Message from Kendrick Meek (FL - DEMOCRAT)

[RockaFowler]

In the past 12 hours, you've probably heard a lot about Charlie Crist's latest attempt to push me out of this race.

Let me be clear -- I'm in this race until 7 p.m CT/8 p.m ET on Election Night.

President Clinton never asked me to drop out. Since the first day after my primary victory, Crist has been dead set on trying to push me out of this race because he only cares about advancing his own political career.

Instead of simply writing a $10,000 check, I was the first statewide candidate to qualify for the ballot by petition. Over 140,000 Floridians added their names to our cause. For me, this race is about taking a stand for the middle class.

Help me fight back by rushing $35, $50, or more to my campaign.

I'm not going to leave voters the choice between two lifelong Republicans who have spent their entire careers wheeling and dealing with the special interests behind closed doors in Tallahassee. Floridians are are sick and tired of it.
Charlie Crist's entire campaign has been based on one idea -- "let's make a deal." Floridians deserve better and I will never sell them out.

Florida needs a fighter in the Senate who will stand up for everyday Floridians. And that's just what I'll do as Florida's next United States senator.

Please help me fight the Charlie Crist smear machine and take a stand against special interests and deal-making by making a donation to my campaign.

It isn't too late to make a difference.

-- Kendrick


I'm still voting for Kendrick Meek - the best man for the job and the ONLY DEMOCRAT running for Senate in Florida

[HughMoran]

1. 15%

Senator Rubio.

[SoFlaJet]

2. This family

will not be wasting our votes on Meek

[DrDan]

6. the purpose of my vote is to keep rubio out of Washington

[Dr.Phool]

11. Nor ours.

Already voted.

[msongs]

3. Gee Mr. Meek, I thought Rubio was the opposition - why are you campaigning against Crist? nt

[RockaFowler]

5. I guess you missed this line

That he's running against 2 LIFELONG REPUBLICANS.

CharLIE Crist has got you all brainwashed around here. Wow, I remember 4 years ago running a campaign against this charlatain. Just unbelievable. Oh wait he had an epiphany after he couldn't beat Rubio head to head.

[Aramchek]

18. we could've dealt with Crist. Rubio is the true enemy. Meek assured his victory.

[Exilednight]

36. That's not true ..........

You could also argue that Crist assured Rubio's victory.

When all is said and done, Meek will have more votes than Crist. Currently, Meek is ahead of Crist in early voting by 4 points.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Because maybe he knows Crist better than you do?

Read what he said. Floridians are tired of all the deal making. He was the real thing. And the wheeling, dealing Democrats turned him down.

So it's scorched earth, and next time, you wheeler dealers will know we mean business.

[dkf]

4. What is the point? He has no chance.

Did he overspend or something?

[FBaggins]

35. So? I'll vote for a democrat with no chance

rather than a republican who has one.

[druidity33]

7. wow...

love the replies to this post thus far...

:eyes:

:popcorn:

[RockaFowler]

10. I'm with you

I'm shocked that we can't get behind the Democrat in this race. Oh Well, we can thank CharLIE Crist for Senator Rubio because Kendrick Meek won his party's nomination. CharLIE just left his party, or did he. All of this stinks to high heaven. It was all a part to supress voters in Florida. Because that's all Repukes know how to win - supress the voters. I have lived through the shitstorm of 2000, but this is just rich. People are actually complaining that the DEMOCRAT in the race didn't drop out. Wow, just Wow!!

[AndrewP]

14. It's unbelievable, actually

Let's endorse the Republican over the Democrat. WTF?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. Why Didn'tMeek Endorse His Fellow Democrats In 08 When They Ran Against His Republican Pals

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/03/wasserman_schultz_under_seige.html

[RockaFowler]

15. Wow, something from 2008

I really fear for my party

This was March 2008 and it was a hit-piece on Debbie. Who is one of the best Dems we have from Florida. But that's OK, let's gang up on her now too. Oh yeah she was a Hillary supporter and so was Kendrick. isn't that special??

Keep bringing up crap from the 2008 primary and we will never go forward. . .

