Palm Beach Democrats backing off Maddox?
Maddox Suffers Another Blow
Scott Maddox's campaign for Governor will suffer another blow this weekend as leaders of the People's Choice P.A.C. of Palm Beach County dine Sunday night with Senator Rod Smith. In May, before Scott Maddox announced his candidacy for Governor several leaders of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party including Congressman Robert Wexler and local leader Andre Fladell announced support for Maddox according to the Palm Beach Post's George Bennent. The same group will dine with Congressman Jim Davis on August 28, and is likely to support either Davis or Smith over Maddox based on recent indications. The group claims to control the votes of as many as 75,000 likely Democratic Primary voters, a daunting number in a primary which is likely to only have between 500,000 and 750,000 votes cast statewide. Many Democratic strategists consider the group's leader Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson to be among the most influential and important Democratic leaders in the state.
Despite the sheer numbers the group claims to represent, the Democratic clubs that make up the P.A.C. largely endorsed Bill McBride over Janet Reno in 2002, and saw McBride get less than 33% of the vote in the areas they represent. The group also got beat badly in a hotly contested judicial race the same year. Despite this track record in the last Governor's race, the group is seen as an important factor in the 2006 race by each of the campaigns.
Rod Smith is thought to have a substantial advantage in courting this important group largely because he has had a much stronger presence in Southeast Florida thus far in the campaign than Jim Davis, and also because he is backed actively by Agricultural and Sugar interests, both of whom have lots of sway in local Democratic politics. Rod Smith is also thought to be favored candidate of Labor throughout the state. Jim Davis to this point has made little impression on the Southeast Florida poltical scene, though he is organizing successfully by all indications in Central and Southwest Florida, including in his home area of Tampa.
Scott Maddox's campaign for Governor will suffer another blow this weekend as leaders of the People's Choice P.A.C. of Palm Beach County dine Sunday night with Senator Rod Smith. In May, before Scott Maddox announced his candidacy for Governor several leaders of the Palm Beach County Democratic Party including Congressman Robert Wexler and local leader Andre Fladell announced support for Maddox according to the Palm Beach Post's George Bennent. The same group will dine with Congressman Jim Davis on August 28, and is likely to support either Davis or Smith over Maddox based on recent indications. The group claims to control the votes of as many as 75,000 likely Democratic Primary voters, a daunting number in a primary which is likely to only have between 500,000 and 750,000 votes cast statewide. Many Democratic strategists consider the group's leader Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson to be among the most influential and important Democratic leaders in the state.
Despite the sheer numbers the group claims to represent, the Democratic clubs that make up the P.A.C. largely endorsed Bill McBride over Janet Reno in 2002, and saw McBride get less than 33% of the vote in the areas they represent. The group also got beat badly in a hotly contested judicial race the same year. Despite this track record in the last Governor's race, the group is seen as an important factor in the 2006 race by each of the campaigns.
Rod Smith is thought to have a substantial advantage in courting this important group largely because he has had a much stronger presence in Southeast Florida thus far in the campaign than Jim Davis, and also because he is backed actively by Agricultural and Sugar interests, both of whom have lots of sway in local Democratic politics. Rod Smith is also thought to be favored candidate of Labor throughout the state. Jim Davis to this point has made little impression on the Southeast Florida poltical scene, though he is organizing successfully by all indications in Central and Southwest Florida, including in his home area of Tampa.
posted by Kartik at 10:33 PM
20 Comments:
More chances to beat up on Maddox? Pretty soon this pinata will finally be dead.
How strong is Jim Davis in the panhandle? Does he have a shot to cut into Rod Smith's base there?
I'll be at the dinner tomorrow night. It is nothing more than a chance to get to know the candidates, not specifically a rejection of Maddox. As a PAC who wants to see the best Democrat nominated we would not be doing our job if we didn't interview all the candidates and see who would make the best nominee.
As far as Reno versus McBride only part of what was posted is true. Some clubs like the United South County Club and Boynton Bech Democratic Club put McBride on the palm cards, while others like Kings Point and Boca did not bother to issue a palm card. It is worth noting that Scott Maddox was on all of the palm cards against Sheldon and Dyer and he won all of the polls in the area.
Kartik, according to this morning's Sun Sentinel you are radioactive. Why don't you do us all a favor and move back to Broward and leave Palm Beach alone.
Well we learned today that Kartik isn't thought much of by the clique running things in Palm Beach. No wonder Jeff keeps attacking him!
I'm so sick of you folks attacking Kartik. He is putting issues on this blog, not promoting his personal business. I'm proud of the work he did against Commissioner Aaronson, because all he did was attempt to get the documented truth known. You think your Commissioner is so great - as a Club President, I'm not invited to the dinner tomorrow night because Mr. Aaronson knows that I have a mind of my own. Do we want the future of this party to be made up of open-minded individuals, or do we want sheep? If you have a problem with what Kartik writes, start your own blog and spend your time posting there.
Our party needs to be more disciplined like the Republicans are. Free Spirits like Robert Watson and the editor of this blogsite are big big problems for the party. We have leaders, like Burt Aaronson. We now must allow them to truly lead us, rather than trying to stop them from doing the jobs we NEED them to do for all of us Democrats.
Speaking of Andre' Fladell we are going to have a feature in the near future on his role in blocking the Sawgrass Expressway's prporsed path into Palm Beach County in the 1980s.
The issue of Sawgrass extension is once again a hot button issue and sure to create divided feelings about traffic flow and the environment.
Regading the 527 that I consulted for last election cycle, any public officials public record is just that: s public record- every direct mail piece we designed dealt with documented issues from newspapers and county minutes. I believe Commissioner Aaronson, like any other public official (including Bill Clinton and Jeb Bush) needs to be held accountable for her/his record. We did not advocate the defeat of Aaronson in any way but simply exposed facts related to his time in office.
Jeff, I am not sure why working against Aaronson constitutes a lack of loyalty to the Democratic Party. If telling the truth about a local politician is hurting the statewide party, a party which I have spent many years trying to help turn around, a party which currently holds a total of 7 of the 48 most competetive legisaltive and Congressional seats in the state, (for those scoring at home that means the Democrats hold 15% of the competetive seats in the state: with those numbers it is no wonder the GOP sees the Ds as a complete non entity in the state) than I am very guilty. (My calculation for a competetive seat is any seat where partisan performance one way or another is under 54%).
Despite frivilous opposition from local yokels who don't have any idea what the rest of the state is like (and that the Democrats have no power whatsoever in most of the state), and just seek to dominate their local backwater areas, I will continue to work with Democrats across the state to make areas like the I-4 corridor, Southwest Florida and First Coast more competetive and hospitable to Democratic candidates.
Any excuse or justification you give doesn't justify what you did to a good man, Commisioner Aaronson.
You should publicily apologize to him for dragging his good name through the mud and hurting the Democratic Party at the same time.
You sheep make me embarrased to say I'm a Democrat. I've been a D since before I could vote, having grown up in a northern union family. But I always looked at issues over party registration when I was up north, because I couldn't support an extremist like Governor Casey was. It doesn't mean I supported the Republican, but I didn't support someone that so obviously wanted to work to take away the rights of women. Now what do I do? I can not in good faith become a Republican, but your blind loyalty is what is going to continue to run this party into the ground. I have been in Florida for 8 years now, and have not seen proof of building this party up yet. We're too busy fighting amongst ourselves, and not being allowed to have our own opinions. We as a party need some serious help...and fresh ideas, or we are going to keep losing.
Beth, you need some serious help. Taking shots at the leadership will only further undermine our cause.
this is the stuff what makes our Fl Dem party a laughing stock.
Aaronson is a well established pro development candidate who takes money from every special interest under the sun, one of his main allies on the Commission is a Republican, his consultants have worked for Republicans. His big play on national TV was to back Bush for the Iraq War. Even his friends say he's not a nice guy and a bit of a bully.
Now the point some are making is that Aaronson could do what he wants and help Republicans whenever he wants. His consultants can do the same.
However, if Kartik challanges Aaaronson who is about as far from a saint as it gets - that's off limits.
Even if we do what Jeff does and worship Aaronson and pretend he's our strange God, too. What does that accomplish? Do we really believe here that Aaronson is holding the liberal I have been a Democrat forever condo base in our camp - otherwise they are going to vote Republican? Is Aaronson's 50,000 or whatever he can donate to the party the absolute key to take back our state. Come on, we can't be that insane.
I am sure the Republicans are loving debates like this. I am sure they are squirming about Aaronson.
Kartik has been involved with Democrat campaigns for eons.
When you run a race obviously you have to have an opponent. Most candidates are classy enough to understand the process and don't hate the opposition for life or run a vendatta against them.
Aaronson and his supporters on this board really show no class at all. How arrogant it is for anyone to say that their candidate should skate the democratic process and have no one run against them.
How silly is it to imply that long time liberal condo Democratic voters would vote Republican or not vote period if it wasn't for Aaronson telling them what to do.
And there are a ton of elected officials who give lots of money to the Democratic party - and they get Democratic opposition without whining about it.
It would be cool of Aaronson and his weird cult would start showing some class.
All they are doing is telling the state how insecure they are and how much they fear Kartik as if he is Luke Skywalker who is ready to slay their Darth Vadar.
They should get a life and get over their fears of Kartik. They can say what they want but they are clearly petrified of him otherwise they would just ignore him.
Kartik I am sure has other things to think about as opposed to Aaronson and his cult groupies on this board.
I doubt the GOP has so many nuts in their party who worship leaders as if they are some sort of religious cult figure and are resting on these people to take them to the promised land.
If we really believe that Aaronson represents our best chance to recapture our state - we are going to be the minority party for the next century.
We need Burt to get out the Senior vote in 08'!
The leadership agrees that if you work against Aaronson, you are haerdly a Democrat. We are all team players in this part of the world and unlike Kasrtik we are not self promoters who are availible for the highest bidder.
I will be sneding a letter to Commissioner Aaronson, Chairman Mahmood and CCing Karen Thurman asking for Kartik Krishnaiyer to be banned from all future events in Palm Beach County as he is obviously working with the GOP closely to undermine our party and its candidates. With spies like him in our midst no wonder we keep losing.
adam...
Kartik is not a member of the DEC in Palm Beach County, and he is entitled to work for non-establishment Democrats in primaries. I don't always agree with his choices, for example, I am personally supporting Senator Klein. But at least I don't get my knickers in such a twist, as you apparently do. By the way, take that sheep mask off. Oh yeah...I was informed last week that Chairman Mahmood publicly announced his own endorsement for Mr. Maddox, stating that he was willing to be fired over it. Should we remove him as Chair?
Wahid Mahmood???????????? say whaaaaaat!
OK so in your eyes its OK for Aaronson's consultants Barry Epstein and Patriot Games to work sometimes for Republicans -- they freely admit they do...but Kartik is accused of being a Republican because he helps a Democrat in a Democratic primary. You guys are either the biggest hypocrites or insane.
I just found out that long-time pro-union Dem Sol Silverman passed away today. I'm sure he was very proud of the work that Kartik did on the 527...he after all, told everyone about a certain person in New Jersey who consistently worked against the unions there.
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