Florida Democrats Unite Behind Jeb [FL's Dem Leaders Dumping McLawyer]

www.jeb.org ^ | Sept. 26, 2002 | www.jeb.org

[summer]

FL students crowd around Gov Jeb Bush on a recent campaign stop.

For Immediate Release

Thursday, September 26, 2002

Florida Democrats Unite Behind Jeb

MIAMI BEACH - In another sign of Gov. Jeb Bush's strong bi-partisan support, a who's who of past and present Democrat Party leaders today endorsed Bush and pledged to do "what it takes" to ensure his reelection.

Announced at a press conference in Miami Beach, the "Democrats for Jeb" Steering Committee is made up of dozens of state and local Democrat leaders, including a former Governor, a sitting State Senator, three former Speakers of the House, several incumbent mayors and city commissioners, a former executive director of the Florida Democratic Party and a variety of other community activists and leaders.

"I am proud to once again stand up and proclaim that I am a Democrat for Jeb Bush," stated Sen. Ron Silver. "Four years ago I took a chance by endorsing Jeb and four years later, that chance has paid off not only for me, but more importantly for all Floridians. I pledge to do whatever it takes to make sure he is reelected."

Gov. Bush has always enjoyed the support of Democrats from across the state. In fact, according to the latest Mason-Dixon survey, close to 20% of all Democrats would support Bush over corporate lawyer Bill McBride if the elections were held this week.

"I am a proud lifetime Democrat, representing one of the most Democratic regions of our state, but I am also 100 percent behind Jeb Bush," stated Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle. "Jeb has been a great governor for all Floridians, Republican, Democrat and Independent alike. He has tirelessly led the fight to improve Florida's public schools, and has shown steadfast leadership in the fight over education reform. Florida is on the right track. I am proud to be a Democrat and I am proud to support Jeb Bush."

"I am honored to have the support of such a distinguished group of Floridians," stated Gov. Bush. "I have always believed that what is right for Florida is much more important than what is right for politics. I am humbled by the trust these fine men and women have placed in me and I promise to them, and every other Floridian, that if I am honored with a second term, I will not let them down."

Democrats joining Bush at the event today were:

Mayor David Dermer of Miami Beach;
Mayor Dick Greco of Tampa;
Mayor Jim Naugle of Fort Lauderdale;
State Senator Ron Silver of North Miami;
Former Speakers of the House James Harold Thompson, T.K. Wetherell and Don Tucker;
Former Agriculture Commissioner and current Citrus Commissioner Bob Crawford;
Miami Beach Commissioners Matti Bower and Luis Garcia;
Florida Board of Education Member Julia Johnson;
Hollywood City Commissioner Keith Wasserstrom;
Homestead City Council Member Judy Waldman;
Mayor of Pembroke Park Annette Wexler;
Pembroke Park City Manager Dr. Bob Levy;
Manny Medina, CEO of Terremark; President and CEO of Peebles Atlantic Development Corporation ;
R. Donahue Peebles; Chairman and Managing Partner, Steel Hector & Davis LLP Joe Klock.

[As not all Steering Committee members were able to attend today's event, the complete list of members is below.]

"Some things are more important than simple party label," stated Former Speaker of the House James Harold Thompson. "Jeb Bush has been an outstanding Governor over the last four years. He has pushed our education system to get the best for our children. He has been a vigilant steward of our environment and a superb leader for Florida's economy. I am proud of our Governor, I am proud to support him and I hope all of my fellow Democrats across Florida will do the same."

