Gov. Charlie Crist moved the special election to replace U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler ahead a week after Jewish voters complained the original election would have taken place during Passover.

The Jewish holiday ends on April 6, the date Crist originally picked for the special election.

“Originally, the special general election was inadvertently scheduled during Passover, and out of respect to the Jewish community, the special general election has been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 13, 2010,” Crist’s office wrote in a memo announcing the new election date.

The special primary election in the heavily Jewish Congressional District 19 will still take place on Feb. 2.

State Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, is considered the favorite to replace Wexler, who resigned to head the nonprofit Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation.

Deutch secured not only Wexler’s support but practically the entire South Florida Democratic delegation. He’s been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Ron Klein, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and Alcee Hastings.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan will join U.S. Reps. Robert Wexler, Ron Klein and Mario Diaz-Balart tomorrow on a tour of a Boynton Beach doctor’s home contaminated by Chinese drywall.

The entourage, which includes state Sen. Ted Deutch, will visit Steve and Jennifer Robert’s home in Cobblestone Creek. The Roberts’ daughter has been afflicted with frequent respiratory infections possibly caused by the toxic drywall.

Palm Beach County officials, including Wexler and Klein, have pushed Congress to do something about the tainted building product, as has U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

s had on the lives of the Roberts family, who own a home in the community of Cobblestone Creek. Dr. Steve Roberts and his wife Jennifer Roberts have struggled with their 16 month-old daughter’s frequent respiratory infections, and the fact that their home has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in value as a result of this toxic product.

WHO:
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan
Congressman Robert Wexler
Congressman Mario-Diaz Balart
Congressman Ron Klein
State Senator Ted Deutch

WHAT:
Press Availability Following Tour of Home

WHERE:
The home of Dr. Steve Roberts and Jennifer Roberts
10013 Cobblestone Creek Drive, Boynton Beach, FL

WHEN:
Tuesday, October 13, 10:30-11:30 am

U.S. Reps. Robert Wexler of Delray Beach, Alcee Hastings of Miramar, Kathy Castor of Tampa and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Pembroke Pines are among 92 House Democrats who have co-sponsored the “Respect for Marriage Act,” a bill introduced Tuesday to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. That 1996 law bars some benefits from same-sex couples.

From the South-Florida Blade:

Absent from the sponsorship of the bill is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), an openly-gay and usually vocal proponent of GLBT rights. Both Pelosi and Frank believe the bill has little chance of passage, and prefer to implement legislation that would take gradual steps to repeal DOMA.

“Given that there is zero chance of this bill becoming law in the near future, it is a mistake to explicitly introduce this crossing state lines issue,” Frank said. “The controversy now will not be about whether we should have the federal government treat people fairly in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, etc., but whether we should export [marriage recognition] to Ohio and Florida.”

President Obama addresses a joint session of Congress in February. He focused on economic issues then, but will talk about his health care agenda tonight at 8 p.m.

Heading into tonight’s address from President Obama, several of Florida’s U.S. House members say the dramatic moments from the August recess (here and here for just a couple examples) have served only to reinforce their positions heading into the break.

Wexler

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, says his pledge to oppose a bill that does not include a so-called public insurance option (essentially a new government health care program that would compete with the private market), isn’t so iron-clad. More on that shift here.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Ron Klein seems to moving in the other direction.

(more…)

Actblue.com launched a website to urge contributors to give to Democratic Congressmen who back a public health care option despite the toll the health care reforms have taken on President Barack Obama’s popularity here in Florida.

The organization’s website Actblue.com claims to have raised nearly $250,000 from more than 4,000 supporters for Democrats.

“Democratic members of Congress need to understand that a healthcare reform bill with a Public Option is simply not an option– it’s a requirement. The congressmembers on this list have said in no uncertain terms that they will not vote for a bill without a public option all the way through Conference. That takes courage, and we need to show them how much we appreciate them for doing so,” the website urges.

