Saturday, April 4, 2015

The Florida Squeeze: the problem with Broward and Palm Beach counties

Tough words from The Florida Squeeze sure to raise hackles from some self-described "liberal Democrats":
     The reality is social justice is not mutually exclusive from economic justice- you cannot be a good social liberal without being an economic one. In today’s society being progressive on social issues is easier than ever given the changing attitudes of millennials towards issues like LGBT rights, race and reproductive rights (though data indicates this particular view may not endure). But what is far more difficult is resisting the temptation for elected officials and candidates to raise money from vested economic/corporate interests who seeks to exploit and profit of influence in government. It is also a temptation which those who claim to be political activists on the left find hard to resist.
     Hired guns and those who hope to be hired or part of an “in” crowd advocate moderate / establishment candidates, neutral views on economic issues and ultimately a Democratic Party that checks ideological purity at the door in the interest of “winning.” The problem is this formula has done little to actually bring success in elections, as the Florida Democrats record of losing 17 of the last 18 races for state office and 19 of the last 20 statewide elections without Bill Nelson can attest.
     Broward and Palm Beach counties, ostensibly the most liberal counties in the state are worse for this sort of thinking than any other place in Florida. Since both are places where being a Democrat is politically useful, the Democrats are less ideological and more transactional. (EDITED 11:30 AM 4/2) Many locally, even some activists want to monetize working on candidate campaigns. Thus the true activism of some locally becomes muted and eventually non-existent as inter-party conflicts mostly revolving around personalities and not any sort of issue position become what motivates so many. Some “activists” In Broward and Palm Beach are tied directly to lobbyists/political consultants and simply work for candidates that hire the “correct” consultant.