The last few months, I have been railing on Emily’s List because of their non-support of Senator Nan Rich in her run to become Florida’s first Woman Governor. I was convinced that the reason for their non-support was to please mega donors to Emily’s List who were supportive of the campaign of Charlie Crist. I couldn’t understand why an organization that has the reputation Emily’s List has for supporting women politicians would literally turn their back on Nan Rich. I was so happy to see Emily’s list support Wendy Davis, Nina Turner, and other strong, progressive women in their runs for office. I knew that Emily’s List had supported Nan Rich before, so it HAD to be someone else calling the shots. I guess I just didn’t know who that someone was.
Now I do.
As you recall, I received an email a while back explaining the REAL reason Charlie Crist wouldn’t debate Nan Rich, and that the leadership of the Democratic Party was behind it. Deals had been made, souls had been sold.
I received another email this morning allegedly explaining the Emily’s List situation. It wasn’t donors to Charlie Crist that didn’t want Emily’s List to support Nan Rich. It was the Florida Democratic Party Leaders. They didn’t want anything standing in the way of their covert, soon to be overt, support of Charlie Crist. If Emily’s List, a powerful organization for raising money for women candidates, had succeeded in helping Nan Rich raise the kind of money that would allow her to get on the air and reach more people, the FDP’s chosen candidate wouldn’t be able to continually ignore her the way he has done.
What was Emily’s List to do? If a candidate’s own party wasn’t backing her, and they were told that the party wasn’t backing her, Emily’s List just fell in line.
Given how Manuel Sykes, an African-American man, and Jessica Erlich, a Woman, were pushed out of races, this makes perfect sense to me.
What has the Florida Democratic Party come to? These are the people who supposedly represent us. They supposedly have our best interests at heart. It’s starting to look like the people who are running this organization only have THEIR best interests at heart.
Steve Geller or Dan Gelber is looking to become Lt. Governor, which has been promised to either or both by Charlie Crist, so we know they want Nan Rich to go away. There are those who say Charlie Crist has promised the Lt. Governor spot to Kendrick Meek, although I don’t see Kendrick accepting anything like that. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlie Crist has promised that position to any number of people, to include Allison Tant, Annette Taddeo, and God only knows who else, to get them to step on the neck of Nan Rich’s campaign.
Steve Geller had this to say about Crist at one time: ‘it’s very clear’ that Crist altered his position on offshore drilling to support Sen. John McCain’s call to lift the federal moratorium ‘because he’s on McCain’s short list’ for vice president. ‘My 11-year-old could have figured that out.’”
Dan Gelber had this to say: He’s Leaving Lots Of Things Undone … Because Of His Choices, It’s Hard To Define What Kind Of Governor He’s Been Because He’s Left So Much Hanging.”
Even the Florida Democratic Party, then under Bob Poe, had this to say about Charlie Crist: “‘Charlie Crist is a career politician who has his business card written in pencil,’ state Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe said. ‘He hasn’t found a race he doesn’t like.’”
Now all of a sudden they want us to believe that this is the type of guy we should support?
Nan Rich has supported this party her entire career. She has stood with us and for us every chance she got.
We have to stand with her.
We can’t let backroom deals dictate who goes into office here in Florida. The Florida Democratic Party may have made a deal with the devil for our souls. Are we going to sit idly by and watch it happen?
A recent poll shows 73% of democrats want to see a debate between Charlie Crist and Nan Rich. Does anyone care? No they don’t, because they know Charlie Crist isn’t that great of an actor to pull off pretending to care about what most Democrats care about.
Rick Scott has been a horrible Governor by the standards of most Democrats. Democrats want him out. Party Leaders are using that to get you to look the other way as they do appalling things to people who would dare try to do something democratic: run for office.
Kendrick Meek was treated very badly in 2010. I’m surprised African-Americans didn’t make as much noise about that as we should have. Now is our chance.
Nan Rich is being treated exactly like Kendrick Meek was treated, and, ironically, in favor of the exact same opportunist: Charlie Crist!
If Charlie Crist is the Democratic nominee, I say go to the General Election, vote for your local and state politicians up to, but NOT including, Governor of this state.
Until we show the leaders of the Democratic Party that they MUST listen to us, that they MUST take our wishes into consideration, that they MUST give our people equal opportunity to run for office without them cutting them off at the knees, they will not have our support to put THEIR hand-picked candidate into office.
Party Leaders who would do underhanded things like these do not deserve our respect, much less our vote.
