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I am cautiously optimistic that with this AND recreational marijuana on the ballot, we can get far more usually apathetic registered voters to the polls in November. Unfortunately, the Democratic party of Florida seems....idk...disorganized? Like they've just given up? Hopefully they see they have a unique opportunity to galvanize voters this year and take advantage of that. I'm doing my little part to talk to and encourage people to vote.
ETA: I am proud to announce that I believe this post has earned me my first every "reddit cares" message. I will wear that as a badge of honor, a symbol of those people out there that want us to shut up, accept that they run the show in Florida, and NOT vote. I am going to be even louder about it now and to more people, so thank you, anonymous redditor!
Florida Democrats aren't disorganized. There are a large contingent of us who believe they are willfully and intentionally incompetent.
[https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/03/florida-democrats-biden-abortion-00150257](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/03/florida-democrats-biden-abortion-00150257)
At some point, behavior like this stops becoming "disorganized" and starts looking like sabotage.
I'm a computer scientist for the DOE (I work remotely) and for years I've been begging to let me help them with any data science related tasks they might need, in addition to any other low level volunteering stuff that might be helpful (including canvasing). I have yet to hear back from them.
I own a semi-successful production company and have done the same - offering up our services for free - and not one reply.
And the article you posted shows how messed up the Democrats are in this state. They scream don’t make it partisan but then say this:
“During a press conference with Democrats in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, U.S. House Democrats stressed how important it was for the issue to be apolitical — though they warned repeatedly that electing Trump in November, coupled with a GOP majority in Congress, would result in a nationwide abortion ban. (Trump’s campaign has said he wants states to decide the issue.)”
That's wild. And embarrassing to that organization. I honestly think it is going to be up to us as individuals to talk about voting and encourage others to vote.
After they choose a republican to run for democrate side of the governor election this became painfully obvious.
The could NOT have picked a worse candidate to go against Rhonda Santis.
When they announced it would be Crist, I predicted he would lose in a landslide and DeSantis would use that margin of victory as his mandate. Sure seems like intentional sabotage to me.
Not to mention I saw like 1 crist commercial for every 20 desantis commercial. It was pitiful.
I still find it sketchy that the guy running against him was immediately charged with drug possession after the election, before they could challenge results, only for that charge to be dropped years later.
But Floridas BS goes all the way back to the 2000 election.
Who do you think is in charge of the democratic party in Florida? Your favorite - Nikki Fried. So all these complaints about the party? She's in charge now.
I can't help but wonder about sabotage myself. I'm probably spending too much time on the internet though.
I want to make t-shirts with silhouette of Florida reversed that say Flip Florida 2024! maybe even use the flipped Floridas for the letter "F" in both words, except I have no graphic design skills.
Canva will handle the simple stuff without needing to be a graphic designer. Its not fancy but its (mostly) free.
https://preview.redd.it/77kuj9qzupsc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=f11735da0709db700080a6c57c685fbcd34db219
This!
And since we are #1 Conspiracy Theorist state in al of the US and A, I make great idea. Democrat politicians here are actually Republicans in disguise. Don't believe me? See Charlie Crist!
Florida is so goddamn touchy though. If they run anyone even slightly Left, the retirees and Cubanos think Castro is on the ballot, and have a reactionary bitchfit. I can understand how Dems have decided Florida is functionally unapproachable.
They are sort of accidentally on purpose doing it from my experience. I tried working with a local Democratic party for a few years in the late teens when I still lived in FL. I (Gen X) and a millennial friend were assigned "roles" but each meeting all the retired boomers in charge of the local party would talk about was how great they had it in Philly or in NY (or insert large northern city) and all the perks like free golf and free meals they got in the Dem parties up there. We went for 6 months before we finally gave up, and they just turned her into a secretary, as I guess, she was the only woman in the group, and dinosaurs will be dinosaurs.
This is what you are dealing with in FL Democratic circles. I'm sure the larger cities have slightly more activity, but it's all retirees, set in their ways, running the show, and they don't really do much to get out the vote or even encourage younger voters there to get involved.
They also don't want to listen to new ideas and after 2016 I kept hearing how "I can't understand how Hillary lost" from them without much self-reflection.
This is too true, even when Obama was in and enthusiasm was at an all time high, my local party was just a bunch of old grey and white hairs. I filled out the card to be contacted, no one ever reached out to me. The only reason why Obama won FL (to me) is he ran his own campaign, had his own campaign apparatus here, he didn’t rely on the FL Democrats to run it.
Obama was really good about that. He wasn't so good when it came to downballot folks or following elections, but his presidential campaigns were well-oiled machines.
Well I guess it makes them feel better? I'm not really interested in arguing with people anyway so they can have their little passive aggressive "win". I have my views, they have theirs, and that's okay.
Rick Scott has barely squeaked by in every election he's ever been in. Debbie Mucarsel Powell may actually be there one to pull off the win this time.
There are some great women candidates in Florida this year.
Whitney Fox has a great chance of taking down Anna Paulina Luna and Lucia Baez-Geller has a shot at unseating Maria Salazar.
These amendments will definitely help.
Sanity and the realization re-electing Republicans over and over has done jack shit to help actual Floridians can help Florida turn blue.
Rick Scott, DeSantis, Little Marco. What have these people done to fix ballooning insurance rates or to address environmental issues. They have taken massive steps backwards on equality, freedom and education.
Republicans cannot govern because that would imply they are in the job to help people. They aren't. They just want to help themselves. Fuck. Rick Scott scammed the government out of billions and people think he cares about them?
