Trump's Card

[Tubby Isaacs]

https://www.tampabay.com/florida-pol...erts-weigh-in/

From 5 days ago.

As for Gillum's plan, his campaign sent a copy of a more detailed health care plan to the Times/Herald on Tuesday, which reiterated much of Gillum's stump speeches and, notably, called Medicare for All a "North Star" — a lofty aspiration worth pursuing.

But since the primary, Gillum has stepped back from Medicare for All, a Bernie Sanders-endorsed plan with a big price tag that would essentially create universal health care. DeSantis asserts such a plan will result in skyrocketing taxes.

Gillum has instead shifted to a more moderate approach: expanding Medicaid in Florida, an option allowed under the Affordable Care Act that would steer billions of federal dollars to cover an estimated 700,000 Floridians.

This is fair enough, surely?

[Tubby Isaacs]

To give you an idea of how shit Florida politics is.

Florida's Republican-controlled state Senate voted to expand Medicaid in 2015, but neither the House nor Gov. Rick Scott followed suit. Legislative leaders have already foreshadowed that unless Democrats take over the Florida Senate — which is possible but not likely — lawmakers will not cooperate with Gillum to expand Medicaid.

Maybe something you saw was Gillum not being particularly demonstrative about expanding Medicaid, because he knows he'll face this nonsense. But what he stands for, absolutely it's expanding Medicaid.

[Tactical Genius]

So we are not really sure what he has planned as he seems to be rolling back on promises before he has even got into office...............

Again, general and vague and nothing specific to black people.
What about black people who are not on or hovering just above the poverty line?

But, he wants to legalise Weed........

[Tactical Genius]

To give you an idea of how shit Florida politics is.



Maybe something you saw was Gillum not being particularly demonstrative about expanding Medicaid, because he knows he'll face this nonsense. But what he stands for, absolutely it's expanding Medicaid.

How do you know what he really stands for, do you know him personally or anyone close to him?

From me, he made a campaign promise to win votes, then U-turned when it transpired he might lose votes.
A politician that flip flops in that manner does not inspire trust.

[Tubby Isaacs]

What about black people who are not on or hovering just above the poverty line?

They'd be covered. It's up to 138% of the poverty line. Compared to 30% at the moment.

What happens to people beyond that level? I guess they pay the full oversized whack, but that's the law he's working with from US Congress. There's no chance of that getting more generous. What's he supposed to do?

I think he always supported expanding Medicaid. I don't know what he added to that before. But he can't do much more than his latest position anyhow.

[Tubby Isaacs]

How do you know what he really stands for, do you know him personally or anyone close to him?

From me, he made a campaign promise to win votes, then U-turned when it transpired he might lose votes.
A politician that flip flops in that manner does not inspire trust.

When did he not support expanding Medicaid? I don't think there's a Democrat who doesn't. It looks like he talked up Medicare for All as well, but he couldn't do that as governor of Florida. There's not really any contradiction in saying that's a longer term aim. It's like Plaid Cymru and Welsh Independence. They run in every election with it in the background, but nobody expects them to declare independence if they win a majority in the Assembly.

[Tubby Isaacs]

There's also this in Florida.

The Florida $15 Minimum Wage Initiative (Initiative #18-01) may appear on the ballot in Florida as an initiated constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020.[1]

The measure would increase the minimum wage from $8.25 (2018) to:[1]

$10.00 on September 30, 2021;
$11.00 on September 30, 2022;
$12.00 on September 30, 2023;
$13.00 on September 30, 2024;
$14.00 on September 30, 2025; and
$15.00 on September 30, 2026.
Thereafter, the minimum wage would increase or decrease each year based on changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).[1]

I don't know whether it's likely to pass. If it doesn't, the governor will be very important for the minimum wage rate. Last year it went up 15 cents.

[Flynnie]

Gillum is cautiously for single-payer, for Medicaid expansion, for making having a criminal record a protected class in employment applications, for $15, for legalizing and taxing weed - ie a major downgrade on the War on Drugs - and for tax rises to invest in education.

He's hardly running a milquetoast centrist campaign by US standards.

edit: I'm pretty sure he's for $15 much quicker than 2026 (!!!)

[Tactical Genius]

so the political policy for black people specifically is Medicaid?

Not abuse of police power?
Prosecution of people using 911 to harrass people?
Repeal stand you ground?

Those are issues facing black people specifically..... As you appear to be following his policies, has he addressed the three point above?

i'll wait.

I hope you are getting my point here?

[anton pulisov]

There's not really any contradiction in saying that's a longer term aim. It's like Plaid Cymru and Welsh Independence. They run in every election with it in the background, but nobody expects them to declare independence if they win a majority in the Assembly.

Well, if you did a poll in Wales, the majority of the people probably wouldn't support Welsh independence at this point in time. So I can understand the approach of Plaid Cymru.

