Notes For Saturday, January 11, 2003

BUSH, THE COMPASSIONATE HIPOCRITE: SUPPORT MY OPPONENT - YOU GET NO WAGE INCREASE. Our compassionate Governor "Bush said it's likely teachers will have to forego pay raises in most counties, blaming the cost of carrying out Amendment 9, a provision approved by voters to limit class sizes." It of course has nothing to do with the teachers supporting Bill McBride. 9:02 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

KING SHOWS COURAGE. Senate President Jim King is "openly critical of Bush agenda". It is refreshing to see someone speak truth to an administration that is not shy about punishing those who get out of line. Tallahassee is filled to the brim with self-serving obsequious sycophants. Jim King is obviously not one of them. "I don't want to rob Florida's future," King said. "I don't want to make our quest only for short-term gain, if by doing so we get long-term pain." Stated differently, King does not want the state to prop up Gov. Bush in the short term so he can make a prez run in 2008, while Florida crashes and burns in the longer term.
8:56 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

AN ELECTION FOR FLORIDA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IN 2004? If Frank Brogan quits as Florida's lieutenant governor to run FAU, his replacement might have to run for election in 2004. There would, in essence, be a mid-term referendum on Gov Bush's performance, something the Bushies do not want. This would also likely foreclose the appointment of a lightweight who has never run for office to replace Brogan.

Brian Crowley, the Palm Beach Post's political editor points out that Florida law provides that an elected official has more than 28 months left in his term of office, "then at the next general election a person shall be elected to fill the unexpired portion of such term." And, "[t]hat's exactly what happened when Secretary of State George Firestone quit in 1987, just eight months after taking office, to take a higher paying job outside government. Firestone had 40 months left in his term. Under the law, Republican Gov. Bob Martinez could only appoint Jim Smith to the job for 16 months. Smith had to run for election in 1988 to finish the remaining two years of Firestone's term."

The GOP was obviously caught flat footed on this. Crowley reports that "Elections Director Kast said the lieutenant governor question 'is not really an election issue' and referred all other questions to Bush's general counsel, Raquel Rodriguez. Calls to her office were sent to the governor's press office, which said it would have to check with the legal office to find the answers." This is precisely the sort of Bushie behavior Lucy Morgan coplains about here.

8:00 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

GRAHAM TO DECIDE. Graham will make his decision in the next few weeks. 7:52 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

WHO IS JULIA JOHNSON? A Ms."Julia Johnson" is frequently named as a possible successor to Frank Brogan. But who is she? We do know that she is a Republican who happens to be a Black. Now, there are not a lot ofBlack female Republicans out there, so it is no surprise that she has been propped up by the GOP at every opportunity. What we glean about her from our research is the following:

- At some point, apparently in the mid to late 1980s, Johnson graduated from UF with a defree in business and a law degree.

- She served on the Florida Public Service Commission, from 1992 until 1999. She served as Chairman of the Florida Public Service Commission from 1997-1999.

- In 1999, Gov Bush appointed Johnson to chair Florida's Information Service Technology Development Task Force (Internet Task Force) where she advised him on information technology policy and related legislative issues.

- In 199? Gov Bush appointed Johnson to the Florida State Board of Education.

- Her job? She is apparently a lobbyist. Johnson is the President of something called Netcommunications. Her Her Board of Ed bio describes the company as "a strategic consulting firm specializing in the communications, energy, water and information technology public policy arenas. The firm works to support corporate strategies through developing tactical industry alliances, government relations, and public policy advocacy."

Please contact us if you know anything about Ms. Johnson. We can find no record of her accomplishing or achieving anything other than a raft of appointments; there must be more to her than that. 7:46 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]

POSSIBLE BROGAN REPLACEMENTS. Thrasher, Hood and a Julia Johnson in the running to replace Brogan. And the media says the Dems have a weak bench? 7:13 AM [Go to current Florida Politics site (no popup ads)]