Mainline Protestant.

DST is good for business.

Sinclair to stop the internment.

Technically, you'd be up anyways, since Opebo didn't offer an opinion on your signature.
It's significantly better than the recent past of the Republican Party, that's for sure.

Excellent news!

[FEBRUARY 2014]

FEBRUARY 2014

Polling for Republicans, Democrats

Republican Primary
Rick Scott: 49%
Christopher Ruddy (hypothetical): 27%
Craig Miller (hypothetical): 14%
Undecided: 10%

Rick Scott has a large lead (a not-quite-majority) in hypothetical polling against a couple of GOP names who have yet to declare themselves out (founder of Newsmax Chris Ruddy and former steakhouse CEO Craig Miller); most of their vote is being not-Scott, as they have very low name recognition themselves.

Democratic Primary
Charlie Crist: 46%
Debbie Wasserman Schultz: 21%
Manny Diaz: 18%
Jack Seiler: 8%
Jeremy Ring: 3%
Nan Rich: 2%
Jimmy Morales: 2%

Charlie Crist has a large lead over potential competitors, with Wasserman Schultz and Diaz the closest.

Buddy Dyer: 43%
Dan Gelber: 35%

Dyer seizes a slight lead over Gelber.

General Election
Rick Scott: 39%
Charlie Crist: 56%

Rick Scott: 41%
Debbie Wasserman Schultz: 45%

Rick Scott: 39%
Manny Diaz: 43%

Rick Scott: 41%
Jack Seiler: 37%

Scott loses to most major Dem challengers, including big to Crist, and only trumps the relatively unknown Seiler.

Dan Gelber: 31%
Pam Bondi: 45%

Buddy Dyer: 37%
Pam Bondi: 43%

Dyer performs better against Bondi, as a result of being a popular mayor, but still trails.

Jeff Atwater: 37%
Alex Sink: 44%

Sink's return looks all but assured; the popular former CFO and gubernatorial candidate, while not seeking a rematch against Scott, will attempt to push out part of the Scott cabinet.

Adam Putnam: 46%
Rod Smith: 33%

Well-liked Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam has a large lead over relative unknown Rod Smith; it remains to be seen whether the Dems will invest heavily in this race.


Congressional races start to take shape

Retirement Can Be Deadly



The state once again turns its attention as to whether this will be the year Rep. Bill Young (R-Indian Shores) finally retires. Young, who is 82 and has represented the same Pinellas-based district since the Nixon administration, has only been held under 60% twice in his political career and would be unbeatable if he ran again. However, his health is declining and he uses a walker. The seat, which was narrowly won by Obama, would be a toss-up if he did not run.



The state must also look at Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Her district is not currently competitive as she would be unbeatable if she ran. If she were to retire, however, her seat would be number one on the Democratic target list; Obama performed better in the district than he did nationally. Ros-Lehtinen is only 60 and is in her 12th term in Congress, but she recently lost her leadership position in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Dynasties Take Shape?



We need some real leadership for the people of Tallahassee! Steve Southerland has not delivered on his promises. He has not put Floridians back to work and he has not changed DC! I can.--Leon County Schools Director of Employee Relations Gwen Graham



Dan Webster's been tried. Tried and failed. Congressional Republicans have been the party of obstructionism and getting nothing done. As Sheriff, we've got stuff done. If you want to get stuff done, you'll vote to get rid of Dan Webster!--Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings

Serious Candidate Emerges to Challenge Buchanan



If there is anyone more symbolic of Washington corruption than Vern Buchanan, I've never heard of em. We need clean leadership in Washington, not corruption and pork!--Sarasota Mayor Suzanne Atwell

Hasner, Again?



I am not officially committing to a run against Lois Frankel, but I certainly don't want to rule anything out at this point in time.--Former House Majority Leader Adam Hasner

Harrell, Rooney square off for challenge to Murphy





State Rep. Gayle Harrell and State Rep. Pat Rooney have entered the Republican primary to challenge incumbent U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, elected in 2012 over Tea Party favorite Allen West. Harrell has run for Congress before, but was defeated in a Republican primary by attorney Tom Rooney, who is currently a U.S. Rep. and the brother of Pat.

Which Diaz?







State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, former State Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla, and current State Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla all are possible contenders for the Republican nomination for Florida's 26th Congressional District, to face incumbent Rep. Joe Garcia, as is former State Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera and real estate agent Jeb Bush Jr. Which ones will run and which will make it out of the primary? Only time will tell.


FL-02, FL-10, FL-13, FL-16, FL-18, FL-22, FL-26, and FL-27, as well as the gubernatorial and cabinet elections, are the ones this timeline will focus on, with state legislative races in the abstract as well. In 2015, it'll be any Congressional special elections and mayoral elections in Jacksonville, Tampa, Hialeah, Miami-Dade County, Miami Beach, and West Palm Beach.

