There is a lot to write about, but this morning I'll be brief. Depression. I'm not talking about how I feel. So relieved this election cycle is over. If the election results show anything, it is that the economy is worse than the mainstream media has been selling; worse by far. A point frequently made on this blog where we don't worry about offending advertisers. People will act when they feel threatened, and if 12.4 percent reflects the official rate of unemployment in Florida, the unofficial number of Floridians who feel cornered by the Great Recession is closer to 60 percent.
The best indication is the race for Attorney General. Dan Gelber, the Democrat, wasn't defeated by Pam Bondi. (Gelber only won 41 percent of the vote). He was defeated by a tidal wave of anxiety. More, later. Congratulations to Republicans. The GOP didn't do so well governing when it held majorities in Congress (think "Ownership Society"). Now the GOP has no excuse: get us out of this mess. Enough of the good news.
The most important election win in Florida in 2010 was Amendments 5 and 6: Fair Districts, passed by 62 and 63 percent respectively if the numbers hold. GOP funders and top strategists like Jeb Bush really, really disliked Fair Districts, but what they hated was Amendment 4, Florida Hometown Democracy.
Florida Hometown Democracy. That was the real terror. If the amendment had passed, the unbreakable bond would have been busted: local public officials, zoning changes they rubber-stamp, and big campaign contributors whose main business is land speculation. This tag team wrecked the Florida economy by attacking and eviscerating regulations protecting taxpayers from fraud. Fraud on mortgages, fraud on the environment, fraud on our quality of life. Last night they won again.
The opponents of Florida Hometown Democracy control state politics. Out of fear of Florida Hometown Democracy, they promoted and won the 60 percent threshold for citizen referenda to change the Florida Constitution. They didn't need 50 percent to win, last night.
Safe to say that Amendment 4 opponents, including the Florida realtors, the Chamber of Commerce, builders and Associated Industries and Big Ag, spent more than $15 million to defeat Florida Hometown Democracy. That meant they had a lot less to spend against Amendments 5 and 6.
Focus groups showed Florida Hometown Democracy would have passed, if voters understood the measure. It took a ton of money to lie and confuse voters; approximately four times as much as the anti-forces invested against Fair Districts. In the case of your hometown, the money for campaign organization and communication and TV ads was all on the other side, and shame on the mainstream media for not saying so. In the end, the grass roots activists who dedicated seven years of their lives-- seven!-- to moving FHD over huge obstacles and barriers ran out of ching. Lesley Blackner and Ross Burnaman, co-founders of the citizens' movement, are Florida heroes for bringing this issue for the last, final time to voters. It's all sprawl now.
Fair Districts and its team, especially Miami attorney Ellen Freiden, ran a brilliant, focused $9.5 million campaign. That is what it takes. In an election marked by anxiety, Floridians, from both sides of the great divide, sifted through the evidence and will now have Fair Districts barring spurious lawsuits. So by all means cogitate on the tea leaves from yesterday's results, but don't forget a tip of the hat to Florida Hometown Democracy and its gritty, determined volunteers who were relentless and never gave up.
25 comments:
Ironically, Amendments 5 and 6 would not have won if not for Amendment 4. The lobbyists, chamber, developers had to put so much effort and money into defeating 4, 5 and 6 slipped through...barely.
Thang god for small favors?
I personally know people who voted NO on 4 out of confusion. The opposition was very effective. Perhaps the silver lining is we do not, with our meager resources, have to battle them in the corrupt press each time a comp plan amendment is proposed. It's back to dealing with county commissioners and DCA, maybe a less expensive task. Just making lemonade here guys, okay?
Flinn won every Pinecrest precinct and every Palmetto Bay, most of Palmetto Bay by a 2:1 margin. These are the precincts where they knew his record. The other precincts believed Bell's lies or voted the straight Republican ticket in a nonpartisan election. It will be a long four years.
NAtacha is doing the macarena.
I agree, the mainstream media has not been reporting that the economy is worse than it actually is, but it is not because they are afraid of losing ad sponsorship (this model is dead). rather since they did so much cheerleading for Obama in 2008, they are covering for him and his failed stimulus program.
I recently saw a clip of Obama back in 2004 complaining that GWB had "only" created 400K jobs in one month & this was the media's mantra for 8 years. Obama would kill for a number like this!
Oh yes, listening to Alex Sink conceding as I type. "Let's get to work Florida!"
