Tampa

Puerto Rican Migration To Florida In Two Months 200,000, Double Original Estimate: A Harbinger Of Florida Turning “Blue” In Future Presidential Elections

The effects of Hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico will change future Presidential elections, with the Democratic Party winning the state in future contests for the White House.

Puerto Rico is losing a substantial portion of its citizenry due to the slow and inadequate response on the island to this natural disaster by the Trump Administration.

Some Puerto Ricans, all of whom are citizens of the US, and can register to vote immediately, have migrated to New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, but the vast majority, more than 200,00, double the original estimate, have moved to Florida, preferring warm weather.

Most have settled in Central Florida, in the Orlando and Tampa areas, with the Puerto Rican population having multiplied since the 2010 Census, while a lesser number have moved to South Florida.

As long as these citizens register and vote, the largest number will vote Democratic, and in close races for the White House, that can make a difference, and it could also, over time, affect state elections for Governor and other executive offices, as well as the state legislature.

When Florida becomes reliably “Blue”, it will add 29 electoral votes in the 2020 Presidential election, and more than that once reapportionment of seats based on the 2020 Census, and in time for the 2024 and 2028 Presidential elections.

And when the Hispanic vote of any part of Latin America becomes larger and reliably Democratic, except for Cuban Americans then Georgia, Arizona, and eventually Texas will be “Blue”, and the Republicans are doomed on the Presidential level.

Only by voter suppression and discrimination will the GOP have a chance to win, and one can be sure they will use every imaginable tactic to prevent Hispanic voting, so Democrats have to work incessantly to insure that Hispanics are not denied the right to vote, including law suits to stop this disgraceful tactic of the party that, more than ever, represents the Tea Party mentality.

The Four “States” Of Florida

Florida began early voting today, and it is the ultimate “swing state”, as it is really four “states”!

North Florida and the Panhandle is strongly conservative and Republican, except for Gainesville, the home of the flagship University of Florida.

Central Florida is the ultimate battleground of Tampa and Orlando, with growing Hispanic population, heavily Puerto Rican, but also Midwesterners who are Republicans, so it is hard to know what will happen here.

Palm Beach and Broward Counties in South Florida are fertile Democratic territory, and heavily Jewish and other Northeasterners.

Miami Dade County is heavily Cuban, likely Republican, but the younger generation may be straying from their parents and grandparents.

Voter turnout and enthusiasm will decide if Florida goes to Barack Obama or Mitt Romney in ten days!

The Courage And Principles Of Former Florida Governor Charlie Crist

Just as the Republican National Convention is about to open in Tampa, Florida, former Governor Charlie Crist, who came close to being the Vice Presidential running mate of Senator John McCain in 2008, but instead went on to repudiation in the Senate election of 2010, where he ran as an Independent, has made significant news worthy of attention.

Crist has now endorsed Barack Obama for President in an editorial in the Tampa Bay Times, and has blasted his former party for ignoring the effects of the right wing Tea Party and social conservatives on the elderly, women, minorities, immigrants, and students.

Crist said that Barack Obama had shown strong leadership in a difficult time, and that he deserved reelection for the steps he had taken which made things better than when he walked into the Oval Office at a time when the situation was dire.

Some wonder whether Crist will become a Democrat, but many think he will remain an Independent, who might run for Governor again in 2014. Others think he will simply be a voice of reason outside the political sphere, something that the nation could use to remind us of what used to be the Republican Party of years ago.

The Ultimate Republican Hypocrisy And Double Standard: Highly Moral And Religious Publicly, And Major Attenders Of Strip Clubs And Nude Bars At Political Conventions!

The Republican Party loves to portray itself as extremely religious, moral, and ethical, and opposes full fledged sex education in public schools, and also loves to invoke God as punishing sinners by natural events, including tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, droughts and earthquakes.

But now we are faced with the likelihood that the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, may face the wrath of Hurricane Isaac, an ironic event to say the least, particularly of the “son of Abraham”, the founder of the Jewish people in the Old Testament, “punishing” those who claim to be “good Christians”, promoting a hateful attitude toward those who are not willing to accept their dictates on social and economic matters, but who actually wish to do the good works that Jesus Christ promoted, rather than gaudy materialism, greed, and selfishness!

And also, Tampa is famous for its strip clubs, nude bars, and lap dances, and it is expected that Republican delegates, including highly “religious” delegates, will “let their hair down’, and act contrary to what their stated beliefs are! Of course, they will do everything to cover their tracks, and continue to preach what they do not practice! By the way, statistics show that Republicans go to such venues three times as likely as Democrats do!

This is the height of hypocrisy—do as one says, but not as one does! But what is new about the modern GOP, captive of the social conservatives and Tea Party activists, who are in the process of destroying the historic Republican Party of Lincoln, TR, Ike, and even Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and the Bushes!

Republican Party Platform So Far To The Right Politically That It Cannot Appeal To Moderates And Independents!

