After years of loss, Florida Democrats think tide is turning

1996 was a bad year for Florida Democrats. So was 1998. And 2000. 2002 was even worse. So was 2004. But things could improve in 2006 and there's actually a feeling of hope at the Florida Democratic Party. And it's not just hollow optimism.

The party is starting to raise more money. It has a gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, who is even with better known Republicans in one recent poll. Gov. Jeb Bush won't be on the ballot. Democrats are avoiding primary contests in two key Cabinet races and trying more actively to recruit legislative and congressional candidates.

And next weekend the party is bringing in an impressive lineup of nationally recognized politicians to its annual convention in Orlando, an event that will seek to showcase its 2006 candidates while rallying support for the party itself.

"You could see not only a stop to the Republican victories in recent years, but you'll see a reversal," said state Sen. Dave Aronberg, who leads a group called Florida Mainstream Democrats. "The bleeding has stopped. We're going to make some gains."


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_FLORIDA_DEMOCRATS_FLOL-?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-12-04-00-10-36

n/t

me....

Plus from their web page

The Florida Mainstream Democrats believe that faith and moral conviction are the centerpiece to our communities.

most people it is. Republicans, on the other hand, believe that "Christianity" is a "centerpiece."

That is a difference. One thing I love about being a democrat is my faith doesn't matter and they are open to all sorts of faiths as well. Not just me as a Christian but in Jews, pagans, etc. Faith is very broad in the sense. Now of course what would be bothersome is if they said Christianity in general. Even though I'm a Christian it doesn't mean that I should be more favored in my government.

Is it possible for us to be good people?

I happen to think so.

We're very bad people, totally void of morality and human decency.

At least, that's what everyone keeps tellin' me! :D

of eternal damnation. I happen to believe that people can behave well because they believe in the positive benefits of a healthy society.

in a some form of a higher power. And that faith oftentimes influences their lives in profound ways. Saying so does make the party pandering to religious people--it makes them normal.

Why do atheists have to think that any mention of any religious thought is an attack on us? Face it: most people are religious--republicans, democrats, moderates, christians, jews, muslims, whatever.

I just do not think it should be pushed...

to statewide office in Florida? This is not a liberal state, sad to say, so it's not likely that we could elect the sort of Democrats whom purists seem to think we should be running here.

Better to have centrist Dems in charge than Busheviks, and in statewide elections, at least, that's our choice.

Sorry, to bore anyone, but its good versus evil throughout America.

Republicans ought to think and switch over to turn things around.

The fate of democracy is at risk!!

It's really three different states. Northern FL is, for all practical purposes, Alabama. The southern gulf coast is non-redneck Republican, and southeastern FL is mostly liberal.

On vacation in the Ft. Lauderdale area last spring, during the Terri Shiavo ruckus, I was met with daily skywritten messages such as "Save Terri", "Jesus is Truth" and "Praise the Lord". I was on vacation and felt like I had left home and entered some alternative reality. One morning, as I was climbing back onboard a boat from a wonderful scuba dive off Pompano Beach, I looked up and saw "Jesus is the Way" writ large across the sky. I wanted to go back down and look at fish and eels for the rest of the day. There's no ecscaping "their" influence anywhere in the state these days, I'm afraid.

I would think that Florida should be a HUGE democratic state, with the senior population. It just isn't so.

I moved here from Tom Delay's district, so it is SOME improvement, but it is surprising how conservative some of the areas are. I blame the state party infrastructure, but with Karen Thurman up there now, I think things will improve.

I'm happy for them! I'm so excited at how unified the party is in general and how we're wanting to win all over the country and not just in DC either! This is so great and is a great time to be a democrat and involved in politics! Even my town is getting things going!!

been a Blue state all of those years. If everybody in Florida was allowed to vote for who they wanted, it would be about 60-65% Democratic. bush and his cronies have been extremely successful keeping minorities from voting.

If voter registration and vote counting was under rigid security and control. then the real faces of Florida and a few other states might emerge.

there are 10 in the "service" industry....

The service/tourism industry is the backbone of our economy.

being down there and fighting the bush oppression.

thousands of names of legitimate voters off of the voting rosters, and deny universities ample numbers of machines, it will take more then a turning tide to turn Florida blue (which I truly believe we really are and have been since 2000). And a Republican win in 2006 means a win for Katherine Harris- talk about a horrifying proposition...

I was one of the Clearwater DUers who saw my wife yelling at the poll workers when her e-machine kept registering Rep. when she put in Dem....happened with Bush/Kerry and Betty Castor for Senate. This was before any "tabulator" break-in's; early in the morning. Eventually, they turned that machine off to reboot it, and made me leave when I wanted someone to prove it worked right before putting it back in service.

If we don't get a fair election, the nuts down here are as bad as anyone in Washington or Ohio - besides Jeb, K. Harris and Feeney, we have a whole stable of 'em.

be like you. Maybe next time...

:yourock:

photographed going to church. ? When does he do good for the poor? Against Jesus' teachings, Bush flaunts his religion in public and ignores the poor and the needy. His religion is political expediency.

No, literally, with bells on. I have a Christmas sweater that has sleigh bells on it, and since I live in the Keys and don't own many winter clothes, I'm taking it along up to cold and frigid Orlando. :)

I am looking forward to all of the speakers and seeing in person many of the dem "celebrities" who are on the guest list, except for Bill Nelson who has been a disappointment. I still remember the speech he gave at a rally last summer, twenty feet from where I was standing, telling us all that he was going to champion election reform. Then after the election when John Conyers called on the Senate to support him in this very endeavor, he turned his back on him. That burned me to no end. Unfortunately, what choice do we have there? Harris? I think not.

Otherwise, though, I am really excited about the whole weekend.