Stranahan House Museum will celebrate its inaugural Pioneer Honorees

During its 2019 Pineapple Jam, the Historic Stranahan House Museum will celebrate its inaugural Pioneer Honorees. Community leader and Broward College President Gregory A. Haile, Esq. and landscape architecture firm EDSA will be recognized during Stranahan House’s largest annual gala and fundraising event, themed the “Party in Paradise for Preservation,” on Friday, April 12, 2019.

“We are thrilled to recognize President Haile and ESDA as our inaugural Pioneer Honorees at the 2019 Pineapple Jam,” said event chair Maggie Gunther, director of communications and programs for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance. “They are groundbreaking leaders in the community who are making history and boldly moving forward while valuing the importance of preserving Greater Fort Lauderdale and Broward County’s past. We appreciate the many contributions of President Haile and EDSA.”

The seventh president of Broward College, Haile has served on more than 35 boards or committees and in 20 chair or president positions. His current positions include service on the board of Leadership Florida and membership of the Higher Education Committee of 50 (“Forward 50”), supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. An accomplished educator and corporate litigator, Haile has served at Broward College in teaching and leadership positions since 2011.

EDSA, the inaugural corporate Pioneer Honoree for Pineapple Jam 2019, is a planning, architecture and urban design firm headquartered in Fort Lauderdale. President and Principal Doug Smith is the immediate past-president of the Stranahan House Board of Directors. In his position, Smith provided invaluable leadership in spearheading fundraising initiatives and expertise in landscape architecture, helping to preserve structural components of the House and implement sustainable designs.

Pineapple Jam is an annual “gala” celebration featuring live music and entertainment, Floribbean cuisine, a premium open bar and silent auction. Proceeds support year-round historic preservation and education programs at the Historic Stranahan House Museum, the oldest and most historically significant landmark in Broward County. For more information on supporting the event, sponsorships and ticket sales, visit tinyurl.com/PineappleJam19.

About Historic Stranahan House and Museum

The Stranahan House was built in 1901, when Broward County was no more than a bleak southern frontier supposedly unsuited for human habitation. The existing residents were the Seminoles who traveled down the New River to Frank Stranahan’s trading post to do business. Over the years as Fort Lauderdale grew and developed, the house became a post office, boarding house, restaurant and home to the “Founding Father” and “First Lady” of Fort Lauderdale – Ivy and Frank Stranahan. Today it stands as the oldest house in Fort Lauderdale and an epicenter of Broward County’s long and fascinating history. For more information about the Historic Stranahan House Museum, visit www.stranahanhouse.org.

Deutch, Brooks Lead Call to Leadership to Pass Reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act

Deutch, Brooks Lead Call to Leadership to Pass Reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act

(Washington) Today, Chairwoman of the House Committee on Ethics Susan W. Brooks (R-IN-05) and Ranking Member Ted Deutch (D-FL-22), along with the entire Committee membership sent a letter to leaders in the House of Representatives and Senate urging passage of legislation to reform the Congressional Accountability Act (CAA), which would strengthen workplace rights and protections for employees in the legislative branch and also hold Members and Senators accountable for their own personal conduct.

The Committee wrote, “Members and employees alike should be able to work free from sexual harassment or discrimination of any kind. The American public must also have confidence that we in Congress not only view these issues with the seriousness they demand – but that we are taking action. Reforms to the Congressional Accountability Act of 1994 are sorely needed to protect the integrity of and public confidence in Congress, to ensure that the legislative brand remains a place where men and women want to serve, and to improve accountability on these vital issues. The reforms we have advocated have overwhelming bipartisan support in the House…”

To read the complete letter, click here. 

Ballot Recount Broward updates

UPDATE 5:30 pm 11-15-18

HEADED TO HAND RECOUNT? It appears the Fla. Senate race is headed to a hand recount, while the race for Fla. Governor may be over. After recount numbers were counted, it appears the Florida Senate race is headed to a hand recount. Learn More

UPDATE 2:00PM 11-15-18

Federal judge denies request to extend Florida recount deadline Federal judge denies request to extend approaching deadline for recounts in tight Florida races for US Senate, governor.   Learn More

UPDATE 1:00 PM 11-15-18

judge gives voters more time to fix ballots

Judge Mark Walker on Thursday told lawyers during a recount hearing that Florida is the "laughingstock of the world election after election" when it comes to voting and gave residents more time to fix their ballots so they can be tallied in the Senate and governor races. "We chose not to fix this," said Walker, the U.S. chief district judge. He ruled Thursday that the state's law on mail-in ballots places a substantial burden on voters and he gave them until Saturday to fix any mismatched signatures that might prevent their ballots from being counted.

