...mock and belittle Florida Democrats...

I'm a lifelong Floridian, and a registered Democrat even longer (back in the old days you could do that in Fla.).

But I'm a Democrat who believes in the principles laid out in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, which means that most days I feel like a Tibetan in Beijing.

Florida is where old Republicans come to die. Way too many Fla. Democrats behave more like contrarian rightwingers than principled or even partisan Democrats, and it's been that way since I first served as Democratic precinct captain (and the only person in my precinct to vote for Shirley Chisholm in the 1972 primary).

We have a long way to go to change Florida from the Bush league into something approaching a democratic state. As much as it stings to read references to Fla. Democrats by real Democrats, I think Markos (and all the rest) have been going easy on us. Corruption---criminal and ethical---is endemic in Florida, and until we Floridians mount a substantial and sustained campaign to root it out, we'll continue to play the role of Republican Party Steppin Fetchits.

That's what democracy---and the Democratic Party---mean. The bellyaching about the primary vote is bullshit.