rssPosts by Luke Johnson
West on Tucson vs. West on Fort Hood
Rep. Allen West, R-Fort Lauderdale, gave an “impromptu press conference” before a speaking engagement Tuesday morning, mostly dealing with the Tucson shootings. He rejected calls for more civil rhetoric, and said that those making the calls were grandstanding, according to the Sun-Sentinel’s account.
Despite ‘grassroots’ claim, National Organization for Marriage funded by a handful of sources
Most of the funding for the National Organization for Marriage, a 501(c)(4) “grassroots” group dedicated to opposing same-sex marriage in Florida and elsewhere, comes from a few sources, according to its most recent 2009 IRS 990 form.
Schale: Florida will be close in the 2012 presidential election
Last November Republicans in Florida won a supermajority in the state legislature, swept the state cabinet and held onto the governorship and a U.S. Senate seat. However, the state will absolutely be a toss-up in the 2012 presidential election, says Democratic strategist and Obama’s 2008 Florida campaign manager Steve Schale. He crunches the numbers and finds that only Colorado has been a closer swing state in recent years.
House Republicans plan vote to repeal Affordable Care Act
House Republicans will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act on Jan. 12, one week into the 112th Congress. The bill is called “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act” (.pdf). The phrase “job-killing” is mentioned four times in the two-page bill.
Rivera admits to loans-for-slots scheme
Tomorrow, Republican David Rivera will be sworn in as a congressman from the 25th District of Florida. But today the Republican representative-elect admitted that he received $137,000 in loans from a company co-owned by his mother that received payments from Flagler Dog Track as it was campaigning the legislature to allow slot machines when Rivera was a state representative.
Rep. West defends Joyce Kaufman on Fox News Sunday, says she helped pick replacement
Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace invited on U.S. Sen.-elect Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Rep.-elect Allen West, R-Fla. — perhaps the two 2010 candidates for Congress most faithful to the grassroots of the tea party — and asked them both about whom they picked for their chiefs of staff. In response, West defended his controversial selection of Joyce Kaufman, a talk radio host who said, “If ballots don’t work, then bullets will” at a Fourth of July rally.
Obama makes recess appointments, House members complain
President Obama made six recess appointments Wednesday, allowing officials to bypass Senate confirmation to serve for approximately one year.
Poll: Scott ‘the most unpopular newly elected Governor in the country’
Public Policy Polling released a new survey showing that Florida Gov.-elect Rick Scott’s favorability numbers remain in the low 30s, though fewer view him unfavorably. The polling service says the numbers show “there is little doubt that he’s the most unpopular newly elected Governor in the country.”
Numerous states look to Arizona’s S.B. 1070 as a model for new immigration legislation
Twenty-five states — including Florida — are set to consider S.B. 1070-like policies in upcoming legislative sessions.
2012 GOP hopefuls skip Hispanic Leadership Conference being held in Coral Gables
Politico reports that a number of presumed 2012 GOP hopefuls are not attending an inaugural conference by a new group of Hispanic Republicans that co-chair Jeb Bush termed “an exciting new opportunity to engage with an important and fast-growing community.”
