Sink concedes to Scott in governor's race

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: St. Petersburg Times

UPDATE

Democrat Alex Sink conceded the governor's race Wednesday to Republican Rick Scott.

+++

The outcome of the governor's race was still unclear Wednesday morning, more than 12 hours after the polls closed across Florida.

The state's unofficial tally had Republican Rick Scott ahead of Democrat Alex Sink by 72,007 votes, with 5.2 million cast. But that total was clouded by delayed counts in Palm Beach County.

"We know we're going to win,'' Scott declared. "We have won.''

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/sink-concedes-to-scott-in-governors-race/1132006

[babylonsister]

1. Aw shit. I can't believe that crook was voted in.

:grr:

[Inuca]

7. Disgusting beyond words, isn't it?

I feel like screaming, I really do. I am still keeping my fingers crossed for Quinn in IL where I live.

[lunasun]

19. Me too and Bean also - cant believe what happened in IL

[flvegan]

2. We're officially screwed.

Thanks fellow Floridians. Proof that still more than half of us are clueless shitwits.

[Divine Discontent]

11. it goes beyond 'clueless'. it goes to fascism. this is how it always starts - a bad economy bringing

in the most reprehensible lot of characters who are downright scary!

Apparently to the majority of voters in FL, it's perfectly fine to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from the taxpayers, lie about knowing about it even though you were warned, and then take the 5th 75 times when being questioned about it in depositions.

As long as one says, "work" and "jobs" a few hundred thousand times in commercials and fliers, and his mommy says "he's a good boy" - that's perfectly fine.

My arms are aching after I stood on a super busy intersection all day yesterday waving a Sink sign to thousands of cars - sadly, not too many of them took the 15 minutes to go vote to prevent a deplorable man from entering office. I talked to many people over the past few months about him, and you just can't get through to these people that just vote straight down party lines because they think that is how to vote. That's not a recipe for ignorance, no, not at all. This is about as much of a black eye for FL as one can get...

At this point, it doesn't surprise me when "batshit crazy" wins at the polls, Christine O'Donnell just needed another 10 points and she'd be a senator, Paul wins big despite being clearly nuts, Mario Rubio (as a supporter of him called Marco yesterday) is a fascist and won huge here - it all points to FEAR.

So we're going to have even more gridlock, and worse, state govt's are being taken over by outright criminals that will gut education in Ohio and Florida, two of the largest states, and we're going to be hurting even more.

Critical thinking appears lost in this country when someone like Rick Scott, with his history, can win the governor's office.



Think you know everything there is to know about Rick Scott, the guy you can’t get off your TV in Florida? Here are some things about him that are nauseating.

1. He is not an “outsider.” — Not only has Rick Scott cowed the Florida GOP establishment, he was already a crony of the Bush family, having co-owned the Texas Rangers with George W. Bush. A former Bush White House staffer has signed onto the Scott campaign, and with Jeb also in his corner, it should be clear to anyone who’s paying attention that far from being a tea party insurgency, the Scott run is more of a white table cloth rebellion by corporate titans who long for the long-lost Dubya era of tax cuts (for them) and deregulation of their industries. Looked at that way, both the McCollum and Scott campaigns were Bush restorations of a sort, which makes it easier to see why Jeb is cool with the outcome either way.

2. He didn’t always have a beef with “career politicians” — In fact, during the 2008 election cycle, Scott gave more than $45,000 to rather doctrinaire politicians like Mitt Romney, and about $30,000 to tea party anathema John McCain. He’s even given thousands of dollars to pro-”pathway to citizenship” immigration moderate Mel Martinez, to moderate Connie Mack, and to the blood bank of political careerism, the Republican National Committee.

3. He is not necessarily going to go all Meg Whitman on Florida. — Scott is now in such firm control of the party that used to hate him (but now just fears him), he’s bragging that he “probably” won’t have to spend his own cash through November (which is supposed to be the point of nominating a guy who can self-fund…) meaning he’ll get the special interests that back McCollum to start writing checks, or someone might get hurt… UPDATE: Scott has also begun hiring Bill McCollum’s fundraising team.

4. The fraud committed by his former company, Columbia/HCA, was worse than you think. — According to the 2003 press release from what was by then the Bush Justice Department, relating to an investigation that began in the Clinton years, the $1.7 million fine the company paid was the largest in history, involved criminal, not just civil fraud, stretched back to the Reagan era, and even involved defrauding the healthcare system used by our military.

[jae1227]

20. To be fair Rick "Lex Luthor" Scott only won 49% of the vote, not a majority

[Divine Discontent]

28. true... too bad we don't have a runoff for not reaching 50%... people that failed to go vote would

do so. So many are freaking about Scott getting it... I can only hope for the 1 in a million shot that she somehow gets to within a 1/2 percent and a recount goes. I think that is forced, if it gets close.

