National Politics Round-up

This is our regular feature where every day I do a post with the top 5 Florida political blog posts about national stories. They are ranked according to quality, importance of the story and relevance to the present.

1. Smooth Like Remy - Super Centrist Fail: "I'm a progressive and a Democrat and maybe not in that order but its getting harder and harder to defend the way the White House treats their base."

2. Leaflet Descending - New data on tea party sympathizers: "The blue columns display those who support the tea party and the red column is the sample of those who do not. Below each graph are the attributes or issue about each titled group or race."

3. madfloridian - The right wing had big money behind their message for decades: "If you have not read The Republican Noise Machine, do so."

4. Nancy Imperiale - Stop reporting. Start writing: "How many times have I struggled with that. Every day of my writing life, probably. I LOVE the reporting. Hate the writing."

5. Avery Voice - academic freedom is a core principle of higher education, but: "Is it responsibility to buckle to the mob. Is it responsibility not to consider any voices or opinions that are not the generally accepted opinions? Is it responsibility to not listen to voices that might offend? Someone with a checkered past? Rules out a lot of political voices. Someone with a different political or philosophical perspective. Clears out a lot of religious underbrush."

GOP's Financial Record

In Florida the GOP's financial records were released this past Friday under federal investigation for lavish spending and superfluous expenses. The record confirmed that over 7 million dollars in American Express credit cards was spent under 31 past and current elected officials - including ex-chairman Jim Greer and the former party executive director Delmar Johnson.

According to the Miami Herald it was a loophole in election law that kept their receipts from the public eye. Despite being subpoenaed in the grand jury investigation of Ray Sansom (R-Destin), elected officials and Greer refused to release their foot-high pile of AmEx credit card slips.

An excerpt from the Miami Herald reads:

According to American Express billing statements obtained by the Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times, he charged nearly $500,000 to his American Express card since he was hand-picked by Gov. Charlie Crist in January 2007 to head the party.

The bills include luxury hotels, costly entertainment, high end dining, spas, stylish clothing and gifts. Not long ago we watched as Kentucky senate minority leader Mitch McConnell attended a private meeting behind closed doors with Wall Street elites like Hedge Fund alongside Texas Senator John Cornyn. It is these actions from the GOP that reveal economic misunderstanding and a lack of empathy toward the public interest. In knowing, it is not difficult to conclude why the GOP is against financial reform.