If there is
one single contest on November 6 (with the possible exception of the Texas
Senate race) that might restore our faith in the heart, soul, and brains of the
American electorate it could be the Florida governor’s race.
Florida primary voters could not have made this
contest any more dramatic if they had all gotten together and hired a Hollywood
script writer.
The Republican, Ron DeSantis made it clear that if
you are a Florida voter and you are energized by “Build that wall!” and “Lock
her up!” rallying cries, you have found your man. Anyone looking for daylight
between Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump was wasting their time.
And just to put the icing on the cake, he made it
clear that his Democratic opponent, Andrew Gillum is a danger to the people of
Florida. If (God forbid!) he ever got elected governor, he would likely “monkey
this up.”
He said he was not being racially offensive. He
was simply pointing out that a Governor Gillum’s far-out, radical, progressive,
socialist policies would “turn Florida into Venezuela.” That was not meant as a
compliment. Oil-rich Venezuela proved that even wealthy nations, like some wealthy
individuals, can find a way to become destitute.
A current Republican television ad portrays Andrew
Gillum as being on another planet. Ground control can’t make contact with him
because he is so far out with his positions on Medicare for All, sensible gun laws,
raising the state corporate tax rate to pay for better public education and
higher salaries for teachers, and a $15 per hour minimum wage.
Conventional wisdom says: Do not embrace these way
too risky non-mainstream positions. If a Democrat is going to win over
Independents, he needs to be careful not to scare them away with radical ideas
and, If there is any state that loves guns and hates taxes it’s Florida.
So Gillum is nuts. Case closed. The voters will
send him back to Planet Crazy and DeSantis will stroll into the governor’s
office, wearing a red cap that reads: “KEEP FLORIDA JUST THE WAY IT IS.”
Well, not so fast! Let’s add some context. Donald
Trump will be on every ballot in every district and in every state, especially
Florida where a vote for Ron DeSantis is a vote for Donald Trump.
According to the latest national opinion polls,
Donald Trump is on a roll, but it is not a good roll for him or for any Republican
candidate clinging to his coat tails. His approval ratings that were always in
the 40s are now mostly in the 30s.
In the most recent CNN poll, the president’s approval ratings dropped from
42% in August to 36% in early
September. You might say he had a rough few weeks. It is now clear that his
base is shrinking just in time for the November midterms.
Another poll number might be especially predictive
of the outcome of a number of those midterm contests. The president’s approval rating among Independents has plunged from 47%
to 31%, just since August.
The political earth is shifting beneath our feet. Democrats
will take back the House. Taking the Senate is still a long shot, but the fact
that so many Senate races, once solidly in the bag for Republicans, are now
real contests, makes us wonder how many disillusioned Trump voters are quietly
jumping off the MAGA wagon.
And remember, while Floridians have tended to vote
for Republican governors and legislators, they voted twice for Barak Obama. Maybe
the foolishly bold Andrew Gillum is on another planet, but it might be the same
planet where Barak Obama came from to steal the nomination from Hillary Clinton
and go on to defeat John McCain in 2008, and then Mitt Romney in 2012.
Republican Governor, Rick Scott and the state
Republican leadership rejected Medicaid expansion. They had to. Accepting it
might have been counted as a win for Socialist, Barak Obama.
Andrew Gillum thinks that it just makes sense for all
Floridians to have adequate health insurance. Recent polls tell us that 70% of Americans now support Medicare for All
– that would be 84% of Democrats and a surprising 51% of Republicans.
Does Ron DeSantis believe that all uninsured or
underinsured Floridians are Democrats? Andrew Gillum is betting that some Independents
and Republicans who are adequately insured actually give a damn about their less
fortunate neighbors – you know, those compassionate Conservatives.
Andrew Gillum thinks that Florida is ready for
common sense gun laws. Ron DeSantis boasts of his A-rating from the NRA. Does
it matter to him that 70% of NRA members
and 78% non-NRA gun owners are now in favor of comprehensive background checks?
Or that 70% of all Americans believe in stricter laws for assault weapons?
Is the DeSantis answer to preventing future
Parkland massacres to arm teachers? How will that sell with the fed-up David
Hogg/Emma Gonzalez generation and all those older folks inspired by their outrage-driven
activism?
Ron DeSantis won the nomination talking a lot to
Fox News – over 120 times since getting the Trump endorsement in December. Fox
provided a nice safe space to preach the simplistic Gospel of Trump. Andrew
Gillum won his party’s nomination having real conversations with everyone,
everywhere. He has the quiet fearlessness of a man who puts others first.
His opponent has not revealed much of a platform.
Until he figures one out, he will continue to pound Gillum with those “far out”
labels, doing everything possible to make them stick.
And Gillum will continue to answer: “For
Floridians who are struggling, these labels mean nothing.”
Courage, compassion, and common
sense. Radical.
There is so much more, but for now, my two minutes
are up.
