Tea Party letter to the editor

By Teresa Eaton

Kelly Miller, in an April 15 letter to the editor (“Tax protests were fake outrage being aimed at invisible issues”), characterized the Tax Day Tea Parties’ organizers as believers in an “extremist ideology.” I was an organizer of the local Tax Day Tea Party, and the beliefs that drove me to help organize this event are freedom, less government and lower taxes. If that’s an extremist ideology, then I proudly embrace it, since this also was the extremist ideology of America’s founders.

Miller mistakenly asserts that the organizers of the local Tax Day Tea Party followed the lead of Fox News. In fact, we, like thousands of our fellow citizens across America, followed the lead of our consciences. Fox News simply jumped on the idea months after it had taken root. Miller further asserts that the purpose of the Tax Day Tea Parties was “to stir up populist rage with no direction” and to “direct that anger at Obama.” Untrue.

The local Tea Party organizers met in late February to discuss what was happening in Washington, D.C. Anger was not the overriding emotion of the organizers. Rather, we were deeply worried, and still are, that our children’s future has been mortgaged in the trillions of dollars spent on pork disguised as crisis relief. Miller may believe that the coming decades of onerous taxation are “a lie,” but the local Tea Party organizers knew the lessons of history.

Miller opines about supposed conservative “heroes” like Bush and Cheney, asserting that Tea Parties are “really a move to fire up conservatives AGAINST the current administration.” First of all, conservatives don’t worship politicians; we cherish freedom. Second, if conservatives take to the streets, it’s because their freedoms have been threatened. And third, if President Obama is the leader of a government bent on burdensome regulation and taxation, conservatives will not shy away from holding him accountable for the subsequent erosion of freedom.

Miller objects to “a news network like Fox leading a protest and lying to its constituency.” Elected officials, not news networks, have constituencies, and those elected officials have been lying to people a whole lot longer than news networks have. Conservatives cast a wary eye at all “news” media and simply turn off their TVs if they think someone is lying to them. Unfortunately, lying elected officials who tax and spend their constituents into bankruptcy are not so simply turned off.

However, it is touching that Miller is worried about Fox News lying to unwitting conservatives. Maybe she should write to President Obama about that, and maybe he’ll yank Fox News off the air. Then we could all go back to the good old days of national unity when CBS’ Walter Cronkite assured us every evening, “And that’s the way it is.”

Tax Day Tea Party in Panama City April 15th

Tax Day Tea Party organizers Glen and Alice Leirer were the first on the scene to set up Command Central out of the back of their truck directly across the street from the Sherman Avenue post office. They had a sign-in table, iced tea and a truck bed full of signs and American flags, and by the start of the Tea Party at 3:00 p.m., about 200 people had already signed in and assembled along Sherman Avenue.
The media arrived at the beginning of the Tea Party, and by the time they left, around 4:00, a hundred more people had already poured out of their cars to join the Tea Party. This is why the media under-reported the Tea Party attendance. From the very beginning, something dynamic clearly was happening, but the media chose not to stay for the entire event, or even a third of it, and they chose not to return to the scene later in the afternoon to see if and how things had changed.
In fact, things HAD changed, and dramatically so. By 4:00, organizer Glen realized that the rapid growth of the crowd was soon going to overwhelm the post office block of Sherman Avenue. Thus he took to a megaphone to ask the Tea Partiers to spread themselves out over three blocks on Sherman Avenue and to start another line of sign-waving on 15^th Street. And spread out they did! At the height of the Tea Party, people were on both sides of 15^th Street for several blocks.
Around 5:00 p.m., the Sheriff’s Deputy assigned to keep order at the Tea Party reported to Glen that attendance had reached, by his experienced count, some 1,400 people. By that time all the sign-in forms were full, and Glen and Alice were having people sign in on the backs of the forms. Plus, the iced tea had run out, and they had had to call Melissa Hagan to bring in a fresh batch, which she gladly did. Long story short: No one had to tell Glen that the Tea Party crowd had mushroomed!
For almost four hours, the Tea Partiers politely but emphatically made their case for freedom, less government and lower taxes. Some arrived in American Revolutionary garb. Others handed out tea bags, and a few even WORE tea bags. Hundreds held American flags and homemade signs, waved and smiled to motorists, chatted enthusiastically among themselves and made connections that no doubt will produce far-reaching waves beyond Tax Day.
A few of us joined Glen and Alice for dinner afterwards at Sonny’s (whose owner, Wayne Lindsay, has been a stalwart supporter of and good friend to Bay County’s conservatives). After all of us had ordered and finally caught our breath, we just looked at each other and said, practically in unison, “I can’t believe what just happened. Was that awesome or what?!!!” What a gratifying experience it is to see the love of freedom so enthusiastically demonstrated by so many.
Tea Party volunteer Melissa Thompson is doggedly working her way through the sign-in sheets to create an email blast list for announcements about future Tea Parties in Bay County, Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. It’ll take a little time for her to do that, and for the new names to be incorporated into our email blaster’s system, so I hope our Tea Partiers can keep their fires burning in the meantime.
This was truly a grassroots phenomenon. Fourteen hundred citizens, who have been sitting in front of their TVs fuming for the last three months, made a decision on April 15 to exercise their rights to assemble and to speak freely of their disappointment, dissatisfaction, and disgust with their government. This is still a free land where its citizens can peaceably assemble to criticize their government without fear of government retaliation.
Tea Partiers, thank you for your courage, your help, your encouragement, your support. Keep spreading the Tea Party message, and Glen and his team will keep working on the next Tea Party. Hope to see all of you, and many, many more, at the next one!

