Is Biden Really Choosing Between Two Ex-Cops as VP?

by Thomas Neuburger

According to Charles Gasparino, a Fox News reporter whom you may or may not consider reliable (not because he's Fox; because he's Gasparino), Joe Biden has narrowed his VP search list to two names — Rep. Val Demings of Florida and former presidential candidate Kamala Harris of California.

Both are women, both are people of color ... and both are ex-cops of one stripe or another.

Kamala Harris is certainly a familiar name — ex-Attorney General of California and a former "top cop" who for years ran a "tough on crime" agenda. As the Guardian put it during Harris's candidacy phase, "In her career as a prosecutor, [Harris] supported increased criminalization of sex work, took no action in key police abuse cases and defended a troubled prison system. ... Among the many policies now drawing renewed scrutiny, Harris’s approach to sex work, police reform, prisoners’ rights and truancy reveal the tensions between her record in law enforcement and her current progressive rhetoric."

Tulsi Gabbard famously eviscerated Harris over her record as prosecutor during the August 2019 primary debate in Detroit:

"Senator Harris says she's proud of her record as a prosecutor and that she'll be a prosecutor president. But I'm deeply concerned about this record. There are too many examples to cite but she put over 1,500 people in jail for marijuana violations and then laughed about it when she was asked if she ever smoked marijuana.

"She blocked evidence — she blocked evidence that would have freed an innocent man from death row until the courts forced her to do so. She kept people in prison beyond their sentences to use them as cheap labor for the state of California."

Gabbard merely scratched the surface of all that's wrong with Harris, but this much is enough in these post-George Floyd times.

Val Demings is less well known, but aside from having been elected to the House in 2016, she's the former police chief of Orlando. A simple search, in Wikipedia no less, produces this damning information:

"According to a 2015 article in The Atlantic, the Orlando Police Department "has a long record of excessive-force allegations, and a lack of transparency on the subject, dating back at least as far as Demings's time as chief."^[10] A 2008 Orlando Weekly exposé described the Orlando Police Department as "a place where rogue cops operate with impunity, and there's nothing anybody who finds himself at the wrong end of their short fuse can do about it."^[11] Demings responded with an op-ed in the Orlando Sentinel, arguing that "Looking for a negative story in a police department is like looking for a prayer at church" and added that "It won't take long to find one." In the same op-ed, she cast doubt on video evidence that conflicts with officers' statements in excessive force cases, writing, "a few seconds (even of video) rarely capture the entire set of circumstances."^[10]

"In 2010, an Orlando police officer flipped 84-year-old Daniel Daley over his shoulder after the man became belligerent, throwing him to the ground and breaking a vertebra in his neck.^[12] Daley alleged excessive force and filed a lawsuit. The police department cleared the officer as "justified" in using a "hard take down" to arrest Daley, concluding he used the technique correctly even though he and the other officer made conflicting statements. Demings said "the officer performed the technique within department guidelines" but also said that her department had "begun the process of reviewing the use of force policy and will make appropriate modifications." A federal jury ruled in Daley's favor and awarded him $880,000 in damages."

Of course, this just touches on the problems with Demings tenure as police chief. The Atlantic article quoted above says bluntly, "The [Orlando police] department has a long record of excessive-force allegations, and a lack of transparency on the subject, dating back at least as far as Demings’s time as chief."

In a just world, this would damn her VP chances, just as Amy Klobuchar's record as Hennepin County Attorney, home of Minneapolis, damned her VP chances, at least for now.

But this is not a just world. The presidential race has devolved into a contest both candidates deserve to lose, and Democratic voters have a choice of not voting for president or voting for a candidate who, Baptist-like, will prepare the way for the Next Donald Trump as surely as Barack Obama prepared the way for this one.

The presidential race is now Joe Biden's to lose. If indeed he's choosing between two tough-on-crime, pro-police candidates as his VP and successor, he appears to be trying to lose it, or testing how low he can go in progressive voters' eyes and still win.
 
  

Who Would Be A Worse Vice President-- Amy Klobuchar Or Val Demings?

On Thursday, Norman Solomon wrote that "eighteen years before Minneapolis police killed an unarmed black man named George Floyd on Monday, Minneapolis police killed an unarmed black man named Christopher Burns. Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar decries the killing of Floyd. Back then, Minneapolis chief prosecutor Amy Klobuchar refused to prosecute city police for killing Burns... [T]he gruesome killing of Floyd has refocused attention on Klobuchar’s history of racial injustice. In sharp contrast to her prosecutorial approach two decades ago, she has issued a statement calling for 'a complete and thorough outside investigation' into Floyd’s death and declaring that 'those involved in this incident must be held accountable.'... Klobuchar’s political record, when it comes to light, simply can’t stand up to scrutiny. While mainstream media rarely seem interested in her Senate record, it has been no less contemptuous of equal protection under the law than her career as a prosecutor. When the progressive advocacy group Demand Justice issued a 'Report Card' about the confirmation votes of Senate Democrats on President Trump’s right-wing federal judge appointees, it explained that the report graded 'willingness to fight Trump’s judges.' Elizabeth Warren received an 'A,' Bernie Sanders an 'A-' and Kamala Harris a 'B+.' Amy Klobuchar got an 'F.'"

This is a gross way to put it, but there's a actual silver lining to this brutal murder of George Floyd: Klobuchar will not be president. I say president because whoever Biden picks as his running mate will probably wind up as president sooner or later. I haven't been writing about the VP speculation much-- just that Susan Rice was briefly in the mix-- but I've always suspected it would be Klobuchar because she's the only one conservative enough to make Biden comfortable.