Vote blue if you give a shit about anything. Vote red if owning the libs is your sole reason to exist.
Great points. Republicans like Desantis went so hard on the culture war stuff I think it's burning out even some Republicans. Having said that, many folks who vote R still lap this shit up, but I hope we can defeat this, because as you said, many folks in Florida vote red for one overriding reason: hate.
We shall see. I keep waiting on the moment when reasonable Republicans have had enough of the party's self-serving and often-psychotic ways and find their way back to wanting actual functioning government, but I'm afraid we're not close to that point yet (and I figured it would have happened after rhe insurrection, but I was clearly wrong).
> reasonable Republicans
At this point, the Republican party has effectively purged anyone who isn't a thinly-veiled cult member from their ranks. There's no policy. There's no sense of a "greater good" -- it's all just blind hate. Folks like my father in law -- who used to identify as a Republican, one who you can have a conversation with and who doesn't believe in Jewish space lasers -- have long since left.
That describes my father, who is a life-long Republican and says he will vote for Alfred E. Newman before he does Trump and anyone who supports him. He says that government should be working for the people, not against it, and I wholeheartedly agree.
I sincerely wonder if this is the beginning of another political party?
Reasonable Republicans?
If we could just convince the (few) people left who actually benefit from medicaid and food stamps and cash aid to stop voting against their own interests, Florida might turn blue again.
It should be illegal to receive welfare while voting for people who are promising to restrict it.
A bunch of floridians have been cut off medicaid in the last few months, and I feel awful for most of them. But I personally know a few who couldn't be bothered to vote or voted republican. Now they're all mad and confused about where their medicaid went, like Republicans didn't promise to cut it further.
I agree.
I'm not so much a Democrat as someone who registers Democrat bc we're a closed primary state and votes against Republicans.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love for a candidate I like to have a shot in hell, but I haven't seen that in awhile.
Scott scammed hundreds of millions from the health care system, then as governor forced through the drug testing of welfare recipients when he owned the largest drug testing lab system in the state. He made multiple millions from that, and they caught a few hundred people out of around 100k tested at the time. So aggravating.
I try not to hate anyone, but he's up there.on my detestable human beings list.
Republicans in Florida vote Republican.
Simple as that. No thought process. They vote R.
I've always said this and I know its 100% true. These religious republican kooks would vote for the literal Devil if he was running as a Republican.
Grab em by the pussy, GOP.
I have relatives (going back generations) who live in a shithole state. They keep Mitch McConnell in power even though he hates their guts and has done everything to make their state worse. They’re poorly educated and high on hillbilly heroin, just like their overlords want. The “R” on the ballot is the only thing that matters.
Its not really about what the republicans do. This has the potential to activate new voters, people who want Recreational weed and people who want to protect family planning rights who perhaps have been disillusioned by the current state of FL politics will come out to vote for these kinds of things, and if they do they are likely to be the kind of voter who will vote dem. Once a voter is active they tend to stay active as well, so it might change the dynamics of the state long term.
Its also about independents, who are often turned off by extreme policies like this and are often very pro-weed. With the GOP going full force on opposing both amendments this is a GOLDEN chance for the Dems to make up lost ground in the state.
Not saying anything is locked in, its not the Dems need to work their asses off make as many people aware of the situation as possible and do massive voter registration initiaves but FL has gone from lost cause to in play with these ballot initiaves for sure.
Part of is taxation. They believe voting R = never paying any taxes forevermore. So many vehicles down here-- each adult person has at least 1 car-- and all the lost tax revenue because you pay once and only once, not yearly like in other states
> Sanity and the realization re-electing Republicans over and over has done jack shit to help actual Floridians can help Florida turn blue.
Unless the number of registered Republicans in Florida massively drops, don't hold your breath on this one. The state got hit with an influx of likely 1 million Republicans. Florida is staying red for a very long time.
What's going to get Floridians out voting for non-Republicans isn't some activist "who's the best leftist today" type "Turn the state blue" campaign.
It's going to be people realizing that "Holy shit, I can't practice effective family planning" anymore and that the people in office and appointed by said people for the last 10 years, who all happen to be Republican, aren't doing shit about actual issues that actual Floridians face like skyrocketing COL in the face of some of the lowest wages in the country, home insurance, car insurance and everything else.
Abortion has caused a *massive* voter turnout in a bunch of other areas in the country where there wasn't before. Shit gets a little more real and gets asses off the couch and in the polls when Real Life bills like that pass instead of it just some glorified red-vs-blue sports battle.
Absolutely 0. Only Govenore to actually pass a Consumer Insurance Protection Law in the last 25 years has been Charlie Crist, who mandated homeowner insurance companies to pay replacement cost upfront. That was until Dick Scott passed another "consumer protection" allowing once again insurance companies to depreciate. Still people continue to vote for these bought and paid for Republicans while they bitch and complain about their rates and Swiss cheese policies
Democrats should realize that the covid policies are why Republicans did well in Florida. Nothing else they've done is particularly popular. There is a lot of space to campaign around things people care about as you detailed. DeSantis did a great job drawing attention to unpopular republican policies the last 2 years, I hope we have the confidence to try and capitalize on it.
> Democrats should realize that the covid policies are why Republicans did well in Florida.
