Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew: on Government Reform
Legislative term limits strengthened Bush's executive power
Term limits were enacted in Florida in 1992 and, by a stroke of good fortune for the governor, became effective just as Bush took office, forcing out of the 2000 legislature more than half of the experienced members. This change had an effect similar to
that in other states, emptying the legislature of experience and forcing green legislators to struggle with issues so complex that by the time they began to understand them, it was time for them to leave. Throughout history, the state legislature
has been viewed as the dominant political institution in Florida and in the 1980s was described as one of the strongest legislatures in the nation. Within a few years of Bush taking office, this dominance was reversed.
The transformation was aided by term limits. Lobbyists and the executive office were the real winners in this environment and term limits gave Bush additional influence over the legislature.
Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by R. Crew, p.19 & 64-65
Dec 11, 2009
OpEd: Foundation for Florida's Future hides campaign donors
The Foundation for Florida's Future did keep Bush in the public eye, but at some cost. It generated controversy for Bush on two issues. First, the foundation was attacked for failure to identify those who had made financial contributions, suggesting that
they were simply disguised campaign contributions. Secondly, it was criticized for the proportion of its funds it devoted to programmatic concerns.The FFF raised more than $1.7 million in 1995 & 1996, primarily in $5,000 amounts. While the foundation
released the names of its donors, it did so only in general categories related to the size of their donation. Thus in 1995 FFF released the names of 131 donors of $5,000 or more, but would not connect name to specific amounts. [That left] reporters to
ask, "Who gave $50,000, a sum 100 times greater than the $500 limit for the Bush re-election campaign?"
Jeb's foundation was also criticized for devoting far less of its resources to programmatic concerns than to administration.
Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew, p. 10
Dec 11, 2009
Refused to fund state agency requests for specific services
An overarching principle for governmental conservatives and for Jeb Bush was restraint in state spending. For Governor Bush this principle was defined as holding spending growth below the growth of personal income in the state.
As the governor said, "the system is geared toward spending money. That's what this whole process is about. I just don't think government, as a matter of course, should grow faster than people's ability to pay for it."
Bush pursued this goal relentlessly, using a wide variety of strategies: pressure on agency heads to limit annual budgetary requests, arbitrarily capping the monies that could be raised from service fees that were to be used for
dedicated purposes such as affordable housing; and simply refusing to fund requests from agency heads for particular services, for example, beds for county jail inmates who had severe mental illnesses.
Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew, p. 26
Dec 11, 2009
Mature society can empty government buildings of workers
Like other governmental conservatives, Governor Bush disliked and distrusted government and promoted the idea that smaller government--combined with more privatizing of governmental services--was more efficient government.
He argued that "the most efficient, effective and dynamic government is one composed primarily of policymakers, procurement experts and contract managers." He expressed his general philosophy about government in his
2003 Inaugural Address when he stated that "There would be no greater tribute to our maturity as a society than if we make these [governmental] buildings around us empty of workers, monuments to a time when government played a larger role than it deserve
or could adequately fill."With this philosophy guiding his actions, Bush worked to diminish the credibility of government in Florida, to reduce its size and scope, and to make it more accountable to political overseers.
Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew, p. 30
Dec 11, 2009
Judges should respect primacy of Legislature & Executive
The governor's effort to improve his influence over the appointment of Florida judges was driven by a desire to change what Bush believed was an improper, liberal judicial philosophy. But there was also ongoing hostility among Florida Republicans about
the role they played by the judiciary in the American system of checks and balances. Bush and other Republicans regularly lamented the fact that public policy was made not only in the executive and legislative branches, but also in the judicial branch
of government.Bush personally distanced himself from the position held by generations of constitutional authorities that the three branches of government were co-equals. Bush pushed his position so intensely that the president of the Florida Bar
questioned whether he believed in the separation of powers doctrine. Pursuing his own version of this doctrine, Bush promised to appoint judges who would respect "the primacy of the legislative and the executive as policymakers."
Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew, p. 61
Dec 11, 2009
Asked judicial candidates: Are you a God-fearing churchgoer?
When filling judicial position, Governor Bush and his appointees were criticized for using criteria unrelated to fitness to serve on the bench as standards for appointment. Several judicial candidates complained to a Miami newspaper that they had been
subjected to a series of inappropriate questions by one of these commissions, including whether they were active in their church, whether they thought they were "God-fearing people," how they felt about the
US Supreme Court `s 2003 ruling to strike down a Texas law criminalizing homosexual activity, and how they would feel about having the
Ten Commandments posted in their courtrooms. One candidate, an assistant county attorney, was also asked whether she "would be able to balance her duties as a single mother of twins with her duties as a judge."
Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew, p. 62
Dec 11, 2009
2004: Purged felons list from eligible voters
Governor Bush and his allies also continued throughout 2004 their efforts to purge the "felons list" of ineligible voters. The governor dismissed complaints from the media and the public about the felons list and refused to open it to public scrutiny, in
what many perceived as another effort to depress minority voting. Ultimately, a lawsuit was filed by Florida newspapers and a Florida judge forced the state to reveal the voters list.In reviewing the list, news organizations discovered that only 61
Hispanic voters were listed, but over 20,000 African American names were present. Hispanics in Florida, particularly Cubans, are more likely to vote Republican than Democratic and Africa Americas are heavily Democratic. Critics argued that this was proof
that the governor & his allies had intentionally used the list for partisan purposes. The governor and his secretary of state claimed that the small number of Hispanic voters on the list was a function of a computer problem that they had been unaware of.
Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew, p. 96-97
Dec 11, 2009
2005: Achieved goal of restraining growth in spending
As a proponent of small government, Governor Bush advocated slow growth in spending and smaller state budgets and his tax policy was designed to produce low levels of revenue per capita. An analysis of state spending over the time period 1999 through
2005 shows that the governor achieved his goal of restraining growth in that spending.Over the 8 years of the Bush administration, state expenditures for all government activities increased by an average of 3.8% per year in 2000 dollars.
Further, there was virtually no change in the level of state spending as a percentage of Florida's gross state product, or GSP, between 1998 and 2006. In addition, the governor was able (barely) to redeem his pledge to keep spending growth below growth
in the personal income of the state's residents. In June 2006, the state had 43.6% more spending than when Bush took office and 46.5% more personal income. In absolute terms, then, the governor's spending growth goals were realized.
Source: Aggressive Conservatism in Florida, by Robert Crew, p.106
Dec 11, 2009
Page last updated: Dec 12, 2018