Money, Not Obamacare, Gave the GOP Its Florida Win

[Judi Lynn]

Published on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 by The Nation

Money, Not Obamacare, Gave the GOP Its Florida Win
by John Nichols

Republicans who want to imagine that they can campaign against Obamacare and win every swing seat that is in the offering in 2014 will try to suggest that GOP nominee David Jolly’s win in Florida’s 13th Congressional District proves their point.

But that’s a stretch.

Jolly did campaign as a critic of the Affordable Care Act. And his Democratic foe, cautiously-centrist former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, did offer a nuanced defense of the reform initiative—along with a more robust argument on behalf of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

But Jolly did not take a Democratic seat.

He kept a Republican seat.

And just barely.

Jolly’s winning percentage of 48.5 was almost ten points below the 2012 number for the Republican he was running to replace, veteran Congressman Bill Young, who passed away last October. It was more than fifteen points below Young’s finish in the Republican wave year of 2010.

And Jolly’s victory did not come cheap.

Jolly’s campaign raised and spent $1.3 million—barely half the total for Sink, whose background in the financial sector and in politics, as a former gubernatorial candidate, gave her some early advantages. As the campaign played out in February and early March, the polls suggested that Sink might secure an upset

Then Republican-allied national groups rushed to Jolly’s rescue

More:
https://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/03/12-4

[daybranch]

1. money does not buy our elections

unless we sell ourselves.It is very sad that all you ever hear is money did this and money did that in the elections. Where is the people did this or that? I do not think Sink necessarily was a very charismatic or persuasive candidate and nuance is fine if you communicate well, which she may or may not. Beter come up with a better candidate or a heck of a better identification, persuasion , and turn out effort. Time to start registering voters , Lets get to it!

[Bill USA]

2. recommended. kicked.