Recipients include Floridian U.S. Reps. Robert Wexler of Delray Beach, Corrine Brown of Jacksonville and Alcee Hastings of Miramar. Wexler and Hastings held a jam-packed health care town hall meeting in Delray Beach today.

Wexler received $3,610 from the site. Brown pulled in $3,306 and Hastings $3,195.

Wexler, center, with former U.S. Senator and current Poker Players Alliance Chairman Al D'Amato, left, are interviewed for an episode of WSOP TV in 2007. Photo via pokerati.com.

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, helped kickoff the gaming industry’s National Poker Week in Washington on Monday urging the state directors of the Poker Players Alliance to visit their local congressmen back home. From Poker News Daily:

Wexler called the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) … an “absurd law” and labeled Congressmen Barney Frank an “important ally.” He then hit up the buffet to grab a snack before exiting with a staff member.

Wexler has long been a favorite among poker enthusiasts, partly due the Skill Game Protection Act, his proposal to legalize online poker.

The Boca Raton Democrat reportedly was welcomed with a “mountain of applause” when he appeared at the 2007 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Wexler also issued the traditional “shuffle up & deal” command to kick-off the 2008 World Series of Poker at the Rio.

Wexler, who collected nearly $70,000 from casinos and the gambling industry in 2008-09 - among his top contributors that election cycle, calls poker “as American as apple pie” in this 2008 interview with PokerNews.com:
(more…)

Roll Call is reporting that U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, has spent more than $6,700 in campaign contributions this year on attorneys to help answer questions about his residency.

The story says Wexler paid nearly $3,700 to the Florida-based law firm Berger Singerman; $2,200 to the Washington, D.C., office of McDermott Will & Emery; and $900 to the Miami office of law firm Hunton & Williams.

Wexler’s chief of staff, Eric Johnson, told the newspaper that the firms were hired to address questions about Wexler’s residency as well as a series of unrelated amendments to the congressman’s FEC filings.

Wexler got into hot water last year for claiming his in-laws retirement village home as his Florida residency. Wexler and his family live mostly in Washington D.C.

__________________________________________________
Dec. 31

“Donors have made it clear to me that they weren’t going to contribute because they weren’t happy with the leadership.”

–Florida Republican Party fundraiser Mark Guzzetta of Boca Raton explaining why he joined other top donors to call for the resignation of state party Chairman Jim Greer.
__________________________________________________
Dec. 30

“Don’t hold your breath.”

–Paula Dockery responding to a suggestion from Bill McCollum’s campaign that her gubernatorial campaign is drawing to an close. Dockery and McCollum are facing each other in a Republican primary.
__________________________________________________
Dec. 29

“This process moves the courts from calling balls and strikes, from creating a level playing field, into the realm of a social service agency, picking sides.”

–Palm Beach County Comptroller & Circuit Court Clerk Sharon Bock on a state supreme court order issued Monday that requires mediation on all homestead properties prior to a foreclosure hearing.

__________________________________________________
Dec. 28

“I thought we’d get a lot of junkers, but the cars that came in are really nice.”

–Gerry Vertucci, whose Riviera Beach junk yard has a surplus of auto parts after the federal government’s Cash for Clunkers program.

__________________________________________________
Dec. 8
“They were equally painful.”

–U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, comparing the state approval of the SunRail bill to his successful passing of a kidney stone.

__________________________________________________
Dec. 7

“Ever since the day that I was able to read the Constitution, I’ve been pro-Second Amendment. And I’m usually the only person in the room that can protect you.”

–Republican Congressional candidate Ed Lynch during a debate last week.
__________________________________________________
Nov. 17

“He’s come back with every strange fish there is.”

–Darrin Duchene of Palm Springs, whose son has caught a number of exotic fish, including a jaguar guapote, in a nearby pond. On Tuesday, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission poisoned the pond in hopes of killing piranhas.
__________________________________________________
Nov. 12

“I love psychology majors and all these other folks, but when you talk about the science, technology, engineering and math industry, we have to be focused on the type of economy we have. People ask me, ‘What are you doing to produce more math majors in the state of Florida.’”

–Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith during a rare meeting of the state groups responsible for public education. Of 49,775 bachelor’s degrees Florida awarded in 2008, just 267 were math majors.

__________________________________________________
Nov. 3

“The only reason that I am not crying is I took a Xanax.”

–Boca Raton attorney Stuart Rosenfeldt after his law partner, Scott Rothstein, was accused of orchestrating an investment scheme that handed major financial losses to investors.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 29

“You’re still getting killed.”

–Vice President Biden on Florida’s economy.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 28

“They were leaving because we had not been able to give them a raise in four years.”

–Child Care Association of Brevard County Director Barbara Moore explaining why a progress report for the federal stimulus plan showed she used money to save 129 jobs at her center. The money was used to give all 129 employees a raise.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 27

“I didn’t know his itinerary. That’s all.”

–Gov. Charlie Crist answering questions about why he did not attend any events with President Obama in Florida on Monday.
__________________________________________________
Oct. 21

“Mr. Masilotti’s discussions with the United States produced no new leads, uncovered no previously unknown schemes, led to zero indictments, zero arrests and not a single new investigation. Instead, his information was filled with half-truths and material omissions.”

–U.S. Attorney Stephen Carlton weighing in on a request for a reduced prison sentence from former Palm Beach County Commissioner Tony Masilotti.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 17

“It’s like putting a Band-Aid on an amputated leg.”

–UCF economist Sean Snaith reacting to news from Gov. Crist’s office that stimulus money has saved 22,000 jobs in a state with 11% unemployment for the first time since 1975.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 16

“My concern is either they don’t think we have the expertise or they don’t think we have the integrity.”

–Port of Palm Beach Chairman Ed Oppel responding to a request from the state to halt efforts to develop an inland port.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 15

“This enables him to take credit for what many might see as an empty gesture but one that might advance his ambitions.”

–Tony Alfieri, director of the Center for Ethics & Public Service at the University of Miami law school, about Gov. Crist’s call for a state corruption grand jury.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 14

“Let me say this once: I am not under any investigation. My marriage is intact. My health is good and thank God the health of my family is good.”

–U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, announcing his plan to resign from Congress.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 13

“When in doubt, don’t.”

–Former state Sen. Daniel Webster, a Republican and former House Speaker saying he won’t run against U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, an Orlando Democrat.

__________________________________________________
Oct. 10

“Now give Bill McCollum some credit. He’s done a very good job of making sure he always has a job. But what about jobs for everybody else?”

–Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, a relative newcomer in Florida politics, cracking on her likely Republican opponent Bill McCollum, who has been in politics for 29 years.

___________________________________________________
Oct. 8

“Once again our leadership skills and our statesmanship will be put to the test with this challenging budget environment.”

–State House budget chief David Rivera, R-Miami, on the $2.6 billion budget hole lawmakers face next year.

___________________________________________________
Oct. 5

“The official misconduct charge is hanging by a thread.”

–Indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom’s attorney, Steven Dobson, after a judged dismissed key parts of the case.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 26

“They wanted a change back in 1976. You remember? …. They got one-Jimmy Carter. Four years later, they took care of business-Ronald Reagan. It may happen again.”

–Gov. Charlie Crist predicting a one-term presidency for President Barack Obama.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 23

“We have gone from having nothing of substance to something that is more stringent than state law and even the Miami model.”

–Palm Beach County Attorney Denise Nieman about a plan to create an watchdog unit to investigate corruption.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 21

“I feel we have scrutinized every item.”

–Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess Santamaria supporting a 14.9 percent the tax rate increase.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 18

“We don’t use technology to circumvent the open government laws and we don’t use text messages to discuss state business.”

–Gov. Charlie Crist’s spokeswoman, Erin Isaac, describing the governor’s decision to bar his staff from sending text, PIN and instant messages from their cell phones.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 14

“There’s nothing secret about the Sunshine team.”

–Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum answering questions about a new open government initiative.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 9

“You lie!”

–U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., during President Obama’s speech on health care reform.

