Florida's teachers are, according to the Washington Post, "in full revolt". The Republican State Senate has disrepected us so completely that we are organized and ready to turn the state blue in November.
Enter CFO Alex Sink, the top Democratic candidate for Governor.
Tampa, FL Florida CFO and Gubernatorial Candidate Alex Sink today announced her opposition to Senate Bill 6 and released the following statement:
"These proposals are bad for our children and our state. As a mother whose two children went to Florida public schools, I feel strongly that our local school districts should be the ones making these kinds of decisions for our students and teachers -- not politicians in Tallahassee. I also have a serious problem with placing even more unfunded mandates on our local school districts, as they are already facing significant budget concerns."
How about her Republican challenger? Um, not so much.
Bill McCollum actually blamed THE TEACHERS for protesting a bill that would place 50% of our salaries in the hands of a phantom yet-to-be-seen standardized testing program.
Tampa, FL – Alex Sink for Governor Campaign Manager Paul Dunn criticized Bill McCollum for his baseless critical remarks about Florida’s hardworking public school teachers.
"In Congress, Bill McCollum voted against our students and schools – votes against investments for education, including Head Start, training programs, and school construction. So, blaming Florida’s teachers who go to work everyday to help our children learn says something troubling about Bill McCollum’s character that’s entirely consistent with his record in Congress."
If you have been following my diaries, you know how completely this issue is taking over Florida politics. The Republican House is going to try to finish the railroading of the bill on Monday, and the protests will be intense. Today when Charlie Crist tried to raise money to fight Marco Rubio, he got a face full of high heat instead.
It is like that on the Facebook page of every Florida Republican politician and organization. It is really amazing to watch. Actual democracy in action, thanks to the interwebs. A grass roots movement that will revolutionize the way our state officials see teachers and their concerns. The chance to finally see a blue hue over our state on those CNN maps.
And, for those who need multimedia confirmation, tonight we have your YouTube moment. The entire elephant party in Florida has been turned into a deer in the headlights. Check out Charlie Crist when he could duck this issue no longer.
He. Looks. Lost.
So the current Governor is on the hot seat. If he vetoes this bill and gains the support of 200,000 angry teachers and their families, he turns his back on Jeb Bush and the controlling cronies in Tallahassee.
And the 2010 Republican Gubernatorial candidate is just making things worse, snuggling up to Senator John Thrasher and blatantly thumbing his nose at a mob of energized voters.
So where does that leave us?
With the next Governor of Florida. Say hello to Alex Sink.