Scott’s makeover attempt brings more failures

SUN-SENTINEL OPED

By Debbie Wasserman Schultz

When Rick Scott took office in 2011, Floridians had serious doubts about their new governor and as it turned out, those concerns were well founded. His first two years were marked by massive education cuts, restrictions on women’s health care, and big taxpayer giveaways. It quickly became clear that Rick Scott was not on the side of hardworking Florida families.

But 2013 was supposed to be different. Reporters and analysts dubbed it Rick Scott’s year to change that perception. In 2013, he hoped he could sugarcoat his record of failure.

Instead, the past year cast Scott’s failures in sharper relief than ever before — and in the end he did no better than the national Republican Party in their hope to rebrand themselves and broaden their base.

The year began with Scott trying to appear moderate by endorsing a key component of the Affordable Care Act, an expansion of Medicaid that would help over a million Floridians get health care. Unfortunately for Floridians, while Scott said he supported Medicaid expansion, he didn’t lift a finger to try to persuade his tea party colleagues in the legislature to pass the measure, and didn’t say a word as they torpedoed the proposal.

Rick Scott wanted voters to think he had changed his stripes, but all he did was prove that he is willing to say anything to win reelection.

In fact, Rick Scott doubled down this year on denying Floridians access to health care. Over the summer he banned health care navigators, who are specially trained to help people sign up for health care, from state health facilities — the exact place where those who need help would be most likely to go.

Scott found new ways to alienate voters as well. He vetoed a common sense bill that would have let legal, young immigrants obtain a driver’s license — a bill that had received near-unanimous support in the Florida legislature. Abandoning his responsibilities in Tallahassee, he took long trips to Paris and Chile funded by wealthy special interests.

Rick Scott also hasn’t lost his touch for hiring the wrong people.

Lurching from scandal to scandal, the Scott administration has spent much of 2013 in chaos. In March, Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll resigned amidst scandals involving her business career. In July, Scott’s chief child protection officer resigned after tragedy struck over a dozen neglected children across Florida. In August, Scott’s handpicked education commissioner resigned after news reports revealed that he had fixed a school grade for a wealthy donor, and just last week his Chief of Staff admitted that he lied about his education credentials on his resume.

This is no way to run a state. If three top employees of a major corporation had been forced to resign by scandals, that company’s CEO would be fired.

In less than a year, Floridians will get their chance to do just that.

No matter how hard you try, you can’t sugarcoat a record of failure. From slashing education spending to rejecting high-speed rail, from a voter purge that had a 99.99 percent inaccuracy rate to the million Floridians who will continue to go without health insurance, Rick Scott has failed Florida. It’s no wonder that Scott’s approval rating is among the worst in the country.

Scott wanted to turn 2013 into a year of political reinvention, but he failed. His wrong-headed policies are making things harder for Florida’s hard working middle class, his administration was rocked by scandals and high-profile resignations, and his approval rating remains toxic.

Next year, Floridians will hold him accountable.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, is the Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee and a Member of Congress from Florida’s 23rd District.