Author Archives: Solivita Democrat

“PerSisters” Womens’ March in Lakeland

2016 marked the end of an historic Presidential run by Hillary Clinton who, regardless of the outcome, broke many glass ceilings on behalf of all of us getting there.

I bring quadruple diversity to the Senate: I’m a woman; I’ll be the first Asian woman ever to be elected to the U.S. Senate; I am an immigrant; I am a Buddhist. When I said this at one of my gatherings, they said, ‘Yes, but are you gay?’ and I said, ‘Nobody’s perfect.’
– Senator Mazie Hirono
The elections brought some gains.  There are now 21 women serving in the United States Senate (16D/5R)  including three new women of color: Kamala Harris  (California), Tammy Duckworth (Illinois), and Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada). They join Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), who was elected in 2012.

The number of women in the House also increased, with now 62 Democrats and 21 Republican women, representing 19.1% of the 435 elected Representatives.
The first woman elected to the US Senate was Hattie Wyatt Caraway (Arkansas).
Appointed to vacancy caused by death of her husband, Senator Thaddeus Caraway; elected on her own in 1932 and served until 1945.

The origins of Women’s History Month can be traced back to 1908 New York, and the first Women’s Day organized by the Socialist Party of America in remembrance of the International Ladies Garment Worker’s Union strike that year.

Soon after, International Women’s Day caught on in the United States and across Europe and has been universally celebrated on March 8th since 1915.

In 1980 President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week,” and in 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress designated the entire month of March as “Women’s History Month.”

Today women voters represent 53% of the voting population, but the election of Donald Trump, and the next appointment to the US Supreme Court have put women’s rights, indeed human rights, at the greatest risk in decades.

(The following is for information only. The Solivita Democratic Club does not endorse candidates in primary elections.)

Growing up, my grandmother always told us to go to school, mind our teachers, get our lesson, and bring that education home – for our brothers, our baby sister, and the kids in our neighborhood.

She wanted us to know we were responsible for more than ourselves — we are also responsible for our family and our neighborhood, and everyone around us.

My grandmother knew then what I know now — that if we were going to get anywhere, we would get there together. And that’s why I’m coming to you today, with a humble heart and a whole lot of hope, as we launch this campaign for Governor of Florida. Because I know that our only path to victory is one we’re willing to travel together.

Add your name now to join our people powered campaign, and help us bring it home for Florida.

Like so many of you, I am here today because of the very policies Republicans say are “destroying” our great state of Florida. I grew up on food stamps in Miami and Gainesville. My parents weren’t college educated, but they both worked hard: my mother as a bus driver and my father as a construction worker. As Governor, I will work to create jobs that pay a living wage on every rung of the income ladder.

Our family struggled with being cash poor, but I still grew up rich in opportunity. Though the public schools I attended weren’t always in the best part of town, they were always filled with the best teachers. I wouldn’t be writing you today as a candidate for Governor of Florida had it not been for the encouragement and help I received from Ms. Alexandria at Westwood Middle School and Mrs. Awbrey at Gainesville High School. They went above and beyond the requirements of their job, like so many teachers do, to ensure that I became the first person in my family to graduate college.

But I knew it wasn’t enough for me to become the first in my family to go to college — it was my duty to make sure I wasn’t the last. The Democratic Party and progressive philosophy created a way up and a way out for even families like mine, and so when I began my career in public service at just 23 years old, I did so as a progressive Democrat. My experiences reflected those of average, everyday Floridians. And I knew those people deserved a champion.

For me, being a Democrat has always been about welcoming folks just as they are. This was the party that advocated for my parents growing up, that didn’t demonize them or label them as lazy. Instead, they fought for progress for all of us. And that’s what I’ve worked to do in my time on the Tallahassee City Council and as Mayor of Tallahassee.

When marriage equality was won at the Federal level and we had Florida county after county after county saying that they would no longer issue marriage licenses to anybody, just so they didn’t have to do it for gay couples. So I welcomed couples to our great city of Tallahassee to celebrate their love and commitment to one another with marriage.

When President Trump’s executive order targeted immigrants in our cities, I protested loudly and proudly, and fought to stop him from tearing these families apart. This concept of having to choose between security and compassion is absolutely false. We can have both, and we must fight for both.

In fact, I have worked tirelessly to make Tallahassee a safe haven for all — and I have done so without resorting to irrational discrimination. When I refused to repeal ordinances that prevent shooting guns in a public park, the gun lobby sued me. They thought they could intimidate me with threats of personal fines, with two years of litigation, and with attacks from right-wing interest groups. They were wrong. Just last month, we won the battle to keep our parks safe.