The nations that have not signed it include Andorra, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Eritrea, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kiribati, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, and Tuvalu. Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, and the Philippines have signed but not ratified it. Of those nations, only India, Israel, Pakistan, and Iran possess the capabilities to launch any kind of nuclear attack on anyone; breaking them down, India and Pakistan are chiefly interested in waging nuclear war on each other, Iran does not possess the military technology to engage in a nuclear weapons exchange with Atlasia, and Israel has no incentives to nuke one of their closest allies.

I did policy debate in 9th/10th grade, but honestly, I wasn't that interested in policy because the issues weren't exactly hot-button and the debates were more about your pre-prepared evidence than anything else.  Next year I'll probably do LD or PFD debate which seem more interesting.

Politically, our debate team is a mixed bag, but it definitely leans liberal, with several conservatives, including one rock-ribbed conservative Republican atheist (quite rare) who loves to bash Al Gore. 

Policy has always been... odd... I've done Congress and have experimented with PFD, both of which seem a lot more like actual debate than policy is.

Our debate team breaks down by event; LD kids are definitely more liberal, the policy kids are more Obama-backing than anything, PFD kids seem center-left overall, and Congress is the most conservative event (at least one or two conservatives and two libertarians, myself included).

It is my understanding that Protocol I assumes all nuclear strikes are by their very nature indiscriminate, as the scope of damage cannot be controlled. Thus, even a retaliatory strike would be outlawed—the damage is the same whether we're talking about a first strike or a response. And that makes sense; Protocol I is about limiting collateral damage. Unfortunately, I'm not comfortable signing onto something that would outlaw our use of nuclear weapons in all circumstances.

I understand that international law will mostly be thrown out the window if a nuclear weapon is ever used against us, but the reason we have nuclear weapons, ironically, is to ensure that they're never used. If we ever use a nuclear bomb and seriously have to talk about the repurcussions of that act under international law, we've already failed. I want to make sure we never have to deal with that scenario. That's why I'm uncomfortable sending any signal that we may be hesitant to bomb another country. It weakens us.

What would the point be of a retaliatory strike? If we have detected a missile launch and cannot stop it, what would be the point of firing back? Our nation is going to be destroyed because the deterrent has failed; executing the deterrent anyways would cause nothing but further human suffering.

[Free Trade With Europe:]

And here is my proposed free trade arrangements, based on trading with developed nations:

Free Trade With Europe: Norway, the European Union, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Iceland, Andorra, Croatia, San Marino, the Faroe Islands [part of Denmark but not the EU], the Holy See, Monaco, the Channel Islands [part of the UK but not the EU], Russia, and the Isle of Man [same situation as the Channel Islands].

Free Trade With Asia: Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia.

Free Trade With the Middle East: Israel, Turkey, and the current members of the GCC.

Free Trade With Africa: The Southern African Customs Union, Equatorial Guinea [has a developed economy but not a great place politically; unsure on this], and Mayotte.

Free Trade With the Americas: Canada, Chile, Argentina, Barbados, Bermuda, Mexico, Aruba, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Greenland, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, the Caribbean Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks & Caicos Islands, and Antigua & Barbuda.

Not quite sure what to do with the Commonwealth of Independent States.

So we'd need Atlasia-EU, Atlasia-EFTA, Atlasia-Croatia, Atlasia-European microstates, Atlasia-Russia (or Atlasia-CIS), Atlasia-Denmark, Atlasia-Netherlands, Atlasia-UK, Atlasia-France, Atlasia-Australia, Atlasia-NZ, Atlasia-Japan, Atlasia-Chinese SARs, Atlasia-South Korea, Atlasia-Singapore, Atlasia-Brunei, Atlasia-'Taiwan Province of China', Atlasia-GCC, Atlasia-Israel, Atlasia-Turkey, Atlasia-SACU, Atlasia-Equatorial Guinea, Atlasia-Canada, Atlasia-Chile, Atlasia-Argentina, Atlasia-Barbados, Atlasia-Mexico, Atlasia-Saint Kitts & Nevis, Atlasia-Trinidad & Tobago, and Atlasia-Antigua & Barbuda.

Currently we have FTAs with the following:

Republic of Costa Rica
Republic of El Salvador
Republic of Guatemala
Republic of Honduras
Nicaragua
Dominican Republic
Canada
Mexico
Colombia
Suriname
Brazil
Ecuador
Peru
Paraguay
Uruguay
Argentina
Chile
Angiulla
Aruba
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Haiti
Montserrat
Netherland Antilles
Australia
Israel
New Zealand
Thailand
Jordan
Switzerland
South Africa
Philippines
Iraq
Japan
South Korea
European Union member-states
Norway
Turkey
Iceland

Under the Omnibus Trade Reorganization Act; that act also did not repeal our free trade agreement with India.