Roundtable April 14th

Bay County
Republican Roundtable
Tuesday, April 14
6 p.m. Dinner / 7 p.m. Meeting
Program: Socialized Medicine
Guest Speaker: Dr. Michael Reed
Dinner Buffet $15.00 per person
Please make dinner reservations!*
Contact Melissa Thompson

527-7384 melissa@efileamerica.com

Tea Party April 15 in Panama City

• A Rally to Preserve Our Constitution & Stop the Move to Socialism·
  
• 
  
• Our right to bear arms· Our right to free speech· Our right to less and fair taxes·
• Our right to limited government

Join the Resistance!

At a Panama City Tea Party.

Post Office

1336 Sherman Ave

3 PM to 6 PM, Wed. 15^th April

Together we can make a difference!

For more information and to join the resistance,

www.bayrepublican.org

2009 Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner invitations in the mail

Fellow Republicans,

Your invitation to the 2009 Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner should be in your mailbox early next week!

This morning 13 volunteers met at the Republican Headquarters to label, address and stuff over 1,100 invitations. We’d like to thank the following volunteers, whose cheerful help made it possible to finish the job before noon: Rita Acoba, June Anderson, Doris Collins, Linda Dillenschneider, Ken Ford, Alice Leirer, Floy McKenzie, Jean O’Neal, Lisa Parris, Richard Plantec and Carol Potter.

We owe a special thanks to BCREC Chairman John Salak, who printed almost 1,000 address labels for us, and Anita Salak, who spent the better part of last week plowing through the master list updating names and addresses. Also, LRDD Chair Dennis Dillenschneider ran down some sponges for us this morning for envelope sealing, and State Committeeman Jonathan Hayes dropped by to thank everyone for their help.

If you do not receive your LRDD invitation within the next few days, please contact us. A few dozen extra invitations will be available at the Bay Co. Republican Executive Committee meeting this coming Monday, March 23, 6:00 p.m., in the School Board meeting room at 1311 Balboa Avenue .

We hope to see you at the LRDD on April 10!

Vicki Doolittle 784-4772 home / 319-0105 cell

Teresa Eaton 271-3773 home / 832-5689 cell

Text of Anti-stimulus bill resolution passed

BAY COUNTY (FLA.) REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
RESOLUTION 2009-001


ASSERTING THE BAY COUNTY Republican Executive Committee's RESOLUTION AGAINST THE HR1 “SO-CALLED STIMULUS BILL”

WHEREAS all Republican Congressman voted against the Stimulus Bill. and

WHEREAS all but three Republican Senators voted against the Stimulus Bill. and

WHEREAS the Florida Legislative body is, in the majority, conservative Republicans who oppose the Bill. and

WHEREAS the Bay County Republican Executive Committee overwhelmingly rejects the concept and content of this exorbitant spending bill, recognizing it as an unprecedented extension of government control into the lives of us average citizens, and the largest single deficit increase in the history of our Republic, and

WHEREAS the content of the “Stimulus Bill” will enable the Democrats who now control the Legislative and Executive Branches of our Federal Government , to change our Nation from a free-enterprise democracy to a government-controlled socialist society, and to achieve control of many aspects of our daily life without debate or recognition in the normal legislative process,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE BAY COUNTY (FLA.) REPUBLICAN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, IN REGULAR SESSION hereby records a strong objection to Governor Crist's actions and speech in supporting President Obama's plans and the “Stimulus Bill” by his appearance with him at the Fort Myers Town Hall, and requests that the Florida Legislature thoroughly examine the terms and conditions of any funds offered to the State as part of the Stimulus Package to be assured that requirements for ongoing funding by the state or further Federal intrusion into the affairs of Florida are not part of the funding package.