My pastor talks about it in the terms of being the thermostat versus the thermometer. There are enough people who are prepared to take the temperature. There are not enough people who are willing to set it. I think I’ve demonstrated up to this point that I’ve never had to take the temperature in order to do the right thing.

I believe we are at a time in our state and our nation’s history that requires not just people who quietly agree on these critical issues we are facing, but people who are going to be champions, who will get out and lead on them.

That’s why I’m asking you to join together with us from the very beginning, to help us prove that we have that power, that hope, and that determination to rebuild this state into one that works for all of us, no matter what we look like, where we come from, what we believe, or whom we love.

Let us know if you’ll be joining together with us for this historic campaign by adding your name right here and right now.

Thank you for being a part of this journey. I look forward to traveling the state and meeting with you and the rest of the team in the coming weeks.

Bring it home,

Mayor Andrew Gillum
Candidate for Florida Governor

Black Americans in Congress: An Introduction

When black men were given the right to vote, they elected hundreds of black legislators to state and national offices, even though the elections are preceded by threats and violence. The new black politicians, like Mississippi’s John Roy Lynch, pass ambitious civil rights and public education laws.

The arrival of Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi and Representative Joseph Rainey of South Carolina on Capitol Hill in 1870 ranks among the great paradoxes in American history; just a decade earlier, these African Americans’ congressional seats were held by southern slave owners. Moreover, the U.S. Capitol, the center of legislative government, conceived by its creators as the “Temple of Liberty”—had been constructed with the help of enslaved laborers.

“The Fifteenth Amendment in Flesh and Blood,” 1870–1887

These pioneering African-American Representatives symbolized a new democratic order in the United States, demonstrating not only courage but also relentless determination. They often braved elections marred by violence and fraud. With nuance and tact they balanced the needs of black and white constituents in their Southern districts, and they argued passionately for legislation promoting racial equality.

“The Negroes’ Temporary Farewell,” 1887–1929

By the 1890s, most Black Americans had either been barred from or abandoned electoral politics in frustration. Advocacy for blacks in Congress became substantially more difficult. After North Carolina Representative George White’s departure from the House of Representatives in March 1901, no African American served in the U.S. Congress for nearly three decades.

Keeping the Faith, 1929–1970

With his election to the U.S. House of Representatives from a Chicago district in 1928, Oscar De Priest of Illinois became the first African American to serve in Congress since George White of North Carolina left office in 1901. But while the victory symbolized renewed hope for African Americans struggling to regain a foothold in national politics, it was only the beginning of an arduous journey.

The Selma-to-Montgomery March for voting rights ended three weeks–and three events–that represented the political and emotional peak of the modern civil rights movement. On “Bloody Sunday,” March 7, 1965.

Permanent Interests, 1971–2007

The modern era of African Americans’ more than 140-year history in Congress began in 1971. During this period, black Members enjoyed a tremendous surge in numbers, reflecting a larger historical process, as minority groups and women exercised their new freedom to participate in American society. The post-1970 generation of Black Americans in Congress marked a watershed in American history—a transition from a period of prolonged protest to full political participation.

Resulting in the election of our 45th  President, Barack Obama

President Obama stabilized our economy, increased both our healthcare options and job enhancements, saving our auto industry among other things.

Now Solivita, it is 2017 and again, we must fight for Civil Rights, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. Education, Healthcare, Immigration and Racism among other equally important agendas.

Democratic ideology ranks in the minority in all 3 branches of government.

Remember these words:
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Let’s work together, wisely and effectively, to achieve our goals, placing balance back into our government.  Join us.
Solivita Democratic Club

The Winter Haven Branch of the NAACP invites the public to attend its’ installation of officers ceremony and Emancipation Day program on Sunday January 29, 2017 at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 2500 Lucerne Park Rd, Winter Haven, Fl., 33881. The event will begin at 4:00pm. The NAACP officers and executive committee members were recently elected in November 2016.

The event will be followed by a reception in the fellowship hall.

RSVP to kinsey819@gmail.com by January 22, 2017.

Retired Circuit Court  Judge Robert “ Bob “ Doyel will install Shawn W. Kinsey as the branch’s new president with Apostle Willie Mincey and Robert Scott as the first and second vice presidents. Jennifer Williams Armbruster will be installed as secretary and Roosevelt Smith as treasurer.

Guest speaker for the event will be Mr. Deric C. Feacher, Public servant, Conscious advocate, and Nationally recognized speaker.