Yesterday, writing for NBC News, Marianna Sotomayer noted that "Klobuchar’s record as Hennepin County attorney has come under fire in recent days even though she has not been involved with the police officer who is being accused of killing Floyd. Even so, she has faced increased scrutiny from the African American community in numerous op-eds over the last week that say she should not be chosen as Biden’s vice president because of her lack of prosecuting police misconduct in Minnesota during her tenure. Prior to ending her presidential campaign in early March, Klobuchar was forced to cancel a campaign event in St. Louis Park, Minnesota because black activists overtook the stage to protest her decision to sentence a Minnesota teenager to life in prison for murder while serving as county attorney."

Elena Schneider's piece for Politico emphasized Klobuchar's abysmal performance among black voters during her primary run for president-- and how Black activists are warning Biden to steer clear of her. She wrote that Klobuchar has an "ideological profile to mesh well with Biden, and she’s regularly appeared as a surrogate and a fundraiser for him, raking in more than $1.5 million for a single event she headlined. The pair have a warm relationship... and they didn’t tangle publicly during the primary."

But more than a dozen black and Latino strategists and activists warned in interviews that selecting Klobuchar would not help Biden excite black voters-- and might have the opposite effect. Klobuchar would “risk losing the very base the Democrats need to win,” said Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, which promotes women of color in politics. They pointed to Klobuchar’s poor performance among nonwhite voters during the presidential primary, as well as her record as a prosecutor in Minnesota.

It’s not yet clear how much the opposition of activists matters to Biden. He's made clear that the electoral politics of his pick matter less than choosing someone who can be a governing partner and step into the top job without worry.

But the vocal contingent of African American and Latino detractors-- many of whom said they would prefer that Biden select a black woman as a running mate-- is unique to Klobuchar; Elizabeth Warren, another top contender for VP, doesn’t elicit similar antagonism from communities of color.

"It comes from her performance in the primary-- her weakness in being able to motivate them," said Adrianne Shropshire, executive director of BlackPAC, who supports several potential vice presidential selections. “The engagement and the enthusiasm of black voters is going to be a difference-maker in this election, and the concerns about her in this role stem from the degree to which she resonated or not with those core constituencies.”

Earlier this week, Biden confirmed that "multiple black women [are] being considered" for vice president. Those often named include Sen. Kamala Harris, former Georgia gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams and Florida Rep. Val Demings. Besides Klobuchar, other Midwestern options, like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have been mentioned.

But for many of these operatives, Klobuchar symbolizes a strategic division within the Democratic Party: whether to focus on winning back white, Midwestern voters who flipped to Donald Trump in 2016, or on activating voters of color who were not excited to vote. She “represents that tension,” said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who added he’s told Biden that he would prefer a black woman on the ticket, but noted he’s “not anti-Amy.”

“It is not her fault, but she is in the middle of an ongoing battle from the last few presidential races,” Sharpton continued, adding he would be “concerned” that selecting Klobuchar would not help energize black and brown voters.

In a Washington Post op-ed this month urging Biden to select a woman of color as running mate, seven black strategists and activists called out Klobuchar, warning she would “only alienate black voters.”

"Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, does not need help winning white, working-class voters-- he serves that function himself," they wrote. Referring to her record as a chief prosecutor in Minneapolis-based Hennepin County, they added, "A choice such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN), who failed to prosecute controversial police killings and is responsible for the imprisonment of Myon Burrell, will only alienate black voters."

“If it was important enough to raise in an op-ed, it speaks to how serious we are,” LaTosha Brown, a co-founder of Black Voters Matter and the lead author of the op-ed, said in an interview. “Her campaign appeal was about bringing in working-class, white people from the Midwest, and perhaps that’s true, but that’s a particular strategy that doesn’t align with what it’s going to take to win. You need to excite the base.”

Angela Rye, a Democratic strategist and the former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, who also signed the op-ed, called Klobuchar a “nonstarter.”

Klobuchar's boosters counter that opposition to President Donald Trump will bring out the Democratic base no matter what, and that the key Rust Belt states Democrats have to win play to Klobuchar's strengths.

"I think she could help put the upper Midwest in play, and that's an invaluable asset," said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who backed Bernie Sanders during the presidential primary. He also noted that "there are a lot of black people" in the Midwest, in cities like Detroit and Milwaukee, who will be key for Democrats’ winning back those states.

"I think the base is going to be excited enough because, before, Trump was an idea, now Trump is the reality," Ellison continued.

...The primary results illustrate Klobuchar's failure among voters of color.

In South Carolina, she won 1 percent of black voters, even though they make up a majority of Democratic primary voters in the state. It was the lowest total for any of the presidential candidates on the ballot.

In Nevada, Klobuchar received 4 percent support of the Latino vote, the lowest share of any presidential candidate other than Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Nationally, Klobuchar regularly polled in the low single digits among voters of color.

...Biden, too, was recently warned about not taking African American voters for granted. On Friday, he apologized on a conference call with black leaders for comments he made to The Breakfast Club radio host: "If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump, then you ain't black."

Klobuchar’s prosecutorial record as Hennepin County attorney is another sore spot, particularly her handling of a case involving Burrell, a black teenager. An investigation by The Associated Press found numerous flaws in the case, and civil rights leaders in Minnesota called for her to suspend her presidential campaign.

Klobuchar called for an independent investigation after her campaign ended, a move applauded by the Minnesota NAACP.

If Biden picked Klobuchar as his vice president, “it would add to [his] workload” for the general election, said Daughtry, who signed onto another letter sent to Biden, urging the selection of a black woman as vice presidential nominee.

“There are enough people who either A, don’t know her, or B, have a negative view of her that it becomes another thing the campaign has to do-- introduce her and convince communities of color that she’s OK,” Daughtry said. “That’s not impossible, but there’s already a lot of work to do in a presidential race.”

