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Why Support the Democratic Party at All?

January 2, 2017 - 9:00am

When all is said and done, like it or not, that is the ultimate question the new FDP chair is going to be asked by Democrats in this state.

At the end of the day, how many regular voters actually care about the machinations of the party? How many regular voters actually care about the nuts and bolts of what goes on at party headquarters?

Zero. Zip. Nada.

What people care about, those who don't have their hands in the pocket of the party, is whether the party HEARS their voices.

Why is that so hard to understand?

What people care about is that the party is not taking their votes for granted, and is actually working to protect their interests and issues.

Why is that so hard to understand?

People are always looking for something, or someone, to believe in.

Right now, that isn't the Florida Democratic Party.

Whoever takes over for Allison Tant has to be able to inspire people.

It wasn't that the party couldn't raise money. To her credit, Allison did that.

It wasn't that the party didn't have connections. We had President Barack Obama.

There was no inspiration. 

Zero. Zip. Nada.

The chair of the party HAS to be able to inspire people to want to participate again.

While the total has declined, Democrats have consistently outnumbered Republicans in this state, yet we can't get to the polls to have a Democrat in the Governor's Mansion?

When I look at the candidates for FDP chair, I ask myself if they will be able to inspire people and get them fired up in 2018.

There is only one truly inspirational candidate running in that race, and that is Dwight Bullard.

People have already started rallying around him. As I have already noted, the press went wild when Bullard got back in the race.

Since he returned, everything has centered around HIM.

(With an honorable mention to yours truly, of course! Hi, haters!)

He is that guy! He brings a cross-section of people to the table. Progressives, moderates, unions, minorities, etc.

All of them want Dwight Bullard. The calls I get in support of him are crazy! 

No one is going to rally around Stephen Bittel. 

No one is going to rally around Alan Clendenin.

Milquetoast doesn't win elections. Milquetoast doesn't inspire people.

2018 will see (former) Sen. Bill Nelson gone. It will see another round of statewide losses, if we can't get people out to vote.

Whoever the party chair is will assemble his/her team. That team will put the nuts and bolts of the party together.

I'm not worried about that part.

It's the inspiration that concerns me. People want someone/something to believe in again.

You have to be able to get people to the polls in order to win elections.

Unless we have an inspirational person at the helm of this party, the losing streak will continue.

Happy New Year, and happy reading!

 

Leslie Wimes is founder and president of Women on the Move and the Democratic African American Women Caucus, www.daawc.com. Follow Leslie on Twitter: @womenonthemove1.

 

 


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Comments

War on poverty, war on drugs, No Child Left Behind, abortion as birth control, Dissolution of core family life, eviction of GOD from governing decisions under false Claims of separation of State and Church Instead of true intent no single mandate Of belief in One religious interpreting Of God. Why does government need to make rules on clothesline? Government has exceeded It's Constitutional restraints and become A tyranny, power and money exceeds The right to life and liberty.

The party of Mo Free Stuff, taken from those that work and given to those that do not.....has hit the proverbial Brick Wall.

It's not the lack of inspiring people for the Democrats, it's the plan they work under - others work to give handouts to those that don't work!! Wake up - give people a hand up not a hand out.

AMEN! Just imagine the Billions of dollars this country would save, not just here but for ALL handouts to include 'foreign aid'!

As an old-fashioned, common-sense Democrat,.. I've been saying that for YEARS... "WHY SUPPORT THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AT ALL ?!?" (All they do is steal your wealth and re-distribute it....and then they wonder why charitable causes and agencies are "hurting";.... Once you scrape the moss from the rock... you STILL can't get blood from it).

