Category Florida Democrats
Concerns about the new FDP LEAD Task Force and why Chairwoman Tant must remain Chair
The clamoring for change from the masses of rank-in-file Democrats was heard loud and clear by Chairwoman Allison Tant. While many activists throughout the state are publicly dissatisfied with her reaction to the 2014 electoral debacle, I remain fully convinced Chairwoman Tant should remain in the job and have no doubts that she will continue […]
Lessons of Hope and Caution from Gwen Graham
Gwen Graham’s victory was the one bright spot on election day, defeating Steve Southerland in Congressional District 2. Her win gives hope for the red areas of the state, especially in the panhandle where Crist’s defeat was cemented, and gives hope for Democrats in rural North Florida in places that Democrats have not dared run […]
Unwillingness of House dissidents to let go at the heart of leadership struggles
Editor’s Note: Kartik Krishnaiyer is traveling abroad for the next 12 days. His phones and email however still are active while he travels and he is in touch with many people across the state. Thus he will continue to cover the Florida political happenings throughout his trip which ends November 25th, though many blog posts […]
Election 2014: Winners and Losers – Part IV
– Part 1 – Part 2 – Part 3 BIGGEST WINNER SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS AND TALLAHASSEE LOBBYISTS Special interests, corporate lobbyists and Tallahassee insiders celebrated Rick Scott and Pam Bondi’s reelection along with the Republican super-majority in the House. Fear about Charlie Crist’s populist campaign and rhetoric about corporate greed, the insurance industry, climate change, protecting […]
Should FDP Executive Director Scott Arceneaux resign?
TFS has no formal opinion on this matter but we want to gauge the opinion of Democratic activists across the state. Scott Arceneaux is a more professional Executive Director than the party has previously employed in the opinion of Kartik Krishnaiyer, but our writers all agree that with another cycle of loses under our belt […]
Should Democrats abandon our values in light of election debacle? Some party leaders seem to think so
Post-election some Democratic Party insiders and FDP officials are talking openly about the failed 2014 effort as due to an overemphasis on progressive policies and turning out urban areas of the state. Make no mistake about it – candidate recruitment for 2014 was a massive failure for the party. But the solution of some party […]
Poll: FDP political direction
For the last several days many people around the Democratic Party in Florida have focused specifically on the role of Christian Ulvert the party’s Political Director in the 2014 debacle. Ulvert also serves as a consultant of some influence on other efforts particularly in Miami-Dade County. Our writers and readers have varying opinions on this […]
The 2014 election, Allison Tant, the Florida Democratic Party: A Crossroads
A while ago, I made a post on exactly how I was going to grade Democrats after the election. I wanted everyone to know how I measured and how I would score. D- is how the season came out. They lost more house seats than I gave options for, but they held at 14 in […]
School voucher advocates stand to benefit from Taylor/Rouson faction run
Last session House Democrats demonstrated remarkable cohesion on school “choice” issues. Under the leadership of Minority Leader Perry Thurston and incoming leader Mark Pafford, the caucus coalesced behind a position opposing the unprecedented expansion of taxpayer money being siphoned to private schools. This came just a few short years after 24 House Democrats broke ranks […]
Florida Democrats: Time for calm introspection before making needed changes
Florida’s Democrats suffered a massive defeat on Tuesday. But so did Democrats across the nation and when you look at how things unfolded, Florida may have just done better than many of our neighbors. It is true that Florida’s record run of futility, losing 17 of the last 18 races for Governor or Cabinet (the […]
The Florida Squeeze 