Alex Sink looks to raise profile

Eighteen months ago, as Florida's newly elected Democratic chief financial officer, Alex Sink was clear: Her political ambition didn't include the 2010 governor's race.

But that's not so clear anymore. Recent clashes with Gov. Charlie Crist over offshore drilling and the state's hurricane risk have raised her profile. And a recent poll suggests she could be positioned for a high-profile campaign, perhaps for the U.S. Senate.

"I never say never," Sink said last week, adding that she could be very happy remaining CFO for another term. "I'll have to make a decision after the first of the year about what I'm doing next." (story here)

Comments

[Sink Stinks]

What she would "raise" would be taxes... she is a classic liberal...pro-abortion, pro-taxes with a twist..she is also an insurance industry stooge. Her opposition to giving states the right to consider drilling for oil to provide relief to consumers for high gas prices AND reduce our dependence on foreign oil is a great example of how she is completely out of touch with the average citizen. She does deserve one distinction; she is BY FAR the most overrated politician in Florida. It is also now apparent that Tom Slade is suffering from a cognitive disorder.

Her "idea" of helping the working class was to approve a $2000 moving fee for anyone of the 80+ call center workers who make less than $20,000 to follow their jobs to Tallahassee with no raise, certainly no housing subsidy like the Legislature gets ($5,000 per session), and the highest utilaty rates in the state.

Gee, thanks Alex - NOT!

Don't worry, I'll remember THIS in November and whenever you run for any office again!

[George]

2:20 am and 6:29 a.m. Are you kidding??? First of all, she is not a tax and spend liberal. She is not an insurance stooge. She succeeded at Bank of America because she watched every dollar. She is making State agencies that throw money away on contracts to PRIVATE industry actually hold these agencies ACCOUNTABLE and reduce costs. As for oil, there are a lot of people who want no rigs near here; they need a voice. As for the Consumer Services move to Tallahassee and the low salaries, blame the LEGISLATURE. It sets the salaries and has not given State employees a raise for THREE YEARS. Tom Slade is right; Alex Sink will go as far as she wants to go.

Uh...rrrright George. We get it. You are a Democrat.

Please. Someone, anyone, tell me what she has accomplished. Calling press conferences to spout off with that whiney, twangy voice doesn't count. Neither does writing letters to the Legislature demanding action on things that they are already working on . . .

Anyone. Anyone.

I hate to break the news George...but raking in millions of dollars at Bank of America doesn't translate in to the ability to govern. She most certainly IS a tax and spend liberal...she has opposed taxed cuts and called for increased spend during her short and unimpressive stint in Tallahassee...She has virtually no understanding of how state government works...no understanding of the legislative process....as for Slade...maybe he can be her running mate...what a handsome couple the would make.

[Jason Straight]

This state is facing a financial meltdown to the point that new responsible leadership is required.We can no longer rely on construction and tourism.New leadership to slap down a fiscally irresposible state and local govt is needed...Half of state govt has been outsourced and these costs need to be reviewed.How many of you believe that Gov Crist is a strong leader able to make tough decisions.alex is a classic blue dog in the model of Gov Askew.Alex I would like to make your first contribution..The Gov is in France eying the fashions..He and the misses are on thre Chanmps..Florida is in the toilet!

Sink for Governor. Out with the GOP hypocrites. Corporations are stealing all our tax dollars while Republicans wink and turn a blind eye and complain about public "handouts." Look around people they are giving it away in buckets to their corporate buddies. Go Sink! we need responsible and honest leaders in FL and in our Nation.

Sink IS a "corporate buddy"...she IS NOT a classic blue dog....

When Florida gets out from beneath the Republican thumb, Sink will deliver the reform we need.

Jason...when you come out of your cave you may be shocked to discover the NATION is in an economic slowdown...the housing market crash is not unique to Florida and was not caused by state government, increased gas prices are not unique to Florida and are not caused by state government...so what exactly is your point? Florida's economy is growing (although slowly)...a novice like Sink could hurt things...but where are her bold ideas to help things now...oh yes...let's spend $250 million of taxpayers money because we are nervous about hurricanes....STUPID IDEA.

