Crist, C Gov
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https://www.alternet.org/2022/04/ron-desantis-2657215779/
crist authoritarian
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11 21
florida's 13th Congressional District received a major bombshell in May when Rep. Charlie Crist, a former Republican turned Democrat, announced that he is running for governor (a position he held in the past) and is hoping to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis if he wins the Democratic nomination. Meanwhile, on the GOP side, far-right Republicans in that district are engaged in a wild congressional primary battle to determine who will run against the Democratic nominee, whoever that turns out to be. And an article by Daily Beast reporters Zachary Petrizzo and Will Sommer, published on November 17, describes some of the ways in which that Republican primary has become a total circus.
The far-right Republican congressional hopefuls in Florida's 13th Congressional District have included Anna Paulina Luna, Amanda Makki and William Braddock, who dropped out of the race. Luna and Braddock both have had plenty of baggage. One of the controversies surrounding Luna involves her dog Gunner, who bit a nine-year-old child. Luna has alleged that Braddock wanted to hire a hit squad to have her killed.
Luna has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, but not everyone in MAGA World likes her. Petrizzo and Sommer report that Luna's foes include veteran GOP operative and Trump ally Roger Stone and his wingnut associate Lara Loomer, who describes Luna as "Anna Paulina Lunatic."
No stranger to controversy herself, Loomer has been slamming Luna because of her dog's attack on a nine-year-old. Loomer wrote, "She needs to put her dog on a leash. They say people are a lot like their animals, and in this case, Anna and her dog are both CRAZY AND OUT OF CONTROL. Those b*tches both need to HEEL."
Stone, meanwhile, dressed as Luna on Halloween, which was the self-described "dirty trickster's" way of mocking her.
In a court filing, Luna said of ex-candidate Braddock, "I do not feel safe, and I am currently in fear for my life from Mr. Braddock."
"Braddock eventually dropped out of the race," Petrizzo and Sommer explain, "but in her court filings about the alleged murder plot, Luna also mentioned primary rival Amanda Makki and potential candidate and Stone friend Matt Tito as being involved in some sort of alliance with Braddock to foil Luna. Both candidates were angered by being mentioned in the filing, telling Politico in June that they had no connection to Braddock."
The Beast reporters continue, "Tito, who has not officially entered the race yet, was further incensed in July when, he said, Luna got him kicked out of a Tampa conference for Turning Point USA because of their rivalry. In Tito's telling, Luna allegedly asked TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk to have him removed."
Tito, interviewed by the Beast, said of Luna, "She got me kicked out of a TPUSA event and lied to Charlie Kirk."
If Tito enters the race, which he says is "likely," Stone may become his adviser.Tito told the Beast, "I mean, listen — this is a complete mess. Somehow, someway, Luna got Trump's endorsement."
fac so 3/17
the country, more than 6 million citizens
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http://www.sentencingproject.org/issues/felony-disenfranchisement/
aren't able to vote because of laws preventing those with a felony conviction from casting a ballot. More than 1.7 million, or a quarter of the nation's voters disenfranchised by these laws, live in Florida, the perennial battleground state that also has some of the most restrictive rules barring the franchise from those with a felony record in their past.
African Americans and Latinos are disproportionately affected by these laws, a product of inequities in the criminal justice system. Today, about 21 percent of Florida's voting-age African-American population is kept from voting under the state's harsh rules.
One of them is Desmond Meade (in photo), a 49-year-old in Orlando who is at the center of a growing campaign to shift course in Florida and expand voting rights to those who have served their felony sentences.
Meade has a law degree with Florida International University, and last fall worked on his wife Sheena's unsuccessful run for the Florida House. But one thing he couldn't do is vote for her. Meade applied to have his voting rights restored in 2006, after finishing his sentences for drug possession, and, later, for aggravated assault and possession of a firearm. Florida requires that those seeking to regain voting rights submit a petition to the state's Executive Clemency Board, which includes Gov. Rick Scott (R) and two other members of his cabinet. And Meade is still waiting.
