Bob McKnight's

A Different Kind of Commission

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:02:36 +0000

In 1982, a health care act was amended to include what might have sounded like just another study group or commission. It was given a long, somewhat obscure name, “The Florida Task Force on Competition and Consumer Choices in Health Care.” As you can see from the date, this was about 25 years before the Republicans and President Bush II introduced consumer choices in health care. The group created was unique for several reasons:

1. It was established for a two year term to make sure its’ work product would be complete, which it was.

2. It was fully funded up front, for both years, with ample money for consultants, staff, and travel.

3. Excluding the Chairman, the 20 members selected by the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives were recognized as the most knowledgeable and informed professionals on the subject in the state–none were pure political appointments.

In spite of the title of the group, since Democratic Governor Bob Graham selected me as Chairman, it was assumed that the final recommendations would include some kind of rate regulation of health care, which it did. Although at the time of the law’s passage, paying for indigent health care was a concern, upon final adoption, that was the centerpiece of the final report of the Task Force. The final report was incorporated in a comprehensive new landmark health care law enacted in 1984 under the leadership of Senators Harry Johnston (D., West Palm Beach), Ken Jenne (D., Hollywood), and Representative Fred Lippman (D., Hollywood).

I Would Do It Again

admin — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:32:22 +0000

Watching former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich turn an embarrassing question into a rallying cry against the “liberal, elite media,” brough back a memory from my campaign for the Florida Senate in 1978. I was running against a long time incumbent Miami Senator and this was the first debate of the political season, held at the venerable Tiger Bay Club in the downtown Dupont Plaza Hotel. My wife and I had lost a child during pregnacy earlier in the year, which required me to be with her and miss some days of the Special Session of the Legislature. As I got up to speak at Tiger Bay, I noticed a brochure of my opponent criticizing my absence during some of the Special Session. I was so angry that I pointed to my opponent sitting right next to me on the podium and shouted in his face, “At that time I was with my wife, and would do it again.” Although the crowd was about evenly divided, the shouting of support was deafening. One political commentator was heard saying, “This race is over.”

The Chairman’s Budget Allocation

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:24:17 +0000

On my weekly political segment on ABC TV News/WTXL 27 HD, I have been asked how the state’s annual budget is developed. It may surprise readers to know that generally there is a lot of input, comment, reflection and as they say, “checks and balances.” The start is when the agencies submit their request to the Governor. The Governor then submits his own (the same or different) request to the Senate and House of Representatives. Almost concurrently the Joint Revenue Estimating Conference submits it’s revenue estimate for the budget term to the legislature. The next step is the most critical– the Chairman of the full Appropriations’ Committee gives the Subcommittee Chairmen their “allocation” of the anticipated revenue. It can be the same as, more than, but probably less than, the Governor’s request. It is at this point that position matters. The allocation can be forwarded in many ways–verbal, print, e-mail, but it is almost always with a clear communication from the next higher pay grade on priority funding needs. The same request process is repeated for the next higher pay grade above that. Sometimes it is here that the negotiating tactics start–like deliberately omitting funding that the counterpart subcommittee has as a priority so that it can be traded in conference. This is the start, with more of a description of the process to come.

Our Senior U.S. Senator

admin — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:00:59 +0000

In The Golden Years…The Florida Legislature, ’70′s and ’80′s, I discuss a number of young Floridians destined for success in public service–Bob Graham, Bob Shevin, Ander Crenshaw, Karen Coolman, Bruce Smathers, Steve Pajcic, Terrell Sessums, and Dick Pettigrew, among others. But perhaps the most obvious was a young man from Rocky Point in Brevard County. He was a star quarterback at Melbourne High School, was elected President of Boy’s State, went to Yale undergraduate school, The University of Virginia School of Law, and was even a world recognized Astronaut while serving in the U.S. Congress representing Central Florida.

I served with Bill Nelson in the Florida House of Representatives, socializing with him and his family, and raising funds for many of his campaigns. The biggest criticism about our Senior Senator is as one of his closest friends once told me, “Sometimes he is just too pristine.” By that, I think it was meant to say when he speaks in public, his body language seems planned and strategic, as if he is trying to act. You will seldom see Senator Nelson bolt from the safe and moderate position–sort of like the expression, “Put a safe position between you and an angry voter.” The criticism may be unfair, but it comes with being a person, who with his wife, was described on the cover of a Florida Trend magazine issue as ” the Ken and Barbie” of Florida politics.

But make no mistake, Senator Nelson will likely win his 3rd term in the Senate and will become in seniority Florida’s most powerful public servant in this decade…in spite of not being perfect.

The Sheriff and The Colonel

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:20:43 +0000

Veteran Florida legislative watchers will recall two of my favorite members of the House of Representatives from the early 1970′s, Former Hillsborough County Sheriff and State Representative Ed Blackburn (D., Temple Terrace) and retired Air Force Colonel and State Representative Bill Gibson (R., Orlando). They were both rock solid conservatives and commanded the attention of their colleagues for two different reasons–The Sheriff because of his stern law and order perspective and the Colonel because he never missed a vote during his entire career in Tallahassee. As a freshman in the House of Representatives, with concerns about straying too far philosophically from my conservative South Dade County district, I often compared my votes with these two wonderful Floridians. They have both passed on now, but I still think about the expression, “But what would the Sheriff or Colonel do here?”