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. It Was Two Years Ago

I voted for Meek. And one of the reasons I supported him was because he continued to support Hillary long after it was politically expedient. That's loyalty. However I cast a wasted vote because he has no chance to beat Marco Rubio-the Latin Tea Bagger.
I only linked the article to demonstrate that it seems sometimes loyalty to party can be breached in special circumstances. Obviously Ms. Schultz and Mr. Meek felt endorsing Democratic candidates against their fellow Republicans in the Florida Congressional delegation was a net negative as they were sure to lose and it was important to maintain comity in the delegation..

I think the same deference should be given to Democratic Crist supporters who have concluded he is the on;y candidate to have a chance to beat Rubio.

Ny point is you can't pillory people for breaching party loyalty when you think it's expedient and not pillory the same people for breaching party loyalty when you think its inexpedient.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. I Lived In Fort Lauderdale For Four Months This Summer

My girlfriend and I have been moving from place to place like some characters out of John Steinbeck's " The Grapes Of Wrath". We were lucky because we had some money but enough to get a permanent place or car because she had a good job that she no longer has.

I never saw so many homeless people in my life. Old, young, black, white, physically challenged, broken, et cetera. I would go out of my way to give them a buck or two; a buck or two I really didn't have. In the four months I was there I must have spent a couple of hundred bucks.

Would my couple of hundred bucks have been better spent donating to a candidate who is going to come in third place?


on edit-if I had a spare thirty five or fifty bucks I would go to downtown Orlando where I am now and distribute it among the homeless. That's more productive than donating to a candidate with no chance of winning.

Oh yeah, I voted for Meek. It's one of the things you can do for free...

[WI_DEM]

13. Crist is an opportunist who ran as an indie only because he couldn't win a GOP primary

Crist should have gone indie or dem a year or more ago. Meek won the primary and is the nominee and there is no reason for him to exit the race.

[jzodda]

16. Lets change the message

Hi I am Kendrick Meek and I am currently polling at around 15% in the race for the Senate in Florida.

I have decided to stay in this race despite having no chance to actually win. If you send me $35 or $50 you can really help me retire my campaign debt once the election is over. I would really appreciate any help you could give!

I would also like to congratulate Rubio and the Tea Party because they will have another of their members coming to DC to join the Senate! Even better if there really is a "wave" and this race winds up giving the senate to the Republicans then you can thank me for doing so!

So don't forget to send me that money! 15% is not too bad right? At least I stood by my principles!

[Aramchek]

17. sounds like you're the one who only cares about advancing your political career, Mr. Meek

after all, everyone knows you haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of winning this.

You could have ensured that this Senate seat was a Democratic vote.
Instead, you're giving it to Marco Rubio.
You fail, sir.

[RockaFowler]

19. You fail sir

When did CharLIE Crist say that he was a Democrat again?? And if CharLIE Crist thought he was gonna win so much - why didn't he do it in the primary?? Yeah let's blame Kendrick Meek. It's his fault that Rubio is in the lead. not really - it's CharLIE's fault.

[Aramchek]

21. Charlie has nowhere to go but to us. Kendrick could have ensured this.

Instead, he ensured that Rubio will win.

He should have set his emotions aside and made the best strategic move.
He did not.

[jzodda]

22. There is about zero chance that Crist would caucus with Repubs...

They don't want him and he does not want them...

So lets get your take...Its Crist's fault that Meek is polling at 15%??? Really? Are there only 15% of Dems in Florida? Why are so many supporting Crist?

[RockaFowler]

23. Well

Since you keep bringing up 15% - where exactly did you get that number?? Currently he is polling at 21%. Oh and there are a bunch of people who are just anti-rubio and they are voting for Crist because of it. I guess you have a reading comprehension. It's all over Crist Underground. Everyone here is supporting a Repuke. I just love it

[krawhitham]

26. Google is your friend

1st hit when searching "Meek 15%"

http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/q-poll-rubio-42-crist-35-meek-15_513178.html

[jzodda]

28. I guess YOU have the reading comprehension

Since the 15% has been widely reported...Go crawl back under the rock you came out of

[krawhitham]

25. He stated at one point he would not caucus with the rethugs, that leaves him one other option

[Exilednight]

37. He never said that he would not caucus with republicans............

For months, Charlie Crist has declined to say which party he'd caucus with should he win Florida's closely watched Senate race. But with Crist trailing Republican Marco Rubio heading into the final weekend before Election Day, a senior adviser to the campaign tells the Wall Street Journal that Crist would throw in with the Democrats should he stage an upset victory next Tuesday.

