Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Davis takes heat for missed Patriot Act vote

Critics say he kissed off the close congressional vote while garnering TV time in Tallahassee as a gubernatorial candidate.

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published March 10, 2006

Florida's political attention on Tuesday focused on Gov. Jeb Bush's final State of the State address in Tallahassee, and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis made sure to be there to respond amid the TV cameras.

That decision could wind up costing Davis more than the brief media attention helped him.

While in Tallahassee, the Tampa representative missed a far closer than expected vote in Washington to extend the Patriot Act. Now he's taking heat from Democrats and Republicans alike.

"Congressman Jim Davis chose to abdicate his responsibility to his constituents for a chance to take political shots at Gov. Bush," said state Republican Party chairwoman Carole Jean Jordan. "This legislation is too important to our security to play politics, or even worse, fail to show up."

State Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua, Davis' rival for the gubernatorial nomination, also jumped on the missed vote.

"I do believe that people expect us on certain issues to be there to vote," he said. "The Patriot Act is one of those."

Smith's communications director, David Kochman, noted that Smith canceled a high-profile appearance at a Thursday debate featuring all major gubernatorial candidates so he could attend a legislative budget meeting.

"We should be concerned when somebody's politicking and campaigning gets in the way of doing their job of governing - and it's certainly not the first time it's happened with Jim Davis," said Kochman, noting that of 435 U.S. House members, Davis ranked fourth for missed votes in 2005.

U.S. House leaders had not expected the Patriot Act vote to be so close. They put it on the "suspension" calendar typically used for quick action on relatively noncontroversial matters. But passage under special rules requires a two-thirds majority, and the measure wound up passing by just two votes, 280-138.

Spokeswoman Diane Pratt-Heavner said Davis supported extending the Patriot Act - signed Thursday by President Bush - and would have been there if a close vote were expected.

"We were caught off guard obviously by the fact that the vote was a close margin . . . but it's not like his vote would have changed the outcome," she said. "If he had intended to vote the other way, I'm sure he would have shown up."

But this was not the first high-profile homeland security vote Davis has missed. Shortly before announcing his campaign for governor, he missed a vote on a landmark intelligence reform bill to meet with political advisers in Tampa. According to a Congressional Quarterly analysis, Davis missed more than 16 percent of House votes in 2005.

Smith, a former prosecutor, served on a state task force examining ways to beef up Florida's homeland security. In 2002, he backed a number of bills expanding law enforcement's ability to conduct surveillance and wiretaps and bringing Florida in line with the federal Patriot Act.

Smith said he had not studied the latest version of the Patriot Act, but opposed the original one that Davis backed, saying it lacked adequate protections for civil liberties. "The Patriot Act I saw I thought was overwhelmingly intrusive into the rights of citizens without commensurate benefits," Smith said.

Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727 893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 10, 2006, 01:57:57]