Daniel TilsonThe condolence calls, texts, tweets and Facebook messages started coming in just before 10:30 on Election Night, right after the Associated Press called Rick Scott the winner of the governor’s race.
Family and friends from New York to California and points in between (including Florida!) knew how hard Floridians like my Mrs. and me fought for Scott’s defeat.
A voicemail message from old pal Kevin, who lives just outside D.C. in Virginia and has worked for decades at the Department of Justice, summed it up.
“Would you tell me, Daniel, what is wrong with your state of Florida, seriously, how could they re-elect Rick Scott, what is it that Rick Scott gives Floridians?”
We Florida Democrats are asking the same questions today. Sure, some of us are wondering if we’d be better off relocating elsewhere rather than fighting on for political balance of power here. But mostly, we’re trying to answer those questions in ways that move our party and state forward, toward much better days than these.
So, what’s wrong with Florida?
Well, about 3 million Christian conservatives and other mostly anti-government Republican voters (sprinkled with some independents) keep re-electing governments that the other 15+ million of us get stuck with.
Exit polling confirms they’re whiter, wealthier, older, more religious and rural/suburban-based than the rest of us.
However good-hearted and well intended they might be otherwise, as voters they’re motivated and manipulated by frustration, anger and fear.
These are people who’ll fight tooth and nail to protect and perpetuate a 20th (19th?) century American pecking order of power and privilege.
The notion of an emerging majority consisting of people of color, immigrants and struggling lower and middle-income workers in need of an activist government that creates, promotes and protects equal socioeconomic opportunities for all; that’s a threatening notion to the frightened folks who elect our government.
Their frustration and fear is fueled by unlimited corporate billions in conservative media and political propaganda, and translates into high levels of brand loyalty and voter engagement.
That’s a big part of what’s wrong with Florida. It’s how a radical right wing extremist like Scott gets elected, and re-elected. And it’s why the GOP gained six seats and a supermajority in the state House Tuesday, missing in the Senate by only one seat.
The Florida GOP focuses on understanding their base voters, and making them feel respected and protected.
That’s what Scott gives Floridians; well, about 3 million hardcore conservatives anyway.
And then, there’s the Florida Democratic Party (FDP).
Too little space here to go into detail about what the FDP did wrong in 2014. Another time.
For now, know that thousands of dedicated Democratic grassroots activists worked tirelessly for months on voter contact and Get Out The Vote operations.
Yet none of the turnout percentage gains I kept hearing were coming on Election Day materialized in the three Democratic strongholds — Miami-Dade (40.6 percent), Broward (43.5 percent) and Palm Beach Counties (49.1 percent).
But in most Republican strongholds, voter turnout hovered around 60 percent.
Game over.
Don’t blame Obama.
Don’t blame the efforts of grassroots activists.
Don’t blame Nan Rich for weakening Crist in the primary, or Libertarian candidate Adrian Wylie for stealing more votes from Crist than Scott.
FDP leaders, pundits, advisers, analysts and apologists will cite assorted “explanations” for losing.
Yet too few seem to understand and appreciate their rapidly evolving base. They don’t break it down into local communities of shared interest and gain credibility by working with them between elections. And they don’t communicate a progressive vision big, bold and unifying enough to activate such a diverse base when needed.
And so about 85 percent of Florida’s residents will get run roughshod over for at least two more years by the barely 15 percent who pick our government, and by the party that knows and caters to them so well.
Daniel Tilson has a Boca Raton-based communications firm called Full Cup Media, specializing in online video and written content for non-profits, political candidates and organizations, and small businesses. Column courtesy of Context Florida.
