Political campaigns reflect the politics of political trickery

Political campaigns reflect the politics of political trickery

By Derek Joy

     And so, the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared. Pretty much so in the municipal elections.

The cities of Miami, Miami Beach and Homestead saw voters have their say last Tuesday. Miami Dade County voters had their say on the $800-million bond issue to upgrade Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Now, the real trickery of rat killing will start as former Republican Governor Charlie Crist will mount a campaign as a Democrat who wants to oust incumbent Republican Governor Rick Scott.

As that drama builds, we find former Miami Dade County District 2 Commissioner Doran Rolle mounting a campaign to unseat Commissioner Jean Monestine, who defeated Rolle three years ago.

But for now, consider the Scott and Crist no holds barred battle for the Governor’s Mansion.

Some call Governor Scott “Slick Rick” because he has proven to be a slippery rascal in the political realm.

Case in point is how Scott is now making noise about reopening some of Florida’s penal institutions that were closed to supposedly save the state money. Truth is they were closed because Scott led the Republican revolution to privatize Florida’s prison system.

That’s right. At a time when the American economy was in a serious tailspin. The so called “Jobs Governor,” who swept to victory on a campaign that touted creating jobs under the slogan “Let’s Get To Work,” actually abolished jobs in the Florida Department of Corrections.

Employees at the penal institutions that were closed saw their jobs go by the wayside. They saw and heard the Scott and his Republican henchmen who formed a majority in the Florida State Legislature making all out war to privatize Florida’s prison system.

And so it is that many people wonder why “Slick Rick” is now doing the Tampa Two Step. Is it because Crist made waves across Tampa Bay in his St. Petersburg home and stronghold?

Sure that is a consideration. Another consideration is the scandalous turn of events in Pennsylvania where prison privatization was rocked when a circuit judge was sentenced to 28 years in prison for corruption.

Seems the judge was violating the civil rights of defendants, in addition to handing out lengthy sentences. Black American defendants got the worst of it. They were being sentenced to perform slave labor to generate profits for prison privateers.

Privatization of Florida’s prison would see no less profiteering masked by political skullduggery.

There are other issues that are sure to be on the front burner. The Affordable Healthcare Act – Obamacare, to some – is one. The matter of federal education funds that Scott so rudely rejected is another.

Governor Slick Rick will have to be super slippery to wiggle his way out of reasonably explaining the how and why of these hot button issues. Can’t do the Tampa Two Step around these issues.

And just how can Scott explain “Let’s Get To Work” when he tried so hard to reject federal funds to expand Medicaid?

Sure seems like Scott didn’t want to suffer the same ostracized fate as that suffered by Crist at the hands of the Republican Party for embracing President Obama.

Now, is that the kind of political trickery the best interests of Floridians deserve? I think not.