Lincoln Diaz-Balart wins... national recognition for one of this cycle's worst ads! By SunshineUnderground

The Huffington Post included this Lincoln Diaz-Balart ad in its list of the
Top 60 Memorable Campaign Ads of 2008. HPost declared the ad to be "one of the most over-the-top negative ads of the cycle," as it featured, "a police officer charging that Diaz-Balart's opponent "thinks he's better than all women," has "no humanity whatsoever," is the "most corrupt politician you have ever seen," and even once "beat up on a little tiny kid."

You would think that Raul Martinez to be a fairly easy target for an attack piece, but if this ad proves anything, it's that in political fights, like real ones, swinging too hard can land you on your ass. LDB might win, but it won't be because of his well-produced commercials.

The Cuban-American Vote in a Climate of Mis-Information. By SunshineUnderground

One man told me in no uncertain terms that Obama was a Muslim, terrorist sympathiser, who has a cousin that is some kind of mass-murderer in Africa. The man also told me that there will be breadlines within a year if Obama is elected.


We have two examples of Cuban-American, presidential candidate support: On the one hand is a photo of Clelia Hernandez and her mother, Leyda Vidal, at the Obama rally Wednesday in Sunrise. On the other, the blog, 305 has some shots, like the one shown left, of anti-Obama signs made by Cuban-American hardliners (hit on image to enlarge).

So how will the Cuban-American community vote, and will the much ballyhooed shift in the younger generation make a difference? Clelia thinks so: "My mother and I agree that the younger generation of Cuban-Americans are supporting Obama and the majority of us will be voting for him," she wrote in an email, "although most are likely to not openly express their political views in part because it can contradict their parents' beliefs."

This weekend I had to chance to interview, in Spanish, some Cuban-American McCain supporters at a picnic for Lincoln Diaz-Balart, and I asked them what they thought about the presidential race. They were mostly senior citizens and seemed sincerely frightened by the prospect of Obama winning. One man told me in no uncertain terms that Obama was a Muslim, terrorist sympathiser, who has a cousin that is some kind of mass-murderer in Africa. The man also told me that there will be breadlines within a year if Obama is elected. As he spoke, the group at our table murmured in agreement. I didn't ask his name because while his views were off-kilter, he still seemed like a nice old man and I didn't want to subject him to ridicule, even if it was on a site that he won't read and has probably never heard of.

After he was done speaking, a woman who said she was from Spain, and who gave her name as Francisca, took the mic, and said something that I think makes sense of some of the craziness we've seen this last few weeks. "They are very afraid, and I think you can understand that because they've been through a lot."

It's a thought worth keeping in mind when you see some of the more extreme elements out there.

Also see Gimleteye's post: Older Cuban American voters and Obama.

EOM interview with Congressman Lincoln Diaz Balart... by SunshineUnderground

"I know now that this issue, this issue of preventing a pyramid from forming again based on the housing market, I mean we have to have significant hearings and implement new regulations. There is no doubt about that " - Lincoln Diaz-Balart to Eye on Miami.

Eye on Miami caught up with Lincoln Diaz-Balart Saturday just after the candidate had finished going door to door in West Broward. He may not have the same charisma as his opponent, Raul Martinez, but Diaz-Balart seemed to be in his element in a policy discussion, and appears to be the kind of person who relishes a good debate... (click on 'read more')

He showed some ideological flexibility by calling for more regulations to prevent a repeat of the current housing/financial slump, but could not name any case in which he disagreed with President Bush on economic policy before the latest financial crisis. McCain came up twice in passing, and each time Diaz-Balart sited his differences with the Republican nominee. His words are best judged in context. Here's the transcript:

Eye on Miami: A frequent attack used against you and your brother has been than you both are one in the same with the president. Can you site one example where you have disagreed with Bush on economic policy?

Lincoln Diaz-Balart: In the most high profile initiative since I've been in Congress and certainly since he's been president, I disagreed with him, and that was the bailout of Wall Street.

EonM: We can come to that in a minute, but I want to talk about before the bailout, before the downward...

LDB: Well, I do support keeping taxes as low as possible, and that I think there is a point of agreement with [Bush], but not just with him, but I think it's pretty much a philosophical principle for most Republicans. So I believe in keeping taxes as low as possible and helping small businesses, by keeping regulations low and in that way encouraging them to hire people. So I've had disagreements with him and in the most high profile one comes to mind now not only because it's recent but obviously because it's very high profile.

EonM You said that as a Republican, you believe in low taxes, and with that comes a commitment to low spending. But with the Bush administration we've seen large increases in spending and in the federal deficit. Why do think that has happen, have you disagreed with it and where do you stand on it now?

LDB: Well you know, I did vote for the increase in Medicare benefits, the creation of Medicare part D, which was a significant new program, and I thought about it, and I voted for it based on the fact that I think the people on Medicare should have help to buy their prescription medicines. I know McCain opposed it. Some people opposed it based on the spending issue. I came down on the side of supporting it. But, in regards to why the deficits have been larger than we've wanted them, certainly that we expected them [to be] - you know we've had a recession compounded by 9/11. And we have two wars going on and that's been very costly and I think that's probably why we've seen a lot more spending than we would have wanted to see.

EonM: So you don't think spending has been too much?

LDB: I think we've shown significant restraint on spending, and if you look at how spending has grown in the non-defense, non-homeland security fields, there really was some restraint. But I think deficits are larger than we would have expected or wanted because of the wars.

