Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club

Welcome to the Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club.  We are an active group of more than seventy-five members in mid-Pinellas County, Florida, who seek to stimulate interest in political and governmental affairs; to strengthen and to further the ideals and principles of the Democratic Party; to provide reasonable and ongoing financial support to the county Democratic Executive Committee; to promote participation among Democrats; to assist in identifying prospective Democratic candidates; to support and elect the duly selected nominees of the Democratic Party in national, state, and local campaigns; and to foster good fellowship among Democrats. 

Our next club meeting will be Monday, June 18, 7:00 p.m., at the Thirsty Marlin Grill, 351 West Bay Drive, Largo (Downtown) 33770.  For further information, contact Rich Piper at 727-588-0891 or rpiper3404@aol.com.   For information about voting in Pinellas County please visit www.votepinellas.com

Good News from the Florida Democratic Party on Voter Registration

Voter by voter we are turning Florida more Democratic! 

In April, 18,000 Floridians stood up and said, “I’m a Democrat.”  We just got the final numbers and for the third consecutive month more Democrats than Republicans registered to vote in Florida.  Last month we out-registered the Republicans by 10%. Registering voters – and then turning them out – is going to be critical to reelecting President Obama and delivering Democratic victories up and down the ticket in 2012.

Right now we have a registration advantage, but we aren’t taking a single vote for granted.


It takes a lot of resources to keep people on the ground and registering new voters from Pensacola to Key West and everywhere in between.  We need your help to make sure we don’t slacken the pace one bit.



Help us continue to register new voters.

Romney Knows How to Run the Economy -- Into the Ground!

Yes, Romney Knows How to Run the U.S. Economy -  Into The Ground!

New York Times op-ed columnist Paul Krugman explains in plain English why Mitt Romney's response to the recent JPMorgan $2 billion or more (yes, that's a "b") debacle gives a frightening look at the U.S. economy in a Romney administration. 

According to Krugman, "His whole candidacy is based on the claim that his experience at extracting money from troubled businesses means that he’ll know how to run the economy — yet whenever he talks about economic policy, he comes across as completely clueless."

He believes  Romney "has made it clear that he would do everything in his power to set us up for another financial crisis."

You can read all of "Dimon's Deja Vu Debacle" at  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/opinion/dimons-deja-vu-debacle.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss.

Bill Maher's Comments on Romney at Liberty University

Kathleen Jamison, editor of the Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club newsletter, shares this Huffington Post blog about Bill Maher's observations on Mitt Romney's recent commencement address at Liberty University. You can see a clip on YouTube.


At the end of "Real Time" the other night, Bill Maher lambasted Liberty University, the Virginia religious university that has become a mandatory stop for Republican presidential candidates. 


"You can't expect me to believe anything Mitt Romney said last week at Liberty University, because a) he's a liar and b) Liberty University isn't really a university," Maher began. "It's not like an actual statesman visited a real college. It's more like the Tupac hologram visited Disneyland and said what he would do as president during the Main Street Electrical Parade."
Romney delivered Liberty's commencement speech on May 12.


Maher noted that Liberty teaches "creation science," and the idea that earth was created 5,000 years ago. "This is a school you flunk out of when you get the answers right," he joked.



Much as conservatives believe gay marriage cheapens their own vows, "I think a diploma from Liberty cheapens my diploma from a real school," he continued. "I worked really hard for four years and sold a lot of drugs to get that thing."


Liberty's diploma may look real, Maher said, but "when you confuse a church with a school, Maher went on, "it mixes up the things you believe — religion — with the things we know — education. Then you start thinking that creationism is science, and gay aversion is psychology, and praying away hurricanes is meteorology."

