Fla.: Wallflowers of '00 are belles of '04 ball
By ADAM C. SMITH and STEVE BOUSQUET
Published July 28, 2004
BOSTON - Broward County Democratic chairman Mitch Ceasar remembers where Florida Democrats sat during the 2000 national convention in Los Angeles.
"I think we were somewhere west of Guam," said Ceasar, Florida's former state Democratic chairman.
That was then. This year, party activists from the Recount State have prime seats in the hall, and ABC's Peter Jennings begins his nightly newscast amid the Florida delegation.
Florida Democrats are basking in the attention and perks lavished on them by the John Kerry campaign and national party.
"We're front and center in the hall because we're going to be front and center in this election," state Democratic chairman Scott Maddox told cheering delegates as they arrived in Boston.
With 27 electoral votes up for grabs and a history no ardent Democrat will forget, Florida is more than America's biggest battleground state; it's part of the subtext for the Democratic campaign.
"Re-Defeat Bush! Remember Florida!" reads one of the buttons sported around Boston this week.
At this point four years ago, most Democrats assumed Florida would swing to Gov. Jeb Bush's brother. Not until after Labor Day did the Gore campaign realize how competitive it was, and the campaign began pouring resources and energy into the state.
This year, Kerry and other Democratic groups are already spending millions on TV ads. The Kerry campaign has more than 20 paid staffers in the state, and plans to send in two dozen more within weeks.
In Boston, evidence of the state's importance is everywhere. Four years ago, delegates stayed near the airport, an hour from the convention hall. Now they're in the heart of Boston, mingling with media and political big shots in the lobby of the Marriott.
"I came into the Marriott, and saw I was staying with Florida. I was like, "What is this, everywhere I go, it comes back to Florida?"' said a laughing Donna Brazile, former campaign manager for Al Gore.
At the morning delegation breakfasts, more than 200 Florida Democrats have greeted a steady stream of A-list speakers, including Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Filmmaker Michael Moore is scheduled for today.
"No pressure, guys," actor Ben Affleck told the Floridians on Monday.
At the FleetCenter, delegates are seated in the center of the floor, along with other battleground delegations, from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and New Hampshire. The Floridians are treated as critical players in the political story line.
"Everybody asks, "You don't think 2000 will happen again, do you?"' said Ray Zeller, Miami-Dade Democratic chairman.
Florida veterans of past Democratic conventions can't remember seeing delegates so energized and excited about the convention. In the past, seats often stayed empty in the convention hall, but this year they are packed.
For all the passion of the Florida delegates, though, there are grim reminders of the state of the Florida party. With Sens. Bob Graham and Bill Nelson the only elected statewide Democrats, veteran conventiongoers note the lack of powerhouse Florida politicians. Future statewide prospects, including Maddox and Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa, have kept a high profile, schmoozing with delegates.
Speakers talking to the national audience or directly to the Florida delegation inevitably refer to the contested 2000 Florida election.
"They stabbed democracy in the heart," Jackson said Tuesday.
On the campaign trail, Kerry often talks about Florida in 2000, even when he's in another state. But some observers predict the Massachusetts senator will talk less about 2000 as November approaches.
"John Kerry understands that Michael Moore's hate speech and trying to refight wars fought four years ago is not going to win a single swing voter in states like Missouri, Pennsylvania or even Central Florida," said Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman from Pensacola who now hosts an MSNBC talk show.
Maybe not, but it fires up the Democrats in Boston, especially the Floridians.
"We've waited longer than any other state has waited for this day to come," said Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami. "But it done got here, and we're going to take it to them."