John Morgan’s decision not to seek the Democratic nomination for governor next year was not surprising but it was disappointing for those of us who were hoping he would bring some entertainment to the race.

Aside from name identity, Morgan stands for some significant things, like a near-livable minimum wage and an end of the war on drugs. The other Democrats are not exactly hostile to those ideas, but Morgan would have been an aggressive, entertaining advocate.

Well, he left open the possibility that he’ll run as an independent. But it’s not much of a possibility, and independents don’t win.

In announcing his decision, Morgan made one observation that, unfortunately, speaks for millions.

“And I can’t muster enthusiasm for any of today’s politicians. They are all the same. Both parties,” he wrote. “I plan to register as an Independent and when I vote, vote for the lesser of two evils. And I if ever ran, run as an Independent.”

It’s sad that such an intelligent and accomplished man, one with ideas and the resources to actively advance them, feels the same malaise afflicting so many voters. He didn’t elaborate, but it’s true that neither party nor most politicians have any great principle that wouldn’t be compromised in a minute, if it meant winning.

Where is the modern LeRoy Collins, who kept Florida out of the “massive resistance” that swept the South after the Supreme Court’s 1954 school-desegregation ruling? How many of today’s politicians would sacrifice their careers as Georgia Congressman Charles Weltner did, rather than sign a loyalty oath supporting his party’s nominee for governor, Lester Maddox, in 1966?

There are a few who’ve quit over Donald Trump, but there were other factors in their decisions. The president will probably cause more retirements next year, voluntary or not.

Some candidates stand for things, out of personal belief or just because it’s too late to switch without looking like a flip-flopper. But the parties are basically competing corporations, believing in nothing except winning, and marketing nice promises that don’t really change anything.

Trump’s victory was testament to the disaffection of so many voters. He promised real change, which is why the party regulars preferred Jeb Bush, John Kasich or one of the other political pros. On the other extreme, Bernie Sanders was the insurgent alternative to the corporate appeal of Hillary Clinton, and his campaign mined the same vein of discontent Trump tapped into.

Trump’s “Make American great again” slogan echoed the “Send them a message” message that George Wallace rode to national prominence. Fifty years later, that discontent is still out there.

So is Morgan right? Is there really “not a dime’s worth of difference,” to use Wallace’s term, between the parties?

There are disagreements on wedge issues, used for tactical advantage, but not great principle differences.

Abortion, for instance. The Democrats try not to say the word, euphemistically calling it “choice,” while the Republicans cast it as a moral horror story. There’s no point running in either party if you’re not on the right side.

Guns? The Republican euphemism is “Second Amendment,” and their answer to any control measure is “no, hell no.” Democrats are gun-shy, realizing this issue is a dead-bang loser for them but they try to hedge a bit, especially in urban districts.

Republicans believe we can always cut taxes a little more, then cut them again. Democrats explain that tax cuts don’t really trickle down into job-creation, which is why they lose. What would you rather have -- a tax cut, or an explanation of why you can’t have one?

And how about government itself? Democrats believe nothing is so simple that local, state and federal governments shouldn’t issue at least six volumes of regulations, restrictions, goals and reporting requirements for it. Republicans think any problem too complex to put on a bumper sticker should be left to the private sector.

Morgan’s “they are all the same” disillusionment is correct, in that candidates align with the party that fits them best.

We used to have a mix of liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats, working together and compromising. Looking back, you wonder what a liberal Republican like Bob Packwood was doing in the same Senate caucus with North Carolina’s Jesse Helms – or how Georgia’s conservative Sen. Herman Talmadge and South Dakotan George McGovern could both be Democrats.

Maybe we should copy some European countries that have Conservative and Liberal parties. Then, aspiring candidates could decide what they believe, and voters would know what they’re getting.

Bill Cotterell is a retired Tallahassee Democrat reporter who began covering the Florida Capitol in 1969. He can be contacted at

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