Party Yawn: A look at the Naples Dem dinner and 06 governor's race

[madfloridian]

I am very upset with Jim Davis about his co-sponsoring the bankruptcy bill. I am next going to post an article about Rod Smith's Republican style of Democrat. Adam C. Smith is one of my favorites, and I think he presents things pretty fairly.

Party Yawn: Yawning and Watch-checking in Naples

SNIP..."NAPLES - Plenty of smart people think Jim Davis is a shoo-in to win the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. But they weren't in Naples last week to see all the yawning and watch-checking among 500 Democrats listening to the Tampa congressman's stump speech.

"My campaign for governor is a campaign about restoring respect," Davis said. "Respect for the voices of all Floridians. Respect for the God-given potential of our children. Respect for the freedom and dignity of our seniors, our disabled and those in need. Respect for those who work hard and play by the rules."

As Davis continued amid sporadic, polite applause, people throughout the hotel ballroom resumed conversations. A few decided it was a good time to hit the john...."

"The response to Davis' likely rival, state Democratic chairman Scott Maddox, could hardly have been more different. People rose to their feet cheering...."END SNIP

The Rod Smith mentioned is a member of the Florida Mainstream Democrats, a group formed last year to pull the Florida Democrats further to the right than they are already...it is admittedly DLC inspired. I will post an article about Rod from our paper today. This group sounds just like Republicans, and they want to get the North Florida vote.
http://mainstreamdemocrats.com/index.html

[madfloridian]

1. Florida Dems to GOP : We don't like it but will vote for it anyway.

GOP House Leaders Earn Wide Praise

SNIP..."Part of the Democrat's adulation is due to the abysmal treatment they received during the past few years when GOP leaders would swipe Democrats' ideas and allow a Republican to carry the bill, and win the credit.

This year, Democrats have sponsored tax cuts that the House has passed, both rarities. Senate Democrats railed against a bill expanding gun rights, but still unanimously supported the bill. And when the House approved a budget that failed to provide for many Democratic ideals, the minority party still unanimously voted for it.

What gives? "We've been fire-bombing for the past six years and we've been losing for the past six years," said House Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, said. "So maybe something different will work."

Bense said Republicans won control of the state through a particular message that Democrats may be adopting. "Things like lower taxes and less government and empowering our families, that message resonates ," Bense said. "I think beginning to say, `Well, you know what, maybe we need to head that way a little bit. "They're stealing our issues," Bense added, laughing.

Sen. Rod Smith, D-Alachua, said there's a simpler answer for the harmony between the parties this year -- $2.2 billion in extra money to spend. "Being in politics is a lot like your marriage. Things are better when there's more money around," said Smith, a candidate for governor next year."