If President Barack Obama or former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney want to win Florida's electoral votes, it would make sense if they focued on economic issues relevant to the Sunshine State, writes Jeff Harrington of the Tampa Bay Times.
5 FLORIDA-STYLE ECONOMIC ISSUES THAT OBAMA & ROMNEY SHOULD PONDER by Jeff Harrington of the Tampa Bay Times
"1. The jobs quandary: quantity versus quality; 2. Charting an energy policy that works; 3. Fixing the safety net; 4. Propping up Florida's shaky property insurance market; 5. Finding palatable ways to boost international trade."
OBAMA'S HUG, MITT'S WHIFF by Marc Caputo of the Miami Herald
"The performance of the Democratic and Republican candidates in Florida last week told the tale of two campaigns. One feels a surge. The other looks troubled.
"That’s not just a matter of appearance. Polls show Obama clinging to an inside-the-error-margin lead in Florida. The polls really start to matter now as undecided voters focus on the race and upcoming debates.
"Public opinion will certainly change in these final two months. But the performances of the two campaigns last week in Florida give an indication of what could be in store."
BARACK, MICHELLE & MITT ALL IN FLORIDA THIS WEEK by Nora McAlvanah of FLDemocracy2012.com
"Romney will kick-off his trip Wednesday evening with a $50,000-per-couple reception at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. The next day he is scheduled to attend a $2,500-per-person fundraiser at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota.
"Later Thursday, Romney will attend a VIP reception for his campaign at the North Palm Beach home of Chris Cline. Also that evening, Romney will be the guest of honor at a dinner hosted by Al and Dawn Hoffman in North Palm Beach.
"On Thursday, September 20, President Obama will return to Florida for campaign events in Miami and Tampa."
"First lady Michelle Obama will also travel to state on Monday for grassroots events in Gainesville and Tallahassee."
PAUL RYAN CRITICIZES FED PLAN AT TAMPA BAY RALLY by Brendan Farrington of the Associated Press
"Ryan criticized the Federal Reserve's newly announced plan to prop up the economy, telling a Tampa Bay crowd Saturday that 'sugar high economics' won't help people.
"Ryan said the plan to spend $40 billion a month to buy mortgage bonds in an effort to keep interest rates low will fail to jump-start the economy, just as President Barack Obama's $787 billion federal stimulus fell short."
$120 MILLION SPENT IN FLORIDA SO FAR ON PRESIDENTIAL POLITICAL ADS via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times
"NBC News has this eye-popping rundown of how much has been spent in ads in Florida since March 19, as tabulated by ad tracker SMG Delta (here is the full post with other states). The Obama campaign has far outspent Romney but when outside groups are included, Romney has a slight edge.
"Team Romney $60,327,832 - Romney $16,471,243, Am Crossroads $12,509,348, Crossroads GPS $12,293,037, AFP $9,014,582, Restore $7,819,601, Am Future Fund $1,359,061, Am Energy All $854,325, RNC $6,635.
"Team Obama $59,328,859 - Obama $44,610,509, Priorities $12,713,685, SEIU $1,475,589, Planned Parenthood $447,657, MoveOn $64,359, ACLU $17,060"
FLA. DEMS BEAT REPUBLICANS IN AUGUST VOTER REGISTRATION
The Florida Democratic Party today released state August voter registration data showing that, for the seventh consecutive month, Democrats out-registered Republicans — again by nearly 10-points. Over the past seven months, Democrats have steadily increased monthly gains over the GOP from a 3-point advantage in February to roughly 10-points in April, May, June, July and August.
“Democrats have consistently out registered Republicans in Florida for seven consecutive months and that’s a trend that should make Republicans very nervous heading into the fall,” said Scott Arceneaux, Executive Director of the Florida Democratic Party. “Further troubling for the GOP are the demographic breakdowns which show solid registration advantages among growing important groups like women and Hispanics. With almost 50 days to go and over 88 offices, Democrats are committed to building the strongest, largest ground game this state has ever seen — and delivering Florida’s prized 29 electoral votes for President Obama.”
