Republican Party, Jim Greer, was a disaster of monumental proportion. Greer is […]

Darryl PaulsonOctober 28, 2013

Second of two parts. Almost everyone, except the most hardened progressive ideologues, believes that the Obamacare rollout is a mess. After three years and $300 million spent on preparing the website, few people have been able to log on, let alone register for health care. The exact number who have successfully signed up for a […]

Darryl PaulsonOctober 27, 2013

First of two parts. During the first year of President Obama’s first term, the American economy was in shambles and the public demanded that government focus on the economy and job creation. In response, the administration passed a stimulus plan that Republicans thought was too large and Democrats thought was too small. The economy continued […]

Darryl PaulsonOctober 21, 2013

After 22 terms and 43 years of congressional service, U.S. Rep. Bill Young died last week. Republicans first won this district in 1954 when Bill Cramer, recognized by many as the founder of the modern Florida Republican Party, defeated Democratic Congressman Courtney Campbell in a close race. Cramer became the first Republican member of Congress […]

Darryl PaulsonOctober 20, 2013

The Democratic Party has found a new political strategist to guide its future. His name is Ted Cruz, Republican U.S. Senator from Texas and the developer of the GOP strategy to link increasing the debt ceiling to eliminating the money for Obamacare. Cruz’s strategy has resulted in the Republican Party receiving a 24 percent favorable […]

Darryl PaulsonOctober 17, 2013

Let me start by acknowledging that I am an ideologue. I have been a life-long Republican and have served as a Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, America’s leading conservative think tank. Half of the people reading the opening paragraph, the conservatives, are anxious to read what their fellow conservative has to say. The other half, […]

Darryl PaulsonOctober 10, 2013

Congressman Bill Young’s announcement Wednesday that he would retire at the end of his current term took politicians across Florida by surprise. Young, who has represented Pinellas County since 1970 and is in in his 22nd term, is the longest-serving Republican in the House. During his tenure, Young has secured hundreds of millions of dollars […]

Darryl PaulsonSeptember 30, 2013

Second of two parts. Republicans won control of the Florida Senate in 1994, the House in 1996 and the governor’s office in 1998, making Florida the first southern state to have complete Republican control over the legislative and executive branch. Republicans have maintained their control for two decades even though Democrats have an advantage in […]

Tag: Darryl Paulson

Darryl Paulson: The battle for governor: charisma versus competence

Darryl Paulson: Obama is the ‘4 Pinocchio’ President

Darryl Paulson: Ten questions Charlie Crist needs to answer

Darryl Paulson: The problem with Obamacare: the substance

Darryl Paulson: The problem with Obamacare: the process

Darryl Paulson: Will Alex Sink be the successor to Bill Young?

Darryl Paulson: The Cruzifiction of the Republican Party

Darryl Paulson: The problem with ideologues

Darryl Paulson: Who will seek long-serving Congressman Bill Young’s Florida seat?

Darryl Paulson: The Changing Partisan Coalition in Florida: The Republicans