EonM: You mentioned the bailout - why do you think it became necessary, and what was the role Florida played?

LDB: I think Paulson has really served the president in an incorrect manner. He created the impression that the economy was about to disintegrate. And he certainly conveyed that very convincingly, and people came to the conclusion that the credit crunch required his proposed solution, but he didn't convince me and when I met with him and discussed this matter, he basically gave me the feeling that he was going to bailout a few big guys on Wall Street and that's pretty much what he's done. And you know, in my community, when people need a loan to expand their small business or their home, they don't go to Wall Street. They go to the neighborhood bank. And the neighborhood banks here, you know a lot them have gotten in trouble because of the housing issue, because the housing market has fallen and they were in that market, and I don't see Paulson's bailout helping our community's credit crunch.

EonM: Would you be in support of measures to address that?

LDB: The legislation that we passed in July, the Foreclosure Protection Act. It hasn't had much time to work yet, but at least it gives incentives for lenders to work out better deals with homeowners to keep them in their homes and I wanted to see more of that in the bailout. I also wanted to see Wall Street put some skin in the game, in other words, you know, it was extraordinarily unilateral, and I never fell for it, I never liked it and quite frankly, every day I'm happier with that vote.

EonM: Some say things might be different now for McCain had he gone the other way...

LDB: Some of us expected him to adopt a different posture. He began on the right track from my vantage point, but in my view he didn't follow through enough. But look, there was a real feeling conveyed by Paulson, and not just by Paulson, but by the President and the leaders of both parties in Congress, that the economy was coming to an end and the Paulson approach was the right way to go...

EonM: I want to look at the root of it for a second though - why do you think that the housing bubble was created here? How could that have been prevented and what would have been the role of government in preventing the crisis from occurring?

LDB: There were a number of factors. Without any doubt, there was encouragement for Fanny and Freddy to guaranteed the purchase of loans that were not well thought through. And there was a lot of money being made at every stage of the process in what really was a pyramid. Lending institutions not only made loans where money was made at the initial stage and then at the refinancing stage, loans where people were basically told, "Don't worry, you'll refinance in a year or two when your payments are going to be a lot of higher, by that time, you'll refinance and your payments will go down again." So a lot of people we're pushed those loans and then, as you know, they created those financial instruments, that went beyond the loans themselves.

EonM: The derivatives,..

LDB: Yeah, so money was being made at every stage of the process.

EonM: Do you think that there should have been regulations in place to prevent something like that from happening?

LDB: Yeah, but there is no doubt that the pyramid that was allowed to develop, with its origins in the housing market, was wrong. People were encouraged to get into loans that they shouldn't have. And then financial instruments were devised and were even insured - we've seen the AIG problem - these financial instruments were insured, supposedly in a solid way. And it was fake. And now the government is coming in and saving them..

EonM: But looking at all that now, what regulations should have been in place and what regulations can be in place to prevent a pyramid like that from forming again?

LDB: That's one thing we need to do now. It's evident that what happened, shouldn't happen again. I think one of the problems we saw is that people didn't have a point of reference, with regards to this in the past. You know they had a point of reference with regards to the Great Depression - so there was regulations with regards to financial institutions, securities and exchanges commission. With regards to the instruments that were created in regards to the housing market, what I call the pyramid, they didn't have a point of reference and government was kind of left behind, in terms of oversight.

EonM: You may not be able to go into specifics now, but you would support some kind of regulatory structure that would address that.

LDB: Sure. And there has to be more government oversight. There is no doubt. We don't want those pyramids to be possible

EonM: Can you name any specifics now?

LDB: Well, you know, it's a complicated matter. And when the bailouts came before congress I studied the issue very intensely. I know now that this issue, this issue of preventing a pyramid from forming again based on the housing market, I mean we have to have significant hearings and implement new regulations. There is no doubt about that.
- - -

The conversation went on from there. Diaz-Balart said he was proud of the money South Florida’s Congressional delegation has procured for Everglades restoration, but acknowledged more could be done. I tried to ask if he would be willing to use the bully-pulpit to address the danger to the Everglades posed by the shifting of the Urban Development Boundary, but he didn't seem to want to touch that issue as it's not within the authority of the federal government. Diaz-Balart did say that the purchase of Everglades land from U.S. Sugar was not a "done deal" and that he had questions about the proposal that would have to be answered before he could support it. Finally, if there was any vote he regretted casting, he sited his support of congressional term limits during the “contact with American” period – he said that if they had passed (they didn’t) it would have hurt the institutional memory of Congress.


- Jared Goyette (SunshineUnderground)

Mini McBush. by SunshineUnderground

One South Florida Media Fund, a left of center independent 527, working against the Diaz-Balarts this cycle, dropped this mailer all over district 25 this week. Does anyone think these things actually work? I guess people wouldn't spend so much money on them if they didn't.

As you can see, the mailer attacks Mario Diaz-Balart as a Bush "Mini-me," in lockstep with the president on economic policy. Now, I could ask the Diaz-Balart campaign to respond, but I'd probably get something predictable like, "This mailer is ridiculous! Joe Garcia is
a socialist who plans to redistribute wealth by taking it from working families and giving it to Charlie Rangel and his liberal allies."

