There's A New Dance Craze Among Florida Republicans-- The Tallahassee Twist

Statewide, Florida voters have been rejecting corrupt, right-wing ideologue Bill McCollum for many years. After two decades of disgracing himself in the House-- he was one of the leaders of the attempted coup against President Clinton-- he ran, unsuccessfully, for the Senate against Bill Nelson in 2000 and, in the GOP primary, against Mel Martinez in 2004. This month he was the favored candidate of the Tallahassee Establishment to replace Charlie Crist as governor. He lost again-- and not just lost; he lost to Rick Scott, a former Missouri donut maker who went on to national fame as a career criminal, defrauding Medicaid and Medicare of millions of dollars and incurring $1.7 billion in fines. He was kicked out of his company but somehow managed to avoid prison. He beat McCollum 47-43% in the primary and will now face one of Florida's most respected and well-liked political leaders, state CFO Alex Sink.

An aside before we get into Rick Scott. This morning Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice wrote on the futility of McCollum's immigrant bashing even in the Republican primary. Florida's not Arizona and it's not buying the hate. The bare bones:

Attorney General Bill McCollum was the favorite in the GOP gubernatorial primary, with a moderate record on immigration and strong support from Latino Republicans. His opponent Rick Scott, a political newcomer and self-funded multi-millionaire, decided to make a name for himself by riding the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment so popular with a segment of the Republican base. He emphasized his strong support for an Arizona-like immigration law in Florida and painted McCollum as soft on illegal immigration. Still, once McCollum started attacking Scott as a shady businessman, he regained the lead and was expected to win.

In what proved to be the fatal move of his campaign, McCollum introduced his own version of an Arizona-type law less than two weeks before the primary. McCollum called on the Florida state legislature to enact it in September and bragged that the bill was tougher than Arizona’s.

Turns out, McCollum’s strategy of trying to outflank Scott on immigrant bashing backfired. McCollum rapidly lost support from Latino leaders, and faced a backlash in the press.  On Tuesday, many Latinos in Miami-Dade County stayed home. Turnout in what was expected to be a McCollum stronghold was less than 17%, while statewide turnout was 21%. Scott raced over the finish line and pulled off the come-from-behind upset.

When Scott, the much-despised billionaire, first announced his intention to run against the colorless and plodding McCollum, the Tallahassee GOP Establishment was dismissive, then mortified-- and finally, pissed off. It was widely held that the tarnished image of the Florida Republican Party would be irreparably damaged by a crook-- and an extremist crook at that-- like Scott at the head of the ticket. The Republican elite rallied around McCollum and in many cases attacked Scott with more venom then they use even against Democrats. Current state party leaders, chairman John Thrasher, state Senator Mike Haridopolos, and state Representative Dean Cannon, helped fund vicious attack ads against Scott. This was a particularly appropriate ad that the next Republican House Speaker, Dean Cannon, funded to the tune of almost three quarters of a million dollars:



Although McCollum is still bitter, still grousing and still refusing to back Scott, the rest of the party developed instant amnesia and jumped onto the Rick Scott teabagger bandwagon, though not with much gusto. Let's help some of the more prominent of them remember what they had to say about the gubernatorial nominee they'll all embracing now.

After Jim Greer, the last Republican Party Chairman, was caught stealing, arrested and hauled off to jail, his replacement, John Thrasher wasn't shy about pointing out how Scott was smearing the entire GOP with Greer's criminal behavior. "Over the last several weeks and in an escalated manner this weekend," Thrasher wrote in an August 23rd press release, "Rick Scott has orchestrated a multifaceted campaign of misinformation in an effort to mislead Florida voters and confuse the facts surrounding the arrest and indictment of Jim Greer as well as the Party's financial situation and preparedness to support our candidates as we move towards the November election." That didn't work and he and Scott are posing as BFFs now.

State Senate leader Mike Haridopolous criticized Scott for being afraid "stand up in front of people and take questions." He then funneled contributions to the Florida First Initiative for a television ad attacking "Rick Scott, on his tenure as CEO of Columbia/HCA, the largest for-profit hospital chain in the U.S." The ad featured "former U.S. Attorney A.G. (Alec) Alexander III, who from 2002 to 2010 was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, focusing primarily on health care fraud."



According to the June 29th issue of the Jacksonville Observer Dean Cannon "steered money from his Florida Liberty Fund to the Florida First Committee, which earlier this month ran a $600,000 weeklong statewide television spot accusing McCollum rival Rick Scott of profiting from the 'largest Medicare fraud in American history.' All told, Cannon has poured $727,000 ... into the committee."

Other Florida Republicans now sucking up to him include ex-Punta Gorda state Rep. Lindsay Harrington who told the Sarasota Herald Tribune in July that Scott's "candidacy is based on monies that could have been defrauded from the United States government." And Broward County's Republican State Committeeman Ed Kennedy told the Ft Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel two days later that Scott is "dangerous to vote for." A prominent Hillsborough GOP activist, Angela Panezza apparent agrees: "If it comes down to it, I've got to say that I probably would vote for Alex Sink." Gary Lee head of the Lee County Republican Party put it another way to the News-Press: "About all I know is what I have heard about a shady past, running a company that was fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud."

And then there's a Republican who really understands fraud better than most. Rudi Giuliani chimed in with an exceptionally unflattering description of Scott a few days before the vote explaining that Scott is "someone who was fired from his company" after it engaged in a multimillion-dollar fraud.

Scott is hoping to keep a low profile and just use his personal wealth to flood the Florida airwaves with TV and radio ads and brainwash an easily brainwashed electorate. He's unlikely to accept Alex Sink's challenge to five debates. He had refused to appear on TV with McCollum in any debates and most Tallahassee Republicans say he's either unaware of the issues or unwilling to share his views on them with the voters. As Lake County GOP Chairman Joseph Rudderow told the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel late in July, "He's become more like a product the consumer is going to pull off the shelf." Nancy McGowan, a vice president of the Republican Women's Club of Duval County put it another way: "No one knows who he is or what he stands for." And a few days before the primary Jack Furnari, Assistant Vice Chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party told the Sun-Sentinel "...I think he's demonstrated an appalling lack of respect for the voting public." 

On the other hand, he put $50 million of his own money into the race so he doesn't much care what any of these pipsqueaks have to say. And at least he isn't David M. Rivera.