Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi to run for US Congress District 25... by gimleteye

Miami Lakes Mayor Michael Pizzi is readying to announce his decision to run for Congress, in a seat soon opening as a consequence of another departure; the retirement of long-time Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart. Pizzi, a Miami attorney with deep roots in citizen activism on the side of protecting the public interest (Urban Development Boundary, rock mining, Seijas), intends to run for Congressional District 25. The Congressional seat is held by Mario Diaz-Balart, who has announced his intent to run for the seat being vacated by his brother.

A Washington Post blog, "The Fix", speculates that Joe Garcia is considering a run: "Garcia is reportedly interested in running again ... One complicating factor for Garcia is that he is currently working in an appointed post in the Obama Administration. Another Democrat mentioned is Miami-Dade Commissioner Katy Sorenson who recently announced she would not seek re-election to her current post." (Feb 11, 2010)

Eyeonmiami has written extensively about Pizzi's work on the side of the public against powerful, special interests. (Check out our archive by typing in "Pizzi" in the search line.) He plans to build a grass roots campaign based on his record as a candidate for the people.

President Clinton in Surgery Today for Heart Ailment and What are the Diaz-Balart Brothers REALLY up to? By Geniusofdespair

Still sketchy news - chest pains and new stents. That is all I've got. In Republican news, the Miami Herald says that Lincoln Diaz-Balart is retiring:

Within minutes of Lincoln Diaz-Balart's announcement, his brother, Mario Diaz-Balart, launched a campaign to succeed him in the more Republican-leaning congressional district.

I figure Lincoln is either under a cloud or going to run for the Senate. Something is up.

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.

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.

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.

President George W. Bush: The lamest duck of all. By Geniusofdespair

It was reported today in the Miami Herald that organizers of George Bush's fundraiser in Miami could not even produce one of the 3 South Florida Congressional Candidates that Bush was there to raise money for! Pretty ironic. Republican "Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen all cited prior commitments."

Loser with a big "L".

The candidates were all afraid of a Bush photo that could cripple their campaigns.

Politics as Usual: Not in Kendall, the Gloves were off! by Guest Blogger YouBetcha'

Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations took an unexpected surge towards political fame during the association’s annual fall political forum this week. It was a packed house of political rowdies complete with waving signs, chants and sharp tongued retorts.

For once, the Diaz-Balart brothers decided to take on their opponents in a public forum where they sat eye-to-eye with the audience and shoulder-to-shoulder with their political adversaries. (Two things that the brothers are not thrilled about doing.) Unfortunately, the other candidates suffered from too much congressional input and not enough opportunity to share their plans for the future of the Kendall area.

The evening started with a presentation with incumbent Ron Saunders, state representative from district 120 who is unopposed this election. Ron was typically Ron. He is our Florida Keys personality who represents our southernmost state district in Dade. He was the calm before the storm! (hit read more)

Things started warming up when Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Raul Martinez (District 21) came forward to speak. The room was filled with anticipation as they spoke. Raul Martinez connected with the audience as he spoke, paying attention to the folks in front of him and paying little attention to the ones making faces behind him.

When Lincoln got up, so did his cheering section. Rah Rah Rah. Lincoln did his stump speech to waving signs and warmed up the floor for his brother. One can’t be sure of his message, because his smugness tended to override the content. The message seemed to cause more screaming from his cheerleaders, than applause from the audience.

Then along came Mario Diaz-Balart (District 25). Now that was a treat. More signs, more noise and surprise! catcalls from Joe Garcia’s fans! Joe seemed to have a few fans of his own garnered in a corner of the crowded space.

Mario Diaz-Balart thanked the Federation and then turned to his opponent, Joe Garcia and thanked him for traveling across 4 whole congressional districts to be there for the night’s event. Ouuuuuu. Bad move. It seemed to tick Joe off a bit. Apparently, Joe Garcia hasn’t moved his family into the district yet, even though Joe is living in an apartment in Kendall and will look for a house later after he wins and when school is out. This was a move very similar to Mario’s, except Mario moved in after he won.

Some of the more laughable statements that were uttered by Mario were that he had brought lots of money back to the county and the district for public education and transit relief. He also mentioned how he had even enhanced agriculture by promoting agri-tourism through the winery out in the Redland. Oops. Mario. Your winery owners are now under Federal indictment. Did someone forget to mention that to you?

None the less, Mario supporters cheered and jumped for joy at Mario’s words. Following Mario, Joe stood to speak and he started out his comments with the fact there was “nothing funny about this election; this is the election of our lifetime”. Mario could not help himself and took another jab at Joe. Joe uttered that he was living here while Mario was busy dropping out of college elsewhere. Everyone’s supporters were on their feet. Joe Garcia’s team was shouting “Go Joe Go” and Mario’s were wildly waving both their signs and Lincolns. Moderator Frank Cobo wasn’t having much luck controlling this crew.