___________________________________________________
Sept. 8

“After reading and hearing of what’s happening over at the Public Service Commission, it sounds to me like they’re ready to implode over there.”

–Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, asking for a Senate ethics investigation into possible ethics violations at the PSC.

___________________________________________________
Aug 24

“Such inexcusable conduct undermines the public trust and confidence in the regulatory process and impugns the integrity of this commission.”

–Public Service Commission member Nathan Skop after learning the regulator’s chief lobbyist attended a Kentucky Derby party at the Palm Beach Gardens home of FPL Vice President Ed Tancer. FPL has two cases pending before the PSC worth more than $4 billion.

___________________________________________________
Aug 24

“Whoop de do - who’s that hurting? It’s not hurting anyone.”

–Boynton Beach recreational fisherman Robert Bishop insisting he shouldn’t need a $9 fishing license to catch small fish. A new state law this year requires a license for shoreline, saltwater fishing.

___________________________________________________
Aug 14

“Dunkin’ Donuts is pleased that the signs have been removed.”

– A company spokeswoman after the state fired Bay County Heath Department Director Mike Thomas for posting a sign reading “America Dies on Dunkin” as part of his campaign against obesity.

___________________________________________________
Aug 13

“Maybe by divine justice it came out to a tie.”

–Palm Beach County GOP Chairman Sid Dinerstein on a failed bid to censure Gov. Charlie Crist.

___________________________________________________
Aug 11

“We’re getting back zippo.”

–Palm Beach Councilman William Diamond recommending the town secede from Palm Beach County.
___________________________________________________
Aug. 6

“To walk away without a compelling reason is disrespectful to the party and the people you took an oath to represent.”

–Former Republican Party of Florida Director David Johnson on U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez’s resignation.

___________________________________________________
Aug. 6

“I don’t think so.”

–Gov. Charlie Crist
___________________________________________________
Aug. 5

“Chris Craft is a job-killing army of one.”

–The opening salvo from National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Seré after Craft, a St. Lucie County Democrat, announced his campaign to unseat U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta.

___________________________________________________
Aug. 2

“If the editor saw me walking across Sarasota Bay on top of the water, the next day the headline would say: ‘Bennett can’t swim.”

–State Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, after being questioned about using taxpayer money to charter planes to commute to the Capital.

___________________________________________________
July 31

“‘Cash for clunkers’ is an apt description of the kind of government Americans are getting in return for their tax dollars these days.”

–Former Jeb Bush speechwriter Albert Martinez via Twitter.
___________________________________________________
July 24

“Hey, nobody thought Utah was going to beat Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, right? But it happened.”

–Designated House Democratic Leader Ron Saunders on his party’s chances of taking control of the chamber in 2010 for the first time in 14 years.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

July 14

“This is the big banana.”

–Attorney General Bill McCollum about a $2.3 million price gouging settlement announced Monday.

___________________________________________________
July 3

“Every March, when Tallahassee comes to life, no one’s safe.”

–St. Lucie County Clerk of Courts Joe Smith about changes state lawmakers made this year in the way courts are funded.

___________________________________________________

July 1
SMOKE ‘EM IF YOU CAN AFFORD ‘EM

–News Service Florida headline about the state tax on cigarettes increase by $1 today.
___________________________________________________

June 24
“495 days until Election Day 2010!”

–GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum via Twitter.
___________________________________________________

June 23

“Since the legislature is building airport hangars instead of funding FDLE, they’re a little behind.”

–Leon County State Attorney Willie Meggs after being asked when a forensic exam of indicted former House Speaker Ray Sansom would be completed.
___________________________________________________

June 17

“Florida received an F-, the lowest overall grade in our survey.”

–The Heartland Institute’s Property and Casualty Insurance 2009 Report Card.

___________________________________________________

June 14

“Hopped up out of bed, turned my swag on….”

–State Rep. Alan Williams, D-Tallahassee, sending Soulja Boy lyrics out to his Twitter followers.

___________________________________________________

June 10

“I don’t understand it. … He’s unassailable.”