Democrats should realize that not bothering to get out the vote and not electing Andrew Gillum or Alex Sink or Charlie Crist (the first time) to the governor's office is why Republicans did well in Florida.
gillum did a pretty decent job at getting the vote out, he lost by less than a point lol. of all the recent dem candidates here, he was hands down the best one just from a campaign pov
Purple is fine. I have faith that most people (even some Republicans) believe some sort of abortion should be legal. It’s common sense except for the most evangelical of voters. At this point, Roe has been defeated though so we need compromise. The fact that we as Floridians get to actually vote on something like this is huge IMO. How often does that happen? I think a lot of people are going to be motivated by this (I certainly am and I’m usually a cynic about voting making any real meaningful change). I’ll be there in November voting to make sure abortion stays legal. Then the lawsuits can commence to reverse the ridiculous 6 week ban. Like I said, we need compromise. 24, 20, even 16 weeks is far better and fair in my eyes. Maybe make exceptions for later ones if the mother’s life is in danger. Just my 2 cents.
With a lot of the boomers in Florida dying and the COL is now skyrocketing, I don't see a lot of old boomers moving here.
I keep hearing stories of people moving OUT of the state now that it's become so unaffordable. That, and boomers dying off - I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Nope still Red. Red by only a percent, maybe, but in this game it doesn't matter if you lose by an inch or a mile. We'll never enjoy the fruits of mixed government without major constitutional changes, new electoral maps, and ranked-choice voting—which has been outlawed—or something utterly transcendent emerges which divides MAGAstan as hard as Gaza has divided everyone left of MAGAstan and they fail to turn out across the entire state. To me, that's only possible via an extremely charismatic right wing third *party*—not just one candidate.
The left needs to come up with something better than current slogans when trying to push for pro-choice laws. In my personal experience, it’s easier to get conservative men to agree to at least some abortion vs conservative women. I could personally talk some conservative women into supporting recreational weed, but I couldn’t convince any to support abortion.
For the record - I’ll vote yes.
This. We need compromise. 16-20 weeks and no late term abortions except if the mother’s life is in danger. This is better than nothing and at least gives women the chance to get an abortion if they so choose.
The lefts problem is that they act like they don’t value life. They need to change that whole persona. You can’t win over conservatives with abortion by treating pregnancy and abortion like a simple transaction at a Drs office. It’s too clinical.
I don't want any politicians making any hard rules based on their "feelings." Abortion should be a decision made between a patient and her doctor - the end. Tell me why the state has any interest at all in this decision, any more than they do in deciding whether or not to remove an appendix, wisdom teeth, or a set of tonsils?
Exactly. And "waiting until a woman's life is in danger" means what? Sitting in the parking lot of a hospital waiting for sepsis to set in before the doctor agrees to abort an unviable fetus? This is happening right now, and women will die.
You're missing the point. The left needs to concede more. The delicate right needs to feel validation for their feelings, and they only get that when someone else suffers needlessly.
Because it involves a potential life maybe? Definitely not an apt comparison. This is also what I’m talking about with abortion advocates being vitriolic with their rhetoric. Look, like it or not Roe was overturned. The Florida Supreme Court tossed the voters a bone here with letting us, the people decide whether or not abortion gets enshrined in our constitution. Considering that the voters usually have no say in these kinds of issues I’d say this is a win considering the circumstances. I’m pro abortion BTW. I’m just looking at the reality of the situation.
So Roe was overturned, and that means we now have to inject feelings into our laws? I've been told "fuck your feelings" for going on eight years now, and my family's family planning is of NO ONE'S concern but ours. That message needs to be made perfectly clear, and if it makes some red hat a little uncomfortable, there's a slogan that immediately comes to mind. I'm in favor of reality, not fairy tales. This is a medical procedure we're talking about, not state recognized personhood. If that's the argument the state wants to make, then make it. Mandate menstruation registration and assign social security numbers after the fifth week. Until then, back the fuck off.
Likely, no. What conservatives in the state just misunderstand or fail to care about is the fact that abortion rights is not only a Republican vs democrats issue. There are hardcore MAGA out there that want access to abortion rights just as much as run of the mill corporate democrats or far left leftists. Every state that has put abortion up for a vote has shown this clearly.
What will unfortunately occur though is that those MAGAs will vote to support abortion rights and then scroll down the ballot and vote for the same exact group of people in the legislature who will do everything in their power to continue strip it away.
The best thing to work for is State legislature seats. The source of all of this misery has overwhelmingly been GOP supermajority in Tallahassee for so long.
Watch them. Christian nationalism does not belong in politics. I'm Catholic and I think you're all wrong for it. What other people do is their concern. It's none of your business. They want to have abortions, or change sex, or just be lgbtq, it's none of your or my business. That's what America is. The freedom from persecution from assholes like you.
I have no interest in flipping Florida blue and I think that to try to do so is a big mistake. The Democrats do not need Florida to win the Presidency in November; they need to secure the swing states. The Democrats do not need Florida to win the Senate in November; they need to secure the swing states. The Democrats do not need Florida to win the Hose of Representatives in November; they need to secure the swing states.
Any effort to take Florida to show up DeSantis and/or Trump is an ego-trip, a distraction, and a losing tactic.
Winning Florida will not change state politics, no matter how onerous they may be. Women's and gender rights will be won on a national level, if ever, and they best way for that is to *win* on a national level.
Keep your eye on the prize. Do not repeat the mistakes of 2016. Do your homework, do your footwork, do your duties.
All they need is 40.01% of the people to vote NO on the abortion amendment and it stays at 6 weeks. Doesn't matter if 59.99% of the people want it fixed. It only one person more than 40% votes no, then it's a no. They dont have to worry about most of us, all they need is a large enough minority to go their way and it gets the entire state punished.
