Wasserman Schultz and Meek under the $$pell of South Florida

Al’s
Loupe                                                                                Read Spanish Version

Wasserman
Schultz and Meek under the $$pell
of South Florida’s Cuban-American members of congress

By
Alvaro F. Fernandez
alfernandez@the-beach.net

Politics
is a game of hardball. In South Florida, though, some politicians
play it underhand — as if involved in a game of softball. To those,
we must ask why?

It
reminds me of the 1980s love/hate relationship between President
Ronald Reagan and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O’Neil,
the two most powerful politicians of their era. It was well known
that Reagan and O’Neil liked and admired each other personally. But
at the political and professional level, they went after each other’s
jugular. At the height of Reagan’s popularity, Speaker O’Neil was
vehemently attacked by the president and his supporters. O’Neil, on
the other hand, called Reagan the most ignorant man who had ever
occupied the White House likening him to a “Herbert Hoover with a
smile” and criticizing him as simply “a cheerleader for
selfishness.”

They
were two “friends” representing their Party and their
philosophies on how to govern. Neither ever budged when it came to
the politics of the day. Still, they never stopped liking each other.
O’Neil was once quoted as saying, “He’s [Reagan] always got a
disarming story. I don’t know where he gets them, but he’s always
got them. He calls up: ‘Tip, you and I are political enemies only
until 6 o’clock. It’s 4 o’clock now; can we pretend it’s 6
o’clock?’ How can you dislike a guy like that?”

Stories
like this, about two master politicians, are just another reason why
I question South Florida Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and
Kendrick Meek. Both have close relationships with opposing Party
members in the congress — friends from their days in the Florida
legislature: Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario
Diaz-Balart.

They
can smoke cigars together, as Rep. Meek once told me he would
occasionally do in Tallahassee with Mario, or share moments of
laughter and frivolity between congressional colleagues. No big deal.
What I cannot fathom is how these two liberal democrats, by their
actions, approve of the three republicans, which records show stand
on complete opposite sides in almost every single vote on the floor
of the House of Representatives. And now they’ve opted to ‘stay
out’ of the races where Lincoln, Mario and Ileana are being
challenged by democrats Raul Martinez, Joe Garcia, and Annette Tadeo.
A roundabout way of giving the republicans their stamp of approval.

I
began to wonder if these two up-and-coming democrats had more in
common with the republicans than I thought. I researched it. And the
results did NOT ease my concerns. I have included a table of a number
of key 2007 votes in congress. As you will note, except for one case
(where Ileana Ros-Lehtinen voted with
the democrats), the three republicans and the two democrats vote in
exactly opposite ways.

Last
week I tied Wasserman-Schultz and Meek to money they were receiving
from the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC. But I still cannot understand how
these two would sell their principles and beliefs based on $22,000
and $10,500 respectively in contributions. Worse yet, both are rising
stars and in the good graces of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — moving
up the ranks in the majority Party as they stab fellow democrats in
South Florida. Tip O’Neil must be spinning in his grave. Hasn’t
Pelosi noticed?

I
believe this story has long legs and is not over yet. In the end,
either the two South Florida hotshots, or Speaker Pelosi, will pay
the price.

EXAMPLE
OF 2007 IMPORTANT CONGRESSIONAL VOTES