UPDATE 11:30 AM 11-14-18

Gov. Rick Scott to step down from elections board responsible for certifying results of Florida recount

Florida Gov. Rick Scott will step down from the state panel responsible for certifying the results in the state's highly contested elections.

Learn More

UPDATE 5pm 11-13-18

Embattled Broward elections chief says she may step down after recount

Brenda Snipes said Tuesday that she's considering stepping aside as Broward County supervisor of elections after the recount amid a firestorm of criticism over how her office has handled recent elections.

Learn More

Broward County elections workers were still sorting ballots early Tuesday ahead of Thursday's state-mandated recount.

UPDATE 9:30 AM 11-13-18

Broward County hasn't begun recount, while Miami-Dade County more than halfway done

Broward County Supervisor of Elections Dr. Brenda Snipes said the process was delayed after one of the county's 10 ballot-counting machines malfunctioned. The machines had to be calibrated during the weekend, so workers weren't able to start sorting through all the ballots until Sunday.

"I've worked here for about 15 years, and I have to say, this is the first time that this office or I have been under such a tax," Snipes said.

Despite the delay, Snipes said she is confident the recount will be finished by the state-mandated deadline.

Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner on Saturday ordered statewide recounts for three races -- governor, U.S. Senate and agriculture commissioner.

The recount was ordered after unofficial results showed Republican former U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis leading Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum by 0.41 percentage points for governor. Republican Gov. Rick Scott's lead over Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson was 0.14 per

All eyes are on South Florida, as elections workers have until Thursday to finish a statewide recount.

UPDATE 11-13-18
From NY Times

Republicans’ push to discredit the vote recount in Florida reflects a cold political calculation, aimed at securing the party’s Senate majority and its agenda. Here’s more on the strategy.

• A judge in Florida urged lawyers involved in the recount battle to “ramp down the rhetoric” and take accusations of electoral fraud where they belong: to the police. Read about the controversy.

UPDATE 11-12-18
From Miami Herald

Two days after state officials ordered a statewide recount in three key races that ended within razor-thin margins, Broward County elections officials said Monday they have not yet started their recount of more than 700,000 ballots it must tally before Thursday’s deadline.

Broward Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes said she was not concerned that her office would not meet its deadline, even if the start of the recount is delayed until Tuesday morning.

“No, there is not” any concern, said Snipes, whose headquarters in Lauderhill was once again surrounded Monday by a small Trump, crowd of protesters critical of the elections chief and her competence to serve.

Broward will conduct three statewide recounts and additional recounts on four municipal races, all of which are on the first page of Broward’s ballots. The machines have to first separate that page from the rest of each ballot before they can then be refed and recounted. (Ballots in Broward county can range from four to seven pages, depending on the city.)

Florida law requires an automatic recount in a race in which the difference in vote totals is half a percent or less. The law requires a manual recount if the difference in the vote totals is 1/4 of a percent or less.

The razor-thin margins in the races of U.S. Senate, agriculture commissioner and the governor’s race caused Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner to order mandatory machine recounts in all three statewide races Saturday after all counties submitted their unofficial results by noon.

Here’s a timeline on what happens next:

Thursday, Nov. 15: The second round of unofficial returns is due from the counties at 3 p.m.

Those in charge of recounting votes, the county canvassing boards, are comprised of the county supervisor of elections, a circuit court judge, Betsy Benson and county commission chair. This group is tasked with testing voting machines for technical errors and reporting any problems to the Secretary of State’s Office within 11 days.

At that point, the Florida Secretary of State and the Divison of Elections will determine whether the returns of those results meet the statutory threshold for a manual recount.

A manual recount is legally required under Florida law for federal, state or multicounty races or issues if the margin between candidates/issues is below 0.25 percent.

Nov. 16: Overseas Ballots Deadline

In compliance with the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the deadline in Florida for overseas ballots from applicable military and civilian is Nov. 16.

The ballots must be postmarked or signed and dated on or before the Nov. 6 Election Day.

Nov. 18: Official Returns Deadline

County canvassing boards have a noon deadline on Nov. 18 to produce official returns.

