Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Kings Point Democrats size up state candidates
Governor candidate Jeff Greene was hit with pointed questions Wednesday about his Democratic bona fides and whether he’s sufficiently opposed to President Donald Trump.
The critical questions came at the Kings Point Democratic Club in Tamarac, where about 250 of the party’s most reliable voters — mostly seniors in the giant condominium community — came to check out Greene and two of his competitors, Andrew Gillum and Philip Levine.
Roberta Goldstein was the most direct.
“What do you think of Phil Levine saying you support Donald Trump 100 percent?” she asked during the questionand-answer session.
That was a reference to a Levine ad showing Greene calling Trump a “great guy.”
Greene said the charge was “totally out of context,” that “anybody can look this up,” and that he didn’t really want to spend time talking about it.
He repeated a now-familiar explanation: that he had strongly criticized Trump before the election. The day after, he said, he was following the lead of then-President Barack Obama and losing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in urging support for the President-elect Trump.
Greene said he quickly dropped that view when he saw how Trump is governing.
And he took a swipe at Levine. “I don’t think it’s fair to run these deceptive commercials.”
Goldstein said afterward she wasn’t convinced by Greene’s answer but still may vote for him in the Aug. 28 primary.
Earlier in the Q&A, a woman asked if Greene would stay a Democrat or revert to Republicanism.
Greene said the question “wasn’t very nice.”
Greene, 63, said he has “always been a Democrat,” except “for a couple of years” when he was a Republican years ago. “I absolutely am a Democrat. I have been a Democrat all but two years of my life.”
When the candidates were waiting for their time at the mic to start, Greene and Gillum shook hands. Greene and Levine didn’t.
In his introduction, Levine emphasized the importance of combatting Trump. He didn’t directly address his fight with Greene over Trump.
Before the candidates spoke, Kings Point Democratic Club president Mona Malbranche, laid down the law: “The candidates are to speak. They will not be bashing each other. They are here to tell you about themselves and what they are going to do when they become governor.”
The audience approved of each candidate’s pledges to tackle the National Rifle Association, or stories on how they’ve battled the NRA before, and promises to get rid of the state’s controversial “stand your ground” law and eliminate assault weapons.
“They survive off the myth that they can’t be beat,” Gillum said.
Levine said he was proud of his F-minus rating from the NRA and touted the endorsements from parents of two students killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.
Greene agreed with the policy prescriptions but said they wouldn’t be easy to achieve. “None of us are running for dictator, we are running for governor, and we still have to get this through the Legislature,” he said, adding he thinks public pressure would help bring about an assault-weapons ban.
Gillum and Greene disagreed over the idea of “Medicare for All” pushed by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
It’s a federal issue, but Gillum said he’s a strong supporter. And he said changing the health system could end the “raping and pillaging of everyday people by drug companies.” Greene said Medicare for All isn’t workable. “Unless there’s a magic way to come up with $36 trillion, that’s not realistic.”
Levine didn’t answer the question. He was the first one to leave, announcing that he was campaigning all over the state and waving goodbye.
Greene left about 10 minutes later.
Gillum — who spent Wednesday campaigning across South Florida — stayed until the gathering broke up, when many people gathered to get pictures with the candidate.
“I think he’s great,” said Myrna Nemzoff. “He’s so human.”
Still, she said, she isn’t sure who she’ll vote for.