The Daily Deutsch

An open letter to Peter

Okay, big guy -- it's gut check time.

You know the situation. With Jim Stork out, Clay Shaw is running unopposed. Meaning that one of George Bush's and Tom DeLay's most reliable allies gets another two years to advance the most hateful, divisive and disasterous legislative agenda since the Confederate Congress.

And after 22 years of fighting against every item on that agenda, of standing up for the ordinary folks that Shaw and his party care nothing about, you're going to hang up your gloves? You're going to allow someone with a 30% rating from the National Abortion Reproductive Rights Action League to just waltz into another term? A corporate apologist with a 27% rating from the Consumer Federation of America, 20% from the ACLU, 13% from the Sierra Club, 9% from the National Education Association, and a fat zero from the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights?

Say it ain't so.

We need you, Peter. We need you to restore hope to all the people who supported you in your Senate bid, as well as all the people who supported Jim. We need you to continue your fight for working families and senior citizens. We need you to help hold the line in Washington against a party whose only priority is making things easier for their wealthy campaign contributors at the expense of everyone else.

Above all, we need you to stand up -- as you always have -- for the principles this country was founded on: freedom, tolerance, justice, equal opportunity, and separation of church and state.

Under cover of a noxious brand of belligerent patriotism and self-righteous moralism, Clay Shaw and his party are trampling on those principles. You know that. And you can't tell me you don't care.

It's not in your nature to quit fighting, Peter. That's why we supported you in your Senate campaign and throughout your career. And why we plead with you now to pick up where you left off. Because you -- and we -- have been presented with the perfect opportunity to help turn back the red tide of hate, intolerance and lies.

And as my grandmother would have said, it would be a shanda to throw such an opportunity away.

These times demand this man

We live in momentous times, friends. Times that are changing the course of history forever. Times that demand our involvement, our active participation.

In Afghanistan and Iraq, American soldiers fight and die daily in a messy, costly effort to implant democracy.

In New York, Republicans have gathered to try to continue their four-year Snowing of America -- or at least enough of America to spend four more years making things easier for the rich and harder for everyone else.

And here in Florida, we look to fill the seat and the very large shoes of Sen. Bob Graham, one of the finest public servants ever to serve our state and our nation.

You know where I stand. I'm for Peter Deutsch, because he's on the right side of the issues, because he's the only candidate who knows how Congress works, and because he's tenacious about standing up for the interests of ordinary Floridians. You and me. Our parents and our kids. Our environment and our rights.

I'll tell you what I like about Peter. He says what he thinks. It's not in his nature to finesse, to spin. Is that a handicap in the media age? Sometimes. He's not smooth and smarmy, like Alex Penelas. He's not sweet and genteel, like Betty Castor. He is what he is: a guy who fights hard for what he believes. For what's right. For us.

Now he needs you to return the favor. Peter needs you not only to vote for him, but to urge family and friends to do the same.

Will you do it? Will you help? I hope so. Because in times like these, with so much at stake, it's not enough to elect someone with Democratic values. We need someone who's willing to fight for them.

I was wondering about that myself

From the Miami Herald, Aug. 28

Castor stand on abortion derided

By Beth Reinhard

U.S. Senate candidate Betty Castor's support for some abortion restrictions prompted a few activists and elected officials Friday to question her endorsement by Emily's List, a fundraising group for pro-choice candidates.

Most who voiced concerns are allies of Castor's opponent, Peter Deutsch.

During a debate Thursday, Castor said she opposed a late-term procedure that critics call ''partial-birth'' abortion -- unless a woman's health is in danger. She also said she supports laws requiring minors seeking abortions to notify their parents unless they are rape or incest victims.

Abortion rights activist Marge Head said she would not vote for Castor. ''I feel like I have been hoodwinked,'' she said.

State Sen. Debbie Wasserman Schultz -- whose congressional bid received an Emily's List endorsement -- also questioned the group's backing of Castor. Wasserman Schultz, Deutsch's former legislative aide, said: ``My impression was that you had to be pro-choice without restrictions.''

