advertisement

SSN on Facebook SSN on Twitter SSN on YouTube RSS Feed

Politics

Republicans Want to Make State Races About Obama

September 13, 2010 - 6:00pm

Republicans in Florida are trying to make the November elections for state offices a referendum on President Barack Obama, betting that the Sunshine States continuing lagging economy and mounting discontent with the White House will pay heavy dividends when voters hit the polls.

Rick Scott, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, and GOP attorney general candidate Pam Bondi have made their opposition to the Obama administration one of the hallmarks of their campaigns.

A Pulse Opinion Research Poll released Tuesday by Fox News confirmed the wisdom of the Republican strategy of attacking the White House. The poll of 1,000 likely Floridia voters taken on Saturday reveals that 37 percent approved of Obamas performance in the White House. Even more heartening for Republicans, the poll also finds that Florida is shaping up to be a battleground in 2012, with 57 percent of those surveyed thinking Obama should not be reelected.

Putting the president at the center stage of Florida politics is nothing new. For example, Gov. Spessard Holland met with governors of five other Southern states in April 1943 to kick over what they and other Southern Democrats could do against President Franklin D. Roosevelts bid for an unprecedented fourth term. On Tuesday, Florida Republicans tried to make political hay from firing away at the White House while Democrats insisted these attacks were a mere ploy to divert attention from the real issues.

The Scott campaign unveiled a commercial Tuesday attempting to connect state CFO Alex Sink, the Democratic nominee in the race, to Obama, saying that she has backed the White House on economic policies and supported new health-care laws.

Obama liberal Alex Sink supports an agenda of higher taxes, a failed trillion dollar stimulus, and a government health care takeover that cuts $500 billion from Medicare, said Chad Colby, a spokesman for Scott. Her liberal positions serve to remind voters what is at stake in this election. Florida needs an outsider with an honest plan to turn the state around and create 700,000 private sector jobs, not an Obama liberal with the wrong solutions that have resulted in higher unemployment.

Sink responded to the media later Tuesday, saying Scott needs to focus more on state issues.

Thats all it seems Rick Scott knows how to talk about, said Sink. He needs to start talking about the state of Florida -- thats what Im interested in.

Sinks comments prompted return fire from the Scott camp.

"It's undeniable that Alex Sink believes Barack Obama's liberal policies would fix Florida, just as she says on the video, said Joe Kildea, a spokesman for Scott, on Tuesday afternoon. The record shows they are a failure, that is why she's running away from them. More government spending and intrusion haven't worked in Washington, they haven't fixed Florida as Alex Sink promised they would, and no matter how much she tries to disguise herself, Alex Sink is an Obama liberal."

Scott, who was a leading opponent of new federal health-care laws backed by President Barack Obama, left no doubt that he blamed the White House for the continuing economic troubles plaguing the Sunshine State. Responding to an AFL-CIO mailer attacking him for opposing the Obama economic agenda, Scott tore into the presidents policies and Sink for backing them.

Obama liberal Alex Sink is sending her union allies to attack me for opposing the failed stimulus program, but it just shows voters what is at stake in this election, said Scott. Our country has lost 3.29 million jobs since President Obama flushed away a trillion dollars -- and Alex Sink said she supports President Obama's policies to fix our economy. The Democrats promised that after spending all that money, the unemployment rate wouldnt reach over 8 percent; it is now 11.6 percent in Florida and 9.6 percent nationally. Sink and her liberal allies have saddled our children and grandchildren with debt and created no jobs. I have a plan to cut taxes and regulations to turn Florida around and create 700,000 private sector jobs in this state.

But Scott is not the only Republican for statewide office looking to make the election a referendum on the Obama administration.

Former Assistant State Attorney Pam Bondi, the Republican nominee for attorney general, pledged to fight for conservative values if elected and vowed to continue Attorney General Bill McCollums legal challenge to new federal health-care laws backed by President Barack Obama.

There are over a million people out of jobs in our state and our small businesses and families are suffering, said Bondi. As attorney general, I will protect our consumers from fraud and our seniors from scam artists; I will stand up for lower taxes and less government; and I will fight Obamas unconstitutional health care mandate, which will have a devastating impact on our economy.

Bondi was in Pensacola Tuesday to hear the opening arguments of McCollums lawsuit.

The federal health-care law is an unconstitutional mandate that is bad for patients, bad for doctors, bad for seniors and bad for small businesses, added Bondi. People dont want it and we cant afford it.

Her Democratic opponent, Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach, commented at a media event in Tallahassee last week that Bondi needed to focus more on state issues. The Gelber campaign team followed up on that line of resonating on Tuesday.

This is an election for Floridas next attorney general and this campaign should focus on the real challenges facing Floridians, said Christian Ulvert, Gelbers campaign manager. In meeting with Floridians, Dan talks about his plans to fight gangs that terrorize our local communities, shut down pill mills that threaten so many, and scammers who prey upon our seniors. Dan will hold Tallahassee politicians accountable for their actions and clean up the rampant corruption that has found its way through the halls of Tallahassee. While Dans opponent is focused on a hyper-partisan campaign, he is focused on addressing solutions and the need for a change of direction in the attorney generals office.

The strategy that Sink and Gelber are employing won the backing of former Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who is currently serving as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Kaine said that Republicans who try to link local and state candidates to Obama and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may find their strategy backfiring.

Every time the Republicans try that strategy, they have a way of energizing our folks even more, Kaine said Tuesday afternoon. Democrats remain very supportive of this president.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of South Florida, a vice-chairwoman of the DNC, agreed with Kaine. Wasserman Schulz offered her take on the Republican playbook on Tuesday.

Their job is to nationalize this race, said the congresswoman. Their job is to morph every Democrat in the country into President Obama and Nancy Pelosi.

Labeling this a tired and washed up strategy, Wasserman-Schultz insists that Democratic candidates like Sink and Gelber will prevail in November.

Our candidates have their fingers on the pulse of the people, she said.

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859

Comments are now closed.

politics
advertisement
advertisement
Live streaming of WBOB Talk Radio, a Sunshine State News Radio Partner.

advertisement