Barack Obama, Bill Nelson Love Their 'Secret Weapon' in Florida, Rick Scott

Politico.com let 'er rip in a Monday story that attributed the newfound popularity of President Barack Obama in Florida not to the death of Osama bin Laden, but to the rank unpopularity of the Sunshine State's Gov. Rick Scott. Not only have Scott's ratings taken a Dumpster dive in the last month, his inverted numbers now leave him (at a 29 percent favorability rating) as the most unpopular governor in America.

The Politico piece is headlined, "Obama's Secret Weapon in Florida: Gov. Rick Scott."

Six months ago, says the story, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson proclaimed that Obama's health-care reform message made him "toxic" in Florida. But now, with the president's approval rating surging in a single month, from 42 percent to 51 percent, Nelson is embracing his president and pointing at Scott as both Democrats' ticket to another term.

Here's how the news site characterizes the situation -- and it does so in fairly harsh terms:

"Democrats say Scott, a stern, angular, unvarnished former health insurance executive, is an easily caricatured embodiment of conservative excess and tea party overreach. And he will likely be Obamas prime target in Florida, no matter who the Republican presidential nominee is, as well as the best hope of countering the threat posed by the possible selection of popular freshman Sen. Marco Rubio as the GOP nominees vice presidential candidate.

'Obviously, it gets a lot tougher for us if they put someone like Rubio on the ticket,' said Scott Arceneaux, executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. 'But Rick Scott is the standard-bearer for Republicans in Florida. He wants to be President Obamas foil in Florida, and were more than happy to let him be just that.'