Editorial: Everything Trump touches dies—and right now that means Florida

Charlie Chaplin in the movie ‘The Great Dictator.’

Everything Trump touches dies: it’s the title of a book and never was a title more accurate, more appropriate and now more literal, especially here in Florida.

Trump has really touched Florida. He’s an official resident, he has his second White House in Florida as well as a golf club in Doral. He dominates the Republican political landscape, the Party and its two senators. He also handpicked the state’s governor.

And sure enough, his touch is killing Florida and Floridians. His incompetence, delusions and arrogance at the national level in handling the pandemic have, as of this writing, resulted in 3,361,042 confirmed American coronavirus cases and 135,582 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

In his adopted state 4,381 Floridians have died since March 1 and 295,312 have been infected to date, according to Florida’s Community Coronavirus Dashboard (the one posted by dissident scientist Rebekah Jones). On Sunday, July 12, Florida hit a record 15,300 new cases; the next day it reached 12,624.

All this would be bad enough but Trump’s disastrous mismanagement at the national level has been imitated on the state level by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R).

Florida’s path from haven to hotspot starts with Trump’s denial of the seriousness of the coronavirus threat, his characterization of warnings of it as a Democratic hoax and his dismissive assurances that it would disappear “like a miracle.” Then, when its devastation couldn’t be denied, he resisted strong measures to contain it and rushed to open the economy for the sake of his re-election.

DeSantis mirrored the president’s performance almost word for word and gesture for gesture. He denied the seriousness of the threat, failed to prepare for it and dismissed warnings as exaggerations. Then he failed to provide statewide guidance for responding and rushed to re-open the economy. When infections and deaths began to spike, he accused the media of using the spectacle to gain ratings.

Now two events in Florida are threatening to turn the spike into an eruption: unrestricted re-opening of schools—an all-caps demand that Trump made on Twitter—and bringing the Republican National Convention to Jacksonville. There is no telling what the rate of infection will be and how many deaths will result if these two events occur as Trump demands.

Trump is on his way to causing more American deaths from coronavirus than Americans killed by Adolf Hitler during World War II.

(Between June 1944 and May 8, 1945, there were 552,117 US casualties in the European theater of operations, of which 104,812 were killed in action, according to the US Department of Defense.)

The question that arises from all this is: Given Trump’s glaring incompetence, the demonstrated danger of his delusions and the clear path to disaster that he continues pursuing, how long will Florida politicians in positions of power—or aspiring to positions of power—allow themselves to be led by a man whose course clearly leads to catastrophe? How long will they blindly follow him?

Certainly, there seems no answer in Florida where the governor, better educated than his mentor, shows no signs of independent thought. In Southwest Florida the Republican candidates up and down the ballot make a point of going to ever greater extremes in their praise and defense of this person whose decisionmaking seems insane.

Every day, every person who dies from this plague rebukes this man and his tweets. But throughout the peninsula of Florida there’s only silence from the members of his party and the people scratching and scrambling to get votes.

In 1940 Charlie Chaplin released his anti-Nazi film, The Great Dictator. In it, Chaplin as an imposter dictator gives a final speech against dictatorship that sounds hauntingly relevant today.

“You are not machines!” he tells his listeners. “You are not cattle! You are men! You have the love of humanity in your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the unloved hate—the unloved and the unnatural!”

It’s time for Florida’s leaders and voters to stop being machines and start thinking hard and independently about what’s best for themselves, their state, their nation and humanity—and not just what’s best for Donald Trump.

Liberty lives in light

For the record: The candidates on whether to mask or not–UPDATED

Dan Maples lashes out in a Fort Myers Costco when videoed without a mask. (Image: Twitter)

July 12, 2020 by David Silverberg.

Updated at 5:30 pm with David Holden comment.

Mask madness has reached Southwest Florida.

Whether or not to wear a mask is no longer a question of a medical and hygienic precaution but a political statement, thanks to President Donald Trump’s politicization of the issue and stubborn refusal to set an example—before yesterday.

Of course, in Southwest Florida, a coronavirus hotspot, mask wearing has become a raw, emotional issue. It was in a Fort Myers Costco that Dan Maples had an anti-mask tantrum that went viral and cost him his job. Local towns and counties are debating mask mandates in meetings ringing with rage. Individual businesses have to decide whether to require customers to wear masks.

Where do the people who are seeking to represent Southwest Florida stand on masks and mandates?

