The latest article from the Naples Daily News on the 25th district election looks like nothing less than something that would come straight from the Diaz-Balart campaign office itself and he actually attempts to make himself look like the Democrat, even though he has a 90% voting record with Bush.
Let’s respond to the Diaz-Balart rhetoric.
Energy.
That word describes the personality of U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, as well as his primary platform.
The only relation to the word energy and Diaz-Balart that I can think of is the Congressman’s lack of using it to fight for the district, as he ranks among the least effective members of Congress and in six years in Congress he has never addressed the energy issue until this year.
With just a short time remaining until the end of the quarter, I wanted to share the AFL-CIO's endorsement of Joe Garcia from a few days ago. Joe's strong support of working class families includes proposals for helping unions organize, a universal health care plan, and a commitment to put the money we're using in Iraq back into the hands of Americans struggling in the current economy. President Fred Frost annnounced the endorsement of our candidates.
"We believe it is time for CHANGE in South Florida and we need elected officials who will be champions for worker issues in the United States Congress," said Fred Frost President of the South Florida AFL-CIO. "Our unions will work hard to get Raul Martinez, Joe Garcia and Annette Taddeo elected in November," he added.
If you would like to help Joe's campaign, consider donating to my Give in to Garcia ActBlue page. I've set a goal of reaching 50 contributions and we're almost 1/5th of the way there. If two people contribute today, we'll meet that milestone!
As the end of the quarter approaches this week, I would like to cover why Joe Garcia's race is important, especially to progressives who want a Congress with more and better Democrats. As several commenters have mentioned on The Top Ten Races post at Open Left, Joe’s race against Bush rubberstamp Mario Diaz-Balart, could be a key symbol of the 2008 election.
One of the reasons the 25th district could be a symbol of change is an issue which has often been neglected on the national scene, the environment, a cause which Joe has often spoke up about. Joe previously served in the environmentally sensitive post of Chairperson of the Florida Public Service Commission. While serving there, he established preservation policies in our public utilities, only approved power plants fueled by natural gas (No coal plants), and required public water plants to adhere to higher standards set by the EPA.
I've created an ActBlue page called Give in to Garcia in recognition of Mario's giving in to Bush and McCain on imporant environmental issues and the Bush fundraiser in Naples today. Please help get the page to 50 total contributions today!
Today Bush and his 25% approval ratings come to South Florida to raise money for one of his favorite rubberstamps, Mario Diaz-Balart. Of course Bush will not be doing this event out in the open or anywhere near media or the people his and Mario's policies have hurt over the last eight years. Instead, the fundraiser with top oil executives will be far away from the district in Naples.
Orange to Blue candidate Joe Garcia needs us in the Netroots to respond to Bush's $2300 per person fundraising with strength in numbers.
I've set of a goal of reaching 50 contributors to match Bush's fundraising for Mario's "give in" mentality. Mario gave in to Bush and McCain, so let's give in to Garcia.
George Bush will be arriving in South Florida tomorrow with top oil executives and lobbyists to hold a fundraiser for Mario Diaz-Balart, the rubberstamp incumbent from the 25th district. This comes days after Mario gave in to Bush on oil drilling off pristine Florida beaches and it comes only weeks after Diaz-Balart gave in to McCain on another important environmental issue, restoring the Everglades.
These two issues are a couple of reasons to support Joe Garcia's campaign and a couple more are a new GI Bill for Veterans and a Responsible Plan to get out of Iraq. You can support Joe now by matching Bush's fundraiser on the Give in to Garcia ActBlue page.
On Friday George Bush will be coming to Naples to raise money for Mario Diaz-Balart, one of his most loyal rubberstamps in Congress. With the quarter fundraising deadline approaching, this means Orange to Blue endorsed candidate Joe Garcia is going to need our help more than ever to help match Diaz-Balart's special interest money. I'm proposing a blog-raiser for Joe Garcia and if you think it's a good idea, I would like your help to pull it off!
Today there are more McCarthyist attacks on Joe Garcia in the Miami Herald, coming from Diaz-Balart and partisan Republican groups, as they continue to focus on Diaz-Balart’s one-issue in his candidacy for Congress.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, the Republican congressman Garcia is looking to oust, called Rangel a "radical left-wing extremist" and suggested the twice-decorated Korean War veteran had a history of "appeasing our nation’s enemies." Spanish-language radio trashed Rangel, and a group of Venezuelans living in South Florida, who say Rangel is also too cozy with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, asked Garcia to reconsider the fundraiser.
Garcia, though, defends the decision, arguing that it’s in the district’s best interests to have a working relationship with Rangel, who as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee is one of the most powerful members of Congress.
A few things came out today in the 25th district race. The first is that Joe Garcia outraised Mario Diaz-Balart in 1st quarter fundraising, almost all of it from individuals.
And the reports show former Miami-Dade Democratic party chair Joe Garcia raising $331,385 to incumbent Mario Diaz-Balart's $330,564. Mario Diaz-Balart has $747,694 on hand.
The second fact is that Diaz-Balart will be relying on his brother's health care industry, energy and oil company, and big business PAC money for fundraising.
The reports show each of the Diaz-Balart's received $69,000 from DB Victory 2008, a joint fundraising account the two established last October.
Please visit the Act Blue Page and tell Diaz-Balart what you think of his attacks.