Debate, of course. Of the non-electives, probably history. Always been rather good at biology for some reason as well. My worst is math. English and French are somewhere in the middle.

I wish we had debate at my school I got a 77 on my last geometry test, which is the highest grade I have gotten all year in that class.

It's actually kinda surprising that you don't. South Florida tends to be very debate-heavy; top schools are Nova, Western, University School, and American Heritage

[I hope McConnell runs up the margin.]

I have to ask, is there anybody in any sort of position to stop Judd in the primary?

No. The state and national Democrats back Judd and even were Grimes interested, they'd pressure her out. Plus getting financially drowned. I hope McConnell runs up the margin.

This. To teach the Dems a lesson, if nothing else.

[JANUARY 2014]

JANUARY 2014

Scott Looks to Cruise to Renomination



Agricultural Commissioner Adam Putnam, CFO Jeff Atwater, and Attorney General Pam Bondi all ruled out challengers to incumbent Governor Rick Scott. "We are united as a party. Rick Scott will be our candidate, and we will win in November."--AG Bondi.



I shall continue to support the Governor in 2014, and shall advance conservative principles in the legislature, not in the executive.--State Sen. John Thrasher.



No way I'm running against him.--Speaker Will Weatherford, questioned by reporters.



I am proud to be seeking higher office in order to articulate conservative ideals at a national level, but I'm doing so by my run for U.S. Senate in Georgia, not through the Florida governor's race.--Former Congressman Allen West



Naw, man, I'm playing football. Not running for office.--New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow


Crist Draws Challengers



We need a real Democrat representing our party, not a used Republican!--Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler



This party needs a candidate who will represent the people of Florida!--Former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz



We need a strong liberal to challenge the failed policies of Governor Scott!--U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz



Innovative solutions are necessary for Florida's future!--State Sen. Jeremy Ring



Hi. I'm still running. I've been running for the past two years. I have experience. Vote for me!--Former FL Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich



I'm the mandatory irrelevant candidate!--Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jimmy Morales


Constitutional officers races develop



We need to clean up the mess the Scott administration has left! I will be running again for Attorney General, now that we've realized the mistakes Rick Scott has made!--2010 AG candidate Dan Gelber



Come on, Florida Democrats! We can't run the same guy we ran last time and lost with! We need a fresh start, a new candidate, and I'm your guy!--Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer



We need a Democratic farmer to replace the Republicans. Someone who understands life for the average small family farm, someone who grew up on a farm, someone who can relate to the common man in a way Tallahassee politicians simply can't. I'm running for Ag Commissioner!--State Sen. Rod Smith



We need to bring some common sense back to the position of CFO, and who better to do that than your former CFO?--Former CFO Alex Sink

Buckhorn, Meek staying put



I'm not focusing on anything besides being a great mayor for the City of Tampa!--Mayor Bob Buckhorn



I will not be seeking higher office at this time.--Former U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek

IIRC, to create/join a House, you must do so here: http://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=129548.35

Why not start your own House, the House of Joyce?

We have another thread somewhere, IIRC (that hasn't been touched since 2011).

I will support you for emperor, but after one term, if i think you have done bad job, I will run against you.

1. What Imperial House are you in?
2. Will you continue the Imperial decor while you're Emperor?

Presently, I am a member of the House of Jbrase. As for your second question, I honestly don't know. If someone wants to propose a reform package, I'm all ears - if the decor starts to get stale, it makes things less interesting; changing things up could mean more interest.

To accept Protocol I would also be to accept guilt in the event that we are forced to launch a nuclear strike against an aggressive nation. This bill could partly undermine the strength of nuclear deterrence.

Under what circumstances, specifically, do you anticipate the Republic of Atlasia will have a need to launch an indiscriminate attack upon a civilian population in the form of a nuclear first strike? Moreover, under what circumstances, specifically, do you believe the Republic of Atlasia would be subject to repercussions under international law if we just launched a nuclear first strike on another nation? How relevant will international law be when we've descended into nuclear winter?

Capriles, easily.

What's your opinion on the historical treatment of the indigenous people of Puerto Rico?

Terrible, if we're referring to the same thing, which I think we are.

We probably are. I just saw your "place without a history of racism" reference and felt the need to discuss the issue.

Anyways, when'd you end up here?

There's always Will Weatherford.

