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Progress Florida -- Progressive Solutions for Florida

Friday, August 31, 2012

Daily News Clips for August 31, 2012



RNC Guide
PROGRESS FLORIDA IN THE NEWS

Dismal Tampa transit system strands delegates, points to Fla. rejection of U.S. rail funds

By Noelle Straub
Energy & Environment Daily
Excerpt: Mark Ferrulo, executive director of the liberal group Progress Florida..."when [the delegates] are stuck on I-4 instead of riding Space Mountain they might wish we had high speed rail.”

FEATURED STORIES

With little Florida history, Mitt Romney needs to connect fast to win key state

By Ben Montgomery
Tampa Bay Times
Related: Romney fires up his party
Related: Cautious message of Mitt Romney's convention lacks bold moves
Related editorial: Romney: I'm not Obama
The campaign bus rolled past the long lines of stalled traffic, the police officers sweating on corners and the protesters shaking signs and shouting into bullhorns.

Rubio revs up Republicans, Romney
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Related: Leaked: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s highly-anticipated speech introducing Mitt Romney at RNC
Marco Rubio introduced the leader of his party to the nation Thursday night, but judging by the roar of the crowd, some initially wished it was the other way around at the Republican National Convention.

Talking up capitalism while dining at public trough
By Daniel Ruth
Tampa Bay Times
Related: You didn't build that, but you are helping to pay it off
To hear the top hat of Republicans cavorting at their convention, you would think that until he entered the White House Barack Obama had never held a job and barely understood which button to punch on an office phone to get an outside line.

Activists use political theater to warn about 'Romney's America' and sign a Second Bill of Rights
By Liz McKibbon
WMNF Tampa
During some speeches at the Republican convention unions have been a punching bag.

Florida Rejects Home Visitation Grant Programs For Poor And At-Risk Families Over Link To Affordable Care Act
By Janie Campbell
Huffington Post
With approximately 1 in 6 residents on food stamps -- increasingly, children -- Florida is struggling with a deep-rooted poverty problem tied to its low rankings in nearly every indicator of child well-being, including teen pregnancy, low birth weight, high school dropout and child abuse rates.

BEST OF THE BLOGS

GOP Convention: Anti-government message a tough sell in Florida

By Chris Kromm
Facing South
This week Republicans revealed the theme of their national convention in Tampa, Fla., which kicks off on Aug. 27: "We Built It."

The Wheels Off the Wagon
By Benjamin J. Kirby
The Spencerian
The wheels have officially come off the GOP Convention's unity bandwagon.

Marco Rubio: soaked by the Miami hurricane
By Gimleteye
Eye on Miami
Marco Rubio takes center stage, in the spotlight of the GOP national convention, to glorify a political career that is mostly made from fluff.

Florida Democrats Still Live in the Shadows of Claude Kirk and Ed Gurney’s Victories
By Kartik Krishnaiyer
Political Hurricane
When Claude Kirk passed away last year in Palm Beach aged 85, eulogies were forthcoming but most focused on the basics of Kirk’s existence: he was the first post reconstruction GOP governor, lost re-election, switched parties, switched back, and was a colorful character.

It’s Time to Get the Voter Registration Numbers Correct in Florida
By Daniel A. Smith
Election Smith
Related: Exclusive Empirical Research: “House Bill 1355 and Voter Registration in Florida”
Florida’s controversial election law, HB 1355, which has restricted early voting, made the casting of provisional ballots more likely, and cracked down on third party voter registration organization (3PVRO) efforts to register eligible Florida citizens, is still making news.

FLORIDA POLITICS

Tampa Protestors Decry Voter Fraud Laws Passed in Florida and Other States

By Lynn Waddell
The Daily Beast
Sara Kilker isn’t normally one to pick up a sign and protest in the street.

Protesters go toe-to-toe with delegates as RNC lets out
By Rob Shaw
Tampa Tribune
They didn't want to be confined to what they called "Freedom Cage," the fenced-in area near the Forum designated as a protest zone by police.

Gov. Rick Scott Makes Surprise Visit To RNC
By Trimmel Gomes       
WFSU Tallahassee
Governor Rick Scott who was originally scheduled to speak at Republican National Convention had canceled all of his events to focus on what was Tropical Storm Isaac.

Florida delegation takes punishment in stride
Associated Press
Sarasota Herald-Tribune
To hear the jokes, you’d think the Florida delegation isn’t even in Florida for the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

NY Post: Connie Mack sponsored bill to help donor get $2b from Argentina
By Marc Caputo
Miami Herald
Hedge-fund heavyweight Paul Singer...and his employees have been a top contributor to 23 Republicans running for Congress, but few received more money than Rep. Connie Mack.

Two more defeated candidates in Miami-Dade challenge election results, citing absentee ballot fraud probe
By Patricia Mazzei
Miami Herald
Two more candidates defeated in Miami-Dade County races earlier this month have sued to contest the results, citing a Hialeah absentee-ballot fraud investigation. The lawsuits bring the total number of complaints stemming from the probe to four.

The drive is alive
Editorial
Gainesville Sun
Florida is one step closer to keeping voter-registration drives alive.

POLITICAL RACES

Democrats pour into Tampa to criticize Ryan' speech

By Jake Sherman and Juana Summers
Politico
Related: Ryan's no Palin in the ratings
Rep. Paul Ryan electrified Republicans with his prime-time address Wednesday evening, but he also sent a jolt through House Democrats, who flocked to town to label him a hypocritical liar.

