McBride's platforms still a few nails short

St. Petersburg Times ^ | 10/11/02 | HOWARD TROXLER

[windchime]

McBride's platforms still a few nails short

TROXLER -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-mail: Click here --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By HOWARD TROXLER, Times Columnist © St. Petersburg Times published October 11, 2002

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While taking a pleasant stroll through a warehouse district the other day, I heard a great ruckus and the sound of hammering and sawing coming from behind a half-open garage door.

I peeked inside and saw a number of Democrats. They were huddled in a circle around a work table, obviously laboring hard and as fast as they could. Now and then one of them would bang a thumb with a hammer and yelp in pain.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked.

"We're building Bill McBride's environmental platform," their leader offered. "We have to have one by Saturday.

I expressed mild surprise.

"Wait a minute. Didn't just this week, three statewide environmental groups endorse McBride already? Didn't they put their own names and reputations and credibility on the line, declaring to millions of Floridians that Bill McBride the Democrat would be a better environmental governor than Jeb Bush the Republican?"

Everybody looked down at their shoes.

An older, bearded member of the group stepped forward.

"I'll tell you his environmental platform," he snorted, nostrils flying. "He's not Jeb $%^$ Bush. That's his environmental platform."

But the others tried to hush him up, and assured me there really, really was one.

I asked if I could see the environmental platform, and they stepped aside. Of course, it was still a work in progress, not even nailed down all the way around, and they hadn't put any finish on it yet. Also, there were a few stray wires sticking out.

I pointed to at a couple of planks on the back side, halfway hidden from view. "Excuse me," I said, "but aren't these left over from Bill's law firm?"

I pointed to a label that read, in fine print: LOBBYING IN TALLAHASSEE FOR BAD-GUY CLIENTS, INCLUDING POLLUTERS.

Everybody shrieked in dismay. The bearded guy turned and started slapping a younger assistant with his cap. "I told you only to use the good planks from the law firm!" he shouted.

"Other than that, what do you think?" they asked.

"Well, I'm not sure," I answered. "Something about it seems sort of . . . familiar. What say you turn it on?"

Somebody flipped a switch and the McBride Environmental Platform jerked to life. It shuddered a few times before settling into a putt-putt rhythm. A light on the side of the box flickered on and off several times. A little bell rang and a piece of paper spit out.

"Bill McBride's education policy will improve all aspects of life for Floridians," the paper said.

"I think you made a mistake," I pointed out. "It's talking about education policy, not environmental policy."

"But that is the McBride environmental platform," Bearded Guy replied. "Same as his economic platform, his criminal justice platform and his everything-else platform. Better schools will make them all better."

"Okay, okay," I said. "Let me see his education platform then." Eagerly, they ran over to a closet and pulled out another little box that was almost identical, except that it appeared well-worn. After the same warm-up and rigamarole, it produced another slip of paper, which they handed to me proudly.

"On the topic of better schools," it said, "Bill McBride is in favor of them. And, by the way, he is not Jeb $#$% Bush."

In a gentle way, I suggested to the Democrats that being Not-Jeb-Bush might not be enough to beat Jeb Bush, especially since the election would be decided by a fairly slim margin of undecided voters who would not be moved by -- in fact, might even be turned off by -- a campaign based on personal dislike of Bush, instead of hitting him hard on issues.

"There are lots of legitimate issues," I said, "and I'm surprised you haven't really worked on them. Besides, how come you let him up off the mat after that day he got caught on tape bragging about being "devious'?"

"Look, buster," Bearded Guy said. "People like you are what's wrong with politics."

"People like ME?" I asked. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're all talk," Bearded Guy said, "but no specifics."

[mafree]

Wasn't that a good one?!

Yep- it's kewl.

[Goldwater Girl]

Holy cow! Troxler disses a dem- what's next? The Palm Beach Post endorses a Republican?
This is GREAT!

[windchime]

The truth comes from some strange places sometimes.
See post #12 where floriduh voter speculates about the motive.

Next up.......???

[summer]

not being Bush may be enough to win.

I just think this strategy is a very low road for any candidate to take: "Hey, I'm not the other guy - so, vote for me!"

Voters want better and deserve more. Yet, how would any voter know McMumble is "better" by what he says about a myriad of issues when, by your own admission, what he keeps saying is: nothing?

I think McMumble's strategy to win votes this way will backfire in FL, and cause more independent and Dem voters to vote for Kunst than may have otherwise voted for Kunst. After all, if the election is truly about "not being Bush" (and I don't believe that's what it's about at all), then, vote for Kunst -- he's on the ballot too, and he's certainly not Bush.

And, as Kunst puts it, there's an added bonus in voting for Kunst, since he's not "McBush" (McBride) either.

IMHO, this protest call will appeal to certain voters -- including some voters who feel so let down by McMumble's non-stance on anything (including, BTW, Reno supporters).

If I did not like Gov Bush's record so much, and I was still a Dem, I might well vote for Kunst -- just to send a message to the Dem Party that as a voter, I feel insulted by the refusal of a FL Dem gov candidate to offer any specifics while seeking the state's highest office.

[summer]

FYI -- Kust currently has 1% of the vote, even though a poll on his web site, www.kunstforgov.com, shows only 15% of FL voters are aware he's on the ballot:

Florida's Independent Gov Candidate Bob Kunst Sounds Off...
[Gay candidate Kunst blasts "McBush"]

[summer]

BTW, Kunst offers voters a much more specific platform than McMuble does: Platform of Bob Kunst

And, he's got a well-educated woman on his ticket for Lt Gov>

[summer]

BTW, Kunst offers voters a much more specific platform than McMumble does: Platform of Bob Kunst

And, he's got a well-educated woman on his ticket for Lt Gov.

[summer]

Plus, Kunst has a very active schedule in contrast to McMumble. I think Kunst should be included in the debates!

[summer]

Finally, this astute Dem poster on a Dem web site sums up for me the problem I see with voting for McMumble:

General Discussion Forum
If We Stand For Everything, We Stand for Nothing
Discussion started at 09:47 AM ET by RuncibleSpoon