Yesterday House Majority Whip and Biden king maker, Jim Clyburn (D-SC) said that he believes it’s not the right time to choose Klobuchar. "We’re all victims sometimes of timing and some of us benefit tremendously from timing," said Clyburn on a media call. "This is very tough timing for Amy Klobuchar, who I respect so much." He's pushing Val Demings (D-FL), a former police chief in Orlando.

It's a real no-no to refer to a black woman as a moron. But Demings fits the description. She demonstrated she can read her staff's notes aloud-- more or less-- when she participated in the impeachment hearings but the idea of her as a vice president, let alone a president rises to a Trumpian level of unqualified. One of her more senior colleagues in the House who knows her well told me that "Honestly, I could go on and on and on about her. She is a deeply flawed person, in my opinion. I would say that her biggest problem, as an elected official, is her self-absorption. She has now managed to get through two entire campaigns without ever making any promise to anyone to do anything. She stands for nothing except personal advancement. Val Demings is all about Val Demings. Her only constituent is the one in the mirror. She is so lacking in principles that she joined both the Progressive Caucus and the New Dems. If there were a Gay Caucus and a Straight Caucus, she’d probably join both of those, too... On the other hand, her husband should be on that short list. He is an actual public servant, and a good soul. Compared to him, she’s [description deleted; even I couldn't publish it]."

Warren would be the best choice but it's hard to imagine Biden picking someone so much smarter than himself and so much more likely to be admired than he is-- not to mention someone as ideologically distant from where he has spent his entire adult life. Still, Warren is the one who will help him the most electorally and would be the best person standing there if he dies or becomes so much more senile than he already is that he would have to step down.

Its So Rare That Local Media Exposes Democrats Who Enable Trump, That When They Do, They Should Be Celebrated-- Florida

But they don't look like bigots-- Stephanie Murphy and Val Demings

For the better part of the last decade, we've spent a lot of time exposing the Republican wing of the Democratic Party for what it is-- primarily reactionaries, corporate shills and self-serving corrupt careerists. This would basically include just about all the Blue Dogs and New Dems in Congress-- and then some. To over-compensate for once-- a million years ago before anyone still alive was born-- having been an activist and committed progressive, Pelosi allowed the rest of House Democratic leadership to turn into the exact opposite. And now we're stuck with absolute garbage members as likely next generation heads of the party, particularly greasy, corrupt Wall Street whore and former New Dem chairman Joe Crowley, who is in position to take over after the he Ancien Régime of Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn dodders off to wherever they're going. But the problem isn't just at the top, but-- thanks to the conservatives at the top controlling DCCC recruitment-- throughout the party.

Rarely do local papers cover this. Lo-info voters from coast to coast imagine when someone has a "D" next to their name, even raging conservatives who vote with the Republicans and enable Ryan's agenda-- like Josh Gottheimer (NJ), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), Tom O'Halleran (AZ), Ami Bera (CA), Cheri Bustos (IL), Collin Peterson (MN). Sean Patrick Maloney (NY), Lou Correa (CA), Jim Costa (CA), Henry Cuellar (TX), and Jacky Rosen (NV)-- share their core progressive values. They don't.

After a couple dozen of the worst of the Republican wing of the Democratic Party voted with the actual Republicans on the xenophobic Kate's Law legislation Ryan had rammed through the House, we went over it here at DWT, even encouraging Dan Lipinksi's primary opponent, Marie Newman to use it in his campaign. (She was ahead of me and had already sent out a press release about Lipinski's vote with Ryan and the GOP against immigrants.)

But what I didn't expect was to find any coverage in local media anywhere and, as usual, media has lived up to its reputation, much happier covering Trump's rude tweets than reporting on how congressmembers actually vote. So wasn't I surprised-- pleasantly so-- when the Orlando Weekly called out two garbage members of the Florida Democratic delegation for voting with all the Florida Republicans for this toxic piece of the Trump-Ryan agenda. Their headline last Friday: Stephanie Murphy and Val Demings just voted for an incredibly terrible anti-immigration bill. Nice! How I'd love to see the Arizona Republic run a similar story exposing Sinema and O'Halleran or the Tampa Bay Times letting their readers know the despite claiming to have switched to the Democratic Party, Charlie Crist is and will always be nothing but a Republican. And isn't it time for The Tennessean--not to mention La Campana and the Nashville Pride-- to let Nashville Democrats-- who voted overwhelmingly for Obama and for Hillary-- know that Jim Cooper is a right-wing bigot and doesn't deserve to be elected as a Democrat?

"Yesterday," wrote Colin Wolf for the Orlando Weekly "Florida congresswomen Stephanie Murphy and Val Demings were among 24 Democrats who voted for an extremely controversial bill that only boosts Donald Trump's anti-immigration crackdown. On Thursday, June 29, HR 3004, also known as Kate's Law, passed the House with a margin of 257-167. The GOP-backed bill is named after Kathryn Steinle, who was murdered in 2015 by an undocumented immigrant in San Fransisco. 'The legislation before us today is one born of a preventable tragedy,' said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who co-sponsored the bill. 'Let this bill be her legacy. Let this bill result in Kate saving the lives of others.' It's a nice sentiment aimed at a pointless tragedy, but the only problem is there's absolutely zero evidence that undocumented immigrants commit more crimes. A study conducted by the University of California found that sanctuary cities are actually safer than non-sanctuary cities, and do not see a surge in crime."

Essentially, Kate's Law dramatically affects people who are attempting to flee unsafe conditions in their home countries, as well as those looking to reunite with their families.

But more importantly, Kate's Law bolsters penalties for undocumented immigrants who want to re-enter the United States even if they have no criminal history, which includes people who are seeking to apply for asylum and even those who have permission to re-enter the country.

The bill has been highly criticized by the ACLU and House Democrats, like Rep. Steny Hoyer, who said Kate's Law "appeals to the most right-wing, anti-immigrant base of the Republican party that supports exclusion and opposes one of the founding principles of our nation."

