Six months from now, we elect a new governor. The race between Republican Bill McCollum and Democrat Alex Sink started as a toss-up. Recent polling indicates that McCollum, a charmless perennial candidate who has lost more elections than he has won, has opened up a ten point lead.
Sink just fired her campaign manager, but there was further evidence of her strategic missteps at an April 5 fundraising event at Hamburger Mary’s in downtown Orlando. At the reception, sponsored by LGBT and friendly supporters, Sink reportedly delivered her standard stump speech about fiscal responsibility and never once used the word “gay.” She raised a tepid $2,500; last year, a campaign event for much the same crowd brought in ten times that amount.
Although I was unable to attend, I was on the host committee for the Hamburger Mary’s event. I have tremendous respect for Sink, and I think she has the skills to be an extraordinary governor. I will vote for her, and so should you. But the next six months will determine whether I cast my vote with enthusiasm or with a sigh.
Politicians lead as they campaign. In a state with a plurality of registered Democrats, but a strong Republican legislative majority, Sink must connect with the people to govern effectively.
Here’s what I want to hear in her next speech:
Its 2010, people, and we have to face facts. There’s evidence that we’re finally emerging from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, but it sure doesn’t feel like it in Florida.
Unemployment remains way over ten percent, and well above the national average. With a backlog of foreclosures and no end in site, home prices are still bottoming out. Half of us in Florida now owe more on our homes than they’re worth, which means less financial security and fewer resources for future dreams.
Not only have our current state leaders failed to address these issues, they’ve gone back on important promises in the critical areas of education, energy conservation and the environment… the very things that will determine our quality of life as we move forward.
And make no mistake about it: word is out. For the first time in recorded history, more people are moving out of this big, beautiful, temperate state than are moving in. This abrupt change has also had a negative impact on the fragile economy.
All this may have something to do with the suntan we’ve had masquerading as a governor for the past four years, or an entrenched Republican legislature that truly represents the interests of only a small fraction of Floridians.
But that’s not what I want to talk about, or what motivates me to lead this great state. The present circumstances are an extraordinary opportunity, people… and it starts with the election of a new governor!
And in that respect, you have a real choice to make in November.
Florida is a large and diverse state. My Republican opponent, Bill McCollum, has clearly adopted the limited view of the far right wing of his party. Need an example? Rather than accept long overdue health care reform and help make it work for the 25 percent of Floridians currently without insurance, he wants to involve us in an expensive and frivolous lawsuit to have reform declared unconstitutional. It plays to his base, while ignoring the plight of millions of uninsured Floridians.
Four years ago you elected me the state’s Chief Financial Officer. I’ve watched over your money carefully, and I’m happy to report that we’re in better shape than our friends in California, New York and other states. My opponent has made light of my banking background, but the truth is I’m a wonk—a number-cruncher —and there’s nobody better qualified to lead this state at this challenging time. Nobody will take better care of your tax dollars than I will! And nobody will work harder—or smarter—to kick-start our economy than me.
But Florida should be more than a robust economic engine. It should also be a state of mind: a sunny place where property is a source of security; where schools provide children with a solid foundation; where solar power fuels homes and the imagination; and where mass transit connects diverse metropolitan areas to each other and the future.
Importantly, it must also be a place of fairness and decency, where everyone can achieve personal and professional fulfillment. And that starts with basic equality.
The majority of Floridians disapprove of our sweeping ban on gay adoption, passed more than 30 years ago but still embarrassingly on the books. Three circuit court judges have declared it unconstitutional. My opponent, Bill McCollum, has appealed these decisions, seeking to enforce the ban and rip children out of admittedly stable and loving homes. Meanwhile, thousands of precious children languish in foster care. This is the worst law in Florida, and we must repeal it.
And believe it or not, it’s still legal to fire someone in Florida just because they’re gay, even though polling shows that the vast majority of us think this is flat-out wrong. This kind of discrimination is beneath us, and we must make it illegal.
We live in a paradise, people, but we’ve lost our way. Let’s work together to reclaim it. Elect me as your governor.
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