2 Issues Straining GOP Grip in Florida -LAT

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON — President Bush's decisive victory in Florida last year seemed to cement Republican dominance in an important battleground state that once symbolized an evenly divided nation.

But with the GOP base polarized over the Terri Schiavo case and the public skeptical of Bush's plan to overhaul Social Security, two issues with explosive relevance in Florida are stirring up confusing political crosscurrents for Republicans preparing to face the voters there next year.
....
"It may be that we tried to load the wagon with too many watermelons," said Tom Slade, Florida's former Republican Party chairman. "There's not … a lot of good news on our side of the aisle at this minute."
....
With term limits forcing Gov. Bush to leave office in January 2007, another high-stakes campaign has begun, with crowded primary fields. Strategists in both parties expect the Schiavo controversy and Social Security to be potent and unpredictable issues. Those issues could also be important in several potentially competitive congressional races in districts now held by Republicans E. Clay Shaw Jr., Ginny Brown-Waite and Katherine Harris.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-politics29mar29,1,4556861.story?coll=la-news-politics-national

[AlCzervik]

1. good, hopefully republican fatigue has set in there

and hopefully it's setting in all around the country.

[bemildred]

2. "Decisive victory" my ass. nt

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. and my elbow and hairy mole. nt

[meganmonkey]

7. Please include my ingrown toenail...make it my whole foot

in that analysis.

Thanks.

;)

[scarletlib]

3. yeah, stack four hurricanes from last year on top of all of that

fema paying off people in miami-dade who had minimal damage (clearly jeb-gw ploy) and people in other counties who got hit by storms 3-4 times still struggling to get claims paid by the insurance industry in this state let alone money from fema.

The repugs--carry your own weight, no welfare here, we love the insurance industry guys--are now having to deal with these issues and angry constituents who have paid insurance premiums out the yin-yang since Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and are now getting screwed big time.

[Connie_Corleone]

4. Curse of the 2nd term finally kicking in?? n/t

[Cobalt Violet]

5. But then there is always the election fraud issue.

People in Florida don't really have a vote anymore.

[woosh]

8. Rove will come riding in on his white horse, not to worry.

[barbaraann]

9. But Floridians don't care about the child welfare system disaster

or the education disaster? That is so sad.

[Brooklyn Michael]

10. You can't get mad....

....at what you don't understand.

Sadly, this is a nation-wide problem.

[scarletlib]

11. most floridians do care about the child welfare system and

the education of our children. there is just this strange disconnect between what the people want and who they put in office.

in the last 2 election cycles floridians have passed 2 constitutional amendments: one to limit classroom size and the other to institute a universal pre-k program for all of florida's children.

needless to say jeb and the legislature have been opposed to both and have fought them all the way.

[barbaraann]

14. Good point.

The Republicans excel at image-making as opposed to actually governing.

[Trish1168]

15. The GOP excel at vote stealing

Its so obvious.....this should be the number 1 issue in Florida, yet they don't seem to be taking to the streets.

[demo dutch]

16. No they don't plus they re-elected Jebby after 2000!

Sometime I wonder what the hell I'm still doing here!

[Straight Shooter]

12. "It may be that we tried to load the wagon with too many watermelons."

Oh, Jeebers. Trying to make an ingratiating folksy comment about your overreaching, your intrusion into personal lives, and your self-serving agenda. Give me a break, willya?

More like trying to load too many fatcats onto the wagon being pulled by the taxpayers.

[scottxyz]

13. Make that

Tried to load too many millionaires into the rickshaw.

Guess the people of Florida just plum got tuckered out.

[demo dutch]

17. The problem is the majority of voters are reeaally stupid

they have no clue! Poverty levels in some counties are among the worst in the nation. Yet they continue to vote Repugs into office. Years of being the lowest in the nation for education does take it's toll you know!

[skotrussell]

18. No problem

No problem; they'll be happy to give up Florida, since they plan on stealing California next time, anyway.