Rep. Lou Correa [an ultra-corrupt, right-wing fanatic on everything but immigration issues] also criticized the law, stating that the bill does not make the distinction between criminals and legal immigrants. "Do not brand millions of immigrants as criminals when their only crime is searching for the American dream," said Correa.

he ACLU has gone as far as stating that Kate's Law, as well as the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, which also passed yesterday, are unconstitutional... Kate's Law also unnecessarily imposes harsh penalties for petty misdemeanors like loitering or driving a car without a license, which can now lead up to a possible 10-year prison sentence for immigrants.

But arguably the worst part of this bill is that it blocks immigrants’ ability to challenge prior removal orders, which is a clear violation of the constitutional right to due process, says the ACLU.

During Thursday's vote, 233 Republicans and 24 Democrats voted for Kate's Law, while 166 Democrats and 1 Republican  voted against it... Since the vote, Francesca Menes, policy director of Florida Immigrant Coalition has publicly called out the Democrats who voted in favor of this bill, including Demings and Murphy:

"Enforcement-only legislation has time and again proven itself a failure in tackling the complexities of the immigration debate in this country. The Florida Immigrant Coalition is disappointed in the members of the Florida Congressional delegation, including Representatives Charlie Crist, Stephanie Murphy and Val Demings who voted for H.R. 3004. We have entrusted these representatives to stand and protect our communities, yet yesterday, they voted to criminalize immigrants, separate our families and dismantle the public trust with local law enforcement.

At a time where Congress attempts to legitimize Trump’s hateful rhetoric which seeks to demonize and target immigrant families, we need leaders, who will focus on enacting comprehensive immigration reform. Mass detention and deportation programs not only undermine our basic human rights but have only exacerbated problems regarding immigration in this country while providing no long-term solutions.

The Senate now has an opportunity to stop legislation which erodes public safety and undermines our constitution. We call on Senators from both political parties to reject these draconian bills, and we send a notice to all those who voted in favor that we are watching intently and will hold them accountable."

Murphy is a representative of Florida's District 7, which covers all of Seminole County and much of northern Orange County, including downtown Orlando, Maitland, Winter Park and the University of Central Florida.

Val Demings is a representative for Florida's District 10, which covers parts of Orlando, Apopka, Eatonville, Ocoee, Winter Garden and Windermere.

Murphy, a rabid, virulent Blue Dog, was already rated an "F" by ProgressivePunch, with the third worst voting record of any Democratic freshman (26.09), just barely ahead of "ex"-Republican Tom O'Halleran (Blue Dog-AZ) and Josh Gottheimer (Blue Dog-NJ), each tied with a 25.00 score. Demings is a worthless New Dem-- who was relentless pushed by Pelosi, the DCCC and, of course, EMILY's List-- also with an "F" rating, voting like a Republican in a strong Democratic district. Hillary beat Trump soundly in both their districts-- 51.4% to 44.1% in Murphy's district and 61.8% to 34.9% in Demings' district. Neither has any political excuse for voting with the GOP. This is just who they are. When Ryan, McCarthy and Trump call one of their ghastly bills "bipartisan," they're usually talking about garbage Democrats like Stephanie Murphy and Val Demings.

Police Problems

As we said yesterday at GOP Crackpot Candidate of the Week, Georgia state Senator Mike Crane had been favored to win the GA-03 congressional seat Lynn Westmoreland was retiring from... until he started advocating shooting policemen. Seems crazy, right? But state Senator Crane, a far right psychopath and loony ideologue who was heavily supported by the NRA, Gun Owners of America, the Tea Party, Freedom Works, Club for Growth, Ted Cruz and House Freedom Caucus chairman Jim Jordan, might not think people of color should defend themselves against police brutality but announced that even if a policeman comes onto his property with a warrant, he can be legitimately shot. The state's police organizations reacted badly and Crane lost 19,490 (46%) to 22,813 (54%).

Must have been embarrassing for Poor Ted Cruz who said "I’m proud to join thousands of Georgia conservatives in standing up for conservative principles supporting Mike Crane for Congress…I can think of no better way to send the Washington establishment a message than by supporting Mike Crane for Congress…I’m asking all Georgians-- especially voters in the Third Congressional District-- to stand with me in supporting Mike Crane."

Southeast of Georgia's third district, in central Florida's Orlando area, progressive Democrat Bob Poe is facing off against the handpicked establishment candidate, Val Demings, in a 4-way primary. The same corrupt Democratic establishment cheats who undermined and sabotaged Bernie's campaign are fully committed to the incompetent and undeserving Demings. The video up top was released as an ad by the Poe campaign last night. (Please help him get it up on television.)

This morning Poe told us that "Our district's residents deserve a really great relationship with our hardworking law enforcement officers. We have to work towards rebuilding trust, especially between police and communities of color, who unfortunately were arrested at disproportionately high rates under my opponent. It all starts with leadership and judgment. From there, we can work on additional training, body cameras, and community policing, all steps that I've called for. I believe we can have better understanding and more trust between police and our community, if we have the right leadership to get it done."

Pelosi dragged Deming up on the stage of the convention yesterday while a bunch of congresswomen who we're babbling the mantra "when women win, America wins." Whether you agree with that or not, it's worth noting that when Professor Mary Ellen Balchunis won her primary against a corrupt conservative Democrat the DCCC was pushing-- won 74-26%-- Pelosi turned her back on her and refused to acknowledge Mary Ellen as the legitimate Democratic candidate for a crucial-- even critical-- swing district in the Philly suburbs. It would have been easy for Pelosi to have had Mary Ellen up on the stage but she opted for the unqualified, easily corruptible Demings, the kind of nothing candidate the Democratic Party wants to fill party ranks with. Candidates like Bob Poe and Mary Ellen Balchunis are too independent-minded for hacks like what Pelosi has morphed into over the tragic last decade of her decline.