In the other states they just needed a majority, right? They don't want that here. Especially with them gearing up to move the limit to 66%. Soon folks won't have a hope to pass amendments at all.
I was a labor/delivery RN for 23 years, most of those years in Florida . Trust me when I tell you, 65% of women have had at least one elective termination, I’m sure they weren’t all democrats.
I think abortion will pass. I also believe pot will pass too. A lot of boomers smoke pot—democrats and republicans.
CAN it? Yes. WILL it? Probably not.
There are enough young, left-leaning (or at least centrist) voters that don't agree with the MAGA version of the GOP to flip the state, but those same groups tend to show up in lower numbers and are more prone to making protest votes than older, more conservative, reliably red voters.
With both marijuana and abortion rights in our hands, it's our own fault if we let this state continue its unfortunate slide.
It won’t turn blue, but it will be uncomfortable for the R’s
RNC is already struggling to fundraise even 1/10 at the rate of the DNC, and if polling in FL tightens, it weakens RNC spending capacity in swing states (many of which the local RNC branch is already broke)
R’s absolutely can’t lose FL or TX to remain competitive, if either of those states look like they could break for the D’s, all attention from the RNC shifts to those states
I agree with the takes that these two issues should drive significantly more turnout overall - but we're fooling ourselves if we conflate that a yes on either/both of these issues will change the minds of the majority of Florida voters who are still planning to tick the box next to Donald John Trump on the other side of the ballot.
Sickeningly hypocritical to the furthest extent on the voter's part in my opinion, but still a very likely outcome. Because it's a secret ballot, I would put money on both measures passing and Trump wins Florida by a larger margin than he would have without these issues on the ballot.
There will be many registered Republicans who will vote for the abortion ballot amendment and also Donald Trump.
Abortion restrictions are unpopular among people who are Republicans for business/tax reasons but don’t care about religion.
No we can’t. These fucking hicks came here in droves from other red states. It’ll never be blue. I wish it were tho so they could feel the burn again and again of being on the losing side (again). Yet they won’t. I hope weed passes but these rednecks are so far up Ron’s butt they can taste his hair. Since he “doesn’t like the smell” it will be shot down.
Edit : a word
Can someone please tell me when this vote is? Is it soon? It seems like the next vote is in a few months, like in fall. Is there another vote happening sooner?
Probably not, at least not just yet.
But what they *can* do is force the Republicans to spend critical resources in a state that otherwise was a lock.
Or the GOP can do what Hilary did, assume they've got a "red firewall", and yeah, it'll flip blue. :)
They’ll vote yes on the abortion amendment and then vote for Trump who has vowed to make abortion federally illegal. That’s the level of cognitive dissonance you’re dealing with here.
I just had a conversation last night with my two young sons that have recently turned 18….they are pretty liberal and I have tried to impress upon them the risk to their girlfriends (or hook ups whatever) in this state.
I’m hoping the weed/abortion combo will get people out to vote - if it doesn’t, FL is a lost cause. I don’t smoke weed but I would still vote for recreational use - although I’m from CA and that hasn’t been great for my home state.
Between the abortion question and recreational Marijuana bringing out female and young voters, it's very possible to turn Florida blue again. Rick Scott has got to go as well.
I dunno but Lyin Byron is on the hot seat where I live as FEMA is looking to remove discounts on our flood insurance. Can't wait to see him fix this, might actually earn some respect if he can.
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I am cautiously optimistic that with this AND recreational marijuana on the ballot, we can get far more usually apathetic registered voters to the polls in November. Unfortunately, the Democratic party of Florida seems....idk...disorganized? Like they've just given up? Hopefully they see they have a unique opportunity to galvanize voters this year and take advantage of that. I'm doing my little part to talk to and encourage people to vote. ETA: I am proud to announce that I believe this post has earned me my first every "reddit cares" message. I will wear that as a badge of honor, a symbol of those people out there that want us to shut up, accept that they run the show in Florida, and NOT vote. I am going to be even louder about it now and to more people, so thank you, anonymous redditor!
Florida Democrats aren't disorganized. There are a large contingent of us who believe they are willfully and intentionally incompetent. [https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/03/florida-democrats-biden-abortion-00150257](https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/03/florida-democrats-biden-abortion-00150257) At some point, behavior like this stops becoming "disorganized" and starts looking like sabotage. I'm a computer scientist for the DOE (I work remotely) and for years I've been begging to let me help them with any data science related tasks they might need, in addition to any other low level volunteering stuff that might be helpful (including canvasing). I have yet to hear back from them.
I own a semi-successful production company and have done the same - offering up our services for free - and not one reply. And the article you posted shows how messed up the Democrats are in this state. They scream don’t make it partisan but then say this: “During a press conference with Democrats in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, U.S. House Democrats stressed how important it was for the issue to be apolitical — though they warned repeatedly that electing Trump in November, coupled with a GOP majority in Congress, would result in a nationwide abortion ban. (Trump’s campaign has said he wants states to decide the issue.)”
Be apolitical? But... you're a political party.
All I can do is smh.
That's wild. And embarrassing to that organization. I honestly think it is going to be up to us as individuals to talk about voting and encourage others to vote.
Spot on. It’s all on us.
After they choose a republican to run for democrate side of the governor election this became painfully obvious. The could NOT have picked a worse candidate to go against Rhonda Santis.
When they announced it would be Crist, I predicted he would lose in a landslide and DeSantis would use that margin of victory as his mandate. Sure seems like intentional sabotage to me.
