Author Archives: Brook Hines
Progressive Caucus endorsements for General Election
The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida (DPCF) has released their 2016 General Election endorsements for candidates and amendments. According to the DPCF statement: The following progressive Democrats have demonstrated through their votes, position statements and/or political engagement that whether they serve in Washington, Tallahassee or their local community, they will fight for progressive values and put […]
Who’s FAT?
Fresh from her sadly unsuccessful District 9 Congressional race, one of our favorite local progressive Dems, Susannah Randolph, has embarked on her next political endeavor: a grassroots anti-Trump campaign called Floridians Against Trump. And it even comes with its own hot-take acronym —”FAT.” Yes, get ready, gentle readers, for FAT. Randolph is bringing the FAT, […]
How movement progressivism will go forward after Tuesday
The outcome of what happens on Tuesday’s Primaries will not determine the success or failure of movement progressivism, but we’d be wise to take some time to reflect on what went well and where we can go from here. The robust progressive wave of the primary cycle has brought people out who normally sit on […]
Progressive choices for primary day
The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida announced their endorsed candidates for 2016. In an email releasing the names of their choices the caucus said, “The way we move the Democratic Party in a more progressive direction is to get the more progressive candidates into the November General Election.” The DPCF also recommends a “yes” vote on Amendment 4. […]
Vital abortion decision expected today — Will Rick Scott be allowed to send women to dental clinics for birth control?
It’s been a big week for Supreme Court decisions, with SCOTUS striking down the Texas law designed to close women’s clinics by instituting absurd, medically unnecessary restrictions. These anti-choice tactics are known as TRAP laws (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) and require women’s care facilities to needlessly be outfitted as ambulatory surgical centers, and providers to […]
Audio: What Spurs Economic Activity in Florida?
This week I spoke to Joseph F. Pennisi, Executive Director of the Florida Policy Institute about a new report they issued that shows how tax cuts and incentives to big businesses don’t achieve the goals of increasing economic activity and creating jobs. Listen to find out what really spurs economic activity. Link to report —> […]
Coronation interrupted: Hillary’s problem with working class voters
Former White House counselor the President Clinton, Bill Curry, has a must-read piece in Salon today. In it he discusses how “thinking only tactically makes you a bad tactician,” and shows how this has caused deep damage to the Clinton campaign. I’ve scratched my head since 2008, wondering why Team Clinton insists on leading her messaging […]
President Obama, Alan Grayson, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton walk into a bar fight
It’s a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party — are you ready to rumble?! Scott Arceneaux needs to brush up on his platitudes, because clearly, to “disagree without being disagreeable” doesn’t mean what he thinks it means. In a statement circulated to political media, Florida Democratic Party Executive Director Arceneaux said he was […]
Will you be Hillary’s next superpredator?
We know now that the theory of the superpredator is utter bullshit. In the 90s the idea was pushed by John DiIulio, a professor at Princeton who fear-mongered that by 2010, there would be “an estimated 270,000 more young predators on the streets.” This, of course, never happened. His predictive failure was nonetheless a coup […]
Audio: Organize Now expanding to Hillsborough County
Organize Now is expanding with a new office opening in Tampa. I spoke with their new Director, Tammy Thomas-Miles and Director of Political Operations, Tim Heberlein about the basics of the Organize Now model of civic engagement, as well as the difference between transformational and transactional change.
The Florida Squeeze 