Val Demings Isn't Even In Congress Yet And She's Already Violating Campaign Finance Laws

The race for the redistricted FL-10 Orlando-area congressional district is good news for Democrats. The district is now so blue that incumbent Republican Daniel Webster has fled south and east to a rural, open red seat nearby. The GOP is virtually abandoning FL-10. The DCCC saw it as an opportunity to shove another of their worthless and corrupt no-account order-takers and went to war against the two legitimate candidates, state Senator Geraldine Thompson and former Florida Democratic Party chairman Bob Poe, two progressives whose independence and incorruptibility are anathema to the DCCC bosses.  So the Beltway bosses dug up one of their loser retreads, Val Demings.

People in Orange County know her-- and, despite a huge push from the Democratic Establishment in DC and some corrupt Florida hacks, she isn't being welcomed into the race. Jacob Engels of the East Orlando Post helped shed some light on why not. She had been appointed chief of police of Orange County and then ran for County mayor, but it all went downhill after that. The campaign finance rules she's been flouting are also laws she's been breaking-- and she's not even in Congress yet.

After she bailed on her mayor's race, leaving Orange County Democrats high and dry-- and fuming-- she reimbursed her slimy lobbyist and consultant allies selectively instead of returning the unspent campaign funds on a pro-rata basis across the board as is required by law.

$6,750.00 of those reimbursements went to individuals listed as consultants or lobbyists, with notable names including Southern Strategy's Kelly Cohen and special interest insider Brian May... whose firm Floridian Partners also received a large reimbursement.

A campaign finance and elections law expert told us that it looks like Demings could be "knee deep" in potential violations.

"It would appear that Val might of not followed the proper guidelines and statutes. It is curious that virtually all of her reimbursements went to lobbyists and consultants. Why were these people chosen over donors of smaller amounts?"

Worse then potentially violating campaign finance rules, a source close to the Demings 2014 mayoral bid tell us that the current congressional candidate was advised on the rules in "explicit nature."

Mrs. Demings proximity to political power brokers and special pleaders is not news by any means. She has been the beneficiary of a coordinated effort from congressional insiders and lobbyists checkbooks and endorsements.

Exactly what crooked insiders like Steve Israel and Ben Ray Lujan look for when they recruit candidates-- except they don't like it when they get caught. Nevertheless when you contribute to the DCCC or to Pelosi's PAC, the money goes to fight progressives on behalf of corrupt conservatives like Demings, not necessarily to fight Republicans as they claim when they come sniffing around for cash.

How To Replace Taliban Dan In Central Florida-- Why Not Leave It To Floridians?

2 excellent candidates for FL-10-- so the DCCC anointed a conservative

With Daniel "Taliban Dan" Webster decamping from his Orlando area base in Florida's 10th CD for whiter climes further north and west, it looks increasingly like whichever Democrat wins the primary will be the next congressmember. The DCCC has decreed that the much-disliked Val Demings is their candidate, despite the fact that their are two other very credible choices, much-loved state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a civil rights icon, and also highly respected former Florida Democratic Party chairman Bob Poe. One of the DCCC's southern region staffers, Communications Director Jermaine House, told Jacob Engels at the East Orlando Post that Thompson "should wait her turn" and that Poe, who is white and gay, "does not have the right racial makeup for the district." The district is 27.1% voting age African-American, 22.8% voting age Hispanic and 44.3% voting age white; I was unaware Pelosi countenanced this kind of racial profiling and bigoted game-playing. Mr. House, actually said, "We will never support Poe because he's white." I'm sure he's noticed that Sen. Thompson is African-American as well. Maybe it's just that the DCCC has their heart set on a conservative religious nut who will never have an independent thought in her head.

So that leaves Blue America in an awkward situation. We rate both Poe and Thompson "A" level candidates and we rate Demings a solid "F." It's crucial that the DCCC not slip her into office but we think too highly of Geraldine Thompson to endorse Bob Poe and too highly of Bob Poe to endorse Geraldine Thompson. Fortunately this primary isn't 'til August so we have some time to think about it and figure out how best to stop Demings. I'd love to hear from some Florida progressives about how they're thinking about this too.

One interesting side bar. I mentioned that the DCCC was stirring up racial animosities through Jermaine House-- they've also offended the LGBT community by their interference in the race-- well, as far as we know, House is still in the house but his direct superior, Andrew Piatt, who led the DCCC down the disastrous Demings road, was just fired. The DCCC should fire more people-- like everyone... and start fresh with people who want to win and have the capacity to do so. This crew has proven they do not possess that capacity. I asked a DCCC contact if Piatt was fired because of the FL-10 situation and was told, "the was a big part of it." So why is House still there? Crickets.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to help progressive reformers take the Democratic Party back from the corrupt DC establishment and win Congress back for Team Blue... tapping on this thermometer below will give you a list of carefully-vetted progressive candidates who the DCCC is ignoring or even actively sabotaging. Even $10 and $20 contributions are significant for these grassroots campaigns.

Is The DCCC As Hated Among Florida Democrats As It Is Among California Democrats?

Every bit as horrible as the last DCCC chairman-- and the one before that

A few days ago we looked at why California Democratic Party activists have been rejecting the DCCC and telling them to go shove their corrupt conservative candidates up Ben Ray Luján's and Steve Israel's asses. But a growing hatred for the DCCC among Democrats isn't confined to California. Florida Democratic Party activists have been waking up to the Beltway shenanigans that have proven catastrophic for Florida Democrats for over a decade when then-DCCC chairman Rahm Emanuel started recruiting Republicans to run as Democratic in the state.