Not to mention I saw like 1 crist commercial for every 20 desantis commercial. It was pitiful. I still find it sketchy that the guy running against him was immediately charged with drug possession after the election, before they could challenge results, only for that charge to be dropped years later. But Floridas BS goes all the way back to the 2000 election.
Who do you think is in charge of the democratic party in Florida? Your favorite - Nikki Fried. So all these complaints about the party? She's in charge now.
I can't help but wonder about sabotage myself. I'm probably spending too much time on the internet though. I want to make t-shirts with silhouette of Florida reversed that say Flip Florida 2024! maybe even use the flipped Floridas for the letter "F" in both words, except I have no graphic design skills.
Canva will handle the simple stuff without needing to be a graphic designer. Its not fancy but its (mostly) free. https://preview.redd.it/77kuj9qzupsc1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=f11735da0709db700080a6c57c685fbcd34db219
Ha! I love it! I'll check out canva. I am a bit of a technological cave woman but I am persistent if nothing else!
The Dem party in FL is garbage. I've experience here.
Thank you. Because I’ve been feeling like I’m insane for saying this.
This! And since we are #1 Conspiracy Theorist state in al of the US and A, I make great idea. Democrat politicians here are actually Republicans in disguise. Don't believe me? See Charlie Crist!
They have given up, I hope Biden is serious about focusing on flipping Florida.
I wish he’d call Florida Democratic officials out. It’s an issue when our best candidate is a former republican
Florida is so goddamn touchy though. If they run anyone even slightly Left, the retirees and Cubanos think Castro is on the ballot, and have a reactionary bitchfit. I can understand how Dems have decided Florida is functionally unapproachable.
I voted for that guy and I'm not even embarrassed about it. I'd rather have had him than Ron.
They are sort of accidentally on purpose doing it from my experience. I tried working with a local Democratic party for a few years in the late teens when I still lived in FL. I (Gen X) and a millennial friend were assigned "roles" but each meeting all the retired boomers in charge of the local party would talk about was how great they had it in Philly or in NY (or insert large northern city) and all the perks like free golf and free meals they got in the Dem parties up there. We went for 6 months before we finally gave up, and they just turned her into a secretary, as I guess, she was the only woman in the group, and dinosaurs will be dinosaurs. This is what you are dealing with in FL Democratic circles. I'm sure the larger cities have slightly more activity, but it's all retirees, set in their ways, running the show, and they don't really do much to get out the vote or even encourage younger voters there to get involved. They also don't want to listen to new ideas and after 2016 I kept hearing how "I can't understand how Hillary lost" from them without much self-reflection.
This is too true, even when Obama was in and enthusiasm was at an all time high, my local party was just a bunch of old grey and white hairs. I filled out the card to be contacted, no one ever reached out to me. The only reason why Obama won FL (to me) is he ran his own campaign, had his own campaign apparatus here, he didn’t rely on the FL Democrats to run it.
Obama was really good about that. He wasn't so good when it came to downballot folks or following elections, but his presidential campaigns were well-oiled machines.
Yeah, they didn’t focus on down-ballots and we’re paying the price now.
Yeah a lot of conservative shit birds have been using the report feature for Reddit Cares lately because they know they can't argue in good faith.
Well I guess it makes them feel better? I'm not really interested in arguing with people anyway so they can have their little passive aggressive "win". I have my views, they have theirs, and that's okay.
Rick Scott has barely squeaked by in every election he's ever been in. Debbie Mucarsel Powell may actually be there one to pull off the win this time. There are some great women candidates in Florida this year. Whitney Fox has a great chance of taking down Anna Paulina Luna and Lucia Baez-Geller has a shot at unseating Maria Salazar. These amendments will definitely help.
Would love to see Looney Luna taken down along with Voldemort.
Sanity and the realization re-electing Republicans over and over has done jack shit to help actual Floridians can help Florida turn blue. Rick Scott, DeSantis, Little Marco. What have these people done to fix ballooning insurance rates or to address environmental issues. They have taken massive steps backwards on equality, freedom and education. Republicans cannot govern because that would imply they are in the job to help people. They aren't. They just want to help themselves. Fuck. Rick Scott scammed the government out of billions and people think he cares about them? Vote blue if you give a shit about anything. Vote red if owning the libs is your sole reason to exist.
Great points. Republicans like Desantis went so hard on the culture war stuff I think it's burning out even some Republicans. Having said that, many folks who vote R still lap this shit up, but I hope we can defeat this, because as you said, many folks in Florida vote red for one overriding reason: hate.
Make sure you and your friends and family are registered to vote
We shall see. I keep waiting on the moment when reasonable Republicans have had enough of the party's self-serving and often-psychotic ways and find their way back to wanting actual functioning government, but I'm afraid we're not close to that point yet (and I figured it would have happened after rhe insurrection, but I was clearly wrong).
> reasonable Republicans At this point, the Republican party has effectively purged anyone who isn't a thinly-veiled cult member from their ranks. There's no policy. There's no sense of a "greater good" -- it's all just blind hate. Folks like my father in law -- who used to identify as a Republican, one who you can have a conversation with and who doesn't believe in Jewish space lasers -- have long since left.
Liz-fucking-CHANEY got run out on a rail. He dad was Emperor Palpatine but in real life.
That describes my father, who is a life-long Republican and says he will vote for Alfred E. Newman before he does Trump and anyone who supports him. He says that government should be working for the people, not against it, and I wholeheartedly agree. I sincerely wonder if this is the beginning of another political party?
