RICK SCOTT PUTS TEA PARTY EXTREMISM BEFORE HEALTH OF FLORIDIANS Arceneaux: Scott putting Tea Party ahead of health care [Bay News 9] Florida Democratic Party Executive Director Scott Arcenaux says the governor’s stance is also bound to mobilize democrats and even independents to vote for President Obama. ‘I think that’s something that every Floridian’s going to wake up to and say, ‘what is this guy doing? Why is he putting his Tea Party agenda ahead of the health care of Floridians?’ it’s outrageous, and we’re going to call on him from now until election day to stop,’ Arcenaux said.”

Sen. Nan Rich to Gov. Rick Scott: ‘Stop the partisan war against the (health care) law’ [Tampa Bay Times] ““This latest announcement by Republican Governor Rick Scott speaks not only to a blatant disregard for the well being of the people he promised to serve, but a complete deference to right wing ideology over his constitutional obligations.”

Scott, Bondi must face reality of Affordable Care Act [Tampa Bay Times editorial] “Responsible leaders, instead of grandstanding on national television, would graciously accept the loss and get to work for Florida’s 4 million uninsured residents…The ACA is the law of the land and should be respected as such in the interest of Florida and its people. Scott and Bondi have a job to do, and it’s not guest-starring on cable news networks.” 

For a healthier Florida, Gov. Scott must comply with law [Palm Beach Post editorial] “If Gov. Scott and his Republican colleagues in the Legislature continue to be sore losers over the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act, Floridians will be the ones who suffer.”

Florida could lose billions of dollars by rejecting healthcare reform act, study says [Miami Herald] “Two studies from Washington healthcare researchers project that Gov. Rick Scott’s decision not to expand Medicaid as provided by the healthcare reform law could mean Florida losing billions of dollars in federal funding — money that could have been used to bring health insurance to hundreds of thousands of uninsured Floridians”

Wasserman Schultz Touts Health Care Reform [CBS Miami] “At the Broward Community and Family Health Center on Hollywood Boulevard, Wasserman Schultz introduced Carolyn Newman was diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer in May 2006. Cancer free for the last six years, Newman cannot be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition because the Affordable Care Act” 

SCOTT LIES, “EXAGGERATES,” MISLEADS ON HEALTHCARE — AND GET’S CAUGHTPolitifact: Gov. Scott False, False and False on Healthcare [Politifact] “Scott also got his facts wrong. He gave a misleading account of how much the Medicaid expansion would cost the state, badly misrepresented requirements on small businesses and used a widely debunked talking point about ‘rationing.'” 

See also: Politifact: Gov. Scott gets Pants on Fire [Politifact] [Politifact] 

Florida Gov. Scott exaggerates cost of Medicaid expansion, projections show [Orlando Sentinel] “While refusing to implement “Obamacare,” Gov. Rick Scott has greatly exaggerated the state’s projected cost for expanding Medicaid to explain why Florida cannot afford to cover nearly two million more low-income residents by the end of the decade.”

Gov. Rick Scott overstates cost of health care overhaul [AP] “The figure cited by the governor included state and federal shares of Medicaid costs. Additionally, the figure included costs that are not connected to the Medicaid expansion.”

Don’t be misled; health care ruling benefits seniors [Tampa Tribune guest column] “The truth is the new law is helping millions of retirees better afford to see a doctor and fill a prescription. The 3.6 million seniors with the highest drug costs have already saved an average of $600 on their prescriptions. Some 32 million seniors have received free, life-saving tests for chronic diseases. The new law strengthens

the Medicare Trust Fund” 

Business owner who complained to Scott about ‘Obamacare’ says he was misinformed [Tampa Bay Times] “But what he didn’t know at the time was that this provision of Obamacare doesn’t affect him because he has fewer than 50 employees. He didn’t know that he was exempt from providing insurance or paying related fines until he spoke to the Times/Herald. ‘That helps me a lot,’ Mohyuddin said”

ROMNEY’S COMPANIES WERE OUTSOURCING PIONEERS New Obama Ad Renews Outsourcing Attack [New York Times] President Obama’s campaign on Tuesday intensified its attacks on Mitt Romney for outsourcing jobs, releasing a new TV ad that accuses the former Massachusetts governor’s old private equity firm of shipping jobs to low-wage countries. WATCH “BELIEVE” HERE.

