The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows - Part 8: Why Some FL Dem Voters May "Never Forget" -- and, vote for Jeb

The Jeb Bush Nobody Knows - Part 8: Why Some FL Dem Voters May "Never Forget" -- and, vote for Jeb

Written by summer - a former Dem, now an independent, and a FL-certified teacher

One of FL's many beautiful rivers

A subject usually taught by elementary teachers throughout this country is state history. And, here in FL, teachers also spend time teaching their students about FL's unique and beautiful natural environment.

I was thinking about this recently, after someone tried to convince me to vote for a Dem candidate for FL governor this year. It seems to me that person's reasoning can be summed up as follows:

Something happened in FL during Election 2000 -- and FL voters should "never forget."

I would like to tell this person something truly did happen only in FL during Election 2000. And, FL voters most concerned about FL's environment may in fact remember such events.

Election 2000 was the year Gov. Jeb Bush announced his controversial decision to restore FL's Ocklawaha River. His announcement followed 25 years of FL voters fighting to remove a dam to restore this river's natural run. As soon as he publicly took a stand, FL environmentalists loudly praised him, according to this Jacksonville newspaper article:

…Environmentalists cheered Bush's recent announcement and said it should speed up their 25-year effort to remove the dam and restore the natural run of the Ocklawaha, a tributary of the St. Johns River.

"With this governor's leadership, we think that will make all the difference," said David White, an attorney with the Center for Marine Conservation….

The aforementioned article also discusses how some members of the FL governor's own political party were against the FL environmentalists on this issue - and, against Gov. Jeb Bush's decision.

But, as is often the case, sometimes an individual has to take a stand. Even if he stands alone.

Meanwhile during 2000, these same FL environmentalists were waiting -- and waiting -- for Al Gore to speak out.

They wanted to hear what Gore had to say about the following controversial environment question: Should the old USA Homestead Airforce Base near Miami be developed into a commercial airport - and, thereby, potentially threaten the Everglades? What was Al Gore's public position?

To the shock and disappointment of FL environmentalists, Al Gore would not take a stand. He offered them nothing but silence. These stunned FL voters realized they could not count on Dem leadership to support FL's environment in this highly publicized battle they'd fought since 1994 against developers and Dade County.

Then came November 2000. And -- big surprise in FL! Why?

Well, according to National Public Radio, some of these FL environmentalists remembered Gore's silence. And, once again, these FL voters took a stand --- and, took their vote elsewhere. Here's how one FL voter interviewed by NPR explained her vote in Election 2000:

"I think that if Al Gore had taken a stand on (the Homestead Airport), I might have considered being part of that 50 percent margin that left Nader at the last minute and went and voted for Gore."

Hillary Gerber
Ralph Nader supporter

This FL voter's comments were originally broadcast on Nov. 24, 2000, as part of NPR's "Living on Earth" series The title of this radio news documentary was:

"Did Al Gore's silence on the controversy over plans to build a major airport near the Everglades cost him crucial votes in Florida?"

According to a FL environmental activist website known as "no airport"you can listen to this archived broadcast by visiting the Living on Earth website.

The longtime controversy over future use of the Homestead Airforce Base came to a close as the legal battles were dropped in 2001. Shortly thereafter, a federal report sided with FL environmentalists, and found the proposed commercial airport would indeed threaten the Everglades. According to this subsequent Dec. 2001 Miami editorial, FL voters can thank the US AirForce for putting the "nail in the coffin" of the Homestead airport proposal. Dade County will now develop the Homestead Airforce base in a different manner-- one that is environmentally sound.

As we move into a new election in 2002, FL voters devoted to preserving FL's natural environment will no doubt take into account Gov. Jeb Bush's on-going, outstanding record on environmental issues. To review his environmental record , click here.

I can't help but wonder if the person who tried to influence my vote will ever realize that some FL voters may also recall Election 2000 in terms of the Dem's non-existent leadership.

By contrast, in another part of FL during that same year, FL's current GOP governor decided to let a river run.
He took a stand.

Perhaps Dem Party leaders should be careful what they wish for in this upcoming 2002 election, as they call on FL voters to remember 2000.

Some FL voters - including environmentalists and educators -- may again take their vote elsewhere if, in fact, they "never forget."

Hi Dog,

See the text I put in bold in the article below.

In light of what I truthfully wrote and explained in this essay, it's amusing to me that four out of five campaigning Dem gov candidates have now decided not to say to FL voters:

"Never forget what happened in Nov 2000."

LOL...

Article:

Democratic Candidates Blast Bush

Democratic Candidates Blast Bush

Four of the party's gubernatorial hopefuls network at a Polk fund-raiser.

Sunday, February 17, 2002

By BILL RUFTY
The Ledger

LAKELAND -- The Democratic Party in Polk County is back.

At least that was the feeling of officials and rank-and-file party members Saturday night as Democratic candidates for governor came to Lakeland.

The event was the Jefferson- Jackson Dinner at Cleveland Heights Golf & Country Club in Lakeland, and Republican Gov. Jeb Bush was the main course, served up in fiery remarks by the gubernatorial candidates.