[BootinUp]

3. Where is her concession statement?

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. CNN streamed it live on their website a few minutes ago

[demwing]

5. FUCK ME I live in the stupidest damn state.

unbelieveable.....

[Roland99]

8. I left KY for this??

:-(

[Inuca]

6. All I can say

:banghead: x 1000

[obama14]

9. We all know how FL and OH govs are important! n/t

[Divine Discontent]

13. to say the least... how shameful of the majority of voters. In Ohio,

my friend is a professor, and her sibling is a jr high teacher - and their parents voted for KASICH against their children's futures in education. The adult children told the parents please do not be one-issue voters (abortion) because there is nothing you can do to stop that issue. Sadly, they changed their minds in the final day, and voted against their own children.

Why do people do this? FEAR. And yet, they allow them (fox, am radio) to do it.

[lupinella]

10. AAAaarrgghhhh!!!!

I... Hate... my... State!
:grr:

[and-con]

12. Ouch

so Floridians can kiss our teachers, law enforcement, corrections personnel, and all those nifty state pensions good bye. Yep, this will be fun.

[Divine Discontent]

14. yep - and any of those people you mentioned that voted for Skeletor are easily led by fear.

Fear makes people do crazy things - like vote for shady characters.

Yep, this is gonna be 'fun'. What a disaster. Poor Alex! Poor people of FL! I saw they said Repubs didn't really dislike Alex, but they just couldn't vote for a "D". Really??? REALLY????? You're gonna subject the state to THIS because your sensitivities will be threatened if you vote for a Democrat? You sick people....

[totodeinhere]

15. This is more bad news. I was hoping that Sink could pull it out. n/t

[piggy2000]

16. WHY CONCEDE?????

What is wrong in Florida? You are supposed to wait until the votes are counted if the race is this close.

Such a loss and such poor decision by the candidate.

[Freddie Stubbs]

17. There aren't enough uncounted votes to make up the margin between Scott and Sink

[florida08]

18. damn

this state is so corrupt..we are so screwed.

[No Elephants]

21. Unindicted felon.

"Scott, 57, heads to Tallahassee as the state's most unconventional leader since Claude Kirk in 1966: He built the nation's largest hospital empire but was forced out as CEO as the federal government launched an investigation that led to historic fines for Medicare fraud.

Scott was a first-time political candidate who barely met the seven-year residency requirement for governor and once invoked the Fifth Amendment 75 times in a sworn deposition stemming from a business-related lawsuit."

[boobooday]

22. Crazy Bald Head!

Get me out of here!

:argh: :scared:

[Odin2005]

23. The Banana Republic of Florida.

[SugarShack]

24. She was within the recount area before Crist changed the law to go with paper ballots. Why not count

"The former housing secretary held a lead of 79,067 votes out of more than 7.1 million counted in his campaign to become the nation's first Cuban-American senator.

Florida's revamped election system was tested by a possible record turnout. Lines began forming 90 minutes before polls opened, and after they closed, some voters waited more than six hours to cast ballots.

But in many places the wait to vote was brief, and problems reported were mostly minor."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2004/fl.htm

then...from DU:
Rep Group withdraws suit for recount of amendment 4 in FL
Amendment 4 is the gambling/slots amendment and this suit was filed right after election day due to questionable absentee ballots, so a republican chair of no casinos filed a lawsuit for a recount. I am now reading they are dropping the lawsuit, which leads me to question why. This is the second suit dropped by the republican party in fl since election. Does anyone have any other info on this? I am just wondering if the repubs are being pressured because they know if the ballots are counted for amendment 4 than wouldn't they also have to record votes for president by hand also? Link below.

http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/New...

I would want to count every paper ballot. You will find the votes for Sink.

[BeFree]

25. Yep

Except........ my gawd, if they found any problems it would be like 2000 all over again. And that is the last thing the Fl Dem Party wants. Might make the bushies mad.

[Colonel Bat Guano]

26. Is there a scenario where she unconcedes?

I thought FL had a law that stipulates an automatic recount if the results narrow to within half a percentage point of the total vote.

If absentee, military votes, etc. are still being counted statewide, it doesn't seem impossible to me that Sink can close the gap to reach that threshold.

That undervoting number of about 90K referenced in another thread is kind of interesting too.

I know Sink and her advisors would know where to look and how to count. I'm wondering if maybe conceding early was a political move (to avoid "Sore Loserman" stuff for clinging to a final count), and if they are planning to jump back in if the numbers trigger an automatic recount? You know, "I wasn't going to push it, but the voice of the people must be heard"?

Yeah, I know. Long shot. But I can dream, can't I?

[Divine Discontent]

27. the election law is the law. so I agree with you if the #'s are there...