Politics

Cuba gets high-speed Internet

Recall Tomas Regalado

Allen West Tells Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz to "Shut the Heck Up"

​Republican Congressman Allen West, everyone's favorite Iraqi-torturing politician from the 22nd district, has given us another lesson in the statesmanship he holds so dear.West sent an email to fellow Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz late yesterday after she made remarks on the House floor th ... More >>

Rick Scott's dirtiest deeds

Rick Scott's Approval Rating Falls to 27 Percent in Conservative Poll

​The Democratically aligned Public Policy Polling and the nonpartisan Quinnipiac University polling service have both shown that Rick Scott's approval ratings are about the worst of any governor in the nation. But some of Rick Scott's fervent supporters might be the type to doubt the accuracy of " ... More >>

Florida Tea Party Group Thinks Saving Manatees Is Part of Mass Godless Conspiracy

​Members of Florida Tea Party groups are so upset with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's efforts to save manatees that they are claiming that new rules to possibly be imposed in famous Kings Bay would not only go against the Bible, but also are part of a vast United Nations conspiracy ... More >>

Carlos Gimenez Adds Two Staffers, One at $225K Per Year

Genaro "Chip" Iglesias is back at County Hall. ​Carlos Gimenez is turning to a trusted face to help him run Miami-Dade County government. Banana Republican has confirmed Gimenez is bringing back Genaro "Chip" Iglesias, whom we predicted last week would be part of the new mayor's team. Iglesias wil ... More >>

Poll: Rick Scott's Unpopularity Could Help Obama in Florida

​Fresh off of its Republican primary poll yesterday, Public Policy Polling, a democratically-aligned polling firm, has released new numbers showing that large numbers of Florida voters are less likely to vote for a Republican presidential candidate in 2012 thanks to the actions of Rick Scott. ... More >>

Thousands of Florida Doctors Ask Judge to Block New Law Barring Them From Asking About Guns

​The party that supposedly favors deregulation and keeping the government out of people's lives passed a state law this year that barred doctors from asking patients about gun ownership. Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law, but now a group of thousands of doctors and gun control gr ... More >>

2012 Poll: Mitt Romney Leads Republicans in Florida, Bachmann and Palin Tie for Second

​Mitt Romney is the man to beat in Florida as the 2012 Republican primary horse race heats up. Romney holds a ten-point advantage over second place finishers Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin. Romney also benefits from incredibly low support for similar candidates like John Hunstman and Tim Paw ... More >>

Could Charlie Crist Take on Rick Scott in 2014 As a Democrat?

​Gov. Rick Scott's leadership hasn't given Floridians much to celebrate. He's the most unpopular governor in America, and his poll numbers don't appear to be getting any better. But Democrats see a silver lining in the dark cloud. Scott's deep unpopularity gives them renewed electoral hope. I ... More >>

Marco Rubio tricked the Tea Party into thinking he was part of the clan

Marco Rubio Tricked The Tea Party

​Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke reassesses Sen. Marco Rubio's Tea Party credentials.I need to thank Marco Rubio. He really stuck it to the Tea Party. He ... More >>

Neither Gimenez nor Robaina Has Much Nice to Say About Rick Scott

​No matter who becomes Miami-Dade's next mayor, don't expect him to have the rosiest of relationships with deeply unpopular Florida Gov. Rick Scott. The race is nonpartisan, but both Carlos Gimenez and Julio Robaina are registered Republicans. However, at a debate this morning, both made it clear ... More >>

Miami Lakes councilman used Facebook to skirt Sunshine Laws, resident says

Did Two Miami Lakes Councilmen Violate The Sunshine Law Via Facebook?

