The Rhetoric Of “Accountability”

It goes with the rhetorical territory of skilled debaters, generic politicians and anyone with an agenda. Find a word or concept that everyone can agree is admirable and then expand, sometimes exponentially, the concept for your own partisan purposes. A clever rhetorician’s big tent.

It can be a commercial euphemism that subliminally upgrades a “used car” into a “pre-owned” one. Or it can be a social-issue lightning rod framed in the positive, such as “pro life.” Let’s be honest, “anti-choice” is nothing to rally around.  “Pro-choice,” however, can resonate, but not “anti-life.”

NRA lobbyists prefer a “pro-2nd Amendment rights” label to a “pro-assault weapon” moniker. Of course they do. Strip club owners like “freedom of expression” a lot more than “legal lap dances.” “Liberals”–more than ever–prefer being labeled “progressives.”   

We won’t even get into the co-option of “martyr” and “freedom fighter.”  And wouldn’t it be easier to court normal relations with Cuba if it were the failed-revolution “Pearl of the Antilles” and not a politically-charged “state sponsor of terrorism?”

Probably no agenda-advancing word is more frequently invoked in this state than “accountability.” Remember it was in the good name of “accountability” that Gov. Jeb Bush sold the FCAT bill of goods. Nobody, of course, was against “accountability.” No more than they were against “education.” But “teach-to-the-test” scenarios? Unaccounted-for variables? Too much nuance for a sound-bite “accountability” mantra.

Which brings us–again–(it’s been less than three months?) to Gov. Rick Scott. He is, he keeps reminding us, “accountable” to taxpayers. That’s a high-impact, rhetorical parlay. So, ipso facto, whatever he does in the good name of “accountability” to taxpayers–that’s all of us, including those who don’t cherry pick libertarian think tanks–must be worth doing. It’s righteously right there with never permitting taxpayers to be left “on the hook.” Everyone, as we well know, favors hookless taxpayers.

And that’s how you rationalize refusing high-speed rail money despite overwhelming assurances on cost overruns and favorable ridership-projection scenarios. It’s how you explain scapegoating teacher pensions or dismissing a prescription drug monitoring program or demonizing growth-management oversight.

It’s the rhetorical extension of the ideology that got Scott elected. If he doesn’t get re-elected, it will be because a majority of voters held themselves, ironically, “accountable.”

Quoteworthy

* “Jeane Kirkpatrick was right years ago to make the distinction between authoritarian dictatorships and totalitarian ones. The totalitarian ones are both sicker and harder to dislodge. Gadhafi’s unhinged narcissistic oddness seems to be the key to his longevity. So remember: If you’re going to be a tyrant, be a wacko. It’s safer.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “It’s easy to start a war but hard to end one. It’s as simple as that. It’s easy to get in but hard to get out. … America is scheduled to leave Iraq this December, of course, but everyone seems to be waiting for Nouri al-Maliki’s government to request an extension.”–Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal.

* “But the country is doing so badly, I wish there was someone in the Republican field I thought would be incredible because that’s what we need right now. … Part of the beauty of me is that I’m very rich.”–Donald Trump on speculation that he might join the list of GOP presidential hopefuls.

* “The idea that you can take incremental steps in the media business is over. You have to take some big steps and you have to take some risks.”–USA Today publisher Dave Hunke.

* “Gov. Scott’s early performance is such that Florida’s very much in play. Most people in Florida are kind of down the middle and if you swing too far one way or another, you pay a price for it. This tea party iteration of the Republican Party is not Florida, and it’s not going to be successful in the long run.”–Florida Democratic chairman Rod Smith.

* “Frankly, I think the governor was wrong on this. And that’s not just my opinion. That’s the opinion of folks in Tampa and Orlando, including a lot of Republicans up there.”–President Barack Obama commenting in Miami about Gov. Rick Scott’s rejection of $2.4 billion in federal funds to build the Orlando-to-Tampa high-speed rail line.

* “This idea of selling Florida as the cheapest state–well, that’s what we’ve got now. To drive it (costs) down at the expense of young people’s education is wrong. Florida is a beautiful place to live. But it is a fragile place, and we have to keep investing in the things that will retain that high quality of life.”–Former Gov. Bob Graham.

* “I’d like to see how smart (Boston Red Sox general manager) Theo Epstein is with the Tampa Bay payroll. You got Carl Crawford ’cause you paid more than anyone else, and that’s what makes you smarter?”–Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

* “I’m an optimist, so I believe we will have some movement this year. Does movement mean it becomes a fait accompli? No. Movement means we’ll have progress. We have a ways to go to even get to having a ways to go.”–Tampa Bay Rays’ owner Stu Sternberg on the team’s ongoing stadium saga.

