What happened to Florida Democrats?

[Tony_FLADEM]

TALLAHASSEE — The state of Democratic politics in Florida is so incongruous it borders on surreal.

On any given week, thousands of Barack Obama volunteers in every corner of America's biggest battleground state are working phone banks, attending training sessions and reaching out to deliver Florida's 29 electoral votes to the president. In Tampa, Mitt Romney's Florida campaign headquarters is shuttered.

But step inside Florida's Capitol, where the levers of power are housed to shape statewide policies. There, Democrats are more invisible and irrelevant than ever: Not a single statewide office-holder and such small minorities in both chambers that Democrats can't even use procedural moves to slow the Republican agenda.



http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/national/what-happened-to-florida-democrats/1218328

[UncleTomsEvilBrother]

1. Good Question

I've been asking this question since I've been living here. It's the oddest issue in politics to me.

[russspeakeasy]

2. I will tell you a short story.

5 of us that worked on behalf of BO in 08, got together for dinner last Friday. Only one is willing to work for him again. We all plan to vote for him, but no donations , no hours from 4 of us.
Florida democrats feel used and abused.
Florida is now governed by a "teabagger", his appointments go unchallenged, because the powerhouse of news in Florida is Fox. We saw little support for our democratic selections; a couple of "attaboy" speeches, but little money from the DNC to help with advertising, campaigning.
You say that there are thousands of BO volunteers in every corner of Florida, manning phone banks, etc. I don't see it.
I hear Democrats saying that they are on their own and that except for Presidential races, we get little respect and less support. Look at the West and Grayson races for confirmation.
This is from my little piece of central Florida, but it's what I see. Dis-trust and dis-illusion.
IMHO, without national support and affirmation that someone in Washington has our back, we will continue to flounder and continue our meek ways until there is no democratic party at all in this once great state.

[quaker bill]

5. I have a very different take

Fla Dems have been all but useless all on their own for decades. I worked for Gore, Kerry, Obama, and other candidates.

When I worked for Gore, Fl Dems could not find their own voters with a flashlight and a road map. The lists of registered dems was so far out of date that I spent most of my time at the phone bank speaking to pissed off republicans (while using the dem party list).

The state is horribly gerrymandered to the extent that the Dems have for years run "some other guy" candidates, and it did not matter. Spend $20K to run "some other guy" for Congress and get 35% of the vote, spend $2 million to run some "serious contender" and get 37% of the vote.... It is hard to get serious about that.

The only dems that win, win in Districts where they could run a potted plant as a (D) and it would likely win.

Alex Sink had my vote and my $, but where was the campaign?

Why do you think Kerry went with IBEW and the League of Conservation Voters instead of FL Dems for "boots on the ground"? Why did Obama pass on the FL Dem structure and pull together his own operation from scratch. Perhaps because they spoke to Al Gore who figured out the only way to even make it close was to go outside of the party for support...

I see nothing about FL Dems that is any different now than it has been for the last 30 years.

[edhopper]

3. The larger question is what is wrong with Floridians

that they elect these delusional, corrupt people into office?

[Old and In the Way]

4. I agree...that's the question I have as well.

I really don't get Florida. They elect a felon for governor after they allowed their state to be used by Republicans to foist Bush/Cheney on us. There are lots of middle-class Northerners who have migrated to Florida with a lot of people who count on Social Security/medicare. I would think that Florida should be blue, but it seems to be going in the opposite direction. I guess we'll have to allow total spectrum domination from Republicans until they overplay their agenda. At some point, they will...because it is an agenda that is basically hostile to the interests of the bottom 90%.

[lindac007]

6. Wow

I've been asking myself that question since I moved to this place 12 years ago. I worked hard for Obama in 2008 and for Kerry before that and I never saw so few people working on campaigns. Added to that, I attended meetings for the Democratic Party here and there was never anything of substance discussed. My congressman, John Mica has never been challenged by anyone seriously and the national party never seems to put any money or time here. Sorry to say, I have given up. I will probably work again for Obama because the alternative is just too frightening, but I sure do wish the Dems would put some organization here.

[russspeakeasy]

7. I'm a little off point here, but since you have worked for dem's

in the past, as have I, I can only say that our votes are being stolen, not counted, or 52% of this state is fuckin crazy.
I would appreciate your observation.