Not true, said Joe Solmonese, chief executive officer of Emily's List. The organization is comfortable with the restrictions that Castor supports. ''Betty Castor supports the fundamental of Roe v. Wade,'' he said.

It's reassuring that while right-wing fanatics work ceaselessly to chip away, restriction by restriction, at the right to choose, Betty's got a grasp of the fundamentals.

The Good, the Bad and the Congenial

Watching Alex Penelas plead for peace and harmony during last night's debate of Democratic Senate candidates, I was moved by a profound feeling of hope. It was hope that Betty Castor might saunter over and slug him.

I didn't want Peter to do it, because he had thrown enough punches already. Besides, I think Betty can take Alex.

What thrust Penelas into the peacemaker role was the continuing acrimony between Peter and Betty. Indeed, at one point, I thought the debate moderator was going to have to physically restrain Peter, possibly with a stun gun.

Seizing the opportunity, the Mayor of Miami-Dade implored his opponents to end their "bickering" and focus on the issues. "We only have one hour," he kept saying, taking up valuable time even after the bickering had ended.

Not that it ended quickly. It revolved primarily around what Betty did or didn't do about professor Sami al Arian, now charged with aiding terrorists, as president of USF. "There was evil there!" shouted Peter. Betty then accused Peter of "making a political charade of this whole thing." And asked him if he thought he could display a "congenial attitude" if elected to the Senate.

"I'm not running for U.S. Senate to win a Miss Congeniality contest," he responded. And a hush fell over the room as the audience struggled to absorb this surprising information.

Peter then challenged Betty on her somewhat selective support of abortion rights (the issue isn't mentioned on her campaign site -- or Alex's -- but she's against partial-birth abortion and for some parental notifications) and touted his own 100% rankings from NARAL and Planned Parenthood.

Penelas had something to say about his position on this, but I forget what it was.

Later, Peter accused Betty of advocating an "evenhanded" approach to the Israeli-Palestinean problem, forcing her to say she was a strong supporter of Israel. Alex quickly agreed, as did many audience members and the entire technical crew, apparently out of fear of being labeled anti-Semites.

And, interestingly, Betty co-opted one of Peter's signature issues, noting that Florida doesn't get its fair share of federal funding for homeland security.

All in all, it was a less-than-edifying evening of political discourse. I'd have to say that Peter made his points strongly but, as Mr. Uncongeniality, may not have picked up many new supporters. And at this stage of the campaign, it's only that second part that matters.

Response to comment on "Non-bellicose Betty"

A fellow blogger calling himself Ampersand, who runs an excellent, pro-feminism blog called amptoons (he's also a cartoonist), left the following comment to my last post:

It's a bit silly of you to portray your opponent as too weak for practical politics when polls show she's winning. What does it say about Peter Deutsch if the cookie-baking wimp you describe is able to kick his butt all over the polls?

I hope Peter Deutsch wins. But if he doesn't, part of the reason is that his opponent is, in fact, a tough and cagey politician, not the lightweight you're claiming she is. She might well be more effective than Deutsch in the Senate - just as she has, so far, appeared to be more effective than Deutsch in the race for the Senate.

It's a thoughtful comment that deserves a thoughtful, prominent response:

Thanks for your comment, but I don't see why it's "silly" to portray a politician as wrong for the job just because she's leading in the polls. That lead is due to Betty's high name recognition, as she's held statewide office (Education Commissioner), while Peter is known mainly in the county he represents in the House. And I don't think her higher name recognition suggests that that she'd be more (or less) effective in the Senate. It sugguests that she's more likely to lead in the polls.

Furthermore, I don't at all doubt that she's tough and cagey. But then I see stuff like this, from Wednesday's Miami Herald:

On Castor's website, an "issues of equality" section does not mention abortion. Asked why she doesn't talk about it, she said it's not a "big issue" this year. She added, "I don't want to be offensive to people who may not agree with my views."

Call me crazy, but this doesn't sound like someone we want defending the increasingly endangered right to choose in the Senate.