Tue, Dec 13, 2016

(The following post was written by DPCF Board Director Mario Piscatella. It was cross-posted at MPA Political and The Florida Squeeze.)

National Landscape

Before we look at the state of the Florida Democratic Party, we should start with an understanding of the Democratic Party as it stands at the close of 2016.

While much of the country, right and left, pundits, campaigners, donors, activists, and candidates point fingers in every direction and dissect every individual event of the 2016 cycle, a few of us are looking much deeper.

The errors of 2016 weren’t new mistakes. They weren’t unforeseeable failings. Rather than waste our time and devolve into a never-ending nightmare of emotionally fraught disagreements, we must all recognize what we saw were symptoms of a system more than four decades old. That system was built at a time when Democrats were riding high with immense majorities; majorities they thought they could never possibly lose. The system was designed to shed a seat here or a seat there, while avoiding any risks that might put their majority power in jeopardy.

The powerful players behind this system were not surprisingly, old wealthy white men. Their philosophies, and the systems they built, in conjunction with existing systems outside of the party, helped keep the power of the growing segment of the party comprised of women and people of color from growing proportionally.

Those systems, and the underlying philosophies, have dominated Democratic politics with only minor blips over the decades. The Presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama overcame many of the expected failings of these systems with enormous talent/charisma of the candidates, key talented staffers on their campaigns that defied the standard practice just enough, and circumstances of the day that put a strong wind at their backs throughout the campaign. But at their core, both President Clinton and President Obama are consistent with the standard Democratic nominee of the past several decades. Like the others, they were more likely to be tough on allies and pre-compromise with Republicans, slow to act (or on the wrong side of) the issues most pressing to the party’s core activists, and more focused on their own re-election than growing the party down ticket and long term.

Newt Gingrich’s ‘Contract on America’ gutted the Democratic majorities at all levels. This should have triggered radical change to the philosophies and systems dominating Democratic politics. Instead, the worst components were emphasized more aggressively, power was consolidated instead of distributed. We began competing for even fewer seats, being more aggressive at discouraging challengers, and values/messaging and recruitment were dragged further to the right at the behest of pleasing corporate donors.

Parallel to all of this happening, Republicans aggressively increased their investment in political infrastructure and simultaneously reduced staffing budgets for governing and legislative offices. Think tanks, industry groups, issue organizations, and conservative focused businesses of all sorts covered the work once done inside legislative offices, and took on the responsibility of providing steady paychecks to conservative professionals. Today this is reflected in much higher average levels of experience in comparable positions from Republican campaigns, organizations, and government offices to their Democratic counterparts. At the same time, this is also a major impediment to increasing diversity in campaign and government offices. The lack of living wage paychecks and stability makes it very hard for anyone but those that come from affluent families to take on these careers.

The philosophies and systems mentioned above include:
Incumbent-protection focused targeting/recruiting models.
Closed-access to training, information, materials, and wisdom.
Minimal mentoring or long term guidance – primarily as a means of ensuring only those likely to perpetuate the system have access.
Internship barrier – Many doors are closed except to those that can afford to work unpaid as an intern, often in areas with a high cost of living.
Concentration of power in a few at the very top – incumbents, big donors, long-time staff/advisors of the same ‘blood line,’ these few hold disproportional sway in leadership races, primary races, and too often actively suppress fund raising for those that don’t pledge loyalty to them.

Blind Loyalty is often rewarded over talent/contribution/work ethic/capacity. Failing up is common, weakening the system from within. As a bonus, this increases emphasis on personality driven politics, as well as irrational division during primaries.
Management is given no value – in our party organizations or campaigns. Specific skills such as fund raising are often mistaken to be the only qualifications needed to take a director level or campaign management role.
Disempowering local (county/town/legislative district) party affiliates, stepping over/around them rather than building them up.
Hippie-Punching – turning those that fight for progressive values into subjects of ridicule and derision in an effort to isolate and diminish their power.
Alternate Branding – Particularly egregious among incumbents; campaigning under branding other than “Proud Democrat” and actively avoiding or deriding the Democratic brand.

