Joy-Ann Reid on Rick Scott

Joy-Ann Reid shares the same thoughts that I had on Rick Scott's budget disaster. Reid shares my sentiment that unveiling the budget at a tea party rally and not to the general public is political stupidity.

He doesn't understand the difference between campaigning and governing. Scott unveiled his budget plan at a tea party gathering. And while that might make Florida's tea party activists feel important, the election is over. Scott is going to have to come to terms with the fact that while he didn't win the majority of Florida's support, he is stuck governing everybody, including people who are not part of the tea party movement. By unveiling his plans at a highly partisan gathering that represents a third of Floridians at best, Scott revealed that he is more interested in positioning himself ideologically than behaving as a statesman.

The problem with Scott is at heart he is scared to death of facing the public. It takes a great deal of political cowardness to, at the last minute, have his mother speak in his place at the Boca Raton Republican Club. Scott has enough problems speaking to a Republican audience. There is no chance Scott will have the courage to discuss his budget in a townhall meeting with moderate voters.

Scott is not a good enough politician to to stage a late rally like President Barack Obama did last December. Obama's Afghanistan and economic policies have been disasters. Polls show the public uneasy about the economy and Afghanistan. Obama has managed to make the public ignore his policy failure through his impressive political skills. Rick Scott has none of Obama's gifts.

Scott's already low poll numbers will sink because he can't sell his policies. I consider that a good thing. The only thing working in Scott's favor is the Florida Democratic Party is so incompetent that they can't stage an effective attack against the Governor. Hint to Rod Smith and Eric Jotkoff: Scott is going to endangers the lives of Floridians by denying organ transplants. Pound that message.