This week the East Orlando Post reported that FL-10 voters are furious that the DCCC is interfering in their congressional primary on behalf of the incompetent conservative candidate, Val Demings to the detriment of beloved civil rights heroine Geraldine Thompson and highly-respected former Florida Democratic Party chairman Bob Poe. Demings may be seen as an easily-controlled shill by DC powermingers but she is not well-liked by many central Florida Democrats. Jacob Engels reported that Demings "suffered a tough loss to Republican Dan Webster in 2012 [and] angered many local Democratic voters and activists when she dropped out of the Orange County mayoral race at the last minute in 2014, leaving the party with no one to challenge long-term incumbent Republican Mayor Teresa Jacobs."

Regardless, an insider close to the DCCC told us that Demings earned the respect from running a campaign in a tough race against Republican statesman Daniel Webster. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan recently held an event for Demings in Central Florida, signalling DC insiders determination to hand the crown to the former police chief.

"We are not handpicking a candidate, but Chief Demings has earned the respect of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and others on capitol hill. She seems to have the support locally."

Former Florida Democratic Party Chairman and serial entrepreneur Bob Poe, who is one of the candidates challenging Demings for the nomination, grew up in Florida's 10th district as a teen working at a gas station.

"This race is ultimately going to be decided by the voters in the 10th Congressional District and not a small group of power brokers in Washington," said Poe.

He continued by pointing to the fact that the party has far too many other "too close to call" races on their hands that have no contested primaries, and should be focusing their efforts there instead of in Florida 10.

"The DCCC should be spending their limited resources to defeat Republicans, not fellow Democrats."

Mr. Poe has spent the past three decades as an entrepreneur in the marketing and communications industry-- a sought after show-runner and ideas man. He has raised nearly $300k in the three weeks since he announced his bid.

A Democratic aide, who once worked in the office of Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi told the East Orlando Post that Poe does not have the right racial makeup for the district.

"Simply put, Poe can't buy this race. The hill has decided that we want Chief Demings, come hell or high-water. Thompson and Fahmy are not options either. They should wait their turn."

State Senator Geraldine Thompson, an African American civil rights icon, is also a candidate seeking the Democratic nomination. Thompson has served in elected office for 10 years in the area, and like Poe, she is determined to not let Washington dysfunction determine who the candidate ultimately is.

"This type of behavior signals a total disregard for the people in our district. To not allow a level playing field by openly supporting one candidate over the other three is flat out wrong. The Democratic party is supposed to be a big tent. I have been breaking down barriers and obstacles my whole life.

"While the open bias with which they are treating me and the other candidates is disappointing, I am not deterred. In this race is an openly gay man, a proud Latina woman and a veteran African American female elected leader. We are insistent that the people in the District will decide... not the Washington elite." Thompson told us on break from committee meetings in the Florida Capitol.

A donor familiar with the endorsement process and patterns of the DCCC told us that there is not really any rules against the committee supporting one candidate over another, but admitted that most of the time it is preferable to let the people decide.

"It is a little perplexing to see how they are handling this. Endorsements and support from Washington are in large part meaningless to the majority of voters. We have races that have no primaries and are extremely tough roads to victory against Republicans in the general election... why not focus on those?," the top bundler for Democrat candidates confided via text message, echoing Bob Poe's sentiment about smart allocation of precious party resources.

Fatima Rita Fahmy, a lawyer and former stockbroker who moved to Central Florida from Brazil when she was just five years old, is another Democrat making a run for congress in Florida's 10th district. Fahmy calls the DCCC's behavior "next level arrogance."

"They want to impose their will and I will push back hard against those movements. I am in total agreement with Mr. Poe and Senator Thompson, it shows a horrible disconnect between the power-brokers and everyday people."

Fahmy crashed a Demings event Monday morning where DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Luján was in attendance and publicly called attention to the committees unusual financial and structural support for a candidate who is facing a primary from other credible choices.

So, the DCCC claims that Poe, who is white and gay, "does not have the right racial makeup for the district" so they're stepping on a progressive African-American state senator and a Latina so they can support a conservative religious nut who also happens to be African-American. The district is 27.1% voting age African-American, 22.8% voting Hispanic, 44.3% voting age white and I was unaware Pelosi countenanced this kind of racial game-playing. The DCCC press secretary for the Southeast, Jermaine House, actually said, "We will never support Poe because he's white." I'd like to hear Pelosi defend that like DCCC statement. On top of that, the DCCC is complaining Poe "can't buy this election" when the hallmark of the DCCC in the last decade has been to always favor wealthy candidates over middle class candidates. The hypocrisy is overwhelming.

Wasserman Schultz Thinks She Gets To Decide Which Racial Group You Need To Be In To Run For Congress

Mind your own business

Wassermann Schultz and some of her cronies, Lois Frankel for one, are trying to get Val Demings elected to Congress in the Orlando area, specifically in the very redistricted 10th CD, currently occupied by Daniel "Taliban Dan" Webster. The new district is way too blue for Webster-- under the new lines, Obama would have beaten Romney 60.7% to 38.4% instead of losing to Romney 53.3% to 42.5%-- and he's district shopping now, although will most likely wind up in FL-11, since Rich Nugent is retiring and the district is safely red. The changes, obviously are demographic. When Webster was elected it was a 60% white district. The new lines make the district 27.08% black and 22.85% Hispanic. So the line being pushed by Wasserman Schultz and Frankel-- this is a black district-- is a little weird.

Wassermann Schultz has always been big on dividing people up that way. When she was in the state senate she drew her own future district to include every Jewish person she could find in Broward County. Right now it looks like the contenders for Webster's seat are three black women, state Senator and civil rights icon Geraldine Thompson, DCCC/EMILY's List hack Val Demings, and Rep. Corrine, who already represents many of that 27.08% black part of the district in her old district, FL-05, and one white progressive, Bob Poe. It looks like Tampa Bay Times politics editor, Adam Smith, got the message from his pal Wasserman Schultz:

Here's a trend Florida Democratic leaders prefer not to talk about: Wealthy, white Democrats beating out minority Democratic candidates in districts drawn with an eye toward electing minorities.

