A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
Today’s Rise and Shine Fact-iversary is brought to you by Sachs Media Group, the firm best known for smart, strong and strategic counsel across the diverse and ever-changing media landscape: If you ever wondered why Florida’s capital is in out-of-the-way but beautiful Tallahassee, you can thank a man who was born 230 years ago today. William Pope Duval, Florida’s first civilian territorial governor, selected the small Native American village to be the capital because it was midway between the territory’s two largest cities, Pensacola and St. Augustine. In that smart, strategic gesture of public relations, it also became one of the first major political compromises in Florida history.
Now, on to the ‘burn.
DAYS TO THE MIDTERMS: 61
GOP LEADS IN GENERIC BALLOT AS MOST SEE NATION OFF TRACK
A new George Washington University Battleground Poll finds that 70 percent of likely voters nationwide feel that the country is on the wrong track. Just 21 percent say that the nation is headed in the right direction.
Republicans hold an edge on a generic congressional ballot, 46 percent to 42 percent. In states with a competitive U.S. Senate race, the GOP has a 16-point advantage on this generic ballot, 52 percent to 36 percent.
“All of these measures exceed where the GOP was at this point in the 2010 cycle,” said pollster Ed Goeas:
RICK SCOTT’S LATEST TV AD TAKES CHARLIE CRIST TO TASK OVER JOBS
Gov. Scott attacks Charlie Crist on jobs and the economy in a new TV ad released by the Republican Party of Florida.
“Right Direction” is the 30-second spot featuring Scott speaking to a group of workers about Crist’s jobs performance.
“Charlie Crist lost 832,000 jobs when he was governor,” Scott says. “But not today. Today we are heading in the right direction.”
“Rather than stay and fix the mess he created, (Crist) tried to run away to Washington to further his own political career,” said RPOF chair Leslie Dougher in a statement Wednesday. “But from day one, Rick Scott has focused on solutions that help all Floridians. He’s cut taxes 40 times, including $500 million this year, and the results speak for themselves.”
Dougher added that Florida has created over 600,000 jobs in the past last three years.
“We’re not done yet,” she added. “Rick Scott’s action – not Charlie Crist’s empty talk – has helped Florida head in the right direction.”
“Right Direction” will begin running on Thursday, and is now available on YouTube.
WHAT THE GOV’S OFFICE IS READING – FLORIDA EXPORTS CREATE 275,000 JOBS, FEDS SAY via Laura Green of the Palm Beach Post
Goods exported from Florida created more than 275,000 jobs in 2013, according to a new report released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
This is the first time the Commerce Department has released such data, intended to highlight jobs created by the $2.3 trillion in goods exported from the United States in 2013, the most recent year for which data is available.
A second report focused on the regions with the largest exports in each state. In Florida, the region including West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami accounted for 67 percent of state exports, according to the Commerce Department data. Florida’s exports account for just 4 percent of U.S. exports.
WHAT THE GOV.’S OFFICE WANTS YOU TO WATCH – MOST FLORIDIANS GAINED IN STATE TAX CUTS via Garin Flowers of WTSP News
Gov. Scott is not shy talking about his plan to cut $500 million in taxes and fees that passed the Legislature this spring.
The plan lowered vehicle registration costs and provided a tax holiday for hurricane supplies, energy efficient appliances and back to school supplies, which just passed.
For the average Floridian here’s the breakdown: Car owners can save from $17 and $25 a year on registration; consumers saved big money on the two sales tax holidays that already happened this year; energy efficient supplies holiday is later this month (Sept. 19 – 21) and residents can save 7 percent sales tax on the first $1,500. That comes up to a potential $105.
TWEET, TWEET: @mjmishak: .@NextGenClimate claims big footprint in #FLgov race, w/ 13 state offices & “147 staff, canvassers & volunteers” to target 400,000 voters
5 QUESTIONS FOR ADRIAN WYLLIE, here, including:
Q: Growing numbers of independent voters, disgust with the tone of the campaign, low turnout in a midyear election — are you feeling you could win an unprecedented share of the vote?
WYLLIE: Oh, absolutely. I wouldn’t be in this race if I didn’t think that we had a legitimate shot to win this election. Is it a long shot? Yes. But I do believe that we have a chance to get to that 33.4 percent that it will take to win. In the mainstream polls, I’m currently polling anywhere between 4 and 9 percent. However, our internal polling data puts us at around 15 percent.
