Rich holds true to principles — dooming her chances

[Baitball Blogger]

TALLAHASSEE — Maybe Nan Rich should engineer her own political metamorphosis. She could hold a news conference, tear up her Democratic voter-registration card, go independent and demand to be let into the gubernatorial general-election debates.

That might be the only way people would finally pay some attention to the Broward Democrat who stubbornly refuses to play the game and shift every core position to find the sweet spot between what progressive groups will tolerate and a majority of voters will embrace.

Or course, Rich would never switch parties. She is who she is, a South Florida liberal, unabashed advocate of abortion rights and expanding the state government's footprint in health care. She sponsored bills mandating background checks for gun buyers.

She was Charlie Crist before Crist was Crist, way back five years ago when he "blindly supported irresponsible gun legislation pushed by the NRA." She was sponsoring bills to allow same-sex couples to adopt children when Crist was backing Florida's gay-marriage constitutional ban.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-capview-deslatte-081714-20140815,0,5655531.column

[bluestateguy]

1. There is no constitutional God given right to be included in a debate

Nor does any politician "owe" the voters, or his/her opponent, a debate.

The media usually screws up debates anyway with stupid questions, opinionated cant and impressionistic bibble-babble.

[1monster]

2. Nan Rich's chances are slim to none because she is almost totally unknown.

I don't think she can change that positively in the week or so before primary elections.

I wish liberal/progressive Dems would get their names and reputations out there a year or so BEFORE election day so that voters know at least as much about them as their opponets.