Nov. 20: Official Returns Certified

The Elections Canvassing Commission, which is made up of the Florida governor and two members of the Florida Cabinet selected by the governor, meet in Tallahassee at 9 a.m. on Nov. 20 to certify the official returns from federal, state and multi-county offices

Ongoing

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So, how does the Florida recount work

CLICK HERE FOR ANDREW GILLUM PRESS CONFERENCE ON RECOUNT


Just 15,092 votes out of 8.2 million separate Sen. Bill Nelson and Gov. Rick Scott in the Florida Senate race. And the margin continues to narrow — it was at nearly 60,000 on election night and 34,000 Wednesday afternoon. One thing is clear: This race is headed to a recount. Scott, the Republican, leads Nelson, the Democrat, by 0.18 percentage points. That is well within the margin for a machine recount (0.5 percent) and within the threshold for a recount by hand (0.25 percent).

Not all the ballots have been counted yet in South Florida, a Democratic stronghold

As of Thursday morning, two voter-rich counties were still tabulating an unknown number of ballots.

Broward County, where Nelson received 68.9 percent of the votes, was still counting early-voting, vote-by-mail and Election Day ballots.

Palm Beach County, where Nelson received 58.4 percent of the votes, was still counting vote-by-mail ballots.

If the breakdown of these pending ballots is anything close to the results so far, Nelson should pick up more votes than Scott.

Undervote in Senate race in Broward County

In Broward County, 695,799 people turned in ballots. But only 665,688 voted in the Senate race.

Rep. Deutch Op-Ed: Every Vote Should Count

(Washington) On Sunday, November 11, Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-22) published the following op-ed in the Sun Sentinel in which he pushes back on baseless accusations by Senator Marco Rubio, Governor Rick Scott, and President Donald Trump regarding certain close statewide elections and their legally-mandated recounts.

The op-ed can be read here and below.

Every Vote Should Count.Congressman Ted Deutch
Count every vote. Why is that such a troubling goal for Governor Rick Scott, Senator Marco Rubio, and President Donald Trump?

As the margins narrowed in the U.S. Senate, Florida Governor, and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture races, Republicans responded to a close election by trying to erode confidence in our democratic institutions and prevent Florida voters’ voices from being heard.

Since Election Day, Senator Marco Rubio and Governor Rick Scott have spouted conspiracy theories, requested law enforcement investigations to harass elections officials, and filed lawsuits to cloud the vote counting process in suspicion. These are acts of desperation and show that Republicans are afraid of what will happen if every Florida vote is counted.

Marco Rubio should remember that he is our U.S. Senator and is supposed to be representing every Floridian. His post-election tweets were irresponsible and are intended to slowly erode confidence in the results. He baselessly claimed that Democrats “are here to change the results of election,” and that lawyers will “try to steal a seat in the U.S. Senate and Florida Cabinet.”

Senator Rubio is not telling the truth and offered zero evidence for his conspiracy theories. He portrayed post-election night vote counting as a troubling anomaly. It wasn’t. After the 2016 election, 10 million ballots were counted over the course of ten days after polls closed nationwide. This year, five million ballots across the country had yet to be counted by Friday. In many races, overseas, mail-in, and provisional ballots that are counted and verified after Election Day won’t change the outcome. But in Florida, we have six very close races that deserve to have every vote counted without interference from our senator.

Senator Rubio was joined by Governor Scott who claimed “unethical liberals” are trying to steal the election. He unsuccessfully ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate. In response, a FDLE spokesperson said that they would be willing to investigate credible allegations of fraud, but they hadn’t seen any. That’s because our own governor’s allegations are a farce.

As Senator Rubio and Governor Scott could have guessed, President Trump took the bait and joined the fray on Twitter. He tweeted about “Election Fraud in #Broward and Palm Beach” and claimed Florida already chose Rick Scott for Senate. He even closed a Friday afternoon twitter tirade by thanking Senator Rubio for “exposing the potential corruption going on.” But Senator Rubio hasn’t exposed anything. He’s made baseless conspiracy theories that he knew would be fodder for a president that has used similar false allegations in the past to attack election results.

In 2018, Senator Rubio amplified a President Trump tactic from 2016. After he lost the popular vote by a historic margin of 3 million votes, President Trump used unfounded voter fraud claims to waste taxpayer resources on a so-called Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. The commission was shut down after states refused to provide it with information that violated voters’ privacy and could have been used in erroneous voter purges like we’ve seen multiple times in Florida.