Behind Buckhorn’s Rout Of Ferlita

We were all prepared to declare voter indifference the big winner in Tampa’s mayoral election. And, granted, a 22 per cent turnout is a disgrace and a microcosm of America as an increasingly lazy democracy.

But the real story became the margin of Bob Buckhorn’s victory over Rose Ferlita, who had topped the field of five in the March 1 primary.

No one would have been shocked by a Ferlita win. Her name recognition is that formidable, her business and political presence in the community that embedded, her supporters that passionate. But a Buckhorn rout? Chances are, not even Buckhorn saw that coming.

Among the factors, these five:

            *Dick Greco: Had he received 385 more votes on March 1, Buckhorn never would have advanced to the runoff round. The four-time mayor’s campaign was hobbled by: overconfidence (Greco and who else in the runoff?); those gimmicky, Halloween-hand signs; a certain “panty-raid” gaffe that seemed more a function of age than inadvertent racism; and the unavailability of anyone–in the absence of George Levy–to say “no” to Greco.

            *Rose Ferlita: Hardly helped her own cause by signing off on a campaign that headed negatively south and reminded too many voters of what they abhor about political campaigns.

            *Pam Iorio: Tampa’s term-limited, uber-popular mayor changed her mind about staying neutral and endorsed Buckhorn. That was huge. The Ferlita campaign’s runoff cheap shots had pushed her past neutrality.

            *Other endorsements. Those of erstwhile opponents Ed Turanchik and Tom Scott were more than pro forma shout-outs. Plus newspapers. Their backing can still matter locally.

             *Bob Buckhorn. Much more than a re-packaged also-ran. A notably more mature candidate. No one looked better prepared or more like a CEO at forums.

Feel-Good Thespian Invasion

Sure, the focus last weekend was the economic impact of having all those basketball fans–approximately 20,000, including Kentucky and Florida faithful–in town for the six NCAA men’s basketball tournament games at the Forum. Some Channelside Bay Plaza observers said it looked like a “mini Super Bowl.”

Not to be overlooked, however, was the downtown presence of those–7,000 strong–not in Tampa for anything remotely resembling “March Madness.” Mostly students–but also parents and volunteers–who were here for the Florida State Thespian Festival at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and the Tampa Convention Center.

I came upon about a dozen of the high school participants out in front of the Straz. They were an eclectic mix: girls and boys, white, black and Asian looking. With one manifest commonality: a refreshing sort of, well, unaffected geekiness. You know, that sort of un-cool look that unathletic, smart kids with good grades and old-school manners have.

They seemed pleased and proud when a total stranger of a different generation noted how nice it was to see achieving young people in town for something other than sports.

“Congratulations,” I said, as a kind of drive-by compliment to no one in particular. They looked pleasantly taken aback. So I offered this: “You’re obviously here because you’re good at something. And that something is all about being smart, prepared and well spoken. Good luck.”

They lit up with pride. They hear that from their teachers and instructors. They hear it from their parents. But none will ever be the big man on campus. Nor likely the prom queen. High school dynamics and adolescent peerage don’t work that way.

But here was somebody rendering outside-world validation that the debating team was kind of cool too.

They obviously loved hearing it. I know it made me feel good to say it.

Deficit, Revenue, Reality

This just in: Add another $135 million to next year’s projected state deficit. That brings it to $3.75 billion–with a “B”–give or take a few mil.

And this not just in–because it’s an ongoing reality: Still no serious plan to update Florida’s revenue-raising capacity. The sales-tax skewed formula still harkens back to the days when the Sunshine State was routinely adding those 1,000 new residents per day–and go-go growth and sprawling suburbia was Florida’s manifest destiny.  

But there’s this constitutional mandate to balance a budget, so the next one will, indeed–however skewed–be balanced. At the apparent expense of the usual bureaucratic robber barons: those living large off the golden goose of education, prisons and growth-management oversight. Then there’s the fat waiting to be carved from the gluttonous likes of those needing unemployment-benefits and help from the Medically Needy program. Beach re-nourishment? A prescription drug monitoring program? When in doubt, trim some taxes, increase some public-sector unemployment and talk some think-tank smack.

But nowhere is there so much as a hint of responsible revenue raising as a legitimate tool in addressing a 10-figure budget deficit. Expanding casino gambling is on the table but the taxing of services is not even up for discussion. The latter now seems ingrained as a political, third-rail issue the way Cuban policy has been. Since when is no guts an ideology?

And why no mention about joining a compact of pro-active (challenging the “physical presence” rationale) states to tax internet retailers? Doesn’t taxing the key burgeoning sector of the tax base, while strategically giving tax-break incentives to targeted corporate relocatees, make equitable, bottom line sense in a state enraptured with business models? To date, Florida has seemed indifferent to a possible piece of e-commerce sales, which have been estimated at nearly $3.5 trillion nationally.

