Post-Election Message From State Sen. Al Lawson

“I wish to extend my congratulations to my Republican colleague and our incoming Senate President, Jeff Atwater, on his re-election.

“These are historic times. By an overwhelming majority, the people of Florida played a pivotal role in delivering this state – for the first time in four presidential elections – to a candidate who not only broke the conventional stereotypes in every sense, but offered the first tangible ray of hope to so many of our citizens desperate for opportunities so elusive and so hard to come by.

“Last night, Floridians joined their countrymen in declaring that the old way of doing things has not worked. Their votes underscored the critical need for unity to solve the many problems we face as a nation and as a state and the people’s hunger for leadership dedicated to solutions rather than partisan scorecards.

“As we take the helm of our respective leadership positions here in the Florida Senate, I wish you and all of my colleagues God’s blessings and inspiration. It is our turn to continue the Senate’s legacy of rejecting divisiveness, and dedication to our constitutional mission to “perfect our government” in order to preserve our liberty and its benefits. I pledge my support and the support of our Democratic Caucus to that mission.

“In this new day, this new beginning, let us always remember that whatever our differences, we are all Floridians, all members of the Florida Senate, and all hopeful that your presidency mirrors the reflection of a state ready for change.”

HisNoseGrows.Com Launched Responding To Atwater's False Claims

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

The Florida Democratic Party has launched www.HisNoseGrows.com today, which highlights Jeff Atwater's attempts to run away from the truth as he tries to hide from his record of being puppet of the big insurance companies.

"Floridians are wondering why Jeff Atwater's nose keeps growing ever time his mouth is moving. In the Senate, Atwater has been a puppet for Big Insurance. He fought to make it easier for insurance companies to deny claims and then he allowed the same insurance companies to raise rates by 71.5%. Now Atwater's special interest friends are bankrolling his campaign to help him hide from his failed record. While Atwater tries to run from his party, and his record, we'll make certain voters know he can't run away from the truth," said Florida Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff.

The new website www.hisnosegrows.com, builds upon efforts to dispute the presumptive Senate President's false claims and expose his special interest ways. Earlier, the Florida Democratic Party launched Senatorjoke.com, awarding Atwater the "Best Insurance Hypocrite" award. Both website allows voters to click-through and find links to online records, news articles, and testimonials that will allow them to check the record for themselves.

Florida Gets a "D" on Choice Issues

NARAL points out the following facts:

69 percent of Florida counties have no abortion provider.

Florida has unconstitutional and unenforceable criminal bans on abortion.
Details

Florida law subjects women seeking abortions to biased counseling requirements.
Details

Florida allows certain individuals or entities to refuse to provide women specific reproductive health services, information, or referrals.

Florida restricts low-income women's access to abortion.

Florida law restricts young women's access to abortion services by mandating parental notice.

Florida subjects abortion providers to burdensome restrictions not applied to other medical professionals.

Governor Charlie Crist (R) is anti-choice.

Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp (R) is anti-choice.

Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) is anti-choice.

The Florida House is anti-choice.

The Florida Senate is mixed-choice.

We can do better than this.

Atwater Hates the Truth, Loves Big Insurance

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

For Immediate Release: September 25, 2008
Contact: Eric Jotkoff, 850.222.3411

JEFF ATWATER LIES ABOUT INSURANCE TIES IN HIS NEW CAMPAIGN AD

Campaign Contributions Show He Hasn't Changed

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL - In response to the website SenatorJoke.com which parodies his own campaign site, presumed incoming Senate President Jeff Atwater (R-North Palm Beach) has launched an advertisement where he apologizes for his past support of the big insurance industry's agenda, but claims that it was nothing more than a youthful indiscretion. Atwater claims that he's changed. Unfortunately, the facts don't support this claim. (See Atwater's ad at http://vimeo.com/1804802.)

Jeff Atwater does not dispute that he's accepted excessive amounts in campaign contributions from the insurance industry. In fact, the most recent reporting period which posted last Friday now puts Atwater's grand total of insurance money at $284,076. But Jeff Atwater implies that this money was for past campaigns. NOT TRUE.

A detailed review of Atwater's current contributions shows that he has accepted over $90,000 for his current campaign from insurance interests - $61,450 to his 2008 reelection account and $29,381 to his PAC, Preserve the American Dream.

"It's a lie, and he's a liar," said Linda Bird, reacting to Atwater's latest campaign commercial. "This is the kind of political doubletalk that prompted me to run for the Florida Senate. While Jeff Atwater has been taking thousands of dollars in contributions from insurance companies, Florida's homeowners are stuck in a financial crunch from higher insurance rates and higher property taxes. When I'm elected to the Florida Senate, I will succeed where Jeff Atwater has failed."

This past year, Jeff Atwater engaged in harsh rhetoric against the insurance industry, but his demagoguery can't hide his long record of supporting those same big insurance companies. In 2005, Atwater voted to make it easier for insurance companies to deny claims to homeowners. (SB 1486, 2005) But the most infamous example of towing the insurance line was Atwater's vote in 2006 to raise homeowner's insurance rates by 71.5%. (SB 1980, 2006)

"Jeff Atwater claims to have had an insurance epiphany and has renounced his sins, but voters aren't buying this mea culpa," said Linda Bird. "Families are paying two or three times what they paid a few years ago, while the insurance companies that are slipping thousands in Atwater's pockets are making huge profits. I will take on the big insurance companies, and not just in election years. We can, and we must, make a change for Florida's future."

"Florida deserves better than this," said Eric Jotkoff, Florida Democratic Party Communications Director. "Now that he is lying about his support from big insurance, Atwater is proving once again that he is the Best Insurance Hypocrite. The only place where Jeff Atwater deserves to be senate president is in the State of Denial."

New Site Tracking Atwater

Senator Joke has a particular focus on incoming Senate President Jeff Atwater and his ties to the insurance industry.

Gaetz Hates History, Facts

Kudos go to State Senator Don Gaetz for supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. Clearly it's the right thing to do. But in explaining his support for the Amendment, he ignores reality and history:

"I think it's historically inaccurate that liberals have tried to hijack equal rights. It's an improper characterization to label it a liberal issue."

This is complete nonsense and 100% historically wrong. It has always been liberals that support and fought for equal rights, in all definitions of that phrase. It is Gaetz that is trying to hijack the issue. It is true that we shouldn't have to label it as a liberal issue, but history and facts clearly say we do. Any look at the voting records of liberals and conservatives on equal rights issues clearly shows that, in general, liberals favor equal rights laws and conservatives oppose it. Even on this issue, if you look at the states that haven't ratified the ERA, you'll find some of the most conservative states and legislatures in America.

Gaetz is misleading, but a little more honest, when he goes on:

"Equal rights, in general, and the Equal Rights Amendment, specifically, started as a Republican principle," said Gaetz.

This is technically true. But it happened when the Republican party was the liberal party. Since then, things have changed.

Florida Senate Republicans Hate Gay People, Unmarried People, Common Decency

Specifically:

Carey Baker
Rhonda Storms
Dan Webster
Stephen Wise

So says their endorsement of the Hate Amendment.