FACT CHECK: Ryan takes factual shortcuts in speech
Associated Press
Miami Herald
Laying out the first plans for his party's presidential ticket, GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan took some factual shortcuts Wednesday night when he attacked President Barack Obama's policies on Medicare, the economic stimulus and the budget deficit.

Romney is GOP Nominee, but Paul Supporters Stay Strong
By Stephanie Carroll Carson
Public News Service Florida
The curtains closed Thursday night on one of the more memorable Republican National Conventions - and Ron Paul supporters leaving Florida today are tasked with the job of backing a candidate that's not their own.

Mitt Romney coming to Jacksonville on the heels of RNC
By Matt Dixon
Florida Times-Union
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, will hold a rally Saturday at the Jacksonville Landing this Saturday.

Were RNC speeches campaign scripts for Rubio, Jeb Bush?
By William March
Tampa Tribune
Starring roles at the RNC for Florida's two leading Republicans, former Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio, are sure to arouse speculation about whether they could end up competing against each other on the national stage.

Connie Mack sets tone with RNC speech
By Tia Mitchell
Tampa Bay Times
U.S. Senate candidate Connie Mack IV gave an inspirational and nostalgic speech that set the tone for tonight’s Republican National Convention session, but many in the main hall weren’t listening.

Black camerawoman: No surprise peanuts thrown at her at RNC
Associated Press
Tampa Tribune
A black camerawoman who works for CNN said Thursday that she was not surprised to have two people at the Republican National Convention throw peanuts at her and say “this is what we feed animals.”

BALLOT INITIATIVES

Jacobs thanks workers, labor group just wants fair sick-time vote

By David Damron
Orlando Sentinel
Related: Small business survey: mandatory sick time not critical issue
As she does on most holidays, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs wished local workers a happy Labor Day today.

ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY

For Florida, environment a hot issue

Editorial
Tampa Bay Times
It's not among the most discussed topics in the race for president, but the environment remains a hot issue in Florida.

Endangered Schaus swallowtail butterfly may be all but gone
By Craig Pittman
Tampa Bay Times
You would think a butterfly as big as a man's hand would be easy to spot.

Groups urge Florida officials not to pass on federal transportation dollars for recreation trails
By Bruce Ritchie
Florida Current
Ten Florida groups supporting recreational trails are urging Florida transportation officials not to pass on about $2.6 million in trails funding from the federal government. 

EDUCATION

Jeb Bush uses convention platform to discuss education policy

By Steve Bousquet
Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee Bureau
Former Gov. Jeb Bush on Thursday used his first high-profile speaking slot at a Republican National Convention as a platform to discuss his favorite subject, calling the need for better schools "the great moral and economic issue of our time."

Orange board debates how to share naming-rights money
By Lauren Roth
Orlando Sentinel
Calling the Lake Nona High School stadium "Nemours Stadium" for five years will give the high school at least enough money to pay for a teacher for one year.

JOBS, BUDGET, AND ECONOMY

Technology companies power up the influence

By Steve Friess
Politico
Walking through the Republican National Convention, it felt as much like a technology trade show as political nominating party, thanks to the branding and lobbying efforts of dozens of tech companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter and AT&T.

$45 million Port of Miami tunnel dig payment threatens Miami’s finances
By Kathleen McGrory
Miami Herald
As pressure builds to balance its budget, the city of Miami is staring down another potential financial calamity: Come January, the city must pay off $45 million on a short-term loan that helped fund the Port of Miami tunnel dig.

Food stamp recipients must change to new cards
By Ana M. Valdes
Palm Beach Post
Floridians who access their food stamp and cash assistance benefits through a state-issued card have less than a month to replace their old cards with redesigned ones before the older cards are deactivated.

Tampa Mayor still upset about high speed rail loss
Associated Press
Bradenton Herald
Tampa's Democratic Mayor Bob Buckhorn is still upset about Florida Gov. Rick Scott's decision to turn down more than $2 billion for high-speed rail.

HEALTH AND SENIORS

FAQ: Obama v. Ryan On Controlling Federal Medicare Spending

By Marilyn Werber Serafini
Kaiser Health News
It may come as a surprise that President Barack Obama and GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan are pushing the same target rate for controlling federal spending on Medicare.

LIP preparing for Medicaid changes
By James Call
Florida Current
The group that decides how to spend a billion dollars on medical care for the poor has scheduled seven meetings to discuss Florida’s efforts to reform Medicaid. The Low Income Pool (LIP) Council met Thursday in Tallahassee for a briefing and planning session.

Rick Scott ranks among 'most influential' in health care
Staff Report
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Florida Gov. Rick Scott placed No. 43 on Modern Healthcare’s list of the 100 most influential people in health care. 

JUSTICE AND THE COURTS

Florida AG Bondi’s constitutional challenge

By Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post
As Florida Attorney General, it’s a good idea to make sure that one of the many borderline unconstitutional initiatives you’re defending doesn’t come up for judicial review on a day when you speak about your devotion to the Constitution.

Zimmerman gets new judge, but lawyers say he may regret it
By Frances Robles
Miami Herald
A veteran judge with broad experience and a reputation for being tough on both lawyers and defendants has been assigned to take over George Zimmerman’s murder trial.

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