We Can Only Hope - "Neither direct political threats by the governor, nor behind-the-scenes pressure to cut off campaign contributions and cultivate political challengers, has swayed them. Last week, the divide remained so wide, Bush broke with his vow to 'keep calling them back,' and canceled a third special session on malpractice reform he originally had set to begin Tuesday. If Bush finds fellow Republicans unmoved, what lies ahead for President George Bush when he again presses national legislation for the same cap on Republican senators and congressmen who oppose one? And what are President Bush'sre-election chances in Florida, a state with more Democrats than Republicans, if the state Republican party remains divided? 'It's huge,' said state Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie, among the Senate Republicans challenging the governor on a "hard" lawsuit cap that cannot be pierced in the worse cases of malpractice. 'It looms very large for the next election.' The weather patterns are ripe for a political storm." See "Malpractice rift could be trouble for Republicans".
Malpractice - "At least Gov. Bush has learned -- after two failures -- that it's pointless to hold a special session of the Legislature unless there's a good chance of a deal. Since he and the House haven't moved far enough to match the Senate work on medical malpractice insurance, the governor canceled the session that was to have started Tuesday. Of course, Gov. Bush didn't say that he is part of the problem." See "No deal on malpractice until governor bends". See also "Malpractice Insurance Saga Gets Increasingly Disjointed".
On The Legislative "Process" - "Most people have assumed that our legislative committee hearings have been conducted much like congressional hearings, where witnesses give testimony under oath, and their information is processed by a staff for the committee. That does not seem to be happening in Tallahassee, where lobbyists seem to be writing the bills and just handing them in to members of the committee for passage." See "Slow down the lawmaking process".
All 200 Of 'Em - "The invasion of Iraq and post-Sept. 11 fears of eroded civil liberties have sparked new waves of college activism across America, and it's breeding new political leaders even at unlikely campuses. The University of Central Florida has long been regarded as a conservative commuter college with a docile student body. Yet in the past year, UCF birthed a new peace group and local chapters of the National Organization for Women, Greenpeace and American Civil Liberties Union. This weekend, Florida campus organizing marks one more historic turn. About 200 progressive activists from Florida campuses converge on Orlando today to train and network". See "200 campus activists converge on Orlando".