From the President's Desk, May 2012 - by Rich Piper

 We moved back to the Thirsty Marlin Grill for our April 16 meeting and employed a new format – a panel discussion led by Janet Long, Mary Lou Ambrose, Bob Glass and Deborah Anderson that focused on ideas to enhance members’ involvement in our club.  The panel generated great discussion, and I’ve heard many positive comments about it from long-time members as well as new attendees.  We also learned from Janet, Mary Lou, Pat Gerard and Ben Farrell about their candidacies for office in 2012 and from Max Jay-Dixon, Mid-Pinellas Field Organizer for Obama for America, about the progress of the President’s re-election campaign in Pinellas County.  There was certainly a lot of energy in the room!  Let’s do everything we can to harness that energy to advance our Democratic candidates and Democratic principles! 

On Saturday, April 21, our members played a large role in the National Day of Action Canvass by Obama for America.  Forty-two people showed up for the mid-Pinellas OFA Canvass run from Pavilion #1 at Ridgecrest Park in Largo and went out to knock on more than 700 doors and undertake persuasion conversations with nearly 250 registered voters.  In addition, we’ve been undertaking extensive voter registration drives, persuasion and recruitment phone banks and virtual phone banks and petition-gathering for Democratic candidates in our area.  You can sign up for OFA events in our area that interest you by going to www.barackobama.com, entering your zip code and looking at what is available at a time that suits you. 

Additional Democratic candidates have thrown their hats into the ring recently, with still others likely to emerge soon.  Among the new Democratic candidates are Carl Zimmerman, a renowned educator and previous legislative candidate, who nearly won a Florida House seat in both 2006 and 2008.  This time, he is running in the new District 65, which is a little less Republican-leaning than the District 48 in which he ran previously.  The incumbent in this redrawn district is Republican Peter Nehr, who is facing competition in the Republican primary and is a deeply flawed legislator.  Carl is a strong candidate who deserves our support. 

Another strong new Democratic candidate is Dwight Dudley, a St. Petersburg attorney who is running in District 68, currently occupied by Republican Jeff Brandes (who may run for the Florida Senate).  Bill Nobles has previously announced as a Democratic candidate in this district but has not been actively campaigning for many months and has apparently dropped out of the race. 

 Rick Kriseman, a Democrat who has represented Pinellas County well in the Florida House for the last six years, has announced that he will not be seeking re-election.  Josh Shulman has announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in Kriseman’s district (69). Josh is the leader of the Small Business Caucus of the Pinellas Democratic Party and impressed many of us with his campaign for the St. Petersburg City Council, even though he lost that race.

Two Democrats (and one Republican) are seeking the District 1 at-large seat on the Pinellas County School Board in a formally nonpartisan election.  The Democrats are incumbent Janet Clark and long-time educator and Democratic activist Jim Jackson.  Both of the Democrats will be featured speakers at our next meeting, on Monday, May 21, 7:00 p.m., at the Thirsty Marlin.  Also scheduled to speak are the two Democratic candidates for the Florida House in District 66 (Western Clearwater, Largo, the Belleairs, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and Seminole):  Mary Lou Ambrose and Cookie Kennedy.

Several other Democratic candidates are also likely to be speaking at the May 21 meeting; so be sure to come, meet the candidates and ask questions. 

 

Mary Lou Ambrose Officially Declares Her Candidacy for House District 66

Thursday, April 19th, 2012 | Posted by Peter Schorsch

Mary Lou Ambrose officially declares for State House race, will challenge Rep. Larry Ahern

Mary Lou Ambrose announces her candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives, District 66.

Mary Lou is a small business owner, attorney, certified mediator and insurance agent. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and her Juris Doctor from Rutgers, in Camden, New Jersey.

 “I’m running to restore faith in our government.  Rick Scott Republicans have hijacked the great State of Florida, with their assault on women, teachers, first responders, State employees, colleges and universities, the middle class and the environment.  We, as Floridians must make our representatives accountable for their actions.  If they refuse to be held accountable, then we need to make swift changes because they clearly do not represent us – the voters. ”

“I want to make sure we pass on the promise of a better future to the generations that follow us. My focus will be on creating jobs, keeping government out of our bedrooms, fostering improved quality and access to healthcare, and improving education,” said Ambrose.

