Statistics show that there are five hundred thousand more registered democratic voters in the State of Florida than Republicans. Despite this, Florida Democratic Party (FDP) struggles to win statewide offices. Every election cycle, the same worry echoes through the establishment circles, how to GOTV? How to convince their own Democrats that their vote is needed, and that they should vote for the Democrat of the party’s choice.
If one were to consider the possible reasons for Democrats’ low voter turnout in mid-term elections, depriving the statewide offices to their own party, a few explanations are readily available: (1) General apathy/lack of interest or political will towards local and State politics (2) lackluster Candidates and campaigns and (3) Party disloyalty. Each reason can be further deconstructed, but if the 2014 election cycle is the harbinger of Democratic politics in Florida, then all good Democrats should take pause. The betrayal of Sen. Nan Rich, at a very early stage of her campaign, by the FDP establishment and later by the single issue progressive group Equality Florida, is a lesson that should send shivers down the spine of any potential Democratic candidate. Candidates who believe in party principles over short-term goals, and see the Party platform as a firm commitment to the future generations of Democrats, must re-evaluate their reliance on the FDP and single issue progressive groups.
Intellectual honesty demands we recognize that at this very critical historical juncture, when we are opposed by a fierce right-wing ideologue opponent, FDP is engaging only in electoral politics and has fundamentally given up on propagating any principle-based counter narrative. FDP went out of its way to marginalize a progressive State Senator with a history of winning elections, participated in spreading the myth that she was “unelectable,” and went to such petty extents as disallowing her from speaking at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner where only the diehard party loyalists would have heard her. This behavior is not just pathetically juvenile, but is in stark contrast to the democratic ideals and open primaries that all Democrats support in order to make the party stronger. Surely such actions would discourage good candidates from throwing their hats in any race where they see establishment favorites as the anointed ones. Furthermore, when a good progressive who has never swayed from her agenda is railroaded to this extent by the ones she fought the hardest for, it is a signal to all that no matter what causes you stand for, the hand that feeds could be bitten, once the tables are turned.
To add insult to injury, even to those Democrats who were holding their nose to vote for Charlie Crist the “D”, in his latest reincarnation, and the most offensive to true progressives has been the whitewashing and revisionist history that FDP engaged in. Despite his lackluster record as a Governor, and his shameless courting of tea party extremists with flagrant and vicious anti-progressive, anti-LGBT, anti-education, anti-Muslim politics, while running for Senate, he was pushed as the new face of the Democratic party, unblemished and unrepentant. This is by no sensible measure realpolitik. This is treachery, plain and simple with FDP propaganda machine in a delusional overdrive, as if Charlie Crist’s recent positions could not be easily googled and are of no consequence.
Ironically, the same people who complain the most about the SCOTUS’ Citizens United decision and lament the ever growing role of money in politics, have no problem when wealthy influence peddlers such as, mega law firm owner John Morgan, intervene and convert a turncoat and present him at the FDP convention as a true blue Democrat. Such politically hostile and hypocritical behavior challenges the conscience of any true progressive Democrat and keeps the Party’s roots from taking hold in the five hundred thousand strong, whose actions can turn any state-wide office blue.
No matter who wins the Governor’s race on November 4, 2014, the Democratic Party has been betrayed and dealt a deep loss this year by its stewards, and it would require a strong anti- establishment movement to rehabilitate the party and revive its ideological soul.
AMEN!!! Nan should run again!! She is amazing!!! She has a great record and we need a progressive to energize the base.
The decision on getting a Republican governor with a double loosing record appointed as the new face of the Democratic party is pathetic. The idea that Nan Rich was not electable because she did not have name recognition is also pathetic. Did anyone knew Rick Scott before he got elected? I think that there is something else behind this move by the FDP. I was told that there is a Mayor that is very interested in becoming a Governor and his strategy is to get both CC and RS out of the way and run in a clean slate. Who knows, maybe this is true and if so, this move was not only sickening, disloyal to the Democrat electorate, but dumb as hell and will bite back. Loosing against RS only shows the lack of leadership at the FDP. Reminds me of the hare and turtle story.
Gee I wonder who that Democratic Buddy mayor could be.
Thank you for a well written, concise explanation. I am, was, and will forever, be a “Nan Fan.”
KUDOS TO YOU SHAYAN…you have guts to print what you & many others know to be the Truth about Florida’s & Orange County’s democratic DEC behavior about Charlie Crist vs Nan Rich BEFORE the Primaries, and how they made it perfectly clear that a superbly endowed State Legislator & Senator was a lesser candidate not worthy for debate.
They choose to endorse Crist prior to the Primary in violation of their own rules. They made it clear that Charlie was their preferred candidate for Governor before the Primary Process. It appears that when they took Nan’s unity efforts for granted, more than 100.000 of her supporters rendered a verdict the only way they knew.
The good Book says: “be not deceived, what wo-men sow, that they shall also reap”!
Truth to power my friend.
It’s indeed a shame that the Florida Democratic Party dissed Nan Rich, who was an awesome candidate and would have made a great governor for Florida. I agree with commenter David that Nan ought to run again.