"Crist is going to caucus with the Democrats," Crist adviser John Morgan tells the Journal's Peter Wallsten. "I don't think there's any ifs, ands or buts about it. It would be, in a very tight year, almost like a Democratic pickup in a solid Republican state."

It's unclear if Morgan's statement was authorized by the campaign. A Crist spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. Either way, it's another sign of Crist's last-ditch attempts to woo Democratic votes in the final days of the campaign.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101029/el_yblog_upshot/adviser-crist-would-caucus-with-democrats

[krawhitham]

24. The man should drop out and give his money to races that are close

I do not care if he backs Crist or not, he is doing nothing but pissing money away, money that could help others actually win an election

[SoFlaJet]

27. Crist would caucus with the dems

if elected

[Exilednight]

38. Give me a link with a quote from Crist stating such. n/t

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. From the beginning, this race has been between Crist & Rubio.

To say otherwise is foolish at best, and dishonest at worst. I've sent money to candidates all over the country, but since Meek has never once taken the lead in this three way, I figured it was a waste of money. Some call what he's doing "principle". I, personally, think it's been a fool's errand, from the outset. He never caught fire with the voters, and Floridians obviously know the shortcomings of Rubio & Crist, but Meek is still in third place? Sounds like Meek may not really know what Floridians want.

[mmarsh]

30. Support Christ...

Exactly Right

Crist IS a tried and true republican but he's the lesser of two evils. If Meek had dropped out and urged Dems to support Crist we could have gotten something else in return. What we need to do is keep Rubio out of office at all cost, he one of the "lunatic" fringe who will Obstruct everything that Obama tries to do.

I agree the choice is crap but the fact is voting for Meek means voting for Rubio. If Floridians don't want Rubio as its Senator (I don't blame them) then they MUST hold up their nose and vote for Crist.

[ibegurpard]

31. The replies in this thread are what happens when you welcome Republicans into the Democratic party

no fucking wonder people are disgusted and don't see the point in voting.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

32. I Voted For Meek But He's No Cardbaord Saint And This Attempt To Make Him One Pisses Me Off

Democratic party leaders have tapped Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz to raise money and coach candidates in a high-stakes, aggressive bid to expand the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.

But as three Miami Democrats look to unseat three of her South Florida Republican colleagues, Wasserman Schultz is staying on the sidelines. So is Rep. Kendrick Meek, a Miami Democrat and loyal ally to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

....


Meek also has told national party leaders that he won't play a role in the races. He and his mother, former Rep. Carrie Meek, are close to Martinez, the former Hialeah mayor. But Meek said the ties between his family and the Diaz-Balarts are deeper.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2008/03/09/29853/democrats-torn-between-party-gop.html

[suzie]

33. Aren't the Diaz-Balarts the most right-wing Republicans in the Congress?

I don't mean somewhat right, I think they're ranked by voting as the furthest right.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. This Is Why I Keep Posting In These Threads

I like Meek but he's human. What a revelation. He didn't want to campaign against his Republican pals in the Florida delegation; especially when they are in the same area (South Florida). I get it.

But by doing this Meek has taken away the moral high ground from himself and his supporters who are criticizing other Democrats for supporting Crist because they made a calculation he can't beat Rubio.

If Meek can breach party loyalty because he doesn't want to endorse a Democrat who is running against his pal, Democrats can breach party loyalty to vote for an independent if he is the only person to be able to stop a Tea Bagger.


To answer your question the Balarts and Ileana-Ros- Lehiten are real pieces of work. Their moderate Democratic Cuban opposition deserve all the help they can get.

[mkultra]

39. If Crist is so damn conservative, then why are FL dems voting for him?

Seventy-six percent (76%) of Republicans and 47% of voters not affiliated with either political party favor Rubio, the former state House speaker. Crist draws support from 47% of Democrats, 20% of Republicans and 29% of unaffiliated voters. Meek is favored by just 38% of Democrats in the state and 11% of unaffiliateds.

Eighty-two percent (82%) of all Florida voters regard Rubio as a conservative. Crist is considered a moderate by 44%, a conservative by 26% and liberal by 27%. Sixty-one percent (61%) describe Meek as a liberal, but 22% think he's a moderate.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections/florida/election_2010_florida_senate

[Exilednight]

40. You're talking about a state that voted a Bush into office......TWICE ..............and

screws up every election they hold.