Mario Diaz-Balart Chooses Politics Over People of Florida

Can He Deliver for Florida After Attacking Chair of Most Powerful House Committee?

For Immediate Release: April 9, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - As Republican after Republican dashes away from their minority status in favor of retirement, Democrats are poised to increase their margins in the U.S. House, with some help from Florida.
"Buoyed by Republican retirements and fat campaign coffers, U.S. House Democrats are optimistic about expanding their majority -- perhaps by picking up a Republican-held seat in South Florida," the Miami Herald reported today. "Democrats are eyeing as many as six House seats in Florida, including three Miami seats now held by Republican Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen."

In particular, Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) has reason to worry, considering his already paltry ability to do his job. The younger of the Diaz-Balart brothers - never mistaken for having much political tact - unleashed a scathing attack on one of the most powerful Democrats in Washington with significant ability to shape economic policy.

A one-issue candidate who has sat idly by as Florida sunk into a Republican recession, Diaz-Balart yesterday attempted to tar challenger Joe Garcia by attacking Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (NY-15) for his position on Cuba. Diaz-Balart failed to mention that Garcia, the former executive director of the Cuban American National Foundation, disagrees strongly with Rangel on that issue.

By angrily calling the popular and influential Chairman of the powerful House Ways & Means Committee an "extremist" who supports a "radical left-wing agenda," Diaz-Balart likely burned any bipartisan credibility he may have had - sacrificing the ability to get things done for Florida in favor of personal politics. [Miami Herald, 4/8/08]

''I'm not going to fall into the ridiculous red-baiting that my opponent does,'' Garcia said. ''I'm going to disagree with Charlie Rangel on a few issues, but agreeing on some other things will help me bring jobs to Miami-Dade County and put money in the economy."

"It's appalling that Mario Diaz-Balart would rather score meaningless political points instead of delivering positive change for his district. That's the job he was elected to do - a job made far more difficult now that he spat in the face of one of the most influential members of Congress," Florida Democratic Party spokesman Alejandro Miyar said. "We simply can't afford to re-elect a fat cat Republican who can't get things done for the people of Florida."

By any measure, Diaz-Balart's job performance - Congress.org ranks him 379th out of 435 members - has been weak since the day he set foot in Washington, despite being in the majority until 2007. He's been a rubber stamp for Bush Republicans through failure after failure, reminiscent of his career in the Florida Legislature where his singular achievement was drawing a Congressional district for himself.

Lately, Diaz-Balart snoozed as Florida's housing market melted down. Already at this early point in the campaign season he's made it obvious he'll offer little other than the same, tired Cuban policy rhetoric to distinguish himself from his surging opponent.

Garcia raised $330,000, running even with the Republican incumbent in the first quarter of 2007. His challenge has made national news, and buzz continues to grow that Democrats could take all three Florida Congressional seats currently held by Cuban-American Republicans.