And, about Martinez: One of the Floridian conservatives I talked to yesterday said: “I’ll take Senator Martinez at his word. I don’t doubt that he’d like to spend more time with his family in balmy Florida instead of remaining in icy/hot Washington as a member of the minority party. Moreover, he’s from Orlando, home of the original Fantasyland, so he should have minimal symptoms of withdrawal from that Capitol Hill Fantasyland run by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. One more factor: The conventional wisdom that winning in Florida in 2010 would require raising approximately $25 million may have been an additional factor; that amount of fund-raising is a real grind.”
I immediately flashed back top my first trip to West Palm Beach, this fall. I remarked at the time to a dear friend there: “Now I know why you’re always so optimistic. How can you not be happy here?” If I grew up in Florida, I highly doubt I could ever leave.
But if your country calls …