The Paradise Progressive surveyed the tweets, websites, Facebook posts, news reports and statements of local congressional candidates regarding masks and compiled the following list of their positions—in addition to sending questions in direct messages. The results are presented here, for the record, along with some context. All names are listed by alphabetical order.

Democrats

Cindy Banyai: “Masks slow the spread of COVID19 and everyone should wear one when while they’re out and can’t social distance. With cases across Florida spiking and Lee Health system nearing 100% staff capacity we should all care about one another and wear a mask. It’s the most patriotic thing you could do right now–care about your fellow Americans.”

David Holden: “Since the vigorous resurgence of the virus around June 24th, I’ve been calling for a state-wide mask mandate. I believe that mandate should not be criminalized, as those penalties will only dig regular folks further in the hole–but I do know we need universal mask wearing and clear leadership. As ironic as it may seem, individual mask wearing will increase freedom as it will slow the spread and help us return to normal more quickly and safely.”

Republicans

Darren Aquino: Asked by NBC2’s Political Reporter Dave Elias in an interview broadcast on July 10, if the President should wear a mask, Aquino differed from Trump’s longstanding refusal and stated: “Different times, he should be, yeah. I would say he should put one on when it’s necessary.”

Casey Askar: NBC2’s Dave Elias, reported on July 9 that Askar told him that Askar does not believe in wearing a mask in public and he doesn’t expect people to be forced to do so.

State Rep. Byron Donalds (R-80-Immokalee): Donalds told the Cape Coral City Council during its debate on a mask mandate: “Do not issue such an order when it is not clear you have the power to do so,” according to the News-Press.

State Rep. Dane Eagle (R-77-Cape Coral): Approvingly retweeted a July 7 tweet from Gov. Ron DeSantis (R): “I urge all Floridians to continue social distancing to help protect our state’s most vulnerable and slow the spread of #COVID19. Avoid the ‘Three Cs’ and high-risk environments. Wearing a facial covering when you can’t social distance may also help reduce transmission.”

Dr. William Figlesthaler: The only medical doctor among the candidates, Figlesthaler has not commented on mask-wearing on any of his platforms. Questions on the need for individuals to wear masks and mask mandates by local governments have been sent to his campaign e-mail address. As of this writing, no response has been received.

Mayor Randy Henderson: On July 9, following a vote of the Fort Myers City Council, Mayor Randy Henderson tweeted: “Today I proudly voted against a #MandatoryMasks policy for the @cityftmyers. Look, I agree with @realDonaldTrump – it is not feasible and a gross overreach of government. The individual must take responsibility for their health and respect others decision when they do the same.”

Daniel Kowal: No postings or positions on masks on his media platforms. As of this posting, no response to a direct question.

Christy McLaughlin: On July 7, at a Cape Coral City Council meeting on a mask mandate as reported by Fox4 News, where she went to oppose a mask mandate: “We do have the personal responsibility and ability to make our own choices with the autonomy of our own bodies.”

Daniel Severson: No postings or positions on masks on his media platforms. As of this posting, no response to a direct question.

Independent

Antonio Dumornay: In a July 8 Facebook post: “So people are happy about mandated mask 😷 to breathe in your own toxins (that you exhale called carbon dioxide) when only sick people need them! Like what are we doing!? Yes people get sick but your not sick.” As of this posting, no response has been received to a direct question for clarification of the post.

Liberty lives in light

We tested SWFL candidates on their knowledge of a vital congressional issue. Here are the results.

Big Cypress National Preserve in the Everglades. (Photo: National Park Service)

July 10, 2020 by David Silverberg

The campaign season is kicking into high gear. If you’re in the Fort Myers-Naples TV market and watch the local news in the 5:00 to 6:30 pm hour, you’re seeing a seemingly endless stream of political campaign ads marching across your screen.

However, television ads are, of course, just snippets, intended to give a fleeting impression of a candidate.

These candidates—and the others who can’t afford air time—are vying to represent Southwest Florida in the Congress of the United States.

But do they have any grasp of the real work of Congress? Do they understand the nitty-gritty of government operations? Have they paid any attention at all to the kind of legislation that really affects Southwest Florida and Floridians? Do they have basic local knowledge? Are they doing any real policy homework? Do they know what a congressional representative actually does? Do they care about impacting peoples’ lives in Southwest Florida?

The Paradise Progressive decided to ask all congressional candidates one question about one issue that’s fundamental to Southwest Florida that involves Congress, the federal government and legislation to see how they responded.

The question, issued on Monday, July 6, was: “As a member of Congress, what specific changes would you make to WRDA to benefit Southwest Florida and the 19th Congressional District?”