But we want to be fair here, so for the sake of equal time, here is a quote the Miami Herald's endorsement of Mario:

"We recommend Mr. Diaz-Balart in this race, however, not for his position on a single issue, but for his overall record of engagement on policy issues and for delivering resources and jobs to the district. Mr. Diaz-Balart, 47, secured $100 million in funding for the Metrorail Miami Intermodal Center and helped Florida get billions more to improve highways and infrastructure. He helped to pass the Everglades Restoration bill and got $370 million more for a special water-delivery component of that project."

About that endorsement: Somehow I don't think Joe Garcia would be against getting federal funds to support local projects, and if the democrats get control of the seat, they will, if they know what's good for them, direct plenty of funds his way to prevent the seat from slipping back to the Republicans.

Ugly Incident: Obama supporters allegedly threatened at McCain event. By SunshineUnderground

There appears to have been an ugly incident after the McCain rally in Miami today in which two Obama supporters were repeatedly threatened. FiveThirtyEight has the story:

"After the rally, we witnessed a near-street riot involving the exiting McCain crowd and two Cuban-American Obama supporters. Tony Garcia, 63, and Raul Sorando, 31, were suddenly surrounded by an angry mob. There is a moment in a crowd when something goes from mere yelling to a feeling of danger, and that's what we witnessed. As photographers and police raced to the scene, the crowd elevated from stable to fast-moving scrum, and the two men were surrounded on all sides as we raced to the circle.

The event maybe lasted a minute, two at the most, before police competently managed to hustle the two away from the scene and out of the danger zone. Only FiveThirtyEight tracked the two men down for comment, a quarter mile down the street.

'People were screaming 'Terrorist!' 'Communist!' 'Socialist!'" Sorando said when we caught up with him. "I had a guy tell me he was gonna kill me.'"


Thank God election day is right around the corner, because the longer this goes on, the more likely it will be that the hatemongering discourse coming out of sites like Babalu will begin to pay dividends.

Update, From Riptide:

"The two men say that the man who incited the incident previously warned them to get off the property, claiming he owned it. The self identified owner went as far as to apparently whisper into one's ear, "I'm gonna beat you up the next time I see you." And who owns Everglades Lumber? Ovi Vento Jr., president of the Latin Builder Association. Problem is the men described him as "stocky," which isn't the first word that comes to mind when describing Vento. Though, Vento is a big McCain donor."

Raul Martinez v Lincoln Diaz-Balart: Who do you support? by SunshineUnderground

No local candidate divides the followers and contributors of this site like Raul Martinez. Observant readers will have noticed that Joe Garcia was endorsed by Eye on Miami, but neither Martinez nor Lincoln Diaz-Balart picked up a nod. Likewise, Democracy For America, a liberal advocacy group founded by Howard Dean, endorsed Annette Taddeo and Joe Garcia, but declined to lend support to Martinez.

People in a position to know say Martinez accomplished a lot as mayor, but evidently not enough to quell concerns about his record. (To understand the case against Martinez, visit http://raulmartinez08.com, hold your nose, ignore the stupid graphics and smear tactics, and read the collection of articles assembled at the bottom of the site. Then take a shower and read the Herald's endorsement before making up your mind.)

There is also wide spread skepticism about Martinez's commitment to the environment, the subject of our interview with Martinez a few weeks ago. Lincoln Diaz-Balart does not have the same scandal plagued history and has shown some independence from his party on issues like immigration, but he's also earned a reputation as a one issue guy and when it comes to economic policy, he's an orthodox conservative.

So who are you voting for and why? Do you think this web site should have backed one of the two candidates? Put your opinions in the comments section. I'd ask campaign staffers to refrain from posting, but I'd probably be asking the impossible.

One stop shop - The bold lobbying firm, congressional office. by SunshineUnderground

Francisco Alvarado, for my money the best feature writer in Miami Dade, has a comprehensive piece on the Diaz-Balarts in this week's New Times. Alvarado briefly mentions Mario Diaz-Balart's alleged conflict of interest problems involving his PR firm, Gordon Diaz-Balart and Partners. The firm has a web site which boldly states,

"Gordon Diaz-Balart gives you access to the highest levels within the government decision-making process, and ensures your company is in a position to communicate issues effectively."

Consider that in the context that Alvarado describes:

"In the mid-Nineties, critics say, Mario used his position as an appointed member of the Florida Entertainment Commission to gain advantage for clients — including filmmakers and production companies — of his private PR firm, Gordon Diaz-Balart and Partners.

That public relations firm also represented Florida Power & Light in 1997, when Mario voted for a state budget that included $900,000 for FPL's campaign to promote electric cars."

The Gordon in the firm's name is of course, Seth Gordon, the firm's managing partner and MDB's longtime friend and associate. Tia Diaz-Balart, MDB's wife, is also a partner.

Gordon has a lot riding on this election, so it should be no surpise then that he is helping out with the campaign. You'll see in the document to the left an invitation sent out by Gordon to a fundraiser held for Mario on Oct. 17.

Now, there is nothing wrong or illegal about this, it's just friends helping friends, but I think it is interesting to see the campaign behind the campaign, which is why I'm posting this letter here.