I think what a lot of the pollsters are not taking into account is the influx of people who are not your typical supervoters or not even your typical likely voters. There’s a lot of things that are going to be drawing people to the polls this November. One of them, for instance, is Amendment 2 (a proposal to legalize medical marijuana) being on the ballot. We know that is going to be energizing, specifically, a base of young people that in no way, shape or form have any interest in voting for Crist or Scott. So I would say that our realistic standings right now are somewhere in the teens. So that’s what we’re looking at. And if we can continue to build that momentum, which we have been, and with a solid debate performance, I really think we can change the course of this election — and we can win.
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: BOB GRAHAM TO DISCUSS AMENDMENT 1
Former U.S. Sen. and Gov. Bob Graham will host an event to discuss a proposed constitutional amendment that would require the state to set aside money for land-conservation efforts. The proposal will appear on the November ballot as Amendment 1. Pugh Hall, the University of Florida, Gainesville. 6 p.m.
AMENDMENT 2 POLL via The Tampa Bay Times
Though early polling showed overwhelming support for medical marijuana in Florida, a new Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/UF Bob Graham Center poll indicates that many likely voters are still unsure about a constitutional amendment that would allow it.
… Asked a question phrased directly from the ballot, 56.7 percent of likely voters said they support the amendment, with 24.4 percent opposing.
That left more than one voter in six surveyed who said they had not thought much about the amendment one way or another.
… The poll offered three options: For, against and “haven’t thought much about this.”
That wrinkle revealed a larger pool of uncommitted people than previous polls had shown — uncertainty that grew as people considered the actual ballot language.
When voters were asked how they felt about medical marijuana in general, 58.3 percent favored it, 30.3 percent opposed and 8.7 percent said they had not thought about it.
Then pollsters read from the actual ballot, asking about allowing “the use of marijuana … as determined by a licensed Florida physician.”
Those in favor dipped only slightly, to 56.7 percent. But opposition dropped from 30 percent to 24.4 percent. On the ballot language, 17 percent said they had not thought about it.
AMENDMENT 2 OPPONENTS ATTACK JOHN MORGAN ON HOME TURF — WITH AN ORLANDO BILLBOARD Full blog post here
Few Florida motorists are unfamiliar with attorney John Morgan; his ubiquitous figure is on just about every highway in the cities of Orlando, Tampa and much of Central Florida.
They have become so much part of the region’s zeitgeist that during the holidays, billboards go up with Morgan’s face made up to look like Santa Claus — a Central Florida holiday tradition. Christmas isn’t quite the same without them.
So when the Drug-Free America Foundation sought a forum for its latest anti-medical marijuana message, attacking not only Amendment 2, but also Morgan — the measure’s leading sponsor – a distinct idea came to mind. Hit Morgan in Orlando, his home turf.
They bought a billboard. One billboard. On East Colonial.
Downtown Orlando drivers – those around East Highway 50 (Colonial Dr.), .60 mi east of Mills Ave., N/S facing E – will be greeted in the morning with a message aimed directly at one of the city’s most prominent citizens:
“Amendment 2 is riddled with loopholes: It is one thing to be compassionate; it’s another to be reckless. Does John Morgan know the difference?”
NEW GWEN GRAHAM TV SPOT HOLDS STEVE SOUTHERLAND ACCOUNTABLE FOR VAWA VOTE Full blog post here
The battle of competing campaign ads continues full-force in Florida’s 2nd Congressional District.
“Against,” the latest ad from Democratic candidate Gwen Graham, holds Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Southerland’s feet to the fire over “distortions” about his vote against reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.
In Southerland’s Aug. 29 “Advocate” TV spot, the Bay County Republican touted his vote for reauthorization of VAWA as proof of his support for women’s issues. That same day, the Huffington Post reported that Southerland “left out one key detail.” He voted for the House GOP’s version of the VAWA reauthorization, but not for the Senate’s bipartisan version of the bill, the version that passed the Senate in a 78-22 vote and eventually became law.
“While he claims to be ‘advocating’ for women,” the 30-secomd spot says, “Congressman Steve Southerland voted against the bi-partisan Violence Against Women Act that actually became law.”