Save our Secret Ballot

By Joe Eaton

Soon the U.S. Congress will try again to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
With Democratic majorities in both house and President Obama on record as
supporting this legislation, chances of success are high. I object to this
legislation for two reasons.


First, sponsors and supporters of this bill tout that it will take away the
"advantage" corporations have over union organizers. I have first-hand
knowledge of this process. I worked for 33 years in manufacturing, 26 of
those in a union environment and 7 in a union-free environment. I have
participated on negotiating teams for bargaining agreements. As plant
manager of the Trane plant in Lynn Haven, I represented the interest of the
company in a union-organizing attempt.

Under current federal law concerning union elections, once a union gets 30%
of the work force to sign a card saying they want a union, the NLRB,
National Labor Relations Board, calls for an election. Workers vote using
secret ballots, and if more than 50% vote yes, the union wins and is
authorized as the bargaining unit for the workers.

During this organization campaign, federal law places strict limitations on
the company and its management, which cannot comment or take any action to
spy, promise, interrogate, or threaten employees. Union organizers and
sympathetic workers watch this very closely and are happy to report any
violation to the NLRB. If the NLRB determines a violation has occurred, the
penalty to the company is severe. A federal judge can even award the union
a victory because of a violation--without an election. Needless to say, the
entire management team has to be extremely careful in what it does or says.

Do the same rules apply to the union organizers? No. They can promise huge
raises, twist arms, visit employees in their homes, have co-workers put peer
pressure on them, and even make misleading statements about what signing a
card means. During our campaign in Lynn Haven, many employees came forward
to complain of threats made to them by union organizers. If anyone tells
you that the company has the advantage during a campaign, be sure to ask
them how so. See if what they tell you complies with the rules spelled out
by federal laws in place today. I have read comments by several congressmen
supporting this legislation. They are either not familiar with the law, or
they are flat out lying.

Second, the sponsors of the bill have given it a misleading name. They call
it the Employee Free Choice Act, but in effect it does just the opposite.
It takes away the secret ballot vote. The secret ballot vote is a
time-honored tradition in democratic societies, put in place for the
specific purpose of avoiding intimidation. Those who want to take away the
secret ballot must, by default, want to use intimidation to achieve their
ends. Otherwise, why do away with it? I am suspicious of this legislation
precisely because its sponsors have to use a nice sounding title to hide its
true intent. Pretty disgusting.

This bill's sponsors are confident that they can get away with this
diabolical scheme because they know their voters. As for me, I won't
support a politician, nor his deceitful legislation, who thinks so little of
me.

Gov.Crist's budget and policy recommendations

Today, I unveiled my budget and policy recommendations for the 2009-10 fiscal year. My 2009 legislative priorities are aimed at investing wisely so that we can move Florida’s economy forward. These budget and policy proposals will make our classrooms world-class so that we train the best workforce possible. They will keep our air clean and diversify our energy. They will lower property taxes and ensure fiscal responsibility in local government. And they will help businesses thrive so they can create and retain the jobs that we need, now more than ever, to fuel our economy.

There is no doubt; these are historic times of economic challenge for our nation and for our state. But I believe that there are better days in store for Florida. Times like these provide a unique opportunity for elected officials to make government better, more efficient, and more accountable.

In developing my recommendations, my highest priority is to avoid further deficits – yet continue to move Florida’s economy forward. Now more than ever, we must create jobs for the hard-working people of Florida. Second, we must continue critical services to Florida’s most vulnerable – our children, elders, and persons with disabilities. And we must continue our investment in Florida’s classrooms and hard-working teachers, in public safety and in health care. The taxpayers of Florida deserve nothing less.