Senator Rubio often portrays himself as a responsible and reasonable actor in a political world that has gone mad. Friday afternoon, he tried to dial back his false allegations of fraud by claiming that he just wants information on the state-mandated schedule. But it’s too late. Senator Rubio fueled the president’s conspiracy engine this week in an effort to drive Florida’s election off the rails. We can all hope that the damage he’s caused won’t stop the work Florida’s elections officials are doing as three very close races proceed to automatic recounts that will ensure that every vote is counted.

  

Message From #Indivisible Founders

Join Our Organize Broward FaceBook Group CLICK HERE

Dear Indivisibles, We took the House. We keep repeating it over and over to ourselves: We took the House.  How we built the wave. When Trump won, the political establishment assumed that the Affordable Care Act was as good as dead. They assumed that Republicans had built, through gerrymandering, a secure majority in the House. They assumed Trump could count on four years of a Republican Congress. They didn’t count on us. A lot of people in Washington will rush to claim credit for Tuesday’s results.But you know the truth: this didn’t start in Washington. It started in our cities and towns. It started in our living rooms, or in a community center, or at a march (or on a bus on the way back from a march), or in a church or mosque or synagogue. It started with finding our voices, our communities, and our power. It started with us coming together. We showed up -- first at marches and airports, then at town halls and district offices. We held our representatives’ feet to the fire. We made sure they answered for every vote they took and every statement they made. We fought -- long and hard -- to stop the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, to turn Trump’s tax scam into a political liability, and to join in defense of DACA recipients and our communities under threat. We forced many of these Republicans into early retirements. We tied others to their most unpopular votes and quotes. We laid the groundwork for the campaigns that took shape this year… and for Democrats to have a competitive House map. And then we went from pressuring our representatives to replacing them. We got behind exciting candidates. We knocked doors, made calls, sent texts, and raised money. We ran for office ourselves. And on Tuesday, whether our candidates won or lost, we were part of a nationwide wave that has changed the course of American democracy. We didn’t win everywhere -- in some states, Republicans have rigged the rules, or we’re still building the power we’ll need to win. We’re mourning losses in critical places like Florida, Georgia, and Texas. But we’ve achieved something fundamental: we’ve taken control of one chamber of Congress. And we can use it as a check on this administration, and to lead the path forward. What comes next: we go on offense. The original Indivisible Guide was all about defense. Republicans had unified control of the House, the Senate, and the White House. We had lost state legislatures and governorships. We felt lost and scared and alone. And the best thing we could think to do was write a practical guide to making Congress listen to their constituents (that’s you!). We knew that Trump would threaten our families, our neighbors, and our democracy. We believed that the only thing that could stop him and his Congressional Republican footsoldiers was a massive, nationwide surge of everyday people banding together, getting organized, and fighting for the America that we believed in. But then something incredible happened: we took our anger and grief and turned it into fuel for collective action. We organized and we built power. Tuesday’s enormous victory changes the game. In a few days, we’ll release a new Indivisible guide: Indivisible on Offense. (We’ve been working on a new guide for months… we kind of had a feeling last night's victory might happen.) In 2017, we made Congress listen. In 2018, we remade Congress. And in 2019, the next Congress will feature a new generation of brave, diverse leaders. The new Democratic House majority has agenda-setting power. They can pass legislation. They can use investigatory and subpoena power. They can act as a check on this Administration. This all gets a little wonky and complex, but it’s hugely powerful. And we’ll release Indivisible on Offense next week to walk you through all the ins and outs, and help you work to ensure Democrats use all their new powers. This is how we’ll go from taking the House to taking the White House. Want to get a sneak peek of the plan? Sign up here to join this call and let us know you’re in for this next phase of our movement. And, please, forward this to your friends too -- what better time to join this movement than after a historic, nationwide win? We all know Trump won’t take this loss sitting down. The fight for our democracy is far from over. But we also know that Indivisibles all over the country made last night's win possible and showed how we can win again. We’re not scared anymore. We’re not lost. We’re not alone. We know that America belongs to all of us -- and that we’re all in this together. Indivisible. In solidarity, Ezra and Leah

Indivisible Project is a locally-led, people-powered movement of thousands of local groups in red, blue, and purple states, and in urban, suburban, and rural areas (at least two in every congressional district!). Our mission is to power and lift up a grassroots movement of local groups to defeat the Trump agenda, elect progressive leaders, and realize bold progressive policies. Click here to view this email in your browser or here to forward this email to a friend. This email was sent to ronmills954@gmail.com at zip code 33309. Update your contact information here. You mayunsubscribe at any time. Indivisible Project is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Donations are not tax deductible.

