While a twin forum for Republicans is fairly tame, Democrats Alex Penelas and Peter Deutsch clash early, often.
By STEVE BOUSQUET
Published June 26, 2004
KEY BISCAYNE - Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas, accused of not helping fellow Democrats enough in 2000, criticized U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch's record Friday during a forum for U.S. Senate candidates.
"You've introduced 48 bills since you've been a member of Congress. You've only passed one," Penelas told Deutsch. "You say you're a fighter? You're a fighter with a lousy record."
Deutsch defended his record and cited passage of a bill to hasten searches for missing children.
"You need to do better research if you ever intend to be elected to anything again," Deutsch told Penelas.
The exchange was the liveliest in a pair of one-hour forums, taped for cable TV and separately featuring Democratic and Republican Senate candidates. The forums, sponsored by Leadership Florida, a nonpartisan group, drew a crowd of about 300.
The Republican forum was milder, with three candidates staking out familiar positions. Former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum again cited former U.S. housing secretary Mel Martinez's support for Democrats in the 1980s in an effort to undercut his loyalty to Republican ideals.
In the forum featuring the Democrats, Penelas again challenged Deutsch to follow his example and refuse campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies.
Penelas, running third in most polls, tried to contrast his work as a single elected executive and Deutsch's long career as a lawmaker in a legislative body, where individual accomplishments are often more subtle.
Former state education commissioner and former USF president Betty Castor stayed out of the crossfire.
Castor was asked about her handling of Sami Al-Arian, the former University of South Florida professor with alleged ties to terrorists. As USF president, Castor suspended Al-Arian for two years but said she was unable to get information from federal investigators about his background.
"I was unable to get one iota of information from the FBI or any other law enforcement agency," Castor said.
Deutsch and Castor had a testy exchange over Deutsch's vote against a bill that would allow Floridians to deduct sales tax payments from federal income tax. Deutsch said he supports the tax deduction but voted against it because the final version of the bill included "$300 billion worth of tax ripoffs" for the wealthy.
"Betty, shame on you," Deutsch told Castor. "You should know better than that. You were a state legislator."
Penelas, a Catholic, was asked whether he approved of the decision by some Catholic bishops to deny communion to politicians who oppose church doctrine on abortion. Penelas, who supports abortion rights, said: "I don't believe that my religious beliefs and principles should dictate what my public policy is. That's my position."
Philosophical differences between the two parties were evident Friday.
The Republican candidates, including business executive Doug Gallagher, all supported making President Bush's tax cuts permanent. The Democrats all opposed permanent tax cuts.
The Republicans all endorsed the Bush administration's restrictions on travel and shipments of money and other goods to Cuba, and Martinez cited his membership on a commission that drafted the new rules. Democrats supported America's trade embargo with the island while favoring relaxing travel restrictions.
After the debate, Martinez dismissed as petty McCollum's criticism of his Democratic campaign contributions. McCollum's campaign provided reporters with a list of Martinez's Democratic donations, including $1,000 to Democrat Bob Graham in 1986, who beat Republican Sen. Paula Hawkins that year.
McCollum emphasized the timing of the donations. Martinez said he became a Republican in the early 1980s because he admired former President Reagan.
"I think it is relevant," McCollum said. "He says Ronald Reagan inspired him to switch parties."
The forums at the Sonesta Beach Hotel in Key Biscayne, moderated by Miami Herald executive editor Tom Fiedler, will be broadcast statewide in the coming weeks on Sunshine Network.
Leadership Florida invited only four of the eight Republicans, based on an assessment of each candidate's name recognition in a March poll by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
House Speaker Johnnie Byrd, R-Plant City, was invited but missed the event. His campaign manager, Wayne Garcia, said Byrd got stuck in traffic in Tampa and missed a plane flight to Miami.
"We worked out butts off to try to get him down there," Garcia said. "We just couldn't."
- Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