The $66.5-billion budget I propose includes $4.7 billion in federal stimulus dollars for 2009-10 from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Without these funds, we would have had to tighten our belts another $3.4 billion. My budget proposal reflects Florida’s greatest needs – allocating $25.2 billion to Health and Human Services, $21.5 billion to education, and $10.3 billion to transportation and Economic Development. I also maintain my commitment to public safety, with $4.9 billion that will help keep criminals off the streets and our neighborhoods safe.

My recommendations include a significant increase in per-student funding: $183 more per student, for an average of $7,044 per student. That is increase of 2.67 percent over the current fiscal year. The money we set aside for schools must be spent wisely. I want to thank Representative Robert Schenck and Senator Alex Diaz de la Portilla for supporting legislation requiring our school districts to spend a minimum of 70 percent of operating funds on direct classroom expenditures benefiting students.

Strong universities are vital to creating the competitive workforce that will keep Florida’s economy vibrant for generations to come. I thank Senator Ken Pruitt and Representative Will Weatherford for supporting legislation that will clarify university governance and provide more teaching resources for Florida’s 11 universities -- while maintaining access and affordability for students and families. Under the proposal, each board of trustees may adopt a tuition differential beginning in fall 2009, with Board of Governors approval. Overall tuition cannot rise by more than 15 percent a year, and 30 percent of the revenues must go to need-based student financial aid.

Despite the economic challenges facing Florida, the Sunshine State has been recognized as a national leader in terms of our greatest resource – our workforce. To continue supporting Florida’s workforce, I recommend $2 billion in workforce initiatives, including over $800 million for career education and employment services that will create or retain 3,000 jobs. I also recommend $621.2 million for school readiness. This investment is expected to create or retain more than 12,800 jobs for child-care providers.

Continuing my commitment to public safety, I recommend $4.9 billion to maintain support for Florida’s increasing prison population and continue programs that reduce recidivism, prevent juvenile crime and keep violent criminals off the streets. My proposed budget also maintains funding to support local law enforcement agencies.

We must make every effort to preserve direct health care services to our children, our elderly, and our disabled populations. I am recommending an increase of $45 million for cash assistance and food stamps for families and their children, and $52 million to support an additional 46,000 children in the KidCare program.

We must continue our efforts, started in August with Accelerate Florida, to maintain Florida as a friendly place to do business. I am urging the passage of legislation sponsored by Senator Don Gaetz and Representative Trudi Williams that streamlines and reduces burdensome licensing requirements for contractors and other professionals.

Now more than ever, as families are faced with economic challenges, we must reduce the tax burden on Florida homeowners and business property owners. I propose a set of reforms that build upon previous legislation resulting in the largest property tax cut in state history.

I support the proposed constitutional amendment sponsored by Senator Evelyn Lynn and Representative Carl Domino that encourages homeownership and enhances the tax savings provided by Amendment One. It further reduces the growth cap on non-homestead residential and commercial properties from 10 percent to 5 percent. The amendment also grants a 50 percent exemption, up to $250,000, to homeowners who previously have not owned a home in Florida.

Legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Fasano and supported in the House by Representative Marcelo Llorente protects Florida homeowners from having to pay more in taxes when market values are declining. The proposal repeals the automatic three percent increase on the assessed value of homesteads when their market values decrease. In addition, legislation sponsored by Representative Carlos Lopez-Cantera provides fairness for property owners who challenge the property appraiser’s assessment of their property value.

Local governments, like state government, must be accountable in how they spend taxpayer dollars. Legislation sponsored by Senator Mike Haridopolos and Representatives Dean Cannon and Anitere Flores keeps our local governments accountable by limiting increases in local revenues to inflation and growth, based on the value of new construction. Only through super-majority votes by governing bodies can revenues increase by more than the cap.

I again call on the Florida Legislature to quickly approve the 25-year compact between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Over time it can provide billions of dollars to Florida’s schools – with $150 million guaranteed in 2009-10 alone. The tribe also reports the compact can create 45,000 new jobs. I am also encouraging the Legislature to support SunRail, the proposed 61-mile commuter rail system that would serve Orlando and Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties. A recently released economic impact study found construction and operation of the commuter rail project will infuse more than $1 billion over the next 30 years into Florida’s economy and create more than 13,000 construction and operations jobs.

I look forward to working with the Legislature on these proposals. Together, we can put in place new laws that strengthen our economy and make life better for Floridians. May God continue to bless the great state of Florida for now and into the future.

