Stephen Goldstein: Nan Rich should drop out of the governor’s race

 A monkey should easily be able to drum Gov. Rick Scott out of office in November — unless it’s a Democrat.

The donkey party is in danger of seizing defeat from the jaws of victory. They have a clear, fusion candidate in frontrunner Charlie Crist. And yet, instead of unifying behind him, some Democrats, even those who voted for him for governor when he was a Republican, are beating up on him for having turned Independent and now Democrat.

Really, what’s wrong with these people? Do they have a political death-wish? Haven’t four years of Rick Scott been enough to welcome a candidate with almost universal name recognition and a solid record of achievement?

Apparently not! Blinded by the ego-trip of her candidacy, former State Senator Nan Rich is a spoiler: She is doing Rick Scott’s dirty work.

Claiming to be the “real” Democrat because she’s never compromised her core values — i.e. she’s been on the losing side of a long list of issues — she’s out to turn Dems against Crist for his political pragmatism. In poll after poll, she shows up less well than “Other” or not at all. Her long-time friends won’t level with her about the futility, indeed embarrassment, of her candidacy.

In the meantime, Rich is playing the wounded underdog, demanding that Crist “debate” her, when there’s nothing to debate. She just wants the chance to drone, “I’m the ‘real’ Democrat — and you’re not” — even though Florida voters don’t elect her kind of extreme liberal Democrat; they elect Crist’s kind of moderate.

Nonetheless, Rich may be souring voters on him in Democrat-rich Broward County — and possibly suppressing the vote in November, when he is likely to be the nominee. And we all know what happens when not enough Broward Democrats vote: Rick Scott gets elected — as he did in 2010 when Alex Sink didn’t “excite” enough of them. If Nan Rich’s excursion into political fantasyland leaves hard feelings in Broward, she and her supporters may be responsible for Scott’s re-election. And she will go down in history as the Kendrick Meek of 2014, another ego-tripper who split the vote with Crist in 2010 and helped send Marco Rubio to the U.S. Senate.

As if Rich’s candidacy weren’t bad enough, there’s Bill Nelson, who like the Loch Ness Monster crops up from the political depths now and then, saying he’s “tempted” to run for governor this year. Like who asked him? He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1990 and is sleep-walking through his third term in the U.S. Senate, where he’s safe until 2018. He should not lead himself into “temptation.”

The November election is a watershed for Florida. The state cannot stand four more years of the Scott corporate agenda, or a Tea-Party/GOP-dominated Legislature, or a majority of the Florida Supreme Court appointed by Scott.

It’s time for Nan Rich and Bill Nelson to endorse Charlie Crist –unless they want to be responsible for his defeat, a monkey neither should want to carry on their back.

Stephen L. Goldstein is the author of “The Dictionary of American Political Bullshit” and “Atlas Drugged: Ayn Rand Be Damned.” He lives in Fort Lauderdale. Column courtesy of Context Florida.

Guest Author


3 comments

  • Millie Herrera

    April 29, 2014 at 10:00 pm

    Why?! She filed to run in 2012, has met hundreds of thousand voters, and has the credentials and knowledge to run our state. Is it because she’s a woman? Or not slick enough? Or hasn’t raised millions of dollars? The polls indicate she would beat Scott in the General Election. Let the democratic process run its course. There is nothing embarrassing about a principled, passionate woman wanting to serve her state by running for governor.

  • Leslie Wimes

    April 30, 2014 at 5:27 pm

    I agree wholeheartedly, Millie Herrera. If anyone is souring Democrats to Charlie Crist, it’s Crist himself and people like this guy. I will continue to say I would rather stay home than vote for Charlie Crist, and the amount of people who feel this way is growing and growing, so add your own arrogant ego to the list of who is turning people off to Charlie Crist, Goldstein!

  • Joe Kreps

    May 1, 2014 at 8:39 am

    Shame….. You sir are entitled to your opinion no matter how stupid it is. The shame is your attack of a lady who has spent her life fighting for the people of Florida. Working to enrich the lives of those who are not as privileged as yourself or Charlie Crist. I will not even waste my time debating the merits of Nan Rich versus the opportunistic, arrogant, disrespectful and Democratic destroying candidacy of the unloyal opposition. You sir are neither a gentleman nor a scholar.

Comments are closed.


#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704