Category: Florida

When presidential candidates attend private fund-raisers, no matter how well hyped in the media, they are still private affairs. It was no different two weeks ago when Alex Sink hosted Hillary Clinton at her Thonotosassa home for Clinton’s first campaign event in the Tampa area. A token media presence stayed on the far fringe up the road. Humbling.

Had they been there–or had access to a mole–here is what they would have gleaned:

* With approximately 300 ardent contributors–$500 to $2,700 each–Clinton did well.

* Demographically, it was an even gender split, mostly white and diverse in age.

* Democrat VIPS included: Tampa’s Bob Buckhorn, Pat Frank, Betty Castor, Sandy Freedman and Jim Davis as well as St. Pete’s Rick Kriseman and Charlie Crist. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, it was well-noted, was in Washington “fighting for the transportation bill” that passed in both the House and Senate.

* After photo ops inside, the candidate spoke to the converted for more than 30 minutes from the front porch. The economy was the point of biggest emphasis. She also stressed that she will “defend the ACA (Affordable Care Act),” seek to “reverse Citizens United,” defend Social Security from “privatization,” “take on” the gun lobby, push for immigration reform, back Planned Parenthood, improve the VA and support the military. She also underscored that she wasn’t running as the next big-name Democrat up.

* “I’m not running for a third Clinton term nor a third Obama term. I’m running for my first term.”

* “I will support small business. My father was a small business man. I’ll raise the minimum wage but in a graduated way.”

* “(Solar’s) big in Iowa–why not here?”

* “I’m not a scientist, but I will address climate change.”

* “Talent is universal, but opportunity isn’t.”

While guns, refugees and tax cuts will grab a disproportionate amount of attention in the upcoming legislative session, here’s hoping that the issue of term limits is properly aired. Two lawmakers, a Republican and a Democrat, have proposed a bill that would extend Florida’s eight-year term limits on legislators to 12 years.

It should pass. To clarify: It likely won’t this time, but it should–on merit.

For many voters, a gut reaction to the bill sponsored by Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, and Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, would probably be disbelief. After all, the 1992 amendment creating those eight-year term limits–which was upheld by the Florida Supreme Court in 1995– was approved by an overwhelming 76.8 percent of voters.

And no wonder.

Who wouldn’t want “citizen” legislators instead of self-serving careerists from the rising political class? Who wouldn’t want a regular transfusion of new blood flowing into Tallahassee? Who wouldn’t want rascals thrown out? Eight is enough.

The reality, however, is this. Eight, quite arguably, isn’t enough for some–those doing the job. The process should be case by case and decided by, well, voters–not across-the-board, calendar-determined mandates. There are better ways of advancing an anti-incumbent agenda.

Twelve years is better than eight, but it’s not better than having voters determine limits at the ballot box.

Some recent history.

In 2000, when the Sunshine State term limits kicked in, the result was the highest number of freshman legislators since Florida’s first legislative session back in 1845. Those with institutional history and expertise were replaced by rookies trying not to hit the ground stumbling while canvassing the arena for future leadership roles. It created voids of policymaking experience and gave unadulterated ambition a bad name.

Since then, dozens of House and Senate members leave annually because of term limits. And what timing: Just as they gain seniority and issue-competence, it’s time to move on. And guess what complementary line of work beckons?

It’s all part of the law of unintended consequences. Legislator limits, for example, create a more powerful governor, legislative staffers and lobbyists. Surely, empowering unelected staffers and lobbyists could not have been a priority. Surely.

And aforementioned leadership races, notably for House speaker and Senate president, are sometimes completed before members have passed their first bill. First things first: Line up those pledges. “Flori-duh,” indeed.

The responsibility should be on voters. The onus is on them to be informed and involved. They should make the ultimate call on individual candidates.

As for the power of incumbency? The only way the rascals–even with name recognition and organizational advantages–stay in office is if the electorate fails to note whether the case for re-election has ever been made. Do they, for example, act the fool over Medicaid expansion money and redistricting? Do they have Marion Hammer on speed dial? Do they think Cuba belongs in a Cold War cocoon?

