Making Florida a Blue State, One Election at a Time
This Saturday, November 5th 2016 The LGBT Alliance will be tabling at the PRIDE CENTER in Wilton Manors from 8am to 2pm
HRC Broward Will be one of our special Guests Along with Congressman Ted Duetch
As we Promote Progressive Candidates and Civic Associations and events
Come meet our Local Candidates for office
It gets a huge crowd weather pending
We will be here every first Saturday till after the November election
So, we really dodged a bullet with Matthew. But it has put a dent in our voter registration efforts. Remember all voter registration forms must be submitted to the Supervisor of Elections Office by Tuesday at 5 PM.
My wife and I have received our ballots by mail, and are using this time to complete them. If you have received your ballots, and need any help with any of the races, just give me a call. I will be voting NO on Constitutional Amendment No. 1, the Solar Energy Amendment, and YES on Constitutional Amendment No. 2, the Medical Marijuana Amendment. (I have included at the end of this message the reasoning for my no vote on the Solar Energy Amendment. – Please share.)
I will be delivering our ballots in person to the Supervisor of Elections Office. If you would like me to deliver yours as well, just give me a call and drop off your ballot(s).
John Ziegler has also organized shifts for voter registration at the West Regional Library on Saturday and Sunday. If you can help out, please contact John at johnjoeziegler@aol.com or 954-232-3918.
There will also be canvassing once again this coming Saturday and Sunday. Let me know if you’d like to help.
There will be a MiniVan Training on Sunday October 9th, at 6:00PM and 7:00PM at the Broward Democratic Party Headquarters, 8320 West Sunrise Blvd, Suite 203, Plantation, FL 33322. This will prepare you to use your smartphone to knock on Democratic doors in your neighborhood. Please RSVP HERE!
On Monday, October 10th, from 6 to 7:30 PM, there will be a friend-raiser Rally for Hillary Clinton, sponsored by Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Nan Rich, at Scuotto’s Pizza & Pasta, 3455 N. Hiatus Road (& Oakland Park), in Sunrise. The chairs for this event are Steven Schultz, Caryn Grainer Dunn, and Elaine Geller. Please RSVP to Caryn Grainer Dunn at 954-483-6372 or caryn.grainer@gmail.com.
Finally, save the date for the Plantation Democratic Club meeting which has been changed this month to Tuesday, October 25th. We have very exciting news about that meeting. We will be welcoming back to the Club our own Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz! The meeting will start at 7 PM at the Deicke Auditorium.
It’s time to start getting out the vote. Please help!
Alan
954-472-6211
Here is my take on the Solar Amendment. Please share with all people on your lists:
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 1 was put on the ballot, as Phil Busey has pointed out, “because the utility companies and right-wing political groups such as Ralph Reed’s Florida Faith and Freedom Coalition paid over $7 million to put it on the ballot.” This amendment is designed to really “put one over” on unsuspecting voters by using deceptive language to make voters think it’s something it isn’t. Called the “Rights of Electricity Consumers Regarding Solar Energy Choice ” Amendment, it is nothing of the sort. While it gives consumers the right to own or lease solar equipment on their property, the real point of this amendment is contained in the last sentence which days that “consumers who do not choose to install solar are not required to subsidize the costs of backup power and electrical grid access to those who do.” As I understand it, up until now, people generating more energy than they need with solar equipment, could sell the excess to the grid, meaning less revenue for the utility companies. What the amendment will do to that kind of subsidy is unclear.
When the Florida Supreme Court barely approved the ballot language by a 4 to 3 vote, Justice Barbara Pariente wrote a very sharp dissent: “Let the pro-solar energy consumers beware. Masquerading as a pro-solar energy initiative, this proposed constitutional amendment, supported by some of Florida’s major investor-owned electric utility companies, actually seeks to constitutionalize the status quo. The ballot title is affirmatively misleading by its focus on ‘Solar Energy Choice”, when no real choice exists for those who favor expansion of solar energy.” Pariente goes on to emphasize that the word “subsidize” is vague and open to wildly different interpretations. She is suggesting that utility companies could use the amendment to block cheaper competitors, by claiming that they are insufficiently regulated or that they somehow impose a subsidy.
