Decades before the Pilgrims gathered around a table in Massachusetts in 1621, Florida had seen at least two separate Thanksgiving celebrations and, as in the more familiar tale from New England, they involved native Americans and religious liberty.

The first one took place in 1564 on the southern bank of the St. Johns River in modern-day Jacksonville.

The state's largest teachers' union is pushing for lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott to delay a new system of teacher evaluations, saying the formula for measuring teachers' performance is flawed and could wreak havoc on their careers.

In some ways, the fight is a continuation of a long-running battle between the Florida Education Association and state officials over whether and how to pay teachers for their performance. The union has repeatedly stressed that it is not opposed to accountability -- but that the systems that the state has designed so far are flawed or unworkable.

Realistic Republicans understand that President Obama and the Democrats head into fiscal cliff negotiations in a far stronger bargaining position now than in 2011.