Obama campaign highlights Palm Coast hi-tech business [Orlando Sentinel] “President Barack Obama’s  re-election campaign Obama For America will be highlighting a Palm Coast space technology business which is working with NASA on developing electric motors and generators small yet powerful enough to drive a jet’s turbofans.” 

One Small Step for Space Technology, One Giant Step for Space Policy [World Policy Blog] “Yet it is during his presidency that we have reversed decades of government-centric space policy by actively encouraging a wider role for free enterprise in Low Earth Orbit.”

“TRAITOR”  FloridaWatch book jacket skewers Rubio as ‘Traitor‘ [Orlando Sentinel] “They declare Rubio a traitor to Hispanics for not supporting the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor… a traitor to the middle class for his votes against education budgets in the Florida House of Representatives; a traitor to women for voting against the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act; and a traitor to seniors for stating, in a speech last summer, that Social Security and Medicare “weakened us as a people.”

ON THE CONGRESSIONAL FRONT  — RIVERA SLAMS ROMNEY ON IMMIGRATION, WEST SPEWS RACIAL HATRED, MAJ PAC RESERVES TIME IN FLORIDA 

Republican Congressman Slams Romney On Immigration [BuzzFeed] “A prominent Hispanic Republican and Miami power broker accused Mitt Romney of lacking leadership and compassion in his approach to immigration…Rep. David Rivera, who represents the southwestern tip of the Sunshine State, is the only Latino Republican in the House who’s not on Romney’s Hispanic Steering Committee, kept at arm’s length by the presidential candidate because of a set of investigations into his personal finances” 

Rep. West: Obama Wants Americans To ‘Be His Slave’ [FL Democracy2012] “‘He does not want you to have the self-esteem of getting up and earning and having that title of American. He’d rather you be his slave,’ said West.”

Democratic PAC and union reserving TV time [Orlando Sentinel] “House Majority PAC and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced that they are reserving nearly $20 million of television ad time in 38 markets, including $440,000 worth of spots in Orlando…Among other Florida buys: Miami, $571,000; Tampa, $330,000; West Palm Beach, $252,000; Tallahassee, $76,200; and Panama City, $39,000.”

Lois Frankel Campaign brings in over $400K during 2nd Qtr of 2012 [Saint Peters Blog] “Today, the Lois Frankel campaign announced that it brought in over $400,000 for the 2nd quarter of 2012. Frankel’s campaign continues to be one of the top performing campaigns in the country with her fifth quarter in a row in which the campaign has taken in more than $ 300,000”

Five best congressional races in Florida [Sarasota Herald Tribune] “Florida has five of the most competitive congressional races in the nation. The state has two new (and competitive) seats thanks to redistricting, two seats held by Republicans that Democrats are counting on winning, and a pair of scandals that could affect the outcome of two others.”

OTHER NEWS (ON VOTER SUPPRESSION) WE THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Scott: State weighing moves in voter purge [News Press] “The state is still weighing its next moves in an attempt to remove suspected non-citizens from the voting rolls, Gov. Rick Scott said Monday.”

Don’t repeat past voter purge mistakes [Miami Herald] “In the Declaration of Independence, our Founding Fathers wrote that “all men are created equal.” As we celebrate Independence Day this week, Florida must remember this principle and protect the right to vote for all its residents. The state should start by stopping its voter purge, which threatens to remove thousands of eligible citizens from the rolls.”

Professor: Voter purge is ‘harassment,’ ‘waste of time’ [WOKV.com] “‘A waste of time and money.’ That’s what University of Florida political science professor Daniel Smith calls Governor Rick Scott’s so-called purging of Florida’s voter rolls of potential non-U.S. citizens. “

Joyner joins ACLU in challenge to Florida election law [Tampa Tribune] “State Sen. Arthenia Joyner, of Tampa, has joined with the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups to challenge a Florida election law.”