Some Florida Democrats Losing Enthusiasm for Rematch With Bush

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-florida7sep07,1,7522080.story?coll=la-home-leftrail

No Democrats anywhere have been anticipating a rematch with President Bush more eagerly than those in Florida, the state whose bitterly contested vote finally decided the White House race three years ago.

But now that the 2004 campaign is gearing up, some Florida Democrats are concerned that none of their party's potential nominees are up to the job of defeating the president in a state where his younger brother, Jeb Bush, won a landslide reelection as governor just 10 months ago.

"They really have to get their act together, and they don't seem to have their act together," said Catherine McNaught after she joined others at a gathering organized by the state party to watch last week's nationally televised debate among the Democratic candidates. "Jeb is big down here; he's huge ... and I don't see that we have anybody stepping up to the plate."

All signs suggest that Florida once again will play a pivotal role in the presidential election. Karl Rove, Bush's chief political strategist, has already described it as "ground zero" for 2004.

[CMT]

1. these cry babies better get over it

Bush is falling like a rock almost everywhere.

[K-W]

2. If Karl rove says its ground zero

it probably isnt.

[patrice]

3. Don't underestimate those who were dis-enfranchised the last time.

Do yo really they are going to take what happened then without a fight when they get a chance to get even?

[Cha]

5. I was soooo hoping they "would get even" in the 2000 election..

but I wonder if they didn't have those elections fixed, too! Or was McBride just too way bad of a campaigner?

[Fredda Weinberg]

6. McBride was awful

and beat a charismatic African American with impressive credentials. But he was a good ol' boy and was given his proper chance. It was sickening to watch up close.

The Democratic party in Florida is reactionary and incapable of alliances with any minority community. It's something that the islands of transplanted northeners deal with by promoting local control, which surrenders the state in national contests.

[w4rma]

8. McBride beat Janet Reno in the primary

Janet Reno was his major opponent.

[Fredda Weinberg]

11. I remember

the party mobilized against her. She was seen as vulnerable because of her association - I can't support her because of her work, but they mobilized behind McBride to stop the Clinton contamination.

[Cha]

15. I know! I like Daryl Jones, too! IN the debate he was the Best!

I hope his time will come!

May Florida Dems rise again!

What better way than from the ashes of jeb?

[Sophree]

7. People are still really pissed

This article is BS. People are freakin PISSED still.

[StClone]

10. So pissed?

Sorry but they rerelected Bush's brother Jeb. Wouldn't they have taken anger out on Jeb? I sure wish they would!

[Cha]

16. Sure they "re-elected" jeb but how fixed was it!? ANd the purged

voters aren't back on the roster, Yet!

ANd jeb has had some More time to SCREW UP since 2002! :kick:

[Capn Sunshine]

21. Note that the numbers mentioned in the article

of the Dems being down "60,000" ...thisis a number equal to the purged voters.

How stupid are we not to connect the dots here people?

[Cha]

4. The Dems in Florida have Sooooooooo Much to be Positive

about why focus on the negativety of jeeby! In fact jeebie should be going down, too, with the way the State of Florida is.

What has he done for Florida?

[LittleApple81]

9. perhaps you could start a "10 Good Things about Jeb Bush"

a la DU post today "10 Good Things about Bush*"?

It is one of the funniest threads on DU today. I don't know what really is going on in Florida, but if Floridian DUers started something like this, it could be sent to newspapers in Florida or e-mailed to other Democrats in Florida. Humor about stupid people is sometimes more effective than straight responses.

[Cha]

13. That's an Excellent idea! I'm not a Floridian but there are

many on our DU Board and we could check out http://www.whoseflorida.com for the lastest on jeebie.

I hope that article in the latimes makes Florida Dems mad. :mad: :grr:

[madfloridian]

12. That is a bunch of spin and hogwash.

Why are you guys assuming that article is true?

A summary of that article is that GWB is gaining strength overall, and Jeb is benefitting. Think about it.

We are all still working very hard, and just one observation: Jeb is NOT that popular here. Saying it does not make it so, any more than saying that "Bush is a popular president" makes it so.

They are defining us again, they are taking the issues and defining them.

Because a reporter in the LA Times quotes a lady who went to a meeting, another reporter, does not make it true. McNaught appears to be a writer for the Tallahasee Democrat. All of their reporters are not Democrats.

We are seeing a disorganized party that is pulling to come together, and we are seeing many good people who were not in it last year.

If Karl Rove targets a state, then he will use every media trick in the book.

[Cha]

14. I was thinking of you and other Floridians when I worte my above

post!

What do you think of having a thread like "littleapple" suggested about what jebbie has done to Florida and could anyone name one good thing he has accomplished?!

[madfloridian]

17. We could, but threads on Jeb drop like rocks here.

I tried for a while posting some of the really serious stuff going on. I think I get a response or two is all.

[Cha]

18. For some reason the bastard really interests me. I'm interested,

mainly, in his downfall!

[Dudley_DUright]

19. Me too, Zidzi, me too

I hold Jeb's budget cuts directly responsible for my wife losing her job as a grade school councilor (with 8 years of experience I might add).

[Cha]

20. Cause jeb is responsible for that (sorry) and many more losing jobs..

My sister is a grade school guidence councilor in New York but with more than 20 years under her belt in the education system.

But they are all suffering up here under pataki, too!

New Yorkers could have had a chance to get a Dem education Govenor in here in 2002 but No..had to go with gangster again!

[JPace]

22. Oh sure.....

the common married couple with a combined income
of $55,000 a year and has gone through the
following in the last two and half years....

1) Husband lost his factory job to
overseas outsourcing and now works part
time at Sams Discount Club. Their household
income has dropped $25,000 a year.

2) With his job loss they lost their health
insurance and are now paying out of pocket
$600. a month for insurance that pays
almost nothing unless it is catastrophic
illness.

3) Because of State shortfalls in revenue
his 3 bedroom ranch house is being
taxed 30% higher.

4) Their teenage children are ready for college
but they had to spend the saved tuition
to make ends meet when the job was lost.
Tuition has been raised 40% and one child
decided last year he'd rather join the
military to save toward tuition but instead
got shipped to Iraq. The other child had hoped
to be trained in computer skills in college
for a high paying job in software development
but those jobs don't exist anymore.

5) Mom worked at a local department store as
a salesclerk but sales have been so dismal
that her job is not likely to last another
year.

6) Moms parents lost half of their retirement
income during the stock market crash and
will have to sell their retirement home
and move into something more affordable.
Their medications have been too expensive
and they are not buying all the prescriptions
the doctor wants them to anymore.

Now are these people likely to vote for
AWOL again?
O.K. so some of them will if they are
devoted pro-life or gun huggers. But most
are going to want a change in the WH in
a big way.

[Skywalker]

23. Yeah? So What Is The Point Then?

Why don't we just say screw the rest of the USA and just let Florida decide who the next President will be.

Make me sick. Who cares whate Rove thinks, anyway?


Mark