Since November, there have been six special elections for vacancies in state legislatures, and Democrats have won five of the six. The latest was in Delaware last Saturday, when Democrat Stephanie Hansen, an attorney, defeated her Republican opponent, a realtor, by an astonishing 17 percentage points. This is a real reversal of the longtime rule for special elections, in which Republicans were more likely than Democrats turn out their loyalists and win. Indeed, Republicans in Florida won many of their gains during the 1970s, when that party started being a serious contender in the South, because of special elections in which a tiny minority of registered voters can pull off an election. Read More
Doris writes a weekly column for LaGaceta, the nation's only trilingual newspaper, which has pages in English, Spanish, and Italian. Begun in 1922 for Tampa's immigrant community, it continues to thrive more than a century later. Her column is titled "In Context," as it aims to put contemporary issues in the context of the past.
Flying High
February 20, 2017
Did you notice that the governor got out of his office recently to visit several districts of legislators who want to cut back on Enterprise Florida and on Visit Florida? These taxpayer-funded agencies are only quasi-public, and allegations of improper spending have been around for years. House Speaker Richard Corcoran, Republican of Land ‘o Lakes, wants to de-fund or even abolish them, and his fellow Republican, Governor Rick Scott wants to continue business as usual. Read More
Right On, Mayor Bob!
February 13, 2017
I’m finding that the most informative section of the Tampa Bay Time these days is the section called “The Tampa Tribune.” Ernest Hooper is its editor, and he (or someone) has had the good sense to reach out to reporter William (Windy) March. Long with the real Tampa Tribune, which folded last year after more than a century of publication, Windy always was the most astute political writer in our area, with the widest network of contacts willing to trust him. I’m so glad to be able to read his work again. Read More
The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree
February 6, 2017
This is another of many maxims that are arguable, but the meaning is clear: apples, nuts, and other such don’t fall far from their source; and if allowed to sprout and grow, they will be the same as the parent tree. Humans are more complicated and don’t necessarily replicate their sources – but given all the factors of both genetic inheritance and the influence of years of exposure to parental beliefs and behavior, the probably is that a child will be similar to mom and dad. Read More