DINOs — Democrats in Name Only — are a resurgent species in Florida. DownWithTyranny!: The Tarnished Brand (Florida Episode) takes a look at their enablers:
Florida has 27 congressional seats. You might think from Nelson’s 55-52% statewide win or Obama’s 50-49% statewide win that the districts are a little over half Democratic and half Republican. But you’d be wrong. Self-serving local Democrats– the state Senator Debbie Wasserman Schultz being the worst ever– made deals with the Republicans to guarantee their own personal impregnable fiefdoms while guaranteeing the GOP the bulk of the state’s seats. Only 10 of the 27 seats are held by Democrats– obviously Wasserman Schultz being one of them– while Republicans hold 17 seats. Democratic districts have been drawn to produce gigantic Democratic wins– 87.6% for Obama in Frederica Wilson’s district, 82.6% in Alcee Hasting’s district, 71.1% in Corrine Brown’s district, 65.1% in Kathy’s Castor’s and Wasserman Schultz’s and 61.9% in Alan Grayson’s. Republican districts are drawn to be reliable– but not overflowing with votes. Republican victories in red districts are almost all in the 50%-60% range, only 3 getting up into the 60’s. That’s how you institutionalize non-accountability. And the state legislature is far worse.
Since we mentioned Wasserman Schultz, it’s worth mentioning that her insistence that no Democratic support go to anyone who challenges her Republican pal Ileana Ros-Lehtinen saw her friend win again this year– with only token opposition– while Obama won Ros-Lehtinen’s district with 53%. Debbie Wasserman Schultz– the GOP’s best friend in Florida, working as chairman of the DNC… again. She was key to handing lifelong Republican Patrick Murphy the Democratic nomination to take on Allen West and she’s the key figure in forcing Democrats in Florida to accept their old nemesis, lifelong Republican closet case Charlie Crist, as their next gubernatorial nominee.
It would be nice if the party would put up a more serious sacrificial candidate against IRL, but given her personal popularity and the size of her treasury, that would be a tactical move to distract and bleed her, not a very realistic hope; it is a pity the Florida Democratic party hasn’t the sense and the fortitude to do it, but that’s not the worst of its sins. On the other hand, the idea that I would be asked to swallow Chain Gang Charlie as the Democratic nominee for Governor is the sort of depressing prospect that takes all the energy out of the base.
Florida hasn’t had a Democrat governor for 14 years. By the time the next election is through and a new governor installed it will be 16 years. If the Dems lose again in 2014, they’re looking at 20 years! I don’t think that Charlie Crist running as a Democrat is the worst thing the party could be hoping for. No self respecting Democrat will vote for Scott, and Crist gets enough moderates and independents to get rid of the incumbent. Voila, losing streak over! Or, the Democrats can put up another dead fish like Alex Sink… Or perhaps the Democrats would enjoy it if Crist runs as an independent again (see results of 2010 Senate race)…
Or the Democrats could run a Democrat who is not a dead fish — which I agree they’ve failed to do the last two times out. But I don’t see why they should run a Republican who happens to be a little less horrible than the incumbent.
If you assume the Democrats could come up with such a candidate (I don’t think they can in Florida) , Charlie Crist runs as an independent and spoils the party again just like he did in the 2010 Senate race.
As I’ve said for YEARS now, what politicians do often makes little sense until you view it through the lens of “what would they do to stay in office.” THAT is a politicians ONLY goal (aside from getting there in the first place, not doing your business in Government. A cynical view? Perhaps. But it always explains things like IRL and her helping the GOP instead of the Dems. It makes it not even surprising.
Look, the reality is that few people bother to vote (Obama is in office because 20% of the American people voted for him, and if Romney won, it would also be due to 20%). And most people do not follow politics in any way and don’t have even a remote clue as to the real issues. Politicians know this and use this to their advantage (staying in office).
In Florida, we see it in the rediculously gerrymandered congressional districts and political cronnyism. It is SO obvious and blatent that it’s a wonder anyone takes this state seriously… Oh wait, someone DOES!: Politicians who want to get elected and stay in office! We are after all, a “swing state,” which only means that our corruption can be managed.
Seriously, until smart and caring people decide to take back this State from the corruption that covers it, stories like this don’t even matter. Getting upset about things like this ONLY when it works against YOUR interests, and not when it works against ALL interests, is just making yourself part of the problem. You should be upset about good people, of either party, who are denied a fair shot at an office simply because they don’t know the Diaz-Ballart brothers personally, happen to live in a district which was gerrymandered an absurd 26 points against them, or can’t get a message out because voters have been trained to only respond to politicians with a certain name or skin color.
I actually hope this sort of thing just gets worse and worse until even the people who pay no attention start doing so.
No!!! The important thing is to primary Wasserman Schultz. Daily Kos an others have the resources to raise a boatload of money. Call it the Club for Growth club mechanism