There is a rival proposal that is much better, sponsored by Floridians for Solar Choice. That group said an amendment was, as a Sun-Sentinel Editorial put it, “necessary to allow solar firms and individuals with rooftop solar to provide alternatives to Florida’s big utilities, which have been using their economic and political clout to squelch competition.” They were not, however, able to collect enough signatures to get that proposed amendment on the ballot.
So, in summary, vote NO on Amendment 1!
[Reposted – from a Broward Democratic Party email]
Broward Democrats,
As many of you know, the Coordinated Campaign has been doing a great job here in Broward building the groundwork for the 2016 election cycle. They have been reaching out to the community, hiring locally, and doing everything they can to ensure that our volunteers are well-trained and ready to get Democrats elected up and down the ballot in November.
I am especially proud of their commitment to finding talent in our community, and I want to thank the local Democratic Club and Democratic Caucus leadership for their help. I would like to especially thank Black Caucus President Corey Shearer and Hispanic Caucus President Daniel Mulieri who have been working with Broward Democratic Party Deputy Political Director and GOTV Coordinator David Metellus to take the lead on connecting their communities with the campaigns.
Now it’s our turn to contribute. Below are a few things that we can do to move the campaign forward. Whether it is connecting volunteers with the appropriate organizer, volunteering a few hours ourselves, or finding a supporter housing host, it is all of our responsibility to make sure that Broward is able to turn out the vote to win in November. As you can see from the schedule below, there are opportunities to get involved across the county. Take this opportunity to work to improve the Democratic community, and ensure that citizens are able to exercise their right to vote in your part of Broward.
Thank you all for making Broward a leader in Democratic Community Organizing!
Travis Perron
Executive Director – Broward Democratic Party
Supporter Housing
The Florida Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign is looking for people who have a spare bed or couch who could house a staffer/intern/volunteer on a short or long term basis. Helping with supporter housing is a great way to support our campaign to elect Hillary Clinton and Democrats down the ballot, as well as get to know a passionate person involved with our organization! Please fill out this short survey if you can help out! We are looking for short term hosts (2 weeks) and long term hosts (more than 2 weeks).
Weekend of Action
To mark the official end of the primary season the Coordinated Campaign will have a volunteer Weekend of Action to engage our rapidly growing base of volunteers here in Broward County. Below you can find the information for events near you and the contact information for your specific organizer.
Organizer: Monty Miller
Region: Plantation/Sunrise
Contact Info: mmiller@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Sunday, June 19th
WHO: You
WHAT: Voter Registration
WHERE: West Regional Library, 8601 W Broward Blvd, Plantation, FL
WHEN: Shift Times are 10 AM, 12 PM 2 PM, and 4 PM
Organizer: William Sullivan
Region: Weston
Contact Info: wsullivan@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Saturday, June 18th
WHO: You
WHAT: House Party
WHERE: TBD
Organizer: Irving Alejo
Region: Davie, Miramar, Pembroke Pines
Contact Info: ialejo@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Saturday, June 18th
WHO: You
WHAT: Voter Registration
WHERE: South Regional Library, 7300 Pines Blvd, Pembroke Pines, FL
WHEN: Shift Times are 10 AM, 1 PM
Organizer: Mikaela Rear
Region: Hollywood
Contact Info: mrear@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Saturday, June 18th
WHO: You
WHAT: Voter Registration
WHERE: 1221 S 21st Ave, Hollywood
WHEN: Shift Times are 9:30 AM, 1 PM
Organizer: Kate McClellan
Region: Pompano Beach, Coconut Creek
Contact Info: kmcclellan@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Saturday, June 18th
WHO: You
WHAT: Voter Registration
WHERE: Emma Lou Olsen Center, 1801 NE 6th Street, Pompano Beach
WHEN: Shift Times are 10 AM, 12 PM and 2 PM
Organizer: Bob Sciranko
Region: Fort Lauderdale
Contact Info: bsciranko@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Saturday, June 18th
WHO: You
WHAT: Voter Registration
WHERE: Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride, 2266 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors
WHEN: Shift Times are 12 PM, 2 PM, 4 PM, 6 PM
Organizer: Jon Freeman
Region: Deerfield Beach and the Coast
Contact Info: jfreeman@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Saturday, June 18th
WHO: You
WHAT: Voter Registration
WHERE: Wilton Manors Stonewall Pride, 2266 Wilton Drive, Wilton Manors
WHEN: Shift Times are 12 PM, 12 PM and 2 PM
Organizer: Jaquese Smith
Region: Tamrac/Margate/Lauderhill
Contact Info: jsmith@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Saturday, June 18th
WHO: You
WHAT: Voter Registration
WHERE: Florida Juneteenth Festival @ Mills Pond Park, 2201 Northwest 9th Avenue, Fort Lauderdale
WHEN: Shift Times are 12 PM and 3 PM
Organizer: Chris Hill
Region: Coral Springs/Parkland
Contact Info: chill@flvictory2016.org
Weekend of Action Event Details- Saturday, June 18th
WHO: You
WHAT: Voter Registration
WHERE: Northwest Regional Library, 3151 N University Drive
WHEN: Shift Times are 10 AM, 12 PM and 2 PM
From: Alan G. Ehrlich <pan1@comcast.net>
Subject: Join Us Just About Every Day This Week and Come to the Pot Luck Party on Saturday!
