Demo Disaster Threatens Fla’s Swing State Reputation
BY BUDDY NEVINS
I have used this sentence so many times in my career that I have lost count: The Democratic Party needs a reset.
After the the party’s disastrous multi-level failure on Tuesday it is once again clear that the Florida Democratic organization is out of touch.
To see the depth of the failure one must look beyond Joe Biden’s loss by a huge margin for Florida.
Biden was defeated by 3.4 percent. That’s almost three times Hillary Clinton’s 1.2 percent loss four years ago.
The bad news doesn’t end with the presidential race.
Democrats lost five Florida House seats, including one in Southwest Broward County.
Two Democratic member of Congress were also defeated.
Attempts to topple Republicans like state Rep. Chip LaMarca of Fort Lauderdale failed dismally.
As defeated Miami-Dade Democrats state Rep. Javier Fernandez fumed about the Democratic organization on Twitter:
What went wrong? Everything.
No winning ground game.
Again.
Inaccurate internal polls produced by the same old group of failed Democratic pollsters.
Again.
The idea that a Democrats would ride to victory on a wave of new voters.
Wrong again.
The Republicans signed up more new voters in Florida.
Especially galling to me is something I have been hearing for years from Democrats: Our salvation will be the growing Spanish-speaking vote.
Democrats believed they had a lock on Latins’ support because of Donald Trump’s anti-illegal immigrant stance. They would painlessly inherit Latin support as easily as Trump inherited his millions.
These Democrats should have put down their lattes and started talking to Hispanics.
Spanish-speaking voters are a rainbow of opinions.
Mexicans are not Cubans. Nor are they Nicaraguans or Venezuelans. Or Puerto Ricans. Each group needs a customized approach.
Some Mexican-Americans may resent Trump’s wall.
The Wall is far less important to Cuban-Americans, Nicaraguan-Americans and Venezuelan-Americans. Their vote can be influenced by suspicions that Democrats were soft on socialism, a form of government they fled.
Republicans have tagged Florida Democrats with the socialist label since President John F. Kennedy abandoned the Cuban freedom fighters at the Bay of Pigs. That was the early 1960s and Florida Democrats have been unable to counter it ever since.
Lately Republican ads have successfully added to the socialist stew the high-profile U. S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), D-NYC, and the Vermont U. S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. Their positions scare the entrepreneurial immigrants.They also worry many other voters.
The Democrats have seen their Florida candidates labeled “socialist” every cycle. They are still unable to counter it.
Florida Democrats are in a pickle.
If the party pushes positions perceived too liberal, it turns off moderates. Many moderates are comfortable with conservative candidates because because they represent the safe status quo, rather plunging into an uncertain future.
The state party has never figured out how to bridge this gap between liberals and moderates.
After years of ceding more and more ground to the GOP, Florida Democrats still can’t sum up what the party stands for in a few words.
Republicans can: “Less Taxes, less government, More freedom.” That slogan was introduced by U. S. Sen. Connie Mack a generation ago and it still works.
WHAT CAN DEMOCRATS DO?
Florida Democrats can win again.
They must put more volunteers to work reaching voters.
They must develop new ways to campaign using modern tools (Candidates singing or dancing on TicToc? It is not so far fetched if one remembers that Bill Clinton played his saxophone on Arsenio Hall’s TV show, which seemed fresh and hip at the time. ).
Democrats must fashion fresh ways to inoculate candidates against the attacks they know will come.
They must find new young consultants. Ditch the same-old, same-old losers who have been associated with decades of defeats.
And Democrats must emphasize positions that all Floridians can agree on, like better water quality. Local issues helped Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, become the next mayor of Miami-Dade on Tuesday despite the huge Red wave.
The Democrats’ excuses have already begun. I’ve heard them for years. No, for decades.
Excuses don’t win elections. The winners are the candidates who connect with more voters. Period.
That’s Politics 101. Democrats need to relearn Politics 101.
Or this swing state will become a bright shade of red.
November 5th, 2020 at 1:46 pm
Buddy, once again you are right about the situation but not about the reason. Florida Dem leadership (ALL) continues to be MIA. Don’t let me get started with Broward, much less the ‘treatment’ of ALL minorities AND their Dem organizations/clubs. As a minority, also do not let me get started on the Dem Oreo cookies and/or the ones only in it for the campaign money. Until there is a welcoming atmosphere for new leaders, instead of a cabal, it will be ‘same old, same old’.
November 5th, 2020 at 1:48 pm
Pardon me, the answer to your question about what the Democrat party stands for is in your article:
“After years of ceding more and more ground to the GOP, Florida Democrats still can’t sum up what the party stands for in a few words.