Its Retail Stupid

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:39:43 +0000

It is way too early to critique the campaigns of the candidates in Iowa, but one lesson has to be identified by all–the lesson of retail versus electronic camaigning. Former Senator Rick Santorum had little personal wealth and almost no party establishment financial backers–at least going into the last week’s of the campaign. But his dogged, one on one campaigning caught the eye of some of the national media, and in the absence of Mr. Cain or former Speaker Gingrich (who flamed out at the same time), Santorum was hot. Former Governor Mitt Romney and Congressman Ron Paul had both retail and electronic working for them, so it ended up in a virtual three way tie. The tie in to this Blog, is retail politics and campaigning is all we knew or had in the Golden Era of Florida politics, the ’70′s and ’80′s. More to come on who did retail politics the best back then.

The Best of 2011

admin — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:58:13 +0000

As many of the readers of this Blog know, I am fortunate to be able to do a weekly political commentary on ABC TV News/WTXL 27 HD, Tallahassee. In my segment this week, Anchor Anne Imanuel and I had a chance to look back at the approximately 52 live segments from 2011. These are our selection of the very best by state and national segments:

State: The September 30th segment on the funeral of former Florida Governor Claude Kirk (R.). Governor Kirk was the first Republican elected in the state since Reconstruction, and was a particularly colorful and provocative chief executive. His term was special to me because I got to know him and his family well.

National: In previous segments, I had pointed toVice President Joe Biden’s (D.) propensity to make mis-statements and at times not looking particularly alert. In fact, he was recently taped sound asleep during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. In my June 5th segment, I pointed out the surprise that the Vice President engineered a critical resolution of the Debt crisis during the summer months of 2011.

Overall: Anne asked me during a May 2nd segment, what could help prop up the President’s sagging poll numbers? I told her although we had not heard his name recently, the capture or killing of Osama Bin Laden would help drive the President’s popularity. Four days later, Obama had Bin Laden killed. The segment was so clairvoyant that it was picked up nationally on UTube.

Over 23,000 Subscribers–Thank You.

admin — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:49:29 +0000

As the year winds down, it is typical for most endeavors to look back at successes and not so successes. This Blog and Quorum Call started out the year with approximately 10,000 subscribers according to our program on WordPress. As of today, WordPress says the number of subscribers is 23,431. Wow, I cannot thank you enough. We are not like any other Blog of which I am aware. We tackle today’s issues, but with the perspective of over 35 years experience in this industry of making laws. I do not try to suggest that things or people were any better or worse over time, but just different. If there is something we can learn from that –good or bad, then it is all worth it. For those of you that do not know it, this Blog is largely drawn from my 2 books, one non-fiction, The Golden Years…The Florida Legislature, ’70′s and ’80′s. Reflections on Campaigns and Public Service; and fiction (co-authored with Rhett DeVane), Accidental Ambition. Happy Holidays.

“He Was A Great American”

admin — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:36:23 +0000

That is how one of my Republican friends described the public service of the late Congressman Dante Fascell (D., South Miami). I could not agree more. The Congressman and I shared geographic districts, because my 3 multi-member Senate district almost completely overlapped his congressional district, so I got to know him very well. Dante was a Miami guy all the way–high school, the Jaycees, the University of Miami School of Law, the State Legislature and finally one of the longest terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, culminating withthe prestigious Chairmanship of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. I have previously mentioned in this Blog as well as in my book, The Golden Years…The Florida Legislature, ’70′s and ’80′s his popularity in his district, but as my Republican friend confirmed, Congressman Fascell was recognized and respected throughout the countryas a truly great American.

Political Books for the Holidays

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:35:03 +0000

With the ‘Season,’ upon us, some might still be looking for that perfect stocking stuffer. How about a book about Florida politics? Your choices are a 247 page non-fiction hard cover about Florida’s Golden Era of the 1970′s and ’80′s. The book, The Golden Years of the Florida Legislature, ’70′s and ’80′s. Reflections on Campaigns and Public Service, has been nominated for several national book awards and is being made into a television documentary by public television. The book, taxes and shipping, retails for about $30. Mention this Blog and we will ship it to you for $20 total.

The other book was co-written by veteran novelist, Rhett DeVane and me, is called Accidental Ambition. It is a 371 page political thriller, in soft cover about the re-election of a U.S. Senator from Florida. It won the acclaimed Premier Book Award for Political Fiction in 2010. With taxes and shipping, it retails for about $25. Again, mention this Blog and we will send it to you for $15 total.

For both books, a $55 value, for $30 total. E-mail to mcknightfinancial@comcast.com. Happy Holidays.