And worse yet, there may even be a “Smart Cap” amendment next year that would put a governor, as it were, on the amount of revenue available to future lawmakers.

Election Outcomes and Outtakes

*In his victory speech Tuesday night, Mayor-elect Bob Buckhorn underscored the hallmarks of his campaign–from supportive family and unrelenting campaign workers to a Kennedyesque message of aspiration. He noted the importance of “building a bigger tent” that ranged from demographic inclusiveness to police-and-fire union support. He cited the key endorsements of Ed Turanchik and Tom Scott and notable additions from the Dick Greco campaign.

But a mandate victory of more than 60 per cent? Who saw that coming? Five factors: 

>Dick Greco. Buckhorn barely made the runoff by edging the four-time mayor by 384 votes. Absent overconfidence, gimmicky orange-hand signs, a certain contextually-skewed “panty-raid” blooper and the unavailability of George Levy to set the candidate straight, it might not have happened.                                                                                                                           

>Pam Iorio. The outgoing mayor had reached the absolute zenith of her popularity. Both Buckhorn and Rose Ferlita heaped praise on her. Her endorsement of Buckhorn was huge.                   

>Rose Ferlita: Ultimately, she signed off on a campaign that headed south ethically and was too reminiscent of what many voters abhor in political campaigns. It also brought Iorio out of neutral.                                                                                                                                              

>Bob Buckhorn: Matured as a candidate. No one looked better prepared or more like a CEO at forums.                                                                                                                              

>Newspapers: Maybe their endorsements still do matter.

* Here’s a suggestion for future political candidate forums. Instead of allowing time for gimmick questions, give questioners a follow-up.  

Would anyone really mind if there were a moratorium on questions such as: “What character flaw of your opponent do you find most nettling?”

But how refreshing would it be to hear: “That’s an interesting answer to a question that wasn’t posed. How about responding directly to what was just asked without bridging to your agenda talking points?”  

* It would seem that no City Council district will see a bigger upgrade than district 7. That’s North Tampa to New Tampa. Incumbent Joseph Caetano, who ran as a secessionist in 2007, didn’t make the runoff. But Charlie Perkins, who doesn’t do forums or much of anything that would warrant serious consideration, did.

Lisa Montelione emerged early as the clear favorite. But that’s praise too faint.  At last Friday’s Tiger Bay Club of Tampa forum, she came across as notably knowledgeable and well spoken and should be a welcome Council asset. She also gave an appropriate answer to one of those aforementioned, gimmicky queries. As in: “Should your opponent win this race, what is something that you would wish he/ she would consult you on?” Montelione gave the only answer worth giving: “Everything.”                                                                                        

* Hardly unexpected that Gov. Rick Scott drew a big chorus of Bronx cheers last Saturday when he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Yankees-Toronto Blue Jays game at Steinbrenner Field. He got off lucky, however, given that he’s earned the right to be run out of town on a, well, rail.  

Whether due to in-your-face arrogance or perverse unflappability, Gov. Voldemort seemed unfazed. In fact, he’ll return April 1 to throw out the first pitch of the Tampa Bay Rays’ season-opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. We’ll be reminded again that some gubernatorial functions can’t be limited to tea party love-ins.

Fair And Balanced On Scott

Of course, Gov. Rick Scott is the worst thing to hit this state since the last yellow fever outbreak. But credit can still be given for the governor’s recent focus on ports and his trade trip to Panama, where he met with Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli. Potential free-trade agreement scenarios, Panama Canal expansion and Florida’s wherewithal to handle expanded commerce through the canal topped Scott’s agenda. Better to be the “Gateway to Latin America” than “Floriduh.”

The trip to Panama makes more economic sense, frankly, then his predecessor’s first trade-mission sortie–to Israel.

J Lo’s Way At TIA

The Joe Lopano era at TIA is not only under way, it’s been underscored. The new director, who took over in January, hit the ground running and hasn’t broken stride yet. The status quo, he has made clear, is nothing to be venerated. The message to key incumbent personnel: Show me or be shown the door. And by the way, recruiting new business, including international, is going to be a major priority.

Last month he reorganized his top executive staff. Instead of more than a dozen executive-level positions, he has six vice presidents: operations; facilities and customer services; corporate affairs and real estate; finance and administrative procedures; marketing; and business planning and IT. A couple of days ago he fired TIA’s veteran air service development director and recently hired a former subordinate from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport for the newly created job of marketing vice president. Several other executives resigned or have announced their resignations in the wake of the CEO change from Louis Miller to Lopano.

Lopano’s definitely in charge at TIA: Transition In Action.

Sports Shorts

* No one would dispute that University of Kentucky men’s basketball is one of the most storied programs in the country. It was great before John Wooden became iconic at UCLA. But, frankly, how does anyone root for Kentucky basketball anymore? Including hard-core UK Bluebloods as well as all those lifelong Commonwealth bandwagoners.