As I mentioned, Ampersand's blog is outstanding. One of the best I've ever seen. Check it out here.

Non-bellicose Betty

Kudos once again to Herald reporter Beth Reinhard, who's produced as fine a profile of Betty Castor as the one she wrote about Peter two weeks ago. Headlined "Castor sees civility as ticket to success," it tells you everything you need to know about why Peter should be Florida's next Democratic senator.

Not that I have anything against civility. On the contrary, I think we could all use much more of it. Especially in politics, which the Bush campaign has -- again -- turned into an open cesspool of lies, obfuscation and character assassination. It's just that ... well, I'll let Betty's husband, Sam Bell, explain what I mean.

''She looks for solutions instead of being bellicose,'' he tells Betty in the article. "That's something that's going to be very important when she goes to Washington and is working with the fraternity that is the U.S. Senate.''

Someone should explain to Sam that the Senate today is indeed a fraternity. And its name is Beta Beta Beta, for bellicose, belligerent and, in honor of fraternity president Bill Frist, bitchy.

Nothing against Betty, who we all agree is a nice lady, but she would have about as much influence in the Senate as the homecoming queen at an Animal House keg party.

Betty doesn't rock the boat, concludes Beth. She follows the rules. And that's exactly what we don't need from a Democratic senator dealing with Frist, Rick Santorum and their fellow Republican thugs.

Remember, these are the guys who held open a Senate vote for three hours, instead of the customary 15 to 20 minutes, to get their phony Medicare prescription bill passed. These are the guys who are trying to get the most hateful, intolerant federal judges approved since the days of slavery, and accusing Democrats of being "obstructionists" for trying to keep that from happening. These are the guys who won't even allow Democrats to participate in the meetings bills are written in. And Betty "Crocker" Castor is going bake cupcakes, serve tea and restore civility?

Don't get me wrong. I like and respect Betty. (She climbed Mount Kilamanjaro, for crying out loud. You gotta respect that.) And she's compiled a commendable record of public service -- even if, as Beth points out, "During her tenure as state education commissioner, teacher salaries increased but school spending did not rise substantially; some test scores declined; the state's dropout rate was one of the worst in the nation."

I just think we need someone tougher in the cage with those beasts. Someone who, after 12 years in the House, is familiar with their power lust and barbaric "values." Someone whose idea of fun in high school was wrestling sweaty, muscle-bound neanderthals to the mat. And whose policy on political conflict isn't ''I have tried not to engage my opponents because it's not to my advantage to do that,'' as Betty is quoted in Beth's article.

Someone like Peter Deutsch. Whose boat is always rocking.

Why Dr. Witham supports Peter

Sometimes my job is easy. As when real people with real lives -- i.e., non-bloggers -- write stuff that's much more powerful and persuasive than anything a sun-starved computer nerd could dream up.

Here's the latest example, from a long-time Castor supporter who taught at USF when Castor was university president. He just voted under Florida's Early Vote option:

I entered the voting booth with the full intention of continuing that same support. Two weeks ago I had the chance to attend the Tampa Bay Tiger Bay Club to listen to the Democratic candidates and I remembered my impressions from that meeting as I stood in the booth.

I am 64 and the ONLY issue on my plate this year is the deplorable state of health care in this country. It is going to take the collective will power of a united Congress to make real changes in the status quo. In short, it is going to take members of both Houses who have "spunk." That was my impression of Peter Deutsch. His character and personal history exude spunk! So I cast my vote for your candidate instead.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Wallace F. Witham
217 Temple Lane
Belleair Bluffs, FL 33770

There you have it, folks -- it's all about spunk. And nobody out-spunks Peter Deutsch. So make him your choice for Florida's next Democratic senator.

Doctor's orders.

Why Sabrina supports Peter

Politicians love to talk about "values." They think if they repeat the word often enough, voters will assume they respect the flag. Believe in God. Think families are good. Don't have sex with underage prostitutes, especially of the same gender.