Since this conservative outlet has allowed Wimes to use it to campaign for Bullard, I suggest readers go to Dwight's Wikipedia page. Now, I would never use Wiki as a credible sources, but the footnotes contain the facts. I used to think Dwight was a good guy, until I read this. No Leslie, Bullard is not our pick for he FDP. He just lost a political race in a DEMOCRATIC county. He could not get elected to a Dem party's position in his own county to qualified to run for the state chair, so he moved his voter registration (still works in Miami-Dade) to Gadsden Co up near the Georgia line! What a daily commute that will be! If this was a public office he was running for, he would be charged with election fraud.

And we would never use you as a credible source Diane brown. Bay county has what, 4 members. You just took pictures with Stephen Bittel. We know he has you in his pocket. Good thing your vote will be completely wiped out.

Peyton . you think Connie `s blog is cool, I just purchased BMW M3 from having made $4287 this-last/5 weeks an would you believe ten-k last month . it's by-far my favourite-work I've ever had . I began this 8-months ago and straight away startad earning more than $72, per-hr . visit the website +_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+_+_+_+ http://www.homejobs7.com

This is what happens when you abandon the foundations of what the party was built on for corporate money and influence. No one believes the party cares about workers or minorities. We keep getting crumbs tossed at us like the promise of a tiny minimum wage increase, when everyone is losing pensions and basic workers rights. We are told that we will worry about the plight of minorities, but meanwhile the party takes donations from private prisons, and allows non-violent crimes to receive insane sentencing. We can scream for help for one man shot dead in the street, but we can't(won't) push for the much needed police/prison reform, or the fact that poverty stricken minority communities are drowning and no one wants to throw a life raft. Welfare, while helpful to keep people alive, is not the answer to this problem either. A full, comprehensive approach to all the issues facing us is needed, and it won't work if we are taking money from those who want us to ignore it

Well, Ms. Wimes, you're black and a Democrat...how predictable; stupid, but predictable. Listen, don't worry about getting your people to the polls. You still have time to illegitimately register Illegals to vote for the Democrat side, or train poll workers how to forge absentee ballots. (ps-- the reason you have a majority, but don't "have a Democrat in the Governor's Mansion" is because people are disgusted with the corrupt, Progressive-Socialist Liberals that rule your party today)

Uncle Tim Caldwell is that you being racist again?

IF what you say is true, "All of them want Dwight Bullard. The calls I get in support of him are crazy! ", why not encourage those alleged supporters to vote for Bullard? Preaching here will, no doubt, get you nowhere! GO TRUMP!!

I agree, trump has to go, but that's getting way ahead of ourselves. 2018 is a chance to replace the entire house that Scott built. To do that, the FDP needs to open itself completely to the environmental wing of the independents. Bullard has little profile in that community. He could reach out, speak up on environmental degradation and the detrimental effects of unregulated development and growth as a desirable goal. It would be refreshing to hear a high profile democrat leading that charge. So far, not so much.

PRESIDENT Trump will go in four, possibly eight years. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party will continue to lose members and those left behind will be those cowardly and hateful Democrats who, long ago, forgot what the Democratic Party stood for! (Again) GO TRUMP!!

The Florida Democratic Party and the Pinellas Democratic Party haven't done a damn thing in 8 years to inspire anyone to get off the couch and vote. They won't take a stand against Institutional Racism, Income Inequality, Poverty, Healthcare, declining Public Education or the Environment. All they do is enough fundraisers to pay themselves. Either get your shit together or their will be a new Progressive Party and you will be on the outside looking in...

Doesn't have to be a "new Progressive Party", it just has to revert BACK to the common-sense Democrat Party of Statesmen like Adlai Stevenson. Political "progressives" are "dead in the water"; Get back to your "roots" Democrats, or, go the way of the failed Whig Party (the TRUE Party of Lincoln).

Most Democratic members are on the OUTside, NOT looking in but looking towards another direction! GO TRUMP!!

Psst, Kurt, the Democrat Party IS the Progressive Party, now. You should make the name change official.

Without holding themselves accountable they don't have the trust of the public. If they are inspiring us, it's to create a new political party.

AMEN!

Comments are now closed.

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