Informal segregation/separation – women and people of color only given attention as such, or on issues within their “identity,” and often pressured out of running for the highest offices. This is also done with financial burdens – costs of travel/attending events are often prohibitive except to the most affluent members.
Abuse of process – In addition to utilizing every process option available to preserve power, those that challenge them are often met with bullying or shaming for attempting to utilize a legitimate process/procedure.
Old fashioned hypocrisy and corruption – what is acceptable for the powerful is not so much for everyone else, and the powerful project their own bad behavior on those that challenge them.
Self-reinforcing prophecies – challengers are discouraged from running for perceived less competitive districts, the districts as a result become even less friendly to Democrats, and then those districts become beacons of conservative messaging.
Aversion to primaries – primaries are the best means we have of expanding the party and preparing candidates/campaigns for tough general elections. Progressive candidates are often shamed for contesting a race in the primary.
Lack of engagement/investment in municipal elections.
Continued reinforcement of focus on spending in the final weeks of an electoral campaign only, and exclusively on evaporating items rather than long-term infrastructure (TV and other broadcast/one way advertising).

Distrust.

Trust is the most acute challenge for the Democratic Party at all levels. As a result of the philosophies above and decades of failures many activists, candidates, staff, and donors have lost trust of the party and the recent leaders thereof. If unaddressed, this trust deficit could lead to a permanent rift in the party, and possibly to an exodus to one or more alternative parties (or political disengagement).

To overcome this trust deficit the Democratic Party needs a new generation of leaders that eschew the broken philosophies of the past and embrace a new commitment to empowerment and transparency. Our new leaders need to replace the rules that have protected the power of the few with policies that welcome greater democratic engagement. If this is to be the party of the people, it must have simplified rules that put the power in the hands of the people.

What about Florida?

In addition to the same problems that exist on the national level, Florida’s Democratic political environment is incredibly insular and incestuous. Most of the staff come from the same bloodlines, sharing all the same bad conventional wisdom and ineffective strategies. Innovation is hampered by the lack of talent exchange with other states and the injection of new philosophies.

The trust deficit in Florida is possibly worse than the national level following a series of less progressive and former Republican statewide candidates benefiting from heavy thumbs on the scale in their primaries (or perceived coronations). Those candidates were sold to the party faithful as “our best chance at winning” or even as “sure things.” Governor Scott and Senator Rubio are grateful for our gullibility.

Democrats failed to take advantage of the friendly rulings on Fair Districts in 2016, in large part due to the philosophies listed above. With radical change to approach and strategy, a Democratic Senate majority is within reach. The up ticket benefit of those challenger campaigns could also play a significant role in putting Democrats in the Governor’s office and other state executive offices, as well as holding the U.S. Senate seat.

One of the key shortcomings hampering Florida Democrats from success is the failure to invest outside the largest counties and in municipal races. While Republicans run up wide margins, providing candidates and staff with experience and training, local Democrats attempt to compete without the tools to get the job done. Cycle after cycle, this breeds an expanded universe of frustrated activists and candidates that spread discontent for the party apparatus. At the same time, it makes those territories harder for us to win in the future, and deepens the commitment to the platform the people in those communities are being presented.

Where do we go from here?

The next chair of the Florida Democratic Party must take on the challenge of trust immediately. They can start this by leading the fight for reform of the Party’s bylaws to better distribute power and make the party more inclusive. Systems and processes designed to preserve power for the few must be dismantled and replaced with transparency. It would be ideal if the person starts with a measure of trust and earned credibility – someone who has stood tall against the establishment for progressive issue fights such as Fight for $15, Black Lives Matter, Keystone XL, and/or NoDAPL.

The Chair and their leadership team (Exec Dir, Vice Chairs, Senior Staff) must make a better effort to attend DEC meetings and other events around the state and directly engage and empower county leaders and grassroots activists. The Party leadership needs to be more accessible and approachable.

The FDP’s next leadership team needs to promote unity across constituencies, promote teamwork, and put an end to the systems that pit counties against each other, pit the large counties against the small counties, and pit challenger candidates in different districts against each other for support. All of this requires trust, transparency, and inclusion.

There is a rising tide of activists calling for a more progressive chair. The focus is primarily directed at progressive positions on issues; the focus should be on finding a chair that will bring a progressive approach to party operations, organizational management, and strategy. They must first and foremost be willing to take on the politics of power preservation. Without fail, platform values and long term advancement of those values must be put ahead of egos and dollars. No candidate, no elected official, no donor, no activist should ever be given a pass on the core values of our party.

The FDP needs to fight to restore its integrity. It needs to become a bastion of empowerment; a center of learning and training. Transparency and diversity need to become non-negotiable and ordinary concepts, not afterthoughts or frustrations.

The same should be expected of the next Chairperson of the DNC.

Right now, we have a tremendous opportunity to change our leadership state by state and at the national level. We can radically shift the party in a relatively short period of time. This is the time. We are the ones. We have the power.

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The Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida is an official charter of the Florida Democratic Party.

Posted Tue, Nov 29, 2016

Many people have questions about the Women’s March on Washington. Please see the information below to help them.