Jeb Bush: Republicans Must Be a National Party

by Fred Barnes

His grandfather Prescott Bush was a U.S. senator, and his father and brother were presidents. Yet Jeb Bush doesn't believe in political dynasties, and seems perfectly willing to let his family's legacy of serving in high office in Washington pass him by.

It's "possible," he says, that he'll never run again -- for anything. That includes the presidency in 2012. "I'm totally comfortable with what I'm doing and how I'm going about it. I hope I can find a role to play that doesn't include running for office to make a contribution."

Mr. Bush, who turned 56 this week, stepped down in 2007 after eight years as governor of Florida. Now he's working in real estate, consulting, giving paid speeches, promoting education reform, and offering advice to the Republican Party. Even the U.S. Senate seat that Republican Mel Martinez will vacate next year didn't entice him. That, he says, would require a seven and a half year commitment -- a year and a half of campaigning and six years in office. He sounds weary merely discussing another campaign.

But Mr. Bush becomes animated when talking about ideas and policy innovations -- he's an unorthodox Republican who latches onto reform ideas wherever he finds them. He's a fan of the school system in Sweden (more on this below). Currently he's reading "Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns" -- on his Kindle electronic reader. And he's convinced Republicans should make a heroic effort to govern California because it's "a center of innovation and a place that looks like the changing demographics of our country, similar to Florida."

But the first question I ask Mr. Bush is about his life and work after declining to seek a Senate seat. He's not second-guessing his decision. He's relaxed, dressed Miami-style in slacks, a tattersall shirt and no tie. When Mr. Bush left the governor's mansion in Tallahassee, he worked out of an office in his Coral Gables condo. Six months later, he moved to the Four Seasons office complex five miles away on the fringe of downtown Miami. It is not plush, but modest and functional with a modern print on the wall and a few dozen books -- on policy, politics, religion -- on two shelves.
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Nevertheless, his current lack of interest in elective office surely is not the last word on Mr. Bush's political career. He's popular with both moderate and conservative Republicans, and more easy-going and genial than his brother George. Mr. Bush was a successful governor (1999-2007) of the fourth most populous state. His tenure was memorable because of his intense focus on reform of education, government, the budget process, civil service, health care, procurement and race-based programs. He also cut taxes in a state with no income tax.

What comes through when Mr. Bush is asked about education is how radical his views are. He would toss out the traditional K-to-12 scheme in favor of a credit system, like colleges have.

"It's not based on seat time," he says. "It's whether you accomplished the task. Now we're like GM in its heyday of mass production. We don't have a flourishing education system that's customized. There's a whole world out there that didn't exist 10 years ago, which is online learning. We have the ability today to customize learning so we don't cast young people aside."

This is where Sweden comes in. "The idea that somehow Sweden would be the land of innovation, where private involvement in what was considered a government activity, is quite shocking to us Americans," Mr. Bush says. "But they're way ahead of us. They have a totally voucherized system. The kids come from Baghdad, Somalia -- this is in the tougher part of Stockholm -- and they're learning three languages by the time they finish. . . . there's no reason we can't have that except we're stuck in the old way."

So are Republicans, Mr. Bush believes. But with a few adjustments, the GOP can become a modern reform party. "I don't think there's anything that holds us back," he says. "I think we're actually well positioned to do exactly that." Mr. Bush would stand the party on its head by de-emphasizing Washington and mounting "a real effort to play offense outside of Washington in advancing a reform agenda. I think a respectful, policy-oriented opposition in Washington will be quite effective." But the states are where "being able to change things is easier to do."

This approach "worked in the early 90s," Mr. Bush says. "We had some fantastic governors who were my role models." He mentions his brother when he led Texas, John Engler of Michigan and Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin. "We had an all-star team." He likes the current crop of Republican governors, including Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Haley Barbour of Mississippi.

"Beyond the ideas and all of that," Mr. Bush says the GOP must be a national party. That means "we need to be competitive in California," where the "burden of big-government policies" has produced a $42 billion deficit. "I don't care how big the state is, that's mind-boggling. It's not a tax problem. Don't they have the 'excuse me for living' tax out there? The growth of government spending has been enormous. And a creative, reform-minded candidate on the Republican side" could be elected governor.

He encouraged Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, to try. "She's the kind of person who's lived and managed and led through the disruptive changes that are going on in our lives," Mr. Bush says. On Feb. 9, Ms. Whitman set up an exploratory committee, normally a precursor to running.

