Example of what we face in Florida..."unions, teachers, or left-wingers" not preferred.

[madfloridian]

I posted about this group in GD. They had a meeting in Orlando this week-end to declare the rest of us not centrist enough. They are going to hurt this state with their attitude.

Centrist Democratic group in Florida...doesn't want party activists, won't cave in to party unity.

But here is the money quote I missed from the 2005 article. It is unbelievable.

The Florida Mainstream Democrats say the party must cater to the Panhandle to remain competitive.

Barney Bishop, president of Associated Industries of Florida, warned that Democratic candidates need to do a better recruiting job if they want Florida businesses to contribute to more Democratic candidates. Too often, he said, candidates are picked by liberal activists from local party organizations.

"If the Democratic Party is only going to be unions and teachers and left wingers you ain't going to be the majority part ever again," Bishop said.

Good Lord, that is just outrageous. I knew there was an attitude toward new active people, even in the county party; but I had no clue it was this bad.

The centrist Dems have done a good job of nearly destroying the use of the word "activist." Just like the right wing did to "liberal."

It goes right along with what Simon Rosenberg said about the purpose of forming the Democratic Leadership Council...almost the same thoughts. Forget the base, forget the traditional groups who support the party...just give me the money.

Simon Rosenberg, the former field director for the DLC who directs the New Democrat Network, a spin-off political action committee, says, "We're trying to raise money to help them lessen their reliance on traditional interest groups in the Democratic Party. In that way," he adds, "they are ideologically freed, frankly, from taking positions that make it difficult for Democrats to win."

http://www.prospect.org/print/V12/7/dreyfuss-r.html

The DLC started calling those who opposed the war fringe and activist in 2003. It stuck.

Warning activists

Edited the subject to be "literal"...even though it effing seems I am the only one required to be literal every moment. I used hyperbole. Some people don't like it when I do that. I changed it.

[AX10]

1. The Florida Dems need to follow the Ohio Dems model!

[LoZoccolo]

2. That is a mischaracterization of what was said.

Your thread title says:

no "unions, teachers, or left-wingers" wanted

The actual quote, which is even in your message says:

"If the Democratic Party is only going to be unions and teachers and left wingers you ain't going to be the majority part ever again,"

It is bad enough if you were to do it to something I said, but you do it to someone who doesn't even know you are doing it.

[madfloridian]

3. I changed it to make you happy, but it still is not literal. It was hyperbole.

The fool that said it should be fussed at, not me. There should be no defense of that statement.

What say you to that?

[LoZoccolo]

4. That is still a mischaracterization.

There is no indication of preference.

And "should"? Says who? I am using my netroots power to specify my own "shoulds".

[madfloridian]

5. Live with it.

That guy mischaracterized so many of us, people like me. We are two of those things, hubby and I...union, teachers, and yet not really left wing. But what if we were?

So since he was saying outrageous stuff...they had a convention to say things like that. Read the other links. You'll get it.

If you don't think I am literal or honest, contact the mods.

[LoZoccolo]

8. !

:wow:

[madfloridian]

10. !

:nopity:

No pity, no more. I post accurate stuff, with sources all the time, and I get reamed. I might as well leave it like that..

Our state has two parties now in effect, just like the national state of affairs. The one that wants to act like Republicans looks down their collective nose at the rest of us. No matter how educated we are, no matter how right we are, no matter. Hey, don't be for gay rights, don't be for abortion rights, don't sound too passionate...or we'll lose we'll lose...and in Florida mostly we did.

They want to be like Republicans.

[LoZoccolo]

11. self-delete, stupid joke that could get me tombstoned, sorry... n/t

[madfloridian]

12. It may be sarcasm, but it is very unfunny.

And rather tasteless.

[madfloridian]

13. Yeh, well thanks for that.

.

[sandnsea]

6. Ever lived in rural America?

She was right. They mean NO unions, teachers or liberals wanted. I don't exactly know how some of these Democrats differentiate themselves from Republicans. But many of define loony liberal way beyond the 'free mumia' types.

[madfloridian]

7. Thank you.

In Florida it doesn't take much to be defined that way. They are taking basically Republican stands on issues, this group is. Instead of appealing to the large centers of population like Tampa, Orlando, and South Florida....they are trying to appeal to the sparsely populated mostly Republican, mostly ultra religious areas of North Florida.

I have seen first hand what they think of a very moderate person like me...they think I am a screaming liberal nutroot who wants to interfere in party business.

Damn right I do...until they stop acting like Republicans here I really do want to interfere.

And people wonder why the party is heading westward in 08. I don't. I know. Florida is dead to us for a long time.

:hi:

[LoZoccolo]

9. If you say so.

I have no idea what the rural America thing meant, but hey.

[madfloridian]

14. Just in case you did not read my other post....they don't want activists running either.

"Saturday's conference made the case that Democrats have moved. The foundation of the Democrats' success in House races were candidates who had strong backgrounds and who didn't come across as partisan, said Steve Schale, who organized the Florida Democratic Party's House efforts.

As he helped recruit candidates, he tried to find people who weren't party activists.

"We were looking for people who had currency in their community for some other reason - they'd been on the city council, they'd been key business leaders, they'd been active one way or another in their community," Schale said."

It never occurred to him we could easily be both. We can be activists, and we can be leaders in the community. Which many of us are.

It's a terribly snobbish attitude for them to have.

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. He is correct

the Democratic Party needs the support of more people. "Unions and teachers and left wingers" are not a majority of voters. If they were, Republicans never would have gained majorities in both chambers of the FL legislature and won three consecutive gubernatorial elections.

[madfloridian]

16. They did not want activiists running.....

They did not realize that we are often both...activists and community leaders. One can be both. This group does not want to answer to most of the party...they want to pander to the ones on the far right of the party.


"Saturday's conference made the case that Democrats have moved. The foundation of the Democrats' success in House races were candidates who had strong backgrounds and who didn't come across as partisan, said Steve Schale, who organized the Florida Democratic Party's House efforts.

As he helped recruit candidates, he tried to find people who weren't party activists.

"We were looking for people who had currency in their community for some other reason - they'd been on the city council, they'd been key business leaders, they'd been active one way or another in their community," Schale said."

I swear that the people who support the DLC would absolutely cheer if everyone who is anti-war, wants to keep Social Security and Medicare for seniors, and thinks women and gays have rights no matter what...not negotiable....if everyone like us just left the party.

I think that is why we are spoken of like that. To make us mad.

The quote above is from my OP from this year's meeting.