Let me be clear: as great as Fair Districts Florida's victories are, they are not a Democratic nor Republican tool for victory - and never should be. Democrats have been equally guilty for drawing beneficial lines & cutting out voters they didn't want. These standards are a good step forward for all Florida voters to elect their representatives from fairer districts. But let's be real, the final district lines won't even be finalized until June 18, 2012!
Florida Democrats are about to elect a new state party Chair who has signaled his number one priority will be making sure Fair Districts remains the "savior" of the FDP (Facing Florida 11/5/10). We haven't had an open forum on what went wrong in 2010 and where we need to go in 2012. The process remains broken, and that means our party is broken - and worse, focused on the wrong message.
New district lines will not save Florida Democrats - only a strong message and clear platform will. Our party priorities are clearly off track and out of line still.
Many supporters of Rod Smith and the current establishment say that the most important work the FDP has to do right now is stay on top of the redistricting process. They say the redistricting process is the number one priority as Rick Scott, Dean Cannon and Mike Haridopolos make plans to further destroy the public school system if not privatize education completely. They say the redistricting process is the number one priority as the GOP pushes to privatize hospitals and waste taxpayer dollars over suing/refusing to implement healthcare reform. They say the redistricting process is the number one priority as Republicans move ever closer to privatizing prisons and dismantling every state agency piece by piece. They say the redistricting process is the number one priority as the teachers and public employees are attacked and Florida's working families are left behind.
I say the number one priority is being the clear alternative, holding the GOP accountable, and presenting a progressive vision for Florida. We need a Chair and a state party that can present a platform and communicate a message that represents the true interests of Florida's working families. We have the opportunity to elect a leader who can begin to build the necessary infrastructure around the state so Democrats are in a position to fight the terrible GOP agenda being put forward.
The fight has already begun. Waiting for new districts will not be productive. Here's the proposed Republican timeline:
* Summer 2011, legislature conducts hearings around the state to get public input
* Jan. 10, 2012, legislature meets for its 60-day legislative session.
* March 9, 2012, session ends
* March 10, 2012, legislature petitions the Florida Supreme Court for its required review of the districts; the court has 30 days
* April 16, 2012, the FSC completes its review and legislature sends the redistricting plan to the U.S. Department of Justice for its required review; the DOJ has 60 days
* June 18 districts are finalized and candidates may start qualifying for newly drawn districts.
It is very important to stay on top of the redistricting process, I understand that. But it should not be the number one priority of the party, nor should it be the pressing priority for the Chair given the current state of Florida Democrats.
As I have said before, Democrats need to be able to communicate a platform effectively in order to counter the Republican agenda. There is much work to do. Democrats are demoralized, they crave leadership and a vision to rally behind. They crave a voice and at the end of the day "fair districts" drawn by this legislature will only take our party so far. We don't need small gains in a few seats. We need to contest the GOP agenda everywhere.
This blog cross-posted at Florida Progressive Coalition Blog.