Why bother? Tough times for journalism. By SunshineUnderground

On Monday the Miami Herald held a forum on Haiti at Books and Books in Coral Gables, and I was struck by something Nancy San Martin, the associate world editor, said in the introduction. I think it reflects the state of journalism in this town, and how rough it is for those still left in the field. She said:

"People ask us why you do what you do, and with everything that is going on with the industry now-a-days, as you know it is tough times for all of us, we also in the newsroom are finding ourselves asking ourselves that very question, of why we do what we do, or what I call the 'Why bother factor' - why bother working 12 hour days in very difficult conditions when the situation is so bad? Why bother, day in and day out, stressing yourself for deadlines when the situation is tough and getting tougher? Why bother risking your life?"

Some readers might see this as just another navel-gazing whining journalist, but I think she had a point.

The downturn in print journalism began long before the economic downturn or our current financial crisis, and it is now likely to get worse as businesses continue to cut back on advertising. I heard an unverified rumor that the Herald is planning more layoffs, on top of all the other layoffs that have occurred over the last year, not to mention the salary freeze. To a certain extent the layoffs mean less coverage, and to a certain extent they mean that the people left on staff have to do more. The Herald is trying to plug holes in the paper with a content sharing agreement they have with the Sun-Sentinel and the Palm Beach Post, but this too, has its limits, unless we assume that all three publications are going to end up as one big happy newspaper.

The forum though, had to be cathartic for her and for the other Herald reporters present, as the crowd gathered there thanked them over and over for bringing attention to the hurricane damage in Haiti and the worsening humanitarian crisis occurring at Miami's doorstep. San Martin and her staff are dedicated to covering it, and we can only hope that they will continue to have the budget to do so.

I'll have more on Haiti, and the forum, in my next post.

The Debate Mario Diaz-Balart v Joe Garcia: Initial Reaction by SunshineUnderground

One thing was very clear at the debate: These candidates despise each other and those feeling trickle down to their staff. I thought MDB let it show a little more though, a certain snideness slipped into his tone every now and then, and that doesn't go over well on TV. (His brother, incidentally, doesn't appear to be having the same problem in his much less civil debate with Raul Martinez, which is going on as I write this).

Garica was more effective on health care. His story about a man in the district who has epilepsy and cannot find a job that will provide him health insurance was one of the more effective moments of the debate, However:

MDB nailed the question about whether he can "bring the bacon home" for the district, and it helped that he had the Miami Herald's endorsement to lean on.

Garcia speaks more specifically, sights more statistics about the district, and that may help him seem more in touch with everyday problems. MDB was passionate when talking about his record, effectively citing his votes to push back criticisms that he is in lockstep with Bush. He also did well when talking about Latin America. It's refreshing, for me anyway, to hear a politician willing to promote a pro-trade agenda with Latin America durring an election.

The debate was civil, but the time constraints made it difficult for the discussion to get beyond their talking points on the most complex issues, health care and the financial crisis.

The Jerry Springer debate: Lincoln Diaz-Balart v Raul Martinez. By SunshineUnderground

Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Raul Martinez just finished debating and I don’t know what to make of it.

What began as a civil discussion quickly disintegrated into accusations, with each candidate interrupting the other. I don’t think either of them looked good. Neither did the moderator. I think I would have changed the channel if I didn’t plan to write about it. Then again, it did have a certain reality-show appeal, like when two roommates on the 'Real Word" start screaming at each other, or any Jerry Springer show ever made (thankfully, without the nudity).

I’d say LDB comes across with more gravitas and was never fazed, but Martinez’s line about LDB saying one thing in Spanish and another in English was also effective. Who won? You tell me.

As far as all the ads between the debates, the RNC one with a wheel of fortune theme attacking Martinez as corrupt was the most memorable.

Eye Scoop: U.S. Rep. Candidate Raul Martinez Revealed In Interview! by Sunshine Underground

"Too much influence is given to people that contribute to campaigns. And basically, campaigns have become so expensive that you have no choice but to do it, otherwise you'll be off the air. We need to also ask the TV stations not to double the price of advertising during campaign season. People don't talk about that. An ad that I would have paid a $1,000 two weeks ago, now I'm paying $2,000. These are things that are not known because the media doesn't put it out" - Raul Martinez

Raul Martinez dominates a room, and it's not just because of his height. "El Grande" as he is known, has a low, powerful voice, an easygoing manner, and a Clintonesque talent for weaving policy and personal narrative, minus some of the polish. That was my impression when I saw the former Hialeah mayor speak to a group of students at Barry University on Friday night, and I had the chance to catch him afterwards for an interview. Our readers know about his past, his achievements and the scandals, so I tried to direct the questions to a few topics that have been the focus of this blog - development, the financial crisis and environmental protection. Martinez's opponent, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, has a standing invitation to address some of these questions as well, but for now, here is the Martinez interview.

EyeonMiami: What have you done for the Everglades, and what would you do if elected?

Raul Martinez: As mayor of the city you don't have much to do with the Everglades, because that's handled by the state, but I have tried every which way to make sure that we protect the environment in the city. We have replanted trees. We had a problem in the city with Cuban-Americans where if the trees did not bear fruit, they would cut them down. So we had to replant the city, and if I tell you that I probably planted over 50, 60 thousand trees while I was mayor, I probably am running short. You know, we tried to do as much as we could, but you got to remember that the city of Hialeah was a poor city and we could not do as much as people would have wanted us to do. Twenty eight years ago, when I first became mayor the only thing that I could do was to get the recycling program, and we continue to have the recycling program. As of today, the city of Hialeah is the leading city in recycling. Even though it costs the city a lot of money to recycle, we're doing it.

EonM: Your mentioned that the Everglades is more of a state and federal issue - what state and federal regulations do you support to protect wetlands from development?

