Farewell

This blog is being closed and further updates will be featured on Florida Congress Watch. Check us out over there.

From the Blogs

The latest stories from the Florida blogs...

Bilerico Project Florida (Waymon Hudson): Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart Signs on to Letter Supporting Extension of the Ryan White Act

Bilerico Project Florida (Jillian T. Weiss): ENDA support...but can you please drop the transgenders?: Florida's Lincoln Diaz-Balart

Down With Tyranny: I Don't Think Miami Mobsters The Diaz-Balarts Will Be Using Orbitz To Book Any Flights Soon

Generation Miami (Giancarlo Sopo): Babalu, fiefdoms and patriotism

Generation Miami (Giancarlo Sopo): Diaz-Balart blasts Obama for referring to Cuba as ‘Cuba’

Capitol Offense: Where Is Congress on the Public Option

Today, I'm joining with Democracy for America, Health Care for America Now and Open Left in supporting the Stand With Dr. Dean Campaign. The idea is to put pressure on our members of Congress to find out where they stand on health care reform and whether or not they support Dr. Howard Dean's call for a reform that includes a public option. See Dean's statement here:



Chris Bowers has suggested that we use crowdsourcing techniques to find out where everyone in Congress stands, which also helps pressure them to take the right stand. So here's the plan:

1. Contact your member of Congress via e-mail and ask them the following questions:

1--Do you support a public healthcare option as part of healthcare reform?
2--If so, do you support a public healthcare option that is available on day one?
3--Do you support a public healthcare option that is national, available everywhere, and accountable to Congress?
4--Do you support a public healthcare option that can bargain for rates from providers and big drug companies?

Don't call, do this via e-mail because we want a written response. If they are vague in answering these questions, contact them again and ask for clarification. If they don't answer you, keep contacting them (and have your friends and family contact them) until they do give you the answers.

2. Forward the responses to me at quinnelk@hotmail.com. We're going to publish an official response from as many of our members as possible so we know where everyone is. And we'll keep a track of who isn't responding so we know who to put pressure on. Similarly, once we find out who is on board and who isn't, we know who to put further pressure on down the road.

3. If you have your own blog, post the responses there, too. The more public pressure we can put on Congress, the easier we make it for them to do the right thing.

Here is the public contact info for each of our Florida members of Congress:

Rep Gus Bilirakis R FL-9 http://bilirakis.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=212&Itemid=44

Rep Allen Boyd D FL-2 http://www.house.gov/boyd/zip_authen.html

Rep Corrine Brown D FL-3 http://www.house.gov/corrinebrown/IMA/issue.shtml

Rep Virginia Brown-Waite R FL-5 https://forms.house.gov/brown-waite/IMA/issue_subscribe.htm

Rep Vern Buchanan R FL-13 http://buchanan.house.gov/contact.shtml

Rep Kathy Castor D FL-11 https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

Rep Ander Crenshaw R FL-4 https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

Rep Lincoln Diaz-Balart R FL-21 http://diaz-balart.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Offices.Contact

Rep Mario Diaz-Balart R FL-25 http://www.house.gov/formmariodiaz-balart/ic_zip_auth.htm

Rep Alan Grayson D FL-8 https://forms.house.gov/grayson/contact-form.shtml

Rep Alcee Hastings D FL-23 http://www.alceehastings.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=

Rep Ron Klein D FL-22 klein.ron.web@flsenate.gov

Rep Suzanne Kosmas D FL-24 https://forms.house.gov/kosmas/contact-form.shtml

Rep Connie Mack R FL-14 http://mack.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactConnie.ContactForm

Sen Melquiades Martinez R FL http://martinez.senate.gov/public/?p=EmailSenatorMartinez

Rep Kendrick Meek D FL-17 http://kendrickmeek.house.gov/contact1.shtml

Rep John Mica R FL-7 http://www.house.gov/mica/messageform.shtml

Rep Jeff Miller R FL-1 http://jeffmiller.house.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

Sen Bill Nelson D FL http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Rep Bill Posey R FL-15 http://posey.house.gov/Contact/

Rep Adam Putnam R FL-12 http://adamputnam.house.gov/contact.shtml

Rep Tom Rooney R FL-16 https://forms.house.gov/rooney/contact-form.shtml

Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R FL-18 http://www.house.gov/writerep

Rep Clifford Stearns R FL-6 http://www.house.gov/writerep

Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz D FL-20 schultz.debbie.web@flsenate.gov

Rep Robert Wexler D FL-19 http://wexler.house.gov/email.shtml

Rep C. W. Bill Young R FL-10 bill.young@mail.house.gov

We'll also post the results of these at the WatchBlogs dedicated to each Republican member and at the Florida Democratic News blog.

You can also sign the petition on health care here.

I'm Kenneth Quinnell and I approve this message.

Read more on Florida politics at the Florida Progressive Coalition blog (http://flaprogressives.org) and the Florida Progressive Coalition Wiki (http://quinnell.us/sspb/wiki/).

