Columns

It is perhaps time to stop wondering what The Donald's got that the others ain't got.

Welcome to The Dean's List -- an Ed Dean-style look at who Florida's political achievers were (and weren't) in the last seven days.

The so-called "debates," among too many Republicans to have a debate, are yet another painful sign of how much words and ideas have degenerated in our times. No one expects these televised sound bites and "gotcha" questions to be anything like the historic Lincoln-Douglas debates on the momentous national issue of slavery.

Megyn Kelly, the only female moderator in Thursday night's Fox presidential debate, is still getting hammered for leveling tough -- even "mean" and "disgusting" -- questions at candidate Donald Trump. Personally, I don't get it. But that's what is happening. CNN reports there has been so much invective directed at the host of Fox News' "The Kelly File" on the Internet that it's created security concerns for the network. Twitter is alight with calls for America to switch her off and Fox to fire her. This is ridiculous.

Not to diminish the importance of the first Republican debate, but it felt like the first in a political survivor series.

The latest Quinnipiac poll shows that the American public rejects the president's Iran deal by more than 2-to-1. This is astonishing. The public generally gives the president deference on major treaties. Just a few weeks ago, a majority supported the deal.

Listening to Jeb Bush, at least now I know I'm not the only one who thinks we've carried this self-esteem thing too far. At a Foundation for Excellence in Education summit Thursday, hours before he was due on the GOP presidential debate stage in Cleveland, Bush spoke to a rapt audience: “This morning, over 213 million Chinese students went to school, and no one debated whether academic standards should be lowered to protect their students’ self-esteem.”

The Republican debates Thursday night proved far different than early primary forums, with the top 10 candidates engaging in a dramatic battle while seven hopefuls filled up the undercard. With this primary shaping up as the most competitive and turbulent Republican contest in decades, the stakes were high in Cleveland. The leading candidates engaged in a memorable debate while a dark horse had a good night in the warmup bout. Some winners and losers emerged, but the debates boiled down to the candidate leading in the polls. 

Why did Fox News decide to schedule two Republican presidential debates rather than one? Simple arithmetic: 90 minutes divided by 17 candidates equals 5 minutes and 29 seconds apiece. That's scarcely enough time for the oral equivalent of a few tweets.

Matt Gaetz offers a sharp contrast in style and personality to the late Charlie Bennett, the longtime Democratic congressman who represented Jacksonville and part of North Florida in Congress for decades. But, on the matter of religion in the public square, Gaetz is taking a page from Bennett’s playbook. 

Don Winslow, novelist and conscientious objector to America's longest "war," was skeptical when he was in Washington on a recent Sunday morning. This was shortly after news broke about the escape, from one of Mexico's "maximum security" prisons, of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, head of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

WASHINGTON -- No doubt you have butterflies just thinking about Thursday's first GOP debate. I know I do.

Republicans shouldn't worry about the longevity of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's popularity. There won't be any. It's the longevity of his ego that's the real problem.

Gov. Rick Scott tipped a few of his cards on Tuesday as the crowded field of Republican presidential candidates gets ready for their first debate on Thursday. Scott didn’t offer an endorsement on Tuesday but he did offer some insights on who he might eventually back. 

If ever there was a ferociously fishy foregone conclusion, it's Florida Development Finance Corp.'s impending decision to approve $1.75 billion in tax-exempt, private activity bonds so All Aboard Florida can get funding. FDC has already gleefully included its share in its draft budget for the current fiscal year. Check out the $1.8 million under "pending revenue." (All Aboard Florida on June 19 received a six-month extension to sell the tax-exempt bonds.)