If you wanted high profile, you should have elected Tom Lee. With his Crist sexuality preferences, and his pro life views except when it comes to his own life. Sink was the best choice and will have a great shot at govenor 2010. Go Sink.

[Omega83]

The job of the CFO is to mitigate the state's financial risk - when the state's primary revenue source is the sales tax, and large sums of that tax is paid by tourists coming as a result of Florida's environmental attracitons, Ms. Sink's position on drilling is reasonable public policy.

This also applies to her approach to insurance - the Cabinet decisions made regarding Citizens and the CAT fund were reckless and populist. Sink was the only one to stand against them.

I am not quite sure how her position on abortion is even relevant...there is little the Governor - any Governor - can do that hasn't already been done in that realm until the federal government changes policy.

As to individual accomplishments, I have been too far removed frm Tallahassee for too long to rate any of the Cabinet - however, I do not recall Mr. Gallagher maiking any major contributory gains to the office of the CFO during his term - this is not intended to criticize him, merely point out that there is not much opportunity for a CFO to score major poilitical points...this is actually a good thing.

Now, I dare any of you to pin a partisan label on me for any of the above.

Truly,

O

Alex needs to sink her teeth into her failed Aspire project.

Millions have been wasted. It's an ATM gone wild.

[Flagophile]

Republican schmucks,

Riddle me this:

How will off-shore drilling help reduce oil prices in the near future when our oil refineries are running at or near capacity already?

Also, why will off-shore drilling be more effective than drilling in the millions of acres of leased land that the oil companies already own but have not explored?

Flag-

because the increased pressure by any willingness to drill will cause a drop in the futures price of oil.

That is what is driving the cost of oil to begin with...coupled with the devaluation of the dollar, which the Fed is largely responsible for.

If there is oil on already-leased properties, we should be drilling...but we should open ALL of our alternatives as well.

We will need oil for the foreseeable future, but couple increased drilling with advances in alternatives.

Diversification of energy sources is the key. Oil, coal, natural gas, wind, solar, electric, fuel cell, ethanol, etc...they should ALL be part of the equation and let the markets work it out.

[Buzzard]

Didn't take her long to bite her master. Needs a shorter leash.

[Please drill in ANWAR before I'm swept out of office in Nov.]

10:07 Only Bush-owned scientists are with you on that one. Republican psuedoscience is wrecking our planet and Republican Psuedo-economics is ruining our nation. Now you want us to swallow your Psuedo-geology as well? Great job, Kool-Aid drinkers!

10:46-

If you want to be taken seriously at all...

Stop spelling "pseudo" wrong...you sound like an idiot.

Sink will be running for Governor agains someone oter than Crist once he loses in the Republican primary.

10:54a Sorry, I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the working familiarity with the term that you obviously do. Glad to see that your spell checker works even if all of your "psuedo"-policies are not.

11:17-

Congratulations...rather than keeping your mouth shut and be thought an idiot, you decided to open it and remove all doubt.

11:23 Aren't you a quick one. That stuff you drink isn't called "RED BULL" for nothing.

Another corporate sell-out by the lame duck loser, although even he admits that this one is largely symbolic. George Bush - symbolic of everything that's gone wrong in the US.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/14/bush.offshore/index.html

And this is the same Tom Slade that did his best to pursuade Tom Gallager to stay put and not run for Governor. The irony here is like the Roman fable of the dog and the bone. She is crossing a bridge over the Tiber, with a tasty bone in her mouth, sees her reflected image in the water below, drops her bone and dives into the water, only to come up empty. Tom Gallagher did likewise and would still be a force majeure in Florida politics if he had just been content to live out his career as CFO. What is this blind ambition that causes polititians to drop their bones? Is there such a thing as a contented polititian. The moral of this story is that our esteemed governor may soon be dropping his bone in Rome.

[Omega83]

"our esteemed governor may soon be dropping his bone in Rome"

LMFAO!!!!