The latest example is in the Orlando area, where former Florida Democratic Party chairman Bob Poe, a top Democratic fundraiser and white guy, last week jumped into a congressional primary contest that already included two African-American candidates, former Orlando police Chief Val Demings and state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, and Brazilian-American lawyer Fatima Fahmy.  The district now represented by Republican Dan Webster has been redrawn to make it so much more Democratic-leaning that Webster is looking at running elsewhere. The race is likely to be decided in the Democratic primary, where most of the electorate is minority, but Poe has a strong chance at winning.

Actually, with the exception of Demings, all the candidates are good and central Florida Democrats should be thankful they get to pick between a batch of good candidates instead of some sad-sack Blue Dogs. This should be a race about ideas and values and competence, not a race about race. I understand why power-mongers like Wasserman Schultz and Frankel are always making these kinds of ugly moves-- that's what they are-- but it amazes me that the biggest newspaper in the area would run it as though it were fact. 27.08% doesn't make a district a black district, a Latino, a white district or an Asian district. It's just a diverse, multicultural district with a strong Democratic bench and I'm not sure how Smith can say "most of the electorate is minority," with a straight face either... unless he's also counting the LGBT community-- in which case he should be delighted to see Bob Poe running as he'd be the first gay member of Congress from Florida-- or at least the first openly gay member of Congress from Florida. [Update: Pelosi endorsed Demings today, which isn't going to please Corrine, but it kind of reminded me of the time Pelosi backed corrupt conservative Al Wynn in Maryland over Donna Edwards. Donna's now one of the best Members of Congress and Wynn is one of the most corrupt lobbyists on K Street. That Pelosi!]

The X-factor in the FL-10 race-- but why are EMILY's List and Wasserman Schultz trying to dump her?

Florida Democrats Beware: Val Demings Is Your Queen of Hearts

Last we ran into Steve Israel-Debbie Wasserman Schultz creation Val Demings, she had just lost a congressional race against weak Republican incumbent Daniel Webster in a much touted race. Although the DCCC and its allies made sure she had far more money than Webster, he beat her 52-48%, even beating her in Orange County. She spent $1,932,580 to Webster's $1,498,872 but outside big money groups spent another $4.6 million on her behalf (against $1.2 million GOP groups spent on Webster). She lost anyway, a weak, inauthentic, incoherent candidate with no ability to come up with a compelling or cohesive message. Just another cog in the failed Steve Israel cycle that petered out even while the DSCC was winning Senate seats everywhere and while President Obama was racking up another outstanding win against Republicans. Israel's weak recruits, like Deming, lost all over the country. And now he and Wasserman Schultz want another go at it-- and, yes, with Demings again!

As most Floridians know, especially those in the I-4 corridor who were merely weeks away from defeating a crooked Republican mayor and vesting Orange County as the crown jewel of progressive politics in Florida, the once hopeful Orange County mayoral campaign has been dashed to pieces. Left holding the empty bag and Democratic broken hearts, hundreds of thousands of middle class families will go unrepresented in the 2014 county mayoral campaign because of one person: yes, that same Val Demings. And don’t be fooled, her failures and legally questionable actions extend beyond the county mayor’s race and will not be forgotten anytime soon.

When Val dropped out of the race this past May, she abruptly abandoned the dream so effortlessly laid out for her by years of incumbent Republican scandals, controversies, and sunshine law violations surrounding current, and now almost assuredly future, Republican Orange County mayor Teresa Jacobs.

Let’s think for a minute about what that means for the heart of the I-4 corridor, arguably the epicenter of a swinging pendulum whose quick deviances in any given direction have statewide and national consequences-- the epicenter that for the past couple years has been swinging more left as progressives have come together, built an infrastructure and steadily made gains.

First of all, Teresa Jacobs is a lock-step Republican who would like nothing more than to see another 4 years of tyranny under Governor Rick Scott, who you may remember from such roles as former, corrupt CEO who committed the largest Medicare fraud in U.S. history, or current Republican extremist governor who rejects billions in federal funding for public transit, cuts $1.3 billion from public schools, and leaves millions of middle class families in the medicaid gap uninsured, underpaid, and well, underwhelmed. When Val Demings abandoned the county mayor’s race she not only chose the inconvenient timing of doing so after the petition qualifying deadline ended (leaving no room for a replacement challenger to Jacobs), but also immediately greenlighted a half a million dollars to Republican Mayor Teresa Jacobs’ pro-Rick Scott campaign in the heart of the I-4 corridor. That’s one giant pendulum thrust to the right, folks.

Now that the Teresa Jacobs reelection campaign coffers have been so wonderfully freed up by the lack of an opponent, she has an unencumbered $500,000 campaign chest to use for the reelection of Rick Scott (you might also remember him from such roles as cutting 3% from every teacher, firefighter and public employees’ take home pay, and signing the statewide preemption of Earned Sick Time for working middle class Floridians before jetting off to France). Some say if tilt your ear toward the wind you can almost hear the hundreds of thousands of dollars shoveled like coal into the fires of Rick Scott’s reelection machine.

Orlando has one of most vibrant progressive movements in the state and in one fell swoop “Quitter” Val Demings turned that pendulum into a right-wing wrecking ball that turned years of Democratic gains to crumbles. Republicans are the 3rd registered party in the county behind Democrats (#1) and NPA/Other (#2), Democrats outperformed Republicans in absentee votes in 2012, an advantage once exclusively held by the GOP,  and Democrats in central Florida held the line in 2012 for a statewide win for Obama., 274,227 (59%) to 189,057 (40%). Bill Nelson did even better in Orange County that day, beating Connie Mack 282,638 (63%) to 153,669 (35%).