Debate, of course. Of the non-electives, probably history. Always been rather good at biology for some reason as well. My worst is math. English and French are somewhere in the middle.

Bricker/Stassen

What's your opinion on the historical treatment of the indigenous people of Puerto Rico?

I am running for Emperor of the Imperial Dominion of the South in April.

[PASSED]

Former SoEA and Imperial Legislator SJoyce stands before a large crowd at the State Capitol building in Nashville to discuss his political future

PiT has been our Emperor for the past twelve terms. However, he has declared that he shall not be seeking election in April. I am running to succeed him.

I plan to address what I'm going to do as Emperor. Before I do so, however, I'd like to discuss my record and what I've done already to serve the good people of this region.

• PASSED comprehensive education reform. The reforms contained with the 'Is Our Children Learning Act', which I authored, fundamentally reformed IDS education to make it competitive with other regions while overall increasing the quality of our education system.
• BEAUTIFIED our coastal regions through prohibiting oil drilling within 10.5 Admiralty Nautical Miles of our shores, helping our environment remain pristine.
• PROTECTED our citizenry from Satanic influences via their license plates. Sometimes we need to debate legislation to relieve stress from big reforms...
• ATTEMPTED to acquire for our region an Imperial colony in Antarctica; this was unsuccessful, but is something to consider in a future session.
• IMPROVED the recall process, by which the citizenry of our region can recall improperly-behaving officials.
• INCREASED the term for Emperor, decreasing election fatigue and making the elections more exiting affairs.
• IMPROVED the quality of life for our livestock (through Griffin's legislation introduced as an amendment to my own).
• PETITIONED the Great Dave to grant us a separate board for the IDS (or at the very least a separate regional board) to generate more interest in our regional affairs.
• IMPROVED the quality of life for our dogs and cats through reforming the standards for breeding facilities and care.
• ATTEMPTED to defeat the Federal University proposal on a regional level. That was an awful, awful law that attempted to put massive restrictions on the ability of colleges that don't accept student loans (for philosophical or fiscal reasons) to survive while increasing federal control over education. It ended up in Charleston, I believe, and I still don't like it.
• ATTEMPTED to defeat the Federal University proposal on a regional level. That was an awful, awful law that attempted to put massive restrictions on the ability of colleges that don't accept student loans (for philosophical or fiscal reasons) to survive while increasing federal control over education. It ended up in Charleston, I believe, and I still don't like it.

That, along with extensive debate on several other bills, is my record in the Imperial Legislature, and it isn't bad. I also served two terms as Secretary of External Affairs, under Polnut and then under Napoleon. Under Polnut I took several steps to contain and manage the rise of a nuclear Iran to mitigate its impact on global stability, while under Napoleon I encouraged efforts to engage more fully with the Pacific (Pivot To Asia), expanded Atlasia to include several Pacific islands, and passed lots of legislation that reformed military retirement and spending priorities. We also ratified the Law of the Sea Treaty, bringing us into international norms, and look to be on track to ratify two Protocols to the Geneva Conventions.

Now I'm throwing my hat into the ring for Emperor. PiT has been our long-serving leader for the past several years, and I intend to continue his record of dedicated public service. There continue to be reforms to be implemented and progress to be made in our region, and I fully intend to do so. I look forward to engaging with my opponents, be they to my right or left, and whoever they end up being, and working to find the correct solution for our future. I look forward to unveiling my policy proposals for our region; I've talked so far about what I've done, and in future campaign stops like this I shall talk about what I plan to do. Our region has made great steps forward over the past years: I intend to make some more. Thank y'all for your support.

He leaves the podium to great applause

ENDORSEMENTS
Wisard Ekstraordinær Maxwell (Fed-OK)
Governor Wolfentoad (Lib-CA)
Former Speaker of the Imperial Legislature ChairmanSanchez (Fed-FL)
Mideast Assembly Candidate Idaho Blue Dog Dem (Fed-KY)
Senator Oakvale (Ind-AZ)
Governor Scott (Light-NY)
IDS Legislator Jerryarkansas (Fed-AR)
Senator Napoleon (Lib-CT)
Former Northeast Representative Goldwater (Fed-DE)
IDS Legislator Dereich (Fed-FL)
Senator Benconstine (Light-VA)
Former Senator Clarence (Fed-FL)
Northeast Lt. Gov/Speaker Spenstar (Lib-NY)
Fmr. IDS Judicial Overlord Pingvin (Fed-TX)
Northeast Commerce Secretary Matt (Fed-VT)
Governor Tmthforu94 (Light-IN)
Sen. X (Ind-OH)
Pacific Councillor Superique (Lib-NV)
Fmr. Gov. Winfield (Ind-RI)