Florida Megathread

[RogueBeaver]

Crist meets Lopez-Cantera.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Crist meets Lopez-Cantera.

That was kind of awkward.

[Donerail]

Crist meets Lopez-Cantera.

That was kind of awkward.

#givemescott.

I thought it was pretty awesome. Crist just shut CLC down, and was pretty funny while doing so.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Crist meets Lopez-Cantera.

That was kind of awkward.

#givemescott.

I thought it was pretty awesome. Crist just shut CLC down, and was pretty funny while doing so.

I thought Crist was trying to give CLC the Lyndon Johnson treatment, especially with the way he turned around and yelled "give me Scott." Seemed obnoxious to me.

[Flake]

That was painful to watch.

[RogueBeaver]

Sink won't run in November.

[Miles]

Crist pwns Lopez-Cantera.

[Flake]

Sink won't run in November.

Good

Crist pwns Lopez-Cantera.

You're a little late to the party

[TX Conservative Dem]

Crist will need the Clintons, the Democratic Governors Association and others to help him out.

Scott is doing what Obama did to Romney in 2012: hammer your opponent so bad and very early, that people would believe it.

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Crist is into theatrics like that- always has been

[RogueBeaver]

Crist doesn't want to debate Rich, but I highly doubt Scott escapes a debate with Crist.

[TX Conservative Dem]

Why isn't Crist firing back at Scott with negative TV Ads?

It's obvious those two are gonna face off in the fall.

[Donerail]

Bondi's been taking fire because of a brief she filed saying recognizing gay marriages performed in other states would "impose significant public harm."

This is as fine a time as any to remember that Bondi is currently on her third marriage (twice divorced - the first lasted two years, the second five), though the validity of her current marriage is questionable as it was ratified through a non-binding ceremony in the Cayman Islands.

[Person Man]

What should be done with the Florida Democratic Party?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

What should be done with the Florida Democratic Party?

Burnt to the ground and merged into the Florida GOP of course! The left of the state party going off and joining some bizare Green Party like group that can't win. I want my future in campaign management to be easy down here .

[Donerail]

What should be done with the Florida Democratic Party?

Burnt to the ground

This part, at least, is accurate. Step one is to burn it to the ground. Burn the whole damn thing to the ground, including most (if not all) of current party leadership. Replace local leaders, replace state leaders, and replace elected officials - especially, for instance, some local DECs. A full-level cleansing by fire. The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, and have had a problem since '92.

Step two is to refocus. Look, I want to target North Florida. I think the party should, in an ideal world, be able to win North Florida. But GOTV is a logistical nightmare. I'd rather put people in Broward than in the 14,000 square miles of North Florida - 8% the size and a hell of a lot easier to do GOTV in. It's also, finally, electorally irrelevant. Alex Sink could've seen a 20% swing in North Florida and still lost. Alternatively, she could've seen a 4% swing in Broward and Dade, and that'd be the same as 20% of that area. The FDP needs to refocus on South Florida - geographically smaller, growing, and more about GOTV among the base than convincing conservatives to back us. The FDP can win Dade, we can win Broward, and we should be targeting and Democratizing Orange, Pinellas, Seminole, etc. - counties where we have a voter registration edge that the FDP is failing at translating into electoral victories. Focus on state legislative seats there, make a difference there, and actually win the counties that matter.

Step 3 is better candidates, because who we've got now is nothing short of pathetic. There are 47 House seats that should be safely Democratic - carried by both Sink and Obama. We've got 44 seats in the legislature right now. There are 58 districts carried by either Sink or Obama, districts the Democrats should at least be competitive in. But the FDP just isn't being as competitive as it should be. Look at our 2014 candidates for statewide office - we couldn't find anyone better than a former bureaucrat from Ohio to run for CFO? I'd say something cynical about our Ag Commish candidate too, but I have no idea who he is. Except for Bob Butterworth and Alex Sink, we haven't had any statewide cabinet victories in this millennium, and only the AG races haven't been blowout Republican wins. We have no big-name candidates in FL-10 or FL-16, both very winnable seats, and don't even have anybody in FL-13, because the local Dem party decided to push aside a legitimate candidate in exchange for an ex-Republican from Tampa who'd never held elected office and graduated from a diploma mill. We especially need to start focusing on the young. In Florida, the Republican Party is the party of the young. Maybe not in votes, but certainly in elected officials. Will Weatherford, Marco Rubio, Adam Putnam, Anitere Flores, John Legg, Steve Crisafulli, Matt Gaetz - these are young people. And Democrats just aren't investing in their youth wings on anywhere near the level the Republicans are, even controlling for how moneyed the parties are. They've got a youth wing, and we just really don't have any sort of equivalent - maybe for putting together signs and licking envelopes, but not for investing in a new generation of leaders.

