I know, my title goes contrary to all you heard about long lines, late counting, missteps and voter suppression. But in spite of all the obstacles it had to overcome Florida Democrats had a very good night.
Democrats have been marginalized in state government since the 1990's though outnumbering republicans by 400,000. Part was due to the Governor Bush power grab but also the Democrat state party has been weak and ineffective. Enter the Obama campaign arm Organizing for America which brought effective organization and much money into the mix and Florida had a successful 2012 election with gains that may seem modest to some but to Florida Democrats are a road to more gains in the future.
Tampa Bay Times
Before Tuesday, Florida Republicans had the wind at their back — record amounts of special interest money, a veto-proof majority in the Legislature and unbridled power all over the state.
But the muscle flexing appeared to backfire and the special interest money, this time, did not translate into landslide victories. Voters delivered a series of election night losses for Florida's power party. President Barack Obama holds a lead over Mitt Romney. Legislature-backed amendments were mostly defeated. The GOP drive to remake the Supreme Court failed, and the Republicans lost their supermajority in the House and Senate.
The overreach of state republicans including Governor Scott appear to have been responsible for creating a massive backlash and turn out in record number.
I think what happened in the last couple of years is that conservatives became very emboldened by the amount of power that conservatives appeared to have," said Lynda Russell, a Democrat and lobbyist for the teachers' union. "Conservatives tried to take advantage of that power. But their efforts actually galvanized the labor community."
The gains in the House and Senate mean Republicans no longer have a veto-proof supermajority in either chamber. While legislative power still rests firmly in the hands of the GOP, the Democratic gains may hinder some laws from moving forward.
And
best news of all, the future looks bright with
Organizing for America's decision to remain in the state to help defeat Rick Scott and to increase further legislative gains.