https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/07/democrats-florida-comeback-ron-desantis
Progressives aim to reinstate equilibrium to state’s lopsided politics that DeSantis has, in the eyes of some, dragged into fascism
Progressives aim to reinstate equilibrium to state’s lopsided politics that DeSantis has, in the eyes of some, dragged into fascism
Little too late it seems. But if they are going to do something, then they better get a move on, lots of people moving out of state.
It’s bad down here.
Florida is different because so many older, more conservative retirees move to Florida. And they vote. If it wasn't for that, Florida would probably have been pretty solidly blue at this point.
On the other hand, that has opened up other states for Democrats, e.g. Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Florida is red because of gerrymandering.
Biden lost the popular vote in Florida by one or two percent. IRC De Santis won the state by less than 1%. Voters have often and overwhelmingly voted in favour of 'left-wing' ballot initiatives too.
It should be a swing state.
In any case, conservative retirees may be moving to Florida, but they're also mor likely to leave Florida and this mortal coil than the average voter.
*illegal gerrymandering
Let's not forget, Florida passed an anti-gerrymandering law. DeSantis straight up ignored it
Desantis was re-elected with almost 60% of the vote. Trump did only win by less than 2% but turnout was almost 30% lower in 2022 than it was in 2020.
He won by less than a percentage point in 2018. When he ran against Charlie Crist in 2022 he won with close to 60%, but that was more about Crist being a garbage candidate who stumped for Sarah Palin happily in 2008 but decided the Republican party was irredeemable in 2010 (after he lost a Republican primary to Marco Rubio). Run someone who isn't a transparent hack against DeSantis and he's totally beatable, even with Florida voters.
Maybe but the one thing I’ve learned in my time as an American is that any time you’re counting on Florida for anything, you’re gonna be very disappointed.
Florida is red because of gerrymandering.
50% of Florida voters couldn't be bothered to go vote in the last election. Stop thinking that everything can be blamed on gerrymandering. In even the most heavily gerrymandered districts, Dems could win if only they could get voters off their asses and out to the polls. To be clear, I am NOT saying it isn't an issue, but I am sick of far too many on the Left using gerymandering or the EC as their crutch as to why they lose elections when they do not have a focused platform or compelling candidates in far too many races.
You're right about bad candidates. Crist was just a terrible choice. I think the old school thought he was a safe choice, like Biden, but he's so boring and already had his chance at being governor. Republicans do outnumber Dems slightly, but Biden got more votes in 2020 than DeSantis got in 2022. The potential votes are there, the Dems just need to earn them and a candidate that people can get enthusiastic about is a start.
You have a point.
I suspect going on about gerrymandering too much, and inadvertently convincing some democratic voters they can't win because of gerry mandering, isn't helping either.
It becomes a crutch... "oh, why should we bother to go vote, when we know we will lose?" or worse yet, it undermines democracy in general by making people think the system is totally rigged. Those are the kinds of arguments that clowns like Trump use. I am not saying that everything is fair. Far from it, but apathy is one of the biggest weapons that fascist use to make people not want to go vote. Voter turnout is already pitiful - we can't afford to lose more voters.
Yeah. I have a related degree and this is the kind of thing Cambridge Analytica did. Big data scraping, pop it all into SPSS to see what predicts voting behaviour, then target voter demographics that'll vote against your client with propaganda that makes them cynical.
It's really hard to make them vote for your guy, it's easier to convince them to not vote against him.
Hell, I'd argue that even if the system is largely rigged, you need the electorate to believe the lie that it's not, to at least stand at least some chance at keeping the fascists out.
But what do I know.
Democrats also chase after middle class votes when they should be in every fast food joint, retail chain, and other shitty minimum wage job, advocating for inflation-tied minimum wage increases, strengthened protections for organized labor, etc.
(they don't do this because they are a centrist party that doesn't want the US to have the quality of life enjoyed by those in Western Europe)
Or maybe they don't do that because minimum wage workers can't be bothered to go vote. Exact same situation with the youth vote.
Why waste your limited resources on a group that doesn't reciprocate and help you win elections?
The Left can't even win local elections in some of the most Left leaning cities in some of the most Left leaning states, but somehow people who clearly have no idea about politics think that Democrats should go all-in on some extremely progressive ideas. First prove that you can win elections. Prove that you can bring the vote out and then maybe you can shift the part more to the Left. But the Left can't. They rather sit home and let right wing fascists get into office, rather than vote in candidates who they might not full agree with, but probably have WAY the hell more in common than any Republicans.
Politics, just like with the rest of life, is all about compromises. Would I want someone who I agree with 100% of the time get voted into office? Absolutely, but that's not reality. So instead, I would far rather vote in someone I agree with on 80% of the issues out there, rather than let someone who, at best, I might agree with on 20% of the time. Adults see that you might have to give a little to get overall what you want accomplished. Children can't make those distinctions and rather hold their breathe in until their faces turn blue and not think about the consequences of letting fascists win elections because of their childishness or stubbornness.
This is such bullshit that blames voters instead of blaming political parties for failing to reach them and speak to their needs and issues. Democrats would get voters to the polls if they gave them something to vote FOR as opposed to AGAINST. Isn't it always interesting that a Republican minority in government seems to exert power and influence that their Democratic minority counterparts can't? Democrats are woefully inept at combating fascism and I hold them responsible for the likes of Desantis after years of compromising with a cabal of theocatic nationalists that have been hell-bent on turning the US into Christian Iran.
"Vote for me and your life won't get any worse than it already is!" is not inspiring, and fear only motivates the people directly in the line of fire and the most empathetic of others.
Here is my problem:
“We’re just at the start of it,” she said. “Every registered voter, every elected official, every volunteer, needs to start taking ownership and ask what they can do for the Democratic party, not what the Democratic party can do for them."
emphasis is mine We are so stuck in team mentality. Why should we ask what we can do for a party and not how can we better help the American Citizen? Maybe she is trying to echo JFK, but that was a different time and for a different reason that he was making that statement, I believe. I do agree with her that DeSantis isn't as popular as he thinks. I moved from Texas where they have open primaries, and when I moved to FL last year I registered republican because you have to pick one to vote in primaries, but I voted for almost all democrats in the last election. The contrast between what I see in the news and what I feel in my community are different as well. I live in a small city in central FL and there are pride flags everywhere. I have seen less and less trump flags or bumper stickers as well in the last year. I want Florida to be better. There is no reason people who hate so much should control such a beautiful state.
I see in the news and what I feel in my community are different as well. I live in a small city in central FL and there are pride flags everywhere.
Your community sounds like it could end up in the crosshairs of the Desantis regime. You might want to see if there's any sort of pride, leftist, or other social justice group unaffiliated with the Democratic Party.
Every registered voter, every elected official, every volunteer, needs to start taking ownership and ask what they can do for the Democratic party, not what the Democratic party can do for them."
A political party is SUPPOSED to serve MY political interests, that is the POINT of making a PARTY. If they want my support, they should actually campaign for it instead of asking me how I can serve THEM.
If the politics of the party don't align with my own, I will seek one that does. If that third party is structurally locked out of representation like it is in the US, I will seek to build support for the ideology in the community around me while voting for policies and candidates on an individual basis that support my political aims.
The Republican strategy there seems to be deterring liberals from coming or staying in the state through these laws. At the same time whatever children are there will have a very watered dawn education to indoctrinate them and filter our former atrocities.
"In the eyes of some"? It doesn't matter what the others think, he's operating within the definition of fascism.
Man is literally remaking the state's university system in line with historical fascists and some "journalists" out there just talking about him like he's just another conservative. The whole state is marked "do not travel" on the trans-risk map by Erin Reed, since we now live in a world where they will arrest trans people for using the bathroom, even if they've legally transitioned. People being like "hurdurr how will they enforce that" like bruh they will just violate your privacy
Why is it dumb? Can you tell me how restricting rights of women to bodily autonomy is any of the state's business or that of it's conservative constituents? Why is there an effort to stamp out a section of society over made up fears?
I don’t agree with it, but you must realize that the counterpoint is not with the intention to “restrict bodily autonomy” but because they believe life has value before birth. Be fair please.
This idea that "oh if there's any liberals left" is so smug and to me, is part of the reason why Florida and many other GOP-ruled states are where they are. The idea that the people who don't like these regimes will move to New York, Illinois, or California is out of touch and absurd.
With trans people alone, it's estimated that 1.2-1.8% of the population of the US is trans. Florida's population is 22.25 million. 400,000+ people should not have to become refugees in their own country. This cannot be the "response" to these laws.
Florida is a fascist State, and I wish people would adopt the attitude toward "regime change" that they have for Russia when talking about Desantis.
I like the see the context of stats. Thought I might as well post that links stats here to make it easier for anyone curious
Among U.S. adults, 0.5% (about 1.3 million adults) identify as transgender. Among youth ages 13 to 17 in the U.S., 1.4% (about 300,000 youth) identify as transgender
Our estimates of the percent of residents in U.S. regions who identify as transgender range from 1.8% in the Northeast to 1.2% in the Midwest for youth ages 13 to 17, and range from 0.6% in the Northeast to 0.4% in the Midwest for adults.
IMHO let all the R’s move to Florida and concentrate themselves there. Make the rest of the states purple/blue.
you going to help the people who didn't choose to live there get out? Really tired of people forgetting about marginalized and minorities getting the worst of this in these states. Also even if we could, you want to take all the fascists and get them together in a single spot that they can then use to strengthen their "Us vs Them" arguments? That's how you get deadlier and even worst fascists.
"hurrdurr lets just force 400,000+ people to become internally displaced refugees because as a liberal I'm too timid and cowardly to fight fascism. I'm sure they'll just stay in their state and not try to impose their views on the rest of the country"
LOL yeah ok.
This is like when people were claiming Texas was going to turn blue in the last election. And the election before that. And the election before that.