Worth mentioning that the Democratic Mayor of Alachua just endorsed Rick Scott as I was typing the above. Ugh.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

What should be done with the Florida Democratic Party?

Burnt to the ground

This part, at least, is accurate. Step one is to burn it to the ground. Burn the whole damn thing to the ground, including most (if not all) of current party leadership. Replace local leaders, replace state leaders, and replace elected officials - especially, for instance, some local DECs. A full-level cleansing by fire. The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, and have had a problem since '92.

Step two is to refocus. Look, I want to target North Florida. I think the party should, in an ideal world, be able to win North Florida. But GOTV is a logistical nightmare. I'd rather put people in Broward than in the 14,000 square miles of North Florida - 8% the size and a hell of a lot easier to do GOTV in. It's also, finally, electorally irrelevant. Alex Sink could've seen a 20% swing in North Florida and still lost. Alternatively, she could've seen a 4% swing in Broward and Dade, and that'd be the same as 20% of that area. The FDP needs to refocus on South Florida - geographically smaller, growing, and more about GOTV among the base than convincing conservatives to back us. The FDP can win Dade, we can win Broward, and we should be targeting and Democratizing Orange, Pinellas, Seminole, etc. - counties where we have a voter registration edge that the FDP is failing at translating into electoral victories. Focus on state legislative seats there, make a difference there, and actually win the counties that matter.

Step 3 is better candidates, because who we've got now is nothing short of pathetic. There are 47 House seats that should be safely Democratic - carried by both Sink and Obama. We've got 44 seats in the legislature right now. There are 58 districts carried by either Sink or Obama, districts the Democrats should at least be competitive in. But the FDP just isn't being as competitive as it should be. Look at our 2014 candidates for statewide office - we couldn't find anyone better than a former bureaucrat from Ohio to run for CFO? I'd say something cynical about our Ag Commish candidate too, but I have no idea who he is. Except for Bob Butterworth and Alex Sink, we haven't had any statewide cabinet victories in this millennium, and only the AG races haven't been blowout Republican wins. We have no big-name candidates in FL-10 or FL-16, both very winnable seats, and don't even have anybody in FL-13, because the local Dem party decided to push aside a legitimate candidate in exchange for an ex-Republican from Tampa who'd never held elected office and graduated from a diploma mill. We especially need to start focusing on the young. In Florida, the Republican Party is the party of the young. Maybe not in votes, but certainly in elected officials. Will Weatherford, Marco Rubio, Adam Putnam, Anitere Flores, John Legg, Steve Crisafulli, Matt Gaetz - these are young people. And Democrats just aren't investing in their youth wings on anywhere near the level the Republicans are, even controlling for how moneyed the parties are. They've got a youth wing, and we just really don't have any sort of equivalent - maybe for putting together signs and licking envelopes, but not for investing in a new generation of leaders.

Worth mentioning that the Democratic Mayor of Alachua just endorsed Rick Scott as I was typing the above. Ugh.

First of all, this post (like all of your posts regarding anything) was awesome.

When I worked on the campaign in 2012, the staff was entirely under 30. The entire FL-GOP's base of operatives are all between 25-40, it seems. I don't know if the Democratic Party is made up of mostly young operatives, but the candidate who we were running against had an older staff (all in their forties and fifties, it appeared). They definitely need to tap into this pool of knowledge coming out of FSU-literally, every person I worked with on that campaign either graduated from FSU, or were students at FSU (besides  a few out of state interns). I am going to apply to the school myself, as its prime location in the capital naturally makes it the Mecca of Florida political strategists.

