Rick Scott Campaigns With No Enthusiasm

Why is Adam Smith surprised that Rick Scott cannot connect with voters. What Governor has he been covering the last 4 year. Scott made a campaign stop in West Tampa today. Scott showed all the charisma of one of the zombies from the gore porn TV show The Walking Dead.

Maybe the enthusiastic young lady who got in his face inquiring whether he would return more than $1-million in campaign contributions from Duke Energy put Scott in a sour mood. Maybe he's just tired. But there was nothing in the body language of him or his campaign in Tampa today that projected confidence or cheer. Few TV cameras were on hand early enough to get him on the midday news, and even a few TV reporters who were there missed him because he left so quickly.

Odd

There is nothing odd about this. Scott's aides on several occasions have rushed their boss out of press conferences. Scott recently had a public freak out when voters questioned him about the minimum wage. Who knows why Scott behaves this way but he is not the greatest campaigner in the world.

Politics Is Not A Sporting Event

Adam Smith of The Tampa Bay Times announced his political winners and losers of the week. This is a weekly column by Smith. I have nothing against Smith. However, I think this column reduces politics to a spectator sport when more attention should be paid attention to policy.

Did Floridians win this week because Sen. Marco Rubio fired off some bluster against the Nicolás Maduro government of Venezuela on Twitter.

#Venezuela expect @NicolasMaduro false claim that @VoluntadPopular violate statutes & democratic framework #SiTeVasDeCarnavalPierdesAVzla

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 26, 2014

Does anyone really believe Maduro reads Rubio's Twitter feed and tremble in fear. Maduro has reacted harshly to protesters in his country. I actually don't have a problem with Rubio voicing his displeasure. Madoro has jailed protest leader Leopoldo Lopez and 17 protesters have been killed. This is a serious international matter. Smith's column scoring Rubio's rhetoric as a win trivializes to serious matters in Venezuela. What is more important in Smith's column is which political figure is coming out on top.

According to Smith, David Jolly is the loser of the week. Jolly's camp falsely accused opponent Alex Sink of racism. It would be better if Smith informed his readers on how Sink's comments on immigration were taken out of context by a political tracker. Instead, Smith evaluates politicians as if they were a potential NFL draft pick at a scouting combine.

The Tampa Bay Times shouldn't treat politicians as if they were making odds for Vegas bookies. Media is too obsessed with the horse race. Media thinks people will be bored if policy wonkery was explained. Ezra Klein wrote a successful economic policy blog at the Washington Post. The blog was so successful that Klein has decided to branch out and start the Vox Media project. There is a place for policy driven journalism. The Tampa Bay Times should produce more policy posts to expand their internet reach. Let's face it. No one is going to remember who were Adam Smith's political winner and loser of March 2, 2014 were.

Gaetz & Weatherford Claim Lobbying Money Has No Influence On Them

Florida Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford laughably tell Adam Smith that campaign contributions have no influence on them.

According to Follow the Money, Gaetz has received $18,736 from lawyers and lobbyists. Weatherford received a whooping $56,625 from lawyers and lobbyists. Do you really believe lobbyists are going to give money to Gaetz and Weatherford and then not expect any favors in return? That doesn't pass the laugh test.

Kendrick Meek Zombie Watch: Meek Momentum

Adam Smith is noticing that the Kendrick Meek campaign still hasn't caught on fire. I first declared the Meek campaign dead in May. I declared Meek a zombie on September 7th. The final faze will be Democratic voters fearing six Senate years of the corrupt and hard right-leaning Marco Rubio will decide to vote for the corrupt and more likable Charlie Crist.

Kendrick Meek Death Watch: Adam Smith Edition

Political reporter Adam Smith has a post on The Buzz on what Democrats will do if Kendrick Meek loses the primary. Smith even asked Meek would he endorse opponent Jeff Greene if he lost. The answer is no.