It’s going to be a great week of campaign activities, ending on Saturday, September 13th with a Day on Action and a pot-luck party at my house!
But first, I have bumper stickers, yard signs, and flyers available AT NO COST. Call & stop by to get yours!
Volunteers continue to be needed for phone banking from 6 to 8 PM on Monday evenings at the Broward Democratic Party Office at 1832 North University Drive in Plantation (at University and Sunrise). If you can help out, please contact Cynthia Busch at ofacynthia@gmail.com or John Ziegler at 954-232-3918 or johnjoeziegler@aol.com.
The next meeting of the Plantation Democratic Club will be held on Tuesday, September 9th at 7:30 PM. We will be discussing many of the issues on the ballot in November. In addition to representatives of the Crist Campaign, Mayor Diane Bendekovic will present information on the Plantation Charter Amendments, a representative of the School Board will discuss the proposed Bond referendum, and Cynthia Busch will explain the importance of continuing funding for the Children’s Services Council. The Plantation Democratic Club meets at the Deicke Auditorium, 5701 Cypress Road, just east of Fig Tree Lane and just north of Broward Blvd., in Plantation. We look forward to seeing you there. Refreshments and coffee will be served.
We will be back out at the West Regional Library on Wednesday and Thursday, September 10th and 11th, from 10:30 AM to 2 PM. I would love to see some new faces out there with me, so please let me know if you can help out on those days.
And Saturday, September 13th will be a Day of Action in West Broward. Volunteers are needed to make phone calls, knock on doors, register voters, and enter data, in 2-hour shifts starting at 10 AM. You can work out of the following locations:
The Crist for Governor Plantation Campaign Office at 302 S. University Drive (just south of Broward Blvd., on the east side of University, right next to the Boston Market.) If you can work at this location, please contact Leah McCrae at 954-256-3688 or plantation@charliecrist.com.
The Crist for Governor Sunrise Campaign Office at 4694 NW 103 Avenue in Sunrise. If you can work out of this location, please contact Tanisha Rose at 954-591-4189.
If you want to register voters on Saturday, please contact John Ziegler at 954-232-3918 or johnjoeziegler@aol.com.
And if you would like to help on Saturday by knocking on Democratic doors, please contact me or David Hughes at 813-300-8488.
We will cap off our Day of Action with a Pot-Luck Party at my house (Alan and Shoshanna Ehrlich) from 6:30 to 9 PM. We are at 9411 NW 10 Street in Jacaranda Lakes in Plantation (just south of Sunrise and just west of Pine Island.) Bring a small dish to share with our Democratic friends and volunteers. PLEASE RSVP SO THAT WE’LL HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE COMING. (Charlie Crist has been invited.)
Alan
954-472-6211
We are organizing a Charlie Crist phone bank 3 times a week from my office in Deerfield Beach. (My office is right off I-95 and Hillsboro Blvd) We meet once on the weekend and twice during the week. Anyone interested in helping out is free to contact me and I will provide the exact times for the week. We need to get the maximum number of Democrats to vote from home this November so that we can get rid of Rick.