The number of Florida citizens who see their voting rights restored through the process has varied dramatically depending on who is in the governor's office. From 2002 to 2006, the clemency board cleared 72,080 citizens to vote, according to the Florida Commission on Offender Review. Gov. Charlie Crist expedited the process, leading to a surge in votes being restored — up to 155,315 between 2007 and 2010. But Gov. Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi ushered in new restrictions on the process in 2011; between 2011 and 2014, the number of citizens with voting rights restored plummeted to 1,534.
"When you look at the number of individuals whose rights have been restored over the last six years, I mean, it's depressing, considering 47 other states allow people to vote after they've served their time," Meade said in an interview last November.
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2nd debate
...“We received a lot of questions from social media about climate change,” says CNN moderator Jake Tapper. One group, NextGen Climate pushed very hard ahead of the debate for the candidates to talk about climate change. They rolled out a three-figure ad campaign ahead of the debate, invoking Ronald Reagan’s “Common Sense” speech to urge CNN moderator Jake Tapper to ask candidates how they would address climate change—specifically what their plans are to get the country to 50 percent renewables by 2030.
While Tapper failed to ask them about their renewable energy plan, he did quote Ronald Reagan’s Sec. of State George Schultz in asking the candidates the following question:
Schultz reminds us that when Ronald Reagan was president, he faced a similar situation to the one we’re facing now. There were dire warnings from the mass consensus of the scientific community about the ozone layer shrinking. Schultz says Ronald Reagan urged skeptics in industry to come up with a plan. He said do it as an insurance policy in case the scientists are right. The scientists were right. Reagan and his approach worked. Sec. Schultz asks why not take out an insurance policy and approach climate change the Reagan way?
Rubio responded first saying, “Because we’re not going to destroy our economy the way the left-wing government that we are under now wants us to do.” Tapper reminded Rubio he’s citing George Schultz, a conservative in the Reagan administration. To which Rubio responded, Schultz “may have lined up with them on this position, but here’s the bottom line: Every proposal they put forward are proposals that will make it harder to do business in America—that will make it harder to create jobs in America.
“Single parents are already struggling across this country to provide for their families. Maybe a billionaire here in California can afford an increase in their utility rates, but a working family in Tampa, Florida or anywhere across this country cannot afford it. So, we are not going to destroy our economy, we are not going to make America a harder place to create jobs in order to pursue policies that will do absolutely nothing—nothing—to change our climate, to change our weather because America is a lot of things—the greatest country in the world, absolutely. But America is not a planet. And we are not even the largest carbon producer anymore—China is. And they are drilling a hole and digging anywhere in the world that they can get a hold of. So the bottom line is, I am not in favor of any policies that make America a harder place to live or to work or to raise their families.”
Tapper then turns to Gov. Chris Christie, saying “You have admitted that climate change is real and humans help contribute to it … What do you make of skeptics of climate change such as Sen. Rubio?”
“I don’t think Sen. Rubio is a skeptic of climate change. What Sen. Rubio said I agree with,” said Gov. Christie. “That, in fact, we don’t need this massive government intervention to deal with the problem. Look at what we’ve done in New Jersey. We’ve already met our clean air goals for 2020. When I was governor, I pulled out of the regional cap-and-trade deal—the only state in the northeast that did that. And we still reached our goals. Why? Because 53 percent of our electricity comes from nuclear. We use natural gas. We use solar power. We’re the highest using solar power state. You know why? Because we made all of those things economically feasible. I agree with Marco. We shouldn’t be destroying our economy in order to chase some wild left-wing idea that somehow [we] by ourselves [are] going to fix the climate. We can contribute to that and be economically sound. We can do that in New Jersey. Nuclear needs to be back on the table in a significant way if we want to go after this problem.”
