Alcee Didn’t See
The first black in the White House just might mean trouble for Broward County’s most prominent black politician U. S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar.
Because instead of being part of the inside crowd around Barack Obama, Hastings will be out in the cold in a new Democratic administration.
One of the oldest rules in politics is that the only support that counts is early support. Hastings early support in the Democratic primary went to U. S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York.
A bad bet. One that is going to cost him.
He was named chair of Clinton’s Florida campaign in 2007. He finally saw the light and was named co-chair of Obama’s Florida campaign in June 2008.
The race was over. It didn’t count.
So instead of being the go-to pol in Broward, Hastings is headed for the back benches.
Oh, a president Obama will have to deal with Hastings in Congress. He is the dean of the Florida congressional delegation, after all.
But the go-to pols in Broward if Obama wins are going to be County Commissioner Stacy Ritter and lobbyist Russ Klenet. They will be the new power couple in the Broward County Democratic Party.
Ritter and Klenet were among the first Broward supporters of Obama, even traveling to Iowa and Minnesota on their own dime to work for the presidential candidate.
The couple has been only recognizable Broward names who regularly participate in the Obama campaign’s early Wednesday morning conference telephone call discussing political strategy.
Look for Ritter and Klenet to be a conduit for anything out of Washington in an Obama administration.
Ritter already has been mentioned by Obama fans to replace U. S. Rep. Robert Wexler, the Democrat who represents the northwestern chunk of Broward. Wexler, another early Obama backer, may be asked to join an Obama administration.