Would anyone even google “WRDA” to see what the acronym means?

The most important legislation you’ve never heard of

WRDA: it’s usually pronounced “word-DA” and it actually stands for the Water Resources Development Act.

It’s hardly ever mentioned in Southwest Florida, in either conversation or the media, or especially on the campaign trail. And yet, it has an enormous impact on the region and its livability.

That’s because WRDA is the broad, all-encompassing congressional act governing all water projects and management in the United States. It’s a gigantic piece of legislation that gives the government authority to dredge canals, build dams, raise levees, control floods, maintain harbors, alter rivers, manage water releases and do the million and more things that require water to serve people, make land more productive and keep pollution at bay.

In Southwest Florida WRDA impacts the Everglades, Lake Okeechobee, the Herbert Hoover Dike, the Caloosahatchee River and all the other streams, creeks and lakes that manage and provide the life-sustaining liquid making human habitation here possible.

When it comes to Congress, it’s a piece of legislation where an individual representative can have a real impact and where he or she can make a real difference. Candidates can fulminate on all the grand themes they like, but once they’re in office and have to really deal with the nuts and bolts of governing, getting and spending federal money and representing their district, WRDA has to be a priority.

Because it covers so many activities, WRDA must be constantly reauthorized to keep up with new needs and changes. The bill’s preamble calls for a new WRDA reauthorization every two years and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida agrees, saying it’s needed “to provide consistent authorization of Everglades projects.” That’s a position echoed by the Florida Association of Counties.

A 2020 WRDA is in the congressional works and it may be presented to the full House by the end of July. Usually, it’s a bipartisan, politically neutral bill, since it deals with facts on the ground rather than ideology or partisanship.

As a demonstration of just how important it really is, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-4-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, chose to keep it out of the $1.5 trillion infrastructure bill passed by the House on July 1. That bill was treated as partisan by Republicans and has gone to the Senate where it is likely to die. By contrast, a separate WRDA bill is getting Republican buy-in and the Senate has already passed its own version. Unless President Trump is completely bonkers by the time it reaches his desk before the end of the year, he’s likely to sign it.

For Southwest Florida, the 2020 WRDA will authorize the funding for restoring the Everglades through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). It will also regulate discharges from Lake Okeechobee, making harmful algal blooms less likely—or more so.

Rep. Francis Rooney (R-19-Fla.), the retiring representative, was very active on WRDA to protect Everglades restoration funding and posted A history of Southwest Florida, WRDA and the Everglades on his website.

Various water-related local activist groups have already weighed in on the 2020 WRDA, in addition to the Conservancy.

“Lots of pieces to WRDA,” observed John Cassani, director of Calusa Waterkeeper, a non-profit, water purity advocacy group, to The Paradise Progressive. “Definitely needed but would not support the ‘savings clause’ issue if it gets into the legislation.” The “savings clause” essentially states that the legal state of existing water sources can’t be altered until new sources are found. In essence it protects the status quo around Lake O. It has long been the subject of controversy and debate. (For the full, official document involving the Savings Clause, see Annex B: Analyses Required by WRDA 2000 and Florida State Law.)

In Congress, on April 30, Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-20-Fla.) circulated a letter advocating that the next WRDA treat all CERP sub-projects as “ongoing” projects—that way there wouldn’t have to be separate congressional authorizations for each project. It would speed and streamline Everglades restoration. In a show of bipartisan agreement, Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25-Fla.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-23-Fla.) signed on.

WRDA is a vast and sprawling piece of legislation. It’s the kind of thing that a member of Congress, especially from Southwest Florida, has to keep an eye on. It’s not the kind of thing that lends itself to hoopla or slogans. It’s the real work of Congress and it’s where congressional representation really counts.

So how did our candidates do?

The candidates respond

Of the dozen candidate campaigns running for Congress in the 19th Congressional District, four responded to the WRDA question. Their answers are presented here in full and unedited.

The Democrats

Both local Democrats running for Congress responded to the question. In alphabetical order:

Cindy Banyai:

04-07-20 Cindy Banyai “The Everglades are one of the most important aspects of both our water and our community here in Southwest Florida. While I’m glad that the federal government has granted money to restore the Everglades and repair the Herbert Hoover Dike, I plan on ensuring this is a top priority of the government after I am elected to Congress. Francis Rooney pushed the estimated completion time back to 2022 because he knew he was not going to run again. Additionally, we need to continue to improve the process, allowing for more local input and control over releases, and speed of review of the Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS). It is necessary to be able to adjust the LORS so more water can be provided during the winter months, when our estuaries need it, and less flows in the summer months where there can be damage to our ecosystem. As the champion of the people of Southwest Florida I’m going to fight to ensure our water and our community are protected and that the federal government upholds their plans to restore the Everglades.”

