Dems Broward Fundraiser Can’t Touch GOP
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The Democratic Party still isn’t a favorite place for high rollers in this oh-so Democratic county to give money.
The Florida Democratic Party dug up less than two dozen contributors to be on its Host Committee for a fundraiser tomorrow night in Fort Lauderdale.
Part of this is that contributors are paying to hear Allison Tant.
Who? She’s the state chair of the party.
Short of inviting an office holder like President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden or somebody from the party’s fast receding past glory, the D’s don’t have anybody to bring in as a speaker. So they are stuck with speakers like Tant.
Tant can’t do anything for anybody. She controls the party.
The R’s have the entire Florida Cabinet, the leadership of the Legislature and the governor. They control the state.
So the difference between the state parties’ fund raising is dramatic.
In addition, Republican supporters tend to have deeper pockets. The state Republican Party can call three or four Broward supporters like Rick and Rita Case, Ron Bergeron or Wayne Huizenga and raise six figures easily.
The D’s are not so lucky.
The list of hosts and event chairs at the Democratic event tomorrow are decided middle class. Some maybe upper middle class.
One or two are even what we would call rich.
But no Case automobile dealership fortune. No Bergeron’s thousands of acres of real estate. No Huizenga’s myriad of businesses.
No captains of industry.
So to fill out the invitation for tomorrow night:
Two of the event chairs or hosts have ties to Broward, but don’t live here – Ron Klein of Boca Raton and Ron Greenstein of Tallahassee.
Two of them are running for office – Kristin Jacobs and Ken Keechl. My bet is the tickets to this event are paid by their campaigns.
One is a lobbyist who has backed Republicans in the past. Judy Stern’s involvement proves money isn’t red or blue, its green.
April 22nd, 2014 at 8:14 am
could they have picked a smaller venue? …must be expecting quite a turnout
April 22nd, 2014 at 8:14 am
I don’t see a name on that list under 50. If I am off, certainly no one under 45. They used to say the Republcans were the party of the old blue hairs. I am only surprised they didn’t find a way to bring the urn of Gov Ruben Askew.
April 22nd, 2014 at 9:11 am
Most or all of these event chairs/hosts I bet didn’t pay the prices listed on the invitation.
Most likely FDP begged many of them to be on the list in hopes they would draw in act actual donors.
One thing for sure, there is a good chance if all of the listed event chairs and hosts attend they would most likely outnumber the individuals who pay $250 to be there.
Why at Casablanca? Great beach views, but the parking is awful.
April 22nd, 2014 at 2:32 pm
Buddy;
Your latest thinking touches upon a deeper issue.
I opine the “cheapness” of the public goes beyond filling the coffers of a particular party.
Consider the most awesome work the Broward Beat and Broward Bulldog does … or to a much lesser extent, my blog. Though some might disagree, the Beat, Bulldog, and MAOS perform a valuable service. We’re doing our level best to take up the slack left by the collapse of the MSM.
Most readers do not realize the production costs associated with our collective work.
Yet, over the years and speaking for my blog, even though I do my best to occasionally remind them, the amount of financial assistance I’ve received has been pitiful.
Voters are not only apathetic on election day, they are also lazy when it comes to opening their wallet.
April 22nd, 2014 at 3:44 pm
@Even Worse. No one under 50 on that list? Andrew Weinstein, Cynthia Busch, Grace Carrington and Martin Kiar are all definitely under 50. Jack Seiler is 50. Not sure how old Ken is, but he’s probably younger than 50.
Do your homework or know something before you go spouting off on a blog.
April 22nd, 2014 at 5:38 pm
per the mayor’s Accolade Pages on the fort lauderdale commission website, he is 51 and will be 52 in May 2014
April 22nd, 2014 at 6:08 pm
Judy Stern is about 180
April 22nd, 2014 at 6:35 pm
An old friend and DEC member who has over the years attended both the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner(now the politically correct “Unity Dinner”) and the Lincoln Day Dinner noticed at least one big difference in the two events. He said that at the Licoln Day event people chatted about business and politics. At the Jefferson-Jackson event people bragged about how they got their tickets comp’d and didn’t have to open their wallets to get in the door.
p.s.
#4 above: since he receives little or no contributions, it may say more about the value of his work than of the cheapness of the citizenry.
#5 above: don’t have to “Guess Who”. It’s the Aturd all of the way!
April 22nd, 2014 at 8:29 pm
It should come as no surprise that Democrats Nationally or Locally depend on more grassroots financial support. It is the nature of the beast. One party serves the elite few and another serves the masses. FLDEP has done a pitiful job of outreach to the masses. Maybe that is because they did not hire someone with a grassroots mentality who can tap those resources. Either way this fundraiser would not have been intended for them, and yes, Dems don’t have any ball’r donators in Broward, YET.
Hardly a Headline.