RM: I think we need to develop a line that people understand and know, “this is the line, we're not going to cross it,” and I'll give you an example. In the city of Hialeah, when I was mayor, we annexed land, and that land was what they called a C&D, a construction debris dump. We needed to move the line to the west so we could clean that land, clean the whole C&D, and eventually build warehouses. There was not going to be any people in there but we needed to create jobs.

We need to make sure that we take care of the environment, but at the same time, we need to make sure we are creating jobs by cleaning the environment. We need to start looking for cleaner fuels. We need to work with FAU to see if we can use the gulf current to create electricity. We need to work with car manufactures, even if we have to subsidize them for awhile, to make cars that burn cleaner fuels.

EonM: By "line," you mean the Urban Development Boundary. Do you support it?

RM: I support the urban development boundary, but in this particular case, the boundary was not a straight boundary, this area had been left out, and I felt that this area could be included and it would not be hurting the environment, on the contrary, what were going to do was clean the whole place, and eventually, within 5, 10 years, all of that debris that was buried there, would be taken out.

I'm sure that your readers, your bloggers, have been bombarded with advertising that has been very negative of me. First of all, I want to tell you that none of that is true, and if they go into channel 10's website, and they go into the fact check on the advertising, they will see that none of what is being said is true. What they've done is run the sleaziest, dirtiest campaign against me, because the person that is holding that seat is afraid that we exposed him for what he is and it's unfortunate, that he being an attorney, would put together those kind of negative ads against my person.

EonM: What responsibility do you think developers and builders have for the current financial/real estate crisis?

RM: They have a lot. Especially the bankers, because the bankers had so much greed, and they didn't care what and how, they just wanted to make that they would lend the money to do as many units as they could, they didn't care what these people were doing and how they were doing it.

We have an amendment in Florida right now that says waterfront properties should stay taxed based on their use. So you take the case of the Miami River. A lot of those owners are having to sell their properties and not keep it as a restaurant or boatyard because developers are making the cost of the land so expensive that when they do the market comparison the property taxes are huge.

But definitely, the bankers and the builders [bear responsibility] because of the greed, the only word you can use to describe what has happen with this economy is greed.

EonM: What regulations do you think need to be in place to prevent a crisis like this from happening again?

I think we need to start putting regulations back on the books. Prohibiting those leverage buyouts, all the leveraging that has been done. We have gone through this before. We went through it with the banking crisis and they created the RTC and 20 some odd years later, we're at the same thing... we shouldn't be having to do this. We need to make sure that we have enough regulations on the books to prohibit people from gouging, making more interest than they should, and hopefully make development more responsible.

EonM: In the last 10 years, what do you think has gone wrong as far as development, and real estate development in South Florida?

RM: It's not all about the developers - I think there is a myriad of other problems that we have had. Government has been lax on regulation. The state government has been lax. Too much influential is given to people that contribute to campaigns. And basically, campaigns have become so expensive that you have no choice but to do it, otherwise you'll be off the air. We need to also ask the TV stations not to double the price of advertising during campaign season. People don't talk about that. An ad that I would have paid a $1,000 two weeks ago, now I'm paying $2,000. These are things that are not known because the media doesn't put it out.

EonM: Those are valuable points, but again, what has gone wrong with the actual land development in Florida in the last 10 years?

RM: Well, one of things is that we have developed, but we have not created the infrastructure, the transportation infrastructure that needed to be created. We now have development in areas that don't have the public transportation that we needed. We started with the Metrorail and we never finished it, we never made a commitment to finish the Metrorail and we're struggling now to do the lines that need to be done. And then people need to say, look, you can't continue with the NIMBY, you can't continue the "Not in my backyard." If we need to bring a rapid transit line or if we need to bring bus lines, people are going to have to accept it.

The Blame Game. By SunshineUnderground

“Let me get this straight. Investment banks and insurance companies run by centimillionaires blow up, and it's the fault of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and poor minorities?” - Daniel Gross

Slate’s Daniel Gross posted a must read earlier this week debunking the myth, put forward by Republicans ( like those at Babalu) that the blame for the financial crisis can be laid entirely at the feet of poor minority homeowners and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Florida, ground zero in the housing crisis documented so well on this blog by gimleteye, garners two mentions, the most important of which concerns Miami:

“…many of the biggest flameouts in real estate have had nothing to do with subprime lending. WCI Communities, builder of highly amenitized condos in Florida (no subprime purchasers welcome there), filed for bankruptcy in August. Very few of the tens of thousands of now-surplus condominiums in Miami were conceived to be marketed to subprime borrowers, or minorities—unless you count rich Venezuelans and Colombians as minorities. The multiyear plague that has been documented in brilliant detail at IrvineHousingBlog is playing out in one of the least-subprime housing markets in the nation.”

Read the whole article. It helps put a lot of what this blog has documented locally into a national context.

Miami Chamber: Here are their "Confidential" questions for the U.S. House Candidates. By SunshineUnderground

Here are the questions for the candidates in the congressional forum being held Wednesday at 12 p.m. by The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. All six candidates in South Florida’s contested congressional races are expected to attend, and it seemed like it would be an interesting free-for-all, until it was revealed that the candidates had been given the questions beforehand, and ABC’s local political reporter Michael Putney dropped out of moderating the event, telling the Herald that it was a “farce”

So the Chamber wanted to hold the event, use it as a fundraiser (non-members now have to pay $75 to get in) and then pretend that the questions and answers were all spontaneous? You’ll notice that the document given to the candidates with the questions appears to have been marked “Confidential Not For Distribution.”

