Florida: Next time maybe choose a REAL Democrat to run against the Republicans?

[Le Taz Hot]

Voters were LITERALLY given the difference between Republican and Republican-Lite. The outcome really is not surprising. Maybe try something new next time and get an ACTUAL Democrat.

[William769]

1. You mean like the last election that we also lost?

[Le Taz Hot]

2. Progressives in your state literally

had no one to vote for. How is that a good idea?

[William769]

4. Florida is not the only place that lost tonight. So are all the other losses

Because of not "real Democrats"?

P.S. I have not written off Florida this evening.

Some people should really think about what they write before they post.

[Le Taz Hot]

6. Florida was the only state to run a former Republican as a Democrat.

I'm saying what about running a candidate who is in stark opposition to the Republicans as opposed to a left-over Republican calling himself a Democrat? I mean, at this point isn't it time to try another strategy?

[William769]

8. And my point is we did that in the last election.

When someone tries to paint me and my fellow Floridians as stupid, I'm coming out fighting. WHat you said was very disingenuous.

[steve2470]

11. are you referring to Sink ?

My memory is that she did not run an effective campaign ?

[Drunken Irishman]

14. Believe it or not, liberals and progressives can run piss-poor campaigns.

Just ask Walter Mondale and George McGovern.

[steve2470]

16. true nt

[William769]

15. She lost by only about 35 thousand votes.

That was impressive. Such is life in a swing State is my point.

[steve2470]

17. yea it is, Florida is still a pretty conservative state nt

[Le Taz Hot]

13. Woah, there cowboy.

Nobody is calling anyone stupid. I'm just making some suggestions for another strategy because the one they've been using has obviously not worked. Good goddess, your governor has been convicted of ripping off the government and he still won. I'm just saying that since the Democrats have tried Republican-lite, maybe they should try going left with a more progressive Democrat.

[William769]

18. As I already said, we did that in the last election.

It's not what you say but how you say it. Here in ends your lesson.

[Le Taz Hot]

22. You read something into my posts that wasn't there.

All I have left to say is that if you guys are good with the outcome, carry on.

[steve2470]

19. he was never convicted, I wish he had been

Columbia/HCA[edit]

On March 19, 1997, investigators from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Health and Human Services served search warrants at Columbia/HCA facilities in El Paso and on dozens of doctors with suspected ties to the company.[30] 8 Days after the initial raid, Scott signed his last SEC report as a hospital executive.[31] Four months later the board of directors pressured Scott to resign as Chairman and CEO.[32] He was paid $9.88 million in a settlement, and left owning 10 million shares of stock worth over $350 million.[33][34][35] The directors had been warned in the company's annual public reports to stockholders that incentives Columbia/HCA offered doctors could run afoul of a federal antikickback law that seeks to limit conflicts of interest in Medicare and Medicaid.[31]

In settlements reached in 2000 and 2002, Columbia/HCA pled guilty to 14 felonies and agreed to a $600+ million fine in the largest fraud settlement in U.S. history. Columbia/HCA admitted systematically overcharging the government by claiming marketing costs as reimbursable, by striking illegal deals with home care agencies, and by filing false data about use of hospital space. They also admitted fraudulently billing Medicare and other health programs by inflating the seriousness of diagnoses and to giving doctors partnerships in company hospitals as a kickback for the doctors referring patients to HCA. They filed false cost reports, fraudulently billing Medicare for home health care workers, and paid kickbacks in the sale of home health agencies and to doctors to refer patients. In addition, they gave doctors "loans" never intending to be repaid, free rent, free office furniture, and free drugs from hospital pharmacies.[3][4][5][6][7]

In late 2002, HCA agreed to pay the U.S. government $631 million, plus interest, and pay $17.5 million to state Medicaid agencies, in addition to $250 million paid up to that point to resolve outstanding Medicare expense claims.[36] In all, civil lawsuits cost HCA more than $2 billion to settle; at the time this was the largest fraud settlement in U.S. history.[37][38]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Scott#Hospital_Corporation_of_America

[Le Taz Hot]

25. Ah, my mistake.

Still I would think that would knock him out of contention but then again, I'm 2500 miles away.

[lovemydog]

24. While that's true and I agree with your opinions and would like

to see more progressive candidates everywhere - they still have to win primaries.

I would like to see all Democrats really stand in stark contrast to Republicans. Go with an economic populist strategy. Anti large corporations. Tax the rich at a much higher rate. Lower or eliminate taxes for the working poor. All sorts of stuff that a true progressive embraces.

But there's no simple solution to getting people to embrace progressive politics and actually vote for it in primaries and general elections!

[titaniumsalute]

32. rick Scott spent MILLIONS of his own money

And he beat Sink by like 40,000 votes. Same tonight.

[LeftInTX]

3. They were given a choice between Bat-Boy and R-Lite

They voted for Bat Boy

[maced666]

5. You can say the same for a lot of states.

Not just Florida.

[Baitball Blogger]

7. It may be too soon to call.

Look, it would not surprise me to learn that Republicans cheated. We just need time to find where they did it. What I do know is that they would have to go big in order to avoid a recount. Which means that if it's a close election that it won't be too hard to find where it happened.

It needs to be done to protect the results of the next election.

[steve2470]

9. turnout was also sub-optimal in big Democratic counties, like...

Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Orange and Osceola.

If we had gotten better turnout of our base in those counties, we might be calling Crist the next governor.

I hear exactly what you're saying. I don't know if Florida would go for a "real Democrat" yet. Bill Nelson is a
pretty conservative Democrat and keeps getting elected.

We'll have to run one in Florida and see what happens. It will be fascinating to watch.

eta: reading William's comments.

[stevenleser]

10. Crist was leading until Scott spent $20 million of his own money on ads in the last 2 weeks.

Asking someone's small lead in a tough swing state to stand up to that might be a little too much to ask.

[steve2470]

12. rich criminal rat bastard that he is, thanks for that info ! Keep up good work at Faux ! nt

[Drunken Irishman]

20. How many REAL Democrats have won in Florida?

When was the last time a Democrat was governor of Florida?

[steve2470]

27. It was Lawton Chiles, if you don't count Buddy McKay who was only it for a few weeks

Lawton Chiles was a conservative to maybe moderate Democrat. Definitely not a progressive. Good man.

[Drunken Irishman]

29. Died in office, right?

Buddy ran against Jeb and got his butt kicked, no? Crist seems to have run the most successful campaign there of any recent Dem.

[steve2470]

31. yes Lawton died in office. Yes, McKay lost against Jeb

Sink lost to Scott in 2010 by 2,619,335 to her 2,557,785.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_gubernatorial_election,_2010

[Aerows]

21. If Florida, as a whole

chooses to re-elect Rick Scott, they got what they paid for.

Worse, they DECIDED they wanted Rick Scott. God have mercy upon them.

[steve2470]

23. he's a lying rich rat bastard, and too many fell for it

We also didn't turn out enough Dems in our big Democrat-rich counties.

[Aerows]

26. God have mercy on you.

Don't know what else to say.

[steve2470]

28. I hope MS is a tad better for you ! nt

[Aerows]

30. Meh

I had hope, worked hard, and in the end, it didn't work out. That's the way it is.

[Fla_Democrat]

33. I just wish someone had pointed out that,....

maybe picking Chain Gang Charlie wasn't such a brilliant move. Oh, wait.