On April 21st (next Monday!), Joe Garcia will be attending an event with Rep. Charlie Rangel in New York. Joe’s opponent, Bush rubberstamp Mario Diaz-Balart is trying to divide the South Florida community with the event, calling Joe and Rep. Rangel "left-wing extremists." This of course is sticking with the Diaz-Balart campaign theme. When Joe announced his campaign, he was called a "Castro-sympathizer" and Diaz- Balart said Joe’s run was an attempt "to overthrow him from Congress." Except the facts are that Joe has been standing up for Democracy in Cuba his entire life and he opposes the Bush/Diaz-Balart restrictions on travel and family remittances, which have taken power away from the Cuban people.
Mario Diaz-Balart and the Republicans have been caught in another moment of hypocrisy. Over the past few days they have been throwing out charges against Rep. Charlie Rangel, an important Chair of a committee who can bring financial assistance to Miami, and Joe Garcia, candidate for Congress, calling them "left-wing extremists" among other name-calling. As it is, Rep. Rangel served this country heroically in the military and was honored for it and Joe Garcia has been an consistent supporter for Democracy in Cuba and is a former Chair of CANF.
Well now it turns out Mario Diaz-Balart has accepted over $80,000 in campaign contributions from people who do business with Cuba and have advocated against the embargo. That’s right, he didn’t just meet with lobbyists opposed to the embargo, he actually took their money and has been using it to get elected.
Can you feel the desperation on the Republican side? It's another day and more attacks on Joe Garcia and Charles Rangel.
On Thursday, those stances prompted the Independent Venezuelan American Citizens and 18 graduates of Garcia's old high school in Miami -- several with Republican ties -- to call on him to ''renounce'' Rangel's support. Outraged Cuban Americans have also been blasting the two men's connection on Spanish-language radio and blogs.
''We want to alert Joe that he's making a mistake,'' said Ernesto Ackerman, president of the non-partisan Venezuelan group. ``If you're in a community with a majority of Latin Americans, you have to think about who your allies are going to be.''
Thanks to your support Joe Garcia is well on his way to taking out Bush rubberstamp Mario Diaz-Balart in the 25th district of Florida.
In half of a quarter, nearly 2,000 people contributed over $320,000 to own the campaign, that's more people than have donated to Diaz-Balart's campaign in all his years in the US House combined. Joe sent out this message of thanks to supporters:
It's not looking good for Progressives in Florida, partly due to gerrymandering but also partly because of the representatives we've gotten out of the few guaranteed districts we do have, while Republicans have elected reactionary partisans in fairly moderate districts.
Let's start with the Dems who are underperforming their districts: in other words, the ones with super-safe districts who are voting in the middle of the pack, or ones with bluish districts who are voting conservatively.
Number 2 on the list is none other than Kendrick Meek, whose 17th district has a PVI D+35 and is the 10th most Democratic in the nation. Despite this advantage, Meek is only the 117th most liberal House member.
It gets a lot worse from here but we can make it better in 2008 if you follow me below the fold.
Felipe Sixto, an aide for the Bush administration has resigned today over alleged financial wrongdoing with his former employer, the right-wing Center for Free Cuba. This case has resemblances to the recent RNCC scandal involving Christopher Ward, another Republican political operative who stole money from Republican party funds. Republicans don’t just cheat the country, they cheat their own party and interest groups who fund their campaigns too.
"Felipe Sixto was promoted on March 1 as a special assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and stepped forward on March 20 to reveal his alleged wrongdoing and to resign, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Friday. He said Sixto took that step after learning that his former employer, the Center for a Free Cuba, was prepared to bring legal action against him.
Stanzel said the alleged wrongdoing involved the misuse of money when Sixto was an official at the center."
Joe Garcia posted a guest blog today at Down With Tyranny, titled FL-25: Fighting McCarthyism in 2008. Head on over to Down With Tyranny for the post. Or read on below. Also, tomorrow Joe will be live-blogging here at dailykos at around 11:00 AM.
FL-25: Fighting McCarthyism in 2008
By Joe Garcia
Days before I launched my campaign my opponent tried to pre-empt my announcement by calling me a Castro-sympathizer and portraying my candidacy as a secret plot by communists to overthrow him from Congress. These suggestions have been repeated numerous times by my opponent on right-wing talk radio stations. Frankly, they get away with these ridiculous accusations because the media, once again has dropped the ball. As I have always stated, the Netroots are the courage of the Democratic Party. Together, we must push back against these red-baiting, fear-mongering, McCarthyist attacks.
I spoke with Joe earlier and he is very appreciative of the enthusiasm and support from the Dailykos, Open Left, and Swing State Project communities on the Blue Majority endorsement and wanted to say thank you. This campaign started in the Netroots and he wants to actively involve the blogosphere and progressive community in his campaign and if elected, in Congress.
Today the campaign released the following statement.
With Fidel Castro resigning, potentially one of the top races in the country for 2008 has been highlighted in the 25th district of South Florida. This race particularly offers a chance to change the landscape on American foreign and domestic policy to a progressive direction and send the signal that the people want something new.
Here in this cartoon via the El Nuevo Herald, Democratic candidate and former Miami-Dade Dem Chair Joe Garcia bulldozes over Rep Mario Diaz-Balart.
The excitement is building all over South Florida. Mario Diaz-Balart will have his first tough challenge in the 25th congressional district (PVI R+4) of Florida in Miami-Dade Dem Chairman Joe Garcia. Diaz-Balart hand-drew the district for himself in 2000, but since that time, Democrats have averaged a gain of a point a year, which would put the district very close to a tie right now. With 2008 looking to be another wave year, now is the right time to turn this seat blue and put a progressive in Congress.
Garcia appeared at a couple rallies yesterday to announce his candidacy. The first event was in Miami and a very enthusiastic crowd of 75+ people turned out.