What people are saying about Mary Lou:

“As we prepare our state for the challenges of the future, Mary Lou Ambrose represents the kind of sound leadership and policies Floridians deserve.” – Alex Sink

“I am happy to support Mary Lou Ambrose’s candidacy.  Her small business background and thoughtful approach to the issues will serve Pinellas well and provide a sharp contrast to Larry Ahern’s Tea Party agenda.” – Rep. Rick Kriseman.

“As a former State Legislator, I know that Mary Lou Ambrose has the strength, thoughtfulness and intelligence to vote in the best interest of the citizens who elect her.  She will NOT be a puppet for leadership.” – Janet Long.

Mary Lou is a married mother of four, stepmother of three and grandmother of eight.  She has been married to Joe Barkley for 31 years and is a resident of Bellair Bluffs in Pinellas County.

 

From the President's Desk - April 2012, by Rich Piper

We had a lively meeting in March that featured a power point presentation on the AIM Foundation’s Grand Kids Program and rousing speeches by the two Democratic Congressional candidates in the new District 13:  Nina Hayden and Jessica Ehrlich.  In addition, our Secretary, Mary Lou Ambrose, announced her candidacy for the Florida House of Representatives in the new District 66, which includes Seminole, western Largo and Clearwater, the Belleairs and Indian Rocks Beach.  Larry Ahern, a retrograde Republican incumbent who has been placed in the same district as Democrat Rick Kriseman by redistricting, plans to move into District 66 and run against Mary Lou.  There’s a clear-cut choice if I ever saw one – and Mary Lou should be our choice!

On April 2, our own Janet Long, former Representative from Florida House District 51 (2007-11) announced that she is running countywide against incumbent Republican Neil Brickfield.  We’ve been urging Janet to make this race for some time and are delighted that she has now declared her candidacy.  Let’s give Janet our full support.

Both Mary Lou and Janet will be talking about their goals and their campaigns at our next club meeting on Monday, April 16, 7:00 p.m., at the Thirsty Marlin Grill, 351 West Bay Drive, Largo 33770.  This restaurant  is where we met all through 2011, and there was a consensus by most members that we should return to meeting there, at least for the immediate future.  We’ll also be having an active discussion at our April meeting of the results of the surveys from our March meeting, to which many of you have responded either at the meeting or via email.   

Our club continues to be active in President Obama’s re-election campaign, in a variety of local Democratic campaigns and in fundraising efforts for the Pinellas Democratic Party.  We filled four tables with 40 of our members (at $75 per person) for the Pinellas DEC’s Kennedy-King Dinner in March, and we provided extensive staff support for the booths that raised funds through sales at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix.  I salute all of our club members who played active roles in all of these endeavors.  Keep up the good work! 

The first step in picking delegates from Florida to the Democratic National Convention will be in county caucuses, to be followed by a second step at the Florida Democratic Convention.  The Pinellas County Caucuses will be at the Largo Community Center, 400 Alternate Keene Road, on Saturday, May 5, from 10 am to 2 pm; and all other counties will be holding their caucuses on the same date.  Then the state Democratic Convention will be June 1-3 in Tampa.  National Convention delegates will be elected by congressional districts at the state Convention from among the state Convention delegates.  All registered Democrats in Pinellas County are eligible to vote in the county caucuses on May 5.  Many of our club members are delegate candidates who will be on the ballot that day.  Please mark your calendars for May 5 and come out to cast your ballots. 

New Caucus Hopes to Elect Pro-Environment Democrats, by Kathleen Jamison

 

Congratulations to club member and Sierra Club activist Bill Bucolo for taking the lead in the creation of the new Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, which is already marshalling support of environmentalists in the Democratic Party to elect Democrats.