Deutch Asks Sec. Detzner to Guarantee Fair & Impartial Count & Recount of 2018 Election Results

Deutch Asks Sec. Detzner to Guarantee Fair & Impartial Count & Recount of 2018 Election Results

The letter to Secretary Detzner was sent by Reps. Deutch, Hastings, Wasserman Schultz, Frankel, Demings, and Lawson.

(Washington) Today, as several statewide elections head into automatic recounts, Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-22), representing residents of Broward and Palm Beach Counties, joined with Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20), Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23), Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21), Congresswoman Val B. Demings (FL-10), and Congressman Al Lawson Jr. (FL-05) in sending a letter to Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner urging him to "ensure the accuracy of Florida’s election results, preserve a process free from partisan bias, and maintain the transparency required for public confidence in this process."

The Members of Congress asked Secretary Detzner to ensure that the State "meet basic standards of accountability and allow the count, and any subsequent recount, to move forward without political interference."

The text of the letter can be found below.



Dear Secretary Detzner,

We are writing to ask that you ensure that every vote in the 2018 midterm elections is counted.

We strongly support a transparent and fair election procedure. Now, it appears that several statewide elections will be close enough to trigger an automatic recount. Throughout this process we ask that you work to respect all Florida voters and that all eligible votes are counted. We must remember that the voting rights afforded to all Americans by our laws and rooted in the values of our nation’s founding documents should at all times be protected. While we have regularly disagreed about your partisan voter roll purges, we know that you share a commitment to ensuring recounts proceed in a nonpartisan manner with transparency, uniformity, and great care.

The integrity of our democratic institutions demand that we diligently work to resist conspiracy theories and work carefully to ensure that every vote is counted. We hope we can trust that your office will work to ensure full protection of the constitutional and civil rights of every Floridian. To accomplish that, the State must meet basic standards of accountability and allow the count, and any subsequent recount, to move forward without political interference.

Given your role as our state’s chief elections officer, we urge you to take the necessary steps to ensure the accuracy of Florida’s election results, preserve a process free from partisan bias, and maintain the transparency required for public confidence in this process.

Sincerely,

Congressman Ted Deutch (FL-22)
Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20)
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23)
Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-21)
Congresswoman Val B. Demings (FL-10)
Congressman Al Lawson Jr. (FL-05)

Good News For Florida Democrats

• 
• Democrats have overtaken Republicans in swing bell-weather Pinellas County – when Dems take the lead in Pinellas, historically it spells good news for Democrats
• Orange County Democrats more than doubled Republican returns the past two days of early vote – and NPA’s outnumbered Republicans yesterday as well
• Democrats are significantly over-performing in vote share in key Republican bell-weather Counties including Collier, Martin, Indian River, St. John’s, Seminole, and Sarasota
• Democrats are up nearly 5 points in Duval County
• Hispanic Democrats have a 6 point edge over Hispanic Republicans to date. In 2014, Hispanic Republicans held an 11 point edge of Hispanic votes cast early
• African Americans are voting: In 2014, 344,352 African American Democrats cast ballots early, in 2018, that number is 474,455 – and that doesn’t’ include the Souls to the Polls events happening across the state today
• We are successfully expanding the electorate: 450,742 Democrats who have cast ballots to date have voted in Presidential elections – but have never cast a ballot in a midterm (compared to 344,157 Republicans)

Source Florida Democratic Party

NAACP VOTER RALLY BROWARD COUNTY

Voter Turn Out RALLY in BROWARD COUNTY SUNDAY, NOV 4, 12- 6PM Sistrunk Blvd. FREE Food, Music and Fun Sponsord by the NAACP

BRING IT HOME !

Barack Obama vs. Donald Trump. “Bring It Home!” vs. “Lock Him Up!

Photos By Ron Mills

VIDEO BY CHRISTIAN BUSHNELL

Barack Obama vs. Donald Trump. “Bring It Home!” vs. “Lock Him Up!”

In front of adoring and amped-up crowds this week, the former president and his successor rallied their parties' bases in Florida, home of deadlocked and intensely watched races for U.S. Senate and governor in the nation's largest swing state. Florida has an electorate that's such a national bellwether that it can seem more schizophrenic than truly red or blue.

Florida elected Obama in 2008 and 2012, but then swung hard right in 2016 by voting in Trump, who rallied Wednesday in Southwest Florida and returns Saturday to the Panhandle, two Republican-rich areas that made Florida Trump Country.

Sandwiched between those Trump stops in Florida, the first African American president gambled Friday that he could help turn Florida back into Obama Country in Democrat-heavy Miami with a message calibrated to draw a sharp contrast with the harsh tone of his successor, especially over immigration.