Tapper reiterated that he was citing Sec. of State George Schultz. “I don’t think anyone would call him left wing,” said Tapper. Christie rebutted saying, “Listen, everybody makes a mistake once in a while, Jake. Even George Schultz. And if that’s truly a representation of what he believes we should be doing, then with all due respect to the former secretary of state, I disagree with him.”...
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The Koch Party
The Koch's Americans for Prosperity, a nonprofit dark money group that does not disclose its donors, is reported to have spent some $77 million on competitive Senate and House races, says a spokesman. The Koch's new Freedom Partners Action Fund, a super PAC that discloses some of its donors, spent some $25 million. Not all Koch candidates won their races, but the Koch were ranked big winners in the Sunlight Foundations post-election"return on investment" analysis.
This $100 million does not count all the Koch-tied groups, their personal contributions or all contributions of the Koch network of funders which may top the $300 million*Washington Post estima*te. As a point of comparison, the DNC and the RNC combined spent $300 million this election cycle.
Koch bucks purchased over 44,000 TV ads (and that was an early count).Americans for Prosperity told Floridians that Charlie Christ was for renewable energy (gasp!), not because it created jobs, reduced pollution and protected the beautiful Florida environment, but because Christ wanted to hike people's utility bills.
And the Kochs purchased a ground game that puts the Chicago machine to shame. "In many places, [AFP] has more trained and paid operatives than the traditional political parties have. Nowhere is this more obvious than Florida, where the group has 10 offices, its single largest field operation," reports Salon.
In the hotly contested North Carolina Senate race between Kay Hagan and ALEC stalwart Thom Tillis, AFP "had 45 paid staffers who knocked on 186,000 doors and made at least 1 million phone calls," says the *Washington Post*.
The Kochs are not your average oligarchs, they are a political party.
The Koch Platform
The Koch Party platform was not determined at any founding convention by a vote of average Americans. It was drafted behind closed doors at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) by some of the world's most powerful lobbyists representing Exxon Mobile, Peabody Energy, and other major polluters.
- See more at: http://www.prwatch.org/news/2014/11/12662/koch-party-wins-big-planet-peril#sthash.lWCJHXIi.dpuf
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http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20140827/tight-floridas-governors-race-climate-change-central-issue
The increasingly visible effects of climate change in Florida are putting Republican Gov. Rick Scott in a bind as he seeks re-election this November.
With rising water already eating away at the coastline and threatening cities, Florida is largely considered ground zero for climate change in the United States. Increased flooding in Miami and Fort Lauderdale, disappearing beaches and endangered fresh water supplies are making climate change a top issue in the governor's race, opinion polling shows.
Scott spent much of his first term dismantling the climate-change initiatives of his predecessor, Charlie Crist, who's now his Democratic opponent in the November election. Both men won nomination in Tuesday's primary. Voters, environmentalists, scientists and the media are joining Crist in pressing Scott to acknowledge the threat that climate change poses to the state. But if he does, he risks alienating the far right wing of the Republican Party, which helped elect him in 2010.
"He's caught in the crosshairs," said Frank Jackalone, the senior organizing manager for the Florida chapter of the Sierra Club.
The contrast between Scott and Crist on the climate issue may help decide one of the most heated gubernatorial races this year. Coming out of the primary, the race in the nation's third-most populous state is a dead heat, polls show. Political analysts predict it will be one of the most expensive contests this year. NextGen Climate, a super PAC created by billionaire investor-turned-activist Tom Steyer, is spending millions to spotlight Scott’s record on climate change.
Scott has begun sending mixed signals on his stance as Crist and environmental advocates turn up the heat. Generally he has dealt with conflicting pressures by avoiding the issue. That's become increasingly difficult as the smallest storms swamp city streets and salt water creeps into aquifers, threatening the drinking supply for millions of Floridians.
By contrast, Crist made the climate a priority when he was Florida's Republican governor from 2007 to 2011. Now running as a Democrat to win back the seat, he is using global warming as a cornerstone of his campaign.
Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz said in email that "during Governor Scott's first term, Florida has spent more than $350 million on flood mitigation projects and over $120 million to support beach renourishment projects, a 45 percent increase from the last administration."
The Crist campaign did not respond to a request for comment before deadline.
Since taking office four years ago, Scott has unraveled Crist's statewide climate adaptation plan, his mandates for renewable energy and programs to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Scott managed never to discuss his climate views in detail. The closest he came was in 2011 when he**told**a reporter he had "not been convinced" that climate change was happening or was caused by humans.
When boxed into dealing with climate questions during the campaign this year, Scott has come down on both sides. He told reporters he didn't know whether climate change was dangerously affecting Florida because he's "not a scientist." His $1 billion environmental proposal doesn't mention climate change. On the other hand, he bucked dozens of other Republican governors by staying silent on the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan to cut carbon emissions.
For years, scientists have been trying to brief Scott on the scientific evidence for global warming and the risks for Florida. This month, after 10 researchers sent a letter renewing their offer, Scott agreed.
The meeting took place Aug. 19. Scott spent 10 of the allotted 30 minutes on small talk, ended the meeting a few minutes early and left without asking a single question.
"We didn't actually make that much progress," said Ben Kirtman, a climate scientist at the University of Miami who participated in the meeting. Kirtman is also a lead author of the latest assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's. "It was frustrating."
Kirtman noted that the room was packed with members of the media that were granted access by the governor's office, which could have made Scott wary of asking questions. He wondered if Scott would have been more responsive if the meeting took place behind closed doors.
Jackalone of the Sierra Club said Scott seems to be moderating his position on some climate issues. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, may be part of the reason why, Jackalone said. After Rubio argued that President Obama's adaptation and mitigation proposals could put the U.S. back in a recession, the Florida press and public blasted Rubio.
"Scott is still answering questions by being evasive," Jackalone said. "But he at least seems willing to listen now. That's a shift."
See Also
Climate Change Showdown in Florida Governor's Race
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The Times has more on how he’s hoping to shape the debate in each state:
In the Senate race in Michigan, Mr. Steyer’s group will back Representative Gary Peters, a Democrat who says he will make a point of highlighting how climate change is lowering water levels and leading to environmental problems in the Great Lakes, while also threatening Michigan’s agriculture.
…In Florida, NextGen will spend to defeat Gov. Rick Scott, who has openly questioned the science of climate change. Charlie Crist, a Democratic challenger and former Republican, has cited skepticism of climate change as one of the reasons he left the party.
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wiki
harles Joseph "Charlie" Crist, Jr. (/:{ˈ:(style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted"):}::{k:(style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted"):}::{r:(style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted"):}::{ɪ:(style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted"):}::{s:(style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted"):}::{t:(style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted"):}:/; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th Governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011. Crist began his political career as a Republican, serving in the Florida Senate from 1993 to 1999, running unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 1998 and then serving asFlorida Education Commissioner from 2001 to 2003 and Florida Attorney General from 2003 to 2007 before being elected Governor in 2006.