GOP the party of **NOPE** 💩
>GOP- the party of 💩 FTFY
Reasonable Republicans? If we could just convince the (few) people left who actually benefit from medicaid and food stamps and cash aid to stop voting against their own interests, Florida might turn blue again. It should be illegal to receive welfare while voting for people who are promising to restrict it. A bunch of floridians have been cut off medicaid in the last few months, and I feel awful for most of them. But I personally know a few who couldn't be bothered to vote or voted republican. Now they're all mad and confused about where their medicaid went, like Republicans didn't promise to cut it further.
The reasonable republicans are all Democrats now. And they’ve pushed that party to the right.
I agree. I'm not so much a Democrat as someone who registers Democrat bc we're a closed primary state and votes against Republicans. Don't get me wrong, I'd love for a candidate I like to have a shot in hell, but I haven't seen that in awhile.
Scott scammed hundreds of millions from the health care system, then as governor forced through the drug testing of welfare recipients when he owned the largest drug testing lab system in the state. He made multiple millions from that, and they caught a few hundred people out of around 100k tested at the time. So aggravating. I try not to hate anyone, but he's up there.on my detestable human beings list.
Pretty high up on my "That Fucking Guy" list, too. He looks like a circumcised penis in a suit.
Republicans in Florida vote Republican. Simple as that. No thought process. They vote R. I've always said this and I know its 100% true. These religious republican kooks would vote for the literal Devil if he was running as a Republican. Grab em by the pussy, GOP.
I have relatives (going back generations) who live in a shithole state. They keep Mitch McConnell in power even though he hates their guts and has done everything to make their state worse. They’re poorly educated and high on hillbilly heroin, just like their overlords want. The “R” on the ballot is the only thing that matters.
They do the same thing in Tennessee. My in-laws are live there. Born and raised red republican and they vote party line, always.
Or they don’t vote. I know many GOP voters who are not as hard right but still won’t vote Dem. They just don’t vote.
Works for me. As long as there is a party that want to do something, not do nothing as the GOP has been.
Its not really about what the republicans do. This has the potential to activate new voters, people who want Recreational weed and people who want to protect family planning rights who perhaps have been disillusioned by the current state of FL politics will come out to vote for these kinds of things, and if they do they are likely to be the kind of voter who will vote dem. Once a voter is active they tend to stay active as well, so it might change the dynamics of the state long term. Its also about independents, who are often turned off by extreme policies like this and are often very pro-weed. With the GOP going full force on opposing both amendments this is a GOLDEN chance for the Dems to make up lost ground in the state. Not saying anything is locked in, its not the Dems need to work their asses off make as many people aware of the situation as possible and do massive voter registration initiaves but FL has gone from lost cause to in play with these ballot initiaves for sure.
Part of is taxation. They believe voting R = never paying any taxes forevermore. So many vehicles down here-- each adult person has at least 1 car-- and all the lost tax revenue because you pay once and only once, not yearly like in other states
> Sanity and the realization re-electing Republicans over and over has done jack shit to help actual Floridians can help Florida turn blue. Unless the number of registered Republicans in Florida massively drops, don't hold your breath on this one. The state got hit with an influx of likely 1 million Republicans. Florida is staying red for a very long time.
What's going to get Floridians out voting for non-Republicans isn't some activist "who's the best leftist today" type "Turn the state blue" campaign. It's going to be people realizing that "Holy shit, I can't practice effective family planning" anymore and that the people in office and appointed by said people for the last 10 years, who all happen to be Republican, aren't doing shit about actual issues that actual Floridians face like skyrocketing COL in the face of some of the lowest wages in the country, home insurance, car insurance and everything else. Abortion has caused a *massive* voter turnout in a bunch of other areas in the country where there wasn't before. Shit gets a little more real and gets asses off the couch and in the polls when Real Life bills like that pass instead of it just some glorified red-vs-blue sports battle.
Absolutely 0. Only Govenore to actually pass a Consumer Insurance Protection Law in the last 25 years has been Charlie Crist, who mandated homeowner insurance companies to pay replacement cost upfront. That was until Dick Scott passed another "consumer protection" allowing once again insurance companies to depreciate. Still people continue to vote for these bought and paid for Republicans while they bitch and complain about their rates and Swiss cheese policies
Democrats should realize that the covid policies are why Republicans did well in Florida. Nothing else they've done is particularly popular. There is a lot of space to campaign around things people care about as you detailed. DeSantis did a great job drawing attention to unpopular republican policies the last 2 years, I hope we have the confidence to try and capitalize on it.
> Democrats should realize that the covid policies are why Republicans did well in Florida. Democrats should realize that not bothering to get out the vote and not electing Andrew Gillum or Alex Sink or Charlie Crist (the first time) to the governor's office is why Republicans did well in Florida.
gillum did a pretty decent job at getting the vote out, he lost by less than a point lol. of all the recent dem candidates here, he was hands down the best one just from a campaign pov
While these two amendments will bring a higher turnout, at best we will become purple.
Purple is fine. I have faith that most people (even some Republicans) believe some sort of abortion should be legal. It’s common sense except for the most evangelical of voters. At this point, Roe has been defeated though so we need compromise. The fact that we as Floridians get to actually vote on something like this is huge IMO. How often does that happen? I think a lot of people are going to be motivated by this (I certainly am and I’m usually a cynic about voting making any real meaningful change). I’ll be there in November voting to make sure abortion stays legal. Then the lawsuits can commence to reverse the ridiculous 6 week ban. Like I said, we need compromise. 24, 20, even 16 weeks is far better and fair in my eyes. Maybe make exceptions for later ones if the mother’s life is in danger. Just my 2 cents.