State House Democratic leader Lois Frankel, state Sen. Darryl Jones, former Holland & Knight managing partner Bill McBride and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno all took swipes at Bush, the man each wants to face in this fall's election. The Democrats will compete in the Sept. 10 primary, and the winner will face Bush in the Nov. 5 general election.

The $50-a-plate Lakeland event was a fund-raiser for the Polk County Democratic Executive Committee. Organizers opened an additional room to increase the seating to 243, but they still had to turn down others who wanted to attend, said Polk County Democratic Party Chair Sharon Becker.

"The message is: It is OK to be a Democrat again," Becker said of the crowd. "Our policies make more sense, but they don't fit on a bumper sticker. They are more complicated and more compassionate."

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the only Democrat to carry Polk County in 2000, could not be at the event, but his 25-year-old daughter, Nan Ellen Nelson, a professional singer, led the audience in "God Bless America" and then sang one of her original songs.

As the candidates arrived, makeshift receiving lines popped up around each, nearly crowding out people trying to find a table.

The four candidates blasted Bush for what they said was his inaction on education, health care and other key social issues.

"His idea of education reform is the FCAT (test), and he uses it as a substitute for the real way to improve education -- paying teachers competitive wages, more attention to the early grades and reducing class size," Frankel said. "He has no plan other than some bill floating around that will allow advertising on school buses."

"Jeb Bush has done nothing with education, health care and the resources that were necessary to move this state ahead," Reno said as she was approached by a long line of well-wishers.

McBride, who gave up dinner to work the tables and shake hands with as many diners as he could, said the party has to get the word out to voters about the current governor.

"He ran on Democratic Party principles and has governed from the far right," McBride said. "He has not served Florida well."

But it was Jones, who suffered at the hands of GOP senators when then-President Clinton tried to appoint him secretary of the Air Force, who had the hottest of the criticisms.

"When you are as close to the situation as I am (in the Florida Senate), you quickly realize that the governor is running this state into the ground," Jones said. "When you know what he is doing and what the possibilities can be, you can either walk into the sunset or stand and fight. And I intend to fight."

A fifth [Dem] candidate, Bob Kunst of Miami, was outside in the parking lot protesting because he was not allowed to sit at the head table and speak.

"I figure they will all split the boring vote, and I'll win the vote of those who are angry," said Kunst, who is traveling the state with placards proclaiming that Bush "stole" the 2000 election for his brother, President Bush.

Mainstream Democrats at the event were careful to distance themselves from Kunst. They said the way for the party to win is to focus on the future and the issues.

Much of the focus inside the building Saturday night was on the Democratic Party's hopes in Polk County.

Among those attending were past and present party movers and shakers, including Homer Hooks and his wife, Lois Harrison, Polk Tax Collector Joe Tedder, unsuccessful congressional candidate Mike Stedem, former Tax Collector Hobson Strain, state party secretary, Juanita Geathers, state Committeeman Bob Grizzard and former state Sen. Scott Kelly of Lakeland, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1966.

"I can't recall the last time we had a turnout like this," Kelly said.

He said he hoped the party has learned from past mistakes and will use the successful event as a new start.

"We failed to get the young, bright candidates," Kelly said of the fall of Democratic Party dominance in Polk elective offices that began in 1996. "We sat on our laurels while the other side didn't.

"We have to get out and recruit the best candidates and teach them how to get the message across."

Bill Rufty can be reached at bill.rufty@theledger.com or 863-802-7523.

Dog, BTW, I do realize I am not the first to have thought of this! But, it is just fascinating to me that this conversation about Gore is finally finding its way into more mainstream media. Check out the review, below, and the part I placed in bold, of Morris' new book that he was promoting on O'Reilly:

Power Plays: 20 Top Winning (and Losing) Strategies of History's Greatest Political Leaders
by Dick Morris

List Price: $25.95
Our Price: $18.17 You Save: $7.78 (30%)

This title will be published in/on April 2002 and will be released on April 16, 2002. You may order it now, and we will ship it to you when it arrives.

Hardcover 384 pages

Editorial Reviews

...

From Library Journal
Famed Fox commentator Morris looks at political moves throughout history--from Lincoln's splitting the opposition over slavery to Gore's near-miss at the presidency--to see what principles we can discover.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Book Description

Dick Morris is the frankest and most outspoken political analyst in America today. His commentary on the Clinton White House, the 2000 election, and the rise of George W. Bush has been marked by the sharpeyed political savvy only an insider can bring to bear.Now, in Power Plays, Morris provides a revealing context for the machinations of contemporary politics. Casting an eye across the annals of history, Morris investigates 20 of the most dramatic political moves of all time -- from the wildly effective to the disastrous. From Abraham Lincoln splitting the opposition over slavery, to Winston Churchill's emergence from obscurity to lead Britain through WWII; from Ronald Reagan and his conservative doctrine taking over the country, to George W. Bush co-opting Democratic issues under the banner of "compassionate conservatism" -- Morris illuminates these and many other gambits through his uniquely insightful perspective. Equally compelling on successes and failures of the past -- including the real reason Al Gore lost in 2000.

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