Broward County’s response to the horrific shooting has received virtually wall to wall media coverage. The optics are poignant and compelling. We see heartbroken young people and grieving parents, framed by a handsome school and the kind of sun-drenched, suburban backdrop most viewers would expect from the Sunshine State.
Yet, even as all people of good will offer their most sincere prayers and heartfelt condolences, the politicization of the killer’s sick rampage moves apace. Consider how reporters focus on reactions that are overwhelmingly anti-Trump and anti-GOP.
Observers could be forgiven for thinking this heinous, carefully planned attack had, even in a “Red” State like Florida, caused great damage to both the president and Republican Party. That’s exactly what the scribes and pundits want you to believe.
But that assumption works only if it can be proven the electoral make-up of Broward County is sufficiently politically diverse to make it a voting bellwether. The area in question, however, like so many, heavily populated, U.S. coastal areas is a very deep “Blue”.
How deep? Let’s look at some of the 2016 election results. Spoiler alert. Not a single candidate designated as a member of the Grand Old Party won a race. Three Democrats had no bona fide Republican opponent. Behold!
President: Hillary Clinton (D) 66% Donald Trump (R) 31%
County Sheriff: Scott Israel (D) 72% Santiago Vazquez (R) 27%
Clerk of Court: Brenda Forman (D) 96% Write in 3%
Supervision of Elections: Brenda Snipes (D) 97% Write in 2%
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Commission District 3: Michael Udine (D) 69% Randal Cutter (R) 30%
Commission District 5: Steven Geller (D) 58% Chuck Lanza (R) 41%
Commission District 9: Dale Holness (D) 99% Write in 0%
This type of Democrat one party rule is far more likely to be found in New York City or San Francisco, than in enormous sections of the U.S. at large. So before jumping to any wrong headed political generalizations, driven at least in part by coverage from a biased, Trump hating media, it’s critical to acknowledge Broward’s liberal ideological leanings.
The media, along with what appears to be an increasing number of left-wing groups are diving into the politics here, so it seems only fair to point out what’s much less obvious, but none the less essential in order to have some valuable perspective.
Far from a neutral national electoral predictor, Broward much more closely resembles hard left Manhattan than Mainstream America. It’s something to keep in mind as this county continues to be the epicenter of this tragedy’s politicization.