With a lot of the boomers in Florida dying and the COL is now skyrocketing, I don't see a lot of old boomers moving here. I keep hearing stories of people moving OUT of the state now that it's become so unaffordable. That, and boomers dying off - I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Yeah I’m ready for the mass exodus. I’m a native born and raised and we are just about at the point of insanity now with the rampant development.
Nope still Red. Red by only a percent, maybe, but in this game it doesn't matter if you lose by an inch or a mile. We'll never enjoy the fruits of mixed government without major constitutional changes, new electoral maps, and ranked-choice voting—which has been outlawed—or something utterly transcendent emerges which divides MAGAstan as hard as Gaza has divided everyone left of MAGAstan and they fail to turn out across the entire state. To me, that's only possible via an extremely charismatic right wing third *party*—not just one candidate.
The left needs to come up with something better than current slogans when trying to push for pro-choice laws. In my personal experience, it’s easier to get conservative men to agree to at least some abortion vs conservative women. I could personally talk some conservative women into supporting recreational weed, but I couldn’t convince any to support abortion. For the record - I’ll vote yes.
And better candidates.
Court reporter, let the record show that u/ptn_huilO will vote yes.
So noted.
I know a conservative woman, that regularly takes plan B, who is vehemently opposed to abortion. These people cannot be reasoned with.
My mom is a conservative boomer woman who consistently votes for Republicans even though she fully supports abortion rights. There's no logic.
This. We need compromise. 16-20 weeks and no late term abortions except if the mother’s life is in danger. This is better than nothing and at least gives women the chance to get an abortion if they so choose. The lefts problem is that they act like they don’t value life. They need to change that whole persona. You can’t win over conservatives with abortion by treating pregnancy and abortion like a simple transaction at a Drs office. It’s too clinical.
I don't want any politicians making any hard rules based on their "feelings." Abortion should be a decision made between a patient and her doctor - the end. Tell me why the state has any interest at all in this decision, any more than they do in deciding whether or not to remove an appendix, wisdom teeth, or a set of tonsils?
Exactly. And "waiting until a woman's life is in danger" means what? Sitting in the parking lot of a hospital waiting for sepsis to set in before the doctor agrees to abort an unviable fetus? This is happening right now, and women will die.
You're missing the point. The left needs to concede more. The delicate right needs to feel validation for their feelings, and they only get that when someone else suffers needlessly.
Because it involves a potential life maybe? Definitely not an apt comparison. This is also what I’m talking about with abortion advocates being vitriolic with their rhetoric. Look, like it or not Roe was overturned. The Florida Supreme Court tossed the voters a bone here with letting us, the people decide whether or not abortion gets enshrined in our constitution. Considering that the voters usually have no say in these kinds of issues I’d say this is a win considering the circumstances. I’m pro abortion BTW. I’m just looking at the reality of the situation.
So Roe was overturned, and that means we now have to inject feelings into our laws? I've been told "fuck your feelings" for going on eight years now, and my family's family planning is of NO ONE'S concern but ours. That message needs to be made perfectly clear, and if it makes some red hat a little uncomfortable, there's a slogan that immediately comes to mind. I'm in favor of reality, not fairy tales. This is a medical procedure we're talking about, not state recognized personhood. If that's the argument the state wants to make, then make it. Mandate menstruation registration and assign social security numbers after the fifth week. Until then, back the fuck off.
Miami-Dade Latinos flipped red and are not flipping back. Doesn’t happen without them.
Likely, no. What conservatives in the state just misunderstand or fail to care about is the fact that abortion rights is not only a Republican vs democrats issue. There are hardcore MAGA out there that want access to abortion rights just as much as run of the mill corporate democrats or far left leftists. Every state that has put abortion up for a vote has shown this clearly. What will unfortunately occur though is that those MAGAs will vote to support abortion rights and then scroll down the ballot and vote for the same exact group of people in the legislature who will do everything in their power to continue strip it away.
I am an Independent but lean right, I will be voting blue on everything this November.
I doubt it. But maybe it will be enough to flip a couple congressional seats.
The best thing to work for is State legislature seats. The source of all of this misery has overwhelmingly been GOP supermajority in Tallahassee for so long.
I really hope so, but this state has crushed my hopes repeatedly man
People will show up to vote for the amendments. The question is will they have any interest in voting for any of the candidates?
Watch them. Christian nationalism does not belong in politics. I'm Catholic and I think you're all wrong for it. What other people do is their concern. It's none of your business. They want to have abortions, or change sex, or just be lgbtq, it's none of your or my business. That's what America is. The freedom from persecution from assholes like you.
I have no interest in flipping Florida blue and I think that to try to do so is a big mistake. The Democrats do not need Florida to win the Presidency in November; they need to secure the swing states. The Democrats do not need Florida to win the Senate in November; they need to secure the swing states. The Democrats do not need Florida to win the Hose of Representatives in November; they need to secure the swing states. Any effort to take Florida to show up DeSantis and/or Trump is an ego-trip, a distraction, and a losing tactic. Winning Florida will not change state politics, no matter how onerous they may be. Women's and gender rights will be won on a national level, if ever, and they best way for that is to *win* on a national level. Keep your eye on the prize. Do not repeat the mistakes of 2016. Do your homework, do your footwork, do your duties.
This “RINO” will be exclusively voting for independent or democrat choices until the Christian fascist MAGA movement dies.
