President Obama's secret weapon in Florida Rick Scott

[ccharles000]

Six months ago, in the wake of the wipeout midterm elections, moderate Florida Sen. Bill Nelson privately vented that President Barack Obama, weighed down by his health reform effort and muddled messaging, was “toxic” for Democrats back home.

Yet Obama’s approval rating has surged from 42 percent to 51 percent in the past month, and Nelson is now openly embracing the president, dutifully pronouncing himself “fired up” at an Obama-hosted Miami fundraiser this spring.

What’s changed? The killing of Osama bin Laden, slow but demonstrable improvements to the foreclosure-ravaged economy, a cooling of tea party passions and the toxic nature of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s Medicare overhaul in a state with one of the largest populations over age 55 in the nation — are all factors in Obama’s turnaround.

But Obama’s biggest asset in a critical swing state he won by a mere 2.8-percentage-point margin in 2008 might be Rick Scott, the wildly unpopular Republican governor Democrats are casting as Lex Luthor to Obama’s Clark Kent.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55894.html

[HockeyMom]

1. The Republican candidate with be riding Scott's coattails

as I said on another thread. Rick Scott with an approval rating of 29% has to be the most hated man in the state. Any Repub running will have to treat Scott like the plague.

[LiberalFighter]

2. I wonder how any Republican will be able to avoid connection with Scott

if they are in the state legislature? They would have to voted against all of the legislation that Scott signed that the Floridians are upset about. Even then, just being a Republican might be enough to destroy the future of some Republicans even if they weren't 100% supporting Scott.

[DCBob]

3. I still dont feel good about FL.. remembering 2000...

and the Scott adminisration is even more wicked that the bunch in power back then. Democrats need to keep extremely vigilant on that state.

[ellenfl]

4. scott and the repub legislature have already passed voter

suppression legislation.

ellen fl

[gordianot]

5. The new constant benchmark 29% the utterly stupid. n/t

[Fuddnik]

6. You think Scott is bad?

Imagine a legislature that's even more crooked. Welcome to Florida. A wholly owned subsidiary of the Energy, Insurance, and Building Industries.

[gordianot]

7. Missouri legislature is similar our only saving grace is our DINO Governor Jay Nixon.

The current crop of Republican Governors makes even Jay Nixon sound rational and almost progressive. The ultra conservative Republicans could easily strike next year in 2012.