"Democrats for Jeb" Steering Committee

Pete Antonacci, Former Florida Statewide Prosecutor, Former Deputy Attorney General
Milton Aponte, Attorney and Activist for the Developmentally Disabled
Charlie Aycock, Osceola County Sheriff
Paula Barton, Baker County Schools Superintendent
Steven Bateman, Homestead City Council Member
Harold Bazzell, Bay County Clerk of Courts
Barney Bishop, Former Executive Director of the Florida Democratic Party
Matti Bower, Miami Beach Commissioner Cornel Brock, Chairman of Bay County Commission
Larry Campbell, Leon County Sheriff
Theresa Ciummo, Pembroke Park City Commissioner
Howard Clark, Pembroke Park City Commissioner
Bob Crawford, Former Agriculture Commissioner
David Dermer, Mayor of Miami Beach
John Fugate, Desoto County Sheriff
Luis Garcia, Miami Beach Commissioner
Ernie George, President of the Police Benevolent Association
Howard Godwin, Highlands County Sheriff
Dick Greco, Mayor of Tampa
Julia Johnson, Member of the Florida Board of Education
Joe Klock, Chairman and Managing Partner, Steel Hector & Davis LLP
Harold Knowles, Attorney and Trustee, Florida State University
Dr. Bob Levy, Pembroke Park City Manager
Raul Masvidal, Managing Director, Masvidal Partners, Inc.
Manny Medina, CEO of Terremark
Carson McCall, Lafayette County Sheriff
John McDaniel, Jackson County Sheriff
C.K. "Mac" McElyea, Dania Beach City Commissioner
Frank McKeithen, Gulf County Sheriff
Bob Milner, Bradford County Sheriff
Wayne Mixson, Former Governor of Florida
Herb Morgan, Former State Representative
Jim Naugle, Mayor of Fort Lauderdale
Leon Nettles, Wakulla County Commissioner
R. Donahue Peebles, President and CEO of Peebles Atlantic Development Corporation
Fred Peel, Washington County Sheriff
Jeffrey Porter, Homestead City Council Member
James Rider, Glades County Sheriff
Charles Shields, Mayor of St. Marks
Roy Shiver, Vice Mayor of Florida City
Emma Shoaff, Pembroke Park City Commissioner
Ron Silver, Florida State Senator
James Harold Thompson, Former Speaker of the House
Don Tucker, Former Speaker of the House
David Turner, Gilchrist County Sheriff
Steve Uhlfelder, Former Regent, Florida Counsel Clinton/Gore 1996
Judy Waldman, Homestead City Council Member
Keith Wasserstrom, Hollywood City Commissioner
T.K. Wetherell, Former Speaker of the House
Annette Wexler, Mayor of Pembroke Park
W.A. Woodham, Gadsden County Sheriff
Steve Worley, Hendry County Sheriff

[summer]

LOL...hey, I am sure you could find people who would agree with your position - and want that bumpersticker. :)

[diamond6]

What is Jeb's position on abortion?

[Rome2000]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2002

Bush to Debate McBride While Brogan Attends Jacksonville Debate Watching Party

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Jeb Bush will debate Democrat gubernatorial candidate Bill McBride on Friday, September 27. Lt. Governor Frank Brogan and other leaders of the Republican Party will attend a debate watching party in Jacksonville. After the conclusion of the debate, Bush will join Brogan and GOP leaders at a post-debate watching party. Details of these events as well as debate watching parties across the state follow:

WHO: Governor Bush
WHAT: First Gubernatorial Debate
WHERE: WJXT Channel 4 Studios
WHEN: 8:00 - 9:00 p.m., Friday, September 27, 2002

STATIONS IN FL RUNNING DEBATE LIVE ON FRIDAY
WEDU, Channel 3, PBS, Tampa area
WPLG, Channel 10, ABC, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale
WFTV, Channel 9, ABC, Orlando
WJXT, Channel 4, Jacksonville/Gainesville
WPBF, Channel 25, ABC, West Palm Beach
WCTV, Channel 6, CBS, Tallahassee
WINK, Channel 11, CBS, Southwest Florida
WEAR, Channel 3, ABC, Pensacola

________________________________________________________
Jacksonville Bush-Brogan 2002 Debate Watching Party

WHO: Governor Jeb Bush
Lt. Governor Frank Brogan
Republican Party of Florida Chairman Al Cardenas
Senate President-Designate Jim King
Speaker of the House-Designate Johnnie Byrd
Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney
Former Congresswoman Tillie Fowler

WHERE: Legends Sports Bar – The Landing, 2 Independent Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32202

WHEN: 7:00 p.m., Friday, September 27, 2002

________________________________________________________

Miami-Dade County Bush-Brogan 2002 Debate Watching Party

WHERE: John Martins Irish Pub

253 Miracle Mile

Coral Gables, Florida



WHEN: 7:00 p.m., Friday, September 27, 2002

________________________________________________________


Leon County Bush-Brogan 2002 Debate Watching Party

WHERE: The Doubletree Hotel

Corner of Adams Street and Park Avenue

Tallahassee, Florida



WHEN: 7:15 p.m., Friday, September 27, 2002

________________________________________________________

Orange County Bush-Brogan 2002 Debate Watching Party


WHERE: One Eyed Jack Bar and Restaurant

Wall Street Plaza
15 North Orange Avenue

Orlando, Florida



WHEN: 7:00 p.m., Friday, September 27, 2002

________________________________________________________


Hillsborough County Bush-Brogan 2002 Debate Watching Party


WHERE: Joffrey’s Coffee Company

1616 East 7th Avenue

Ybor City, Florida



WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Friday, September 27, 2002





###

[summer]

``Many of the mistakes that he's made stem from the fact that he can't take criticism,'' Rossin said. ``He doesn't understand that working in a large organization, and the government of Florida is a very large organization, that you need all the input you possibly can get in order to lead and he can't lead because he doesn't get that input.'

BTW, IMO and in my experience corresponding with Gov Bush via email (as I have never met him nor spoke with him), this above comment from Rossin is laughable because it is so OFF target. Laughs aside, it is also an attack on Gov Bush because the Dems knows Gov Bush has been the most accessible governor in FL history.

