Spirits were high and the booze was flowing on Monday night at the Gulport Casino, where Pinellas County (as well as some Hillsborough based) Democrats partied in style. They were celebrating the second inauguration of President Obama, as well as their own successes at the ballot box in November 2012.
Activist Doug Hickman expressed how the fortunes of the local party have changed of late, saying that among those contributing $500 for the party's expenses was a political action committee of a local law enforcement agency.
"You know why? Because we're one vote away from the County Commission," he said, referring to the current 4-3 GOP split on the board, with Republican Norm Roche looking vulnerable for his re-election in 2014.
Activist Darden Rice said she was thrilled by the president's inauguration speech, which touched on liberal ideas such as combating climate change, honoring gay rights, and defending the major entitlement programs that Republicans say are bankrupting the country.
"I think that was an Obama speech a lot of people were waiting a long time to hear. A kind of progressive earnest message. I think a lot of people were really thrilled about it," Rice said.
The event, sponsored by the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, featured virtually every local Democrat of note, including Ken Welch, Janet Long, Charlie Justice, Rick Kriseman, Karl Nurse, Steve Kornell, Charlie Gerdes and Rene Flowers.
This article appears in Jan 17-23, 2013.