Let’s face it. The only way this element could stay in office is if virtually nobody but loyalists and vested interests votes. The only way the rascals can win is if this work in progress called American democracy devolves further into a lazy mockcracy.

No, you don’t cure what ails Tallahassee by pushing term limits from eight to 12 years. This should be seen as an intermediate step toward meaningful, participatory democracy where voters actually determine term limits.

It’s now official. Attorneys for the accused movie theater shooter, Curtis Reeves, have outlined their defense strategy. Indeed, (misunder)stand your ground will be in play. In effect, SYG will be the legal rationale for the lethal firing of a gun in response to hurled invective and tossed popcorn.

Here’s something to ponder amid all those STEM and Common Core discussions. The current average graduation rate of Florida’s 28 state colleges is 43 percent.

When it comes to redistricting, it’s a shame we have to involve a constitutional amendment and the Florida Supreme Court. Can’t we just agree on this: Politicians, among humanity’s most self-serving sorts, can’t be allowed to redistrict themselves. They can’t. It defies common sense and human nature. An independent commission–or as close as we can come to that ideal–must handle it. It won’t be perfect, but it won’t be pols picking voters–instead of the other way around.

There’s merit behind the bill recently filed by State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, that would allow high school students to replace their two-year foreign language graduation requirement with two years of computer coding courses. In an ever-technologically-connected marketplace, it makes sense to link important career skills with classroom priorities. And not everyone has an aptitude for foreign language.

“Why can’t code be a language?” rhetorically asks Ring. Good point.

But one caveat. This shouldn’t be presented as an either/or choice.

Computer coding can be embedded in the math-science curriculum. But life is not all STEM prep. High school is more than a techie trade school. It’s also about expanded cultural, historical and geographical horizons–an area of glaring deficit in this country. And familiarity with, say, Spanish in Florida can be as occupationally practical as it is linguistically fulfilling.

Students who can should be encouraged to do both.

While speculation continues to focus on redistricting maps and what reshaping of the political landscape might ultimately result, not enough attention is aimed at this state’s most serious election issues. Even more important than whether U.S. Rep. Dan Webster can still get re-elected.

In short, will any of this anti-gerrymandering redrawing matter if closed primaries are too routine and voters continue to stay away in droves? Especially in non-presidential years when democracy in action seems like such an effort.

To wit: There were 11.9 million registered voters in Florida in 2014. Approximately 2.2 million cast votes in state House races and 2.8 million voted in Senate contests. Roughly four in five voters were no-shows. Voting rights groups, Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis and the Florida Supreme Court can only do so much. Apathy transcends redistricting.

Always nice to seea former colleague–and one of the good guys–back in the news for all the right reasons. Enterprise Florida, the state’s job-recruiting arm, just hired Joe Hice as its chief marketing officer. Enterprise Florida is an important cog in Florida’s priority pitches to businesses ripe for relocation.

And it hardly hurts to have a key pitchman with serious Tampa Bay roots. Hice, who was the main marketing person at Moffitt Cancer Center, the University of Florida and Harley-Davidson Motor Co., was among the journalists who helped launch the Tampa Bay Business Journal back in the early 1980s.

As a rule of thumb, your best PR people have a solid journalism background to complement a creative, bottom-line temperament and effective people skills. It’s good–and encouraging–to see this fellow TBBJ alum calling the marketing shots for Enterprise Florida.

This just in. Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, has finally made a decision on the Iran nuclear deal. The prominent Jewish leader will support the position of the Administration and her president. She summed up her agonizing dilemma thusly: “This is a decision not only to be made based on your head, but one that will be made with my Jewish heart.”

Guess here is that she’s known for a while where she would ultimately come down–country first, religion and Jewish constituency second–but holding out was the only way to underscore her emotional quandary.

What she likely won’t be changing any time soon, however, is her controversial support of the Cuban embargo. South Florida hard-liners still dictate to the DNC chairwoman.