Republicans can: “Less Taxes, less government, More freedom.” That slogan was introduced by U. S. Sen. Connie Mack a generation ago and it still works.”
On the other hand, Democrats, always say: More taxes, more government, less freedom.
The choice for people who are already overtaxed, over regulated, and appreciate life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is clear.
November 5th, 2020 at 2:34 pm
Very good, Buddy. Especially ”
They must find new young consultants. Ditch the same-old, same-old losers who have been associated with decades of defeats”. Maybe not all have to be “young” but they should have a different perspective on how to win. This isn’t working.
But people have to step up for that. Perhaps now people will realize that Florida is NOT a swing state. Hasn’t been for a while. It’s a state that Democrats are going to have to fight to get back. And with redistricting coming, good luck.
November 5th, 2020 at 4:50 pm
As long as people can be convinced that Joe Biden, Donna Shalala and other moderate Democrats are Communists, Democrats will have a hard time carrying Miami-Dade County by significant margins.
November 6th, 2020 at 7:34 am
As long as Democrats talk Defund The Police they lose. No one wants that except a tiny group of socialists. I am a woman of color and nobody I know wants that. We want better and more police, not no police. Get on Board Democrats
November 6th, 2020 at 7:38 am
Miami Gardens’ backing for Donald Trump on Election Day 2020 more than doubled from 2016, vote tallies from the majority-Black city’s precincts show — a surprising result that may reflect the Republican president’s broader inroads into minority voters’ traditional support for Democratic candidates.
It was still a blowout for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who accounted for a little more than 84% of the Miami Gardens vote. That was a drop from Hillary Clinton’s 94% share in 2016, though.
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-gardens/article246989057.html?ac_cid=DM317782&ac_bid=-1519616179#storylink=cpy
November 6th, 2020 at 10:44 pm
You n #5 Sweet Georgia (where I am moving to n will vote for Rev Warnock n Jon Ossoff) are 100% correct. The “consultants” in Miami-Dade for the Dems scared the Hell out of small business owners AND THEIR EMPLOYEES N VENDORS while the parlour pink crowd mentioned a swearword to Central and South Americans NOT TI MENTION JEWISH REFUGEES N THEIR CHILDREN N GRANDCHILDREN. I voted for DEMOCRAT Joe Biden NOT SOCIAL DEMOCRATS; DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS or SOCIALISTS who ARE NOT DEMOCRATS.
November 7th, 2020 at 11:51 am
It’s all about what u can do for me today.
Politicians which Pres.Trump is learning and fast that whether u r Republican/ Democrat they r not like in the private sector.Once u don’t t perform for them or their causes,it’s bye – bye.
For instance.Trump can scream to the rafters that the GOP is not coming to his rescue.Again,they esp.Head of the Senate Mitch there as long as he controls the senate he and others have no use for Trump.
The key to both parties is u have to stay relevant. U have to stay focused on the constituents and their concerns and issues. Do this and address this sentiment and the voters will back u up.The trick is to the voter says jump u have to say how high.
Alot of these elected officials from both parties don’t give a damn about their constituents. It’s all about what’s in it for them.
Many times these lobbyists both locally and nationally control these elected officials for the simple reason that they control the purse strings.Polticians to stay in the loop they must stop putting so much emphasis on the lobbyists and their concerns and put the residents first( voters).
Why alot of elected officials r yesterday news is because the voter feels left out while the lobbyists laugh all the way to the bank( contracts dev attys etc).Oh the lobbyists keep the elected officials bank acc.fat but it’s the voters that on any given election can send u packing.Lesson learned after this election is focus more on the voters and less on appeasing these lobbyists etc.Will see…
November 7th, 2020 at 3:19 pm
The Democrats should keep on saying it louder “Defund the Police” and “Mostly peaceful protestors” and everything will be fine.
November 8th, 2020 at 12:30 pm
LOBBYISTS ARE NEITHEE RICH OR POLITICALLY POWERFUL #8. Lobbyists AT BEST R UPPER MIDDLE CLASS. NO ELECTED OFFICIAL HAS EVER BERN ELECTED OR DEFEATED BY A LOBBYIST.
Voters Elect! Jaime Harrison (in South Carolina) proved MONEY DOESNT CONTROL AN ELECTION…
This NONSENSE about lobbyists controlling politics IS THE EXCUSE PEOPLE USE BECAUSE NO DEMOCRAT WANTS TO ADMIT LOW TAXES N REAL ESTATE PROFITS R WHAT PEOPLE WANT….
November 10th, 2020 at 12:34 am
Lobbyist don’t control elections etc.just tell that to the ft.lau mayor and commissioners. The majority of their campaign accounts the donations etc.come from lobbyists. Again just look at their campaign monies reports.All the big monies come from lobbyists, land use dev.attys and their clients.Prove is in the pudding.