Any bets on how soon oil drilling off the FL coast will begin or how quickly the DCA will disappear?
We will be gracious winners. You can have the DCA for two more months.
Flinn lost because he built a Taj Mahal government building in his city with tax dollars while people like me are unemployed. At least that's why I voted against him.
If that was the case, it would seem that people in his OWN city would have voted against him. They didn't because they knew Palmetto Bay actually NEEDS a government building (Bell criticized Flinn on Putney for not broadcasting meetings, but they can't in the temporary quarters), $10 million is a lot less than most such buildings cost (including the one Bell planned to build in Homestead) and, unlike Homestead under Bell, Palmetto Bay did NOT raise taxes.
Good luck with what you've elected. Someone pass the soylent green.
Wow, Palmetto Bay doesn't have a camera?
What did they do with the all of the tax money since 2003? Since it is now double what it was in 2003 I suppose that is not a tax increase using Flinn's argument. Millage increases are not always a tax increase if your values fall.
Economics 101.
Rick Scott is not a likable person, but, unlike Alex Sink, he is opposed to bailouts, stimulus bills, and illegal immigration. That struck a chord with me and that's why he received my vote.
Governor Rick Scott - who would have thought there were 2million + dumb people in Florida. Ok, maybe 1.9 mil dumb people and the rest of the votes came from big business salivating at the idea of raping even more of Florida and it's people. It's time to kick back and watch the poor get poorer and the rich get richer all at the expense of the Florida environment.
Flinn backed by tax raising Sorensen, Bell Backed by tax raising Natacha......so many good candidates to choose from, whats a voter to do? No matter who wins YOU LOSE!!!
The best thing I heard on Tuesday was that they have collected enough signatures to recall Jabba the Hut (can't happen soon enough). Hopefully they'll have enough for Armando Guttierrez's and Chris Korge's sock puppet soon.
G.O.D. my mood on election day can best be desribed by this song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMD7Ezp3gWc
To bad Prop 19 didn't make it but it was pretty close 53-47 it and others like it will be back in 12.
Peter Tosh Was D Man!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HcXcYlF3_0
At least in PB county, the Dem. party was actively supporting 5&6 and actively discouraging 4.
Flinn lost, Gelber lost, Amendment 4 lost...
Here's a winner, Frank Artiles finally won his coveted seat as Representative for District 119. Better him than that snake Edwards. But what does it all matter to me, Artiles doesn't even live in the district, or so I was told at the polls.
Any truth to that?
Neither one of them, Artiles or the snake live in 119. Artilles has been trying to unseat Zapata for a long time, which is why Zapata didn't endorse him. We'll have to see what he does, but his insurance interests may hurt our pocket books if we don't watch him. However, I'm doing a happy dance that the "snake" didn't win. That would have been a nightmare worse than we already have today.
So if neither of them live in their district, referring to Artiles and the Snake...how is it that they weren't disqualified from running in the first place?
Does this mean that developers can continue to bribe county commissioners and city council members?
Bell, you will be watched like there is no tomorrow. Don's misstep. We'll recall you, or maybe we will redistrict and then run the whole damn thing again!
Early voting should only be the weekend prior to election day, and absentee ballots should only be for military personnel, those tho are living or traveling out of the country, or for the disabled.
Some voters I spoke with on Amendment 4 had already voted "no" and are now upset. Too many voters also stayed home.
P.S. Natasha Seijas might be dancing the macarena now, but the voters will soon form a conga line and dance around county hall.
Voters love absentee and early voting. Campaigns have to make their pitch, and groups have to make their endorsements before absentee ballots are mailed out. There have been a host of elected officials who have been arrested, some of them convicted, and some even now doing time in prison for bribery. Anon above, do you think these cases have had any impact on discouraging this practice?
it is incredible how stupid and gullible people have become.
they voted against their own interests.
if amendment 4's language had instead read "an amendment ending fatcat developers and lobbyists from bribing city and county commissioners in land use matters" it would have passed with a 100% vote!.
The florida hometown democracy folks could not get their message out. the realtor whores had lawn signs everywhere......
The Vote "NO" movement clearly misled the voting public. That is a tactic that should be illegal. Shame on them for using scare tactics to line their own pockets.
Steven Cody (Remember him?) has filed a lawsuit contesting 5 & 6. He is quickly becoming the man to call when you want to thwart one-man, one-vote. Scumbag.
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