In short, "values" is an empty, easy, essentially meaningless word. That's why Republicans are so fond of it. (And why you'll hear it repeated -- rough estimate -- 11,270 times at their convention.)

Democrats, though, aspire to values that actually mean something. That aren't so self-evident, so obvious. That require a little more work than waving the flag and blathering about God.

Peter Deutsch, for example. Sure, he believes in families. Who doesn't? But he's willing to do something that acutally helps families. Like the family of Sabrina Cohen, a 24-year-old from Miami Beach who was in a horrible car crash 12 years ago. And who's been paralyzed in a wheelchair ever since.

When scientists started to get optimistic about the potential of stem cell research a few years ago, you can imagine how Sabrina and her family felt. It was almost too amazing to be true -- basic cells could be drawn from microscopic embryos that had been produced in vitro for infertile couples, and then developed into specific cells for the brain, pancreas, bone marrow or spinal cord. These cells could then be transplanted into people with Alzheimer's, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord damage and other problems, offering hope of regeneration and recovery. The key word being hope.

But leave it to President Bush to crush that hope. Pandering to anti-abortion and religious groups, he banned federal support for this vital, promising new research in August 2001. Why? Because withdrawing the stem cells destroys the embryos; i.e., human life.

Never mind that most of these embryos would be destroyed anyway. When couples go the in vitro route, many eggs are fertilized. One is implanted in the mother. All or most of the remaining embryos are frozen and, eventually, discarded.

Such is the logic of "right-to-lifers." Inflexible and self-righteous, they'll rabidly defend the rights of a frozen egg in a petri dish, while ignoring the plight of someone who will lose a leg to diabetes, or a mind to Alzheimer's.

Or a body to paralysis.

Peter doesn't accept that logic. More important, he did something about it. He introduced a bill last month -- the Stem Cell Discovery Through Diversity Act (H.R. 4812) -- that would basically overturn Bush's ban, and restore hope to millions of American families. So far, more than 1100 people have signed a petition on his campaign web site in support of the bill.

And Sabrina Cohen? She's appearing in a new campaign commercial for Peter, expressing her gratitude for his bold action and her support for his candidacy -- a candidacy founded on real values, like deploying the vast resources of government to actually improve people's lives.

Friends, I'm not a microbiologist. All I know about stem cells comes from what I've read in the newspaper. What I am is the father of a young woman just about Sabrina's age. And when I see Sabrina in her wheelchair, I feel good that Peter Deutsch is busting his butt to get her back on her feet. If you feel as I do -- if "values" isn't just cheap rhetoric to you -- please sign Peter's petition, contribute to his campaign, and give new hope to millions of American families.

Sun-Sentinel endorses Deutsch

There's nothing I can add to this!

By the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board

Peter Deutsch has been a tenacious campaigner and outspoken lawmaker since he first was elected to public office in 1982 at the age of 25. That was for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.

For the last 10 years, the 47-year-old Deutsch has served effectively in the U.S. House as the representative of District 20, which covers much of Broward County and part of Miami-Dade.

His chief competitors for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat are former Florida Secretary of Education Betty Castor and Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas.

Both Castor and Penelas also bring strong credentials and records of service, but the edge goes to Deutsch. He is a savvy politician who knows his way around Washington. He can be expected to fight hard for all Florida residents, but he especially understands the needs of South Florida.

Since the beginning of his political career, Deutsch has been a steadfast defender of programs that serve the elderly and underprivileged. He supports excluding Social Security trust fund surpluses from overall budget calculations to prevent "raiding" of the trust funds to finance unrelated spending and tax cuts. He believes the current Medicare drug benefit is inadequate, and has introduced legislation that would allow the federal government to negotiate lower prices.

Deutsch isn't afraid to buck the liberal wing of his party. In the past, he has voted to give the president line-item veto authority. He also voted in favor of a balanced-budget amendment for the U.S. Constitution. And, he supported a cut in the capital gains tax and welfare reform.

Deutsch, a resident of Hollywood, has a law degree from Yale.