Law Office of Darren Covar
10 Fairway Drive, Suite 202
Deerfield Beach, 33441
Darren.Covar@yahoo.com
One of the people who comments regularly on this blog lately harps on this, and an attendee at this week’s Plantation Democratic Club appearance by Nan Rich also raised the issue: how can she possibly win when Charlie Crist is starting out with more name recognition and is attracting more press and more money. Worse, Gov. Rick Scott for all his negatives, is rolling in corporate campaign cash — more than any Democrat is likely to match.
There’s no question that this is a problem, not only for Nan Rich but for Democracy. Yet I hate to see Dems making some kind of realpolitik calculation that Crist is the candidate to support because he has more money. There is also a self-fulfilling prophecy at work here, where money follows money and press follows press.
Nan Rich is a former state legislator, who most recently served as Minority Leader in the Senate — which means she is used to working against the odds. She readily agreed that she can’t win on the strength of a grassroots campaign alone — she needs supporters to donate to her campaign as well. She needs to capture the imagination and attention of enough supporters who are willing to write checks as well as volunteer that she narrows the money gap and can start to gain ground.
But she also says that as she travels around the state, she hears a lot of people talking about the way Rick Scott got into office in the first place:
I don’t want to beat up on Crist too much — if he is the nominee, of course I will support him over Rick Scott. But my fear is that he will win a Democratic primary only to fade fast in the general election, based on all the contradictions in his past. As Nan told the Plantation Democrats, one of the reasons we need a Democratic governor is to restore or maintain balance on the State Supreme Court — and one of the reasons we have to be worried is because of the right wing justices Crist appointed during his time in office. Some of the Democratic legislators who served with Crist liked him because he could be so much more reasonable and willing to bend than his predecessor, Jeb Bush. But even when he did the right thing, it was always hard to know whether he did it for the right reason or out of pure political calculation. The trouble is, he was equally willing to bend to pressure from the right when that was to his political advantage.
On the other hand, there were many times when Crist did do the right thing for whatever reason, leaving us wondering why he stuck with the Republican party for so long. I’d like to hope that, if he does become our nominee, we will see him behave more consistently and convince us of his ability to do the right thing for the right reason.
Yet why not choose a candidate who has been standing up for Democratic principles all along? Nan Rich was often in the position of trying to stop bad legislation brought forth under both the Crist and Scott administrations to privatize prisons and schools or limit a woman’s reproductive rights. With a veto pen in her hand, she could do that even more effectively — and maybe even start to push the state forward.
What impresses me most about Nan Rich is how hard she is working at this campaign. Crist can afford to coast along with a sense of entitlement. Nan knows she has to fight for the nomination. She has been crisscrossing the state, spending as much time in rural areas of the state that rarely see a Democratic candidate as she is in Broward. Her theory is that she will need supporters in those places later in the game, when she really does have to concentrate her energies in Democratic strongholds like Broward. She also needs people in all those places who will write into the local paper and make some noise when articles talk about a race between Crist and Scott, forgetting to even mention her.
“Grassroots is not the only thing that’s important, but I think it’s more important than most people realize at this stage,” she said.
Find out more at www.nanrich2014.com
Editor’s note: This blog is a community resource. Members with other opinions are equally welcome to post (within our editorial guidelines).
Florida is facing serious challenges in the coming years: cracking down on public corruption, ending the proliferation of pill mills, going after con artists who prey on seniors, putting criminals and street gangs behind bars, fighting mortgage fraud and taking on BP. Florida’s next Attorney General will be responsible for all of these, and there is only one Democratic candidate with the broad legal experience to meet these challenges: Dan Gelber.
Dan was born into a family of public service – his father was a prosecutor and judge, and his mother was a public school teacher. After graduating from law school, Dan followed the path of public service and was appointed one of the youngest Federal prosecutors in America. He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for nearly a decade and managed hundreds of attorneys in the Miami office while prosecuting thousands of cases – the only Democratic candidate with actual jury trial experience and management experience.
Later, Dan served as Chief Counsel in the U.S. Senate’s investigations committee, tracking down international terrorist networks all over the world. He investigated the Oklahoma City bombing, the Atlanta Olympic bombing and the Japanese subway attacks, among other cases.