“Saying one thing in TV ads. Doing the opposite in Congress,” the ad concludes. “That’s not The North Florida Way.”
SOUTHERLAND HELD MEN-ONLY FUNDRAISER via Kate Nocera of BuzzFeed
Back in March, organizers held a fundraiser for Southerland described as a meeting with Southerland and a “small group of concerned men,” according to an invite obtained by BuzzFeed.
The invite goes on to say that attendees should “tell the misses not to wait up” because “the after dinner whiskey and cigars will be smooth & the issues to discuss are many.”
Southerland is running for re-election in Florida against Democrat Gwen Graham.
“Good men sitting around discussing & solving political & social problems over fine food & drink date back to the 12th Century with King Arthur’s Round Table,” the invitation said.
In an email, Southerland campaign manager Luke Strickland called any attention to the private event “laughable.”
FEDS INTENSIFY INVESTIGATION ON REP. JOE GARCIA’S FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGER via Marc Caputo and Patricia Mazzei of theMiami Herald
Federal prosecutors are intensifying their criminal investigation of U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia’s former campaign manager and chief of staff who’s suspected of helping fund a phony tea-party candidate to siphon votes from a Republican rival in 2010.
Prosecutors and a grand jury have issued at least four subpoenas in the case — two this year — and at least one witness has testified that Jeffrey Garcia was behind the alleged scheme to secretly prop up the shadow candidate, a former friend and business partner named Roly Arrojo.
Jeffrey Garcia, who is no relation to the Miami Democratic congressman, has long denied wrongdoing but declined to comment through his attorney. Arrojo, too, had denied wrongdoing and couldn’t be reached for comment.
“Congressman Garcia has done nothing wrong. We’ve never been told that he’s the target of any investigation,” David O. Markus, a criminal defense attorney hired by Garcia’s campaign, said in a written statement. “This is old news.”
Not to prosecutors, who this week sat down with the congressman’s former spokesman, Giancarlo Sopo, the Miami Herald has learned.
Sopo, who is considered a witness, declined to comment, although a source close to the investigation indicated that he explained his role in the unsuccessful 2010 campaign — as well as the conversations he had with Jeffrey Garcia in 2012 about Arrojo, who failed to report thousands of dollars in campaign expenses, including mailers.
Federal law prohibits candidates from hiding campaign contributions, requires candidates to accurately report their finances and also generally bars campaigns from certain types of secret coordination.
THAD ALTMAN TO WIN SD 16, WRITE-IN CANDIDATE DROPS OUT Full blog post here
State Sen. Thad Altman will be re-elected Nov. 4, after write-in candidate Lloyd Stanton French indicated he is dropping out of the race for Senate District 16.
TCPalm.com reports that French sent a letter to the Florida Division of Elections on Tuesday requesting to withdraw his candidacy.
The DoE website still lists French as an active candidate.
French, a registered Democrat, cites the negative campaigning throughout the primary as the reason for his exiting the race.
“I am disillusioned by the ‘juggernauting,’ the intense fundraising for a such a low-paying position and certainly disillusioned by the negative campaigning,” French told TCPalm reporter Isadora Rangel. “I’m not going to subject my family to that type of treatment.”
CHRIS LATVALA TO FOLLOW IN FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS — LITERALLY — WITH WALK ACROSS DISTRICT 67 Full blog post here
On Sept. 24, 1996, state Sen. Jack Latvala – a 240-pound, self-described “fat guy”— took control of his health by resolving to walk the length of then-Senate District 19.
As part of the Clearwater Republican’s first re-election effort, the weeklong walk would become the “perfect way to meet many of his constituents,” wrote the former St. Petersburg Times. Back then, Latvala wore a dress shirt, tie and long pants, with the only concession to comfort being a pair of new white Reeboks.
Now, to celebrate the 18th anniversary of Latvala’s ambitious district walk, his son — Republican House Candidate Chris Latvala – will literally follow in his father’s footsteps by walking the entire length of House District 67.
On Saturday, Sept. 27 – the day Jack Latvala completed his journey — the younger Latvala will hold his own “Walk Across the District” throughout HD 67, part of north Pinellas County covering roughly 60 square miles from Union Blvd. in Clearwater to past Ulmerton Blvd. in the south, and Missouri St. east to the edge of Tampa Bay. The region includes parts of Clearwater, Largo and Pinellas Park.
