How Badly Does The Florida Democratic Party Suck?

A friend of mine who works for the DCCC, for the paycheck-- but feels like he's in enemy territory everyday and often calls me with Bozo-the-Clown stories-- told me that on Wednesday the imbeciles he works with were parading David Richardson around one of their Candidates Week functions like he was some kind of a prized poodle. He was the only one of the 7 candidates in the Democratic primary for the open blue seat in Miami (FL-27) that was invited to the DCCC festivities that ended today. Wassermann Schultz has kept FL-27 out-of-bounds for Democrats for a decade to give her longtime crony, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, finally retiring, a safe perch. The PVI is D+5. Obama beat Romney there 53.0% to 46.3% and Hillary wiped out Señor Trumpanzee 58.5% to 38.9% (his worst performance in any Republican-held district in the country).

The DCCC recruited state Rep David Richardson to run and are trying-- Wassermann Schultz style-- to rig the primary for him. He was the first openly gay man to be elected to the Florida legislature but he never entertained running against Ros-Lehtinen. Others in the race include state Sen. José Javier Rodríguez, Miami Beach commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, University of Miami academic adviser Michael Hepburn, Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell, former circuit court judge Mary Barzee, former program director of Miami’s Knight Foundation Matt Haggman and some guy named Mark Anthony Person. Hepburn is the progressive in the race and I asked him if the DCCC had invited him to their Candidates Week. His response indicated exactly where his priorities are:

I was not invited but in all honesty, I would have declined the invitation if I was… I am a Democrat but I’m no fan of either political party. However, I do admire and respect many of our community leaders who identify as Dems.

Receiving any support, invites, or offers to be included in conversations with the DCCC or even our local DEC is probably not even on their radar-- until I become the Democratic Nominee for our 27th Congressional District. I do not fit the mold of the candidate that they are looking for… My opponents and I operate in different social circles. I’ve been about Servant Leadership in my communities since I was in the 12th grade. I’m just a former Fortune 500 company executive who has worked for a labor union and who started my own consulting operation before transitioning into a career working in higher education.

I’m the first ever African-American to run for Congress in our district and when elected will become the first Black Millennial to ever serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Therefore, I’m just focused on executing our plan each and everyday and running my race-- as I spread our message about how we can Rebuild Our Economy, Repair Our Communities, and Reform Our Institutions.

The Florida Democratic Party, which has been largely dominated by Wassermann Schultz for years, is practically worthless as a vehicle for the legitimate interests of working families-- or even as a vehicle for Democratic Party candidates. It's one of the worst-run and ineffective state parties in the country.

With all the hubbub over Democrats cleaning up in state legislative races since Trump was elected, did you even know there was a special election for the Florida House in the Orlando area on Tuesday? House district 44 in southwest Orlando includes Winter Garden, Bay Lake, Lake Buena Vista, Ocoee, Oakland and Windermere. There's a 36% to 32% GOP voter registration advantageand the district is around 60% white. The Republican, Bobby Olszewski, won easily-- 6,936 (55.66%) to 5,525 (44.34%). Democrat Eddy Dominguez actually "won" on election day with 2,279 votes to Olszewski's 2,120. But Democrats had done such a piss-poor GOTV effort that Olszewski murdered him both in vote by mail and in early voting. Turnout was in the single digits, giving you an idea of how disengaged people are there.

Neither the Democratic Party nor Dominguez did anything to get out the vote, not even a robocall. The original Democratic candidate voted in Missouri last year, faced disqualification for non-residency, and dropped off the ballot. The substitute, Dominguez, had no experience running for office, and-- with an inept party "behind him"-- it showed. This is exactly the kind of district Democrats have been winning a;; over the country-- think of those big wins in far redder territory in New Hampshire and on Long Island special elections-- but this is where a rotted out party organization makes all the difference in the world. And there is no more rotted out party organization than the Florida Democratic Party. Thanks, Debbie Wassermann Schultz.