That has all been in vain as Val Demings handed over a huge win to the Republican party by flippantly dropping out of the race with no regard to the consequences for middle class Floridians and the progressive movement activists have fought so hard to build in the I-4 corridor. Cue the Teresa Jacobs/Rick Scott campaign ad about "protecting seniors" and "funding public education." It’s amazing what an extra half a million dollars can do for a governor’s race these days.

For the better part of this year, progressives laid in wait with baited breath for when the leader Val Demings would rise out of the smolder with a clear vision, a path to victory, fire in her belly and the taste of Republican defeat in her mouth. Little did we know, that "coming soon" campaign platform would never come. Point blank, Val Demings ran a weak, aimless campaign because she had no clear message, no clear vision, and no fight. Vanity and the cult of personality replaced campaign rhetoric on the trail as Florida Democrats sat in stiff chairs at stiff events wondering when the self promotional elevator speech would end and the real campaigning would begin.

One glaring reason for the lack of a strong platform and commitment in Val’s campaign was that from day one she was over-consulted by out-of touch, out of state operators and Beltway insiders-- who don't know the first thing about Orange County.

Those Beltway (and Weston) insiders are now trying to tell Central Florida that Val should be their next congresswoman despite the fact that their choice abruptly abandoned the race, the people, the Democratic party and maybe the most politically damaging of all, her donors. Val Demings raised over $240,000 from local Democrats and then made it disappear. Perhaps it is lining the pockets of those very insiders, perhaps it has all been spent, or maybe the campaign cash has been stuffed under a mattress as a rainy day fund for the next race. The fact of the matter is that Val Demings hasn’t given any real explanation or clear answer on how much money remains in her campaign account, besides a text to an Orlando Sentinel reporter that she is, “not sure what the final number looks like yet,” and "I am still paying bills and conducting research to make sure the funds go where there is a significant and immediate need." What we have heard however, from several institutional donors, is that some of the money has been returned, while other requests from donors have been ignored. Cherry-picking who to return campaign donations to is legally questionable at best, and Demings is currently operating outside of the transparency of public records and possibly finance laws. Let’s not forget her hypocrisy in refusing to address where and how much campaign money she still has and what she intends to do with it, when she herself tried to attack Teresa Jacobs for returning questionable donations from her own campaign.

Val Demings has an unknown amount of money hidden somewhere and now she’s campaign shopping again; on your dime, central Florida donors. The question, or rather the implied, “this is a very, very bad, potentially illegal idea” is whether or not she is trying to move those campaign funds over to a Congressional race in the light of the recent court ruling that invalidates Congressional Districts 5 and 10.

Demings has long pined for a Congressional seat, running and losing in 2012 against incumbent Dan Webster. She toyed with the idea early on in 2014 as she made national self promotional tours to an audience arguably larger than one for a local county mayor’s race. What has been circulating very recently, as recently as the congressional map ruling, is that her former (and possibly current) finance director is holed away somewhere making calls to certain donors, keeping certain piles of cash in escrow. What central Florida voters and donors, and I’m sure an ethics board, would like to know is who is funding this shadowy semblance of a congressional campaign in the making? Donors should be wary about someone who might get hit with an ethics violation for a supposed "staffer" illegally shoring up for a congressional campaign using money not intended for one.

There has also been notable speculation that Demings is holding out to be Charlie Crist’s Lieutenant Governor pick. Is it the LG position that Val wants or a Congressional seat, and can middle class families afford to wait until she makes a decision? For all we know she's sitting back waiting for the best offer, much like she laid in limbo during her mayoral campaign waiting for a better deal while Central Florida progressives were led down a dark hole. [Update: yesterday, Charlie Crist, no fool, put the kibosh on the Demings speculation and decided on progressive Annette Taddeo as his running mate. Smart move-- but that makes it even more likely that Demings will give a half-assed try to win the FL-10 congressional seat again and waste everyone's time and money.] One thing we have all learned, is that Val Demings has a price and will leave progressives and Florida’s middle class in the dust for the shiniest penny dangled in front of her-- most likely the one in which she can stare at her own reflection. She is not committed to the job at hand, much like she wasn’t committed to the county mayor’s race. Val Demings just wants to see Val Demings elected, with no real commitment to doing the job for the people who need a voice in Orange County... err, State of Florida... err, Congress. (See what I mean?)

Progressives are devastated and angry at Demings for abandoning her post as the progressive guardian of the crown jewel that is central Florida. The heart of the I-4 corridor has been ripped out, there are a lot of tears in Orange County that will come back to haunt her no matter which race she enters. Demings is the Queen of Hearts who doesn’t care if central Florida, and the future of the Democratic Party, disappears down a rabbit hole.

Alan Grayson Is Running For Reelection

Alan Grayson, arguably the best congressman in our lifetimes, is announcing his candidacy for one of the new Orlando-based districts being created. This morning he told me that "under no circumstances" would he ever support a cut in Social Security. "I don't just say 'no'; I say HELL NO-- Under. No. Circumstances... Last year I said we can't let the choice in 2010 be between the lazies and the crazies. Now its coming down to choice between the heartless and the spineless. Ask them 'am I my brother's keeper' and they just say 'no'."

Orlando police chief Val Demings-- the one who arrested 30 people for feeding the homeless in public parks-- is also running in the Democratic primary. She's best known for losing her gun and for being an especially ignorant religious crazy. Indicted and convicted state Senator Gary Siplin may also run. He's an anti-union Democrat. I guess Grayson can just spend his time wondering who the GOP will put up against him, if not the current declared candidate, Karen Diebel, who has a history of mental instability but nearly beat Sandy Adams in their last primary.

Blue America will formally endorse Grayson as soon as he files his FEC papers. Meanwhile, though, please join me in letting Alan know how excited we are that he's running again.