Nan Rich is qualified, and should have been allowed an equal playing field to get her message out to the people.
The Florida Democratic Party made sure she didn’t.
From The Miami Herald today:
And why is Charlie Crist in the race if he was so eager to trade Tallahassee for Washington, D.C., in 2010, when he ran for the U.S. Senate instead of seeking reelection? Then he switched from Republican to Independent — and now he’s a Democrat! Is he interested more in governing or in getting even with old foes in the Republican Party?
Mr. Crist is closer to Florida’s political center than Mr. Scott, but he’s nowhere near closing the sale. He demands to debate Gov. Scott, but won’t offer the same courtesy to state Sen. Nan Rich, the other Democrat in the race, whose underfinanced campaign is a long shot. At last report, Mr. Crist had raised $7.7 million, compared to her relatively paltry $540,000.
That says a lot about the viability of her candidacy, or lack of it. Where Sen. Rich is dead right, though, is in attacking Mr. Crist’s unwillingness to debate her. Mr. Crist should quit dodging. What’s he afraid of?
You see, candidates need money, and it appears that the powers that be are trying to shut Nan Rich down. We still have time, though. We still have time.
As an African-American Woman, who knows all about discrimination and un-equal opportunity, how can I not speak out about the same things happening to others, but expect others to speak out about the same things happening to me? I can’t, and I won’t.
How can anyone, who is for equal opportunity and fair treatment?
I know a lot of people read my blog, and for that I’m very grateful.
I’m asking you to help Nan Rich by donating to her campaign, and sharing this post to all of your social media contacts. Any thing you can give helps!
We talk about racial equality. We talk about gender equality. We talk about evening the playing field. Now we have to put our talk into action.
The Leaders of our Party have shut Nan Rich out financially. Elections are for the people. Show them that you still make your own choices by donating to Nan’s campaign.
As Martin Luther King said, an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!
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Leslie Wimes
Latest posts by Leslie Wimes (see all)
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Wow………
I liked when you said…”If Charlie Crist is the Democratic nominee, I say go to the General Election, vote for your local and state politicians up to, but NOT including, Governor of this state.” That strategy should be used on local elections also. People think that Blacks are to lazy to vote. The truth is that the Democratic party needs to understand that Blacks will vote when we have something to vote for.
Lawrence you hit the nail right on the head!!! I want our party leaders to value the Black vote again, because right now they do NOT!! Thank you for this comment!!
that cant be the Response at all sorry
First we need to get everyone out to Vote for Nan. The people have proven the DNC wrong many times look at Obama, Grassroots does work if you work hard at it.
And if for some Reason Nan does not get in. We still need to VOTE and be Scott FREE. We must not allow this Oppressive Agenda to continue. The attack on our Voting Rights Woman, Schools, Teachers, Gays, the under insured Must Must stop. we need to vote them out. Yes i support Nan Rich 150% but if she is not my winner after the primary, I will hold my nose because anyone would be better then Scott.
Mitchell, I get where you are coming from, but allowing the FDP to get away with what they have done not only to Nan, but to other candidates as well, will only make them continue doing it. If there isn’t at least a debate between Charlie Crist and Nan rich, and Charlie Crist gets the gerrymandered nomination, we will NOT vote for Crist in November. We are entitled to fairness, and to hear from the candidates who want our vote. African-Americans, especially, need to show that our vote matters and it can’t be taken for granted. Like Lawrence said, if we don’t have something or someone to vote for, we won’t vote.
This is so spot on and well written, I could not have said it better myself. Nan Rich is the only true Democrat in this race! Vote Nan Rich, and demand that Emily’s List and the Florida Democratic Party get their butts out of their asses and support the only Democrat who has supported us her whole career!
Actually, I think you should feel ashamed for promoting a reckless agenda that encourages not voting at all over voting for a Democrat (even a new one) against a Republican — not just any Republican, mind you, but a Tea Party Republican who is known nationwide as one of the WORST politicians in the country right now.
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: Democrats not voting is never, ever, ever the answer. It’s part of the problem.
I know you believe that abstaining from a vote for Crist (should he be the nominee) makes more of a statement than voting, and that’s your prerogative. But I will never accept that Democrats throwing their vote away in this election is a step forward for Florida’s people — over voting against an extremist conservative who cares only about the giant corporations that fund his party, NOT Florida’s people. If Scott, God forbid, wins re-election, he will be accountable to those corporations — plus a Tea Party base. If a Democrat wins? He/she will be accountable to a diverse coalition that supports health care for all, immigrant rights, equal pay for women, gay rights, and much more. That’s how we move the needle forward in Florida. Not by deliberately choosing not to exercise our Democratic right to vote on Election Day — to no one’s benefit except the Florida GOP.
