Posted on 02/19/2011 6:53:53 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
In a nod to tea party power, Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos reversed course on a majority of state senators and his own voting record Friday by saying he supports Gov. Rick Scott's decision to refuse $2.4 billion in federal high-speed rail money.
"Florida is leading by example in keeping its fiscal house in order. We must demand the same from Washington," Haridopolos, who voted for high-speed rail in December 2009, said in a letter.
[snip]
Haridopolos' new stance was widely interpreted in the state Capitol as an election-season play for votes in his bid for U.S. Senate — a race that has been gripped by the politics of trains.
[snip]
Haridopolos penned his letter hours after Americans for Prosperity Florida, a tea party group, demanded Republicans back Scott, who said Wednesday that Florida should reject the federal money. Scott and tea party groups praised Haridopolos on Friday, but his new stance could complicate his relations with fellow lawmakers in the Capitol.
The day before Haridopolos issued his letter, 26 of the 39 sitting state senators wrote the U.S. Department of Transportation in opposition to Scott's refusal of federal money. Many of the signatories were Republicans, including the Senate's GOP leader, Andy Gardiner, who asked Haridopolos' permission before he signed on. The letter prompted Americans for Prosperity to e-mail its 83,000 activists, calling on them to back Scott.
[snip]
"Both of these are bad proposals. We just can't afford them," said Matthew Falconer, an activist who described SunRail as a rip-off. "If Rick Scott kills Sun Rail ... he will go from politician to folk hero."............
(Excerpt) Read more at tampabay.com ...
I thought that name was a joke when I saw it. That is worse than a boy named sue.
A bunch of other states have already rejected the money. California is the notable hold out. They view the rail money as the closest thing they are going to get to a federal bail out.
Willie Green is deeply disappointed.
Obama believes Floridians should be happy with this rail proposal because it can employ laid off space workers. Right.
Good ole NY has rejected theirs yet. We have a thruway for autos, trains, buses and planes...We need another means which require a whole new infrastructure because??
I’m finally getting use to the name Huckabee
Lawmakers Want to Route Rail Around Scott
The AFL-CIO is also mentioned. At the very end of the article.
The Greek Marco Rubio? Hopefully people do not fall for this guy’s falsehoods like they did Rubio. Neither are not really conservatives
Thank you for the link. A lot of information.
The article closes with:
“Meanwhile, some of the biggest nonlegislative proponents of the train continued to sharply criticize Scott’s decision as they cheered efforts to work around it.
“At least today I’m not using four-letter words,” said Rich Templin, vice president of one of the state’s largest labor unions, the AFL-CIO, which said it backed the idea because it believes the construction and the train would create jobs. “This is a tragedy, a disaster of unmitigated proportions.”
They’re sitting up and taking note of conservative anger:
[Excerpt] ......Everett Wilkinson, head of the South Florida Tea Party, said support of the bullet train is “a deal breaker. ... The tea party will actively target and make people aware of anyone who supports high-speed rail.”
That’s not much of a problem now for Sen. Nelson, who has little if anything to lose by the tea party effort. Still, the group is trying, bombarding Nelson’s offices with messages opposing the Scott run-around. The messages were copied to Haridopolos in Tallahassee, a clear warning.
Nelson has seized the issue, marshaling resources to form a plan to work around Scott, and is emboldened by some Republican support for the rail project. During a news conference Thursday outside his office, Nelson eagerly greeted U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, who showed up late but added his support and expressed dismay at Scott’s sudden move.
Nelson’s former colleague, LeMieux, stood with the Democrat in calling for high-speed rail money. And he didn’t back down this week. LeMieux said he’s against “out-of-control spending” but it’s too late to stop the rail money anyway.....[End Excerpt]
I should say, “some are.”
There are others who don’t get it yet.
Too bad for the construction workers and engineering companies affected but there is no need for a passenger train connecting Orlando and Tampa.
Sure looked to me like Nelson wasn't representing Floridians. Nelson was representing the federal government.
That’s been my sense of Marco Rubio all along.
Haridopolos’ new stance was widely interpreted in the state Capitol as an election-season play for voters in his bid for U.S. Senate - - ....etc...
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Well seeing as how the last election was 3 months ago and the next one 21 or so months away, this confirms what WE ALREADY KNOW, they are always in campaign mode.
How can they do their job properly if always campaigning?
I guess in a ‘perfect world’ your day to day performance should be enough ‘campaigning’ but the Unions have already deemed that performance should have absolutely no bearing on your future.
“You get into the position and we will try and guarantee you will never leave your position....just keep the money coming”
Good on him. He must have listened to his pollsters.
In my current paranoid state, I'm thinking maybe that's what it's really for.
He must be sent into retirement.
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