National Democrats are bullish on Florida

[Freddie Stubbs]

Source: http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/515404.html

Buoyed by Republican retirements, U.S. House Democrats are optimistic about expanding their majority - perhaps by picking up at least one Republican-held seat in Florida.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the party is looking to thwart history: generally a party that rides a victory wave into the House loses seats in the next election.

But he noted the party has "lots of opportunities" in Florida, listing Suzanne Kosmas, who is challenging Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, and Christine Jennings, who is running for a Sarasota congressional seat for the second time, after narrowly losing to Rep. Vern Buchanan.

"(She) won the election last time, but is running again," Van Hollen said, referring to the race that wasn't settled until months after the election when a congressional investigation found faulty voting machines hadn't contributed to more than 18,000 votes that went missing.

Read more: http://www.bradenton.com/breakingnews/story/515404.html

[DJ13]

1. Does party affiliation mean much in Florida?

The Republicans and the Democrats down there seems to be the same animal with a different letter behind their name.

[Freddie Stubbs]

2. Bill Nelson votes with his Democratic colleages 92.4% of the time;

Martinez votes with the Republicans 86.9% of the time:

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/110/senate/party-voters/

[Divine Discontent]

23. it's that 7.6% that can be frustrating :) eom

[Dr.Phool]

3. How the hell can he figure that?

His airhead Lieutenant, Co-chair of Red to Blue, Debbie Weaselman-Schlitz, aka "Debbie Dubya", won't even support Democrats running against 3 extreme right-wing repukes in South Florida. In fact, she even endorsed Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL5) in the 2006 election against progressive Democrat John Russell.

They backstabbed Clint Curtis after they "promised" support this year. And they held big fund raisers for Christine Jennings in '06 before the primary against Jan Schneider, who was the better candidate.

This state's Democratic "leadership" is FUBAR. They have me ready to start calling them the "Democrat Party".

And I thought Chris Van Hollen was supposed to be an improvement over Rahm Emmanuel. I haven't seen it yet.

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. Do you have any proof that she endorsed Brown-Waite?

:shrug:

[tsuki]

5. The Googles is your friend. Try Debbie "Don't Blog Me, Bro" Wasserman-Schultz. nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

6. That google search yielded no mention of Brown-Waite

http://www.google.com/search?q=Debbie+%22Don%27t+Blog+Me,+Bro%22+Wasserman-Schultz&num=100&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=sZz&filter=0

Are your arguments that weak that you must resort to unsubstantiated smears?

[Dr.Phool]

7. Dig through the St. Pete Times.

And no, my arguments aren't that weak. I was there.

[Freddie Stubbs]

9. No results found in the St. Pete Times archives:

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/results.html?QryTxt=Wasserman-Schulz+Brown-Waite&choices=archive&x=10&y=10&hidden01=articles&hidden02=&hidden03=&hidden04=&hidden05=&hidden06=&hidden07=&hidden08=&hidden09=&hidden10=&hidden11=&hidden12=&hidden13=&hidden14=

How convenient that there is no record of the press ever reporting this supposed endorsement. It is sad when Democrats resort to spreading falsehoods to swiftboat fellow Democrats.

[tsuki]

12. 5 mins.

Less than a month before the election (when she should have kept her yap shut.)

Russell called this "flip-flopping," but others said the congresswoman, like everyone else, molds her views and opinions over time.

"She's pretty independent-minded," said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from South Florida. "She stands up for what she believes in, and if she changes her view, it's because she's carefully evaluated" the issue.

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/1146790451.html?dids=1146790451:1146790451&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+15%2C+2006&author=ELENA+LESLEY&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=1&desc=Some+call+it+flip-flop%2C+others+say+it%27s+growth

“The bottom line is that the voters, whether they’re in the most liberal or conservative or moderate districts, they like their elected officials to have the backbone of steel that Ginny Brown-Waite has,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a liberal Democrat from Broward County who has worked with, and against, her since their days in the Florida Legislature.


“When constituents know they are represented by someone who is willing to vote her conscience and do the right thing and is independent and not a rubber-stamp, that’s going to be tough to beat.”


http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/27/Tampabay/Brown_Waite_s_no_one_.shtml

I have no idea what "Don't Blog Me, Bro" was saying in private, or on the radio. MadFloridian and DaLittleKitty have posted on DU all that info. Goggle them.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. Saying that someone is hard to beat is hardly an endorsement

[tsuki]

15. So, I guess she is just stupid. And her reason for not supporting

Raul Martinez or Joe Garcia against Lincoln Biaz-Balart and brother Mario is because she and Lincoln are such good friends.

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. Perhaps she believes that those campaigns are lost causes

If so, she would have to deal with the consequences of having to work with the Diaz-Balarts, while Martinez and Garcia move on with their lives.

[tsuki]

18. Good to know you're betting on Marinez and Garcia to lose. I'm

betting on them to win.

And it's too bad that she doesn't have the same scruples when she pins on her screw Dean pin and torpedos legislation proposed by Rep. Rangel (D).

[Freddie Stubbs]

19. I never said that I was betting on Martinez and Garcia to lose

You must really enjoy putting words in other people's mouths.

[ornotna]

11. Not an endorsement, but damn close.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0707/S00219.htm


Scroll down to-
"Prominent Florida Democrat Endorsed Republican Incumbent in Russell’s Race"

[Freddie Stubbs]

14. Saying that someone is hard to beat is hardly an endorsement

[ornotna]

21. Did you read my subject line

I clearly stated that it was not an endorsement. However she readily had praise for Brown-Waite yet couldn't help John Russell. I don't dislike Wasserman Schultz but she certainly didn't help John Russell's cause.

[SteveM]

8. And Wasserman-Schulz supports the new AWB. Oughtta keep that quiet in FL.

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. ¿AWB? Australian Wheat Board?

http://www.awb.com.au

:shrug:

[SteveM]

22. "Assault Weapons Ban." Know the Democrats by their trail of dead.

[riskpeace]

17. He also talked about the need to resolve the dispute over the primary.

Representative Van Hollen acknowledges the impact of the unresolved dispute on the Democratic candidates' chances in the general election.

http://www.wctv.tv/APNews/headlines/17399489.html

Rep. Chris Van Hollen says resolving Florida's presidential delegate dispute could help Democrats as they try to pick up more congressional seats in the state.

Van Hollen is the chairman of the party's congressional campaign committee.

Van Hollen says there are several races where Democrats can be competitive with Republican incumbents in Florida, but acknowledged it will be helpful to resolve the delegate mess.

[otherlander]

20. It's going places.