1. Jobs-quantity vs. quality - What % of the unemployed have skills that would help them to qualify for quality jobs? What is a "quality" job? The jobs in manufacturing that created the middle class are now in other countries. Manufacturing jobs that are created in the U.S. now will largely be automated, requiring a greater skill level. 2. Energy policy - not unique to Florida. The U.S. has all the resources it needs to be energy independent. Why aren't we? Follow the money and power. 3. Safety net - why is it the responsibility of the federal government to ensure that my health care and eventual retirement needs are covered by the tax payers? 4. Florida's property insurance market. Again-why would this be the President's concern to "fix"? Shouldn't this be a state issue. Those of us that choose to live in high risk areas should be addressing this with our insurers and state regulators. 5. International trade. As long as Americans prefer to buy cheaper goods that are manufactured outside of the U.S. rather than support "quality" American jobs, the imbalance will remain.
You need to wake up and smell the politics - if you blindly believe either side you are a fool - and if you spout their canned rhetoric without backing it up with a rational argument you are a sap as well as a fool.
also, I am not saying that we are a Christian nation but actually most of the founding fathers were and those who were deists (those who believe in the existence of a supreme being, but of a creator who does not intervene in the universe) all founded this country on the idea of Freedom OF Religion not from. "Heck, christians can't even believe in a common religion" do you know that atheism, Judaism, and Islam all have several different sects who believe differently? No one here "forces" a religion on you or anyone, it is just your own aversion from anything or anyone who believes that makes you perceive this.
1) All "blue laws". Exactly why can't I buy alcohol on Sunday before noon but can every other day of the week? 2) Prohibitions against gay marriage. It's no coincidence this is mainly lead through religious groups. 3) The upcoming Amendment 8 that lets churches accept tax money but exempts them from the same rules non-religious organizations have to follow in providing the same services. (So a tax-funded social service program could refuse service to unmarried mothers, atheists, homosexuals, or anyone else they feel like that violate their beliefs.) Better hope you're a good liar if you need help. 4) Women's health issues 5) Laws allowing doctors and other health professionals to refuse to service people or do procedures that violate their faith. (Better hope the ambulance takes you to the right hospital or you're hosed.) 6) School prayer. Do you really think a wiccan would be allowed to say a prayer (AKA: cast a spell) in home room class? Or is it more likely only specific religions would be tolerated? You cannot have freedom of religion unless you also have freedom from it. You have to be able to choose no religion. This country has a poor history in the way it treats those folks. "Under God" in the pledge was added in 1954 just to make them feel unwelcome. That's force too.
Keith wake up and stop listening to Rush...I mean yea, he's good for a laugh or two...
http://spectator.org/archives/2012/11/01/benghazi-obamas-core-deceit/
Romney/Ryan 2012
Between the shot economy, 23 million out of work or underworked, the price of everything up, wages down, and the Benghazi tragedy/disgrace/coverup, there is no way Obama has earned a second term...
Romney's campaign bought $5K in food donations and tried to make it look like they were the attendees' donations! http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/the-making-of-romneys-storm-relief-event What's even more ridiculous, the Red Cross and Salvation Army, the two biggest relief organizations -- DO NOT ACCEPT FOOD DONATIONS! Duh! If he can't even honestly run a local relief event, how could Romney begin to run a country? Find out how you can TRULY HELP Hurricane Sandy victims at: www.redcross.org and www.salvationarmy.org (No food, please.)
First, the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.9% and the year-to-date monthly average of 157,000 payroll jobs is barely enough to keep up with population growth -- much less make up for the 8 million jobs lost during the Great Recession. Second, the so-called real unemployment rate (U6) remains elevated at 14.6%, albeit down from 14.7% the prior month. Similarly, the labor participation rate is at 63.8%, up from its multi-decade low but still incredibly weak. Third, average hourly earnings fell a penny in October and average hours worked fell to 34.4 from 34.5 in September. Stagnant wages means "we're not generating income," Reinhart says. "That's a problem in terms of the durability of an economic expansion, which is usually fueled by consumption. To get consumption you've got to generate income." Also, just look at your checkbook. We are paying a lot more for everything now than we did in 2008. The price of gas has doubled. At the same time, wages have gone down, and that's if you're lucky to have a job. In 2008, 25 banks went out of business. In 2012, 48 banks have gone out of business. Almost double the amount. Does that sound like recovery to you? Don't believe the Obama lies!! Romney/Ryan 2012