11:59 Thanks for appreciating my twisted sense of human. I want to add, that it was during his tenure as Chairman of the RPOF that Tom Slade did his best to keep Tom Gallagher from running against Jeb. During the Crist vs Gallagher race, he was a big time Gallagher partisan. This is all inside stuff, and the real important thing is that we need to get it straight what Charlie really said. For the record, our esteemed governor did not say that property taxes and insurance rates were going to drop like a stone. He actually said, "Taxes and Insurance rates are going to drop like my bone".

Alex Sink has done pretty much nothing since she's been in office.

What a joke she has been.

Polls throughout the country show American want a firm energy policy that includes more off-shore and in-land drilling.

Alex Sink is so out of touch with her constiuents.

2:11 Translation:

Part A "Americans want lower gas prices." (TRUE)

Part B "more off-shore and in-land drilling will give that to them. (FALSE)

Thanks Alex Sink. Good government evaluates options, ignores hype, and makes the best policy for it's constituents' future. We want our beaches clean and reserved for enjoyment by ourselves and tourists and our national wildlife refuges reserved for endangered creatures, not polluting oil rigs.

2:38-

If oil rigs polluted, why were there no spills when rigs were brought almost to shore during 2 of the worst hurricanes in the Gulf...Rita and Katrina?

the technology today is such that there is no spillage from oil rigs.

[Omega83]

2:11

polls show Phil Gramm was right...America is a bunch of whiners.

We've made this high price of gas bed, and now we must lay in it a while...the ball should've gotten rolling sometime around 1973.

Forget about off shore drilling. Down to serious business, such as how are we going to handle all of the Rome one liners? When in Rome, do as the Romans do? Charlie and Carole are going to do Rome for their honeymoon? What happens after their Rome man holiday? After their honeymoon Charlie says he enjoyed being in Rome? Charlie was not a Roman but he was Gladeator?

[Jack]

Better a tax and spend liberal than a tax cut (ie, corporate welfare) and spend Republican like we've had in Washington for the last 8 yrs. Reas this week's "Time" magazine on the sorry state of the banana republic formerly known as the Sunshine State. Y'all are the laughingstock of the nation.

The Hillary democrats are dying to throw the Sink at Charlie. No one who I have spoken with (D's & R's) believe that the mating dance is anything but a sham. At best, the timing is terrible. If he is doing it for love, why in heck didn't he wait a couple of months until after McCain made his VP choice? Women just don't like guys who appear to use women like Charlie has. I know a guy very, very well who did something stupid like this for political appearance and he spent 13 years married to a woman who couldn't live out from under the political attention and glitter. Think about it Charlie, it sure can make you miserable, and you really are a nice guy.

[George]

There is way too much dogma on this Board. How about some facts? 1. Entitlements will soon overwhelm State Government's ability to pay. But just try to cut these and watch the Legislature run for cover. No "cutbacks" will happen, or last. 2. While Charlie prays for no storms and socializes insurance through Citizens, Sink actually tries to strengthen the CAT fund to give the private market some confidence. 3. Sink killed the ASPIRE project while Gallagher threw away millions on it because he did not want to showcase his incompetence on the project. 4. Sink is consolidating field offices and saving taxpayers $1 million per year. The fact that she is not a pure poll-driven pol like every other politician in Tallytown is a GOOD THING.

Nobody in FL know who Sink is?

She would lose big time to Crist or Martinez.

940am you hit the nail on the head. 89 million down the drain, nothing to show for it, and no one being held accountable. This one got swept under the rug.

Omega..you don't know what you are talking about...but what's new? As for Sink...she is the one that should be worried about a challenger.

Sink is the only competent person is Tallahassee right now. She would crush Martinez.

Remember, Martinez won by less than 1% in a Republican year. His amnesty plan, and Schiavo pandering, will haunt him. Republicans will cross over big time.

Dream on 1:32....
Sink is a complete idiot...the MOST overrated politician in the State of Florida.

Vote for Sink & SINK OUR STATE.

How much of this is about Sink and how much about Yvonne and Kathy?

[Denciford]

Let's hope Sink is sent back to wherever she came from. She is destroying the Department of Financial Services and has used that department as her political action committee since day one! She has no knowledge of the operation of State government and is only interested in her own political ambitions. A lot of good, loyal and dedicated people have been royally shafted during her tenure as CFO.