–Sean Snaith of the UCF Institute for Economic Competitiveness on how Gov. Crist has maintained high approval ratings despite the state’s economic woes.

___________________________________________________

June 4

“I guess she’s not going to be able to do it.”

– Norman Ostrau, director of FAU’s Public Ethics Academy, on former Palm Beach County Commissioner Mary McCarty’s scheduled June 17 speech on how not to behave in office.

___________________________________________________

May 29

“Pythons are not Republican or Democrat and neither is water.”

– SFWMD Chairman Eric Buermann after touring the Everglades.

___________________________________________________

May 24

“He’s always liked boxers, the wilder the better. But we’d never seen him wear pink before.”

– Sheree Boyd, whose son, Zachery, was pictured in pink “I Love NY” boxers during a firefight with the Taliban.

___________________________________________________

May 22

“It’s been a remarkable job.”

–Palm Beach County stripper registrar Barbara Wilmoth.

___________________________________________________

May 21

“In our business we pride ourselves on telling the truth.”

–Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, explaining that Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty should be fired for allegedly misleading him about an insurance bill.
___________________________________________________

May 20

“Did you guys see my house? I’m trying to figure out if my lawn is getting mowed there.”

–President Obama during a phone call with the space shuttle Atlantis crew.

___________________________________________________

May 19

“On the road again today with my campaign aides Mr. Garmin and Mr. Sunpass.”

–U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio via Twitter.

___________________________________________________

May 18

“We’re going to win!”

–Republican Bill McCollum announcing his campaign for governor.

___________________________________________________

May 15

“That’s all disgusting stuff, man…. I’m not into that kind of politics at all. I don’t want to even talk about it. I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want anything to do with that stuff.”

–GOP U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio responding to a question about Outrage, a documentary that implies his Republican primary opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist, is gay.

___________________________________________________

May 13

“In unique and challenging times like these, our state needs a new and different kind of leadership.”

–Democrat Alex Sink announcing her campaign for governor.

___________________________________________________

April 22

“Do it for the children.”

–Republican Gov. Charlie Crist urging lawmakers to take $1.1 billion from the Seminole Indians of Florida for allowing blackjack, roulette and craps in their casinos.

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April 20

“My particular newspaper has called on me to make sure that I vote to do away with special-interest, state-delivered welfare to corporations. And I am going to do that.”

–Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne, before voting to remove a sales tax exemption for newspapers and magazines delivered by mail.

___________________________________________________

April 17

“Do you want a haircut or do you want an amputation? That is your choice.”

–Rep. Alan Hayes, R-Umatilla, on House Democrats’ objections to nearly $1 billion in new fees to cover budget holes.

___________________________________________________

April 15

“They send these kids to Iraq to fly jets, they ought to be able to play blackjack.”

–State Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island, on why he opposes a proposal to increase the gambling age in Florida from 18 to 21.

___________________________________________________

April 14

“My car is actually parked right outside the door. So could you let me know what time you’re leaving?”

–Democratic Rep. Audrey Gibson, a Nissan Altima owner, responding to Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton. Hasner said said he wanted lawmakers to approve a constitutional amendment for the 2010 ballot more than a 18 months before Election Day because he “might get hit by a car” leaving the Capitol.

___________________________________________________

April 13

“I’m not going to congratulate you on bringing forth this bill. However, I am going to congratulate you on all the shots you’ve taken as you’ve brought forth this bill.”

–State Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, before voting against a bill from Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff to increase oversight on county clerk of court budgets.

___________________________________________________

April 12

“Tell me about it!”

–U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, responding to a Boyton Beach woman who told him that she couldn’t “live with my parents in their 55-and-older community forever.”

___________________________________________________

March 31

“Smoke ‘em, chew ‘em, dip ‘em or whatever. We have to tax ‘em. Doesn’t matter if its … smuggled in from Castro. They need to be taxed.”

–Senate Health & Human Services Appropriations Chairman Durell Peaden, R-Crestview, in explaining his support for a $1 tax increase on cigarettes and other tobacco.

