Thursday, November 13, 2008
Back in Tallahassee, Crist keeps eye on GOP's national outlook
Josh Hafenbrack | Tallahassee Bureau
November 13, 2008
TALLAHASSEE
After a wild ride of an election season that took him from John McCain's Arizona ranch to Old Europe, Gov. Charlie Crist is in the midst of a quick rise to the national stage, proposing a distinctive blend of sunny, pocketbook-driven politics as Republicans plot a way back to power. Could it be the right message for a party demoralized in the election?
With the Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami today, the potential future faces of the GOP, from Crist to Alaska's Sarah Palin, will be on hand weighing how to regain Republican footing in an era of Barack Obama's presidency.
Crist's centrist message, though, might appeal more to independents and Democrats than some Republicans, especially in light of quiet grumbling that's spread through conservative ranks over whether he did enough to help the presidential ticket carry a crucial swing state.
"We just need to be inclusive, we need to reach out, and do a better job leading by approaching issues with a common-sense view," Crist told the (Fort Lauderdale) Sun Sentinel in an interview Wednesday.
"What people care about, first and foremost, is their pocketbook."
The new national profile comes at a dicey time for Crist, with unprecedented challenges waiting in Tallahassee. After cutting $6 billion in state spending in the past year, Florida's budget is leaking billions more.
And the governor's personal life is a public curiosity. A month from now, Florida's first bachelor governor in four decades is planning to marry Manhattan businesswoman and philanthropist Carole Rome, in a small ceremony in Crist's hometown of St. Petersburg. The honeymoon is set for southwest Florida.
Crist, who was on the short list for McCain's vice-presidential slot that went to Palin, has tried to project himself as a leader with reach beyond Florida's borders. During the summer, he took his third trip overseas with a trade mission that included stops in Paris, London and Russia. Last month, he quietly met for dinner with Gen. David Petraeus, mastermind of the Iraq troop surge.
"The governor's not looking to be a national figure," said Brian Ballard, a lobbyist and close adviser. "It comes or it doesn't come based on performance" in the Governor's Mansion.
Still, Crist has a clear vision for a new GOP national strategy, one that pushes divisive social causes to the side and embraces diversity. The party needs to do a better job reaching out to black and Hispanic voters, Crist said. He noted the Republican rhetoric on illegal immigration was "less than friendly, shall we say" -- an assessment that hardly will endear Crist to the party's right wing.
"As the grandson of Greek immigrants, I'm very sympathetic that we're more inclusive, that we embrace others with open arms and continue to lead with a caring heart," he said. "That's what the Republican Party -- the party of Lincoln -- should be all about."
The ever-optimistic governor said the bipartisan spirit he has tried to foster in Florida could be emulated on the national stage, noting that he consulted Wednesday with a leading Democrat, state Sen.-elect Dan Gelber, on education funding.
Florida's budget woes present Crist with difficult choices. He has resisted new taxes; yet without new revenues, public schools could face damaging cuts. Either route carries political risks.
Floridians "want us to work together and do what's right," Crist said of his budget strategy session with Gelber, of Miami Beach. "They don't really care who wins the political battle of the day."
"We might be getting close to 10 percent unemployment in Florida," added Gelber. "We've never had the declining revenues we've had. I think this is really going to be a test for the state."
At the Capitol, Crist faces some tough tests, from fixing Florida's economy to mending a few fences among his party's conservative ranks to positioning for his 2010 re-election bid.
While the governor's loyalists are dismissive of unrest in the party, conservative activists think Crist hurt McCain's chances at key moments in the campaign, like when he extended early voting.
"There's a perpetual struggle between being the governor for everyone and pleasing the base," said outgoing House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, a conservative who battled Crist on issues from gambling to taxes.
If Crist manages the minefield ahead, what about a 2012 run for the White House? The governor demurred. "My job is to think about the people of Florida every day when I get up," he said.
November 13, 2008
TALLAHASSEE
After a wild ride of an election season that took him from John McCain's Arizona ranch to Old Europe, Gov. Charlie Crist is in the midst of a quick rise to the national stage, proposing a distinctive blend of sunny, pocketbook-driven politics as Republicans plot a way back to power. Could it be the right message for a party demoralized in the election?