An angry Joe Garcia managed to take enough control to debunk Mario’s comments. He indicated that it was amazing that Mario had done so well with dollars for education since our state was 50th in the nation in educational spending. He pointed out that Mario’s Everglades Environmental record was not exactly stellar; Mario voted to support the Everglades legislation (against Bush) and then back peddled on the same issue when McCain came knocking. Every point Joe made seemed to result in a ruckus from one side or the other.

The evening ended rather abruptly for the remaining candidates who still were to left on the agenda. Michael Calderin candidate for State Representative, District 119 gave a heartfelt speech about his view of Florida’s government and what he has heard as he walked door to door in the Kendall community. He was rudely interrupted by workers who passed out bottled water from the Diaz-Balart campaigns as he spoke. (Is that like Seijas buying breakfasts?).

Annette Taddeo of Congressional District 18 ran in from another event and quickly introduced herself, spoke of her experience as business woman and the need for change. Ros-Lehtinen didn’t make the event at all; not that anyone expected her, anyway.

By the time, the moderator got around to announcing the next series of speakers, all bets were off and the congressional candidates, their groupies, the signs, and the TV cameras were all one massive blob in the middle of the room. The Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations had finally brought the circus to Main Street.

Congressional Race: The terrorism smear you can only find in Miami! by SunshineUnderground

This flyer (Hit to enlarge it), from a local right wing blog, features a Joe Garcia backdrop behind images of Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez and Osama Bin Ladin, and is so hilariously over the top that I had to share it. But really, I'm not sure how seriously to take it.

I see stuff like that is as part of an internal Cuban-American debate, one that the hardliners, both on radio and on blogs, are increasingly losing, as a more moderate and pragmatic consensus slowly takes shape. Anyway, denounce it, or laugh at it, your choice. I prefer to laugh.

(The Blog, Versailles Beat, is written by 3 retired guys: One is 80, one is 76 and the third doesn't give his age.)

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.

Breathtaking developments in financial crisis... by gimleteye

Eyeonmiami posted the entry, "Wall Street and madmen drowning", on August 7, 2007. (click on read more, for the whole post). It ended with the a metaphor comparing Wall Street titans to a synchronized water ballet; all smiles and calm in unison up top, while furious beneath the waterline. To refresh the metaphor a year later, the pool is nearly empty, the swimmers are standing and flailing, the unison has disappeared. It's not a pretty sight.

Yesterday's defeat by Congress of the Paulson/Bush bailout plan to cost taxpayers some $700 billion to start, was horrific to listen to and watch.

Congress and the White House have taken a whack at a financial crisis they all seem to believe came from thin air. But this isn't a case of financial creationsim so much as a case of disaster capitalism (see: Naomi Klein). Today's crisis was engendered as a deliberate matter, because it created so much wealth for a few. Its underpinning was the sales job by neoconservatives from think tanks like the Cato Foundation and American Enterprise Institute, to name just two; their arguments against regulation in the financial sphere and in government generally coincided with the shifting of billions in wealth to Wall Street and the Growth Machine.

Now Secretary Paulson wants to go back to the "tool box", but any tools that might have been employed this economic disaster are rusty with disuse and certainly not sized to fit the dimensions of the current crisis: trillions of dollars of financial instruments that no one knows how to unwind except to call them worthless.

It is equally distressing to watch the great American public wake suddenly, as if from a dream, and level the full measure of anger against the symptoms of economic instability that had been evident for decades-- beginning with Ronald Reagan's bluster about business being able to do better for people than government ever could. (In case anyone is looking the other way, GM is teetering on the edge of bankrupcy: what's good for Detroit is good for America?)

On NPR last night, there was a segment about how the Republican votes in Congress broke down on the bailout fiasco: those in close competitive races voted against it-- Congressmen like Mario Diaz Balart who was quoted, saying that he "would never vote to put this crisis on the taxpayer" or something to that effect.

What someone needs to explain to the American people is that this financial crisis is rooted in the systemic aversion by elected officials for regulations in all spheres of public policy, not just finance.

It was only the deforming of regulation and its purposes-- in finance, in land use, in wetlands regulation, in public health, the environment and safety-- that allowed the great machine of the building and construction industry to take off after the collapse of the dotcom boom.

Detractors of this view are now saying that the "liberals" are back with their hideous plans for big government. Nothing could be further from the truth. The biggest expansion of government in history has been put in place by so-called conservatives, represented by the Congressional majority that controlled Congress for six of the last eight years and still maintains veto power.

The horrid truth is that the core ideology of the K Street Project and Karl Rove White House operation is that these forces wanted government to fail. When Grover Norquist boasted that he wanted to shrink the size of government so it could fit in a bathtub, he meant to drown it there.

