State: Gephardt energizes Democrats to rout Bush

FORT LAUDERDALE -- What they lack in campaign money and positive opinion polls for key Florida campaigns this year, Democratic activists sought to make up for in optimism and energy Saturday night.

Nearly 2,000 party loyalists gathered for the annual Jefferson-Jackson fundraising gala and cheered on speech after speech bashing Gov. Jeb Bush.

"I heard this new Hispanic ad he's got on TV," former Bill Clinton strategist James Carville told the roaring crowd, referring to a new Bush ad. "They say the governor is bilingual. I say he's bi-liar. He lies in two languages."

Florida Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe was one of several speakers seeking to link corporate scandals with the Republican Party. Of Gov. Bush, Poe said: "His budget looks like it was written at WorldCom with numbers from Arthur Andersen and approved by the Enron board of directors."

Democrats touted newfound unity, but the scene at the Broward County Center for performing arts looked anything but. The crowd appeared evenly divided between people sporting "Janet Reno for governor" stickers and those with Bill McBride's name on their chests.

Poe predicted that the advocates would be arm and arm to take on Bush after the Sept. 10 primary. But throughout the lobby, Reno and McBride partisans sounded entirely unenthusiastic about the alternative to their own preferred nominee.

As usual, both Reno and McBride acted as if they didn't even have a primary contest and didn't mention each other.

"Let us leave no Democrat behind as we march to the polls on Nov. 5," Reno said. "The choice is clear: a top-notch public school system or a governor who plays politics with our children's futures."

McBride touted his ability to beat Bush in November. "The only people that are better off now than they were four years ago are those who already had a lot in 1998," said McBride, promising he would be a governor who listens to all Floridians.

The keynote speaker was U.S. House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri. He accused the Republican House leaders of being intolerant and unwilling to work with others to find consensus, and promised Democrats will work with the other side if they take control of the House.

Gephardt claimed the roots of the recent corporate scandals can be traced to the 1980s, when Newt Gingrich led a Republican revolution to cut business regulations. As for the president's efforts to respond, Gephardt said: "If it wasn't so tragic for ordinary Americans with their 401(k)s and their pension plans, it would be almost funny."

For all the talk of winning back the Governor's Mansion and putting more Florida Democrats in Congress, those attending the fundraiser know huge hurdles lie ahead of them. Polls show Gov. Bush with double-digit leads, and redistricting has Republicans banking on winning at least two more U.S. House seats.

The lopsided financial picture becomes clear when the Democrat's annual fundraising gala is compared with the Republicans' last month in Orlando.

The GOP Majority dinner had President Bush as the headliner. Democrats cheered at the news their event raised more than $500,000. Republicans raised at least $2.5-million.

Back to State news

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

Special Links

Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk