Category Archives: Politics: FL-18

How sad it is to be represented by a Republican with such a safe seat that she can vote against her community's interests.

Final Vote Results for Roll Call 906: Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of the 18th District of Florida voted against the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act which would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). In other words, she voted against insuring another four million kids who lack health insurance because their parents simply don't make enough money to pay for it.

Florida has an estimated 658,000 uninsured children. This bill would have provided health insurance for about 240,000 of them (down from the larger number in the original Democratic version of the bill). But even that one-third increase was too much for Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who toed the GOP party line that effective government programs must not be allowed to grow, for fear that people might start to believe that government can actually help them.

What a terrible, terrible vote. It's not the childrens' fault that their parents are poor. And the amount of money at stake is remarkably low in the grand scheme of things — compared to tax cuts for the richest Americans for example.

Will no one rid of this representative who votes against our interests?

[Update: cf. Who Will Run Against Ros-Lehtinen? (All Politics Is Local).]

About as un-graciously as humanly possible, my Congressional representative has admitted that she’s a liar, and that she slandered filmakers last week when she accused them of doctoring tape to put words in her mouth.

Last week, Ros-Lehtinen was still denying that the tapes showing her calling for Castro’s assassination were accurate, and was accusing the filmmakers of doctoring the tape. Then they released the raw tapes, and we found out who was telling the truth. And it’s not Ros-Lehtinen.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen admitted on Friday, through a spokesman, that she did call for the death of ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro during an interview with a British documentary-maker whom she had earlier accused of altering the video.

”Yes, it’s in the documentary, she said that,” said Alex Cruz, the congresswoman’s spokesman.

Ros-Lethinen did not want to respond further, Cruz said, because “she’s focused her energies on issues that are more important for the community.

”Neither she nor I have seen the raw footage, without editing, but if that’s in the documentary, she said it,” Cruz said.

Having wrongly and cravenly accused the documentary makers of the most serious professional misconduct, Ros-Lehtinen is waiting to see how the wind blows before deciding if she has to apologize:

”Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has made a very serious accusation against the documentary’s crew,” [director Dollan] Cannell said. “Her accusation is totally false and I would like her to retract what she said and to apologize.”

Cruz did not respond directly to whether Ros-Lehtinen plans to apologize to the director.

Think Progress, Congresswoman Caught In Lie Over Castro Assassination Claim details how my Congressperson has, it seems, been caught in a bare-faced lie.

She says a video tape was doctored to make it look like she was calling for Castro’s assassination when in fact she wasn’t. The filmmakers have released the raw video which supports their story not hers and asked her to retract the slur on their integrity. We’re still waiting on that one.

Anyone who’s followed Ros-Lehtinen’s career will know that the anti-Castro remarks seem in character (and are probably shared by a substantial fraction of her electors).

I wish I thought this flap will affect her re-election chances in ’08, but I doubt it.

This is what my Congressional representative is like:

In a new documentary, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) — who was “recently tapped to become the top Republican on the House International Relations Committee” — talks casually on video “about how proud she is to represent Cuban ‘freedom fighters’ living in exile in Miami and on the island.” She then says, “I welcome the opportunity of having anyone assassinate Fidel Castro and any leader who is oppressing the people.”

See it on You Tube.

I live in Florida’s 18th District. Our current representative is dire: one of Bush’s strongest supporters in Congress — and the district is carefully drawn to be one of the safest GOP seats in the nation. As the local media consider the race a done deal for the incumbent, they haven’t covered it much…which makes theirs a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Our local part of the 50-state strategy is Dave Patlak, a 25-year veteran of the Coast Guard, a candidate who knows the district.

If you live near me, vote for Dave. Wherever you live, consider making an online donation. If you live in the area, you can volunteer for the campaign:

Democrat Dave Patlak for Congress Campaign HQ
735 Second Street #6
Miami Beach, FL 33139
Phone: (305) 531-1513

And check out Dave’s blog.