Blogger's blues

I just made a discouraging discovery, friends. I guess I was naive; but it seems that some weblogs are just spin machines.

This disturbing revelation came, of all places, on the Bush-Cheney '04 blog, where they're crowing about Bush's new job approval numbers. Gallup has the rating up by three in the last week, to 51%. This, the blogger writes, "is now almost identical to President Clinton's 52% in August 1996 and President Reagan's 54% in August 1984." (Yes. Almost.) So we're to believe Bush is on track to certain re-election, as no incumbent with 50% or above in an election year has ever lost.

Never mind that, exactly one year ago, his approval was at 60%, and at 68% on this date two years ago. The fact that the figure has nudged over 50% -- for the first time since mid-April -- apparently qualifies as progress in the Republican camp.

Their blog goes on to ridicule John Kerry because he used the word "sensitive" last week as one of many adjectives to describe the kind of war on terrorism we should be waging. It quotes from a recent speech by Dick Cheney: "President Lincoln and General Grant did not wage sensitive warfare -- nor did President Roosevelt, nor Generals Eisenhower and MacArthur." Leave it to a Republican who took five draft deferments to smear a Democrat decorated for heroism as "sensitive."

Unmentioned in the blog was that Bush used the same word in the same context in a speech to the same people in the same week. And that Cheney himself has said, "We recognize that the presence of U.S. forces can in some cases present a burden on the local community. We're not insensitive to that. We work almost on a continual basis with the local officials to remove points of friction and reduce the extent to which problems arise in terms of those relationships."

I'm telling you, this kind of manipulation of the facts makes all bloggers look bad. I'm going have to report it to our Ethics and Conduct Committee.

In the meantime, here's more of what you've come to expect from this blogger: the truth about the Bush-Cheney record.

Financing the fight

Last night, at an establishment dedicated to getting people to throw away money on video games and skee-ball, Peter Deutsch asked for money to continue his fight for the citizens of Florida.

The Dave & Buster's fundraiser brought out about 150 supporters for an evening of mediocre buffet food, campaign commercials, political chatter, and a speech from Peter. This blogger enjoyed the experience from his customary post at the bar, enjoying pleasant conversations with Peter's charming wife, Lori, and the equally charming state Rep. Eleanor Sobel; engaging in a spirited discussion with two union men about how workers have betrayed the labor movement and their own interests by voting Republican in large numbers; and taking notes for this post, which he promptly lost.

One thing I remember quite clearly, however, is how Peter closed his speech. "Who's going to do a better job of fighting for the people of Florida?" he asked. And you have to agree that no candidate in the race, Republican or Democrat, will fight harder for us than Peter.

The primary is just 17 days away, friends, and fundraising is a continuing priority. If you want to help Peter fight for the issues that matter to you -- universal healthcare, a real Medicare prescription benefit, protecting Social Security, Florida's fair share of federal tax dollars, and a government that works to help all Americans, not just wealthy ones -- please contribute whatever you can.

Macho man

I like John Kerry. I really do. I've always thought he was a smart guy. But I'm stunned at how easily he fell into Bush's trap by saying he still would have voted for war in Iraq -- even if he knew then what we know now.

It's a stunning admission. Almost two years after the vote, all the justifications given for the war have turned to ashes. No WMDs. No ties to Al Qaeda. No involvement in 9/11.

Yet here's Kerry feeling a Republican need to demonstrate his manliness by displaying belligerence, when even Republican congressmen have conceded that the authorization for war would not have passed in light of what we've learned since.

Bush challenged Kerry last Friday to give a straight yes or no on whether he would have voted for the war "knowing what we know now." Kerry could have flung the bait in Bush's face by giving the only logical answer: No. Our intelligence was flawed, the justifications for war imagined. The war in Iraq was a way to strengthen Israel, or protect the flow of oil, or force a shake-up of our military, or feel better after 9/11 by at least killing lots of Arabs. It was a way for W to make his father look like less of a failure, and for manhood-challenged Republican draft-dodgers to build some measure of sexual confidence.