One way to make government fail is to use intimidation within government agencies; that is exactly what has occurred from the Department of Health, to the US EPA, to Department of Interior, to the US Department of Justice. The goal of intimidation is to make agency staff look over their shoulders, keep their heads down, go along to get along.

The machinery that delivered so much Wall Street wealth in the absence of regulation meshed with the smaller gears of the anti-regulatory environment from the unreformable majorities of local legislatures, like our own county commission, to zoning processes that always pushed the urban fringe of development closer to the Everglades. The result was the unsustainable boom in construction and building that, in fast growing states like Florida, enriched lobbyists and "environmental" attorneys and ruined communities, sound planning for infrastructure, and civic involvement in the shape and design of communities. The triumph of suburban sprawl contains all the seeds of today's destruction of financial assets; from homes to banks.

The fact is that most of the incumbents in Congress-- on both sides of the aisle-- relied on campaign contributions from industry (ie. Fannie Mae) that kept this economic equation in motion.

And it was the ascendency of Jeb Bush in Florida, first, and after, George W. Bush to the presidency, that provided the secure hold for the architects of today's financial crisis. They seized the reins of power and imposed their version of reality, abjuring regulation of all kinds where it could not be deformed to their interests, unless that regulation involved women's rights and personal choice.

So we are at the fearsome impasse. None of us should wish for another Depression, but it is not clear to me that there is any possibility of comprehensive reform and change-- based on making government work instead of tearing it down-- until the economic pain grows worse.

Prices of assets will return to historical norms. The titans of industry who made millions, tens of millions, and hundreds of millions during the housing boom will all be, OK. They will survive this mess. But the equations they counted on to advance their causes are being battered by the biggest outcry of public anger since the Vietnam War.

It is remarkable to witness, given the passivity of the public, these long years.


TUESDAY, AUGUST 07, 2007

Wall Street and madmen drowning, by gimleteye
Will the Fed come to the rescue of a global credit crisis, falsely reported as only relating to subprime mortgages? Will Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-- whose executives took down tens of millions of dollars in pay while the books were cooked-- now be used as a waste dump for toxic mortages totaling in the tens of billions?

I'm seasoned enough to know that the conversations between Wall Street, the Treasury Dept., the White House, and the chairs of the Senate Banking and House Financial Services committees are at the level of panic.

Hedge funds have no requirements to report on the value of their holdings, so there is a long delay between the nearly instantaneous and massive tightening of credit over the past two weeks-- which means a severe loss of value in secondary markets for financial derivatives--and the day of reckoning for investors. Oh boy.

I know what the White House is going to do: try to find a fix even though it will be massive government intervention in "free" markets.

What are the Democrats going to do? is a question no one is asking.

In the meantime, think of what Wall Street is doing as a form of synchronized water ballet.

If you've ever watched the Summer Olympics, you know how all the women's heads turn at the same time in the pool, and their arms move this way and that with calm fluidity, all while their legs are churning out of sight like madmen drowning.

THAT'S what is going on in the markets today.

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?

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.

Guest Blog: Diaz-Balart Brothers that's who!

This Spirit Airlines ad defines the Diaz-Balart Brothers party line "sell-out" votes recently when the Offshore Drilling Debate came to a head in the U.S. House. Wrapped within a Dem sponsored Energy bill was a tiny section that respected the law passed in 2006, under then Governor Bush, which settled the "Lease Sale 181" debate that had gone on for about 2 years prior. That deal provided a buffer of 230+ miles from the west coast and 125 miles along the panhandle from Offshore Drilling but gave over 8 million new acres offshore to Big Oil.

The FL Dem Caucus had successfully petitioned House Speaker Pelosi late last week to add a provision to the current Energy Bill that respected the 2006 deal. Their pitch to Pelosi went like this: "Look, less than 2 years ago, Florida gave over 8 million acres in the Eastern Gulf for drilling. We were promised that was enough and we wouldn't deal with this issue until 2022." Pelosi agreed and Florida dodged a bullet (again) regarding drilling, the bill passed 236 - 189. It now goes to the Senate, where a new battle begins.

THAT' S NOT THE WHOLE STORY THOUGH

Florida Congressional Dems were united behind the new Pelosi bill before it came to floor. Would the rest of the Dems in the Nation roll with it? Would Florida be perceived as getting special treatment? Every R vote would be critical to make sure the bill got over the top, but the vote on the bill itself wasn't "the real vote".

The real vote came 15 minutes earlier in a procedural move called a motion to "recommit". A process where the minority party moved to recommit the bill to committee with directives on how a new bill should look. Essentially, as a last ditch effort to avoid a perceived Dem win, the R's tried to "recommit" an old bipartisan bill between Abercrombie (D) and Peterson (R) that they had abandoned months ago when they took up McCain's mantra of "Drill here, Drill now". If the bill was recommitted (i.e. voted back to committee), the directions for the committee DID NOT provide protections for Florida's Gulf coast. In short, if the recommit motion passed- its over - FL is screwed.