Mr. Bush commented last fall that "a big-government Republican" is a nonexistent species. What did he mean?

"I think the one common thread throughout all these strains of conservative thinking and Republicanism is limited government. If we don't have that in common, what else do we have? And the next question you'll ask is what do I think of my brother's record. I think circumstances come into play. When you're attacked as a nation it's legitimate to spend resources to deal with huge holes in national security. And so there are times in history when it's important to use the power of government."

Republicans must also clean up their act on immigration, Mr. Bush insists. Last year, he says they "set a tone" that pushed Hispanic voters away. "The tone of the debate reached a point that was very damning to the Republican Party, and the evidence is in. The chest pounders lost."

Mr. Bush supports immigration reform as championed by his brother and John McCain, which would allow illegals already in this country to stay. "Politics has to be about ideas and values and aspirations." he says. "It shouldn't be about anger and preying on people's emotions. You can't lead a mob."

To publicize their alternatives to President Obama's policies, Mr. Bush wants Republicans to emulate the British ("recognizing that we have a different system") and set up a shadow cabinet. "We should organize our opposition based on policy," he says. "I don't think the [2008] election was a transformational one in the ideological sense. I don't think Americans went to the left. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't get that sense. It's a huge opportunity to advocate reforms and advocate our beliefs and do so with some humility and recognition that the other guys won."

What did he take away from his experience as governor? Mr. Bush says he "learned you could change things if you worked at it. What I learned was how to take ideas and implement them over the long haul. The thing with politics is that it's focused on the here and now." However, "by focusing on the longer-term things I had a chance to take conservative ideas and reform-minded thoughts and put them into practice. It was invigorating. It was uplifting to me personally to see that in America a whole lot of people can work together to accomplish that."

As Mr. Bush explains it, an exhausting strategy is required. "You have to have an aspirational goal, and you have to communicate it over and over and over. You have to have the humility to recognize that people aren't watching your every word. . . . You have to be constantly adding to the reforms. You have to take the risk of measuring the success or lack of it. You have to be held accountable . . . Sometimes it's not fun."

Mr. Bush has kind words for Mr. Obama. He was the first Democrat to win Florida since 1976, and Mr. Bush has nothing but praise for his "spectacularly well-run campaign. They started with the premise that we're going to have a huge database and we're going to connect people to this campaign. When things got going in earnest in the general election, it was a finely tuned machine, to Obama's credit." The campaign spent $60 million in the state, Mr. Bush says, based on the correct assumption that "if they won Florida, they'd win the election."

He also has a suggestion. "I think it would be great politically for President Obama" to break with one of his party's interest groups, Mr. Bush says. "I hope it's the teachers' union. He can bring about a transformation of education" and speak "on behalf of the kids that traditionally are shut out of the learning process, and [allow] a thousand flowers to bloom, not just one prescribed from Washington."

Mr. Bush has a personal motive for urging Republicans to "avoid personal, partisan attacks" on Mr. Obama, a strategy they've largely followed in Washington. "I would never want Obama to go through what my brother went through. It might be fair that every president gets the same amount of vitriol. But it's not right for our country, it's not going to help us, and it's not going to help Republicans."

If You Want to Change Congress, Fund Challengers’ Staff Early

By Colin Delany, Founder and chief editor of epolitics.com

February 6th, 2009

Here’s an observation I’ve been meaning to write up since Netroots Nation this summer, but that seems particularly relevant now as both Democrats and Republicans are getting their first views of their current legislators in action: if you want to change the direction of your party in Congress, or of Congress as a whole, fund challengers’ staff early. And by “early,” I’m talking about a year in advance of the relevant primary or general election.

I’m not sure who said it at NN (possibly Matt Stoller), but the idea stuck with me because it goes to a core problem insurgents face when they’re taking on an incumbent or an establishment candidate: lack of resources when they really matter. As elections get close, blogs and activist groups can shift significant amounts of money to a “netroots” candidate on the Left (or a “rightroots” candidate on the Right?), but by then it’s often too late to make much of a difference. Since so much of creating a campaign organization is incremental — built up one volunteer, supporter or donor at a time — the really valuable time to have staff is many months BEFORE the actual vote. In effect, one hour of an organizers’s time a year before the election yields much more benefit than that same hour of work a week before the election.

