Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club

Want to know what's happening with Fair Districts?

  

The following is an email from Jackie Lee, Executive Director of Fair Districts Now: 

What happened to FairDistricts?

So what happened to the FairDistricts Amendments? Politicians are doing everything they can to stop them from going into effect -- that’s what. Clearly these politicians want to be able to continue drawing districts for their own political advantage – even though voters said overwhelmingly (63%) they want to stop political gerrymandering. I am writing to let you know about the formation of FairDistricts Now and to ask you to be a part of our new effort to compel Tallahassee politicians to fully comply with the redistricting rules YOU established through YOUR hard work, contributions and votes! 

It is clear that the powerful politicians are very unhappy with your vote for Amendments 5 and 6. In the middle of the night on November 3rd – before the last votes were even counted – two Members of Congress went to court to try to get the amendments thrown out!  Then, Speaker Dean Cannon and the Florida House of Representatives decided to use YOUR taxpayer dollars to join in that suit. 

Governor Rick Scott joined the fray by delaying the implementation of the FairDistricts amendments.  As required by federal law, former Governor Crist submitted the amendments to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval.  Within two days of taking office, Governor Scott withdrew that request. 

Clearly these politicians want to be able to continue drawing districts for their own political advantage – even though a supermajority told them to stop this selfish practice.

But supporters of the FairDistricts Amendments are fighting back!

The Florida NAACP, ACLU, Democracia and a number of individual voters stepped up to defend the amendments in the case brought by the politicians.  Then the Florida League of Women Voters and others filed suit against Governor Scott to compel him to stop playing politics with the Florida Constitution and resubmit the amendments to the Justice Department for approval. 

We stand with these dedicated Floridians and will assist their efforts in any way we can. Will you help? 

Yesterday, as Florida’s census data was delivered to the Governor and Legislature, members of our coalition wrote to Governor Scott urging him once again to re-submit the amendments. Click here to see the press release on our new website, www.FairDistrictsNow.org

We will keep you posted as events occur.  We expect the legislature to hold public hearings in the Summer and Fall. We will notify you so you can attend and demand that politicians follow the new constitutional redistricting rules.  

And rest assured, we will keep fighting until Florida’s district maps are drawn fairly – as your vote requires.

Will you join us in continuing the fight for FairDistricts Now? 


Thanks
Jackie

Jackie Lee
Executive Director
FairDistricts Now, Inc. 

From the President’s Desk - July 2010

By Rich Piper

As we look toward the mid-term elections of 2010, the air waves and print media are littered with predictions of major Republican gains, perhaps even Republican control of both houses of Congress in 2011-12. However, I can think of few, if any, times in history when a political party has been so deserving of defeat as the Republican Party of 2010. It is not too late to reverse current trends and give the Republicans the thrashing that they deserve, both nationally and here in Florida.

In Washington, the Republicans who voted like automatons to support the Bush Administration’s tax giveaways to the rich, its kowtowing to Wall Street and insurance companies and oil behemoths, and its reckless plunge into the Iraq War, now tell us about how concerned they are to reduce the deficits which they did so much to create. The Senate Republicans have just once again employed the filibuster (already used by them more often than EVER in history) to block extension of unemployment insurance to those whom they drove into unemployment with their unfair, unjust, unwise economic policies. The Republicans claim to favor balancing the budget, and use that as the excuse for their latest filibuster. However, their record shows that their budget-balancing pose is phony; and almost all economists agree that attempting to balance the budget now, just when recovery is getting under way, would be disastrous for the economy. In the wake of the catastrophic Gulf oil spill, let’s also remember that the Republicans in Washington turned the Minerals Management Service into a tool of BP and the other big oil companies and cried “drill, baby, drill” in the run-up to the current disaster. Illustrative of the Republicans’ misplaced priorities and distorted values, Joe Barton, the ranking Republican on the House Energy Committee, actually apologized to BP for President Obama’s alleged “shakedown” of their company to pay for the damage that they have done. This man will become chair of the Energy Committee if the Republicans win in November!

June 21 meeting adds speaker on Fair Districts amendments

In addition to the conference call with Rep. Kendrick Meek and Bob Hackworth, Marti Folwell, President of the North Pinellas League of Women Voters will discuss Amendments 5 and 6 at the June 21 club meeting.

The amendments, which got onto the ballot via a petition drive conducted by the bipartisan group Fair Districts Florida, would force lawmakers to follow strict redistricting standards instead of the current practice of redrawing districts to favor either incumbents or the party in power. If they pass – which requires 60 percent of the vote - district boundaries would follow existing geographic and political boundaries wherever possible.

GOP lawmakers, scrambling to hold onto their current absolute control of the redistricting process, put Amendment 7 onto the ballot in an attempt to confuse voters and defeat Amendments 5 and 6. The Republicans claim their "poison pill" is actually to protect minority districts and merely "clarifies" the other two amendments.

However, the language of Amendment 7 clearly abolishes the competing proposals by stating that its passage would place it "without subordination to any other provision." Folks, that means that if all three pass, only Amendment 7 will count.

Last month, the Florida League of Women Voters, the Florida NAACP and Democracia Ahora filed suit to have Amendment 7 removed because of its misleading language. They called it "a brazen attempt by those in power to continue their absolute control of the redistricting process."

