Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Daniel TilsonFebruary 8, 2015

There goes President Barack Obama again, being all intelligent, nuanced, thought-provoking and downright provocative. Don’t you love it, or at least respect and admire it? I do. I’m imagining a lot of heads nodding. Am also imagining a lot of heads shaking back and forth. Maybe some gnashing teeth and foaming at the corners of […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 6, 2015

Sen. Bill Nelson says that the Muslim world is now coming together to fight ISIS, in the wake of the attention given to the video showing Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh being burned alive after being captured by the group. Jordan has certainly raised its efforts, promising an “earthshaking response” to his killing. That nation’s fighter jets […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 5, 2015

There wasn’t a lot of news that broke over the holiday season the past two weeks. One event that barely registered in the press that did occur was the fact that the U.S. military’s combat role in Afghanistan ended last Wednesday, though the president has authorized 10,000 U.S. troops to attack the Taliban if they pose a threat […]

Mitch PerryJanuary 5, 2015

There wasn’t a lot of news that broke over the holiday season the past two weeks. One event that barely registered in the press that did occur was the fact that the U.S. military’s combat role in Afghanistan ended last Wednesday, though the president has authorized 10,000 U.S. troops to attack the Taliban if they pose a threat […]

Mitch PerryNovember 24, 2014

The news that broke over the past few days that President Obama has decided to authorize a more expansive mission for the military in Afghanistan in 2015 than originally planned has alienated some anti-war activists, but Tampa Democratic Representative Kathy Castor is fine with the idea. The revelation – first reported in the New York […]

Guest AuthorNovember 12, 2014

A large man in a black bear suit walks onscreen in a YouTube video. He stops in the middle of some guys tossing around two basketballs, makes some awkward 80s dance moves, and then moonwalks off the screen so well even Michael Jackson might have been impressed. More than 100 of my students watch the video […]

Guest AuthorOctober 13, 2014

Without much fanfare, the United States now meets its own domestic natural gas needs, while also becoming the world’s No. 1 exporter of natural gas. At the same time, Americans still consume far more oil than our domestic resources can supply. The gap in domestic oil requirements versus production is shrinking due to new techniques, […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 16, 2014

As a country, we can’t yet agree on whether we’re fighting ISIS or ISIL (as the White House would have it) and whether we should hunt them down in Syria, or not. But we’re abundantly clear that “boots on the ground” is jargon du jour for the people we’re sending to risk their lives. At […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 15, 2014

On Sept. 10, I flew from Boston to Fort Lauderdale on JetBlue just before 8 p.m. That meant we would be airborne during President Barack Obama’s speech at 9 p.m., outlining his plan to destroy ISIS (or ISIL as he calls it). Well before the president began to speak, on the TV monitor at my […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 2, 2014

Post-primary punditry about low voter turnout in Florida (especially in Democrat-rich Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties) is as predictable and prolific as it is paltry. Adding up the numbers, analysts–I use the term loosely–have come to the unremarkable conclusion that Charlie Crist’s chances of defeating Rick Scott are in doubt. Henny Penny’s sky is […]

Tag: ISIS
Image via Palatka Main Street.

Daniel Tilson: President Obama Prayer Breakfast furor is teachable moment

Bill Nelson weighs in on ISIS, arming Ukraine and Baileygate

Mitch Perry Report for 1.5.15 – As Afghanistan “winds down,” majority still not supportive of war

Mitch Perry Report for 1.5.15 – As Afghanistan "winds down," majority still not supportive of war

U.S. Rep. Castor OK with U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan into 2015

Laurie Uttich: The social media mirage — and what we’re missing

Tom Garcia: We need to drill for more oil to stay on road to energy independence

Stephen Goldstein: “Boots on the ground” is euphemism for “soldiers being killed”

Stephen Goldstein: Everything that’s wrong with America I saw at 30,000 feet

Stephen Goldstein: Voters aren’t apathetic; They’re sick of political lies