Newly minted Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, has the word temperance stamped all over his head as he gears up to preside over his very first session as House speaker. Now that the state GOP doesn’t have a super majority in the Florida House, Weatherford and his party may have been forced to dial back their conservative agenda.
Democrats picked up more than a few seats to take away the Republican super majority, taking their bulk down to 76-44. That is still a deafening majority, but their veto-proof has been removed.
Yet, while Republicans are still the party of choice for Floridians, at least according to the number of elected officials in Tallahassee, they have been forced to calm their conservative train of legislation, or at least slow it down a tick.
As many Republicans still deal with the blowback from losing the Oval Office to President Obama again, Republicans now face a new demographic. As we have heard over and over and over and over and over again, Republicans can no longer just count on white men and Evangelicals to make it to the polls to prop up the party’s agenda.
Looking at the 2012 election results from a very high level, 71 percent of all Hispanics who cast a ballot voted for President Obama. 93 percent of African-Americans went for Obama and 73 percent of Asians chose Obama.
That denotes a majority and a major demographics issue for the Republican Party.
So, instead of rebuffing “Obamacare” by turning down the expanded Medicaid option or focusing on so-called school choice, Weatherford wants to create a new online university, the first in Florida’s history.
Weatherford will also take a look at voting reform, mainly how to make the voting process in Florida more efficient. On Election Day earlier this month, many residents stood in line for over four hours just to cast their ballots.
That should be something that both Democrats and Republicans can come together on, but Floridians shouldn’t hold their breath. There is sure to be plenty of bickering and fighting as to how both sides will arrive to the same conclusion.
At any rate, if state Republicans want to make inroads into the Hispanic and Asian communities, they will have to tailor their legislative efforts to suit the needs of both minority groups. If we are to judge the voting habits of both groups, they tend to lean heavily Democratic.
Even with changing demographics, new districts, and fresh information regarding how voters are starting to tilt, Republicans will still use their majority to do something that is sure to turn off a large swath of voters.
Weatherford has indicated that the state’s pension system is on his radar and he would like to have all new employees contribute to a 401(k) plan instead of the state’s pension plan. That is sure to meet heavy opposition from Democrats.
As we gear up for session to start in March, there is still plenty of time of dissect where Mr. Weatherford plans to steer the House. Judging by his comments, there will not be a strong maneuver to the right as we’ve seen in previous years.
-JH
