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RealClearPolitics Politics Nation Blog

 

Blog Home Page --> House -- Florida -- 08

Obama Drops Into Florida's Political Frenzy

President Obama makes his fourth visit to Florida today, one of only a half dozen states outside the Beltway he's visited that many times since entering the White House. He'll find a Sunshine State again rich with political intrigue, where major developments in the gubernatorial, Senate and Congressional races just this week point to an election cycle as busy as any in recent memory.

Obama's visit - to deliver an address on his space policy and to raise money for the Democratic National Committee - of course points to his own political interest in the state. Not since 1976 had a Democratic presidential nominee won 51 percent of the vote in Florida, as Obama did two years ago. But recent polling shows that his standing has slipped there as in many battlegrounds from 2008, something that could affect the entire Democratic ticket this fall.

Democrats had a voter registration advantage of 660,000 in 2008, after the party added 500,000 voters to its rolls between the 2006 and 2008 elections. Republican registration rose by 130,000. However, after a successful election year that also included picking up two Republican House seats, the party has no apparent edge in this year's midterm elections.

"I think it's lining up to be a pretty Republican year in Florida," said Central Florida University political scientist Aubrey Jewett, co-author of the book Politics in Florida. "Florida-specific polls show Obama's approval rating is about where it is around the country. And the average Floridian isn't happy with the health care bill."

Continue reading "Obama Drops Into Florida's Political Frenzy" »

Another GOPer Won't Take On Grayson

A second Republican in as many weeks announced today he will not challenge Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.). Former state senator Dan Webster had been seriously considering a bid, but said he was following his gut in not running.

"After much prayer and thoughtful consideration, I have decided not to run for the United States House of Representatives, District 8," Webster said, according to Florida news outlets. "This has been a very difficult decision for me personally, especially because of the tremendous outpouring of support that has flooded me from all sides."

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty said last week that he will not be running, leaving Webster as the assumed frontrunner in the GOP primary. Now, Webster's decision leaves several others to compete in what will likely be a costly and competitive primary: restaurant supply company owner Jerry Pierce; real estate developer Armando Gutierrez Jr.; Patricia Sullivan, a stay-at-home mother; and Dan Fanelli, a former pilot.

In his short time in Congress, Grayson has earned exposure for speaking his mind, most recently for his performance arguing for health care reform on the House floor.

Grayson Jokes Too Much, Even For Biden?

Vice President Biden has certainly developed a reputation for letting his mouth get the best of him. But in Florida today, it was Rep. Alan Grayson (D) who may have gotten carried away as he joked about Dick Cheney, Sarah Palin and who was calling the shots in the Obama White House.

According to a pool report of the fundraiser that Biden headlined for the freshman Congressman, Grayson "killed" with these jokes in front of the partisan crowd, like about "former Vice President Dick Cheney having given Biden a tour of the White House 'dungeon' and its torture rack." More:

"Grayson also riffed on how Cheney made Biden nervous because the former veep "liked to shoot old men in the face" and invited Biden to "go water boarding with him."

Grayson joked that Biden decided to take the vice presidential slot "because he could see Philadelphia from his front porch," a knock on Republican Sarah Palin's claim she had foreign policy experience because she could see Russia from her home state of Alaska.

Grayson even goofed about seeing the "real change in power" going from Vice President Cheney to Vice President Biden, a knock on the contention that former President Bush often deferred to his number two."

The report goes on to say that Biden "played along with the goofs, but said Grayson was a 'lousy comedian' who may have flown on Air Force Two back down to Orlando today, but he was going to have to take the train back to Washington." The Congressman "held his hands to his face in mock horror."

And as far as who is really running the show in the White House, Biden said, "He's the president, I'm the vice president. We've got the pecking order in this administration right."

"I know George Bush, and he's no Barack Obama," Biden said.

Read the full pool report after the jump.

Continue reading "Grayson Jokes Too Much, Even For Biden?" »