___________________________________________________

March 27

“Wiggling, who knows? Wiggle, wiggle. I’m wiggling right now.”

–House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, on whether there was “wiggle room” in his chamber’s opposition to new card games at Seminole casinos.

___________________________________________________

March 25

“We’re hoping and praying that the money will be there.”

–Senate Pre-K-12 Appropriations Committee Chairman Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, about the chamber’s proposed education budget.

___________________________________________________

March 24

“Veterans have a right to run for office without being termed out. So I think we have some credence here.”

–Senate Community Affairs Committee Vice Chairman Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, before voting for a constitutional amendment that would ask voter to extend property tax breaks for disabled veterans and extend term limits.

___________________________________________________

March 20

“We threw that away.”

–Senate Transportation & Economic Development Appropriations Chairman Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, on Gov. Charlie Crist’s budget recommendations.

___________________________________________________

March 19

“This is the slowest session beginning I have ever seen in my life.”

–Vern Pickup-Crawford, who has four decades of experience lobbying in the state Capitol, to the Palm Beach County delegation.

___________________________________________________

March 12

“Don’t piss on me and tell me it’s raining.”

–Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, in a heated exchange about President Obama during a Senate Transportation and Economic Development meeting.

A new poll by Public Policy Polling shows that Barack Obama has rebounded in Florida and now holds a razor-thin edge over John McCain in the state.

But the poll also outlines potential trouble for U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez. In a hypothetical 2010 matchup against Florida CFO Alex Sink, Martinez trails 31 percent to 37 percent. Against U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, the poll shows both candidates at 33 percent with undecided at 34 percent.

The poll is good news for Obama, who trailed McCain 50-39 in March, at the height of the contrversy over Obama’s former pastor, Jeremiah Wright.

(more…)

With John McCain touring the Everglades today, Robert Wexler, Florida co-chairman of the Obama campaign, issued the following statement:

“Senator McCain’s statement in support of funding a man-led mission to Mars during an economic recession is yet another example that proves he is out of touch with Floridians and all Americans. He has consistently defied both Democrats and Republicans in Florida by opposing restoration funds for the Everglades and a national catastrophe fund that would lower the staggering cost of homeowners insurance in our state and across the nation. Just yesterday, news broke that the US has reached the grim milestone of one million home foreclosures across the nation, with Florida’s number of failed mortgages second only to California. If Senator McCain had his priorities straight, he would support the bipartisan plan for a national catastrophic insurance fund and the recovery package for home foreclosures recently passed in the House. However, it seems Senator John McCain is more interested in flying to Mars than offering real solutions to the everyday challenges faced by Floridians.”

By BRIAN E. CROWLEY
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

FIRE-BREATHING LIBERAL, By Congressman Robert Wexler with David Fisher. Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin Press; 288 pages; $25.95

“Is George Bush crazy?”

From the title of Congressman Robert Wexler’s book, one might think the question is being asked by Wexler. It is not.

The South Florida Democrat is not kind to Bush in this book and that’s not surprising. After all, what would you expect from a self-described Fire-breathing Liberal. What is surprising is that this is a very good book.

And frankly, the Fire-breathing Liberal is the least interesting part of the book. No one would expect Wexler, a staunch and vocal defender of Bill Clinton during his impeachment hearing, to be anything else.

Yes, he breathes fire about Republicans, the 2000 election, Iraq, Terry Schiavo, Newt Gingrich, voting machines, President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

But the real charm and value of this book comes from Wexler’s candid assessment of his own foibles, his obvious deep affection for the thousands of senior citizens in his district and the clear joy he gets from being a member of congress.

(more…)

Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign Friday denounced an e-mail circulating around the country that claims his advisers are “Israel haters” as a “smear” and “outrageous.”

U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Delray Beach, an early, ardent supporter of Obama’s presidential campaign and one of the staunchest Israel supporters in Congress, said of the e-mail: “It’s not true.”

