Daniel Tilson: Florida progressives should pick Hillary Clinton, Patrick Murphy in 2016

I’m a longtime liberal political activist, a Florida Democrat proud of his pragmatically progressive pedigree. That’s why I’m endorsing Hillary Clinton for president and Patrick Murphy for the U.S. Senate in 2016.

I’m urging other liberals, Democrats and progressive activists to do the same. I’m endorsing Clinton and Murphy because I believe they’ll continue to expand upon the socioeconomic progress President Barack Obama has made for the 98 or 99 percent of us who aren’t wealthy contributors to Republican candidates, committees and organizations.

And I believe both candidates can and will win their 2016 races.

I’m hoping various Florida Democratic leadership types can get past the unproductive infighting and finger-pointing that bubbled up recently over Murphy’s nascent candidacy. Press briefings, angry emails and sniping in social media about who’s boldly progressive or not, who’s electable or not, and who’s best-suited to speak to and for the Democratic “base”…are unlikely to help disengaged non-voters get excited about the blue brand.

We have two huge challenges facing us in Florida. First, we’ve allowed our state government to be hijacked by conservative extremists who legislate from a playbook paid for by the likes of the Koch Brothers and written by ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council that’s turned state legislatures nationwide into test tubes for radical right-wing lawmaking. Fixing that mess will require an effective long-term Florida Democratic Party (FDP) strategy to become competitive again statewide.

While we’re waiting to see if FDP leadership can muster that, we need to take advantage of our perpetually purple-hued, “Swing State” status on the national political scene. That’s where Clinton and Murphy come in. And that’s where pragmatic, progressive unity of purpose should come in too. With it, we elect both and continue moving forward with progress we’ve made at the national level. Without it, we’ll be driven backwards.

For now, many Florida progressives remain wary of Murphy and prefer Alan Grayson in Marco Rubio’s seat. I’ve done videos with Grayson, and I’m a big fan. But I think the limitless GOP war chest would turn him into a progressive pariah in the minds of enough likely Florida voters to make him unelectable statewide. I think Murphy’s fiscally conservative, less predictable populist progressivism will wear well statewide. Once in the Senate, I believe he’ll be a bipartisan progressive consensus-builder.

Hillary…is not Elizabeth Warren. She’s not Bernie Sanders. We progressives have ample reason to want Warren or Sanders to be president. But we’re not there yet – America’s not. Hillary would be a positive, progressive step along the way, just like Barack Obama is, just like Murphy would be for a Graysonesque Senator someday. But for now, Warren, Sanders and Grayson can’t get elected at the next level. Reality bites, but it must be acknowledged.

I doubt a President Clinton would reign in Wall Street, big banks and multinational corporations the way we progressives want. Neither would a Senator Murphy. Neither has President Obama. Fiscal elites have built a fully integrated and fortified system of economic dominance that the boldest of progressive presidents and alliances will have one hell of a hard time deconstructing…someday.

These days, the incremental, pragmatically progressive reforms that Obama has made must not be undone. They must be protected, and expanded upon. I trust Hillary Clinton and Patrick Murphy to do that.

If Warren, Sanders and/or Grayson choose to run and inject more boldly progressive ideas into the debate, all the better. But if progressive grassroots activists and leaders complain incessantly about Clinton and Murphy…all the worse.

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.