Roundtable Discussion with Mark Cardenas

Mark Cardenas, the Alliance Party’s Florida State Chair, joins
Greg and Dan to discuss politics in Florida. Why does Florida get
such a bad rap for being at the epicenter of political
dysfunction in this nation? The answer is that there is a complex
combination of factors, including a highly diverse set of voting
blocks, each with their own priorities.


Reaching these diverse voting blocks has been a challenge for
both parties, though for the time being, the Republicans have
done a much better job of it. They have tuned into the chief
concerns of the voting blocks and crafted messages that strongly
resonate with voters’ largely religious values. The Democrats, on
the other hand, can’t seem to get away from playing defense.


In the meantime, the debate over voting rights threatens to put
Republicans on the wrong side of history, as they continue
chipping away at voting rights using racially coded messaging,
which may, in the long term, alienate the diverse voting blocks
they need to win in Florida. All these factors present a good
opportunity for the Alliance Party to make a strong showing in
the state of Florida.