At its longest points, HD 67 runs approximately 8 miles each way – just the right length for a day’s walk.
“To walk the district shows I care,” Latvala told the Times in 1996, adding that he “could stand to lose a few pounds.”
Latvala then spent the next two decades proudly serving the people of Pinellas County; Chris Latvala is hoping for the same — all beginning with a nice little stroll.
ENDORSEMENTS
>>> Florida Medical Association PAC (FMA PAC) endorses Bill Hager in his bid for re-election to House District 89, which includes part of Palm Beach County. “Nearly half of physicians practice in the state where they complete their medical education, so it is important that we increase in-state residency slots for family practice to address the state’s shortage of doctors and nurses,” said FMA PAC president Ralph Nobo. “Hager’s district is one area of the state where we have seen this happen.”
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LAWSUIT: STATE HELD SECRET MEETINGS, LOST RECORDS via Gary Fineout of the Associated Press
The state of Florida is getting sued again over violations to the state’s Sunshine Law.
A Xerox employee filed a lawsuit in Leon County alleging that a Florida agency held secret meetings related to a decision to award a nearly $50 million contract.
The lawsuit states that the Department of Revenue “lost” recordings it had made of the meetings. The contract to process child support payments was awarded to a rival of Xerox.
The agency did not immediately respond for comment. But in a related legal dispute the department acknowledges there were technological problems.
The department reports to Gov. Rick Scott and three other statewide elected officials. Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi have been sued in a separate lawsuit, also alleging they flouted the state’s public records law.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS AND PARTNERS ANNOUNCED FOR FUTURE OF FLORIDA FORUM
Jesse Pannucio of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Todd Johnson of Gallup and Dr. Derek Yonai of Florida Southern College will be keynote speakers at the Florida Chamber Foundation Future of Florida Forum and Board of Governors Annual Meeting in Orlando. The event runs Monday, Sept. 29 through Wednesday, Oct. 1 at Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Convention Center, 1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd. in Lake Buena Vista.
TOM PEPIN SAYS 64-OZ. GROWLER BILL WILL HAPPEN IN 2015 via Chris Wilkerson of the Tampa Bay Business Journal
After a long summer spent drinking craft beers with brewers and making phone calls to his friends in the distributing business, Pepin Distributing CEO Tom Pepin said he is confident they can present a bill to lawmakers this winter that will legalize Florida’s long-elusive 64-oz. growler.
“I am personally going to endorse a 64-oz. growler bill with no attachments,” Pepin said at a beer release party for Ybor’s new Coppertail Brewing Co. at the Stein and Vine in Brandon.
“We all agree that a growler is a sampling instrument that should be legal.”
Pepin tried to intervene at the end of the 2014 legislative session when the craft brewers, who wanted only to legalize the 64-oz. take-out bottle, and lawmakers could not come to terms on a bill that developed several attachments intended to regulate the industry. He was too late. The bill died at the end of the session with attachments many craft brewers thought were unfair and regular beer drinkers could not understand.
When the craft beer industry took a 64-oz growler legalization bill to Tallahassee for the past couple of sessions, it was loaded with attachments that would regulate how much the brewers could sell from their breweries before they infringed upon the distributors’ territory and became a retailer.
As summer draws to a close, Pepin thinks they can deliver a 64-oz. growler bill to Tallahassee that should pass with no attachments. He agreed that the language needs to be written before the session starts.
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam announces the launch of “Florida’s Roadmap to Living Healthy,” an innovative GIS mapping technology tool to assess community needs in Florida at the Second Annual Hunger-Relief Forum, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., the Renaissance on 9th, 1816 9th St. W. in Bradenton.
PSC TO MEET
The Florida Public Service Commission will hold its regularly scheduled meeting and then will move into a discussion of Duke Energy Florida billing charges related to new meter-reading routes. The Duke issue has drawn scrutiny because some customers could see one-time increases in their monthly bills, though Duke has pledged to credit affected customers. Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee. 9:30 a.m.
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NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
Ed Blakely, Blue Tusk Communications: Beacon Information Designs, LLC
David Childs, Frank Matthews, Hopping Green & Sams: Mosaic Fertilizer, LLC
Christopher Kratzer: ACT, Inc.
