St. Petersburg Democratic Club (United States)
The Saint Petersburg Democratic Club is a political organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, which supports the Florida Democratic Party. In April 2004, it attracted massive negative national attention after placing an advertisement in a Gulfport, Florida weekly The Gabber' suggesting the killing by firing squad of United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The language used in the ad parodied that used by Rumsfeld referring to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The advertisement generated short-lived but high-profile attention in the national news media as a result of its hyperbolic tone, and was condemned by leaders of both major political parties.
As a result, the president of the club, Kenneth Stenke, who had previously been removed as a member of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, offered to resign and allow his vice-president to take over but did not tell the PCDEC executive committee. When she was quoted in the local daily newspaper (St. Petersburg Times) as supporting Ken 100%, the decision to revoke the club charter had already been made and delivered. The chairman of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, Mr. Kevin J. Jensen, under his authority as Party Chairman unilaterally withdrew the Charter of the St. Petersburg Democratic Club by speaking directly to Mr Stenke one day after the story broke nationally. The State Democratic Party and Pinellas County Executive unanimously agreed with his decision. The Club dug in its heels, organizing itself under the corporate protection of the State of Florida, and continued to operate as an independent organization supporting Democratic candidates.
In 2007, Mr. Stenke died and Jim Donelon was elected president. A vote of the membership was taken in late 2007, and it was agreed to re-apply for the charter from the Florida Democratic Party, which required the support of the chair of the Pinellas County Democratic Executive Committee, Toni Molenari. After extensive negotiations and a number of delays, the charter was approved and presented to Mr. Donelon by the chair at a meeting of the St. Petersburg Democratic Club. Donelon, serving the unexpired term of Mr. Stenke, declined to stand for re-election in 2009 and retired from politics.
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