How Florida turned blue

[seafan]

Just savoring this at the end of of monumental week.


Obama wins the growth counties

November 07, 2008
Posted by Adam Smith, The Buzz--Florida Politics

Here’s a map that says everything about how Barack Obama won Florida, and all that blue should make Republicans nervous. The map does not reflect the counties actually carried by Obama or John McCain, but rather where each party improved their showing from four years earlier.

Basically, McCain-Palin gained ground in low-population, rural counties, while Obama-Biden increased their wins or cut their losses almost everywhere else.

This will set the stage for a possible run by Alex Sink for Governor in 2010 and a shift in control of the Legislature because of many Republicans facing term limits and the abysmal, calculated refusal by the party to represent the people. There are too many people angry with these thieves and intend on ousting every last one of them.


Florida is emerging from its abusive relationship.

[EconomicLiberal]

1. Obama did better than Gore in the I-4 corridor.

Gore did very well in the I-4 corridor for a Democrat. Obama did a better job there. He also did a great job of extracting more Democratic votes in the Gold Coast.

[Egnever]

2. Easy madfloridian made em!

[DeepModem Mom]

3. K&R

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Howard Dean's 50 State Strategy???

[populistdriven]

5. k&r

[FrenchieCat]

8. How nice......Obama and his ears! :)

[Berry Cool]

12. Political cartoonists are gonna have a field day with those ears.

They must have taken their first look at those ears and said "Thank you, God."

[treestar]

13. I always said the cartoonists were disappointed Kerry didn't win

The fun they would have had with that visage!

No insult to Kerry - I even think he's handsome. He just has certain qualities that must have delighted cartoonists.

[JCMach1]

6. Whoa Nelly! Alex Sink needs to run against Mel Martinez for Senate...

BTW: Alex Sink is one outstanding, bright, and impressive woman. I met her a number of times during the 2002 McBride campaign (when I was running for the Florida Legislature).

I am quite serious when I say she has a future in national politics. First woman President anyone? If she knocks of Martinez in 2010, she could be ready for Prime Time by 2016.

Crist is going to be hard to beat...

[HooptieWagon]

18. I had the pleasure of meeting her also.

What an intelligent and charming woman. She would be a formitable Gubernatorial or Senate candidate. I hope she runs for one of the two.

[Awsi Dooger]

7. Florida may have been the most disappointing state in the country

I'm originally from Miami and love the state. So don't label me a Florida hater. The fact remains, we won Florida by 2.8% with a national margin of 6.1%. That means Florida slipped again, to roughly 3.3% more red than the nation. In 2000 we had managed to move Florida dead even with the national margin.

While many vital states are moving in our way in that regard, Florida continues to slip the other way. In 2004 it was 2.5% more red than the country.

I suggest we prioritize Florida immediately. Normally the GOP gets the jump on us in that state, quietly registering far more Floridians than we do in the two years after a presidential cycle.

It's comical how much praise will be tossed when you win nationally by more than 6%. We did great everywhere, even when a closer look reveals we didn't.

[The Backlash Cometh]

15. Omigod.

There ARE people who are using the right-wing "hate America" mantra against Floridians who criticize Florida's corrupt style of government. Unbelievable. You know, they are quite proud of themselves that development comes before the interests of the people. You can't imagine how proud they are of it, and the Republican style of politics gave them incredible cover for it.

[DeepBlueDem]

20. At the Obama/Clinton joint rally. Clinton said that we need to keep FL Blue

And I agree 100%. Florida's demographics represent the future of our country. Republicans have killed this state with Jeb Crow laws. Obama's GOTV organization in Florida, in addition more felons will be able to get their rights back, our future in the state is bright. FL can easily get back red, However should take our experience from the Obama campaign and use it 365 days per year.

[SwampG8r]

9. yeah!

we are tired of being americas limp dribbling dick!

[Stevepol]

10. You don't think Crist helped with his demand for paper to be able to audit and recount?

IMO this is the key to winning in FL: do audits state-wide to assure that the machines are counting properly and FL is reliably blue.

[Berry Cool]

11. What I really want to know is,

how much was the outcome influenced by Sarah Silverman's "Great Schlep"?

[treestar]

14. Even in dark red states, cities still go Democratic

It's a cool thing for the Dems that Nebraska splits the votes. Even in Nebraska, the cities are blue. So it'd be a good thing to encourage more red state splitters.

With FL and OH, it seems the Obama campaign learned from the Gore and Kerry problems and got out the vote to avoid those problems.

[demo dutch]

16. Yes but it didn't translate at the State level elections, so we're not that blue

[OnionPatch]

17. This map and others of the same series

are misleading if you don't read the title closely. I've seen posts that make me think some people are mistakenly thinking this is a depiction of the majority vote for each county.

[HooptieWagon]

19. I disagree.

Yes, the state went for Obama, but Dems made no gains in the down ticket races. The FRP still controls the state, the FDP is still a bunch of self-serving DLCers more interested in maintaining personal power than party growth. There is no discernable 50-state effort here, only a few progressive grass-roots groups that receive no funding from the DNC or FDP. FL could easily flip red next presidential election. Sorry to be so pessimistic, but until the FDP leadership is replaced FL will still be Puke controlled.