OBAMA, NELSON LEAD IN NEW Q POLL, 52-PERCENT DISAPPROVE OF RICK SCOTT August 1, 2012 – Obama Hits 50% In Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University/CBS News/New York Times Swing State Poll Finds [Quinnipiac] “Florida” Obama edges Romney 51- 45 percent…In Florida’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson leads U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, the Republican challenger 47 – 40 percent…Florida voters disapprove 52 – 36 percent of the job Gov. Rick Scott is doing. “
OFA RELEASES NEW AD, OBAMA TO ORLANDO Torres, hundreds of Obama supporters prepare for president’s visit [Orlando Sentinel] “Orange County’s newly-elected state Rep. Victor Torres saw the hundreds of people waiting in line for a renewed chance to hear President Barack Obama Tuesday afternoon and saw ‘ordinary people’ whom he believes will be the heart of re-election efforts.”
OFA Releases New Ad: “Worried” [Miami Herald] “A spot contrasting his tax-and-deficit plan with that of Republican Mitt Romney’s, whose made out to be a defend-the-rich-and-the-Pentagon candidate.” WATCH “WORRIED” HERE.
Romney’s ‘opposite’ of Obama would hurt Israel [Palm Beach Post guest column] “Mitt Romney has spent much of this campaign avoiding foreign policy specifics, instead offering platitudes and reckless talk while threatening decades of bipartisan support for Israel by trying to turn it into a political football, as he did with his substance-free trip to Israel. But the time for ducking tough questions is over.”
SCOTT PROMISES TRANSPARENCY BUT DELIVERS “PROPAGANDA” Promising openness, delivering propaganda [Tampa Bay Times editorial] “In Tallahassee’s politicized culture of cynicism, even an initiative touted by Gov. Rick Scott as an effort to provide unprecedented transparency has turned out to be just another betrayal of the public trust. Scott’s so-called Project Sunburst, which falsely promised to allow the public online access to his administration’s emails, is really nothing more than a sanitized forum for the governor’s conservative political base. It should be renamed Project Sundown.”
Scott “Project Sunburst” program for emails off to rocky start [AP] “Less than three months after announcing a program to post online the governor’s emails and those of his staff, it turns out only staff emails were available. Scott’s emails were in a separate account. The Miami Herald first reported the issue.”
In the Name of All Floridians? [Florida Voices] “Instead, we have a governor who, with help from the Legislature, has gone to war with the federal government, tried to overturn state laws that offend him, and kicked in the shins teachers, state employees, the sick, the poor, and those people so annoying in a democracy, voters. Scott has become embroiled in so many court cases involving Florida law that it has been difficult to keep track of them all. So the Orlando Sentinel obliged us.”
REPUBLICANS NOT FALLING IN LOVE OR LINE WITH MACK Dave Weldon strives to make a race of it against Connie Mack in GOP Senate primary [Times/Herald] “But there are some subtle signs that Republicans are unsure if Mack is the right person to challenge incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson in November. On Monday, the editorial board of the Palm Beach Post recommended Weldon over Mack, suggesting voters are supporting Mack because they believe that his father, former Sen. Connie Mack III, is back on the ballot. Weldon also won the recommendation from the editorial board of the Tampa Bay Times. And the Naples Daily News editorial board withheld its endorsement, calling Weldon ‘bright,’ ‘extremely well informed’ and ‘experienced’ while criticizing Mack.”
U.S. Justice Department says Florida’s voter purge violates federal law [Times/Herald] “The U.S. government wants to block Florida from resuming its purge of suspected noncitizens from the voter rolls, saying it would violate federal law.”
BUCHANAN FACING CONTEMPT CHARGES AND JAIL TIME, RACE “TIGHTENS” 10 News Investigators: Congressman Vern Buchanan could face contempt charge for “no-show” at deposition [WTSP] “Sarasota Congressman Vern Buchanan may be facing more legal problems after he failed to show up for a court ordered deposition Monday. Buchanan is being sued by a former partner who says the congressman used him to make illegal campaign contributions. Buchanan was supposed to be deposed under oath, but was a no-show. Attorney Robert Stok, who represents the man suing Buchanan, says he will file contempt charges against the congressman and ask that he be put in jail. Even though Buchanan was a no-show, Stock brought files and had plenty to say on the record.”
With Buchanan Under Scrutiny, the Race Tightens [National Journal] “Buchanan steadfastly denies any wrongdoing, but to showcase his troubles, the Democrats are running a version of their own Mr. Clean. Keith Fitzgerald is a former state legislator, who despite having a slight physical resemblance to Karl Rove has been preaching about the need for government transparency and warning about the evils of money in politics for his entire political career. Yet for all this, Buchanan is still leading in the polls and has about $600,000 more cash on hand than does his challenger.”
OTHER NEWS WE THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Bruno edging closer to Hukill in fundraising [News Service of Florida] “Democrat Frank Bruno collected $16,475 in cash and also got $16,425 in in-kind contributions from the state Democratic Party between July 7 and July 20 in the hotly contested Senate District 8 race, according to new campaign-finance reports”
A Battle for Florida’s Courts [NYT Editorial] “If the three justices lose their retention battle, it would give Mr. Scott three court vacancies to fill with his own judicial picks. It would also send a message of intimidation undermining judicial independence and impartiality — a price no Florida voter should be willing to pay.”
Embattled education commissioner Gerard Robinson resigns [News Service of Florida] “Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson resigned late Tuesday amid a months-long controversy over the state’s testing regimen and errors on school grades that forced the department to change the marks for dozens of schools.”