Wexler said he and former Ambassador Dennis Ross, who advised both President George H.W. Bush and President Clinton on the Middle East, are Obama’s principal advisers on Israel policy.

“I think it’s fair to say that no one in Congress is more dedicated to Israel’s security than I am, and that’s why Sen. Obama includes me at this level,” Wexler said.

(more…)

Here are statements from local members of the Florida congressional delegation:

U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said: “The president delivered an uplifting assessment of where America stands in the world today, and where we are headed in the future. We clearly have much work to do - most pressing today are the areas of the economy, housing, health care, and the war on terror.

“The president talked about our economy and stressed the need for a quick, clean and bipartisan stimulus package. Families are counting on us to do what is right and to do it soon. There’s simply no place in this debate for partisan squabbling or localized and unrelated earmarks. As the president emphasized, federal lawmakers need to exercise fiscal restraint.

(more…)

Kirk Fordham, who gained national notoriety as a former chief of staff to Mark Foley, has been picked to be chief executive officer for the Everglades Foundation.

Fordham wasn’t serving in Foley’s office when the page scandal ended Foley’s political career in 2006, but he helped engineer Foley’s exit from Congress and testified before the House Ethics Committee investigating how top congressional leaders mishandled the situation.

But Fordham has a long history of working in the political and legislative arenas. He has been a chief of staff to three congressmen and spearheaded Sen. Mel Martinez’s fundraising efforts during the 2004 campaign.

The Everglades Foundation put out a news release offering bipartisan praise for Fordham’s abilities. Here’s what some key politicos said:

(more…)

During a reception for the state’s congressional delegation Thursday night at Florida House — two blocks from the U.S. Capitol — Gov. Charlie Crist began waxing poetic about the heritage of immigrants from islands.

Crist recalled how his grandfather came to the United States from the island of Cyprus and began talking about how Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Miami, came from an island — Cuba — when Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Oviedo, shouted that his ancestors came from an island: Ireland.

Not to be outdone, Rep. Robert Wexler yelled out: “Long Island.”

The dymanic duo of the paper trail, Gov. Charlie Crist and Rep. Robert Wexler, will appear before a congressional committee Friday talking about election reform.

Photos by Rick McKay

Wexler will introduce the governor at the House Committee on Administration’s subcommittee on elections hearing.

Wexler has long pushed for a verifiable paper trail and Crist recently endorsed the idea and called for state financial support to switch to a paper trail.

Rep. Alcee Hastings, who has endorsed Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president, says he’s looking for Rep. Robert Wexler, who has endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, to support a Clinton bill requiring a paper trail of electronic ballots.

Hastings said in a conference call Wednesday that he supports the Clinton bill — filed in the House by Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio.

“Making sure that every vote counts as Sen. Clinton is trying to do, it really doesn’t have a price,” Hastings said, citing the pending controversy over Florida’s 13th Congressional seat.

(more…)

Gov. Charlie Crist is expected to ask for at least $20 million so counties that use paperless electronic voting machines can convert to optical scan systems and establish a voter-verified ballot paper trail.

Crist and U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler are expected to make a joint announcement Thursday in suburban Delray Beach when the Voters Coalition meets, Wexler’s chief of staff Eric Johnson said Tuesday.

Read the complete story here.

The word is that Gov. Charlie Crist will announce $20 million from the state to help Palm Beach County purchase optical scanners to provide a paper trail for elections.

Crist is scheduled to appear at Thursday’s Voters Coalition meeting in Palm Beach County with Rep. Robert Wexler, who has been championing a verifiable paper trail for several years.

Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Arthur Anderson has indicated he also will be there.

No one is willing to say on the record that Crist will make the announcement, but when Eric Johnson, Wexler’s chief of staff, was asked point blank about the rumor, he said: “You can say I didn’t deny it.”

“Don’t get messed up in anybody else’s campaign within the congressional area.”

That’s the advice former Rep. Sam Gibbons, a Democrat from Tampa, gave the current members of the Florida congressional delegation at their organizational meeting today.

“If you want to keep the peace, you’ve got to make peace,” Gibbons told the members.

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