Early funding also has a snowball effect — since people usually don’t want to throw their money away, they’ll generally only support a candidate who seems to have a chance to win. Before insurgent candidates can get much outside attention, they have to hit a threshold of support that indicates that they’re a serious contender. They have to have enough of SOMETHING — money, polling numbers or on-the-ground organization — to convince outsiders to get involved. And without resources and expertise available early, many candidates who might actually have a shot if given a chance never quite hit the mark. A handful of paid staff, or even just ONE paid staffer, can create the relationships and the organization that a campaign needs to prove viability, while also getting the structure in place to actually take real advantage of any money that floods in at the last minute.

Campaigns are by nature chaotic, particularly in their last weeks, when people are working frantically to get attention for their guy, counter the other guy and to take care of the thousands of details involved in getting voters motivated and to the polls. A year out, that chaos has yet to hit, and candidates and staff can make decisions based on the campaign’s long-term goals rather than based on what crisis exploded that day. If you really want to make a difference in Congress, either by changing your own party or pushing out a member of the opposition, think well in advance — identify challengers in key districts who might have a chance and get them money and staff when it matters. Otherwise, well, there are very good reasons that incumbents in Congress get re-elected at a rate well over 90%

Charlie Crist, taxpayers and the next hurricane

From the Wall Street Journal

Who needs Mother Nature to cause a catastrophe? Florida's politicians are busy creating an unnatural disaster in their state insurance market that will blow away taxpayers when the next big hurricane hits. And we mean taxpayers across America.

Last month State Farm pulled the plug on its 1.2 million homeowner policies in Florida, citing the state's punishing price controls. The state's largest insurer joins a raft of competitors that have already reduced or dumped their property and casualty business in the Sunshine State, including Prudential, Allstate, Nationwide and USAA. This is the inevitable result of Governor Charlie Crist's drive to control property-insurance premiums. The Republican also lobbied his GOP legislature to make the state government a giant competitor in the market, undercutting private insurers.

State Farm's local subsidiary recently requested an increase of 47%, but state regulators refused. State Farm says that since 2000 it has paid $1.21 in claims and expenses for every $1 of premium income received. Since January 2008 alone, the company's surplus has fallen to $621 million from $820 million. Every month in Florida, State Farm loses $20 million. So it finally said, No mas.

Meanwhile, Floridians have been signing up with Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state-run insurer that Mr. Crist unleashed in 2007. Because it has an implicit taxpayer guarantee, and because its actuarial assumptions are, well, loose, Citizens can offer lower premiums than private competitors can. Citizens has become the largest insurer in the state, with 1.1 million policies.

Mr. Crist has thus guaranteed that Floridians, rather than the global insurance industry, will be on the hook for property damage when the next Katrina hits. Citizens is facing more than $400 billion in potential exposure, yet Citizens Chief Financial Officer Sharon Binnun was recently cited in the South Florida Sun Sentinel as saying it had only $3.4 billion in net assets. Anxious to keep voters happy, legislators have frozen Citizens premiums the past three years.

Some 25% of the coastal property in U.S. hurricane zones is located in Florida, and another storm is inevitable. To pay for those claims when they come, Mr. Crist will either have to raise taxes on Floridians, or beg Congress for a rescue. Mr. Crist tried the latter in 2007 when he pushed federal legislation to distribute below-market loans to state insurance programs and create a federal reinsurance body to backstop undercapitalized states.

Even the Governor may be catching onto his folly. While dismissing State Farm's exit -- "Floridians will be much better off without them" -- he is pushing for a law barring the company from dropping more than 2% of its customers in a single year. So, having publicly brutalized State Farm, undercut its business and set its prices, Mr. Crist now wants to require it to keep losing money.

Mr. Crist's behavior stands in contrast to that of Louisiana, of all places. Baton Rouge also established a Citizens insurer after Katrina but only as a "last resort." Louisiana has a thriving private insurance market, in part because regulators have let companies adjust their rates. By law, Louisiana Citizens cannot offer competitive prices, save in a few high-risk coastal areas. From a peak of about 170,000 policies in 2007, it now holds about 130,000 (about what it had before Katrina) and is aiming to get below 100,000.

It's scary to imagine the bill taxpayers will get when the next big hurricane hits Florida. It's even scarier to think Mr. Crist is being touted as a potential GOP candidate for the White House.