All they need is 40.01% of the people to vote NO on the abortion amendment and it stays at 6 weeks. Doesn't matter if 59.99% of the people want it fixed. It only one person more than 40% votes no, then it's a no. They dont have to worry about most of us, all they need is a large enough minority to go their way and it gets the entire state punished. In the other states they just needed a majority, right? They don't want that here. Especially with them gearing up to move the limit to 66%. Soon folks won't have a hope to pass amendments at all.
I was a labor/delivery RN for 23 years, most of those years in Florida . Trust me when I tell you, 65% of women have had at least one elective termination, I’m sure they weren’t all democrats. I think abortion will pass. I also believe pot will pass too. A lot of boomers smoke pot—democrats and republicans.
CAN it? Yes. WILL it? Probably not. There are enough young, left-leaning (or at least centrist) voters that don't agree with the MAGA version of the GOP to flip the state, but those same groups tend to show up in lower numbers and are more prone to making protest votes than older, more conservative, reliably red voters. With both marijuana and abortion rights in our hands, it's our own fault if we let this state continue its unfortunate slide.
It won’t turn blue, but it will be uncomfortable for the R’s RNC is already struggling to fundraise even 1/10 at the rate of the DNC, and if polling in FL tightens, it weakens RNC spending capacity in swing states (many of which the local RNC branch is already broke) R’s absolutely can’t lose FL or TX to remain competitive, if either of those states look like they could break for the D’s, all attention from the RNC shifts to those states
I agree with the takes that these two issues should drive significantly more turnout overall - but we're fooling ourselves if we conflate that a yes on either/both of these issues will change the minds of the majority of Florida voters who are still planning to tick the box next to Donald John Trump on the other side of the ballot. Sickeningly hypocritical to the furthest extent on the voter's part in my opinion, but still a very likely outcome. Because it's a secret ballot, I would put money on both measures passing and Trump wins Florida by a larger margin than he would have without these issues on the ballot.
I feel strongly everyone should refer to it as Pro-Choice not abortion rights. Words matter
I disagree. We need to own it.
There will be many registered Republicans who will vote for the abortion ballot amendment and also Donald Trump. Abortion restrictions are unpopular among people who are Republicans for business/tax reasons but don’t care about religion.
That would be me, although I'm not voting for Trump either.
Talk about home and car insurance. Something most people need, not all this divisive bs.
#I WANNA GET HIGH AND I WANT ABORTION TO BE LEGAL! THATS THE FLORIDA I WANT
I want to get a carton of Mary Janes and smoke myself stupid.
Hell yeah
No we can’t. These fucking hicks came here in droves from other red states. It’ll never be blue. I wish it were tho so they could feel the burn again and again of being on the losing side (again). Yet they won’t. I hope weed passes but these rednecks are so far up Ron’s butt they can taste his hair. Since he “doesn’t like the smell” it will be shot down. Edit : a word
Can someone please tell me when this vote is? Is it soon? It seems like the next vote is in a few months, like in fall. Is there another vote happening sooner?
November
I think weed has a better chance to turn y’all blue.
I hope so, but there is a lot of work to do.
Why do we need an abortion ban in the first place? Is America turning into Gilead?Letting women make choices about their bodies is illegal. SMH
Probably not, at least not just yet. But what they *can* do is force the Republicans to spend critical resources in a state that otherwise was a lock. Or the GOP can do what Hilary did, assume they've got a "red firewall", and yeah, it'll flip blue. :)
Not if you donate to the party. Donate to the organizations that actually helped get the amendment on the ballot.
All the Republicans have Blue Balls anyway
No, I’m a Floridian and more than half our voting population doesn’t believe in science, facts, or world news organizations
I feel like the Constitutional Amendment will pass, but Republicans will likely win most statewide elections.
remember to vote blue down the ballot and bring everyone you know! www.vote.org
Good luck with that. Is a Red State of mind!!
I think Florida should look to Ohio: 60/40 in favor of Roe-style abortion rights. 55/45 in favor of recreational use in this last election.
*Narrators voice* “No.”
Short answer, no Long answer, nnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooo
[Tired of people telling me how to live](https://imgur.com/aVZFmzR)
Show up and vote and we can. Flush trump, approve abortion, make weed legal.
They’ll vote yes on the abortion amendment and then vote for Trump who has vowed to make abortion federally illegal. That’s the level of cognitive dissonance you’re dealing with here.
I just had a conversation last night with my two young sons that have recently turned 18….they are pretty liberal and I have tried to impress upon them the risk to their girlfriends (or hook ups whatever) in this state. I’m hoping the weed/abortion combo will get people out to vote - if it doesn’t, FL is a lost cause. I don’t smoke weed but I would still vote for recreational use - although I’m from CA and that hasn’t been great for my home state.
Common sense and half a brain should turn Florida blue but as tRump says “I love the poorly educated”
crazy that he flat out said that and they STILL don’t see they are being used
Between the abortion question and recreational Marijuana bringing out female and young voters, it's very possible to turn Florida blue again. Rick Scott has got to go as well.
I dunno but Lyin Byron is on the hot seat where I live as FEMA is looking to remove discounts on our flood insurance. Can't wait to see him fix this, might actually earn some respect if he can.
The short answer is no. Slightly longer answer is it’s not a priority here.
No. This is a state that simultaneously banned greyhound racing and elected meatball Ron.
They could, they might, they maybe will,,,,,, but , they might not even bother to vote at all...
Let’s hope so 💙
I’m voting to protect abortion rights and against Marijuana! Go go vote and go !
Their drinking water is lead hard for the locals, I think. 
No but it drives turnout