The Republican Party is formulating its platform a week before the Republican National Convention in Tampa next week, and it is so far to the Right politically, that it will have the effect of alienating to moderates and Independents!

The platform denies any abortions, no matter whether due to rape, incest, or life of the mother.

The platform takes a harsh stand on immigration, in line with the Arizona and Alabama laws now being sued in federal court by the Justice Department.

The platform supports strict ID voters laws, designed to suppress the votes of the young, the elderly, the poor, and minorities.

The platform supports the Ryan budget, including the privatization of Medicare and the massive tax cuts for the wealthy, while cutting Food Stamps, Pell Grants, and other programs for the middle class and the poor.

The platform refuses to accept gay rights, including gay marriage, but also rejects any recognition of civil unions, keeping gay Americans second class citizens!

These are just some of the outrageous planks in the GOP platform, and it is impossible to imagine that sane people will wish to support such a vindictive, extremist platform that would be designed to undermine the rights, freedoms, and privileges of millions of Americans!

Moderate Republicans will flee from a party they no longer recognize, and Independents will, by large margins, swing over to the Democrats, because there will be no alternative choice that is rational and reasonable!

Bill Clinton To Nominate Barack Obama For Second Term As President, While George W. Bush Will Avoid Republican Convention!

President Barack Obama will be formally nominated for reelection at the Charlotte, North Carolina Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, September 5th, by former President Bill Clinton, once his most bitter rival during the battle for the Democratic Presidential nomination conducted by Senator Hillary Clinton.

But Barack Obama and Hillary and Bill Clinton have become fast friends, and Hillary Clinton has been one of the greatest Secretaries of State in American history, a master stroke by Obama to nominate the New York Senator, as Abraham Lincoln chose his most bitter rival, Senator William Seward of New York, to be his Secretary of State, who went on to conduct brilliant foreign policy, keeping Great Britain and France neutral in the Civil War, rather than recognizing the Confederacy!

At the same time, former President George W. Bush is not even attending the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, the last week of August. And as of now, neither former Vice President Dick Cheney nor former GOP Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin are planning to attend either! But even if either one does, they will certainly NOT play a major role in the convention as Bill Clinton will at the Democratic National Convention!

Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, Secret Service Protection, And American Taxpayers

Ron Paul is still, technically, in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination, but has refused Secret Service protection, not wishing to bilk taxpayers for the cost of protection.

Newt Gingrich, technically, is still a candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination, but like Paul, has absolutely no chance to be the nominee of the party.

But Gingrich insists on keeping Secret Service protection at taxpayers’ expense until the Tampa Republican National Convention in late August.

This protection costs the taxpayers close to $40,000 a day, the equivalent of the average American’s annual salary. So if Gingrich does indeed continue to have Secret Service protection for another four months, it will cost taxpayers almost $5 million, at a time when his party complains about any expense of the federal government.

Why is Gingrich insisting on protection? It is clear that it is because Newt Gingrich is an arrogant egotistical maniac, a person loves to talk about how brilliant and important he is, and has no concern about saving the government money.

Maybe also it is because Gingrich knows he has made enemies with his rhetoric and divisive behavior over the years. Well, that is HIS problem, because he refuses to ride into the “sunset”!

Also, maybe he feels a need to have Secret Service protection to prevent against another penguin assault on his finger! LOL

Seriously, there is NO reason for Gingrich to be protected anymore, and he should be denied security coverage! Let him hire his own protection, as President Richard Nixon did in his later years.

And this is a moment to applaud and hail Ron Paul for his totally different perspective, wishing to save the taxpayers money. Thanks so much, Ron Paul!

Mitt Romney Is Now The GOP Nominee, Or Is He? And If So, Is It Worth Being the GOP Nominee?

Every indication is that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney will be the GOP Presidential nominee to run against President Barack Obama in November, but is that really true?

Romney has been endorsed by just about everyone imaginable, including, most recently, former President George H. W. Bush and Florida Senator Marco Rubio these past two days.

Romney has a major lead in delegates over former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and it seems clear that if Santorum cannot win Wisconsin this coming Tuesday and his home state of Pennsylvania on April 24 (a start which defeated him for re-election for the Senate by 18 percentage points in 2006), he is done, although social conservatives adore him.

Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker, has only won South Carolina and Georgia, and has now cut back his campaign in a massive way, and is raising money by charging ordinary citizens for signed pictures, a quite despicable, egotistical, and uncouth event, which only adds to his image as an obnoxious individual, who no one really wants to be President, because he simply loves himself too much and comes across as reckless and unstable. But he could present an annoyance at the Tampa Convention of the Republican Party in late August.

So Romney seems safe, even though he is unlikely to gain enough delegates before the convention opens, and is not well liked or trusted by many Republicans..He comes across as awkward, distant, plastic, not genuine nor sincere, and far from lovable!