 

There is a lively and active Facebook group which anyone concerned about the future of our planet – and more specifically preserving and conserving Florida’s  natural resources - is welcome to join.   Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/groups/fl.environmental.caucus/     The caucus is largely digital at this time but Bill says it will be holding real meetings in Pinellas County sometime soon. 

 

One recent post by our own club webmaster Wanda Schwerer was this timely and apropos comment by President Harry Truman:

 “Republicans approve of the American farmer, but they are willing to help him go broke. They stand four-square for the American home--but not for housing. They are strong for labor--but they are stronger for restricting labor's rights. They favor minimum wage--the smaller the minimum wage the better. They endorse educational opportunity for all--but they won't spend money for teachers or for schools. They think modern medical care and hospitals are fine--for people who can afford them. They consider electrical power a great blessing--but only when the private power companies get their rake-off. They think American standard of living is a fine thing--so long as it doesn't spread to all the people. And they admire our Government of the United States so much that they would like to buy it.”

 

The goals of the caucus are to: “strive to support candidates, lawmakers, legislation, issues and businesses which preserve, protect and enhance Florida's natural resources. DECF concerns include but are not limited to the preservation and protection of Florida's air quality, shorelines and coasts, aquifers, waterways, wet lands, wildlife, remaining natural areas and publicly owned wild lands and parks.”

Specifically and where possible, the DECF intends to:

Identify and support Democratic candidates who endorse suitable action on environmentally critical issues.

Provide to party members and the general public credible data and resources relating to environmentally sensitive issues; and do so as informed opinion, legislative alerts and technical/science expertise.

Monitor local and state legislation and or policy that can positively or adversely affect Florida's environment, and alert legislators and the public accordingly.

Support rigorous scientific research and educational criteria for state licensure of any professionals in applied fields relating to the environmental sciences.

Encourage responsible environmental stewardship as part of any state party platform.

From the President's Desk - March 2012, by Rich Piper

 

As Mitt Romney continues to stumble toward the Republican presidential nomination, the economy shows further signs of recovery and the Republican Party pursues a bizarre crusade against women’s health and for the Greedy One Percent, it is hard to restrain one’s optimism about the course of events so far in 2012.  Nonetheless, controlling our optimism and working hard on voter registration, vote by mail, recruiting candidates and organizing teams of volunteers are critical if we are to turn the potential for victory in 2012 into a reality. 

Here in Florida and in Pinellas County specifically, there are both danger signals and signs of hope.  One danger signal is that the Democrats’ voter registration lead statewide and in Pinellas County diminished steadily over the past two years.  In Pinellas County, the Democrats’ registration lead dwindled to 3,900 – a perilously thin margin, before we began to expand our lead in the last two weeks .  If we do not ramp up our voter registration and vote by mail campaigns, we could lose the 2012 election well before Election Day in November.  That is why our club is stressing voter registration and vote by mail very heavily.  If you haven’t been certified to register voters, get certified!  If you are already certified, join a registration drive!  Certification classes and registration drives in our area are listed at www.barackobama.com, and you can sign up online. 

Signs of hope are also evident here in Pinellas County.  Patricia Plantamura has won re-election to the Seminole City Council, with the active support of many of our club members and a financial contribution by our club.  We have a very strong team of Democratic candidates taking shape for the Pinellas County Commission.  Charlie Justice will be running against Republican Tea-Party incumbent Nancy Bostock, and Ken Welch is running for re-election (opposed in the primary by Maria Scruggs).  We are hoping that our own Janet Long will also run for the County Commission, against right-wing Republican Neil Brickfield.  In addition, we have two announced Democratic candidates for Sheriff and several legislative candidates.  Scott Swope, running for Sheriff, and Jonathan Michael Snow, running for Congress against Gus Bilirakis, have both addressed our club repeatedly and are both running active campaigns.  Mayor Pat Gerard is running for re-election in Largo and has asked for the support of our club. 