Ask the thousands of other FL citizens who have emailed him and received responses, as these citizens offered him their input throughout his term. BTW, McLawyer's recent claim on CSPAN was also false: "Gov Bush does not have arms wide enough or a heart big enough for everyone in FL." Frankly, I think that was the biggest crock of sh*t I have ever heard in a campaign season.

Gov Bush will be remembered in FL history as being the most in-touch governor -- with regular voters -- who ever occupied the governor's mansion.

Obviously, the Dems hate that about him. Too bad. It seems to me the only time the Dem Party tries to talk to voters is when it's an election year or they need to use some voters as props on a convention stage.

[summer]

Re your post #122 - Gov Bush signed a bill prohibiting partial birth abortion at a time when the subject was hotly debated nationwide, and other bills prohibiting it were defeated in other states. I do not know what else he has said on this topic, but in 1998 one of his campaign promises was to ban this type of procedure, and, he did.

[diamond6]

Good. Thank you for the information. If he's as strong on this issue as his brother, with all the other positives I've read about, I know I'll be voting for him in '08. The Bush family - kind of a counter-Kennedy thing - I like it.

[Tall_Texan]

Actually, this is not surprising at all. His brother did the same thing in Texas. He cozied up to certain Democrats, made some converts and then sent them out to flak for him when he ran in 2000. "Democrats for Bush" was a big operation here in Texas and they even followed Al Gore around as "truth squads" when he would campaign in Texas that the state was the most polluted in the country, had the worst civil rights record, etc.

Whether you agree with the political capital squandered or not, Dubya used the Dem-crossover thing to stunning success so it's no surprise at all that Jeb would do the same thing. And Jeb probably has a bigger hurdle to winning Dem votes in Florida than Dubya had winning Dem votes in Texas. The once-dominant Democrat Party in Texas has become so marginalized that they are running a black for U.S. Senator and a Hispanic for Governor because they are now the minority party in the truest sense of the word. They can't even field a full slate of candidates in some counties around Texas.

I'm sure Rove or Hughes tipped Jeb off to this ploy a long time ago.

[summer]

Thanks for your post, Julie. I agree; this is another great article for local letters to the editor.

[summer]

"ploy"? - A candidate for statewide office in FL must win some of the voters from the other party. This is why McLAwyer was hanging around a handful of GOP voters early on -- but, that backfired, since that handful of voters turned off many Dem voters in the Dem primary, and those voters obviously turned out for Reno.

[summer]

Thanks for posting that info in your post #123. :)

[summer]

Pogy, See post #123 - Ybor City, at the end.

[summer]

Re your post #126. You're welcome. Also, you may want to check out Gov Bush's official campaign site, at www.jeb.org

[summer]

FYI. :)

[Tall_Texan]

"ploy"? - A candidate for statewide office in FL must win some of the voters from the other party. This is why McLAwyer was hanging around a handful of GOP voters early on -- but, that backfired, since that handful of voters turned off many Dem voters in the Dem primary, and those voters obviously turned out for Reno.

Which sorta proves my point. "Democrats For Jeb" is smart only *after* you win the primary. Pulling this out while the party faithful can still revoke your nomination is a dumb idea.

While you may or may not think of it as a campaign ploy, I don't recall other Texas candidates so publicly embracing members of the other party. If there was a "Democrats for Phil Gramm" (after he switched in the mid-80s) or a "Democrats for Kay Bailey Hutchinson" group out there, I surely missed it.

And I've NEVER seen a "Republicans for Clinton" or "Republicans for (any Democrat)" ever. Probably couldn't fill a bathtub with them if you did.

[BigWaveBetty]

Annette Wexler, Mayor of Pembroke Park

I hope she's related to Robert Wexler! ;-) That'd be a kick in the butt!

Thanks for another great thread summer. :-)

GO JEB GO!!

[Rome2000]

So the Sarasota Herald Tribune has come out for Jeb, and rightly so.

I would be amazed if the Miami Herald did the same, but will be curious to hear their justification for not endorsing him.

They and their minions apparently think that the lawyer McBride and his banker lawyer running mate Rossin would be better for Floridians than Jeb.

I can't wait to hear how.

[summer]

Re your post #134 - I think you make valid points there, but the major point is simply this: the political make-up of the FL electorate. If someone comes out and says "Hey, I am in the GOP and all you Dems can go to h*ll" well, that person may lose a lot of votes from FL Dem voters who might have preferred voting GOP. Were this state more one-sided in terms of its political bent, all this cross-voting might not be a big deal; but, here in FL, it is a very important matter - to be able to appeal to some voters in the other party. And, to the independents.

[summer]

Re your post #136 - Well, that one writer did! I don't know if the rest of that newspaper will or not. We'll see... but I think you can write off the Miami Herald. However, other newspapers -- in swing areas -- may well go for Gov. Bush, especialy after he demolishes McLawyer in the debates.

[summer]

Thanks for another great thread summer. :-)

My pleasure, BWB. :)

[summer]

FYI. :)