Instead, Kerry avoided the question for as long as he could, then took the bait -- and said he'd vote the same way. Allowing Bush to crow: "Now, almost two years after he voted for the war in Iraq, and almost 220 days after switching positions to declare himself the anti-war candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance. After months of questioning my motives and even my credibility, Sen. Kerry now agrees with me."

Way to go, John. A clear majority of the country thinks the war was a mistake, and not worth the costs in blood and treasure, and you decide it's time for a macho moment.

Ralph Nader owes you a heartfelt thanks.

Peter's "intensity" makes headlines

My hat is off to Beth Reinhard. Just a few days after her big Blackberry scoop (see previous post), the Miami Herald political reporter -- and fellow Columbia Journalism School alum -- came back with a solid piece about Peter and what drives him. The portrait she painted was objective and detailed -- what people used to call "fair and balanced" before Fox News made the term a joke.

She pointed out that Peter has been "a loyal soldier in Democratic battles to protect Social Security and Medicare"; that he's won "top ratings from environmentalists, abortion-rights groups and unions"; that he's taken moderate positions on the budget deficit, welfare reform and illegal immigration; and that some of his Congressional votes have shown a little too much gratitude (in this blogger's opinion) to wealthy and corporate contributors.

She also used words like "brutal," "audacity," "aggressiveness" and even "lovely," nicely summarizing the qualities of the person I want in Bob Graham's Senate seat.

One of the things I like best about Peter, and which Beth touched on in her article, concerns his religious views. Peter is pretty strict about following the tenets of Judaism, but -- as Ron Reagan said of his father in front of Pres. Bush -- he doesn't wear his faith on his sleeve.

Religion used to be a private matter in politics, and it ought to be again. When I hear politicians talk about God and faith and morals and values and all those other code words for self-righteousness, I just know there's a tawdry motel room and an underage prostitute waiting to be brought to light. In fact, I figure that the more a politician talks about religion, the tawdrier the room and the younger the prostitute.

Conversely, I have nothing but respect for people who feel their faith strongly -- without the need to tell everyone about it. That's one reason why Peter's my candidate.

It's also why I don't think I'll be physically able to watch the Republican convention.

Peter's Blackberry jam

You knew that, sooner or later, this high-pressure Senate campaign cauldron was going to boil over and sear an indelible image of shocking impropriety into the minds of voters. Well, it's happened.

For those of you who haven't heard -- maybe you were hiking the Australian outback, or exploring underwater caves off the coast of Mexico -- it seems that Peter Deutsch checked his e-mail. On his Blackberry. During a debate.

I'll wait now for you to pour yourself a stiff drink.

The horror of it all is that this Blackberry business might have escaped notice if not for an attentive Herald reporter covering Tuesday's debate of Democratic Senate candidates in West Palm. That didn't happen, thank God. Beth Reinhard was on the case, so now we know that Peter got two e-mails from an advisor saying he was doing a good job. But it could have been even worse. Imagine if the advisor had sent an off-color joke! Or the score of the Marlins game! Or news that mortgage rates are headed up, so refinance now!

Now you're beginning to grasp the magnitude of the danger.

Oh, the humanity.

Welcome to Fight Club

Pity the politician not blessed with JFK's charisma, or Bill Clinton's charm, or George W. Bush's "likeability." Because, for the press, personality is more important than issues. They'd rather analyze a candidate based not on what he stands for, but on whether (I've actually heard this discussed on cable news) he'd be fun to hang out with at a barbecue. And if a candidate isn't the type to flirt with the host's wife, or cannonball into the pool, he's going to be labeled a wonk. Or worse.

Thus, Al Gore lost in 2000 because he was "wooden" and "stiff." (Not charismatic.) Howard Dean was "angry" (not charming) because he pointed out that Bush's tax cuts were an illusion, and that the capture of Saddam made us no safer. And John Kerry is "cold" because -- well, because he doesn't drop his Gs when he's talkin', like Bush does.

