This may be a bit too inside-Sunshine State for ya'll - but take this as I&W that Crist is preparing the ground to stick the middle finger to FL Republicans.
After weeks of protest and a deluge of messages, Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday vetoed a bill that would link teacher pay to student test scores and wipe out tenure for new teachers.This was in a way a test vote for Crist, as this bill was considered critical for FL Republicans trying to shake some sense into the publick edu'u'ma'kational sustem.
"I know in my heart it's the right thing to do,'' Crist said of his veto.
His decision, announced shortly after noon in a Capitol news conference, came as little surprise. Although Crist initially voiced support for the bill, he had distanced himself over the past week as protests mounted.
"I say we must start over,'' the governor said. "This bill has negatively affected the morale of our parents, teachers and students.''
... former governor Jeb Bush, an ardent supporter of SB 6, left a voicemail.Throw this into the mix,
"He encouraged me to sign the bill," Crist told the Associated Press. "Shocking. God bless him."
But Crist said the content of the legislation and the manner of its adoption was "significantly flawed."
The Florida Senate passed the bill 21-17; it got through the House of Representatives by a 64-55 vote. The bill had strong support among Republican Party leadership, but some in the GOP joined Democrats in opposition.
Marco Rubio has opened up an elephant-sized 56 - 33 percent lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in Florida's U.S. Senate Republican primary, but in a three-way general election with Rubio on the GOP line, Crist as an independent and Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, Crist has a razor- thin edge, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.One of the reasons that Rubio came from nowhere to top Crist in the polls is that most in FL view Crist as an opportunist and most of his moves were always about Crist. The fact that he never runs for re-election but only the next higher office is part of it.
Gov. Crist leads Meek 48 - 34 percent in a general election matchup, while Rubio's margin over the Democrat is just 42 - 38 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds.
If Crist were to file as an independent for the general election, he would get 32 percent of the vote, compared to Rubio's 30 percent and Meek's 24 percent.
Would Crist take his ball and go Indy if/when Rubio wins the Republican primary? He says no, but this is politics.
What I do know is that the Democrats and Crist loyalists will push him in that direction - stroke his ego - feed his feeling of betrayal by FL Republicans.
Interesting thing to watch, this will be (says Yoda).
As for the veto - about all this will do is ensure that almost all the State Senators and Representatives with an (R) after their name are going to work for Rubio.
Strange - I thought Crist was of Greek extraction, not Italian.
18 comments:
Whatever his heritage...such a move would allow him to openly curry favor from the gay vote in the state....
Crist, however, is no Lieberman. Regardless of his politics, I feel I could trust Lieberman at his word. Crist? Not so much.
Wow! There was the God Bless Him mentioned last week, as an insult prefix!
A very interesting political gamble if Crist takes it. The 2-point advantage could easily be within the margin of sampling error. His veto, however, will be very popular with Florida's 168,737 teachers, their parents, and liberals in general.
Conversely, little credit may come Crist's way for confirming his R.I.N.O. conflicts. He will risk losing some votes on that score, too. On balance, it looks very risky to this non-Floridian.
<span>Do you know what a bad bill S.B. 6 was?</span>
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<span>Each class in the entire state would have to have a test developed and graded. The cost of test creation alone would be millions and there would be nobody to grade them.</span>
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<span>The case can be made for objective measurement of student progress, but this bill was not it, it was a giveaway to testing firms. </span>
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<span>There is also the issue of local contral. My kids attend a High School that is in the top 50 of the nation. Our school system as a whole is very higly ranked. We do things correctly and have the test scores to prove it. We have to give up our methods, which have proven to work, and let Tallahassee drag us down to the level of Dade or Broward? </span>
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<span>A small government conservative who read this bill would not like it. A crooked machine politician would be on board. </span>
BB;
No measurement worth it's weight is a cheap deal. As the Systems Engineer @ NSWC/PHD FCDSSA, what I learned is no program manager wants to test...frivolous costs! You people have great programmers, what's the worry?
So, if the school system is out of control as far as creating the minds needed to run the country and not an iPod (or iPad now), is there any other way to provide some accountability, or will we just have K-12 day care centers for DI/Single parent families? Oh, and add to it, it takes 2 years, by Teacher's Union rules to can a teacher. How do we get the education we need (let alone deserve) for FL, let alone the Nation, if nothing is done, but "Business as Usual?"
"Tallahassee, we have a problem." Think about it: Just two days after the anniversary of Apollo 13 with their famous words. In one case, the smart people rolled up their sleeves and solved the immediate propblem immediately. In the other case, we showed little leadership (well, ok, NONE!) and passed the problem along for someone else to touch the toxic issue. Can't muck up the political rep of satisfying all the people, all the time, or at least the ones yelling the loudest at any given moment, can we?
The Bill could be better? Most likely, but...do you have a suggestion to help correct the deficiencies of the Bill, while actually addressing the problem, or can you just manage to say it's big machine (you mean like Chigaco Big Machine, or GOP Big Machine?) stuff and ignore the probelm it worked to address.
For the record, I do think all politicians are moving way too fast on major issues, but, there are issues that are becoming true emergencies, for which we need thinkers and leaders to step in, not a bunch of people vying for political office, and the perks of same, for their own good, not that of the State and the Nation.
So why wasn't Crist on board then? Seems that that pretty much defines everything the man stands for, which is pretty much anything that will get him what or where he wants, laws or ethics be damned. I've described Crist as the Kerry of the GOP, but at least Kerry can spell PRINCIPLE.
so what does this have to do with the navy?
If this was the USNI blog, you'd have a point. Since your on Phibian Salamanders porch out over the swamp, it ain't.
I never for a minute thought he'd anger the unions(s). He might wear a Republicans clothes, but he's a Democrat to the bone.
In my forty plus years in Florida, since two weeks after Dora in 64, Crist is just about the worst governor ever, including the one that wanted to go to war with Cuba ;)
What Byron Says... I am not and will not vote for this guy. His embrace of Obama figure and literal has decided it for me. I have not received so many emails from the Gov Office as I have in the last few months! His refusal to engage in matters such as Miami's political assaults on the 2nd Amendment while calling it a "local issue" is enough for me..
he is a RINO... no thanks.
<span>Um,, Florida is home to NAS Jax, NAS Pensacola, NS Mayport, NAS Key West, NAWC Orlando, NTC Corry Station, NRSE, SOUTHCOM, CENTCOM, NAS Whiting Field, NAS Saufley Field..... has about a gazzillion Navy Members as Absentee Voters (see 2000 Gen Election) I guess nothing Mr Scott... youre the expert .....</span>
While I'm sure the veto was welcomed by the teachers UNIONS I'm not sure it will be welcomed by that many parents. If the mechanics of the testing was flawed Crist had the opportunity work with the legislature to fix it. Something he was apparently too busy to do. In the meantime, an opportunity to hold the bureaucratized unionized educational system accountable goes down the drain.
But, he said on Chirs Wallace's show that he would run only as a Republican. Are you telling me he might be lying?! I'm shocked!
I am shocked also LT B!
I believe we have a law in Ohio that if you compete in a primary then you can not run as an independent for the same office in that election cycle. Doesn't Florida have something similar?
I am of a mind not to vote for Crist for anything. To me he is an empty suit anything to get elected politician. There are some other adjectives which are applicable but unsaid.
I am against teacher tenure and for merit pay.
CRist will get a well deserved shelacking no matter how he runs. The left will vote for the real thing, and the right will go for Rubio. Crist is, at best, a spoiler and his political career is at an end.
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