Katherine Harris for Senate, But Why?

The official news came yesterday, after much public flirting and false coyness, that Katherine Harris, the former Florida Secretary of State who helped the Bush for President campaign prevent Democratic voters from having their ballots counted in the 2000 election, is running for the U.S. Senate.

Whether you agree with Katherine Harris’s role in widespread voter suppression or not, a simple question must be asked of her candidacy: Why in the world does she want to become a United States Senator?

Is it a matter of conservative values? Hardly. Her opponent, Senator Bill Nelson, is a very conservative Democrat who votes along with George W. Bush more than he does with other members of his own political party. Smart Republicans want to keep Bill Nelson in office, because Senator Nelson prevents a more mainstream Democrat from giving an effective voice to the practical priorities of working Americans, like raising the minimum wage and stopping the abuse of the armed forces by the Bush Administration. If Katherine Harris really cared about conservative values, she would support Bill Nelson, not run against him.

What in the world would Katherine Harris have as a campaign platform? Preventing black people, Jews and liberals from voting? That’s the bulk of her experience in public service.

Again and again, Katherine Harris has proved herself to be a faithful servant to Florida’s power elites. Instead of fulfilling the duty inherent to her job as Secretary of State to protect the voting rights of Florida’s citizens, Katherine worked night and day to prevent Floridians’ votes from being counted. Her main priority all along was not to ensure that justice was served, but to serve the ambitions of her boss, Jeb Bush, and his brother George W. Time and time again, Katherine Harris has chosen loyalty to powerful families and financial elites over the needs of Florida’s average citizens.

So, what will the motto of the Harris for Senate campaign be? More power to the powerful?

If Bill Nelson wasn’t such a mealy-mouthed, unprincipled, have-it-both-ways politician himself, I’d say that this election is a no-brainer. To tell the truth, both Bill Nelson and Katherine Harris have plenty of smarts. It’s just that neither of them has the common decency to apply their intelligence to the betterment of the people they claim to represent.

Instead, these two both seem intent on gaining more power for themselves, whatever it takes. As the Miami Herald described the motivation behind Katherine Harris’s campaign this morning, it’s all about conquest, as Florida’s “Republicans grow increasingly intent on vanquishing Democrats.”

As a Democrat, I’d love to endorse Bill Nelson as the lesser of these two scoundrels, but I can’t bring myself to do that. Senator Bill Nelson is not a democrat because of his principles, but because being a Democrat was the best way for him to gain public office as he began his political career. The best I can hope for is that a more idealistic alternative Democratic candidate for Senate will emerge, but that’s unlikely, as the Florida Democratic Party is, just like Senator Nelson himself, interested in power over principles, and will work to suppress a primary contest. As a result, rank-and-file Democrats will only have the choice of supporting Bill Nelson or staying home in disgust.

I pity you, Florida, for the stench coming from your state’s political machines… and the summer is just beginning to heat up.

Katherine Harris Campaign Bumper Sticker – Will Katherine Harris fix her own election too?