3 comments
Nancy Argenziano
November 6, 2014 at 8:38 am
Has anyone viewed the testimony a few years ago by a computer techno geek that was hired by the former Speaker of the Fl House Tom Feeney? Google it “Testimony, election rigging Tom Feeney”. Then tell me it is not possible again and much more wide spread. When you have multi millions spent by large corporate interest like the Koch’s needing to win now, is it far fetched to think if they tried it then, it would even be easier now? One voting sheet in each tabulator, and who would ever know unless they were all hand counted. How do Americans know if our votes are counting? We don’t. Yes there are many partisan voters. Yes the Ds can’t get it together, especially Nan RIch’s supporters whose egos are bruised when they woudn’t accept that she could not win, declared they would not vote in the general. Brilliant people ! Not understanding the importance of the D party getting a win no matter who their candidate would be I suppose they feel good now. In this state the D party needs people who know how to fight the R machine that has been energy enforced by the mega corporate Kochs and their ilk. Fl is going to hell under the R regime and there are no checks and balances anymore. Total power-total corruption right under all out noses.
Rick Kaczmarek
November 6, 2014 at 8:59 am
The real reason Democrats struggle to gain electoral success in Florida is right here in this column. If Daniel Tilson is typical/mainstream of decision makers in the Democrat Party, no one needs to look much deeper or farther than right here to fully understand the big stumbling block that prevents Dem success.
Fantasy. Dems see things not as how they are, but in some fantasy version that differs greatly from reality. Ironically, Tilson’s description sums it up, “However good-hearted and well intended they might be otherwise, as voters they’re motivated and manipulated by frustration, anger and fear.”
The people who voted for Scott were not manipulated, nor were we motivated by fear. It is actually the Dems who sought to manipulate and use fear to drive turn out. The entire Crist campaign was organized and funded by super rich Trial Lawyers and out of state Billionaires who stand to make hundreds of millions of dollars off various “green” investments, if they can elect government officials who will open the public purse for their looting. These profit-minded charlatans sought a candidate they thought they could control, and one who they thought could fool the people. There were close to ZERO stories, particularly in the last 30 days, about these shady characters fueling and funding Crist’s campaign. Instead, the left leaning papers tried to suggest that Scott’s spending his OWN money was a dirty act, while receiving truckloads of cash from people seeking to cash in when their puppet was elected is decent and better.
Tilson said Scott voters are “more religious than the rest of us.”
Wrong. They are more religious than Crist voters, sure. But they are not more religious than Floridians in general. Scott voters were more geographically diverse also. They live in cities, suburbs, and rural areas.
The mistake the left makes, underscored by Tilson’s piece, is in thinking that “the rest” of Florida resembles the left and that the rest are greatly different from those who voted for Scott.
Scott voters include doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers, fire fighters, postal carriers, UPS drivers, sales men, managers, self storage facility operators, apartment leasing agents, owners of small businesses, school counselors, bus drivers, real estate agents, pest control technicians, bar tenders and bank tellers. They coach Little League, attend their kids’ school plays, show up for the annual Beach Clean Up, serve meals at the area homeless shelter, and rescue stray dogs. They enjoy Florida, both the free beaches, parks and festivals, and the expensive amusement parks, concerts, and athletic events.
They work at doctors offices and often drive patients home in their own cars when their medicaid transport fails to show up. They work at retail pharmacies inside WalMart and Publix and often deliver prescriptions to customer’s homes when the customer’s grandson’s car broke down.
For all the thumping about how the left owns Eco and Green, most Scott voters live more green. They might have big gas guzzling cars, but they carpool, especially when going to entertainment event. They are the ones taking Taxis from Seminole and Tarpon Springs into downtown St Pete for First Friday or RibFest. They hang their laundry in the back yard to dry, rather than use power gobbling appliances.
They don’t mind taxes and regulation and government social programs. They tolerate things they don’t like.
In short, “they” actually aren’t that different from most people who voted for Crist.
The reason Crist lost this election is because he is not a great candidate, and his backers were undesirable. Most Florida voters thought there was not much difference between the two candidates, but many decided to vote for Scott (or not vote at all) because they couldn’t stomach the idea of rewarding his puppeteers.
Mike Budd
November 6, 2014 at 8:19 pm
Dan,
Good column. And I’m looking forward to your analysis of the FDP failings this year. But for me, it goes much deeper. The FDP, like the Democratic Party in most states, is not organized to respond to Americans’ realities and aspirations. We need some major structural changes in priorities in the local DEC and FDP: more organizing, more issues, more grassroots, less money to consultants and TV.
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