Stepping In It

So, here's the latest from Florida politics. And it is messy! If you're not following along in the news, fear not. I'll make this simple. There are 4 main characters here.

It all starts with the Senate primaries.

Charlie Crist (the orange one) Florida's Governor, decided to run for Senate.

He found out he was trailing hopelessly in the polls to this man, Marco Rubio (the "Real Republican" one - you can tell by the flag).

If Crist lost to Rubio in the primaries, he would be knocked out of the election, so in a dicey move Crist switched parties and became an Independent to ensure that he would get to run in the fall.

We've also got Kendrick Meek (the Democratic one) running for FL Senate. According to my FL politico relatives Adam and Gina, he is the favorite of the cool progressives and "has been quietly crossing the state talking to anyone and everyone" but is not very well known.

Stop! Scandal time!

Enter Jim Greer (the white, philandering one), the ex-chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, hand-picked for the position by Crist (the orange one). He was arrested this week for grand theft, fraud, and money laundering. He had already stepped down as chairman amid reports of his using a party credit card for personal expenses such as travel. Not only was this guy hand-picked by Crist, but Crist stood by him even when colleagues begged him to look into Greer's spending. Uh oh.

So now, it appears that Crist (who was narrowly ahead in the polls last week) stands to lose big from his ongoing support of the philandering one, and the big question is, what will all this GOP drama do to "Real Republican" Rubio? And what about the Democratic one? Surely he stands to gain from all the muckraking. The St. Petersburg Times reports:

"Strikingly, there is little indication at this early stage that Democratic candidates in Florida are positioned to take advantage. Given the level of scandal, one would think half a candidate could run against the Florida GOP today and win. Average together recent polls, however, and leading Democrats like gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink and U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek are still trailing."

This is going to be an interesting race, folks. Feel free to cut out the characters for a guide over the coming months, and another big thanks to the Tebrugges for their contributions. Stop back in -we'll keep you updated here!

Miscellany

I haven't been able to put my thoughts on any one subject into readable form for almost a week, so I thought I would give a quick list of topics that have been on my mind and radar screen this week. What's been on yours?

• Boycotting Arizona. I like the overwhelming nationwide response to the AZ immigration law. Apparently hotels and other tourist industries are worried, and several major US cities are calling on their citizens to collectively join the boycott. Forthcoming: a list of AZ-based businesses for those of us who don't have any fancy Grand Canyon vacations to cancel.

• Drugs in pop music. The newest Ke$ha song/headache "Your Love is My Drug" is filled with not-original substance abuse references as analogies for an obsessive relationship. Again, this is not new, but this song catches my ear every time I hear it, and every time I get a little bit upset. I've always struggled with how and where to draw the line between free speech and destructive culture. I'm upset by this song in particular because I work at a rehab community of recovering substance abusers, and I think what it must be like when they inevitably hear the line "keep it up like a lovesick crackhead."
  

• NC Primaries. Turnout was terrible as usual, but Elaine Marshall was the front runner, if not the official "winner" of the Senate race. She will now face off against Cal Cunningham in a runoff in June. In not-so-great news, progressive, young judge Leto Copely was soundly defeated by not one, but two uber-Conservative judges.
  

• Job searching in a down economy. As you probably know, I am currently completing a fellowship-type position that ends June 30. Thus, I have started my job search with the goal of being unemployed for as little time as possible. What a great way to really feel the recession. There are some jobs out there, if you're a certified child care worker or a certified nurse assistant. I'm not a certified anything, but I do have a bachelor's in public policy. Also, most waitstaff/kitchen/driver/general labor positions ask for at least two years experience! This is going to be a tough one. Stay tuned for updates and insights into the world of jobseeking 2010, and if you have any leads for me, let me know.