When he nominated then-Gov. Al Smith, D-N.Y., for president at the 1924 Democratic National Convention, Franklin D. Roosevelt took a line from a Wordsworth poem and labeled his friend the happy warrior.
It was an apt description for Smith, an upbeat politician who campaigned with zest throughout his career and Roosevelt himself would show much the same characteristics during his presidency.
Being a happy warrior helped FDR over Herbert Hoover in 1932 just as it would help John F. Kennedy over Richard Nixon in 1960 and Ronald Reagan beat Jimmy Carter in 1980. Voters are drawn to energetic optimists who can cheerfully share their visions on the campaign trail.
That was something former state CFO Alex Sink needed during the last five years. Perhaps no leading Florida politician has had a worse stretch over that period than Sink has.The only Democrat to win a Florida Cabinet office in recent years, Sink has suffered two major electoral setbacks over the last five years, coming up short against Rick Scott in the 2010 gubernatorial contest and losing a special congressional election in an upset against Republican David Jolly.
In both cases, Sink was hurt by Republicans having good years when she ran. But she did not help herself with her wooden, often humorless and dour public image. This helped hide her strengths, which include an intelligence and earnestness that far too few political leaders possess. From her years in the private sector, Sink understands businesses and the economy better than most elected officials.
Sinks lack of political experience came back to haunt her. She displayed a knack for shooting herself in the foot on the campaign trail. During her gubernatorial campaign, Sink was hurt by a series of unforced errors, most notably her checking a smart phone, which wasagainst the rules during a debate with Scott, and her botched response to it.Four years later, hercomment that immigration reform was needed so Americans could have cheap hotel cleaning and landscaping drew national attention.
Democrats seem more than a little torn about Sink. They did all they could to ensure she would not get a rematch with Scott but clambered for her to run again against Jolly in the general election last year. That was despite Sink moving across Tampa Bay to run against Jolly in the Pinellas County district. At the end of 2012, having unexpectedly lost her husband Bill McBride, the attorney best known for running against then-Gov. Jeb Bush and who had a sharp political mind, Sink could be excused if she ran with a heavy heart in the contest against Jolly.
Sink remains active with her Florida Next Foundation and she has always been open to working with fiscal watchdogs, including Florida TaxWatch. She doesnt seem to have any interest at further tries for elected office while still bringing ideas to the table, often with the gift of her experience in both the private and public sectors. Thats probably a better role for her considering she is far from a natural politician.
Despite her defeats, Sink was one of the leading political personalities in Florida over the last five years. If she was never the happiest of political warriors and never fulfilled all her ambitions, she ranked as one of the chief Democrats in Florida since Sunshine State News launched in 2010.
(ABOUT THIS SERIES: Alex Sink is the 15th in a special anniversary series of 20 political personalities who loomed large since early 2010, when Sunshine State News set up shop in Tallahassee.Who else made the list? Click here to find out.)
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
