mid-April 2005 From the Florida Times-Union:
Jim King has a 19-year record of solid fiscal conservatism in Tallahassee and a resume that includes the presidency of the Florida Senate.
He easily won the only three contested elections he's ever had and was most recently re-elected with 66 percent of the vote.
But King is worried about re-election in 2006, and he may have good reason. Jacksonville's most senior state senator is the only one of nine Republicans who is up for re-election after voting against a state law last month that may have saved Terri Schiavo's life.
King also is the subject of an online petition drive that asks Gov. Jeb Bush and the state Republican Party to suspend him, permanently remove him from office and bar him from representing the party -- all because of his Schiavo vote.
It is interesting that the issue of euthanasia seems to be defying traditional party lines. There are opposing social v. fiscal elements in both major parties, of course nationally the Democrats have succeeded in stifling the elements in their party that sincerely regard faith (as opposed to those who use it as a means to an end), but some still remain, much more on the local level.
The accepted two-dimensional political chart used so often is severely flawed and that's never been more apparent than now, when issues have arisen that clearly show that the normal Liberal/Conservative labels do not apply. It's easy to look for one handy title rather than finding out what a candidate stands for, and that's been a problem for some time now.
King and his fellow faithless Republicans have make their bed, and the gaunt face of Terri Schiavo haunts us and demands we make them sleep in it.
FV, you're so right about how the sorrow and outrage over what happened to Terri crosses all party lines. I have Demo friends who are furious with their party over their lack of doing anything to help her.
Imagine being a Democrat(EEEKKK) and hearing the head of your party, Howard Dean blasting the Republicans for trying to stop the murder of Terri. Howard Dean is a stinking lunatic fool, for not realizing that there are many Demos who still have a heart and hated what happened to Terri.
Someone on another thread said they wished there was a *Call Center* to call and talk to others about what happened to Terri. I am so grateful that I found you all during these past months. It would have been even worse without people like yourself to talk to about how I felt.
Thank you so much for being here. We still need your monthly threads for Terri. In fact, I hope we always have your threads to go to and share our thoughts about this horrible precedent that Greer has caused with Felos' help.
Sometimes I feel so helpless to stop this very powerful Culture of Death. By myself I might be non-effective, but if enough of us continue to gather together and brain storm what can be done, then we CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Good story about King.
I think too many voters make the mistake of thinking that if a politician is "fiscally" conservative, they are conservative about everything.