Furthermore, two highly qualified Democratic prospects, Nina Hayden and Jessica Ehrlich, have recently declared their candidacies for the new District 13 (formerly District 10) Congressional seat, currently held by Bill Young.  Though the incumbent is a formidable opponent, this district (as redrawn by the Florida legislature for 2012) voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and for Alex Sink in 2010. 

Nina Hayden is a former Pinellas County School Board member and ran in 2010 for the Florida Senate.  She is well-known by most of our club members, since she has spoken at and participated in many of our meetings.  She is completing her LL.M. Degree in International Law at Stetson Law School and is currently employed at Stetson.  Also an attorney, Jessica Ehrlich, a St. Petersburg native, has extensive experience in Washington, having served on the staffs of both Rep. Stephen Lynch (D, MA) and Rep. Clay Shaw (R, FL).  Both Nina and Jessica will be speaking at our next club meeting, Monday, March 19, 7:00 p.m., at Balla’s Steak House, 776 Missouri Ave. North, Largo.  Please come to hear them speak and get a chance to know them better.  Come early if you can to eat, drink and socialize. 

Democrats Plan Gala Victory 2012 Fundraiser, by Kathleen Jamison

Former Florida Congressman Alan Grayson, now running for re-election to his old Orlando-area seat, will bring his no holds barred take on the current state of the state and nation's political scene to the Pinellas County Democrats' March 10 Kennedy/King Dinner.  Known for being outspoken and at times controversial, Grayson has titled his keynote address "Why I Am Proud To Be a Democrat."

As a freshman congressman from Florida's Eighth District, Grayson attracted national headlines during the contentious fight over health care by summarizing the GOP's position as "if you get sick, die quickly."

Today he is speaking out "for everyone who thinks we should not have 24 million people in this country who can't find a full time job; for all those who feel we should not have 50 million people who can't see a doctor when they're sick; for all those who think we shouldn't have 47 million people who need government help in order to feed themselves; for all those who think we shouldn't have 15 million families who owe more on their mortgages than the value of their homes."

"This gala dinner is the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee's biggest fundraiser in a most important election year," said Chairman Mark Hanisee.  "Rep. Grayson's participation in our Victory 2012 Campaign will help us raise the resources needed to win Pinellas County offices and seats in Tallahassee that will enable Democrats to get things done for the working people of the state."

Florida Democratic Party Chair Rod Smith and other party luminaries also will address the several hundred  Democrats who will gather in
Pinellas Park. 

Co-chairs of the Kennedy/King Dinner, which honors President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., are state Reps Rick Kriseman and Darryl Rouson and County Commissioner Ken Welch. The event will also celebrate the service of all Pinellas County's Democratic elected officials. 

The dinner will be held at Banquet Masters, 8100 Park Boulevard N., Pinellas Park, beginning with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for $75 at the Party's website, pinellasdemocrats.org, or by sending a check to Pinellas Democratic headquaraters, 2250 1st Avenue N., St. Petersburg, FL 33713.

FAST - Faith, Action, Strength, Together

At last evening's Largo/Mid-Pinellas Democratic Club meeting, member Rodney Snedeker presented the founding, goals and current agenda of the Local FAST activities.

FAST was founded in 2004 and is organizing religious congregations to do justice.

Mother organization is The DART Center.  It was incorporated in 1982.  It offers intensive training  for community organizers and oversees its congregation-based groups.

FAST involves 40 congregations-Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim

Its concerns this year are Jobs, Education, Drugs and Crime.

Three upcoming meetings may be of interest to you to attend:

Rally, February 27, 2012 at 6:45 p.m., Greater Mt. Zion AME Church;  10th Ave S and 16th Street S., St. Petersburg

March 19, 2012 at 6:45 p.m., Indian Rocks Baptist Church, Walsingham Rd. Largo

May, 2012 (date & location to be announced) Celebration of Accomplishments

For more information, please contact  Lauren Bennett, Staff Person for Pinellas County, at 425-286-7554