And Peter Deutsch? What label can the media assign him? He just focuses tirelessly on the needs of the people who elected him, and that doesn't make good copy. Unlike his Democratic primary opponent, Alex Penelas, he doesn't abandon his principles for the sake of political expediency, and run away from a fight. So he must be … a fighter! Yeah, that's it! He's "abrupt," "combative" -- a "brawler" with a "brass-knuckle style."

Well, you know what? Peter has represented me in the House for 12 years. And I like having a guy up there who's fighting every day for me, my daughter and my parents. Combative? He damn well better be. Because the Republicans have declared war on ordinary Americans. These record federal deficits are no accident, no temporary aberration. They're a deliberate attempt, financed by tax cuts for the wealthy, to starve the programs that provide a measure of security for people careless enough to have to work for a living. Peter knows that. And he's fighting it with everything he's got.

Pundits look at Washington today and decry the partisanship, the loss of civility. But picture yourself in Congress. You want to do what's right for your country and your constituents. But you look around after less than four years of Bush and his congressional majority and see that millions of people have lost their jobs -- while Republicans encourage outsourcing. You see that those still working are not even keeping pace with inflation, and might lose their overtime -- while the salary gap between workers and corporate CEOs has surpassed 300-to-1. (In 1982, it was 42-to-1.) You see that more than 900 American troops have died in Iraq, along with uncounted thousands of Iraqis, in an undeclared war founded on lies, arrogance and incompetence.

How civil would you be?

Me, I don't want Miss Manners in the ring with the likes of Bill Frist and Rick Santorum. I want a fighter. Someone with a sharp mind and a warrior's heart. A graduate of Yale Law School and former high school wrestler? Perfect. And when the Democrats retake Congress and the White House, and this nation is no longer run by people who care little about ordinary people and even less about what America truly stands for, I'll invite Peter over for a barbecue.

I bet he does an awesome cannonball.

They don't call him The Boss for nothing

I just saw Bruce Springsteen on Nightline. He's headlining MoveOn Pac's Vote for Change Tour, with the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., the Dixie Chicks, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Babyface, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Harper, Jurassic 5, My Morning Jacket, Keb' Mo' and Bright Eyes. (The last seven I've never heard of, but it's good to have something for the kids.) The tour will benefit America Coming Together.

So Ted was asking Bruce why he's coming out for Kerry and Edwards when he's never directly endorsed a candidacy in the past. And Bruce told it like it is: "As a nation over the past four years, we've drifted away from I think very mainstream American values...Having large tax cuts for the richest one percent -- hey, that's great, for corporate bigwigs and wealthy, well-to-do guitar players, but we've also watched services get cut, after-school programs for people that need it the most, we've watched rollback on environmental regulations, and a foreign policy that I think put at risk the lives of the very bravest young men and women under what ended up to be discredited circumstances."

Bruce for President? I say he was born to run.

Let's roll

Welcome to the blog dedicated to the Senate candidacy of Congressman Peter Deutsch. Peter, as you know, is the hard-charging Democrat from Broward who's on a mission to see that Florida gets its fair share of federal tax dollars; that Medicare offers a prescription drug benefit that helps seniors, not pharmaceutical companies; and that (gasp!) all Americans have health insurance.

I have to admit that, at first, I didn't find the "Florida's fair share" issue that compelling. Not with the Bush administration doing such a thorough job of lying to the American people about Iraq, tax cuts, their environmental record, jobs and the deficit. But when you take a look at the numbers (peterforflorida.com/fairshare) you'll see that things really are out of whack. And I like that Peter is the only candidate talking about doing something about it.

I also like that he has the balls to call for universal health care. Call me crazy, but this patchwork of competing health plans that we struggle with -- leaving 44 million with no insurance at all -- is an embarrassment to the wealthiest nation on the planet. And the idea that re-buying American-made drugs from Canada is a solution just shows how desperate the situation is. We have to go to another country to get a better price on drugs we made? That's crazy.

Or maybe that's just life in Bush's America.