PERSONNEL NOTE – FORMER DJJ SEC. WANSLEY WALTERS JOINS BALLARD PARTNERS Full blog post here
Ballard Partners announced the addition of Wansley Walters, a nationally recognized leader in juvenile justice, as a new partner in the Tallahassee office. Walters will co-chair the firm’s public policy team with a strategic focus on children, youth and justice issues.
“Wansley is a highly-respected voice in Florida government and she’s a proven leader with a track record of success,” said Brian Ballard, president of Ballard Partners. “We are excited to bring her level of expertise and knowledge to our clients and their issues.”
Walters was appointed by Gov. Scott in 2011 to serve as Secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Under her leadership, Florida saw the lowest juvenile crime rate in 30 years. As the head of DJJ, Walters launched the Roadmap to System Excellence, which transformed the juvenile justice system in our state and emphasized the importance of prevention services. These reforms were so successful in reducing juvenile recidivism that they were unanimously passed by the Florida Legislature during the 2014 Legislative Session and signed into law by Gov. Scott. Florida has since become a national model for juvenile justice. Walters also serves as Chair of the Florida Children and Youth Cabinet, a position she was appointed to by Gov. Scott.
“It is an honor to join one of the most prestigious governmental affairs firms in Florida,” said Walters. “I have been an advocate for Florida’s children and families my entire career and I look forward to continuing that work with Brian, his team and the clients at Ballard Partners.”
TODAY AT THE ANNUAL FAPL CONFERENCE – BUCKORN, FINEOUT, DIXON AND SOME BLOGGER
Day 2 of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists conference takes off at the Tampa’s Grand Hyatt hotel with a visit from Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, followed by a seminar at 8:45 a.m. by state Rep. Dan Raulerson and Deborah Curry of the Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants on “Preparing for Your Compensation ‘Audit.’”
Peter Schorsch moderates “Practical Use of Social Media in Advocacy” at 10 a.m., an in-depth examination that includes lobbyist and social media leaders Kevin Cate, founder of CateComm; Fiore Communications CEO Dave Fiore; Brian Hughes of Meteoric Media; and Trimmel Gomes of Gomes Strategies.
Jerry Osteryoung will host “Marketing and Business Development: How to Manage Your Lobbying Practice and Find Your Niche” at 11 a.m. After lunch, Mike Grissom provides key political survey tips at 12:45 p.m. in “Polling Our Way to Election Day.”
A panel of political heavyweights assemble at 1:15 p.m. for “Political Prognostication – The Florida Senate and House” including Anthony Pedicini, Strategic Image Management; Ron Pierce, RSA Consulting; Peter Schorsch, Extensive Enterprises; and Carrie Henriquez, Henriquez Consulting. Next, Scott Arceneaux and Juston Johnson talk truth to power “The Political ‘Powers that Be’” at 2:15 p.m.
“Keeping Your Clients Informed and Engaged … Renewing Your Contract” is the 3:30 p.m. nuts-and-bolts seminar with Ron Bartlett, SVP, Hill & Knowlton; Brian Hughes, Meteoric Media; Christina Johnson, On3PR and Rick Oppenheim, RB Oppenheim Associates.
Reporting on Florida politics takes the stage at 4:30 p.m. as Bill Cotterell moderates “’Press’ or ‘Play Ball’ – A Topic of Electoral Importance” featuring Aaron Deslatte, Matt Dixon and Gary Fineout.
At 6 p.m., there will be a Reception & Silent Auction to benefit the FAPL Educational Foundation, capped off by dinner at 7 p.m. and a presentation of “A Look Back at FAPL’s Past, and a Look Forward to Our Future.”
CONTEXT FLORIDA: SCOTT SECRETS, SCHOOL START, SYNECDOCHE AND OBAMA & GOLF
On Context Florida: Floridians would love Gov. Rick Scott, writes Diane Roberts, if only these “horrible newspaper people” would stop making everything about secret email accounts, money from big donors and violating open government laws, and just write happy stories about how the governor loves the environment, education and tax cuts. There now. Go back to sleep. The first few weeks of the school year can be overwhelming, says UCF anthropology graduate student Vu Tran, especially at a university of nearly 60,000 students.Julie Delegal defines synecdoche as using one part of something to speak for the whole. When it comes to school-privatization rhetoric, voucher proponents have mastered the art of synecdoche. They find an individual — a successful, accomplished voucher student — and tell a glowing story meant to represent all private school voucher students, indeed, the entire voucher school experience. The golf course has always been a great place to talk, close a deal, and learn about a person, writes Steve Kurlander. So the fact that President Obama plays golf on stressful and relaxing days alike is not only understandable, but should be encouraged.
