Bill Mick LIVE

Bill Mick LIVE

Bill’s been a morning staple on the Space Coast since 2001. Call the show at 321.768.1240 weekdays from 6am-9am.Full Bio

 

INSIDER COLUMN: WHEN POLITICAL PARTIES FAIL

Political parties have one job- working to elect candidates that will uphold the principals they espouse. It’s apparently more difficult than we would think. 

Being a Republican (mainly because the stated philosophies align most closely with my political viewpoints and I like having a voice in primary elections), I am most familiar with GOP stated goals and actions. As a political observer and commentator, I also watch the statements and actions of other parties and groups as they attempt to influence the electorate. 

It seems that all too often the parties are sidetracked from their purpose and delve into issues better left to organizations and individuals with a purpose other than candidate advocacy. 

With Democrats in the last several years we have seen the party leadership shift from those with electoral goals to those with social influence as their primary motivating factor. Locally we have seen prominent Democratic Party supporters slip out of the party role into relative obscurity in favor of those who herald “fringe” social issues in their public advocacy. The party in Brevard is again failing to field candidates in major races with Republicans walking into even state level offices unopposed. 

While that may seem to bode well for the Republicans, we are talking about the role of parties, not individual candidates. Republicans as a party are faring no better. 

After losing the presidency in a contentious 2020 election, the GOP has succumbed to activists who are focused in the past having issues with how elections are conducted as opposed to making sure their candidates are successful in future elections. 

This is even true here in Brevard where most recently the Brevard Republican Executive Committee (BREC) has turned over its collective mind to Defend Florida in taking a resolution crafted by the activist group and passing it with no consideration for facts or understanding of the issues and actual conduct of elections here. This does not help candidates get their message out or get candidates elected and would appear to be outside the party’s primary purpose. 

BREC had forwarded a copy of the resolution that demands certain actions of all election supervisors statewide to Brevard’s Supervisor Lori Scott. Lori’s reply to that email (the resolution and her response are public record) noted that her office is not only in compliance with state law in each of the stated resolution goals, but that some of what the document “demanded” is not lawful or in the purview of election Supervisors. 

After receiving this response, BREC ignored the understanding and expertise of our SOE and passed the resolution. This has the impact of undermining confidence in our election process for the less engaged voters who see this as a failure of a system that was heralded as the gold standard in the 2020 election. Tell me this helps Republicans get elected. You can’t. 

The parties have lost sight of their goals and responsibilities and have gone far beyond them as they not only fail to help, but in all honesty, do actual harm. Refocusing on their purpose and taking action toward that end would seem to be in order. 

Political parties, you had one job…


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