With the Republican Governors Association meeting in Miami today, the potential future faces of the GOP, from Crist to Alaska's Sarah Palin, will be on hand weighing how to regain Republican footing in an era of Barack Obama's presidency.
Crist's centrist message, though, might appeal more to independents and Democrats than some Republicans, especially in light of quiet grumbling that's spread through conservative ranks over whether he did enough to help the presidential ticket carry a crucial swing state.
"We just need to be inclusive, we need to reach out, and do a better job leading by approaching issues with a common-sense view," Crist told the (Fort Lauderdale) Sun Sentinel in an interview Wednesday.
"What people care about, first and foremost, is their pocketbook."
The new national profile comes at a dicey time for Crist, with unprecedented challenges waiting in Tallahassee. After cutting $6 billion in state spending in the past year, Florida's budget is leaking billions more.
And the governor's personal life is a public curiosity. A month from now, Florida's first bachelor governor in four decades is planning to marry Manhattan businesswoman and philanthropist Carole Rome, in a small ceremony in Crist's hometown of St. Petersburg. The honeymoon is set for southwest Florida.
Crist, who was on the short list for McCain's vice-presidential slot that went to Palin, has tried to project himself as a leader with reach beyond Florida's borders. During the summer, he took his third trip overseas with a trade mission that included stops in Paris, London and Russia. Last month, he quietly met for dinner with Gen. David Petraeus, mastermind of the Iraq troop surge.
"The governor's not looking to be a national figure," said Brian Ballard, a lobbyist and close adviser. "It comes or it doesn't come based on performance" in the Governor's Mansion.
Still, Crist has a clear vision for a new GOP national strategy, one that pushes divisive social causes to the side and embraces diversity. The party needs to do a better job reaching out to black and Hispanic voters, Crist said. He noted the Republican rhetoric on illegal immigration was "less than friendly, shall we say" -- an assessment that hardly will endear Crist to the party's right wing.
"As the grandson of Greek immigrants, I'm very sympathetic that we're more inclusive, that we embrace others with open arms and continue to lead with a caring heart," he said. "That's what the Republican Party -- the party of Lincoln -- should be all about."
The ever-optimistic governor said the bipartisan spirit he has tried to foster in Florida could be emulated on the national stage, noting that he consulted Wednesday with a leading Democrat, state Sen.-elect Dan Gelber, on education funding.
Florida's budget woes present Crist with difficult choices. He has resisted new taxes; yet without new revenues, public schools could face damaging cuts. Either route carries political risks.
Floridians "want us to work together and do what's right," Crist said of his budget strategy session with Gelber, of Miami Beach. "They don't really care who wins the political battle of the day."
"We might be getting close to 10 percent unemployment in Florida," added Gelber. "We've never had the declining revenues we've had. I think this is really going to be a test for the state."
At the Capitol, Crist faces some tough tests, from fixing Florida's economy to mending a few fences among his party's conservative ranks to positioning for his 2010 re-election bid.
While the governor's loyalists are dismissive of unrest in the party, conservative activists think Crist hurt McCain's chances at key moments in the campaign, like when he extended early voting.
"There's a perpetual struggle between being the governor for everyone and pleasing the base," said outgoing House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, a conservative who battled Crist on issues from gambling to taxes.
If Crist manages the minefield ahead, what about a 2012 run for the White House? The governor demurred. "My job is to think about the people of Florida every day when I get up," he said.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Sasso stint ends as quickly as it began
BY MICHELLE SPITZER • FLORIDA TODAY • November 8, 2008
Democrat Tony Sasso's stint as House District 32 representative ended about eight months after he took office, when he narrowly lost his bid for re-election Tuesday.
Republican Steve Crisafulli of Merritt Island defeated Sasso, 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent, in a district that includes parts of southeast Orange County and the northern part of Brevard County, including NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Sasso blamed his loss in part on Republican presidential candidate John McCain's strong showing in Brevard and on Crisafulli's more than $193,000 lead in campaign contributions.
But Sasso, 55, who served on the Cocoa Beach City Commission from 2001 to 2007, said the political door is not necessarily closed.