I am sure the FLDP could recruit some young people there, and they could also make a greater effort to reach high school students in the hopes of driving them into the political science program (I get the feeling that the political science classes at FSU are dominantly Republican, but I base that off of anecdotal evidence). Younger politicians are in short supply for the FL-Dems. Joe Abruzzo, who represents the Senate district just north of me, is a rare example of a younger Democrat in the legislature. When I think of the FLDP’s legislative bench, I immediately picture Gwen Margolis, Nan Rich, or Eleanor Sobel. On the national level, you do have Patrick Murphy, but he isn’t going to be running for Agriculture Commissioner of CFO in his lifetime-I suspect he has his eyes on the Senate already.

You’re totally right about South Florida as well, and if the FLDP actually began to focus heavily down here, the FL-GOP would be in trouble. In Palm Beach County, the GOP is shrinking day by day. Independents now outnumber Republicans in South Florida. The meetings of the PBC GOP’s executive committee are even older than the Democratic caucus in the legislature . Most of the young Republicans I worked with on the campaign are all from north Florida, in particular the Tallahassee area. But down here, there are very few active young Republicans. We don’t even have a Teenaged Republicans group in the area anymore-I have been thinking about joining the FAU college Republicans to stay involved. This is an area that can swing the state due to the sizeable population, and with areas like Tampa, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville, can probably turn Florida atlas red if the Florida Democrats read your post and take your advice.

[TX Conservative Dem]

Florida Democrats are gonna wish U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) had jumped into this race because he would've beaten the crap out of Scott.

[Flake]

Florida Democrats are gonna wish U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) had jumped into this race because he would've beaten the crap out of Scott.

Florida Democrats wish they did a lot of things differently.

[Donerail]

When I worked on the campaign in 2012, the staff was entirely under 30. The entire FL-GOP's base of operatives are all between 25-40, it seems. I don't know if the Democratic Party is made up of mostly young operatives, but the candidate who we were running against had an older staff (all in their forties and fifties, it appeared). They definitely need to tap into this pool of knowledge coming out of FSU-literally, every person I worked with on that campaign either graduated from FSU, or were students at FSU (besides  a few out of state interns). I am going to apply to the school myself, as its prime location in the capital naturally makes it the Mecca of Florida political strategists. I am sure the FLDP could recruit some young people there, and they could also make a greater effort to reach high school students in the hopes of driving them into the political science program (I get the feeling that the political science classes at FSU are dominantly Republican, but I base that off of anecdotal evidence).

The same was true for me on the big Dem race I worked last year. To add to that anecdotal evidence, though, basically every person on my campaign either graduated from UF or was a student there. Probably has something to do with the school colors.

Younger politicians are in short supply for the FL-Dems. Joe Abruzzo, who represents the Senate district just north of me, is a rare example of a younger Democrat in the legislature. When I think of the FLDP’s legislative bench, I immediately picture Gwen Margolis, Nan Rich, or Eleanor Sobel. On the national level, you do have Patrick Murphy, but he isn’t going to be running for Agriculture Commissioner of CFO in his lifetime-I suspect he has his eyes on the Senate already.

But yeah, this is more what I'm getting at. We can have young operatives aplenty, but we really have no youngish Dems in the legislature.

can probably turn Florida atlas red if the Florida Democrats read your post and take your advice.

You're lucky I'm not FDP chair.

I'm also lucky I'm not. Sounds like an awful job.

Florida Democrats are gonna wish U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) had jumped into this race because he would've beaten the crap out of Scott.

Florida Democrats wish they did a lot of things differently.

This is very much true. On the list of regrets FL Dems have, I doubt not having Nelson will be their highest. Not having Charlie Justice is what I'd put first, but eh.

[RogueBeaver]

Greer's book is out.

[Miles]

DKE says Nelson will have a final decision on the Governor's race tomorrow.

[International Brotherhood of Bernard]

DKE says Nelson will have a final decision on the Governor's race tomorrow.

So me help me God Bill Nelson

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Please run for Governor!!!

[Donerail]

I doubt Nelson's ability to go up against a pre-existing, fairly large Crist operation. Most of the top Dem operatives have already started working for Crist. If he was going to do it he would've done it earlier.