Thank you!
Dr. Maureen McKenna
President
Democratic Women’s Club of Florida

Dear DWCF members,

Hello my name is Lakey Love. I am writing as the volunteer state outreach coordinator for the grassroots Women’s March on Washington DC to be held on January 21, 2017. Inside this email I hope to provide you with all the information you might need for the March. My email address is butterflylake@gmail.com
Emma Collum’s is the state team captain and is the one most directly in contact with national. Her contact information is:

Emma Collum, Esq. Florida Chapter State Administrator
for Women’s March on Washington
845 430 0848 florida@womensmarch.com

The mission statement for the march can be found on the National Facebook Event Page. The Florida team organizing our state is an eclectic and diverse group of 17 individuals of all colors, religions, ages, and orientations who met online when they offered to step up and volunteer when the march was created the day after Donald Trump was announced to be the President Elect.

The Florida team has worked to streamline busing by organizing with Rally Bus. Here is the link to Rally Bus’s page for the march where you can purchase tickets for a bus departing near you.

The organization of the march has taken place completely at a grassroots level. Each state is organizing and within each state there are local districts. The Florida Facebook Event Page has information for all 17 districts of Florida. Contact information for the 17 team captains, including emails and names can be found HERE.

If you would like to make a donation or support someone who would like to attend but cannot attend for financial reasons all donations can be made either 1) by directly supporting an individual through purchasing a Rally Bus ticket in their name online, 2) individual donations through your local chapter or 3) by donating to the Florida Team’s fundraising campaign. All funds raised by the Florida Team’s campaign are being used to sponsor individuals who would not otherwise be able to attend because of financial hardship. The link to donate can be found HERE.

Please also follow THIS LINK to see the most recent statement on PERMITTING for the event.

For information and answers on the Florida specific Frequently Asked Questions sheet please follow this LINK.

My number is 850-345-0018. Please call anytime. I look forward to talking to you soon.

Lakey Love
Tallahassee/Panhandle Team Captain
Women’s March on Washington 2017
850-345-0018
@mariposalake

At the urging of Poinciana community leaders and Polk County Democrats,
Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards established an early
voting location open in Poinciana.

Previously, residents residing on the Polk County side of Poinciana were compelled to
drive to Haines City to vote early, while the Osceola early voters could cast their
ballots at the Osceola Library branch right in Poinciana. This was a big
factor in the Osceola side out-voting the Polk side by a 40% to 15% margin in the 2014
elections.

The Poinciana Community Center at 395 Marigold Ave. will now be the site of early voting
for Solivita and all Polk County residents.

Contributing Editor: Ronald Hill

Government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Government is Good: An Unapologetic Defense of a Vital Institution is a web project of Douglas J. Amy, Professor of Politics at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. The project is a response to the increasingly extreme anti-government movement in the USA and its distorted depiction of government.

According to Professor Amy, “right-wing forces in this country have engaged in a relentless and irresponsible campaign of vicious government bashing for decades. Conservatives and libertarians have demonized government, attacked basic safety net programs like Medicare, and undermined vital regulations that protect consumers, investors, workers, and the environment. We need to recognize that despite its problems, government plays an essential role in promoting the good life for all Americans. Most government programs are working well and are actually improving the lives of Americans in innumerable ways. When we recklessly reduce and underfund this institution, we are hampering our ability to improve people’s lives and to effectively address our pressing social, economic, and environmental problems.”

This Project takes on this anti-government movement and shows that most of its criticisms of this institution are highly exaggerated, misleading, or just plain wrong. Organized into three sections, the project explains:

• The Value of Government. How government acts as a force for good in society.
• The War on Government chronicles the unrelenting assault on government being waged by conservative forces in this country; and
• How to Revitalize Democracy and Government describes the flaws in government that need to be addressed if we are to restore Americans’ faith in this institution.

For more information on this important Project, visit the web-site at governmentisgood.com

On December 6, 1865, the U.S. ratified the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

On December 6, 2015, President Obama reflected on its importance, and the history of our progress — hard-fought, hard-won, incomplete, but always possible.

As many made clear at the time of its ratification, the 13th Amendment was not a final step, but rather the first step in making real the promise that all men are created equal. Read the letter that Annie Davis, an enslaved woman living in Maryland, wrote to President Lincoln asking if she was free after he had signed the Emancipation Proclamation. He never replied, but the answer was no. It would take an amendment to Maryland’s constitution — and the 13th Amendment — to ensure that she and all enslaved people in the U.S. were free in the eyes of the law.

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