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GINNY BROWN-WAITE
Republican
U.S. Congressional District 5
Pity the voters in Congressional District 5, who must choose between:
-- A Democrat who, until earlier this year, was a Republican who had never exercised his right to vote, and who took almost five minutes to answer the question "Where do you live?"
-- A Republican incumbent who is seeking re-election to the U.S. House and who seems to be in deep denial about the realities on the ground in Iraq and the Bush administration's mistakes in conducting the war.
Given the choice, the candidate with experience, a solid record of constituent service and advocacy for veterans is preferable.
In her first term, Ginny Brown-Waite has been predictably partisan. As expected when she ousted four-term Democrat Karen Thurman in 2002, Brown-Waite has been a reliable soldier in the GOP's reign of the U.S. House.
For a politician who built her career in the Florida Senate on being an independent thinker who was willing to cross party lines for the right reasons, Brown-Waite is decidedly more partisan today than her moderate roots may have led voters to believe two years ago.
Brown-Waite has almost unconditionally supported the war in Iraq. Even now that Bush has admitted the truth about WMDs and almost everyone agrees there is no workable plan to end the killing of U.S. troops there, Brown-Waite complains about how the press doesn't cover the "good news" in Iraq.
Yet, as the 61-year-old Crystal River resident seeks re-election to her second term in Congress, there are still some signs that, given the right mix of conscience and constituent opinion, she is capable of opposing parts of the Republican agenda.
Brown-Waite has broken ranks by supporting stem cell research and the importation of less-expensive prescription drugs. She also stood against her party by opposing lenient work permits for illegal immigrants.
But Brown-Waite's most commendable work continues to be her advocacy of improving benefits for military veterans. Her bill to increase the guaranteed amount veterans may borrow to buy a home under the GI Bill, and her efforts to pass a bill that protects veterans from having their retirement pay reduced because they also are receiving disability pay, are noteworthy. Those measures also are reflective of the people who live in the 5th District.
Brown-Waite's service to all her constituents is admirable, and she remains accessible and involved in the district, which includes eight counties, including all of Hernando and Citrus and part of Pasco counties.
Her challenger in this race is Robert Whittel, a lawyer who is using his childhood residency in Brooksville as a springboard into politics. Whittel became a Democrat only shortly before he announced his candidacy for the House. Such indecisiveness must be a pattern. Before voting for himself in the August primary election, the 31-year-old Navy Reservist had never cast a ballot, claiming he was too busy with his university studies and a hitch in the Merchant Marines. Those are excuses, not explanations, for his apathy.
With the hope that Brown-Waite will rediscover her moderate beginnings and re-evaluate her support of the Bush administration's policies, we recommend the incumbent to voters in the 5th Congressional District.
C.W. BILL YOUNGRepublican
U.S. Congressional District 10
U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young is admired in the Tampa Bay area for getting our share, if not more, of federal spending. Yet those who don't follow his votes closely may not realize that he also stands up to his Republican colleagues who run the House when he thinks they are acting irresponsibly. He voted against the recent corporate tax reform bill that turned into a giveaway to nearly every special interest in town, and he opposed the last farm bill because it was little more than corporate welfare for Big Agriculture.
Young's clout, clear judgment and unrivaled constituent service have served him well in 34 years in Congress. He would appear to be the closest thing to unbeatable, yet he has drawn a Democratic challenger in the District 10 race. Bob Derry, 68, a retired financial services administrator, is taking on a formidable task.
Derry, a reasonable man with good command of national issues, has come up with a catchy saying - that Young "brings home the sizzle" but not the bacon. Derry's point is that Young takes credit for federal funding that would have come to the area anyway. That would be contrary, however, to the account given by nearly everyone who has sought Young's assistance. Young, 73, has helped the University of South Florida catch up in the funding race, championed military veterans' causes and brought important transportation improvements to Pinellas County.
Derry has some idealistic goals of bringing fiscal responsibility to federal budgets, expanding health care to all and creating an equitable tax code. A neophyte representative, of course, would have little chance of initiating such policies.
One concern about Young is that he is about to step down as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful postions in government. Republican rules force a turnover of committee chairmen after six years. But Young will still have plenty of influence. He would likely be the committee's vice chairman, if Republicans hold on to the House, and chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, an important post.
Derry offers voters a choice but not a real replacement for the experience and seniority of Young. The Times recommends Bill Young for another term.
JIM DAVISDemocrat
U.S. Congressional District 11
U.S. Rep. Jim Davis would be an attractive candidate even if he had a credible challenger for this west central Florida congressional seat. The Tampa Democrat has been a moderate voice even as the level of partisanship in Washington has sharpened in recent years, and he has done a good job of tending to the needs of Florida and his diverse district. He deserves another term.
A former state legislator first elected to Congress in 1996, Davis quickly established his reputation as a bipartisan problem-solver. He is a budget hawk and social moderate with sound positions on education, the environment and antiterrorism policy.
One of Davis' priorities has been to call attention to federal spending. He has supported a range of deficit-reduction plans. A junior member of the minority party, Davis also has become a player in the fights on behalf of the environment and against foreign-sponsored terrorism. He is a strong defender of the Everglades and a forceful opponent of offshore drilling. He has traveled to the Middle East and spoken out on the need for allies and foes alike to corral Arab militarists.
He supported the use-of-force resolution against Iraq, but called - both before and after the vote - for President Bush to build a coalition and to genuinely involve our allies. Last year, Davis became the first member of Florida's legislative delegation to visit Cuba, and his call for loosening travel restrictions to the country is a start at moving U.S. policy toward more rational ground.
Davis' opponent, Libertarian economist and computer consultant Robert Edward Johnson of Tampa, is a political newcomer whose agenda would not benefit the district or the nation. He favors deregulating the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry, replacing income taxes with a regressive national sales tax and spinning off Medicare and Social Security in favor of private health and retirement plans. Most Americans recognize that government has a noble role in guaranteeing basic health and security to those who cannot provide them on their own. Johnson's agenda would write off millions of Americans.
A write-in candidate also qualified for the ballot. But Davis is the only credible choice for the district covering the greater Tampa area and parts of south St. Petersburg and north Manatee County. The Times strongly recommends Democrat Jim Davis to voters in the 11th Congressional District.