Wanted to flag Politico’s Florida Playbook this morning where Bill Nelson’s handling of shutting down the government has been characterized as a “swing-and-a-miss.” With the next vote to end the Schumer Shutdown scheduled for noon today, will Nelson side with his liberal bosses in Washington or finally admit he was wrong to shut down the government?
From FL Playbook:
BILL’S BLUNDER – For Nelson, it was a swing-and-a-miss, and his office knew it. Nelson sent out an initial statement shortly after the shutdown that was generic, devoid of any Florida-specific impacts, and read like it could have been ripped from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s script. It focused on the shutdown “hurting our national security,” and Nelson’s hope the shutdown would be brief. Then on Sunday – more than 30 hours after his first statement – Nelson’s office gave it another try, sending out a statement explaining “another main reason” he voted against the short-term spending bill: hurricane funding.
“Another reason I voted against the Continuing Resolution Friday night was that it omitted the desperately needed hurricane disaster assistance to help Florida recover,” read the new statement, polished up to include Florida specific talking-points. “Especially hurt is Florida’s citrus industry, which lost most of its oranges in the storm. They are now teetering on the brink of bankruptcy unless we can get them some help immediately.”
WHAT ABOUT DACA? – Including the name of the state Nelson represents: Check. Stressing Irma funding: Check. Mention of one of the Florida’s institutional industries: Check. Discussing the main reason Democrats say they’re shutting down the government (legalizing the status of immigrants in the expiring Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program)? No check. Why? When or if the time comes the heavy hitters on Scott’s political team will be well-positioned to knock Nelson’s re-do into orbit.
BASHING BILL – The National Republican Senatorial Committee this weekend went up with a Facebook video ad targeting Nelson and the Republican National Committee tells the Tampa Bay Times that it’s robocalling Florida voters over the shutdown. While Nelson is likely to take a hit for his shutdown vote, how much will non-base Republican voters blame the Democrats and not the GOP, which controls the House, Senate and the White House?”