Should be an interesting discussion. 

Anti-Incumbent Pattern in 2010 Primaries Exaggerated by Most Mass Media

As mass media commentators have looked for a common pattern in the primary elections of 2010, many have settled on the notion of an anti-incumbent wave in which an angry electorate sweeps members of the U.S. House and Senate from office.  When Senator Lincoln of Arkansas won re-nomination despite most media predictions, the New York Times described her as overcoming “the anti-incumbent wave that has defined the midterm election year.”  Reuters news service echoed this account by concluding that Lincoln “defied a U.S. anti-incumbent wave.” The defeats of incumbents Arlen Specter and Robert Bennett have provided some limited factual basis for this story line, as have the House defeats of Parker Griffith and Alan Mollohan and the forcing of Bob Inglis into a runoff.  However, the overall results of primaries to date, especially for the U.S. House of Representatives, indicate the continuing power of incumbency far more than they suggest an anti-incumbent wave. 

Let’s consider the Senate races first, since the anti-incumbent theme is strongest here.  Even in the Senate contests, however, 9 of 11 incumbents seeking re-nomination have won so far in 2010; while only 2 have been defeated.  When one examines the defeats closely, special factors played a large role in each of them.   Republican Robert Bennett of Utah was defeated for re-nomination at a party convention, packed with tea-party activists, rather than in a primary, under a nominating system peculiar to Utah.  Democrat Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania recently switched parties, after 45 years as a Republican, and is 80 years old.  Party-switchers and octogenarians have usually been more vulnerable to defeat than others. 

Bob Hackworth to Speak at June 21st Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club Meeting

Bob Hackworth will be speaking to us at our June 21^st meeting. Many of you remember Bob from his distinguished service as Mayor of Dunedin and from his campaign for Congress against Bill Young in 2008. A registered Republican for years because of his family heritage, but long oriented in a progressive direction, Bob served very capably as a nonpartisan official in local government. His record on such issues as equal rights has been impeccable. He switched his registration to the Democratic Party and actively supported the Obama campaign for President . 

Bob is now running for the Pinellas County Commission in District 4 (northern Pinellas County). He has limited his campaign contributions to only $100 each and is campaigning on the theme that he is the “best candidate money can’t buy.” Bob’s Republican opponent will likely be the incumbent Susan Latvala, a darling of the big developers, though Latvala faces several opponents in the Republican primary.  Please come out to hear Bob Hackworth’s message, ask questions, and support his campaign.  

The meeting will start with a conference call with Congressman Kendrick Meek, candidate for US Senate, so don't be late!  Marti Folwell of the North Pinellas League of Women Voters will be speaking on the Fair Districts Florida amendmentsthat will be on November ballot.   The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m., at 301 Crestwood Lane, Largo.

Don't Miss the April 19th Meeting!

Belleair City Commissioner Stephanie Oddo will speak against Amendment 4 - the Hometown Democracy initiative - at the April 19th meeting of the Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club.  The meeting will begin at 7:00 pm at the home of Rich Piper, 301 Crestwood Lane, Largo. 

Ms. Oddo holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Politics from Penn State University and a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies from San Diego State University.  She was a public relations and web services consultant for government, nonprofits and business in the metro Washington, DC area before moving to Belleair in 2005.  Elected to the Belleair City Commission in 2007, and re-elected in 2009, Ms. Oddo's other community service includes board membership on the Pinellas Planning Council, Belleair Civic Association Board, Belleair Historic Preservation Board, Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board, Florida League of Cities Finance and Tax Policy Council and Home Rule Policy Council. She is also a member of Clearwater Rotary, Leadership Pinellas and Suncoast Tiger Bay Club.

Last month George Niermann spoke in favor of Amendment 4.  These two meetings will provide a comprehensive overview of the pros and cons, setting the stage for some lively debates between now and November.  The goal is to make us more informed voters.

Please remember to bring donations of non-perishable items for the local food pantries.

Mark your Calendar for Monday, March 15

UPDATE:  Added to the agenda:  Robin Rosenbaum, Regional Coordinator of Organizing for America, will update us on the new campaign plans for 2010.  John Bivona, the State OFA Coordinator, is tentatively scheduled to attend to share some ideas.   We will also be circulating a list of Club Committees and seeking volunteers to server.  These include:

• Budget (budget preparation)
• Bylaws
• Campaigns
• Finance (auditors)
• Membership
• Publicity
• Ways & Means (fundraising)

Our featured speaker will be George Niemann speaking in favor of the Hometown Democracy Amendment which will be on the ballot in November. 

George is a resident of Hillsborough County.  He is an active participant in the county’s growth management process, helping to found a watchdog coalition of countywide advocates called United Citizens’ Action Network (U-CAN) that monitor the county’s growth management policies and process to ensure government accountability to its citizens. 

George also writes for Creative Loafing covering local news, politics and growth management and is a member of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority’s (TBARTA) Land-Use Working Group Committee, and the Tampa Bay Sierra Club.

You can read more about the Hometown Democracy Amendment (Amendment 4) at Florida Hometown Democracy Land Use, Amendment 4 (2010). 

Join us at 7:00 pm on Monday, March 15th, at 301 Crestwood Lane, Largo.   Bring your questions and bring a friend. 

Be an informed voter!