It seems like Putney was right on. The questions prepared for the forum are substantive, as far as that goes, but it would have been better to see the candidates think on their feet, rather than hear a bunch of canned speeches.

The event is to take place at 1111 Jungle Trail, Treetop Ballroom, and theater lovers, you can still register to attend online at the Chamber’s website.
Jared Goyette - SunshineUndergroundFL@gmail.com

Following is the text of the questions, marked "Confidential" by the chamber:

ECONOMY/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

What is your position on the so-called "bailout" legislation proposed by the President? If we
are in the kind of economic crisis he says we're in, what should the federal government be doing
to help?

South Florida is facing many challenges including congested road ways, a poor urban population
that is comparatively less well educated, a large immigrant population without health care, and
an overbuilt housing market that is unaffordable to many who live and work here. How would
you prioritize these issues and what would you do to alleviate them?

What is the role of the federal government in stabilizing the economy?

As the gateway to Latin America, Miami-Dade is a key hub for international commerce. What
can you do in Congress to support our transportation infrastructure: our roads, bridges, airport
and seaport?

What is your position on creating private accounts for Social Security?

HEALTHCARE

In Miami-Dade County approximately 600,000 Miami-Dade residents, or about 29 percent of
those under 65, are without health insurance.
Do you support universal healthcare? Do you support efforts by some in Congress for employer
paid healthcare. If so, how do you justify it? If not what are your ideas for solving the U.S.
healthcare crisis and guaranteeing affordable, quality health care to all?

Should Medicare have the right to negotiate directly with prescription drug companies to get the
lowest possible price of drugs for Florida’s seniors?

TAXES

The economy is the No. 1 issue on Americans' minds right now. Many middle class families are
suffering from increased energy and food costs, and some are losing their homes. Could you
share with us your thoughts on federal tax policy and what tax policy you would support to
stimulate the economy and provide some relief to middle class families? What is your position
on tax increases of any kind for the middle class? And if the economy continues to weaken, will
you maintain your position?

We've heard a lot about taxes this year. Can we have it both ways -low taxes and governmental
services?
In your view, are businesses and wealthy people paying their fair share?

IMMIGRATION

According to the census bureau immigration was the largest factor in population increases for
Miami Dade County. Miami Dade County’s population consists of over 50% foreign born.
Other studies indicate that of the over 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.,
approximately 9% of those reside in the state of Florida.

What is your position with regard to the creation of a temporary guest worker program for
essential workers which creates paths to permanent residence whenever appropriate, provides a
way to earn legal status to those that qualify, addresses the millions of undocumented workers
already in the United States, and creates a national strategy for border security and intelligence?

Immigration issues affect our business community here in South Florida on a daily basis. Do you
support needed immigration reforms such as an increase in H1-B professional work visas for
high skilled immigrants that allow our country to stay competitive in a global marketplace?

What are the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform being passed in 2009?

Incumbents:
Will you continue to support the proposed Dream Act allowing certain undocumented students
to remain in the U.S. and attend college?
Candidates:
Would you support the Dream Act?

FUNDING

With Florida being a donor state, do you feel that Florida, specifically, South Florida receives its
appropriate share funding from Congress?

Incumbents – what specific projects have you worked on which successfully brought funding
South Florida?
Challengers – what would you do to improve our prospects?


NATURAL RESOURCES & ENERGY

What are your plans to protect our fragile South Florida environment while promoting economic
development?

Mario, a major portion of the Everglades ecosystem is in your Congressional District. Is enough
being done to protect the Everglades? What have you done? What will you do?

Florida is reliant on a 65 billion annual tourism industry. Are you aware that despite published
government reports, Hurricane Katrina destroyed more than 100 and caused substantial oil
spillage?

What is your position with regard to off shore oil drilling?

Do you support funding for alternative energy sources?


If off-shore drilling is passed, would you support legislation providing revenue sharing to Florida
- revenue that could be used to prepare our residents, business and property and help mitigate
the costly affects of hurricanes and natural disasters?

Would you support legislation that places full responsibility on the oil companies and federal
government for the inevitable clean up or any other related damage to our coast line, wildlife or
natural resources?

Would you support putting environmental programs in place to better understand
environmental impacts of Gulf drilling and protect the Florida straits before they deteriorate
from an oil spill in the Gulf or new drilling close to Cuba?

Congress has left in place the 2006 agreement limiting off-shore oil drilling close to Florida's
Gulf Coast, yet drilling could occur in the Straits of Florida and Florida Bay. What
environmental protections are in place to protect Florida's tourism industry and our coastal
lifestyles?

Florida is continually at risk of hurricanes. What can be done to better protect South Floridians
against these predictable storms?

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Would you comment on the war in Iraq and your thoughts on the future of American
involvement there?

Some say that India and China are outpacing us in their preparation for work in the 21st
Century. What will you do to restore American competitiveness in the global market place?

No matter what, we will have a new President with many serious issues: wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, a global war on terrorism; a dependence on foreign oil, concerns about global
warming that could dramatically and literally affect the landscape of South Florida, inadequate
health care coverage. Could you share your thoughts on these issues?

