Discussion: Why Florida's Crackdown On Ballot Initiatives Is Such A Blow For Democrats

A simple fix. GET OFF YOUR FUCKING ASSES FLORIDA DEMS AND VOTE!

There endeth the PSA for today.

11 Likes

Here in VA, the Republicans have a one-vote majority in the state legislature, and they act as though itā€™s a mandate. They donā€™t care. Itā€™s the new thing - until theyā€™re in the minority of course. The one vote was won through a coin toss in which the Republican oddly did not feel compelled to show up.

5 Likes

And endlessly stupid state bordering others that vie for that same crown.

2 Likes

Well, not sure what went on in Florida in that election, but letā€™s just say that DeSantis and Scott got awfully lucky.

4 Likes

Hate to say it, but I believe itā€™s the truth: I donā€™t think it matters if 500K more Democratic voters than Republican voters show up. Theyā€™ve controlled the numbers there for decades now. They hold the keys to the electronic vote tally machines. They do not and never will play fair. No one on this earth can convince me that all those fucking numbnuts got legally voted in. Look for even more purges. I hate Republicans and wouldnā€™t shed a tear if they all dropped dead tonight.

13 Likes

Accprding to Republicans, democracy is unAmerican.

4 Likes

Absolutely weā€™ll vote.

My husband and I moved to Florida when he retired eleven years ago, to be close to our daughter (our only child), Florida-native son-in-law, and grandson (also an only child ā€“ itā€™s a trend!) Our grandson will be eligible to vote in 2024. Heā€™s rarinā€™ to go, actually, Heā€™s only 13, but his comments about Trump and Republicans in general are always hilariously on point.

5 Likes

Nothing like authoritarian Rethuglicans to tear apart American democracy.

So much for their oath to ā€œpreserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.ā€

Amen brother! A GOOD Republican is a DEAD Republican.

1 Like

Thereā€™s the very real fact of 70,000 or so votes in three states MI, PA and WI making the difference in the occupant being handed the election. Voters were this close to going for HRC until Comey spoke about her emails 11 days before the election, and they all ran towards him instead. Thatā€™s the Clinton campaignā€™s official position, but it was before the full extent of Russian interference was revealed.

2 Likes

Methinks the best response to this change is to put an initiative on the next ballot to repeal these changes. What better way to fight Republicanā€™s making it harder to do initiatives than to repeal the law by initiative.

Ya Luck like always
Missing ballots , Suppressed votes Gerrymandered districts , The Trump administration denying that several counties had been compromised saying that when Bill Nelson brought it up he was lying or crazy, handing the victory to Scott
"When U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was castigated by his Republican challenger, Gov. Rick Scott, last year for saying Russian hackers had broken into Florida voting systems, Nelsonā€™s colleague, Marco Rubio, was aware of the breach.
But Rubio couldnā€™t defend Nelson because a spokesman for the senator said he wasnā€™t allowed to divulge classified information.

Ya Luck

1 Like

Democrats lose massive elections because the Dem leadership is terrified of appearing partisan or ā€œmeanā€. Dems secretly know and agree that GOP policy benefits wealthy Democrats; but Dems must APPEAR to be outraged at GOP policy. Until Democrats start ā€œtaking no prisonersā€, until they stop shying away from kicking the living shit out of the putrid GOP monsters who think nothing of destroying our democracy, we will keep hearing stories of GOP victories all over America. Fuck the timid, spineless, pussy, frightened, cowed, reluctant, hesitant Democrats who continually bring a Nerf bat to a knife fight. Cut some throats. Kick some crotches. Break some legs. Cap some knees. Win some god damned elections. Wake the fuck up and realize youā€™re fighting sewer ratsā€¦so get in the fucking sewer with a fucking AK-47 and start taking out the god damn GOP scum. Or, is that just a bit to undignified for you?

4 Likes

So the voters of Florida vote for progressive ballot initiatives, but then a bunch of those voters vote for conservatives for office, who will then vehemently oppose the initiatives they voted for. This is a prime example of being so easily snookered that youā€™ll vote against your own interest.

1 Like

This is what happens when you take your foot off
the accelerator, even for a minute. After the 2000 debacle, youā€™d think the democrats would change their tactics and have some sort of a plan, other than kicking back, lighting up a fat one, and wait for those demographics to kick in and save their sorry asses in Florida while they still,had a chance. Instead, they keep fighting battles as if itā€™s still 1958, and that they are dealing with a sane Republican Party and voters that actually bother to show up.
At this point itā€™s over, Florida is officially a red state. Time to move on. The democrats can write another one off.

Iā€™m not here to defend Republicans, but Iā€™m a Floridian, and let me tell you that our ballot initiatives are often absurd and usually confusing.

1 Like

I have lived here for 60+ years; and the ballots are loaded with idiotic ā€˜initiativesā€™ā€¦sometimes I seriously doubtā€™whoā€™ is sponsoring the initiativeā€¦.all it takes to instigate change is the voteā€¦so use it,.even if you loseā€¦

Yes yes yes.

And I happen to be old enough to remember like it was fucking 10 AM this morning, how the Orange County Republican Machine in California for decades ginned up their base and made sure to turn out voters by the totally cynical inclusion of Ballot Initiatives almost every single election. From the Aggrieved White Person We Pay All The Taxes ballot initiatives of Howard Jarvis, to the Anti Gay Ballot Initiatives of Anita Bryant (which was National to be fair to Californian Republicans) to the Racist Aggrieved White People They Need to Speak English Only This is Amurica, Dammit ballot initiative that was the straw that broke the GOP in Californiaā€™s back.

Now, IOIYAR being a law of Physics akin to one of the Grand Theories of the Universe, the GOP is allowed to get away with taking this position. With a Straight Fucking Face.

The NY Ballot Initiatives are typically long, single space, written deliberately to induce sleepiness if not catatonic states and incapable of being read and thought about inside the (they no longer exist) Voting Booth. What they usually are in NY are to authorize the State to issue bonds to incur debt to do something. But you have to read them well before election day, maybe talk to friends and acquaintances or look up people writing about them on line.

If you do that, you can separate the valid important ones from the idiotic ones that some advocacy group got put on the ballot. But generally agree with the spirit of your statement.

Thing is, they used to be a favorite ploy of the Reagan and Post Reagan GOP. Now, they are Anarchist Attempts to Impose Direct Democracy Upon the Ideally Formulated by the Founding Fathers Glacial Pace of American Democracy which benefits the current National Dixiecrat Party.