Crist declined to run for re-election as Governor in 2010, instead announcing on May 12, 2009, that he was running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by then-fellow Republican Mel Martinez. After initially leading in the race for the Republican nomination, he was overtaken in the polls by Tea Party candidate Marco Rubio and in April 2010, Crist left the Republican Party and became an Independent.[1] In the general election, he lost to Rubio in a three-way race, taking 30% of the vote to Rubio's 49% and Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek's 20%. Crist's term as Governor ended in January 2011. On December 7, 2012, he joined the Democratic Party, having endorsed President Barack Obama for re-election in 2012.[2] On November 1, 2013, he announced that he was running for Governor in the 2014 election.[3]
Contents
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Charlie Crist was inaugurated as Governor of Florida in January, 2007. He was the state's 44th governor. Initially a Republican, he became an Independent in the 2010 election. [1] As a Republican, Crist served as a legislator, a commissioner of education, state attorney general and governor, but left the party in the spring of 2010 after it became obvious that Senator-elect Marco Rubio, a Tea Party favorite, was going to pose a strong challenge to him in the Republican primary. [2]
Sourcewatch resources
References
- ↑ State of Florida Biography of Governor Charlie Crist, accessed December 4, 2010
- ↑ The Pensacola News Journal (PNJ.com) With few regrets, Crist bids farewell, December 4, 2010
American Action Network Launches New Issue Advocacy Campaign in Florida
Urges Floridians to Sign a Petition at www.changingcharlie.com Asking Gov. Charlie Crist to Oppose the Obama Agenda and Job Killing Taxes
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- The American Action Network started a new television and internet issue advocacy campaign today with an ad today called “Tattoo.” The ad highlights Governor Charlie Crist’s flip-flopping on important policies that directly affect Florida’s families and small businesses. The ad encourages Floridians to sign a petition urging Gov. Crist to commit to the policies and take the actions as Governor that will create jobs in a state that suffers from 11.7% unemployment.
“The Network’s education effort is a call to action for the citizens of Florida that smaller government, lower taxes and jobs creation are the key to a stronger America. Floridians have the power and ability to take back control of their government and the policies that are negatively impacting their everyday life—they just need to get involved,” said Norm Coleman, CEO of the American Action Network.
“We are asking for the citizens of Florida to sign a petition asking Governor Charlie Crist to stand up to the Obama agenda and stop supporting job killing taxes,” said Rob Collins, President of the American Action Network. “During these challenging times policymakers must resolutely stand by the time tested center-right principles of lower taxes, smaller government and real job creation.”
View the ad here: http://www.changingcharlie.com
...
signed tax pledge
After
Charlie Crist then broke his pledge not to raise taxes:
“The $65 billion-plus fiscal year FY2010 budget Crist signed requires a $1 per pack cigarette tax increase estimated to cost the taxpayers of Florida $2 billion over the next two years. In addition to the tobacco tax increase, the budget requires an estimated $800 million in ‘fee’ increases, many of which are actually mislabeled tax increases. Because of this, in signing the bill, Gov. Crist broke the Pledge he made during his gubernatorial campaign to ‘oppose and veto any and all tax increases.’ (Americans For Tax Reform Press Release, May 27, 2009; http://www.atr.org/taxpayers-disappointed-crist-pledge-violation-a3319)
“The budget relies on a $1 per pack increase in the cigarette tax and a $900 million infusion of new cash from expanding gambling at the Seminole casinos and parimutuels across the state.
[Crist] said that he doesn't consider the cigarette tax a broad-based tax. ‘I view it more of a health issue than a tax issue,’ he said. ‘Ronald Reagan used to say if you want to kill smoking. Tax it. Maybe it wouldn't be bad if we killed smoking and saved a lot of lives.’” (Miami Herald Blog, “Naked Politics,” May 27, 2009, By Mary Ellen Klas;
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2009/05/crist-signs-budget-...)
Crist Support of an Energy Tax
Gov. Crist Signs Legislation for Florida’s Cap-and-Trade Program:
“On June 25, 2008, Governor Charlie Crist signed into law House Bill 7135, enacting several new energy and climate change policies. The policies include the Florida Climate Protection Act, which authorizes the Department of Environmental Protection to develop an electric-utility greenhouse gas (GHG) cap-and-trade program.” (Pew Center on Global Climate Change, “Florida Utility-Sector Greenhouse Gas Cap-and-Trade Program,” http://www.pewclimate.org/node/6020)
“Governor Charlie Crist today announced that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will provide a keynote address tomorrow during the 2008 Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, June 25-26, 2008, in Miami. Governor Crist kicked off the summit with a keynote address during breakfast entitled ‘Green Technology Drives Green Economies.’ Following his remarks, Governor Crist signed House Bill 7135, the most comprehensive energy and economic development legislation in Florida’s history.” (Governor Charlie Crist Press Release, June 25, 2008, “GOVERNOR CRIST ANNOUNCES CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER AS KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT SERVE TO PRESERVE SUMMIT,”http://www.flgov.com/release/10074)
President Obama’s Cap-and-Trade Program Raises Energy Taxes:
“The Obama administration has privately concluded that a cap and trade law would cost American taxpayers up to $200 billion a year, the equivalent of hiking personal income taxes by about 15 percent.