Given the importance of trade with Latin America to our community and specifically our
relationship with Colombia what is your position on the Free Trade Agreement with Colombia?

CONGRESS

In your view, list the three biggest issues facing Congress right now and how would you address
them?
What are your top priorities in Congress?

Which U.S. Supreme Court decision of the past 40 years you feel were the most important and
why? Which of the recent Supreme Court appointments would you have not approved, and why.

What is the role of government or government responsibility in the event of a natural disaster?

Question for incumbents:
Many people view or perceive you as President Bush’s and now Senator McCain's reliable
supporters. How would you respond to those who feel this way? With both Presidential
candidates campaigning on a platform of change, what changes do you expect to support?

Question for challengers:
What major issues that have affected your respective districts would you have voted on or
addressed differently than the incumbents?
Are you prepared to reach across party lines to solve our problems?

Paying their dues by SunshineUnderground

The Miami Herald proved its worth yesterday, in an investigative piece that showed, “Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart has procured millions in federal funding to benefit a small Miami-Dade defense-contracting group that has donated tens of thousands of dollars to his political campaign and that of his brother, fellow U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.”

The Mario Diaz-Balart campaign spokesperson told the Herald there was no relationship between the contributions and the earmarks because there is a “firewall” between the Diaz-Balart’s campaign and his government offices, meaning the two offices do not work together. That may be true but it’s also not the issue. A contractor doesn’t need to have contact with campaign staff to contribute and get earmarks in return, and the Diaz-Balarts didn’t receive $67,000 in campaign contributions, as the Herald reported, and not know where it was coming from or why.

In fairness, all congressional reps use earmarks, and there is often an element of quid pro quo, but that’s why we have elections and investigative reporters. The Herald article spells it all out nicely.

Garcia Stands Alone. SunshineUnderground

The financial crisis has put "issues", or the economy back at center stage, but in a way that is awkward for Democrats. Joe Garcia was the only local candidate to go on the record supporting the bailout package, though he did call it "flawed".

This was, in my mind, the responsible position to take, and I think it compares well with the craven populism of someone like Raul Martinez or the ideological conservatism of the Diaz-Balarts. But, oh, the irony! The same rigid, anti-regulation, laissez-faire, and largely Republican ideology that helped cause this crisis is now being wrapped up in populism by those same Republicans and used against Democrats and moderates who are trying to clean the mess up. Yes, the same people who brought you "No regulations" have now released "No government interference in the problem caused by the lack of regulation."

You could credit the Republicans who voted against the bailout for being principled conservatives, but the record says otherwise. As Daniel Gross put it in Slate yesterday, referring to the Republicans who killed the bill “having approved an expansion of Medicare, massive increases in all sorts of spending, and huge tax cuts that led to the addition of trillions of dollars in public debt, this is a strange moment to stand on principle.”

And joining them were a certain kind of left-winger, people like: Michael Moore who see everything and anything in terms of class. Make no mistake though, the numbers speak for themselves – lack of Republican support caused the bailout to fail.

It ultimately failed, of course, because it was deeply unpopular. "Bail me out first!" seems to be the settlement I hear on the local news, but the government could send everyone a check tomorrow and the economy would still collapse if the credit market dried up, and no one could get favorable rates on a mortgage or a car loan, and small businesses couldn't get loans period.

So Garcia may pay for taking a principled stand. I can see the attack ad now, featuring a female narrator saying "fat cats" with a sneer. That's just idle speculation and I hope I'm wrong, just like I hope the Garcia-Diaz-Balart debate actually happens, so we can, for once, see two candidates get into an exchange over policy and economic ideology.

New Poll: Garcia and MDB closer than ever. By SunshineUnderground

A new poll done for Daily Kos that was released on Monday shows Joe Garcia at 41% and Mario Diaz-Balart at 45%, with 13% percent still undecided, and a five point margin or error. This should make the upcoming debate all the more decisive. Now if only the campaigns could work out the details.

These numbers have to be troubling for MDB. His brother is slightly behind in his race and the momentum of the presidential race has shifted statewide , while Garcia's campaign has invested months and months of work in building a field operation that is likely to boost their turnout. What will the late breakers do? Will they vote their frustrations and go against the incumbent, or stick with the more familiar name?

Wall Street Bailout: How South Florida Congressional Delegation Voted. By SunshineUnderground

South Florida’s congressional delegation split along party lines in the vote on the bailout package that went down to defeat in the house today, with Democrats supporting the bill and Republicans rejecting it.

In the “Aye” column were Democrats Alice Hastings, Kendrick Meek and Debbie Wasserman Schulz, while Republicans Llena Ros-Lehtinen and Mario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart voted no. See the complete roll call here.

JMG SunshineUndergroundFL@gmail.com

Ken Lay & Joe Garcia Controversy. By SunshineUnderground

I was sent this PDF of an internal Enron Memo. It appears to show that Enron did talk to Joe Garcia about the FERC vacancy, and contains new details about those discussions.

The first page doesn't contain any new information. It shows that Garcia spoke with an Enron official over the phone, we already knew that from the Frontline interview. But the second page gets much more interesting. It might, though I am not sure yet, prove my last post somewhat wrong.

This is the key section, from the Memo dated February 12, 2001, from Linda Robertson to Ken Lay:

“You and other Enron officials have recently talked to Joe Garcia as a possible "second" enron choice for the second seat. We understand those conversations have been somewhat reassuring and that his record in Florida does contain encouraging signals on access issues. One argument Mr. Garcia has made is that the Bush Administration and Enron are better off putting him in one of the existing open Republicans seats because this would free up an additional Republicans slot because Mr. Garcia is an Independent.

