Okay, not all of it, as there are many fine parts of the Sunshine State, but what I’m specifically wondering is, what’s the matter with Florida District 8?
I ask upon reading the news that state Senator Dan Webster, touted as a top candidate to get into the race against unhinged nutbag Alan Grayson, has opted not to make the race. Frustratingly, he’s only the latest in a line of potential GOP prospects who have taken a pass.
Given the NRCC’s dynamite recruiting efforts around the country — they’re even getting viable congressional candidates in states like Hawaii, f’r chrissakes — it’s odd that they can’t seem to put it together in FL-08, an R+2 district that Grayson only won with the help of Obama’s coattails on the one hand and an ethically-challenged incumbent on the other. The district isn’t exactly the most Republican in the world, but Grayson’s was nonetheless one of those classic “fluke” wins, in light of which his increasingly insane behavior is all the more brazen and foolish. This is Orlando, not San Francisco.
What the heck is going on here? Why are the House Dems allowing Alan Grayson of all people to be their point man on foaming moonbattery? And why can’t the GOP seem to capitalize on it?
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
It's Orlando.
cwilson (Diary) Wednesday, October 14th at 10:51AM EST (link)Remember the “Obama gonna pay my mortgage” video? Yeah, Orlando. It’s an urban city (think Chicago, Atlanta, NYC — except with an even lower per-capita income, as far fewer multimillionaire tycoons or finance types to prop up the average) with all the problems that go with it. Worse, the primary industry is tourism — notoriously fickle, extremely sensitive to economic downturns, and really provides only low-wage service jobs with little upward opportunity. So, you’ve got a bunch of poor folks, locked in to dead-end service jobs — which they just lost, thanks to the downturn. Orlando is almost in as bad a shape as Detroit, right now.
Add in the typical locked-in Democratic plantation interest groups, and you’ve got “urban nightmare”. Ca-Ching! Tailor-made for wacko Democratic Politicians.
Furthermore, while Florida has a high number of Hispanic voters, it used to be that they were mostly Cuban immigrants, and tended to lean R. No more — the Cubans are far outweighed by Central and South American immigrants and descendants who are about as wedded to the Dems as is the black community — and even the Cubans went for Teh Won last time.
You might as well as how Charlie Rangel keeps getting re-elected. Same reason. Orlando isn’t *quite* as far gone as NYC, which is why there’s still a chance to knock off Grayson. Just not a good one — hence few challengers willing to risk their political fortune on a quixotic, and failure-prone, quest to unset him.
If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom — go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! –Samuel Adams
Someone needs to step up!
morstar150 (Diary) Friday, October 16th at 4:39PM EST (link)I agree totally with 3rd Street’s assessment on Florida’s 8th congressional race. Greyson is a nut. I also disagree with CWilson’s view and ask where he is from? There are certainly issues with the latino vote but this is an example of the retreat from conservative values. There is nothing wrong with a candidate stating that our immigration policy is bankrupting our cities, counties, and country. The fear of loosing the hispanic vote has pushed Repulbicans away from the blue collar Democrats who are looking for a strong consrvative to end the insanity.
Sure this area is suffering an economic downturn but where are the jobs promised by the Dems? Where is the recovery? The only change that has reached the 8th district is that the job market is getting worse and and the government keeps spending more while citzens are seeing less.
Congrats to my friends in Palm Beach who dissed Plastic Man Charlie Crist and overwhelmingly supported Marco Rubio in a starw poll on Wednesday night.
Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil, in its worst, an intolerable one. (Thomas Paine)