Last week, just off a crushing defeat in the Florida gubernatorial race, the Florida Democrats announced the “Creation of LEAD (Leadership Expansion to Advance Democrats) Task Force, which the group’s press announcement says will, “work to retool and strengthen the Party’s brand, bolster candidate recruitment efforts, and improve field and outreach performance heading into the pivotal 2016 presidential election.”
Democrats have branded themselves as a party of the people, juxtaposed against the Republicans as a party for the elite. If you follow politics, and really who does, you eventually realize that behind every wizard curtain is the same sort of person working the machine. Yes, what I’m saying is that both sides – Democrats and Republicans – are exactly the same.
Shocked. No, of course you’re not. The only difference between the two “parties” is that the media likes to pump up the volume of the fringe on either side, but there is no purity of party ideals in politics and that realization was clear in the 2014 during the Florida Gubernatorial election. Florida Dems didn’t even make the effort to put up a Democrat. The State Party put its entire support behind Charlie Crist, a lifelong Republican who switched parties only after he failed to secure the Republican Senate nomination against Marco Rubio a few years back. THEN the Democratic Party decided that the 2014 election was all about winning, not about the platform. So they enlisted Independent Charlie Christ who gladly changed parties in exchange for millions in contributions.
The African American community were the only voters in Florida that called BS on the act, led by Leslie Wimes founder of Women on the Move. Wimes was NOT politically outspoken until a chance interview with REAL Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Nan Rich educated Wimes on a complete mobbing of the party AND women’s groups like EMILY’s LIST who refused to step in and assist Rich. Where were the LGBT community that Rich support all those years on the State Senate floor? A great number of them were fundraising for Charlie Crist. Worse yet, EMILY’s LIST outwardly and publicly REFUSED to put Rich even on their list. REFUSED. Fortunately, former State Senator Nan Rich had Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Chair of the Democratic National Committee to argue for Rich to be heard and for all Democrats to gain a full and fair advantage by gaining access to both candidates as equally as possible.
Actually, I’m just kidding and it really isn’t funny.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz did nothing for Nan Rich. Nothing for a fellow Democrat; nothing for a woman. Wasserman Shultz joined with the choruses of others in their belief that Crist was the ONLY one that could beat Rick Scott. Guess what? He didn’t.
The Monday morning quarterbacks are out in full force. This article by Dara Lind, How banning felons from voting affected the midterms, in one chart, appears to be making a statement that Crist lost because voters who were felons were unable to vote: “There’s no guarantee that all these people would vote if they could. After all, only 36.6 percent of eligible voters (according to an estimate from Michael McDonald of the United States Elections Project) showed up to vote this year. But it’s also possible that, in communities where many people have done prison time and lost their voting rights — say, African-American communities in Florida, where ex-felons are disenfranchised for life — even eligible voters are less likely to turn out to vote. After all, if peer pressure from Facebook friends who voted can make people more likely to vote themselves, people with more friends who can’t vote don’t feel that peer pressure.”
I don’t know who Dara Lind is or who Vox.com is that published this story, but I find this comment so incredibly racist, ignorant and not intellectually deceptive, that is she has anything to do with the Democratic Party I would leave immediately.
But it’s also possible that, in communities where many people have done prison time and lost their voting rights — say, African-American communities in Florida, where ex-felons are disenfranchised for life
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Let’s take a look at who’s on the LEAD Task Force. How about voters? I forgot; they want to know about voters so the task force will ask each other. Who’s leading it?
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U.S. Senator Bill Nelson – Not even a state senator
Former Orlando Police Chief Val Demings – Never held a political office. Ran and lost in 2012 for U.S. House (10). In 2014, ran for Mayor of Orange County, FL and dropped out in May.
These are your leaders?
Here are the members:
Alan Clendenin — First Vice Chair, Hillsborough State Committeeman
Amanda Murphy — State Representative, Pasco County
Ana Cruz — Tampa Bay and Hispanic community leader
Ashley Walker — Former Florida OFA State Director, 2012
Dwight Bullard — State Senator & Miami-Dade DEC Chair
Jeff Wright — FEA Policy Director
Joe Falk — LGBT community leader
Jose Javier Rodriguez — State Representative, Miami
Joy Friedman — AFSCME
Monica Russo — SEIU State Council President
Nick Maddox — Commissioner, Leon County
Patricia Byrd — FDP Congressional District 2 Representative
Rod Smith — Former State Senator and former FDP Chair
Terrie Rizzo — Palm Beach DEC Chair
The LEAD Task Force will analyze the 2014 election results and deliver recommendations on steps Florida Democrats must take to compete in the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 gubernatorial race. The LEAD Task Force will have 3 strategic goals when completing its review and offering recommendations.
- Review best practices for candidate recruitment for local, state and federal offices.
- Examine data and digital footprint to ensure new technologies are being utilized.
- Assess field and turnout operations and recommend steps to improve performance.
The Task Force will host a series of in person and conference call meetings to discuss the 2014 election results and go over each strategic objective, and will deliver its recommendations at the 2015 Leadership Blue weekend.
They are going to sit and talk on the phone with each other and then go on a luxurious weekend and present their findings?
Business as usual.
