With all due respect Ms. Shalala, you’re not the candidate for Miami’s District 27
“I know something about Congress. I know the issues cold. All the issues.” With these words that appeared in the Miami Herald more than a week ago, Donna Shalala kicked off her candidacy for the District 27 congressional race, a seat currently held by retiring congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Shalala is the former University of Miami president and Clinton-era Health and Human Services secretary, who later became president of the Clinton Foundation.
“There’s so much going on in this country, particularly in Washington, that I believe this community needs to send to Washington a very strong advocate, someone who can hit the ground running,” Shalala adds in her announcement statement.
I agree that Ms. Shalala knows Congress, possibly the issues, and that we need someone in that south Florida district who can hit the ground running. She’s just NOT that person.
Still, some would have you believe that the race to replace Ros-Lehtinen was won on March 6, when Shalala announced her intentions to seek the seat. There is no doubt that Shalala is a well-known name, an accomplished woman, and a daunting challenge for other candidates in the Democratic field who have been campaigning for almost a year already.
Yet, last month I wrote that one of those Democratic Party candidates running to replace Ros-Lehtinen would end up winning the seat and defeating the Republican candidate in that district. That was, I stated, if Donna Shalala did not jump into the race — as she was threatening to do at the time.
Surely the numbers favor Democrats in this district (as shown in the graph below of registration numbers as of the election of November 2016) where they outnumber Republicans by more than 11,000 voters.
But Shalala’s last minute jump into this race suddenly muddles an already muddy field on the Democratic side. And my fear here is that she may end up being guilty of allowing a Republican to slip into a seat that Ileana leaves for obvious reasons — the numbers, and the current political situation, do not favor her.
Shalala’s biggest negative, I believe, is what some people call ‘Clinton fatigue.’ Remember the decade of the 2000s, the second half, when people predicted that another Bush would not be elected for years to come? This is similar, but in this case it’s the Clinton name causing the damage. Ask yourself, other than the fact that she is a terrible candidate, why has Hillary lost two presidential elections that were hers to win?
Let me stress that I am not saying that Shalala is anything like the Clintons; but like it or not, she carries Clinton baggage with her. That will hurt her in the November election.
Shalala sells herself as the right candidate for the district. She poses as a progressive and claims that the “ruling party in America has frustrated her by undercutting education, the working class, the environment, civil rights for women, immigrants and the LGBTQ community.” She’s also mentioned the lack of action on gun legislation on Capitol Hill.
All are good points and issues that should be tackled by the next member of Congress from that district. But Shalala seems to forget her years at the University of Miami, for example.
Many, including myself, have not forgotten, as stated in a Miami Herald article, “her disputes with unions at the University of Miami and her role in the university’s sale of protected pine rock land to a developer planning a Walmart…”
The truth is that her stance against the janitors at the University of Miami was shameful. What follows is something I found on Facebook written by someone who participated in that strike and who describes Shalala’s role more than 10 years ago:
“I worked there during the strike. She [Shalala] was entirely indifferent to the health and well being of the workforce and ran the place through a small klatch of over-privileged cronies and then toured the nation talking about promoting public health. I remember [Miami Herald columnist] Ana Menéndez wrote an article comparing the condition of Donna’s dog (who had four of his own bedrooms) to the living conditions of one of the janitors. Ana ended by saying, ‘Ms. Shalala: No one is going to begrudge you your 29-foot motorboat or Sweetie’s four beds. But for God’s sake, get these people health insurance and a dignified wage. The bare minimum, that’s all they’re asking.’”
[To read the excellent Ana Menendez column regarding this issue of the University janitors, click here.]
I have no doubt that Shalala is a tough old cookie. She may even be a wonderful candidate. But she should acknowledge that there are better suited candidates vying for that seat, most all exceptionally well-prepared to tackle the rigors of congress, all much younger than she is (Shalala is 77), and all potential future progressive leaders of the Miami area. In other words, if Shalala was truly mad at what’s going on, as she says she is, she would help assure that one of these Democratic Party candidates running to replace Ileana Ros-Lehtinen wins.
Here are their names and what they do: Florida State Senator José Javier Rodríguez, State Representative David Richardson, city commissioners Kristen Rosen Gonzalez (Miami Beach) and Ken Russell (Miami), and ex-Miami Herald reporter Matt Haggman.
Ms. Shalala! Drop your candidacy right now!
Instead, work hard to help elect one of these individuals to lead Miami into the future.