Reckless agenda because it doesn’t fit what YOU want? Let me be clear with you. I do not care what you think of whether I choose to not vote or not. I have every right to not vote if I don’t like either of the candidates. And I don’t. What you will never “accept” means exactly what when it comes to my vote? I’ll tell you. Absolutely nothing! You do what you want, and so will I, and others who feel the same way I do. No, lady, we will NOT be voting for Charlie Crist, whether you “accept” it or not. I find it interesting that you CAN accept the bullying, threatening, unfair treatment that is going on in this party right now. It bothers you more that people like me are fed up with the tactics used to shove someone who we don’t think is sincere down our throats just to get a win? Check yourself. You are only hoping that Crist will promote a democratic agenda. You don’t know that for sure. You want to stick your head in the sand about who he really is and what he has really done and justify it by saying how bad Rick Scott is, go right ahead. No one is trying to stop you. Trust and believe, though, not you or anyone else is going to stop me from doing what I want with my vote. Not you, or anyone else is going to stop me from voicing my opinion. You really haven’t seen anything yet. Sorry dear, I’m not a robot or a trained seal that is going to do what FDP leaders want just because they say so. I control what I want to do with my vote, no one else. Democrats aren’t even on the ballot in CD-13 because a BLACK man was forced out of the race with threats simply because he wanted to exercise his right to run for office. You certainly seem to be accepting that well. Kendrick Meek, another BLACK man, won the party nomination fair and square. Did Florida Democrats vote for him and tow the party line? Nope, a lot of them abandoned ship for someone running as an independent and then tried to force Meek out of the race. Did you have a hard time accepting that? So don’t come here acting like you want to clutch your pearls because I’m not voting for Charlie Crist. Not voting for another democrat isn’t new to you people. It’s ok with you when it’s a Black man or a woman. You think it’s a sin of some sort when the person you want isn’t getting the vote. I may be one of few who is speaking out about it, but there are MANY who feel the exact same way. Look around you, we are off the plantation and we don’t have to do what “massa” says anymore. The 19th amendment allowed women to vote, or not, if we so choose, so we don’t have to answer to anyone regarding our vote, to include you. Now have a good day!
I trust and believe in Senator Nan Rich and it breaks my heart to see how aweful she is being treated by her PEER’s, people she has worked and fought for all thoughtout her entire personal and professional career. WE know what her positions are on: Childcare, Education and Student Loans, Healthcare, Gay Marriage and Rights, Coperate Greed, The Enviornment, Civil/Human/Women’s Rights, Senior’s and their Benefits, Union and Pension Plans….I GUESS THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD INTERVENE NOW WOULD BE FOR PRESIDENT OBAMA HIMSELF TO ADDRESS FAIRNESS VS POLITICS. These actions on behalf of the Florida Democratic Party will definitely have an impact on poll turn-outs this year and I bet the other party could’nt be any happier, who knows…maybe that was their intention.
Maxine, Charlie Crist being some sort of plant wouldn’t surprise me at all. It is no secret that his “services” go to the highest bidder. The Florida Democratic Party will never pay attention until we SHOW them better than we can TELL them that we don’t appreciate how they are behaving.
Well then, let’s just hope there aren’t as many people who share this position as you seem convinced there are.
And for the record — I don’t exercise MY vote one way or the other because the FDP or any other person or institution tells me how I should (and find it mildly offensive that you would make all these careless assumptions about me being a political ‘robot’ or ‘trained seal’ without knowing anything about me). I’m supporting Charlie because I believe with utter conviction that what Florida needs right now is to elect a Democratic governor — and he is our best shot of doing just that.
I notice you never mentioned what I said about what happened to Kendrick Meek, not to mention Jessica Erlich, Manuel Sykes, and now Nan Rich. Then you have the nerve to clutch your pearls again when it comes to YOUR vote, but was all carefree dragging yourself over here to discuss mine. For the record, I didn’t say you were a robot or a trained seal, I said I was NOT. If your conscience is speaking to you lady, not my problem, because again, I don’t care what you do or don’t do. Now hope that there aren’t many like me all you want, but ask Alex Sink how that worked out for her in 2010. Most people, but especially African-Americans are tired of having our votes taken for granted and then disrespected. I will continue to remind people how Democrats abandoned Kendrick Meek, but now want to be all kumbaya behind Charlie Crist. You and your “utter conviction” can beat it.