There has been considerable speculation that national and state Democratic leaders might actually back Charlie Crist, at least tacitly, rather than Greene. But if Greene writes a big check to the state party and/or DSCC bygones certainly could be bygones.This week we saw DSCC Chairman Robert Menendez say he would support Greene and Harry Reid try to knock down the talk of him cozying up with Crist. Could be fascinating to watch.

The Wall Street Journal reported Crist has had two conversations with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Alfredo Balsera and Squier Knapp Dunn Communications have signed on to the Crist campaign. Both parties have worked on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. I have asked Meek camaign New Media Outreach director Kenneth Quinnell for comment on Obama people now working for Crist. I am still waiting for a response. My guess for why Quinnell hasn't responded is the false pretense of Obama supporting Crist can no longer be maintained. Meek is going to lose. The star political reporter of Florida's most powerful newspaper asking Meek if he will endorse Greene isn't a sign that people think Meek is going to catch on fire.

What Media Media: Adam Smith Lets Bilirakis Spread Gitmo B.S.

Gus Bilirakis: The conditions are unbelievable. Too good, as far as I am concerned. Flat screen TVs. They have a choice of seven meals... these terrorists. They play sports. If they are on good behavior they can be outside 20-hours-a-day. It's unbelievable.

It really is unbelievable. It is so unbelievable that I'm laughing. Detainees are outside "20 hours-a-day." If they are sleeping in makeshift tents I can believe that. Florida prisons have been known to house prisoners outdoors because of lack of space. There is no way military guards will just let detainees randomly roam the facility.

I can buy the TVs under Obama. State and federal prisons have televisions. The Hillsborough County Jail only allows prisoners to watch PBS. Occasionally, a guard will break the rules because he wants to watch a football game. The guard will tell the prisoners not to tell a soul. I know this because I have some interesting friends. Amnesty International reported Gitmo prisoners were put in isolation during the Bush years. Detainees then did not have the option of watching television. Conditions were so bad detainees were using a bucket for a toilet.

Detainees are confined for 22 hours a day to individual, enclosed, steel cells where they are almost completely cut off from human contact. The cells have no windows to the outside or access to natural light or fresh air. No activities are provided, and detainees are subjected to 24 hour lighting and constant observation by guards through the narrow windows in the cell doors. They exercise alone in a high-walled yard where little sunlight filters through; detainees are often only offered exercise at night and may not see daylight for days at a time.

What is really sad is Adam Smith actually agreeing with Bilirakis's fantasy assessment. So much for a tough follow up question.

Adam Smith: Maybe they be in worst conditions then a cold federal prision in Illinois.

Journalists like Smith is why I laugh when Republicans whine about the so-called liberal media. Conservatives have their own media to cover the Tea Party Convention. Republicans have talk radio and their own cable news network. It is shameful when Smith doesn't do his job as a journalist. Smith is more interested in gaining access to politicians than asking than setting the record straight.

Interview With Dan Gelber

Adam Smith, of the St. Petersburg Times, interviews Senate candidate Dan Gelber. Gelber makes a strong case to implement the class-size amendment. Gelber points to Jeb Bush's and other Republicans efforts to undermine the voter approved amendment. Republicans are using the budget crisis as an excuse to kill class-size reductions. For the life of me, I can never figure out why Republicans are so commited to oversized classrooms.

Q and A With Karen Thurman

Florida Democratic Party chairwoman Karen Thurman talks with the St. Petersburg Times Adam Smith. Thurman had to spin when Smith pointed out Obama won Florida and Democrats didn't pick up a seat in the Florida legislature.

Thurman attack Crist for not having his own stimulus program. I actually think a Florida stimulus plan is a great idea. Crist would show true leadership if he tried to kick start the Florida economy with infrastructure projects. That would require Crist closing tax loopholes and making more cuts in the budget. Crist's approval rating and speaking skills give him the platform for a stimulus plan. I don't see Crist putting himself in a position to be attacked by both parties. One can dream.