The Judicial Retention 'Headfake': Times Got 'Loser of the Week' Right

On Sunday, when the Tampa Bay Times staff named the Democratic legislative candidates their "Loser of the Week," they so nailed it.

Wrote the Times, "We can't help suspect that the GOP plan to oust three Florida Supreme Court justices was actually a head fake to ensure trial lawyers spend millions defending the justices instead of helping elect Democratic legislators."

Which is precisely what they did, ladies and gentlemen of the Times, and right now there's a whole back-roomful of Republicans high-fiving because their strategy -- conceived perhaps a couple of weeks late in the game -- actually worked. They know their Florida Bar. They understand the arrogant, suck-up, pontificant nature of lawyers who would crawl all over each other to pledge their loyalty and loot to judges and justices and a Bar that asked them to pitch in "to help save our independent judiciary."

Of course the vastly outspent Dems ran their campaigns on a shoestring. Their party was well and truly suckered just as the Times said.Money poured in from all over the state to keep the justices in place. Outraged editorial boards got in on the act by helping to whip up the call for cash. Big law firms, especially the ones with cases bound for the high court, made sure they got plenty of ink for their good donation deeds.

Republicans had to do no more than drop the Koch Brothers' name and spend something like $10,000 to ring Florida LeglalLand's bell. They knew all along they were unlikely to halt retention. Jesse Phillips at Restore Justice is trying his hardest, but he isn't exactly swimming in Republican donations.

You're laughing if you're on the red team. Not so much, if you're trying to win an election and you play for the blues.