“The character of our country is on the ballot,” Obama told a crowd of 4,000. “In the closing weeks of this election, we have seen repeated attempts to divide us with rhetoric designed to make us angry and make us fearful, that’s designed to exploit our history of racial and ethnic and religious division, that pits us against one another to make us believe that order will somehow be restored if it just weren’t for those folks who don’t look like we look, or don’t love like we love, or pray like we do.”

The crowd in Miami interrupted him with a clapping chant that’s the slogan of Democrat Andrew Gillum’s campaign for governor: “Bring it home!”

Two days before, on the other side of the peninsula, the current president’s rhetoric was a world away.

“Republicans want strong borders, no crime, no chaos and no caravans. Democrats want open borders, and they want to invite caravan after caravan into our country, which brings crime upon crime,” Trump said in Fort Myers in a filled-to-capacity arena. “A vote for Democrats is a vote to liquidate America's borders. And it's a vote to let meth, fentanyl, heroin, and other deadly drugs pour across our borders, drugs that take the lives of over — think of this — over 70,000 Americans a year.”

The crowd at one point broke out with the longstanding Trump campaign chant: “Build the wall!” Unprompted, they chanted “CNN sucks!” at one point. And they booed when the opposing candidates were mentioned by name. Obama’s crowd did it, too.

But both presidents had a different response. Trump said little as the boos rained down. Obama often responded, “don’t boo, vote!”

The two sides also fracture along racial lines.

The Florida Democratic Party recently became a majority-minority party. And the Obama rally was multiracial. The Republican Party of Florida is disproportionately white compared to the state’s general population and its registered voters overall. And Trump’s rally was overwhelmingly white.

Gillum — Florida’s first African-American Democratic nominee for governor — and Sen. Bill Nelson are pulling a disproportionate share of the non-white vote and their opponents, Ron DeSantis and Gov. Rick Scott, have outsized support among white voters.

At each rally, voters mentioned race without prompting when asked to describe the different Floridas on display in Trump’s America and Obama’s America.

“In all honesty, a lot of people voted for Obama just because he was black. And that was that. He didn’t have anything to go by,” said Dean Parave, a 54-year-old Naples resident who attended his fifth Trump rally on Wednesday. “He made a lot of promises, he didn’t keep any. What did they have to go by? Just his race.”

Obama rallygoer Ellen Kaplan had a far different take: “Donald Trump’s America is the America of old white men who are afraid of giving up what power they have.”

Another Democrat at the Wednesday rally, Crystal Romero-Sherman of Boca Raton, said Trump is negative and Obama’s positive.

“Donald Trump doesn’t inspire love and hope and prosperity for everybody,” she said. “Obama gives us a reason to believe that Obama will be better tomorrow.”

Trump rallygoer Gina Vithoulkas summed up her view of the divide this way: “He’s evil. Obama is evil.”

At his rally for Gillum and Nelson, Obama brought up the issue of anger in Trump’s base.

“Why is it that the folks that won the last election are so mad all the time?” Obama asked to applause. “When I won the presidency, at least my side felt pretty good. It tells ya something interesting, that even the folks who are in charge are still mad ‘cause they’re getting ginned up to be mad. That’s the mindset.”

DeSantis, who earned a reputation for getting mad after losing his temper with a debate moderator last week, has made the race for governor more of a referendum on Gillum’s character, and specifically an FBI investigation swirling around City Hall in Tallahassee where the Democrat serves as mayor.

DeSantis used the Tallahassee investigation as a point of departure to criticize Gillum’s call for impeaching Trump, whose campaign is under federal investigation.

“He's running on impeaching the president. For what?” DeSantis asked the crowd as it booed Gillum’s name. “This is a guy that took bribes from an undercover FBI agent, took money from a lobbyist, did favors for the lobbyist. Maybe we should impeach Gillum as mayor of Tallahassee!"

“Lock him up!” the crowd chanted.

Days later, Gillum had his chance to rebut DeSantis, accusing him of being dishonest over his repeated votes to repeal Obamacare and his newfound promise to protect insurance coverage for people with preexisting conditions. But more broadly, Gillum sought to portray the election as a choice between hope and divisiveness.

“We have the opportunity to send Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Trump a message on Nov. 6,” Gillum said. “We have a chance to send them an apologetic message. One that will no longer confuse them — that their brand of politics is no longer acceptable in the state of Florida at all. At all.”

Source Politico