His thinking is that once the Breathitt seat opens in 6/02, a Republican could be appointed because, as an Independent, he does not count against the "no more than three" from one party rule. He further argues that this gambit has a better chance of success If he is appointed now for a Republican seat rather than later for the Breathitt Democratic seat, which in theory Senator Daschle should have a say in appointing. His argument has some merit; there is logic to his sequencing suggestion.”

If this Memo is legit, and it certainly appears to be so, then Garcia’s conversation with Enron went further than he claimed. Not only did he talk policy, and promise to “keep an open mind”, as he has said, but he went into a detailed political analysis of why Enron and the Republican party could benefit from appointing him.

That crosses a line for me: not only did he take Enron’s call, but apparently actively lobbied Enron for a position on the committee that regulates Enron. Perhaps this is how the game is played, maybe that’s what all the candidates did, but it still strikes me as inappropriate.

The Diaz-Balart ad, it seems, distorted the truth, in that it played up a non-existent personal connection between Garcia and Ken Lay, and then sprinkled in a few exaggerations (begged for a job) and what still appears to be a straight-up lie (the utility hike). The question remains: Why didn't the Diaz-Balart campaign just stick with the simple truth?

A lie is a lie is a… by SunshineUnderground

I have to come back to that Mario Diaz-Balart attack ad linking Joe Garcia to Enron, and the media's coverage of it. Channel 10, or WPLG-10, did a niece segment debunking it .

The ad was lies from start to finish. Take the part in the beginning where it says that Ken Lay said he was "comfortable" with Garcia as a possible candidate for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Lay made that statement when a Frontline reporter asked him if he opposed Garcia's appointment to the commission because Garcia was on the record as supporting more regulation than Enron favored. And Garcia did not change his stance and did not get the appointment. Read the transcript.

Now, how the hell, based on those facts, can you possibly conclude that Garcia was, in any way, working with Enron?

That's only the beginning. Next, the Diaz-Balart ad says that Garcia 'begged" Lay for a job. Interestingly, the ad cites no sources. Even more interestingly, the Diaz-Balart campaign has yet to provide any sources, or supporting evidence for that line, despite being asked to do so. I hope that will change, but right now it just looks like a bold face lie. I won't even deal with the end of the ad, which of course, appears to contain another lie, this time about Garcia supporting a raise in utility rates. Channel 10 did a good job of debunking that one.

Which brings me to my second point. Throughout the segment on channel 10, the reporter, Glenna Milberg, points out the "false" statements made by the Diaz-Balart ad. Why not call a lie a lie? I believe I know the argument that many reporters will make in response to that question. They will say that the word "lie" is a value laden word. It's too partisan, too aggressive. "False" or "misleading" are just as accurate, and they don't come with all the extra baggage.

And to that I respond with one of my favorite words in the English language: bullshit. A lie is a deliberately deceptive statement, while a false statement is wrong, but not necessary intentionally so. The difference is that a lie, by definition, is intentional, and there is no better example of a lie than a politician making stuff up about his opponent for political gain. Lie is the right word. False, is well, wrong,

Don't take this to be an attack on Milberg. She performed a valuable service, unlike the Miami Herald, which ducked the question all together, before following Diaz-Balart down change-the-subject lane.

- Jared Goyette SunshineUndergroundFL@gmail.com

It's Gonna Get Ugly, by SunshineUnderground

Over the weekend Real Clear Politics ranked Joe Garcia as the South Florida candidate most likely to defeat an incumbent and the Miami Herald's Naked Politics Blog was quick to pick it up.

Garcia's campaign was elated by the news on Sunday at the Cuban American National Foundation's commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Exodus program, a project which Garcia lead for CANF after he graduated from law school.

Deputy Press Secretary Andy Diaz noted that the race was about to get ugly, and quick.

He accused the Diaz-Balart campaign of lying in it's latest ad, which ties Garcia to disgraced former Enron CEO Ken Lay, saying it was a sign of things to come. Diaz hinted that the Garcia campaign would soon respond by flooding the airwaves with a new ad of its own, without getting into particulars.

"The level of stretching the truth, it's going to be amazing,” he said. “I mean if this is what they're opening with, an outright lie, I can only imagine what they're going to go for next."

“Honest, we're not going to let them drive us down. We're going to talk about the facts, we're going to talk about the issues. You know, the thing with the Republican party now is that they can't talk about the issues. They can't go into a debate and talk about healthcare, they can't talk about the economy, they can't talk about the war in Iraq."

(For background, on the ad, check out the Herald piece on it. Notice how the reporter shows that the ad rather blatantly stretches the truth, and also notice how the Herald is too timid to call out the Diaz-Balart campaign for doing so.

My impression of Garcia, from speaking with him, and seeing him Sunday as well as on Saturday at an event sponsored by the Grey Panthers, was that he seems like professor, rattling off points and sub points as he plunges into a topic. Ask him a question, and take a seat, he'll handle it from there. I wondered whether he could combine this level of detail with enough emotion to connect to an audience, but on Sunday, at least, when reminiscing about his past work with CANF, he seemed to do the job. We'll have to see whether the same can be said after the debate the two campaigns have finally agreed to with Channel 4.