After 10 Glorious Years, Sunshine State News and I Are Passing the Baton

The Florida Realtors offered some good news for the Sunshine States economy on Thursday when they announced that home and condo sales jumped 12 percent in July when compared to July 2010. More than 15,500 homes sold in Florida in July as opposed to less than 13,900 in July 2010. Realtors in markets across the state are reporting increased activity from potential homebuyers who are ready to [take] advantage of historically low mortgage rates and current availability of affordable housing options, said Patricia Fitzgerald, president of the Florida Realtors.

The Republican National Committee wants to turn President Barack Obama's Midwest bus tour and following nine-day vacation in Martha's Vineyard into a fundraising opportunity.

On Thursday, after former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner launched an ad connecting him with former Gov. Charlie Crist, former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux fired back at his rival in the Republican primary to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on social issues.

Shades of Nixonomics. Republican presidential contender Michele Bachmann vowed Wednesday to bring gasoline prices back to $2 gallon. Speaking in South Carolina, the Minnesota congresswoman said, "Under President Bachmann you will see gasoline come down below $2 a gallon again. That will happen." Bachmann didn't detail how she would achieve that. It did, however, sound eerily reminiscent of Richard Nixon's ill-fated wage and price controls.