Floridians vote...

No one needs to tell a Floridian how important it is to vote. We are constantly reminded of our states election blunders and the hundred of votes that decided the President. This increased voter accountability results in many potentially adverse effects. Voters here scrutinize candidates and thanks to the states 27 electorates there are many opportunities for candidate “face time.”

Florida has historically had high voter turn out in elections. The strength of the primary vote tells us that party bases here are strong.

The economy is the #1 issue nation but the state has been hit hard by the housing bubble pop especially with increasing insurance cost in the region. Faith is running low when it comes to economic topics statewide. The politically fresh-faced Obama tends to have the lead on this topic but that may not hold true in Florida. Remember, Mitt Romney with his deep seeded economic background did well in this state

The NYTimes recent article titled "As Homes Are Lost, Fears That Votes Will Be," Too outlined the challenge for exciting ex-homeowners in this election. A logistical problem, many of those displaced citizens were unaware that they needed to update their voter registration. “Our biggest concern is that many of these voters will stay home or that poll workers will give misinformation,” said Rosemary E. Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, which oversees voting.


What’s race got to do with it?

A constant challenge for both candidates in the state is the Jewish population. They are unimpressed with the Palin pick but even wearier of all things Obama. These are Hillary people. The Clintons understand and respect this demographic. Former President Clinton said that he would not campaign during the Jewish holiday Rosh Hasanah that will take him off line from sundown Monday to sunrise Wednesday.

An elderly woman recently told the Daily Show, bluntly, "A lot of Jewish white people here will not vote for a black man." Well there you have it!

The 1st presidential debate held at the University of Mississippi failed to address a crucial section of foreign policy… Iran/Israel. Click here for the complete transcript.

McCain did say, “Now we cannot a second Holocaust. Let's just make that very clear. “

Obama responded with, “Senator McCain is absolutely right, we cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran. It would be a game changer. Not only would it threaten Israel, a country that is our stalwart ally, but it would also create an environment in which you could set off an arms race in this Middle East.”

McCain brought up Obama’s desire “sit down with Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Raul Castro without precondition. Without precondition… Ahmadinejad, who is, Ahmadinejad, who is now in New York, talking about the extermination of the State of Israel, of wiping Israel off the map, and we're going to sit down, without precondition, across the table, to legitimize and give a propaganda platform to a person that is espousing the extermination of the state of Israel, and therefore then giving them more credence in the world arena and therefore saying, they've probably been doing the right thing, because you will sit down across the table from them and that will legitimize their illegal behavior.”

This was as close as an answer the Jewish community received on each candidate’s stance on Israel.

It's Late Septemeber in an Election Year...

There is a cool breeze in the air, football and political ads fill up television air time. It’s late September during an election year. The baseball diamond is on fire as the race for October heats up. It’s late September during an election year. The Presidential hopefuls are bring out the big guns and stirring up trouble. Proof that it’s late September during an election year.

Here are this weekend’s headlines from the Sunshine State:

The Republican National Committee and McCain mass mailed Republican “Party Affiliation voter registration cards” to Democrats all across the state. The mailer was sent to voters of all ages. Many voters we left felling confused and called local officials to voice their concerns. RNC spokesperson, Amber Wilkerson, said it was a routine fundraiser intended for Republicans much like the ones used previously. "In the event that it was sent to Democrats, we correct our internal file to ensure that that doesn't happen in the future," she says.

Obama’s here!

Obama and his campaign are making up for lost time here in Florida. Since the state party moved up the primary the two major candidates chose not to campaign here. Obama spent a long weekend here telling donors in Miami “I’ll tell you, we can win this thing without Florida, but boy, it’s a lot easier if we win Florida.” He will travel up the coast to Daytona Beach and close the day with a women’s rally in Jacksonville.

The following video is from his Miami Rally:



His rally Saturday night drew 12,000 onlookers and many more looked on from the outskirts of Metropolitan Park.