From the Blogs

The latest stories from the Florida blogs...

Generation Miami: Are you serious, Lincoln? Fidel Castro does the “Thriller”

Generation Miami: On “Unilateral Concessions” to the Castro Regime

Miami-Dade Dems: Worrying about the "institutional gravities of Congress"

Down With Tyranny: The Diaz-Balart Family Doesn't Like Fascism? Since When?

Down With Tyranny: The Future of Cuban-American Relations And The Impact On American Politics

Tell the Party of No - "Yes We Can"

From the Blogs

The latest stories from the Florida blogs...

Generation Miami: Diaz-Balarts Could Have Stopped AIG Bonuses

Generation Miami: ROLLED!

From the Blogs

The latest stories from the Florida blogs...

Generation Miami: Diaz-Balart Hypocrisy

Generation Miami: Diaz-Balarts Lie, Again (Pt. III)

Generation Miami: Diaz-Balarts, from Ineffective to Irrelevant

Generation Miami: Menendez Should Let Obama Fulfill Campaign Pledge

Generation Miami: Diaz-Balarts, from Ineffective to Irrelevant

Thank You from DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen

From the Blogs

Eye on Miami (SunshineUnderground): Lincoln Diaz-Balart wins... national recognition for one of this cycle's worst ads!

Eye on Miami (SunshineUnderground): EOM interview with Congressman Lincoln Diaz Balart

Bark Bark Woof Woof: Doing Business With Dictators

Miami & Beyond: Lincoln Diaz-Balart: helping Chavez's secret police

Post-Election Response From Raul Martinez

Dear Friend,

I decided to run for Congress because I wanted our children and grandchildren to live a better, safer and more prosperous life than even we have been blessed to live. Public service has shaped who I am as a person, and no matter where life leads me, public service will always be a major part of my life.

Although our campaign came up short this election, together we pushed the South Florida community, and even the country, to think about and discuss important issues that not only affect us here at home but affect our friends and family throughout the world. I would have been honored to represent you in Congress, but I know that our next President, Barack Obama, will fight for many of the same changes we fought for during this campaign.

Thank you for all the support you gave me throughout this journey. It was an incredible experience and one I will never forget. I would never have made it this far if it were not for your support, and I hope some day I can do just as much for you as you have done for me.

As a citizen of Florida and this great country, I will continue to fight for you and give back to the community in any way I can. While we may not have won this election, we all won by becoming more actively involved in the democratic process, fighting for what we believe in and exercising one of the most awesome freedoms that the world has ever seen - the right to vote.

Thank you again for your support and I will always remember the thousands of people who stood by my side in our campaign to change this country for the better. You will not be forgotten, and I will continue to speak for you so that your voice is heard throughout our community on the important issues that we fought for together. I will continue this journey for the rest of my life, and while we all have our own path, I look forward to seeing you again along the way.

Sincerely,

Raul

DCCC Takes on Lincoln

FL-21, FL-25: Miami New Times writes off the Diaz-Balart brothers

Here's a long and good read about victory around the corner for Joe Garcia and Raul Martinez, and oblivion for the Diaz-Balart slime machine and the two brothers who dishonor their elected office in the U.S. House of Representatives.

See this post on Miami-Dade Dems for one of the examples of dirty politics the brothers practice -- a TV ad intended to boost the fortunes of Mario Diaz-Balart. But Mario, how are you going to explain this at the Pearly Gates? What about the Commandment to Bear No False Witness? His elder brother Lincoln Diaz-Balart has been almost as bad in his noir TV ads against Raul Martinez.

Thanks goodness that the Miami New Times has seen its way through all that crap to write that this year is the "end of the dynasty" for the Diaz-Balarts. Would that the Miami Herald had been equally perceptive.

Anyway, please make a cup of coffee and sit down for a lengthy read through the thinking that will put at least two more Democrats in the U.S. House from South Florida.

Fla. Dems Good on Environment, Reps Not So Much

The League of Conservation Voters released their scorecards for Congress. Can you guess what the pattern is? Of Florida Republicans, only Ileana Ros-Lehtinen does as good as any Democrat and that's only one person. Beyond that, all Democrats do way better than all Republicans. No shocker there.

Alcee Hastings (D), 92%
Ron Klein (D), 92%
Timothy Mahoney (D), 92%
Kendrick Meek (D), 92%
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D), 92%
Bill Nelson (D), 91%
F. Allen Boyd (D), 85%
Corrine Brown (D), 85%
Kathy Castor (D), 85%
Robert Wexler (D), 69%
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), 69%
Vern Buchanan (R), 62%
Gus Bilirakis (R), 38%
Ginny Brown-Waite (R), 38%
Mario Diaz-Balart (R), 38%
C.W. Bill Young (R), 38%
Mel Martinez (R), 36%
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R), 31%
Ander Crenshaw (R), 15%
Ric Keller (R), 15%
Connie Mack (R), 8%
John Mica (R), 8%
Adam Putnam (R), 8%
Dave Weldon (R), 8%
Tom Feeney (R), 0%
Jeff Miller (R), 0%
Cliff Stearns (R), 0%

Esquire Endorsement

Esquire endorsed Raul Martinez over Lincoln:

Diaz-Balart's bête noire--and raison d'être--has always been Fidel Castro. He made a career of opposing any concessions to the Cuban leader. Fidel's moved on. And Miami's Cuban-Americans have, too.