Miami Lakes Councilman Nelson Hernandez​Like any social-media-savvy politician, Miami Lakes Councilman Nelson Hernandez uses Facebook to correspond with his constituents. "This is the 21st Century," Hernandez says. "Why wouldn't I use a great communication tool to get my message across?"But a town ... More >>

Julio Robaina squirms and Michael Putney flubs

Obama's Approval Ratings Get Big Bump in Florida

The 2012 election is still 17 months away, but the latest numbers from Quinnipiac show hopeful news for Democrats for the first time in month. President Barack Obama's approval ratings are back above 50 percent in Florida since 2009, and more Floridians say they would definitely vote for him than a ... More >>

Rick Scott's Plummeting Popularity: 57 Percent Disapprove

​Gov. Rick Scott's popularity continues to plummet after the legislative session. Only 29 percent of Floridians approve of the way he's handling his job according to a new Quinnipiac poll. While a whopping 57 percent disapprove. That's down from an already dismal 35/48 split back in April. Mos ... More >>

Miami-Dade Election Results: Julio Robaina and Carlos Gimenez Heading to Runoff

​With all precincts reporting, former Hialeah mayor Julio Robaina and former county commissioner Carlos Gimenez will be heading to a runoff election to determine Miami-Dade's next mayor, to no one's great surprise. Meanwhile, the noble campaign of our own columnist Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbel ... More >>

Rick Scott for President? It's Possibly the Stupidest Thing We've Heard All Month

​"Rick Scott for president? It's possible," blares a headline for a non-story in today's St. Petersburg Times. Oddly, the third sentence in the story is a quote from Scott saying, "I'm not running for president," yet the Times political editor Adam C. Smith manages to drag the story on for 832 wo ... More >>

Will Any GOP 2012 Candidate Even Want Rick Scott's Endorsement?

​Here's a fun game to watch play out as several announced and potential candidates for the Republican's 2012 presidential primary start visiting Florida: will any of them meet with Governor Rick Scott let alone seek his endorsement? Former Utah Governor and ambassador to China John Huntsman is ... More >>

Florida's Attempt at Arizona-Style Immigration Bill is Likely Dead

​It generated one of the most controversial and heated debates of the legislative session and is a key agenda item for Governor Rick Scott, but it seems likely that conservatives' efforts to pass an Arizona-style immigration bill in Florida is dead, despite the fact both houses are controlled by R ... More >>

Rick Scott's Administration Really Hates Sunshine Laws

​"Are there things we don't want you to know? Yes," Brian Burgess, Rick Scott's communication director (or misdirector in many cases) tells the Times/Herald's Tallahassee Bureau. "There are things we don't want to broadcast to our opponents."Florida's Sunshine Laws are supposed to foster an o ... More >>

Bay of Pigs 50 Years Later: Miami Mourns, Cuban Gov Celebrates - But for How Long?

via Wikimedia CommonsBay of Pigs Memorial in Little Havana.​They landed silently in the pre-dawn darkness: small groups of armed men seeking to overthrow Fidel Castro and his young government. Then everything went wrong. Two days later, the mission was in flames.This Sunday marks the 50th annivers ... More >>

Rick Scott Had His Facts Wrong When He Trashed High Speed Rail

​Perhaps Rick Scott's biggest action during his first 100 days in office was the killing of Florida's federally-funded high speed rail project. It would have revolutionized our transit system and had an effect on the economy like no other project in recent Florida history. So, you would have hoped ... More >>

Special Election for Mayor Officially Set for May 24

​Clear your calendar on May 24 because we're holding an election! The Miami-Dade County Commission meet this morning and, as expected, officially set the day for the election to replace recalled Carlos Alvarez on that Tuesday. Though, the mayoral race won't be the only thing on the ballot. Voters ... More >>

Conservatives Outraged as Hispanic Republicans Water Down Florida's Arizona-style Immigration Bill

​Florida's so-called Arizona-style immigration bill, which Governor Rick Scott campaigned on, is looking less and less Arizona-style as it makes it way through the state legislature. Republican state Senator Anitere Flores, who had authored the original Senate version of the bill, helped approve a ... More >>

Tea Party Claims Victory in Alvarez Recall ...Uh, Wait, What?

Fox News declares a Tea Party Revolt​"Tea Party Revolt: Miami Mayor Recalled," proclaims Fox News' Fox Nation website, while other Tea Party segments of the world wide web take glee in the ousting of Carlos Alvarez. True some of the politics involved share similarities: raising property taxes was ... More >>

Rick Scott's Staff Gets Bitchy With Reporters

Why must Rick Scott's Coffee Talk be ruined? ​Former Gov. Charlie Crist gave out his personal cell phone number to journalists and kept their favorite beers stocked in his office. In stark contrast, current Gov. Rick Scott and his staff seem to have an unhealthy amount of disdain for the press cor ... More >>