"If a door of opportunity opens in the future, I may step through," the Cocoa Beach resident said. "I will certainly continue to be very active in my community, working with Boy Scouts and on various boards."
Sasso held the office since he was sworn in on March 4, after he won a special election to replace Bob Allen, who resigned from his seat after he was convicted of soliciting oral sex from an undercover officer in a Titusville park.
By a margin of 48 percent to 46 percent, Sasso defeated Republican Sean Campbell of Merritt Island, who spent more money and received significant financial backing from his party.
Sasso's win in that Feb. 26 election was considered an upset in a district in which there are more Republicans than Democrats. A third candidate got about 6 percent of the vote.
This time, Sasso said he thinks a key issue in his defeat was that McCain received the majority of the votes in Brevard in the presidential race. Sasso said he thinks many McCain supporters also voted for other Republicans on the ballot.
"I think a lot of people just went down the ticket and voted Republican," he said. "I wish they would have looked at the issues a little bit more."
In addition, Crisafulli raised twice as much money as Sasso did during the campaign.
"I was told early -- when I was still in Tallahassee and he (Crisafulli) became tagged -- at that time, I had heard numbers that between half a million and a million dollars would be spent on this campaign," Sasso said.
"It makes a big difference when you have that much money and you have more television ads running in Orlando and Brevard County. There were no bones about it. This was their No. 1 targeted seat."
While Sasso got 44 percent of the votes in Brevard, he received 56 percent of the votes in the Orange County portion of the district, which is more heavily Democratic, but is a smaller part of the district.
Sasso, a marine engineer, teamed with Florida Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, in helping to pass the Clean Ocean Act that bans gambling ships sailing from Port Canaveral and other Florida ports from dumping waste offshore.
He also advocated for space-related bills critical to Brevard's economic future, including a $15 million investment package for space infrastructure, specifically to refurbish a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in an effort to attract private launch companies.
In the next several weeks, Sasso plans to get reacquainted with his wife and two sons, "squeeze myself through the jungle in the backyard," he said, and help his former opponent make the transition.
Sasso said he offered to meet with Crisafulli and fill him in on any unfinished business.
It's an offer Crisafulli, 37, said he welcomes.
"I don't want to lose any people in the shuffle," Crisafulli said. "It's important that we work together."
Crisafulli, a fourth-generation Brevard resident, is vice president of his family's business that involves cattle, citrus and real estate.
Although his family has been a staple on the Space Coast for decades, Crisafulli said the Republican presence in the area was a big help in his victory.
"For the most part, our Republican stronghold carried us through, although it was a little closer than we obviously wanted it to be," he said.
He is gearing up for new-member orientation next week in Tallahassee, starting the transition process and attempting to win over detractors.
"Let them take the opportunity to follow me through for the next couple years, watch me and see if I'm making a difference," Crisafulli said. "I'm going to fight for everyone, regardless of if they voted for me."
As a first-time elected official, he knows there are challenges ahead.
He is counting on his experience in business and his connection to the community to help.
The biggest issue he sees in Tallahassee is the budget, but he also wants to concentrate on economic development and on bringing more jobs to the area.
"It's going to be a tough couple years because of the budget, but with tough decisions and challenges come great opportunity, and I'm up for the challenge," Crisafulli said.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20081108/NEWS01/811080319/1006&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
Democrat Tony Sasso's stint as House District 32 representative ended about eight months after he took office, when he narrowly lost his bid for re-election Tuesday.
Republican Steve Crisafulli of Merritt Island defeated Sasso, 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent, in a district that includes parts of southeast Orange County and the northern part of Brevard County, including NASA's Kennedy Space Center.
Sasso blamed his loss in part on Republican presidential candidate John McCain's strong showing in Brevard and on Crisafulli's more than $193,000 lead in campaign contributions.
But Sasso, 55, who served on the Cocoa Beach City Commission from 2001 to 2007, said the political door is not necessarily closed.
"If a door of opportunity opens in the future, I may step through," the Cocoa Beach resident said. "I will certainly continue to be very active in my community, working with Boy Scouts and on various boards."
Sasso held the office since he was sworn in on March 4, after he won a special election to replace Bob Allen, who resigned from his seat after he was convicted of soliciting oral sex from an undercover officer in a Titusville park.