Initial reports from the St. Petersburg Times The Buzz and the LA Times say that Obama will be making another trip to state midweek in hopes of cramming for his 1st one-on-one debate with McCain at Ole Miss Friday night. Currently, there are no scheduled appearances. Déjà vu? Gore set up camp twice in Florida in 2000 before his debates…

The hottest VP in the hottest State

Palin continues to work wonders in specific demographics for McCain. The Alaskan Governor spent her weekend in Central Florida at the retirement community “The Villages.” Depending on the source you chose to site, attendance ranged from 25,000 to 60,000 on a traditionally warm September afternoon. This was Palin’s first campaign visit to the state and the only public appearance. The Palin Family spent time at “the happiest place on earth” …unless you’ve been there in the summer…
Disney World.

The following video is from her rally in Lady Lake, Fl. Sadly, there are no pics of Trig at the Magic Kingdom.

Appearing this week...

From tampabay.com's Political Editor

John McCain will conclude a two-day swing through the states most populated cities. Monday he visited Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami. Today, McCain will host his first post-convention rally at the Tampa Convention Center.

Obama’s camp plans to fundraise in Miami’s elite Coral Cables neighborhood but not public appearances have been scheduled.

Sunday, Gov. Sarah Palin plans to visit the retiree-filled Villages no doubt attracting a huge crowd. This is will Palin’s 1st appearance in the state.

And the 27 electoral votes go to…

Sen. John McCain!

For the last two Presidential cycles, the national election theater spotlighted the most southern state in the Union, Florida. The curse of the chad… They were pregnant, hanging and blistered. The next President of the United States held in the balance of a few counties in South Florida. The state government has focused funds and efforts on previsions to avoid national embarrassment a third time.

A few factors leading to a GOP win

Gov. Charlie Crist- The popular 1st term governor gave McCain a well-timed endorsement, which clinched the nomination. Crist was also rumored to be on McCain’s short list for VP until the surprising announcement of Sarah Palin.

Retirees- The median age continues to drop in the state but the fact remains that the area invites the country's retirees. This generation votes touting the highest turnout across the demographics. The state houses hundred of thousands of veterans according to the National Journal’s Almanac 15 percent of population identifies themselves as vets.

State Legislature – A Republican dominated state House and Senate allows for increased party support and movement around the state.

Challenges

The Hispanic Vote – Florida cannot be won without the almost 3 million Hispanic-origin Floridians. Strong racial divisions between the Hispanic and African American community may prove to be a challenge for the Obama-Biden ticket.

The South Florida Jewish Community—Historically, major Democrat supporters and voters, the Jewish community remains skittish over Sen. Obama as outlined by a recent Financial Times article. “There are some people who still believe Obama is a Muslim or that he is not a friend of Israel,” says Randy Wolfgang. Some resentment has risen over Obama’s choice to send the popular former First Lady to campaign in the region on his behalf. McCain’s choice of an enthusiastic pro-life Christian does not resonate much better.

Obama's Challenge

The Orlando Sentinel published an article identifying a potential problem for the Democratic ticket in the Sunshine State, attracting the Hispanic vote.

It is imperative for Obama to prove himself as the candidate who can go beyond the everyday stereotyped differences that separate blacks and Hispanics.

For many it comes down to a matter of employment, those who previously hired African-Americans now find Hispanic to be equal but economically more desirable, cheaper.

A 2006 protest on immigration reform featured the Hispanic community even though African-American leadership supported the effort their people did not join in.

Former President of the Orange branch NAACP said, “I don't think there's been a great effort on the part of the African-American and Latino communities to join efforts.” A potential saving grace; Hispanics in Central Florida, 14 percent of the regions registered voters, are predominantly Democratic and fiercely loyal to party affiliations.

Welcome

Welcome to the state of Florida's page for the Southern Methodist Election Project. The Corporate Communication and Public Affairs department's Political Communications class will be charting all 50 states in the Union during the 2008 Election Season.