By J.C. Bruce
Big names in American politics are heading to the Sunshine State this week to stump for their parties’ midterm election candidates.
Former President Bill Clinton will make his first campaign appearance of the election season, joining Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly at an evening interfaith event in Hollywood on Tuesday—exactly two weeks before Election Day.
Jolly, a former Republican congressman, easily won the Democratic nomination for governor in the August primary election and now faces Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples.
Speaking of whom, no stranger to Florida, Donald Trump has announced he, too, will be campaigning in the state—for Donalds—at a campaign appearance in Fort Myers on Friday.
This follows Donalds' modification of his campaign website to minimize Trump’s presence despite receiving the president’s endorsement. Reports detailing this have infuriated Trump.
“This was a Fake Story, with no sources, and the only justification for it is they want to stop my ever-upward momentum,” Trump said.
That momentum certainly isn’t in the polls, which show that 64 percent of Americans disapprove of his performance—and that’s from FOX News.
Earlier, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was in Florida stumping for congressional candidate Eliott Rodriguez in Miami. He’s challenging incumbent Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar.
Jeffries also headlined a fundraiser for Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who is running in a newly drawn district after a remapping designed by Gov. Ron DeSantis dismantled his old one.
And as Tropic Press reported earlier, Sen. Bernie Sanders is barnstorming the state with U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon, making four stops over the weekend.
Why all the attention?
A combination of a blue wave and a red rip tide has political gurus believing Florida could be in play this election, despite Republicans’ 1.5 million lead in voter registration.
In Moskowitz’s case, for example, The Cook Political Report this week changed his race against Republican Scott Singer from “toss-up” to “leans Democratic.”
The tide is changing.
That Was the Week That Was
Nationwide No Kings rallies
Demonstrators in Florida and across the country turned out Saturday for about 3,000 No Kings Day rallies to encourage people to vote—especially early.
In Florida, state law requires polls to open early this coming Saturday for 10 days, although many counties will begin sooner in the week.
Check here for information about your county on the Tropic Press News2Use page:
Perhaps the best quote of the day came at a rally in Atlanta when City Councilman Michael Julian Bond told the crowd:
“The Constitution gives you one power, right? That is the power to vote. Are you gonna use that power? You don’t see Superman giving up his power. You don’t see Black Panther giving up his power. You don’t see Wonder Woman giving up her magic lasso. So why would you give up your right, your power, your obligation to vote? Be a superhero, use your power. Go to the polls and vote.”
DeSantis requests disaster aid
Gov. Ron DeSantis has asked the federal government to declare northern Florida a major disaster area after Hurricane Isaias swept through the region.
Assuming Trump approves the request, federal assistance will be available for residents in eight Northwest Florida counties.
Matt Gaetz sued
Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz is facing allegations of sex trafficking by two women who filed a lawsuit against him and two other men in federal court.
The women, identified as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, accuse Gaetz, former Florida state Rep. Chris Dorworth, and Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, of “recruitment and sexual exploitation” from 2017 through January 2019 — while Gaetz was a sitting member of Congress. The lawsuit relies in part on a House Ethics Committee report that concluded Gaetz paid roughly a dozen women for sex between 2017 and 2020.
Meme of the Week
Quote of the Week
"Is this for you, Katie, because honestly you don't need this; you don't have to be treated the … she's been treated, uh, I would say pretty nastily."
—Donald Trump after he fired his latest press secretary, Katie Zacharia, after less than a week on the job.
Letter of the Week
“How about the next Press Secretary name of Kaybeden? It fits like a glove. It's Turkish for LOSER. Look it up! Ha!”
—Ray Sullivan MD
Looking Ahead
When I’m not writing this newsletter, I also scribble a current-events column for Florida Weekly. You should check it out. Here are some snippets, from there and elsewhere, to help guide your week ahead. (Paid subscribers to this newsletter have full access to the complete Onward Thru the Fog archive.)
Oct. 18. National Meatloaf Appreciation Day. While no single person is credited with inventing meatloaf, the earliest recorded recipes date to ancient Rome.
Oct. 19. Evaluate Life Day. It’s better with meatloaf.
Oct. 20. National Day on Writing. Why do writers write? Let me spell it out for you: Because we like to eat. Hence all the annoying pitches for paid subscriptions.
Oct. 21. Back to the Future Day. On this day in 1989, Marty McFly, Doc Brown, and Jennifer Parker time-traveled in Back to the Future Part II, arriving at 4:29 p.m. on October 21, 2015. Which is now in our past, so to get there again we’d need a new movie, Forward to the Past Part I or something.
Oct. 22. National Color Day. This isn’t about our actual national colors—red, white, and blue. It’s about how colors affect human moods. Green, for instance, lowers anxiety while pink relaxes muscles. Allegedly.
Oct. 23. Swallows Depart from San Juan Capistrano Day. They do it every year on this day and return around March 19. How do they do this? Starlink, of course, assuming Elon Musk doesn’t throttle it down like he did last week in Ukraine.
Oct. 24. National Make a Difference Day. By law, early voting starts today in Florida, although some counties may already have polls open. Want to make a difference? Use your superpower: Vote.
Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines
In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week. Click on the headlines to read the stories.
BREAKING NEWS: After only 14 minutes on the job, Trump fires his latest press secretary
Top Democrats on the Florida midterm ballot drawing support from around the nation
Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine will go down as one of the most disgraceful in history
ASK THE BIRD: Hey, can I get a job as White House press secretary? I’m a blonde!
COMMENTARY: Bernie Sanders on why Angie Nixon deserves Florida voters’ support
One final No Kings rally before the election--this time to encourage early voting
DeSantis exercises ‘unprecedented’ power to label groups ‘domestic terrorists’
News2Use
Need to find your polling place or contact your elections office? Check out the latest section on the Tropic Press website, News2Use, a handy reference library with links to useful voting information.
Thanks for your support
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Our goal is to reach as many voters as possible, increase engagement in the political process, and, hopefully, raise interest in voting.
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Thanks.
J.C. Bruce
