Watchdog.org – Page 18 – Yaël Ossowski

OSSOWSKI: So goes Florida: Bellwether bias in the battleground state

Posted on 12 July, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — It is a standard claim that has become irrefutable mantra in Sunshine State politics. “As goes the Tampa media market so goes Florida,”Tallahassee-based Democratic strategist Steve Schaletold the New York Times during the Republican presidential primary in January. “As I4 corridor goes, so goes Florida,” wrote theWashington Times editorial board at the beginning of the 2008 presidential cycle….

FL: Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s missteps on the national stage trouble re-election bid at home

Posted on 10 July, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — Often seen brandishing party talking points on national television and defending the president’s economic record in campaign speeches across the country, there are growing indications that U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, moonlighting as the Democratic National Committee chair, may need to begin defending her own record to keep her job come election…

FL: Dem firebrand Grayson picks up old tactics in race for new House seat

Posted on 9 July, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — The congressman with a knack for colorful hyperbole and an audible distaste for Republicans is back After losing District 8 to Republican Daniel Webster in the 2010 midterm elections, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson now is aiming for the newly configured and Democratic-friendly 9th Congressional District, south of Orlando….

OSSOWSKI: Federal judge returns sanity to Florida elections

Posted on 29 June, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— Honoring years of legal precedence, a federal judge has ruled that maintaining fair and legitimate voter registration rolls is probably a good idea, especially in the vote-challenged state of Florida. Previous examinations by the state yielded a list of over 200,000 suspected ineligible voters still on the registration lists across the Sunshine State —…

FL: Officials decry ‘health tax’ mandated by upheld ACA

Posted on 29 June, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Marianela Toledo and Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog MIAMI— After the Supreme Court‘s 5-4 ruling upholding the mandatory purchase of health insurance, much concern has been raised about the now-constitutional ‘health tax’ that Americans will be required to be pay. Florida officials were quick to point to the “ultimate deception” of President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress that passed…

FL: Court’s decision ‘vindication’ of Obama?

Posted on 28 June, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— The kindling that has been fueling partisan debates and sparking protests during the past three years has finally met its fate in the Supreme Court. All measures adopted by the Congress were upheld by the court, including the provision requiring insurance coverage and the expansion of Medicaid. The Patient Protection…

FL: Could the next ‘Big One’ ruin the GOP’s $123 million coronation?

Posted on 27 June, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA — If this past week in the Tampa Bay area is any indication, attendees of the 2012 Republican National Convention should prepare themselves for a week of proposed reforms, party platforms — and tropical storms. He said it’s impossible to predict if the ‘Big One’ will be headed Tampa’s way…

FL: Is Rick Scott bucking the party line on immigration or faced with realities of office?

Posted on 26 June, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— It seems that after 17 months in office, Gov. Rick Scott is ready to change his mind as to what constitutes immigration reform. Surrounded by reporters after addressing the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials inOrlando on June 22, Scottexpressed a much more pragmatic approach to dealing with immigration than was heard in…

FL: As hurricane season begins, lawmakers look to phase out state-subsidized insurance

Posted on 25 June, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— Ravaging Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sunday and Monday, the rains and winds brought by Tropical Storm Debby made quite an indelible mark on the Sunshine State. Not just because it was the fourth named tropical system of the official hurricane season and brought on record rainfall totals and wind damage in such a…

FL: As nation awaits court ruling on health care, Sunshine State in spotlight

Posted on 22 June, 2012 | Watchdog.org

By Yaël Ossowski | Florida Watchdog TAMPA— As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares its decision on the national health-care law, it is no mistake that President Barack Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney are sweeping across the Sunshine State in a campaigning frenzy. Romney is speaking Thursday in Orlando at the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed…