I do not see a date on this, but it must have been before the last gubernatorial election in 2006 when Crist was elected.
It helps gives some insight into why our Florida Democrats act as they do. It helps me to see things like this also. I feel completely alienated from my Democratic community here right now. I have been searching for answers.
This is from the Tallahassee Magazine.
Northwest Florida conservative Democrats could determine who sits in the Governor’s officeBlue Dogs are rural, white, traditional Southerners who register as Democrats but often vote Republican. They usually are the key to victory in Florida elections, because, as people say in Northwest Florida, Blue Dogs don’t necessarily “go home from the dance with the one who brung ’em.” They register as Democrats but vote for Republicans in state and national elections – unless the Democratic candidates are conservative Southerners like themselves. With Florida Republicans outnumbered by Democrats by more than 345,000 voters, Republicans cannot win statewide elections unless Blue Dogs cross party lines to support them. By the same token, Democrats cannot win unless they can keep Blue Dogs in the yard. The decisive role of Northwest Florida voters was made patently clear in 1994, when Jeb Bush lost his first bid for governor because Blue Dogs supported the reelection of self-proclaimed “Florida Cracker” Lawton Chiles. After Chiles stepped down at the end of his second term in 1998 and the Democrats failed to nominate another Southern populist, Blue Dog Democrats supported Bush, who won by a solid margin with their backing.
I wonder then why it is any surprise that people like me who question motives and intents when the state party does things like putting blame on the national party and urging people not to donate to them.....is it is wonder hubby and I feel isolated? It is like another world of Democrats here.
Florida’s Blue Dog counties are likely to be the main battleground in this year’s gubernatorial election because they are home to the state’s largest bloc of swing voters. The Republican candidate for governor will run strong in Southwest Florida, Pensacola and Jacksonville, while the Democratic nominee will do well in Southeast Florida, Gainesville and Tallahassee. This will leave the election to be decided by Blue Dogs in Northwest Florida and non-Cuban Hispanics around Orlando.
Oh, and about that Bill McBride/Janet Reno thing? I have to admit hubby and I took the wrong side in that campaign. We worked closely with McBride's county chairperson here, and we became friends even though they were Republicans who were shunned because of their support for a Democrat. Yes, we were wrong. Reno should have been the choice.
SO..under the heading of what I did not know before:
The high turnout of Blue Dogs was the key to Bill McBride’s stunning victory over Janet Reno and Daryl Jones in the Democratic gubernatorial primary of 2002. Florida has 25 counties in which a majority voted Republican in the disputed 2000 presidential election – even though at least 60 percent of their registered voters are Democrats. Not only did McBride poll a majority of the primary votes in every one of these Blue Dog counties, his average across them was 62 percent of the votes cast.
And here's something about last year's race between Jim Davis and Rod Smith for Governor.
For Democrats Davis and Smith, the key to victory will be the same in both the primary and the general election, namely, successfully appealing to the Blue Dogs in rural North Florida. So far, Davis has been doing this by lining up endorsements from political leaders popular in the state’s Blue Dog regions. Davis is the odds-on favorite to win the Democratic primary because he already has been endorsed by former governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, whose supporters in Northwest Florida used to be called “Graham Crackers.” Davis also has attracted the support of Rhea Chiles, the widow of Florida’s archetypical Blue Dog, Lawton Chiles.
Still, Smith should not be counted out. He is popular among Blue Dogs, not only because he has a populist political philosophy, but also because he has a personal style or charisma that has long been popular in the rural South. t is perhaps best described oxymoronically as a sort of affable toughness or friendly hostility that combines redneck meanness with relaxed courtesy. Chiles had it, as did former Florida Gov. Reubin Askew. These legends of Florida politics won statewide elections against unfavorable odds by forcefully but politely confronting powerful special interests and advocating for ordinary people.
I don't like reading this stuff, but it helps me understand why...when I tried to explain to some of my mailing lists that Florida was not telling the truth about the primary, I was told not to make waves. I was told we needed to win and be solidly together.
Solidly together with those trying to crash the fundraising of the DNC and boosting themselves as the morally righteous? Solidly together with not being honest? There is an oddness here, and that group can't explain it all. But it gives another clue.