In the Legislature, Dan spent eight years in the Florida House, including a term as the House Democratic Leader where he fought for Democratic principles as one of the most effective Minority Leaders ever. Shortly after 9/11, he was chosen by the Republican leadership to write most of Florida’s domestic security and terrorism laws. He is currently a State Senator representing Miami-Dade and parts of Broward County.
Dan has been endorsed by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, incoming Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich, Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, every Democratic State Attorney who has endorsed, the Broward Teachers Union and many others.
10 out of 10 newspapers statewide – a clean sweep – have endorsed Dan, saying:
The under-the-radar race for Attorney General is one of Florida’s most important, given the challenges we face. Experience matters, and I strongly encourage you, as Broward activists, leaders and voters, to consider my good friend Dan Gelber as your choice for Florida’s next Attorney General. Check out www.DanGelber.com for more details.
The primary election is August 24th, and we need more than your vote – we need your help to canvass, make phone calls and help at Early Vote locations. Contact me at franco@dangelber.com for more details, and thanks for all that you do.
Franco Ripple, Vice President of Political Affairs, Broward Young Democrats
“I hope you will join me in voting for my friend, Dave Aronberg, for Florida Attorney General.
Dave has the best experience to be Attorney General, as he is the only one in this race who actually worked in the AG’s office. He served under Bob Butterworth as an Assistant Attorney General in the economic crimes division, where he took on consumer fraud and financial scams.
As a White House Fellow, Dave served as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury Department for international money laundering, including the laundering of terrorist assets.
Dave’s experience in protecting public safety has led 18 Democratic Sheriffs to endorse him. In fact, every endorsing Democratic Sheriff has endorsed Dave in this race, making the count 18 to 0. Dave also has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police and the Police Benevolent Association, making Dave the clear choice of the law enforcement community.
For the past 8 years, Dave Aronberg has distinguished himself as State Senator, where he has been called the “strongest consumer advocate” by both the Sun-Sentinel and Fort Myers News-Press, and a “fierce consumer advocate” by the Tampa Tribune. He has gained national attention for his work to keep our streets safer from sex offenders and has passed landmark legislation that safeguards our privacy from the growing threat of identity theft.
See for yourself at www.davearonberg.com <http://www.davearonberg.com/> why Dave Aronberg is the best choice for Attorney General. Our state needs real change, and Dave will be the one to shake up the status quo.
The Democratic primary election is August 24th – so please spread the word!
Sincerely,
Ron Mills
Please help Dave out at the polls for early voting and election day. Email Aronberg@therbuzz.com or Call Ron Mills
From: Abe Dyk <kendrickforflorida@kendrickmeek.com>
Date: Sun, Aug 8, 2010 at 9:34 AM
Subject: On the ground
With just 16 days until the August 24 primary, it’s all hands on deck.
We know you have done so much already, but with so little time left, we can’t let up. I am telling you — what we do on the ground over the next week will be the difference between victory and defeat.
Our dedicated army of grassroots activists has been on the ground for months, but they need help to get the word out about Kendrick before next week’s primary. I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t so important. Will you join our team of volunteers?
Click here to join our thousands of volunteers and help Kendrick in the final stretch.
Over the next 16 days, our volunteers are going to make over 120,000 phone calls and knock on over 65,000 doors. Together, they are making sure voters all across Florida know about the only real Democrat in this race — Kendrick Meek. They are also making sure voters know that Kendrick has been endorsed by papers all across Florida including the St. Petersburg Times, Palm Beach Post, Pensacola News Journal, Naples Daily News, and Sarasota Herald Tribune. The endorsements lauded Kendrick saying he has a “commitment to the state,” is “a loyal Democrat,” has a “grasp of the issues,” and “shares [Democrats’] ideas and beliefs.”
The bottom line is, the more undecided voters hear about Kendrick, the more they want to join our campaign. We need your help to reach these voters. But Florida is a big state, and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover. With tomorrow marking the start of Early Voting, the timing couldn’t be more critical.
Together, we can win on August 24, but you are part of our plan for victory. We can’t leave anything on the table.
Click here to sign up to volunteer today and help us get out the vote.
Thanks,
Abe Dyk
Campaign Manager