By a margin of 48 percent to 46 percent, Sasso defeated Republican Sean Campbell of Merritt Island, who spent more money and received significant financial backing from his party.
Sasso's win in that Feb. 26 election was considered an upset in a district in which there are more Republicans than Democrats. A third candidate got about 6 percent of the vote.
This time, Sasso said he thinks a key issue in his defeat was that McCain received the majority of the votes in Brevard in the presidential race. Sasso said he thinks many McCain supporters also voted for other Republicans on the ballot.
"I think a lot of people just went down the ticket and voted Republican," he said. "I wish they would have looked at the issues a little bit more."
In addition, Crisafulli raised twice as much money as Sasso did during the campaign.
"I was told early -- when I was still in Tallahassee and he (Crisafulli) became tagged -- at that time, I had heard numbers that between half a million and a million dollars would be spent on this campaign," Sasso said.
"It makes a big difference when you have that much money and you have more television ads running in Orlando and Brevard County. There were no bones about it. This was their No. 1 targeted seat."
While Sasso got 44 percent of the votes in Brevard, he received 56 percent of the votes in the Orange County portion of the district, which is more heavily Democratic, but is a smaller part of the district.
Sasso, a marine engineer, teamed with Florida Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, in helping to pass the Clean Ocean Act that bans gambling ships sailing from Port Canaveral and other Florida ports from dumping waste offshore.
He also advocated for space-related bills critical to Brevard's economic future, including a $15 million investment package for space infrastructure, specifically to refurbish a launch complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in an effort to attract private launch companies.
In the next several weeks, Sasso plans to get reacquainted with his wife and two sons, "squeeze myself through the jungle in the backyard," he said, and help his former opponent make the transition.
Sasso said he offered to meet with Crisafulli and fill him in on any unfinished business.
It's an offer Crisafulli, 37, said he welcomes.
"I don't want to lose any people in the shuffle," Crisafulli said. "It's important that we work together."
Crisafulli, a fourth-generation Brevard resident, is vice president of his family's business that involves cattle, citrus and real estate.
Although his family has been a staple on the Space Coast for decades, Crisafulli said the Republican presence in the area was a big help in his victory.
"For the most part, our Republican stronghold carried us through, although it was a little closer than we obviously wanted it to be," he said.
He is gearing up for new-member orientation next week in Tallahassee, starting the transition process and attempting to win over detractors.
"Let them take the opportunity to follow me through for the next couple years, watch me and see if I'm making a difference," Crisafulli said. "I'm going to fight for everyone, regardless of if they voted for me."
As a first-time elected official, he knows there are challenges ahead.
He is counting on his experience in business and his connection to the community to help.
The biggest issue he sees in Tallahassee is the budget, but he also wants to concentrate on economic development and on bringing more jobs to the area.
"It's going to be a tough couple years because of the budget, but with tough decisions and challenges come great opportunity, and I'm up for the challenge," Crisafulli said.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20081108/NEWS01/811080319/1006&referrer=NEWSFRONTCAROUSEL
Florida Democrats flub chance to gain seats in Legislature
By Steve Bousquet, Times columnist
In print: Saturday, November 8, 2008
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article895096.ece
As Barack Obama surged to victory in Florida on Tuesday, the state's familiar outline turned a bright blue on the cable networks' maps.
Do not adjust your set: Florida is just as red as ever in Tallahassee, where vital decisions are made on taxes, spending and the shape of 160 legislative and 25 (soon to be 26) congressional districts.
So even as Florida Democrats toasted Obama's historic victory, they were flogging themselves over a missed opportunity that may not come their way again — and rightfully so. They had a chance to make much-needed gains in the Legislature, and they didn't, and that has consequences for the party and the state.
Republicans control the Senate, 26-14, and the House, 76-44, with two Democratic House seats possibly headed for machine recounts.
The Senate's partisan makeup remains unchanged. The House, with its smaller districts and more strident partisanship, is where Democrats dreamed of gaining three to six seats.
They got one. But for a few hundred votes, they would have lost two others — and this in an election with Obama atop the ticket.
How could this happen?
