Merge Left

Governor Rick Scott conducts a staff meeting

Apparently the guy who delivered his state’s budget directly to the Tea Party is, mysteriously, finding some difficulty governing:

The governor doesn’t understand there is a State Constitution and that we have three branches of government,” said State Senator Mike Fasano, a Republican from New Port Richey who upset Mr. Scott with rough handling of his staff during a testy committee hearing. “They are talking about the attitude that he is still the C.E.O. of his former health care corporation, and that is not going to work in this state, in Tallahassee, in my district. The people believe in three branches of government.”

Republican lawmakers in Florida were hoping for a smoother transition. Instead, they say, they got top-down management from a political novice.

Who knew?!  Apparently a candidate who hates the way government works and panders to loons who want to privatize the police department, once elected, can’t be counted on to participate in a centuries old process of governance.

If only the Florida GOP could have seen this coming.  If only the Florida voters could have seen this coming.  It’s not as if this guy had a long history of fraud and corruption to base their decision on:

[...] federal investigators found that Scott took part in business practices at Columbia/HCA that were later found to be illegal — specifically, that Scott and other executives offered financial incentives to doctors in exchange for patient referrals, in violation of federal law, according to lawsuits the Justice Department filed against the company in 2001.

The doctor payments were among 10 different kinds of fraud identified by the Justice Department in its 10-year probe of the company, records show. Three years after Scott left Columbia/HCA, the company admitted wrongdoing, pleading guilty to 14 felonies — most committed during Scott’s tenure — in addition to paying two sets of fines totaling $1.7 billion.

Look, Florida, let’s talk about this frankly, shall we?

I know you guys down there in Our Nation’s Wang take a lot of guff from those of us who don’t live in malarial swamps.  From setting tourists on fire to ceding governmental control to a ruthless corporation to making it so progressives have to listen to centrists lecture them about Ralph Nader for the rest of recorded history, your self esteem is probably pretty low.

But, really, if a guy runs on the premise that he’ll run the state like a corporation, you should probably go ahead and assume that he’ll run the state like a corporation.  Which is to say, with no concern for anyone but those at the top, treating the rank-and-file like disposable cogs and disregarding any long term consequences for moves made to make a short-term gain.

On the other hand, it’s plutocratic maniacs like Scott who have ginned up enthusiasm for excellent groups like NACA, US Uncut, the Wisconsin Movement, and National People’s Action.  So maybe there’s a lesson to be learned from all of this, and maybe the American people (even Floridians!) are willing to listen.

UPDATE! I found a great site that follows thevvarious misadventures of America’s First Lich Governor, with what might be my favor banner graphic ever.