Visit Context Florida to dig in.
THROWBACK THURSDAY: KODAK IS BORN, AND THEN, THE SELFIE
The next generation won’t appreciate the etiology of “dial” relative to a phone number, nor will they appreciate that the “camera roll” on their iPhone refers to what was once an actual roll of film.
And were it not for something that happened 126 years ago today, perhaps no such reference would be needed. On Sept. 4, 1888, George Eastman patented the first roll-film camera and registered his company, “Kodak.”
A few billion selfies later, we commemorate this event with a Throwback Thursday on, you guessed it, the history of the selfie itself.
This week additionally marks the 12th birthday of the word selfie. The first traced appearance was on an Australian Internet form, ABC Online, on Sept. 13, 2002.
The first known selfie took minutes to make. American photographer Robert Cornelius took one of the first photographs of a person, which happened to be himself, using the slow daguerreotype process in 1839. He uncovered the lens, ran into the shot for a few minutes, and then ran back to replace the lens cap.
Selfies became a little easier to accomplish after 1900 when the portable Kodak Brownie box camera debuted. “Photographic self-portraiture” became more widespread at that time, and involved stabilizing a camera on a nearby object or tripod. Just like with the now extinct flip phone cameras of last decade, the selfies of the early 20th century generally required the use of a mirror. (But probably a parlor one rather than today’s classy bathroom stall).
In 1914, the 13-year-old Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna selfied herself using a mirror and sent the image to a friend, writing, “I took this picture of myself looking at the mirror. It was very hard as my hands were trembling.”
How little things change. (Of course, ever since the advent of the front-facing smartphone camera, hands tremble a little less in the process.)
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin took the first EVA (extra-vehicular activity) selfie in the fall of 1966. He took UV still photos and 16 mm color movie pictures from outside the Gemini XII. He also conducted a light exercise routine on this EVA excursion — another activity not uncommon in today’s selfie catalog.
WELCOME TO THE UBER WARS via Andrew Zaleski of POLITICO Magazine
Before Uber even hit Baltimore’s streets, the company already had enemies out to stop it. Exactly three months before the launch event, Baltimore’s largest taxicab company, Yellow Transportation, sent a letter to the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC), the state agency responsible for regulating taxis and cars working as passenger-for-hire “common carriers,” warning it to stop smartphone apps like Uber “before the camel’s nose is under the tent.”
Founded more than 100 years ago and now a hallmark of Baltimore’s public transportation system, Yellow Transportation was plainly gunning for the Silicon Valley-based startup—the first shot fired in a legal battle that has lasted almost two years.
The answer could be a sign of how Uber — valued at $18 billion and has grown to 190 cities —fares around the country and the world. Since the company’s founding five years ago, local, state and national governments, often backed by the taxi industry, have pushed back against a company they see as disrupting transportation markets and operating outside the government’s eye; just last week, a Frankfurt court ruled to ban the company’s ridesharing service from Germany altogether (though Uber is appealing the decision and will continue to operate there in the meantime).
Not surprisingly, some of the company’s biggest opponents are cabbies, who have taken to the streets claiming that Uber drivers get a leg up on business by dodging local regulations, from commercial licenses to background checks.
Uber is suiting up for battle. “We’re in a political campaign, and the candidate is Uber and the opponent is an asshole named taxi,” the company’s CEO, Travis Kalanick, said at a tech conference in May. Kalanick’s comments foreshadowed the recent hiring of Barack Obama’s campaign guru, David Plouffe, to help the company “change the point of view of established politicians … who want to protect the status quo,” as Plouffe told Politico.
Which means what happens next in Maryland — where so far the regulators are winning — will be a test of how hard Uber’s new campaign-like operation can fight back across the country.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Evan Jenne and, again, Ryan Tyson.