And Romney tends to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, as every time he wins, he or his staff manages to botch the result by what they say in the next 24 hours! He talks too much about his money and assets, shows no concern for the average American who is struggling in this economy, acts like a boss instead of one of us, tries to tell jokes and is not one bit funny, and even when he tries to sing, to match Barack Obama singing like Al Green, he is totally flat and,. frankly, shows he cannot carry a tune, so comes across as ridiculous and embarrassing to himself and others. And also, deciding to build a tremendous mansion in La Jolla, California, tremendously large because of Romney’s five children and numerous grandchildren, and having an elevator for cars, really undermines the concept that Romney can claim to be one of us! Do all families with five or more children and numerous grandchildren need to have so much space, or life is difficult? And why flaunt your wealth when you are facing election, instead of waiting to next year when he is either in or out of the White House, and it would not be a controversial issue, as it is in the election year? Why does Romney not understand this? It is as if he is from outer space, rather than our every day lives.

And another problem, being a Mormon, he has made clear, and we have no reason to doubt him, that he does not smoke, does not drink alcohol, does not drink coffee, does not use illegal drugs, and does not swear.

These “puritanical” characteristics are certainly admirable, but also quite unbelievable! It is one thing not to smoke or use illegal drugs, but to say Romney NEVER has had an alcoholic drink, NEVER has drank coffee, and has NEVER, when angry or banged his toes, sworn or cursed, is beyond human understanding!

How is that possible, no matter what the tenets of the religion of Mormonism are? It makes Romney seem even more distant, more unreal, than if he actually admitted, “OK, I have at times drank liquor, like an occasional coffee, and being human, of course, I have, regrettably, cursed or sworn at times!”

Do we want a perfect President? So what if Barack Obama has smoked, George W. Bush has drank too much in the past, Bill Clinton tried marijuna; all Presidents probably have drank coffee, and probably every President has sworn or cursed?

Presidents are human, and trying to claim perfection, makes Mitt Romney seem ever more impossible to relate to, or believe. And imagine if later we find that Mitt Romney is lying to us!

These are the problems that Mitt Romney faces, as he becomes the nominee, but is behind Barack Obama in EVERY public opinion poll in “swing states”! What is going to convince the American people to vote Mitt Romney in as our 45th President?

Sarah Palin Challenges Barack Obama To A Debate, Claiming Obama Was Not Vetted In 2008!

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who quit the Governorship in midterm in mid 2009, and was NEVER vetted before being chosen as Vice Presidential running mate by John McCain in the Presidential Election of 2008, is obviously feeling that she is not getting enough attention lately.

So she is now claiming that Barack Obama was not properly vetted when he ran for President in 2008, even though he most CERTAINLY was, while she was not investigated before being made the VP nominee, well depicted in the HBO movie GAME CHANGE, which debuted this past weekend.

Palin has made it clear that she is “not closing any door” in the future, and it is clear that she is hoping that the Republican National Convention in Tampa in late August will be deadlocked, and that some miracle will occur, and that she will be drafted to be the Republican Presidential nominee, without having had to work at all, as the nine GOP candidates had to do, including 20 debates for those who stayed in the race.

This is the perfect scenario for a lazy, ignorant, totally dumb person such as Sarah Palin, who should be ashamed of herself for her lack of basic knowledge, but is too stupid and arrogant to recognize her own limitations!

The nerve of this woman to even consider that she is qualified to lead the strongest nation on earth!

So her proposal to debate Barack Obama is laughable, in that, under no circumstances, will the President dignify this moron by giving her the time of day!

But just imagine IF she were the GOP Presidential nominee!

She would make a total fool of herself, embarrass every Republican, and would lose the election by such a one sided vote, that it might be worse than Barry Goldwater’s 38.9 percent of the vote in a two person race against Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and to put her in the same sentence as Barry Goldwater would be a slight to his memory!

Barry Goldwater may have been radical and reckiess in many ways, but he was not a stupid, ignorant man with the gall to think, as she does, that a “quitter” governor who was a disaster for the Republican ticket in 2008, would even THINK of challenging the President of the United States, and claim she is qualified to be on the same stage as him!

This author and blogger has said many times in the past, and will repeat now: SARAH, BE GONE. GOOD RIDDANCE!

Romney Candidacy In Crisis In Midwest And South

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is facing a crisis in the next two weeks that he may not be able to overcome, and may doom his Presidential candidacy.

On February 28, he faces the challenge of former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum in Michigan, Romney’s home state, and right now, Santorum is leading in the state of the auto industry which Romney promoted to go bankrupt, and is instead having a major renaissance.

On March 7, he faces challenge from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in Georgia, Gingrich’s home state, and Tennessee and Oklahoma, as well as in Ohio, where Santorum is surging.

If Romney cannot win Michigan and Ohio, leading Midwestern states, and Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, major southern and border states, then his candidacy is in its last throes.

As it is, the battle for a majority of delegates at the Republican National Convention in Tampa in August is certain now to drag on into the late spring or early summer, not exactly what Mitt Romney believed would happen when he entered the race for the Presidency!