Bob Graham leaves the U.S. Senate as he entered it 18 years ago - as one of Florida's most revered political figures. He was a reformer in the Legislature, an education leader as governor and a studious senator who became an expert on U.S. intelligence. He may lack the charisma to be a presidential contender, but his fabled workdays and humorous eccentricities endear him to most Floridians.
As Democrats hunt for their next Graham, one profile in this primary season bears more than passing resemblance. Betty Castor is a former Hillsborough commissioner, legislative reformer, education commissioner and university president whose centrist views and congenial approach have helped her forge bipartisan solutions. She's never been a governor or a U.S. senator, but, in the Democratic primary to replace Graham, she brings many of his better qualities to the table.
Both of Castor's major opponents, U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch of Hollywood and Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas, are qualified for the job. Deutsch is a Yale-educated lawyer who was first elected to the state House at the age of 25 and has now spent 22 years in elective office, 10 in Tallahassee and 12 in Washington. He speaks with insight on any number of issues - health care, prescription drugs, the federal deficit, international trade, the Middle East conflict. Penelas is a University of Miami Law School graduate who has spent 17 years in city and county offices, the past eight as mayor of Miami-Dade's $6-billion-a-year government. Two years ago, he led a successful constitutional amendment drive to require public prekindergarten in Florida.
In truth, these three Democrats don't differ greatly in their political philosophies. All think the Iraq war has been little short of a disaster, that the country can't continue to hand out tax breaks to millionaires while the country endures record budget deficits, that the tax code cannot look kindly on companies that move jobs overseas, that working wages must be living wages, and that all families deserve decent health care and cheaper prescription drugs.
What separates these candidates may be best illustrated by the manner in which they have conducted their campaigns.
Deutsch and Penelas have spent so much time squabbling over the 2000 presidential election one would think they had both been on the ballot. Penelas says he supported Al Gore, prompting Deutsch to call him a liar, Gore to call Penelas "the single most treacherous and dishonest person" he knew, and Graham to tell all of them to grow up.
Penelas, watching himself sink in the polls, recently called for an immediate pullout of U.S. troops in Iraq, a reckless position. Deutsch, also behind in the polls, has watched approvingly as his friend Bernie Friedman dubs the University of South Florida as "Jihad U" in a not-so-subtle attempt to scare Jewish voters. The suggestion that Castor somehow abetted the unproven terrorist activities of former USF professor Sami Al-Arian is so far-fetched that the Jewish Journal in South Florida called it "demagoguery at its worst."
As her opponents have trudged in the bog, Castor has stayed mostly on dry land. Her commercials have introduced her, her family and her ideas about health care, education, jobs and veterans' benefits. "I think this is a race that can be won on issues and taking the high road," she told a reporter recently. "That's what people want."
Castor is one of the few candidates in any U.S. Senate race this year who truly understands why the federal No Child Left Behind Act is strangling school districts and producing erratic results. As education commissioner, Castor also pushed hard for accountability, but her approach was to measure and publish results while empowering schools to make changes that best suited their individual needs. She can also lay claim to a visionary health care law, called Healthy Kids, that is a model for insuring poor children. She partnered in the endeavor with a Republican, Tom Gallagher, who is now state treasurer.
The funny thing about this matchup is that the politicos have argued that Castor's greatest liability is her inability to raise money, twist arms and swing her fists. In other words, she lacks the kind of nasty streak that defines much of modern politics. We think voters might view the world differently and believe that experience and temperance still count for something. In this primary, when Democrats are looking to replace Graham, we strongly recommend Betty Castor.
Martinez for Republicans
Republicans deserved a more serious debate than they have gotten in their party's race for U.S. Senate nominee. After all, eight candidates made the ballot, with a seemingly diverse mix of party stalwarts and newcomers. Unfortunately, the candidates immediately swerved to the right and have chosen to haggle over who is the real conservative rather than to offer up fresh ideas.
The three most experienced candidates - former HUD Secretary Mel Martinez, former U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum and outgoing state House Speaker Johnnie Byrd - even used the same catch phrase to explain their positions on the Iraq war. "Stay the course," they echoed, as though reading from the same memo. Republican voters deserve a deeper examination of a war that grows more dangerous by the day.
Martinez is the Bush administration's favored candidate, and he has used the advantage to a fault, failing to establish an independent voice. Asked where he might differ with the president, Martinez could think of one minor point: trade protection for Florida citrus. Yet there are many more issues on which a majority of Florida residents would seem to be at odds with the administration - the privatization of Social Security and Medicare and the weakening of environmental laws, for example.
McCollum, a Longwood lawyer, had then- candidate George W. Bush's support in the Senate race four years ago when he was handily defeated by Democrat Bill Nelson, and electability in the general election is an underlying theme in this campaign. With the substantive differences between Martinez and McCollum - the two front-runners - being subtle, the debate has degenerated into name-calling. McCollum has dubbed Martinez a "liberal trial lawyer" (the Republican curse du jour) and Martinez has recklessly lumped McCollum in with Fidel Castro on a list of political adversaries.
Voters should expect better from both men. McCollum spent 20 years in Congress and displays an expertise on national security matters. Martinez was a pragmatic chairman of Orange County government, a nonpartisan position, where he stood up to developers while promoting growth management.
McCollum has softened his image as a hard ideologue, and he has shown an independence from the Bush administration on two issues: supporting stem-cell research and questioning the most invasive aspects of the USA Patriot Act. But it is hard to make the case for McCollum as representative of the Florida electorate's more moderate views. We can't so easily erase the image of a grinning McCollum obsessed with the impeachment of President Clinton, or forget his rubber-stamp acceptance of repressive criminal justice measures, or forgive his rejection of reasonable efforts at gun control.
Despite his disappointing campaign, Martinez has a life experience and history of bipartisanship that make him our choice in this field. He was brought to Florida from his native Cuba at age 15 while his parents were forced to stay behind, living in foster homes for four years before the family was reunited. After a successful legal career he turned to politics and three years ago was appointed HUD secretary, a position he left for the current campaign. If Martinez finds his own voice, those experiences should make him a more effective, and tolerant, politician.
An interesting newcomer, Doug Gallagher, showed early promise by focusing on the issues ignored by others in the race. While they were sidetracked by an ill-advised constitutional amendment outlawing gay marriage, Gallagher reminded everyone that the nation faced more pressing problems. The Coral Gables business owner's inexperience soon showed, however, as he lost momentum with a half-baked notion for a flat tax and a self-promotional movie that included such lines as: "We can't keep eating soup with a fork, we need to try a spoon."
Byrd's campaign never caught on, and it's no wonder. His two terms as House speaker were marked by political manipulation and arrogance, yet Byrd has been defiant to the end, calling his rivals "mediocre Republicans." If one of those mediocre Republicans retires Byrd from politics, he or she will have done the party and state a favor.
Larry Klayman, a Miami lawyer and founder of Judicial Watch, has the courage to question his party's principles, but he also holds some extreme views. He favors a military invasion of Cuba and is so vehemently antiabortion that he would refuse to confirm any judge who isn't ready to strike down Roe vs. Wade.
Sonya March, a St. Petersburg lawyer, has a compelling story to tell about her experiences as a cadet at the Air Force Academy and fighter pilot. She lacks a command of the issues, however, and would have served her cause better by seeking political experience before running for the Senate.
William Kogut, an Ormond Beach real estate salesman, and Karen Saull, of Vero Beach, have no discernible campaigns.
Despite reservations about the tone and direction of Mel Martinez's campaign, the Times believes he is the most promising candidate in this race and recommends him in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
