A recent article in the Capitol Hill publication, The Hill, examines the spill over of the BP oil crisis into the Florida Senate race. Like in most crisis situations, everyone is quick to judge the response, or lack there of, by those willing to make some sort of effort to fix the problem. It seems the closer the oil gets to the Florida coast, the greater the tension rises not only nationally but locally. As White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel so eloquently said, “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
The major controversy between Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Republican candidate Marco Rubio is not an immediate fix to the problem on both accounts. Speculation as to the long-term effects the spill will have on ballot issues seems to be more of an issue for Crist while immediate concern for Rubio is stopping the oil leak. 
Currently, it is prohibited in Florida to drill offshore. As The Hill reported, “anything less than a state constitutional amendment could one day be over-turned by state lawmakers.”
However, what is relevant this minute may not be relevant to voters come November. Is it worth it for the politicians and lawmakers to spend all this crucial time debating and fighting tooth and nail to get an “off shore drilling ban” amendment on the ballot when drilling off the Florida coast is already prohibited?
As one article from the Orlando Sentinel investigated, if BP had taken a more secure and tedious process to finalize the rig, this whole debacle could possibly have been prevented. Only costing approximately $1 million a day according to many estimates.
While on some accounts it is easy to understand why a cost of close to $1 million a day would be easy to veto, how much was it really worth?
Living in America the free market is arguably what helps so many people prosper in the land of the free. In times like this it may be nice if there was governmental regulation. Especially since many could argue there is already government regulation on everything anyways, shouldn’t there have been governmental checks all the way through the rig building process?
Through indirect wording by both politicians and BP executives, it is assumed the rig was not “properly” finished. While BP holds the responsibility of the safety of its employees in its hands, it also holds an obligation to the safety of Americans; along with a civil responsibility to the environment.
BP took the “short cut” to surpass the millions of the dollars for the more secure “finish”. However, how much did they really end up saving?
So is the issue in Florida banning oil drilling or is it government regulation on oil drilling?
It is during a crisis like this when many different approaches can be taken to look at the need for more or less government regulation and more initiative by companies to stop being so concerned with dollar signs and more concerned with the environment. 
Steps have been taken to try to solve the oil spill. However, it is still too soon on most accounts to begin to feel some sort of relief. And until the feeling of assurance and satisfaction comes across members of the Gulf communities, it may be a safe assumption the issue of oil drilling on the Florida coast could be on the ballot in some form come November.
The election season is rapidly approaching for Florida voters and already the focus seems to be straying from the August 24, Primary and moving towards the November 2, General Election. Moreover, unless you do not have a television, computer or some handheld device where you get your news, you have read where Gov. Charlie Crist is now trailing former House GOP Speaker Marco Rubio for Florida's coveted US Senate seat that was vacated by Mel Martinez.
Many political professionals and pundits of all stripes have weighed in with opinions of why Gov. Crist is quickly becoming a non-entity or that he is so focused on the next higher office that he cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, from my view I see Gov. Crist no different from when he won the September 5, 2006 primary for Governor. During that campaign, Crist defeated the statewide-established candidate Tom Gallagher and then defeated Tampa Congressman Jim Davis on November 7, 2006.
Based on the issues that Gov. Crist has pushed for and accomplished - restoration of felon rights, gambling compact, paper trail for electronic voting - since his January 2007 swearing-in, it is hard to say that we did not know where he stood on the issues. However, where most have been caught off guard is the fact that those accomplishments and his agenda - climate change, public corruption, spending for environmental conservation - are more in line with general election voters rather than the more ardent conservative Republican primary voters.
To emphasize this point look at his current actions during the Legislative Session in Tallahassee. He vetoed a GOP sponsored election reform bill, which would have allowed legislative leadership to maintain their own political action committees and he vetoed S.B. 6, which would have made sweeping changes to how teachers are hired, evaluated and retained. Lastly, the foreshadowing of possible vetoes related to rate deregulation of property insurance and budget vetoes surely are noted.
All the while, Gov. Crist's primary opponent, Marco Rubio had an eye-opening fundraising quarter of $3.6 million and collected key endorsements from national GOP leaders. What that all equals is the notion that as the GOP establishment tries to close ranks the more it appears to make Gov. Crist look as an outsider.
An outsider? One may ask how.
Gov. Crist's reasoning for vetoing SB 6 and now his interest in running as No Party Affiliation both brought one common comment, "I'm listening to the people.” Those are four keywords, and the most important - people. Since the day that Gov. Crist was elected to the state Senate in 1992 by defeating Democrat incumbent Helen Gordon Davis, he has always been looking out for the people. While it may be a common advertising slogan for attorney John Morgan, it has been a mainstay for Gov. Crist. Again, he is not addressing primary voters but general election voters.
