Let, Then, the Florida Democratic Party Pass

Insanity is defined by trying the same thing again and expecting the same result.  So, naturally, the Democrats nominated Charlie Crist again for governor . . . and Ron DeSantis wiped the floor with him. 

And despite being an attractive candidate with a solid record in the House, Val Demings could not overcome Marco Rubio in her bid for the Senate.  She was blessed with an opponent who opposed the Medicare prescription-drug price negotiation bill in a state full of retirees, and she still lost badly. 

Oh yeah, can you tell me what Crist and Demings stood for?  I mean, apart from their boilerplate Democratic positions on the issues?  I mean, why did Crist want to be governor a second time after having serve with great undistinction the first time around?  And what made Demings give up her safe House seat, where she could have accrued more seniority and become a member of House leadership, for a Senate seat?  I mean, what motivated her?

These questions will forever remain unanswered,  and another question is why the state's Democrats nominated these two in the first place. 

Oh yeah, Democrats lost the state agricultural commissioner's office to the Republicans in this year's elections, so now they won't have a statewide elected official anywhere, likely never to elect another one.  

I came across this one opinion piece on how the Florida Democratic Party can fix itself,  Quite frankly, it is beyond repair.  And Ron DeSantis will see to it that, even if Florida Democrats should somehow fix themselves, they will never win a statewide election again, thank to DeSantis's voting police to track down, arrest and make an example of (usually black) Florida residents who try to vote illegally ("illegally" meaning purged from the rolls for no good reason and left off because the Democratic Party is too neutered to protect their voting rights).

But no, Florida Democrats will carry on like all of those aging rock stars (that is, all rock stars) that continue touring in the laughable hope that a new generation will re-invigorate rock and roll and allow the Old Guard to retire.  In other words, Florida Democrats are dead.

And they don't even know it.

Val's Swan Song?

Sure looks like it.

U.S. Representative Val Demings, once considered to be Joe Biden's vice presidential running mate, is accomplished, well-spoken, and, let me just come out and say it, physically attractive.  She's also right on all the issues - particularly on allowing Medicare to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices, which her opponent, incumbent Republican Senator Marco Rubio opposes.  And this is a state with a large senior population. 

So why is she losing the Florida U.S. Senate race to Rubio?

It wouldn't have anything to do with Rubio running ads depicting her as an "angry black woman" when it comes to supporting a progressive social agenda, would it?

Actually, no - it has to do with more than just that.  Florida is an increasingly Republican state, and it's dominated by Hispanic Americans of Cuban descent like Rubio and of Venezuelan descent who shrink at the sound of any idea that sounds remotely socialist or even progressive or contemporary.  Rubio has also been able to sidestep the abortion issue by touting the crime issue and making Demings, a former Orlando police chief,  defend the police against those who want to defund the police - something no former police chief should have to waste any breath doing. The candidate who sets the agenda for what gets talked about controls the campaign, and for the U.S. Senate campaign in Florida, that's Marco Rubio. 

Look, I'd vote for Val if I lived in Florida (thank God I don't!), but the sentiment against her is running strong.  Sure, she's stepped up to the plate in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian to get help for Orlando, her hometown, which flooded big time as a result of the storm, but what politician in Florida isn't taking action?   Add the fact the Biden is about is popular in Florida right now as a house without central air, and, well, you have yourself a problem.

So I'm going to come out and say it: I think Val Demings is going to lose this election.  And unless President Biden appoints her Secretary of Homeland Security once Alejandro Mayorkas is forced out of office (a likely scenario in 2023) and Demings is appointed to replace him, Demings' political career will be dead on the heap of all of the other once-promising political careers of up-and-coming Florida Democrats.

The state's Democratic Party itself may not be far behind.