We’ve spent a lot of time the past several weeks criticizing Democratic leaders for their continued failures in the areas of candidate recruitment, message development and targeting. But the Democrats seem to be getting an assist from Governor Rick Scott whose continued unpopularity is putting far more legislative seats in play than the Democrats have targeted or even thought about contesting seriously.In mnay seats self recruited Democrats may suddenly find themselves with an opportunity to win thanks to Scott’s continued unpopularity.
The latest Q-poll out today give the following assessment.
“Voters disapprove 48 – 35 percent of the job Gov. Rick Scott is doing, continuing a 16- month string of negative ratings. “
While President Obama and Senator Nelson hold narrow leads in the state currently, where Scott’s poor numbers could really bite the GOP is in state legislative races. The decision of many Republicans in the Florida House to vote lockstep with the Scott agenda, a slavish like obedience to a master that many Republicans did not show to either Jeb Bush or Charlie Crist can be leveraged effectively to benefit Democratic challengers throughout the state. The culture of cronyism and corruption has become a staple of Rick Scott’s Tallahassee, and the Democrats can effectively attack this. Much like Soviet Russia, Florida has become a one party state with the same type of arrogant leadership and issues of corruption that became a trademark of communist states. The GOP has won 13 of the last 14 elections for statewide office in Florida, a record unmatched in any other state east of the Mississippi.
Florida’s Democrats have a remarkable opportunity to revive the two-party Democratic system in this state while clearly defining itself as a party for future elections. Rick Scott’s unpopularity due to his arrogance, corruption and commitment to crony capitalism has to be the primary issue this election cycle for Democrats. The big question is will the FDP and many local DECs organize and attack Rick Scott’s Republicans on these issues or continue to fiddle while Rome burns as they have done for over a decade?
Don’t forget about the Greer scandal also and the RPOF fundraising chairman from Boca. They are also part of this corruption culture.
Of course he could. Obama and Nelson will be re-elected. . No one that is really sane and sees the numbers thinks otherwise. At the end of the day the party will have to regroup from bottom to the top.
If OFA is smart they’ll stop attacking Romney on Bain Capitol and start running Florida ads linking him to Rick Scott.
The Greer issue….wow
Harry Sargent a war profiteer was the finance chair of the RPOF. Smith and the Dems have made that known.
Yes DWS and Deutch asked DOJ to launch an investigation of Sargeant.
The investigation on Sargeant was started prior to Deutch becoming a WONDERFUL Congressman MS
Background:
Washington Post story by Matthew Mosk, Washington Post Staff Writer,
August 6, 2008
Harry Sargeant III, a former naval officer and the owner of an oil-trading company that recently inked defense contracts potentially worth more than $1 billion, is the archetype of a modern presidential money man. The law forbids high-level supporters from writing huge checks, but with help from friends in the Middle East and the former chief of the CIA’s bin Laden unit — who now serves as a consultant to his company — Sargeant has raised more than $100,000 for three presidential candidates from a collection of ordinary people, several of whom professed little interest in the outcome of the election. — and—
“I have a lot of Arab business partners. I do a lot of business in the Middle East. I’ve got a lot of friends,” Sargeant said in a telephone interview yesterday. “I ask my friends to support candidates that I think are worthy of supporting. They usually come through for me.”
So happy DOJ has been working on this for some time. It is sick.
Throw all these bums out!
The Sargeant and Greer cases just add to everything Scott has done.
No knock on Deutch, he happens to be a nice guy, but what has he actually accomplished since being elected ? It’s starting to look like Wexler all over again.
As they take Dems down with them I am sure. You are the missing link? Who….things that will make you go hmmmm. Let’s wait and see during the trail when all will come out, Ds & Rs will spin, but the truth will be the truth. A good way to thrown all the bums out Diana.