Home FloridaPolitics.com "Takeaways" Takeaways from Tallahassee — The C-word … ‘Compromise’ (Video)

Takeaways from Tallahassee — The C-word … ‘Compromise’ (Video)

"Florida's State Capitols" by jimmywayne is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

By Peter Schorsch

Republicans. Democrats. Independents. RINOs. Centrists. Socialists. Trumpsters. Libertarians. The Squad. Neo-Cons. Progressives. Populists. Greens. Conservatives. Globalists. Nationalists. Blue Dogs. Nativists.

In these days of polarized, paralyzed politics in Congress, it’s easy for legislators to slap a label on themselves — or have it slapped on them — to define a seemingly rock-solid, never-budging position on issues.

For the past 10 years, the nonprofit think tank No Labels has sought out lawmakers willing to shed the zero-sum thinking and reach out to others on the opposite side of the political spectrum to find common ground and — gasp — seek compromise.

“You’ve got to come to the center, treat each other civilly, talk about issues and negotiate a compromise. Not on your ethics, but take a little less than everything you want,” said Joe Leiberman, former independent U.S. Senator from Connecticut, 2000 Democratic vice presidential candidate, and now co-chair of No Labels.

He was one of a trio of people affiliated with No Labels discussing the organization’s philosophy as part of Thursday’s webcast hosted by the Institute of Politics at Florida State University. Moderating was lobbyist Al Cardenas, GOP state chairman during the 2000 recount that included candidate Leiberman, and contributing was No Labels Co-Executive Director Margaret White.

During the discussion, White highlighted a recent visit to the Mexican border by House Problem Solvers Caucus members, inspired by No Labels. The caucus includes 58 House members, evenly divided between the parties. Immigration is one issue where the panelists said compromise is possible.

“They didn’t go down looking for political press or any kind of glitz and glamour. … They were there and paying attention,” she said. “They went to see and understand (the issue) firsthand, together, side by side, Republicans and Democrats.”

Now, “they’re doing the really hard, roll-up-your-sleeves work of figuring out exactly which pieces they can get agreement on,” she continued. “They know they’re never going to get 100% agreement on everything, but if they can find that 70, 80% where they can align, that’s the bill they’re going to bring to the White House and begin working.”

The group agreed another area that could be ripe for interparty cooperation is infrastructure.

“The House Problem Solvers (and) the Senate, Common Sense Coalition are focused on infrastructure and then immigration. And both of these should be capable of being solved in a bipartisan way,” Leiberman said.

He praised Joe Biden’s spirit of bipartisanship when they served in the Senate, but would counsel the President to resist the temptation to push major reforms to pass them before the 2022 election.

“You can rush to get a lot done quickly in your first two years as president and then lose control of Congress,” Leiberman said. “I saw this happened most recently with President Obama in 2010. I think the best road ahead for getting things done that last is because they’re bipartisan, and also giving the Democrats a chance to win.”

No Labels was founded 10 years ago by CEO Nancy Jacobson. Lieberman and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican and an FSU graduate, are its co-chairmen.

No Labels was in the news this week after hiring disgraced political commentator Mark Halperin as a consultant caused controversy within its ranks because of the multiple accusations of inappropriate sexual conduct that came to light in 2017. The Washington Post reported Thursday that after the announcement of Halperin’s appointment, one staffer threatened to quit, and two others took paid leave to “(work) through how they feel about this.”

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Continue reading, the usual assortment of tidbits, leftovers and not-ready-for-prime-time moments by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Haley Brown, Renzo Downey, Jason Delgado and the staff of Florida Politics.

Take 5

The “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

Compact signed, Special Session scheduled — After months of negotiations, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a 30-year gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe. The Legislature will meet in a Special Session the week of May 17 to ratify the Compact to set aside time for a more “thorough vetting.” There’s a $2.5 billion revenue-sharing guarantee for the first five years, with $6 billion in revenue through 2030. Craps, roulette, and online sports betting get the green light. “This historic compact expands economic opportunity, tourism and recreation, and bolsters the fiscal success of our state in one fell swoop for the benefit of all Floridians and Seminoles alike,” DeSantis said in a statement.

DeSantis signs anti-riot bill — Monday feels like last month, but the Governor did sign the bill cracking down on violent protests into law this week. The bill took into effect just in time for the jury in Minnesota to release its verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial and the possible ensuing protests and/or celebrations. George Floyd’s death sparked this summer’s protests, some violent, that were the impetus for the bill. Before signing it, DeSantis called the Chauvin case “bungled.” And he sent addressed comments by U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters of California to “stay in the streets” and “get more confrontational.”

Transgender athletes bill all but dead — Legislation to limit transgender women and girls’ ability to play in women’s sports sounds like it will have to wait till next year when Senate sponsor Sen. Kelli Stargel postponed it, saying there was likely insufficient time to pass the measure. Stargel doubles as the Senate’s chief budget negotiator, and the past week has been committed to passing a budget that could top $100 billion for the first time in state history. Florida Republicans championed the proposal while it drew a sharp objection from Democrats and civil rights activists. The House passed a stricter version last week.

Lawmakers take different routes for the unemployed — Fault lines are emerging between House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson, who have been mostly in lock-step this Session. The Senate unanimously passed a bill to increase weekly unemployment checks from $275 to $375 and 12 weeks to 14 weeks. But last week, the House unanimously passed two measures to streamline and increase access to services connecting jobless Floridians to employers. Both Sprowls and DeSantis have been cold to Sprowls’ proposal. Meanwhile, budget negotiations on both matters haven’t moved, as of Friday afternoon. With one week left in Session, something’s got to give.

Budget conference update brings federal outlines — Since the previous edition of Takeaways, lawmakers have been busily deciding the haves and have-nots for the 2021-22 fiscal year. However, much of those funds hadn’t started coming into focus until late this week. Negotiators bumped the entire education sections of the budget, as did the health budget negotiators, who never publicly presented offers to each other. And they deliberately didn’t discuss American Rescue Plan funding until after the bump Monday evening. Although some agreements are emerging, Piney Point will receive $100 million, as will a new State Operations Center. Other questions are being answered, including Medicaid rates for hospitals and nursing homes.

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