OPINION: Will Honeymoon in Tallahassee Last Long?

By Rick Thomason, The Destin Log, Fla.

Feb. 10–TALLAHASSEE — Somehow the story always begins the same.

The newly elected governor — regardless of his political affiliation — rolls into Tallahassee with one of his highest priorities being to get Democrats and Republicans to work together for the good of the people of Florida.

We hear talk of setting aside differences. Whispers of bipartisan legislation drift in the governmental winds.

Then … there’s reality. Democrats arrive with one set of ideas. Republicans arrive with another. Utopia disintegrates before it ever fully materializes.

So far 2007 is proving different. Or is it?

At last week’s Associated Press Florida Legislative Planning Session, the state’s highest elected officials paraded to the microphone and proclaimed a new day in Tallahassee. Cooperation runs at its highest level in recent memory and signs of it waning rarely rear their ugly heads.

That’s the party line from most. You almost expect them to form a ring, holding hands, and break into a rousing campfire version of “Kumbaya.” Almost.

The fires of collaboration seem to burn with some sustainability after the special session in which the Legislature addressed homeowner’s insurance rates in the state. That one session clearly brought the two parties together for a common cause.

Whether you agree or not with what they did, it was remarkable that they came from so far apart in seven short days.

At the AP session, Gov. Charlie Crist started the day with a talk where he repeatedly thanked both the Democrats and Republicans for the “positive working relationship that has already been established.”

Crist set the tone for what would become a procession of senators and representatives almost giddy over the positive mood and spirit of cooperation in Tallahassee.

Senate Democratic Leader Steve Geller — who certainly had the most entertaining sense of humor — turned quite serious when he said, “The tone in Tallahassee is a night and day difference between Gov. Crist and the last administration.

“Our new governor is more a populist. Gov. Bush was a staunch Republican who refused to support anything proposed by any Democrat.”

Crist and Co. clearly have turned heads in Tallahassee.

While the winds blow clear and positive, an underlying caution rightfully stands in the shadows. House Democratic leader Dan Gelber isn’t afraid to position himself as the voice of that caution.

“The last election was clearly a correction,” the outspoken Gelber said.

“Just as the economic markets go through corrections, so does the political climate.”

Gelber insists that when the dust settles, there will be a new dynamic in Tallahassee.

“Gov. Bush was clearly an ideologue with a pronounced libertarian streak,” Gelber said. “He was a floor general who lost few battles.

“By contrast, Gov. Crist is a populist and not bound by severe philosophies like his predecessor. The Legislature is going to have more say with this administration. We’ll be willing to challenge the governor.”

Gelber added, “There will be days when I and my fellow Democrats will praise the governor, and there will be days when we are vocal in our disagreement. And that’s the way it should be. We have two political parties so we have a diversity of ideas.”

House Speaker Mario Rubio agreed.

“Bipartisanship is the most misunderstood word in politics in Tallahassee today,” Rubio explained. “It doesn’t mean Democrats should morph into Republicans, not Republicans into Democrats.

“What it does mean is that they should come to agreement on what tomorrow looks like for the state of Florida. It has to be about problem solving. And it just might mean admitting someone else’s idea is better than yours.”

When will the honeymoon end in Tallahassee this year? Probably sooner than later. But don’t expect this marriage to sour completely. Maybe it will just find a nice comfort zone. And that will certainly be a positive when compared to recent history.

Rick Thomason is The Log’s publisher and can be reached at (850) 654-8422 and rick_thomason@link. freedom.com.

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