Several factors are to blame, starting with the absence of strategist Steve Schale, who was busy running Obama's Florida effort. (He helped Democrats capture nine House seats in the past two years).
House Democrats, under the inexperienced leadership of Minority Leader Franklin Sands, seem to have spread their money too thin in many races, rather than focusing on a handful where their chances were best.
How do we know this? In nine House races, five of which were for open seats with no incumbent, the losing Democrat got between 47 and 49 percent of the vote. More money, more effort, and the result might have been different.
Some Democrats had suggested a "Don't Stop at the Top" campaign aimed at getting young voters and first-timers to pick Democrats all the way down the ticket. But outside of Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, it didn't happen.
That's an embarrassing string of near-misses, including the North Pinellas seat where Republican Peter Nehr won his close rematch with Democrat Carl Zimmermann.
We're left with a Legislature that's more conservative than the state as a whole, according to Florida State University political scientist Lance deHaven-Smith. He said it's the logical result of gerrymandered districts drawn for maximum partisan advantage.
"The districts are such that it's very hard to knock off an incumbent, Democrat or Republican," he said. "They can do it with great precision to protect incumbents."
That's not how Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, the new House speaker, sees it.
"I think we have momentum back on the Republican side," he said. "Florida is still very conservative."
The inability of Democrats to flip more than one seat allows Republican leaders to engage in the kind of spin that House Majority Leader Adam Hasner did after the polls closed: "Floridians spoke clearly that the House's agenda is the right agenda for Florida," which he defined, in part, as "lower taxes and fiscal discipline."
For Democrats in the Florida House, it's going to be a long couple of years.
In print: Saturday, November 8, 2008
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article895096.ece
As Barack Obama surged to victory in Florida on Tuesday, the state's familiar outline turned a bright blue on the cable networks' maps.
Do not adjust your set: Florida is just as red as ever in Tallahassee, where vital decisions are made on taxes, spending and the shape of 160 legislative and 25 (soon to be 26) congressional districts.
So even as Florida Democrats toasted Obama's historic victory, they were flogging themselves over a missed opportunity that may not come their way again — and rightfully so. They had a chance to make much-needed gains in the Legislature, and they didn't, and that has consequences for the party and the state.
Republicans control the Senate, 26-14, and the House, 76-44, with two Democratic House seats possibly headed for machine recounts.
The Senate's partisan makeup remains unchanged. The House, with its smaller districts and more strident partisanship, is where Democrats dreamed of gaining three to six seats.
They got one. But for a few hundred votes, they would have lost two others — and this in an election with Obama atop the ticket.
How could this happen?
Several factors are to blame, starting with the absence of strategist Steve Schale, who was busy running Obama's Florida effort. (He helped Democrats capture nine House seats in the past two years).
House Democrats, under the inexperienced leadership of Minority Leader Franklin Sands, seem to have spread their money too thin in many races, rather than focusing on a handful where their chances were best.
How do we know this? In nine House races, five of which were for open seats with no incumbent, the losing Democrat got between 47 and 49 percent of the vote. More money, more effort, and the result might have been different.
Some Democrats had suggested a "Don't Stop at the Top" campaign aimed at getting young voters and first-timers to pick Democrats all the way down the ticket. But outside of Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, it didn't happen.
That's an embarrassing string of near-misses, including the North Pinellas seat where Republican Peter Nehr won his close rematch with Democrat Carl Zimmermann.
We're left with a Legislature that's more conservative than the state as a whole, according to Florida State University political scientist Lance deHaven-Smith. He said it's the logical result of gerrymandered districts drawn for maximum partisan advantage.
"The districts are such that it's very hard to knock off an incumbent, Democrat or Republican," he said. "They can do it with great precision to protect incumbents."
That's not how Rep. Ray Sansom, R-Destin, the new House speaker, sees it.
"I think we have momentum back on the Republican side," he said. "Florida is still very conservative."
The inability of Democrats to flip more than one seat allows Republican leaders to engage in the kind of spin that House Majority Leader Adam Hasner did after the polls closed: "Floridians spoke clearly that the House's agenda is the right agenda for Florida," which he defined, in part, as "lower taxes and fiscal discipline."
For Democrats in the Florida House, it's going to be a long couple of years.
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