SOMEBODY LOVES BEING A POLITICIAN WHILE SAYING HE DOESN’T! ANYWAY, INTERESTING PROFILE ON OL’ TANNING MACHINE FROM THE ATLANTIC. LOVE TO LOVE IT: "It did not take Crist long to begin refashioning a political identity. Rubio and the rest of his Republican foes had long accused him of being too liberal, too friendly to the Democratic president; they said he wasn’t fit to call himself a Republican. And so, in 2012, Crist took their advice. He endorsed President Obama for reelection, spoke at the Democratic convention, and stumped across Florida for him. After four days of counting, Obama was named the winner of Florida by the narrowest margin—less than a percentage point—of any state. In December 2012, at the White House, Crist became a Democrat. In November 2013, in his hometown, St. Petersburg, Crist launched his Democratic campaign against Rick Scott, the current Republican governor. The chutzpah of it! Florida Republicans, who thought they’d permanently excommunicated him from politics, still can’t quite believe this is happening. To them Crist is a joke, a con artist, a pathetic phony still lusting for approbation long past his sell-by date. A thousand Republican knives are out for him, the people he betrayed (or did they betray him first?) lining up to get their revenge: the Tea Party people, the Rubio people, the Jeb Bush people, the well-funded Republican Party of Florida machine Crist once commanded. The Scott campaign is said to be prepared to spend $100 million to defeat Crist. And yet despite it all, and despite a campaign that could generously be described as bare-bones, Crist leads in the polls. Democrats, desperate to take the Tallahassee governor’s mansion after two decades’ shutout, have embraced him. He could do it. He could win." (via The Atlantic)
OOOH, LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY
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MAYBE ALEX SINK’S LOSS LAST NIGHT IS SO UNINTERESTING BECAUSE IT’S HAPPENED BEFORE; MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE SHE’S A PERPETUALLY UNINTERESTING CANDIDATE: "Republican David Jolly on Tuesday night won the closely-watched, extremely expensive and relentlessly negative battle for Florida's 13th Congressional District, signaling trouble for Democrats as they head into the midterm elections and face the weight of Obamacare. Jolly's victory over Democrat Alex Sink was secured about 7:30 p.m., and he will fill the seat that had been occupied more than four decades by his former boss, Rep. C.W. Bill Young, whose death in October set off the special election. The contest drew national attention and eye-popping spending — more than $12 million, the bulk from outside groups that drowned out local issues and underscored a fundamental shift in control away from candidates. It was a deflating moment for Democrats, who were already facing a tough November and saw in Sink a buffer from the health care attacks. And it was a crushing blow to Sink, the former state CFO who narrowly lost her 2010 race for governor to political rookie millionaire Rick Scott." (via Tampa Bay Times)
ON THE OTHER HAND, ORANGE COUNTY PROGRESSIVES HAD A GOOD DAY: “Orange County voters will not face a special mail-in ballot election this summer, after all. A plan pushed by Commissioner Fred Brummer would have put a raft of charter measures to voters this summer, but it didn't win enough support from his elected colleagues Tuesday . Most of them liked many of his policy goals but not the idea of rushing them to voters by May 27. ‘We're not going to have a special election,’ said Mayor Teresa Jacobs. ‘I'm very relieved about that. Trying to rush so many big issues on to the ballot would have robbed the public of the opportunity to engage in a meaningful way.’ The outcome turned on a tight calendar, commissioners going on vacation late this month and no clear majority emerging to favor a speedy mail-in election. Brummer's plan included proposals to increase term limits, end all partisan county elections, abolish the tax collector's office, expand the six-member board by two seats and make it harder to put charter issues to voters. He and other commissioners said Tuesday's decision still leaves the door open to put some or all of the proposals to voters on an Aug. 26 primary ballot or at the Nov. 4 general election. ‘August is fine with me,’ said Brummer.” (via Orlando Sentinel)
ISN’T IT KIND OF CRUEL TO LIE TO CANCER PATIENTS ABOUT OBAMACARE JUST TO GET THEM TO TALK IN TELEVISION ADS? ANYONE? AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY?: "A Dexter cancer patient featured in a conservative group’s TV ad campaign denouncing her new health care coverage as “unaffordable” willsave more than $1,000 this year. Julie Boonstra, 49, starred last month in an emotional television ad sponsored by Americans for Prosperity that implied Democratic U.S. Rep. Gary Peters’ vote for the Affordable Care Act made her medication so “unaffordable” she could die. Peters of Bloomfield Township is running for an open U.S. Senate seat against Republican Terri Lynn Land.The Detroit News and fact checkers last month cast doubt on the accuracy of the TV ad. On Monday, Boonstra acknowledged which health plan she chose, offering the first evidence of cost savings. Boonstra said Monday her new plan she dislikes is the Blue Cross Premier Gold health care plan, which caps patient responsibility for out-of-pocket costs at $5,100 a year, lower than the federal law’s maximum of $6,350 a year. It means the new plan will save her at least $1,200 compared with her former insurance plan she preferred that was ended under Obamacare’s coverage requirements. A Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan spokesman said the insurer welcomes a chance to help members understand their benefits and alleviate concerns. ‘We are here to help people like Ms. Boonstra to work their way through adjusting to the health plans we are now offering them,’ the Blue’s Andy Hetzel said. ‘If there are questions ... they should call.’ Boonstra’s old plan cost $1,100 a month in premiums or $13,200 a year, she previously told The News. That didn’t include money she spent on co-pays, prescription drugs and other out-of-pocket expenses. By contrast, the Blues’ plan premium costs $571 a month or $6,852 for the year. Since out-of-pocket costs are capped at $5,100 for in-network doctors and hospitals, including deductibles, the maximum Boonstra would pay this year for all of her cancer treatment is $11,952. When advised of the details of her Blues’ plan, Boonstra said the idea that it would be cheaper ‘can’t be true.’" (via The Detroit News)
INTO THE BLUE, THEN:
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