The Power of Ideas

Check out the www.CIVICconcern.org, the new site for a think tank providing promoting "innovative, centrist ideas and accessible political information." The organization is structured as a non-partisan non-profit, but appears to lean moderate-Democrat.

"Too many people have been shut out of the process in Florida for too long,” said Bernie Campbell, CIVIC spokesperson who is also a prominent Democratic consultant. “One-sided government always leaves somebody on the
outside looking in. In Florida, that somebody has been Florida’s families, workers and children.”

CIVIC will serve as a center for the development and implementation of practical solutions to the most critical issues facing Florida. It will provide Floridians with a partner in Tallahassee, one that ensures greater government accountability and greater responsiveness to their needs and concerns.
Campbell continued, “Tallahassee needs balance. For the last eight years, centrist solutions to long-standing state problems have not been welcome. CIVIC offers policy ideas that make good sense – not just good sound bites.”

Comments

It's about time. Most Floridians want their politics in the center and have grown tired of one-sided government. This group could not have come at a better time.

This is Charlie Crist's CCE.

Right wingers head for the hills, common sense is back in vogue.

The Right has always had their mouthpiece, the James Madison Institute. Not very effective, but it's been out there. Good to see the rest of us will have somebody now too.

Gong to this!

Memo to Democrats: you don't lose because Republicans have more money, better candidates, or better strategy. Democrats lose because your ideas suck.

You are still the big government, high tax, bad on defense, pro-choice party and having a new mouthpiece to peddle the same sucky ideas won't make a bit of difference.

it seems that the republican party lost heavily in the november congressional elections. the republicans are now the party of big, massive government. the democrats should position themselves as the champions of individualism and personal liberty. the republicans have renounced all those concepts in favor of an evangelical theocratic superstate.

11:51, the Republicans ideas are so much better. lets invade iraq, lets privatize social security, lets raise student loan rates, the great ideas even are here in florida. lets make sure florida has the highest sales tax in the nation, lets make sure florida is one of the worst states for education, lets make sure floridians are able to bring their loaded weapons onto private business properties. you're right these are great ideas. I guess that’s why you all in charge still up there in D.C. oops I forgot about November.

[Will]

12:12 You are a hyper partisan liberal. Give up your rhetoric, its meaningless. When you ELIMINATE PROPERTY TAXES, and raise the sales tax, its not a tax increase, idiot. The right to bear arms is the SECOND AMENDMENT IN THE US CONSTITUTION, idiot.

12:07 Only a portion of republicans are theocrats, and the rest are nothing like that. Republicans lost in the US, but only slightly in FL. We still run everything. Additionally, there is a snowballs chance in hell that democrats EVER become the party of individual freedom. They only do things for the "common good", a term straight from communists.

"Democrats lose because your ideas suck."

How then do you explain Charlie Crist's wild success?

I'm a Charlie Crist Democrat. Jeb's people never made me feel like responsible, middle ground ideas had a chance.

another group to say on behalf of democrats that there are such things as free lunches! maybe CIVIC can tell us where to buy those seeds for the money trees we're gonna need to fund all their wonderful ideas and programs.

Great idea. Kudos to Mr. Campbell and his group. It is about time that the moderates among us have a political home.

It sure is interesting to see the Repubs here (12:39 and 11:51) are the ones who get nasty and rude, calling people who don't agree with them "idiots.".
Thankfuly, most people around the country see it differently, as the November election proved.
That's what that kind of attitude gets you---spanked, like the little school kid you sound like.

Another trial lawyer front group.

[Party of Lincoln]

Seriously, is resorting to name calling the best we can do? I urge all of you to resist the urge to criticize or to label and try to begin a real dialogue. Have any of you read "Team of Rivals, the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln?"

11:51 -- Dems don't lose because our ideas suck, we lose because we're terrible at communicating them. And in Florida, we've been in the minority so long, there's no one on the centrist/progressive side coming up with good ideas on state issues anymore.

I, for one, am hoping this new group is the real deal because it's exactly what we need.

1:06, Charlie IS a DEMOCRAT,
5:57, I couldn't agree more.
Party of Lincoln, Right on.
What we need a a comprehensive soluction reached on consensus