The UK program, which won two games last week at the Forum, is run by college basketball’s pre-eminent hustler, John Calipari. He makes mercenaries look bad. He had previously presided over renegade programs at Massachusetts and Memphis. Notoriety has been his legacy. When it brought Calipari in, UK knew what it was getting–and what it wanted: success and satisfied boosters at any cost.

Calipari wins, of course, but it requires a Faustian deal as a trade off. He not only doesn’t pay even lip service that universities should try to field teams of “student-athletes,”  (It can be done–see Duke, Notre Dame, Brigham Young, Villanova, Vanderbilt, etc.) he makes a mockery of the concept. He basically rents players who have no more interest in getting a degree that LeBron James or Charles Barkley do. He brings in “one-and-done” Hessians to prep for the NBA in Lexington. Sure, big time college basketball is big business, but “Big Blue” used to be able to win without consulting Mephistopheles.

*Bowl reality: We all know about college football bowl inflation. Not even a winning record is required to get an invitation to one. Moreover, bowl game participation can even be a loss leader. That’s what happens when a school’s own fans aren’t willing to dig deep enough for an out-of-town trip–often to a non-descript bowl game that didn’t exist until a couple of years ago. Selling tickets is now a standard part of a school’s quid pro quo for accepting an invitation to a bowl.

Exhibit A: USF. This past season the Bulls went to Charlotte for the Meineke Car Care Bowl. USF didn’t sell nearly enough of its allotted 12,500 tickets, and it had to make up the difference. Ultimately, it cost USF $63,000 to play the game, which it did win, 31-26, over Clemson.

But it could have been much worse. Fellow Big East member Connecticut took a $1.7 million loss on its (Phoenix) Fiesta Bowl appearance. The biggest factor: more than $2.5 million in unsold tickets. And it lost–48-20 to Oklahoma.

Quoteworthy

* “You have seen the contagion. It’s the Tunisian contagion. It’s a good kind of contagion. I had no idea that Tunisia would alight this awakening.”–Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

* “Usually, Arab rulers tolerate each other, no matter how idiotic they are, in order to survive. But the guy (Moammar Gadhafi) is insane, there’s no question about it. He’s unacceptable in every way.”–Saudi Arabian human rights activist Mohamed Qahtani.

* “Going forward, we’ll continue to seek ways to increase the independence of the Cuban people, who I believe are entitled to the same freedom and liberty as everyone else in this hemisphere. I will make this effort to try to break out of this history that’s now lasted for longer than I’ve been alive. But Cuban authorities must take some meaningful actions to respect the basic rights of their own people–not because the United States insists upon it, but because the people of Cuba deserve it, no less than the people of the United States or Chile or Brazil or any other country deserve it.”–President Barack Obama in a speech in Santiago, Chile.                                                                                                                                                   

* “But the country is doing so badly, I wish there was someone in the Republican field I thought would be incredible because that’s what we need right now. … Part of the beauty of me is that I’m very rich.”–Donald Trump on speculation that he might join the list of GOP presidential hopefuls.

* “Frankly, I think the governor was wrong on this. And that’s not just my opinion. That’s the opinion of folks in Tampa and Orlando, including a lot of Republicans up there.”–President Barack Obama commenting in Miami about Gov. Rick Scott’s rejection of $2.4 billion in federal funds to build the Orlando-to-Tampa high-speed rail line.

* “This idea of selling Florida as the cheapest state–well, that’s what we’ve got now. To drive it (costs)  down at the expense of young people’s education is wrong. Florida is a beautiful place to live. But it is a fragile place, and we have to keep investing in the things that will retain that high quality of life.”–Former Gov. Bob Graham.

* “No one can comprehend why you’re (Florida) not moving rapidly forward with a prescription monitoring program. Given the deaths, given the threat to safety, it makes no sense.”–John Eadie, director of Brandeis University’s PMP (Prescription Monitoring Program) Center of Excellence.

* “We didn’t think Florida would be a profitable business for us (in 2011), but it is. We’re now making money here, so that emboldens us to move a little faster.”–S. Todd Maclin, CEO of commercial banking for JPMorgan Chase, which is opening 35 branches–10 in the Tampa Bay area–this year.

* “I wish they didn’t have this feeling of trying to remake the whole judiciary.”–Former Gov. Reubin Askew on House Speaker Dean Cannon’s proposal to overhaul the Florida Supreme Court.

* “Sunshine Laws do not anticipate the real-time free-flow of all this information on a constantly public forum.”–Scott Burgess, spokesman for Gov. Rick Scott.

* “The important thing when it comes to price is that Florida has returned to its norm of having home prices well below the national median. That means Florida is an affordable destination (again) to those who want to bail out of the Northeast and Midwest and move away from the snow.”–Mark Vitner, Wells Fargo senior economist.