“A previously unreleased analysis prepared by the U.S. Department of Treasury says the total in new taxes would be between $100 billion to $200 billion a year. At the upper end of the administration's estimate, the cost per American household would be an extra $1,761 a year.”
… “The document written by [Treasury Department’s Judson] Jaffee includes this line: ‘It will raise energy prices and impose annual costs on the order of XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.’ The Treasury Department redacted the rest of the sentence with a thick black line.” (CBSNews.com, September 15, 2009, “Obama Admin: Cap And Trade Could Cost Families $1,761 A Year,” By Declan McCullagh;http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504383_162-5314040-504383.html)
Gov Crist Supported the Stimulus Bill Then Denied He Ever Did
- Crist Supports Stimulus Bill:
“‘We know that it's important that we pass a stimulus package,’ Florida's popular Republican governor said amid "Yes, we can!" cheers as he introduced the Democratic president.” (St. Petersburg Times, February 11, 2009, “Crist, Obama Join to Promote Stimulus,” by Adam C. Smith;http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article974949.ece)
"It's going to help [Floridians'] children. It's going to help their traffic situation. It's going to help produce more jobs here in the Sunshine State. That's a perspective that I have to have as, in essence, the CEO of Florida. And that's why I support it." (MSNBC, February 3, 2010, “Hardball with Chris Matthews”)
“Dear Mr. President, We are writing to express our support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which passed last week int eh House and is under consideration currently in the Senate.” (Letter to President Obama, February 3, 2010;http://flarecovery.com/_resources/browse/file/2.3.2009_Potus_Fed_Stimulu...)
- Crist Denies He Supported Stimulus Bill:
WOLF BLITZER: “ Do you have any regrets about endorsing the economic stimulus package?”
CRIST: “Well, I didn’t endorse it. I — you know, I didn’t even have a vote on the darned thing.” (CNN, November 4, 2009, “Situation Room,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkPwJeGEI68)
Watchdog Group Says Crist “Appears to be Trying to Rewrite History”
“Facing a primary challenge from the conservative wing of the Republican Party, Crist appears to be trying to rewrite history. But there are mountains of evidence that he not only supported the stimulus, he sang its praises.” (Politifact.com, November 5, 2009, “Charlie Crist says he didn't endorse stimulus bill,” By Aaron Sharockman; http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2009/nov/05/charlie-crist/c...)
Ballooned the deficit as a result of the stimulus bill
“On Friday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said this year’s budget deficit is now nearly $1.7 trillion, more than $400 billion larger than it forecast two months ago. Next year’s deficit will be nearly $1.1 trillion, $430 billion more than its prior forecast. And that doesn't count President Obama’s budget plans to cut taxes and increase spending.
“Although the deepening recession is partly to blame for the increase, the nonpartisan CBO says the increases are largely due to the sharp rise in spending (think fiscal stimulus package) and the higher cost of saving the financial system.” (Christian Science Monitor, March 20, 2009, “CBO: US deficit ballooning to record $1.7 trillion,” By Ron Scherer; http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/2009/0320/cbo-us-deficit-ballooning-to-re...)
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The American Action Network is a 501(c)(4) ‘action tank’ that will create, encourage and promote center-right policies based on the principles of freedom, limited government, American exceptionalism, and strong national security.
For more information, please visit our Web site http://www.americanactionnetwork.org