70% of Americans support universal healthcare according to polls. Even a plurality of Republicans do.

So any politician in America who won't come out and say that they support universal healthcare aren't doing that because they are worried that they will lose votes. They are worried about losing funding.

[Tactical Genius]

Gillum is cautiously for single-payer, for Medicaid expansion, for making having a criminal record a protected class in employment applications, for $15, for legalizing and taxing weed - ie a major downgrade on the War on Drugs - and for tax rises to invest in education.

He's hardly running a milquetoast centrist campaign by US standards.

edit: I'm pretty sure he's for $15 much quicker than 2026 (!!!)

Legalising weed is for white people. (Btw, black people are still being arrested for weed possession in Colorado)
removing the criminal record tick box is for council jobs and not all state wide jobs.
Invest in education for whom and at what level?
as for minimum wage -jam tomorrow (possibly)

[Tubby Isaacs]

Well, if you did a poll in Wales, the majority of the people probably wouldn't support Welsh independence at this point in time. So I can understand the approach of Plaid Cymru.

70% of Americans support universal healthcare according to polls. Even a plurality of Republicans do.

So any politician in America who won't come out and say that they support universal healthcare aren't doing that because they are worried that they will lose votes. They are worried about losing funding.

He did come out and say he supported it.

But how could he do it as governor of Florida?

[WOM]

I hope you are getting my point here?

I like that you think you'd get elected in the US with 'black policy'.

[Tubby Isaacs]

People retire to Florida. How could it afford to unilaterally set up tax-payer funded universal healthcare?

[Tubby Isaacs]

so the political policy for black people specifically is Medicaid?

Not abuse of police power?
Prosecution of people using 911 to harrass people?
Repeal stand you ground?

Those are issues facing black people specifically..... As you appear to be following his policies, has he addressed the three point above?

i'll wait.

I hope you are getting my point here?

I'm not. I gave you school spending as well, and you rejected that because he hadn't specified which schools would get it, or something. I mean, do you expect him to run saying "all this extra tax will go to minority schools" or something?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Not abuse of police power?

What power does the governor have over policing? Isn't it mostly city level, hence he's talking about his role as mayor of Tallahassee?

Here he is from 3 days ago calling for the end of Stand Your Ground.

https://www.theroot.com/andrew-gillu...-st-1830188947

[caja-dglh]

Connecticut is another traditionally Democrat state where the governor's in trouble. But that's less weird because the current Democrat governor (stepping down) is spectacularly unpopular.

Even *that* is putting it mildly. It looks likely Ned will win, though probably not round my way as many folk do not like the way taxation redistributes wealth.

[anton pulisov]

He did come out and say he supported it.

But how could he do it as governor of Florida?

True, if only he were governor of a state with a huge Democratic majority, like California.

[ursus arctos]

Tubbs, a motivated governor can actually do a lot about policing if he or she is supported by an Attorney General and prosecutor's office which (as TG suggests) starts prosecuting racist cops and BBQ Beckies and stops sending black kids to jail for victimless crimes that their white counterparts are never even arrested for.

The US system has local policing, but prosecution of all but very minor crimes is a state function. It's also worth noting that a not insignificant portion of a state like Florida is not under the control of any municipal or county police force, but rather directly patrolled by the State Police.

[Tubby Isaacs]

True, if only he were governor of a state with a huge Democratic majority, like California.

I've just checked. He's not the governor of California.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Tubbs, a motivated governor can actually do a lot about policing if he or she is supported by an Attorney General and prosecutor's office which (as TG suggests) starts prosecuting racist cops and BBQ Beckies and stops sending black kids to jail for victimless crimes that their white counterparts are never even arrested for.

The US system has local policing, but prosecution of all but very minor crimes is a state function. It's also worth noting that a not insignificant portion of a state like Florida is not under the control of any municipal or county police force, but rather directly patrolled by the State Police.

Cheers. He could do that?

Are these the state police?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...ies_in_Florida

It's got fewer employees than Gloucestershire Constabulary.

[ursus arctos]

It would be politically difficult in a state like Florida (and impossible if the State Attorney General remains in the hands of the Republicans), but you seemed to believe it was constitutionally impossible.

There are thousands of state police officers in Florida. I don't see what Gloucestershire has to do with anything.

Some of the most promising advances in criminal justice reform in this country are being made by progressive district attorneys and attorneys general like Larry Krasner in Philadelphia.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/willrahn/status/1059514549517336578

[Tubby Isaacs]

It's my mistake. I looked up the Florida state cops before I responded to TG, and assumed that employees included the police officers, so it sounded tiny.

[ursus arctos]

The race in SB's district goes national

https://twitter.com/NPRinskeep/status/1059520501893218307