The above article explains why I am a Libertarian. I suggest all voters take a good look at the party politics that transpires behind the scenes and say enough is enough. We should vote on our principle beliefs and nothing more. Vote in favor of the issues that are important to you and for candidates that you believe in. Do not allow $millions$ of donor contributions allocated to mind-manipulation to sway what your true beliefs. Do not vote for who you are told will be the perceived winner. Do you not realize how foolish and result-oriented such manipulation is? Vote responsibly.
Thank you for that comment, Bill. I couldn’t agree more.
The FDP is so devious! Undermining Nan at every turn… including donating in-kind $173,374 dollars and 45 cents — to get her hopes up. Why is the FDP donating to Nan? Is Nan hiding contributors through the State Party that she doesn’t want her dear fans to know about, and contributions made well over the $3,000 allowed maximum — skirting state finance laws?
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/candidate/CanDetail.asp?account=56449
You might also want to tell her that the $5,000 total contribution from the Kevin & Susie Family Foundation is illegal since the max is only $3,000 from any single entity.
I would imagine you totally bypassed Charlie Crist’s FDP donations in kind, right? You don’t really think the FDP is going to be THAT overt about their shenanigans, do you? As far as illegalities, shall we start listing Charlie Crist’s questionable activities, like ohh…I don’t know….selling judgeships?
Yes, that’s one of the things State Parties can do, but if they were going to derail Nan why even extend that courtesy.
Yes, Crist played politics – lots of dirt. But let’s stop holding Nan to a holier-than-though standard. She’s a politican, playing our loose finance laws. So let’s just be real here, she’s not a savior. If she wins the nomination, she’ll cut deals with all the big special interests to raise enough money to challenge Scott.
Elizabeth Drake, you are exhausting and a trained seal. You said it right here, ” I’m supporting Charlie because I believe with utter conviction that what Florida needs right now is to elect a Democratic governor — and he is our best shot of doing just that.” How is Crist Florida’s best shot? Someone told you that, most likely seven times because that’s what it takes to sink in. You have been programmed like a good robot and you believe all the hype. TheTRUTH IS that all things being equal – no one is caught in a scandal – Nan Rich has just as strong a chance as Crist, probably even better given that she is a woman and doesn’t have the “flip flop” brand attached. People that say Crist is the best chance are really saying that a woman can’t win against a man. So again, stop smelling that sheep’s ass in front of you and think for yourself. Crist doesn’t have this sewn up and based on my 20 years in audience profiling, I predict he will lose handily to Scott in November.
Dear Kathy,
I thank you for enlightening me to the fact that I am in fact sexist and anti-women’s-empowerment in one breath and insulting my intelligence by telling me I’m not capable of independent thought in the next.
Your long and illustrious career of “audience profiling” has clearly helped you hone your ability to communicate effectively and persuasively with a civically engaged female audience.
Elizabeth, I profile. You cannot be communicated with because you only want to be heard. You are not an independent thinker. If you were, you would understand why Leslie has chosen not to vote for Crist. You’re not even civically engaged because you actually think that Rick Scott is “known nationwide as one of the WORST politicians in the country right now.” You want to belong. You’re part of the majority of voters that bitch about party politics and think you have some super secret strategy to get rid of a politician that you don’t like, even if it means letting go of all your principles and your party ideals. You don’t want a Democrat to win, you want Scott to lose. What you need to ask yourself is why? If you don’t like his politics, you need to focus on the legislature, not Scott. The policymakers like Will Weatherford should have your wrath, not Scott, but who would listen to you if you weren’t speaking the same topic as everyone else? The problem with politics are people like you. Easily swayed by the opinions of others and the worst part is you are so loud and vocal you don’t see how ignorant you sound. You’re not convinced that you’re smart, so you have to follow what others say in order to believe in yourself. Because of that – I guarantee Rick Scott will win.
Well, since you’re a registered Republican, Kathy, it’s not surprising you are so convinced Rick Scott will win.
I guess it also means you can’t vote in the Democratic primary anyway. “The problem with politics is people like you…who are so loud and vocal” — yet do nothing to back up their empty words with action. Or, say, voting.
The hell with Crist, the hell with MSNBC (who has bought into this crap), the hell with the Fla democratic party (not much anyway), the hell with Taddeo— I am a male and I will not tolerate this bullshit. Rich is the only democrat in the race