You Can Now Buy Mike Haridopolos' Crappy Book for $9.99 on Your Kindle

​So, this weekend the Associated Press published a story on some crappy book Florida Senate President and likely US Senate candidate Mike Haridopolos got $152,000 in taxpayer money from Brevard Community College to write. Besides being of questionable quality, only one copy of the book existed. We ... More >>

Rick Scott really understands blacks

Protests Staged in Cuba, Miami to Commemorate Hunger Striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo

​Some 130 dissidents were arrested in Cuba, while several hundred demonstrators hit the streets of Miami to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of hunger striker Orlando Zapata Tamayo. The arrests on the communist island included the reported harassment and roughing up of a doz ... More >>

Governor Rick Scott Really Understands Blacks. Really!!

​Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke addresses Gov. Rick Scott's alienation from African Americans.Last week, Good Ole Gov. Ricky tried to explain to a group ... More >>

Marco Rubio Doesn't Really Want to Join the Senate's Tea Party Caucus

​Last year, Marco Rubio ended up on the cover of The New York Times magazine with the headline "The First Senator from the Tea Party?" Well, there's no question anymore about whether or not he's a Senator, but now that he is, he's not so sure he wants to join the actual Tea Party caucus. It's not ... More >>

Palin and Beck killed 'em in Tucson

Recall Election for Alvarez and Seijas Set for March 15

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and County Commissioner Natacha Seijas better beware the Ides of March. Voters will take to the polls on March 15 to decide whether they want to recall the beleaguered politicians, the County Commission decided today. The decision to hold both elections on the ... More >>

Will Gay Voters Save the Republican Party?

​After their success in the midterm elections, many Republicans probably think their party is in pretty good shape and doesn't need to be saved. But one local GOP group is thinking long term. It argues that the party needs to moderate itself on social issues and attract gay voters in order to rema ... More >>

What would immigration reform look like if the Feds got off their duffs?

Latin American Round-Up: Hugo Chávez Gets Decree Powers, Raúl Castro Gets Depressed

Cheer up buddy. I've got decree powers!​Hugo Chávez won't be making any Obama-like compromises in 2011. The Venezuelan National Assembly is expected to pass a ley habilitante today that would allow the bombastic president -- best known for his twitter histrionics -- to pass laws by decree for 12 ... More >>

FAIR-y tales: The immigration saga continues

Christian Family Coalition Asks Rick Scott to Stop Selling Pornography to Latinos

The Christian Family Coalition, a Miami-based group that hems way to the right on social issues, is calling Gov-elect Rick Scott to stop selling pornography to Latinos. So when reviewing Scott's business past they weren't, like every other sane person, so much concerned that he ran a company that wa ... More >>

The Marco Rubio for President Campaign Might as Well Begin Tomorrow

​Let's not be cynical. We don't know who is going to win the Florida senate race (so please go out and vote), but polls indicate Marco Rubio is the favorite. If he does emerge victorious tonight, then it's only a matter of time until some speculation that he may run for President in 2012 at least ... More >>

Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner Dead

​Nestor Kirchner, the former president of Argentina and husband of current president Cristina Kirchner, has died this morning due to heart failure at the age of 60. The leftist-Peronist politician was widely expected to mount another presidential campaign in 2011.

Five More Cuban Dissidents to be Freed

In a carefully timed move, Cuba will free five more political prisoners, bringing the total number to 57, the Roman Catholic Church announced Thursday. The announcement comes before the 27-nation E.U. block meets to review its hard-line policy toward the totalitarian nation, which is seeking to bol ... More >>

Operation Streamline treats migrants like cattle

Sore Loser Maurice Ferré Endorses Rick Scott To Spite Dems

Maurice Ferré, who 25 years ago was the mayor of the City of Miami, thinks he didn't get a fair shake in his long shot run for Senate in the Democratic primary. Somehow he's claiming this is "an insult to every Hispanic voter in our state." So what does he do to get back at the Democratic party? He ... More >>

Marco Rubio to Appear with Sarah Palin This Weekend

Tea Party dreams do come true! Two stars of the conservative movement, Florida's Republican senate candidate Marco Rubio and right wing queen bee Sarah Palin will share a stage this weekend in Orlando. Somewhere an eagle is surely weeping with joy.

Aliens, military wackos, and the next war