November 10th, 2020 at 2:49 pm
Yeah LOBBYISTS GOT THE WAVE N BAHIA APPROVED!
November 11th, 2020 at 11:54 pm
Evidence suggests several state Senate candidates were plants funded by dark money
In one of those races, District 37, a recount is underway because the spread between the Democratic and Republican candidates is only 31 votes. The third party candidate received more than 6300 votes.
That third party candidate is Alexis Rodriguez, who has the same last name as the Democratic incumbent senator Jose Javier Rodriguez. The Republican challenger is Ileana Garcia.
Alexis Rodriguez falsified his address on his campaign filing form last June. The couple who now live at the Palmetto Bay address say they have been repeatedly harassed since then by people looking for Rodriguez, who hadn’t lived there in five years.
Local 10 visited Rodriguez’s place of business Tuesday, where Rodriguez lied about his identity. Pretending to be a business partner, Rodriguez shed little light on his sudden candidacy in the District 37 race and lack of fundraising or campaigning.
Local 10 began investigating Rodriguez’s candidacy because of a hunch by Executive Producer Natalie Morera de Varona last month. She was collecting candidates’ headshots for election broadcast graphics and was curious why a candidate was nowhere to be found, not returning phone calls.
A search of campaign documents filed by Rodriguez led to a money trail and campaign finance connections with other no-party third candidates in Florida Senate District 9 in Central Florida, and District 39 in Miami-Dade.
The District 39 candidate is 81-year-old Celso Alfonso … A comparison of candidates Alfonso and Rodriguez show unusual similarities.
Both filed as No Party Affiliated candidates, yet both had recently been registered Republicans.
Both qualified as candidate on the same day, June 12, 2020, by paying a qualifying fee.
Both listed Gmail addresses with identical patterns: first initial, last name and district number and 2020.
Both list one single contribution to their campaign; both contributions are $2000 self-loans, presumably to pay the filing fee.
Both candidates’ support appears to come from the same Political Action Committee, “Our Florida” – that have no previous political contributions or expenditures listed. It is the PAC that paid for campaign fliers for the candidates, all done by the same Clermont, Florida mail house, Advance Impressions.
Celso Alfonso gave conflicting answers about campaign fliers, first claiming there were none, then claiming his own campaign paid for them, though that expenditure is not listed in his campaign finance report. An unlisted campaign expenditure could be a campaign finance violation.
That $370,000 PAC expenditure to the printing house on Oct. 5 is the sole expenditure of “Our Florida”. And the PAC’s only contributor is an entity called Proclivity, whose $370,000 contribution is listed two days earlier.
Proclivity lists an address that traces back to a mailbox in a UPS Store in Atlanta.
Local 10 News could not locate any businesses registered in Florida or Georgia under the name Proclivity.
Alex Rodriguez received 3% of the D37 vote, more than 6300 votes. The race, currently in recount, has a margin of .02 between the Democrat incumbent and Republican challenger.
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2020/11/11/evidence-suggests-several-state-senate-candidates-were-plants-funded-by-dark-money/
FROM BUDDY:
Bogus candidates has been around for years. If the Blue Wave would have splashed into the voting booths as predicted, these candidates wouldn’t have mattered.
November 12th, 2020 at 10:51 am
“Bogus candidates has been around for years.” – So has murder! Are you asserting that blatant election fraud should be acceptable?
“If the Blue Wave would have splashed into the voting booths as predicted, these candidates wouldn’t have mattered.” – Blaming the victim!
Were Florida House, Senate races swung by independents?
While Alex Rodriguez didn’t do any public campaigning, he was the subject of ads mailed to voters promoting his candidacy by a Political Action Committee called Our Florida, which also sent mailers to voters in neighboring Senate District 39 touting Celso Alfonso, the NPA candidate in that race. The mailers tout progressive-sounding promises, saying Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso will “fight climate change,” “hold police accountable” and “guarantee a living wage.”
The chairwoman of the Our Florida PAC, Sierra Olive, apparently is the friend of a woman who owns a Tallahassee home with GOP strategist Alex Alvarado. His firm, Alvarado Strategies, contributed $1,000 to Garcia’s campaign in October.
Alex Rodriguez and Alfonso did no fundraising. They each had one contribution to their campaign accounts, $2,000 loans they made to themselves on the same day: June 10. Rodriguez’s campaign treasurer is Jose Riesco, an accountant who has served in a similar role for several Republican-backed political action committees.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/2020-election/os-ne-npa-candidates-results-20201106-wxsas4obd5emndouxikegc3nam-story.html