This week’s column is for Florida Democrats still clinging to the idea that there is a chance for a few major upsets in the Sunshine State. Read the national news – or even a handful of Florida media outlets – and one might be tempted to believe that, somehow, Florida Democrats might find a way to avoid a complete disaster in the Sunshine State and perhaps give a few prominent politicians a black eye in a few key races. Some are even convinced that it’s possible that Val Demings might upset Marco Rubio, and though significantly fewer, some even cling to the hope that Charlie Crist might actually pull off an upset against Ron DeSantis.

I’m here to encourage each and every Florida Democrat to cling to those dreams. Hold on tight. After all, without a strong Florida Democratic Party, Republicans might get complacent and lose their competitive edge. Then they’ll start getting sloppy, even arrogant. And that’s when bad things happen. Then nobody wins.

So, just to bolster Democrat confidence and keep Republicans on their toes, let’s walk through a few questions Democrats might be asking themselves in the next eight weeks, and we’ll try to be as encouraging as possible.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) FOR TROUBLED DEMOCRATS

Is the reversal of Roe v. Wade (Dobbs case) really going to boost Democrat turnout in November?

Yes! Definitely! Democrats should continue to invest in this obvious winning issue. Even though Nikki Fried made abortion rights the central theme of her campaign, and even though she got clobbered in embarrassing fashion by a candidate who’s been on both sides of the issue during his career, that doesn’t mean that abortion won’t be the issue that motivates hundreds of thousands of middle-of-the-road, “no party” voters to link arms and march in lock-step to the polls to vote Democrat in November.

Admittedly, abortion wasn’t a motivating factor among the most die-hard Democrat super voters in the primary, but that’s probably because Nikki Fried just didn’t campaign enough as a pro-abortion hard-liner. Who knows what could have happened had she really gone all in on the issue?

Wait…aren’t moderate voters less motivated by social issues and more motivated by economic issues?

Historically, yes. But Democrat allies in the media are doing all they can to reassure moderate voters that there are no economic problems in America right now.  And since that concern has been taken off the table, Democrats can freely focus on mainstream progressive issues, like abortion, sexual curriculum in elementary school classrooms, and getting more police officers off our streets so that people are no longer afraid to walk downtown.

Still not convinced that the mainstream media is doing enough to distract moderate voters from the bad economy?  Look no further than Friday’s Washington Post. Just look at this glowing headline:

The Washington Post even helpfully included a lovely little graph to underscore how awesome the U.S. job market is doing (ignore the red trend-line arrow, it was added by a Republican):

What about all this Democrat “momentum” we’re reading about in the media? 

Oh, it’s real, and it’s totally going to continue. Ignore any talk about a Florida Democrat “high water mark.” Ignore the suggestion that any sliver of hope Democrats are seeing is not just a post-primary bounce caused by increased media attention coupled with the lack of opposition spending at this early stage of the general election campaign.

Democrats have so much to campaign on, like their strong stance during the pandemic for locking down the Florida economy and mandatory masking to protect people from themselves. Sometimes voters – especially Florida voters – don’t immediately appreciate being told what to do, but over time those stubborn voters eventually realize that Democrats know what’s best for everyone. That’s why Democrats sometimes have to exert their authority in order to protect people from their own selfish choices.

Not only will those kinds of messages pay a big divident in November, but Democrats won’t even have to spend any money reminding voters about how they insisted on lockdowns, masking, school closures, mandatory vaccinations and other benevolent authoritarian measures, because Republicans have lots of money and they’ll remind voters on their own dime!

Val Demings has a real chance to beat Marco Rubio, right?

Yes. Totally. Believe the progressive polls. Believe the national media claiming that Demings has momentum because of abortion and the “Joe Biden agenda:”

The party’s candidates have seen a burst of momentum following the signing of a massive tax and climate law, arguing that it’s evidence that they can pass meaningful legislation. And then there’s the conservative-majority Supreme Court’s decision in June to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion rights case — a ruling that has put reproductive rights back in the country’s political spotlight. Meanwhile, inflation has shown signs of easing and gas prices have begun to tick downward, bolstering Democratic hopes of avoiding an electoral thrashing in November.

See? The economy is fine. And there’s that abortion argument again. Like I told ya. And don’t forget that “massive tax and climate law” bill that everyone’s talking about. Especially moderate voters. It’s water cooler talk no matter where you are. That Joe Biden can really get things done! Right?

Still not convinced? Maybe if Politico repeats the same claim (ignore the headline) it’ll make it true:

Demings has also gained momentum by tapping into the anger surrounding the reversal of Roe v. Wade and can even tout the recent legislative wins by Democrats in Congress.

She’s following the playbook. And according to progressive polls she’s pulled to within a few points of Rubio. Just do not waver from abortion and the Joe Biden agenda. That will get Val Demings across the finish line for sure.

Does Charlie Crist’s $125 million campaign cash deficit really matter?

Whoa. Is it really that bad? Yikes. But yeah, no. Of course a huge cash deficit in politics doesn’t really matter. Money isn’t everything. Besides, Charlie doesn’t even need money because he’s run for statewide office four times now, three just for governor. Everyone knows exactly who he is. And so everyone knows exactly what he stands for already. Right? He’s a known entity. Totally not a flip-flopping, finger-in-the-wind guy. Spending money to remind voters of the principles that Charlie believes in would just be a waste of money.