DCCC Takes on the Diaz-Balarts

From the Blogs

Ybor City Stogie: The Three Amigos vs. The Dynamic Duo

Eye on Miami (Sunshine Underground): Eye Scoop: U.S. Rep. Candidate Raul Martinez Revealed In Interview!

Daily Kos: FL-21: Indicted PR Senator Claims He Gave "Suitcase Full of Cash" to Diaz-Balart

Down With Tyranny: South Florida: 6 Candidates Debate And 1 Gets Caught Up In A Major Bribery Scandal

Daily Kos: House Race Roundup

Republicans Don't Support Troops As Well As Dems

Check out the latest scorecards from Disabled American Veterans and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America...

DAV:

Bill Nelson, 100
Allen Boyd, 100
Corrine Brown, 100
Kendrick Meek, 100
Robert Wexler, 100
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 100
Alcee Hastings, 100

Mel Martinez, 60
Jeff Miller, 66
Ander Crenshaw, 66
Ginny Brown-Waite, 66
Cliff Stearns, 66
John Mica, 66
Ric Keller, 50
C.W. Bill Young, 66
Adam Putnam, 66
Connie Mack, 66
David Weldon, 66
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 66
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, 66
Tom Feeney, 66
Mario Diaz-Balart, 66

Notice a pattern here? All of the Dems have 100%, while none of the Republicans has anything better than a mid-range "D." So much for supporting disabled troops.

IAVA:

Bill Nelson, A+
Allen Boyd, A
Corrine Brown, A
Kathy Castor, A
Timothy Mahoney, A
Kendrick Meek, B
Robert Wexler, A
D. Wasserman Schultz, A+
Ron Klein, A+
Alcee Hastings, A

Mel Martinez, B
Jeff Miller, B
Ander Crenshaw, B
G. Brown-Waite, B
Cliff Stearns, B
John Mica, B
Ric Keller, A
Gus Bilirakis, A
C.W. Bill Young, B
Adam Putnam, C
Vern Buchanan, B
Connie Mack, B
Dave Weldon, C
I. Ros-Lehtinen, A
L. Diaz-Balart, B
Tom Feeney, B
M. Diaz-Balart, B

Republicans do a little better on this one, with Keller, Bilirakis and Ros-Lehtinen all getting an "A." Dems still do better, Meek has the lowest grade on our side of the aisle, and he still has a "B." The only "A+" grades amongst Florida's delegation are Dems and the only grades below "B" are all Republicans. Again, which party actually supports the troops?

Is Lincoln Complicit in Allowing an American Citizen Being Tortured?

I'm not sure what to think about this one, but it's worth taking a look:

American Citizen Tortured by Danish Police with the complicity silence of USA government.

Lincoln Diaz-Balart's Corruption

Miami Herald

Now things are really heating up! Raul Martinez and state Democrats at a Miami press conference today looked to tie Lincoln Diaz-Balart to Puerto Rican senator Jorge de Castro Font, who was arrested by the FBI.

Dems charge that de Castro Font has "implicated" Diaz-Balart by alleging to "have traveled to Miami with Congressman Luis Fortuño of Puerto Rico to deliver a suitcase full of cash for Diaz-Balart's re-election campaign." The money was allegedly from a prominent PR family.

Diaz-Balart's campaign has called it a "desperate attack" and the congressman told reporters today that he got two checks from the family in 2006 -- totalling about $400.

De Castro Font in an interview with a PR TV station, said the alleged trip took place in 2005 -- long before Diaz-Balart's challenge from Martinez. De Castro Font has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 31 criminal counts including bribery, wire fraud and money laundering. He’s also peeved that Fortuño has tried to distance himself from him since the scandal broke, and even tried to remove him from the November ballot. Fortuño is running for governor, and de Castro Font seeks reelection.

In interview, Font claims that the cash for Diaz-Balart was given through the Fonalledas family.

"These are serious allegations that Diaz-Balart must address," the Florida Democratic Party said in a press release. "Did Lincoln Diaz-Balart meet with the Puerto Rican Senator Jorge de Castro Font and Luis Fortuño? Did he accept $50,000 in cash? Where was this money reported? Is there proof of these contributions and a record?"

A quick check of Federal Election Commission records show that a Jaime Fonalledas did write 2 $200 checks to Diaz-Balart on Feb. 24 2006.

Miami Debate

Video of the Miami congressional candidates debate with Annette Taddeo, Joe Garcia and Raul Martinez.