What this all boils down to, when you consider the issues and agenda that he has pushed during his elected career as a state Senator, Education Commissioner, Attorney General and now as Governor, his ability to go along and get along with Democrats and now taking his own party to the woodshed on popular issues, he's making himself out to be the outsider and who are the voters angry today?
It’s not partisan, but its directed at incumbents and the more he can frame himself as the solution and blame the insiders in Tallahassee and Washington as the problem, then you have a competitive 2010 General Election where a NPA can win, especially if your name is Charlie Crist.
Mitt Romney was the winner at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference (SRLC) straw poll last weekend. A little surprising seeing as though he wasn’t even there. Sarah Palin, who was the headliner, packed the room with adoring fans but didn’t even grab second place. Instead she tied for third with Newt Gingrich. Ron Paul was the proud second place winner thanks to his strong, enthusiastic following.
What does all this mean? Does it give us a glimpse into the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary? Does Sarah Palin’s popularity take a back seat at the ballot box? Will Romney be our nominee? Maybe. The Politico suggested perhaps Palin fans are more practical when it come to their presidential picks (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/35617.html). But more importantly, it means when you are running for office or running a campaign, you better be organized to win straw polls where you play. For the SRLC, Ron Paul’s group bought hundreds of tickets for his supporters and “Evangelicals for Mitt” also purchased tickets and encouraged Romney supporters to attend and, more importantly, vote. Palin and Gingrich did not seem to have any formal organization working the grassroots for them.
Straw polls can be a real thorn in the side of campaigns. Most will tell you they don’t care, that the results don’t matter. But the second 
they win one, they are quick to tout that win and make the case from it as to why they are gaining momentum. Winning straw polls should be as much a part of your grassroots campaign strategy as knocking on doors and making phone calls. It’s also a great test of the strength of your organization. Know when and where the critical ones are being held, put them on your calendar and organize your supporters to turn out and vote!
Don’t believe they work? Ask any underdog who has worked the grassroots community hard to gain ground. Ask Marco Rubio. A year ago no one thought he had a chance at beating the campaign-pro Charlie Crist in the race for Florida’s US Senate seat. But Rubio was determined. He visited every county, spoke at every neighborhood bbq and played to win in every straw poll possible. Week after week the announcements on his straw poll success were announced. Crist downplayed them and Rubio continued to gain attention and popularity. Now, there have been many other factors contributing to the Rubio rise and Crist collapse but those straw poll wins were an important early momentum builder for Rubio.
So, before quickly writing off the next straw poll, give it some extra thought and consider whether the reward may outweigh the risk for your campaign.
If you had attended the SRLC, who would your pick for 2012 have been? Romney, Paul, Palin, Gingrich, someone else?
The Republican contest for US Senate in Florida is turning into one dirty (er, hairy) war. With a little more than 5 months left until the primary, the attacks are already flying between the Crist and Rubio camps on a daily basis. Last night on Greta Van Susteren’s show, Charlie Crist accused Marco Rubio of being a back waxer and implied that his own $11 haircut makes him a fiscal conservative.
No doubt about it, Charlie Crist has been caught off guard by Rubio’s early rise to front-runner status and is looking a little desperate. Rubio has taken full advantage of Crist’s moderate leadership, most notably his embrace (literally) of Obama’s stimulus bill.
Crist had a tough week. His final State of the State address received only a lukewarm response by Republican legislators, often getting the most applause and praise from the Democrats. This weekend the NY Times called Crist’s plan to save the Everglades “on track to rescue the fortunes of United States Sugar” and Jeb Bush said “there has been a replacement of science based environmental policy for photo-op environmental policy.” Finally, just before his odd charges on Van Susteren’s show, Senator John Cornyn, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee who last summer made a controversial decision to endorse Crist in the primary, told reporters that Crist “seemed like the ideal candidate” because of his fundraising abilities, but “This had nothing to do with Marco Rubio, whom I subsequently met and have a lot of respect for.”
On the other hand, Rubio has risen to the top faster than anticipated and it’s not yet clear if he’s ready to handle the scrutiny that comes with front runner status. Regardless of how the private American Express bills from the Republican Party of Florida were leaked, he was unprepared, at one point claiming “There was no formal process provided by the party regarding personal charges.” One would think in his position, a formal process wouldn’t be necessary to differentiate personal versus business charges. It also revealed he double billed taxpayers and the Republican Party for not one, but eight plane tickets during his tenure as Speaker of the House. He is repaying those costs but it makes you wonder what if those documents had not been released and gives voters the uneasy sense that he’s just like all the rest.
The polls don’t look good for Crist but don’t underestimate him. He is a fighter and a veteran campaigner. This race is certain to tighten up once again. One thing is for sure, this will all make for some interesting political mail and tv in the coming months!
My advice to all candidates and politicians alike is this. If you govern and lead from a base of solid values and policies, even when it’s not popular or politically expedient, you will never have a problem defending your decisions later. Know who you are before trying to sell it to someone else.
