Political pundits of a certain stripe have been lamenting the disappearance of Republican moderates for years. It's time now to lament the disappearance of moderate Democrats.

Numbers can tell a story. Looking back on Barack Obama's second State of the Union message, and looking forward to the congressional session and the 2012 elections, they tell a story that should leave Democrats uneasy.

Rick Scott vowed to meet with as many state legislators as possible before becoming governor in January and he continued that effort this weekend. Scott met with members of the Panhandle delegation in Shalimar on Sunday before heading down to Melbourne on Monday to meet with six members of the House.