Republican U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan will be leading efforts to collect and send out Christmas and Hanukkah cards for American soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The holidays can be a tough time for U.S. soldiers who are away from home, including those in our military hospitals, said Buchanan. I encourage you to remember those in our armed forces who have sacrificed their health on our behalf by sharing your holiday wishes with them.

With Democrats in the U.S. House voting on Thursday not to extend tax cuts backed by President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003, Florida Republicans are up in arms.

U.S. Sen. George LeMieux announced on Thursday that he was co-sponsoring a bill introduced by Republican colleague U.S. Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts to extend unemployment benefits to a million Americans. Brown says the benefits can be paid by unspent federal monies identified by the Office of Management and Budget.

CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer interviewed Gov.-elect Rick Scott Thursday, fresh off a meeting of governors with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden. According to Scott, the president said the right things about working with the states, but was more doubtful about what it will mean in substance. "Who knows?" Scott said, when asked if he could work with President Obama. Blitzer also peppered Scott with Florida-specific questions on immigration, health care and offshore oil drilling.

Gov.-elect Rick Scott Thursday named what amounts to a star-studded education transition team -- particularly in terms of reform and innovation. Heading his team is outspoken reformer Michelle Rhee, until October chancellor of the Washington, D.C., school district. Rhee made the news when she stood up to teachers unions and pushed hard for charter schools and expanding the district's voucher program.

The Democrat-led lame-duck House of Representatives voted along party lines Thursday to extend Bush-era tax cuts for individuals earning less than $200,000 and couples making less than $250,000. Republicans blasted the measure as a job-killing tax hike, saying it would lead to higher levies on small businesses and farmers beginning Jan. 1.

Will lightning strike thrice at the Republican Party of Florida? Joe Gruters, the newly announced candidate for RPOF chairman, has selected Brian Graham as his campaign manager. Graham just came off a big victory, managing Daniel Webster's win over U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson. Now Graham, owner of Dixie Strategies, is following in his father's footsteps. Walter Graham managed the state chair campaigns of two highly regarded party chiefs: Tom Slade and Al Cardenas.

After a tumultuous experience in choosing the controversial Joyce Kauffman for his chief of staff and then watching her reluctantly refuse the post, newly elected congressman Allen West has announced a new staff lineup that is unlikely to rock the boat. From the press release:

Republican U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw commented on Thursday on the U.S. House unanimously passing a resolution creating a day of recognition for the parents of special needs children -- and hoped this would be a booster for his bill to create tax-deferred savings accounts for disabled individuals.

In an unsurprising and uninspiring development, former state Sen. Rod Smith has taken a clear path to the state Democratic Party chairmanship. The lack of any real competition for the post shows what a thankless job it is. With others bowing out, Smith appears to be the only one who really wanted it. The Florida Democratic Party may be the biggest under-achiever this side of the Miami Hurricanes. Though holding a 600,000-voter advantage in party registration, Democrats were blown out in the fall election and shut out from the state's four Cabinet offices.

White House economist Austan Goolsbee will conduct a news conference this afternoon, during which he will argue for yet another extension of unemployment insurance benefits. Goolsbee says that extending jobless benefits beyond the current, unprecedented 99 weeks will aid the country's economic recovery and save 600,000 jobs. The operative, though unproven, theory is that UI is another form of stimulus.

From his perch on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Republican U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns offered his thoughts on the Obama administrations announcement continuing the ban of drilling in the eastern Gulf.

Barney Bishop, president and CEO of the Associated Industries of Florida (AIF), said on Thursday that he disagreed with the Obama administrations announcement to continue the moratorium on drilling in the eastern Gulf. On behalf of Floridas business community, we were disappointed by yesterdays pronouncement by the Obama administration effectively creating a moratorium on any drilling in the waters of the eastern Gulf of Mexico and, frankly, most of the U.S. offshore waters, said Bishop.

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney came out swinging at a measure backed by House Democrats that will, he insists, lead to his district losing almost 1,600 jobsin the next 10 years and could cost $1.6 billion in taxes.

Jeremy Jacobs from National Journal is reporting that U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has four Democrats targeted in 2012 -- but Florida Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is not one of them.