That's where the BIG sell-out by the Diaz-Balart Brothers takes place. They voted FOR the motion to recommit: a party-line ideologue vote. They knew the day before that the mega powerful Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association which represents a $57 billion dollar industry that is 20% of Florida's economy, contributing $3.4 billion in sales tax revenues and employing more than 900,000 people, weighed-in against drilling. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen voted against the recommit - kudos to her - shows she's willing to break party ranks when necessary.

But not the Diaz-Balarts, who voted against the interest of Floridians.

"Rubber Stamp" by SunshineUnderground

Joe Garcia’s campaign released a new ad yesterday, a hard hitting attack that portrays his opponent, Mario Diaz-Balart, as a mini McSame, in lockstep with the president.


Diaz-Balart has already been running his own ad, which starts off with the words, "Changing Washington". Go figure.


Click on "read more" for the Joe Garcia press statement.


Press release from the Joe Garcia Campaign for Congress

Miami, FL -After a series of frivolous "guilty by association" attacks by Mario Diaz-Balart, the Garcia campaign has launched a 30-second ad exposing the Republican incumbent's unabashed record of voting 93% of the time with the failed policies of the Bush Administration.

"It's no surprise that after passing only one bill in six years in Washington, Mario Diaz-Balart would resort to smear tactics given his record of zero accomplishments in Washington while voting to give himself pay-raises," said campaign spokeswoman, Melissa Agudelo. "If Mario Diaz-Balart wants to have a debate about questionable associations, he would have to explain why he has sided with George W. Bush's failed policies over 90% of the time and why he has put the interests of lobbyists over those of children without healthcare."

A simple overview of Mario Diaz-Balart's financial filings show numerous contributions from tobacco PAC's and lobbyists prior to voting four times against a 60-cent tax on cigarettes that would have helped pay for the healthcare needs of nearly 4 million children.

SunshineundergroundFL@gmail.com

A post Republicans will like... by SunshineUnderground

Did John McCain's post-convention rise in the polls affect local races?

It should be no surprise that Carlos Curbelo, who handles media for the Diaz-Balart brothers, says yes, but he also has some anecdotal evidence to support his argument.

Since the Republican convention began last Monday, Curbelo says that Mario Diaz-Balart's campaign has received around 250 "self-initiated contacts," which means about 250 people either called, emailed, or walked into campaign headquarters without being contacted by the campaign first.

Curbelo says that's about five times the amount of such contacts they receive during a normal week, and that the trend was mainly driven by Hispanic women.

Does that mean Palin's speech went over well with Latino women?

Hard to say, but regardless, it would seem to show that the GOP convention helped close the enthusiasm in South Florida, just as it did nationally.

The liberal blogosphere seems, generally, to want dems to respond by taking the fight to Republicans, like in this ad TPM linked to on Monday. It's a trend we can expect to see locally as well, and we'll have more on that this afternoon.

SunshineUndergroundFL@gmail.com

Garcia v. Diaz-Balart: The Debate about the Debate. By SunshineUnderground

In a 1 p.m. conference call with reporters, Joe Garcia (D) challenged Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R) to meet for a series of three or four town all discussions to occur within the next month. A spokesperson from the Diaz-Balart campaign dismissed the offer as a "ploy to get cheap headlines" but said they would be open to considering any forum for debates or town hall meetings.

Garica portrayed the announcement as an invitation to debate the issues, and not a "hostile" attempt to back his opponent into a corner. He also said that the campaign had been reduced to 30 second sound bites and analysis about who had raised the most money: "Instead of making this a campaign about money it should be a campaign about solving our country's problems," he said. "We both know the problems are there. He has one solution, I happen to disagree with many of his responses.."

Carlos Curbelo, Diaz-Balart's spokesperson, said:

the congressman had already agreed to attend a town hall meeting run by a group called Generation Exchange on Aug 22. He also said that debate proposed by Univision for September would not be possible because Congress will be session.

We'll be following up with Univision to see if and when they plan to hold an event, and once we get a hold of Garcia’s suggested dates, we'll see what the Diaz-Balart campaign has to say. The rule of thumb tends to be that debates favor challengers, so it should be no surprise that Garcia's pushing for more, while Diaz-Balart isn't saying no, but not quite yes either.

And if Mario Diaz-Balart is indeed open to discussion, we hope he'll be willing to take questions from Eye on Miami, as he originally seemed to indicate he would. All you Diaz-Balart fans in the audience, hold steady, we hope to get a "Yes" answer sometime today. Si se puede.