David Holden:

04-16-20 David Holden cropped “I strongly support authorization of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA). The WRDA authorizes important water resource studies and provides critical federal funding that Southwest Florida needs to adequately protect its’ vital natural resources. It is my great desire that the WRDA is authorized soon and that our federal government expends all resources available to combat the climate change crisis we face today.”

The Republicans

Two Republicans responded.

Darren Aquino:

04-12-20 Darren Aquino “The Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) of 2018 clearly stated that the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) Storage Reservoir is part of the Central Everglades PLanning Project. However, the Army Corps of Engineers’ bureaucracy still designated this as a ‘new start,’ thus delaying the needed project that would have otherwise been completed in time and under budget. As your congressman, I will help diminish this act by the Army Corps. Furthemore, as your congressman, I will continue to support additional WRDAs that will provide needed insight and projects to aid water management and precision water ecosystems in Southwest Florida. We must stop the ‘Red tide’ and do everything in our power to do so. Republicans are the only ones who protect the environment. If you take a look at liberal communist China, they are destroying the environment every day. The Democrats and the Communists want to ruin God’s creations. It’s why they haven’t done anything when it comes to the environment in well over 40 years, and the first environmental efforts were done by Republicans. The Democrats and communists view environmental policy as punishing businesses and blue collar Americans, while ignoring the root of the cause. They have a deep hatred for America and our institutions.”

Casey Askar:

03-27-20 Casey Askar

“Sustained funding. Once a project is authorized, there must be sustained funding for completing that project. Time is money, and when it comes to CERP, the longer it takes to build these projects, the more it costs—both in terms of money and the harm that results from these projects not being online. The State of Florida has a track record of building projects faster and cheaper than the federal government. CERP is a 50/50 partnership between the state and federal governments. If the state can do it faster and cheaper, Congress should be passing those dollars onto the state to carry out the federal responsibility and stretch federal taxpayer dollars farther than they are going now. And they could do that by a block grant process.”

Of the other candidates:

State Rep. Byron Donalds (R-80-Immokalee): No response
State Rep. Dane Eagle (R-77-Cape Coral): No response
Dr. William Figlesthaler, Republican: No response
Mayor Randy Henderson, Republican: No response
Daniel Kowal, Republican: No available e-mail address
Christy McLaughlin, Republican: No response
Dan Severson, Republican: No response
Antonio Dumornay, Independent: No available e-mail address

Conclusion: Doing the homework

Election campaigns have always had a strong element of the trivial: There are people who make up their minds on a candidate based on his five o’clock shadow—or lack of it; whether he can shoot a gun or not; whether or not she wears a pantsuit or the cut of her hair.

But America has seen how damaging making judgments on these superficialities can be. Electing someone to office without preparation, or background or, for that matter, interest in government and its operations, can literally result in death, as we’re seeing with the coronavirus pandemic response.

Sending a representative to Congress to work on behalf of this region should be based on the person’s knowledge of government, the issues and their proposed solutions and ideas. Candidates should do their homework before they run and be familiar with their district’s vital interests. In the case of Southwest Florida, that means balancing the needs of human habitation with preservation of the natural environment.

That’s the ideal, anyway. In the race for 19th Congressional District seat, it’s now clear that some candidates—or their campaign staffs—are willing to devote some time and attention to what they will actually be doing if they get to Washington.

Or, at the very least, they’re reading and answering their e-mails.

Liberty lives in light

US House passes $1.5T infrastructure bill; Rooney absent, Diaz-Balart, Steube oppose

US_Capitol_west_side 3-2-19

July 2, 2020 by David Silverberg

Yesterday, July 1, the US House of Representatives passed a $1.5 trillion new infrastructure investment bill by a vote of 233 to 188.

The Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act (House Resolution (HR) 2), generically known as the Moving Forward Act, would make investments in highways, transit, safety, research, clean energy and hazardous material safety, reauthorize numerous existing programs, create jobs and renew the nation’s infrastructure.

Of Southwest Florida’s congressional representatives, Rep. Francis Rooney (R-19-Fla.) was absent and Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25-Fla.) and Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.) voted against it.

House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-12-Fla.) stated the House had “taken a bold step to move America forward, as we deliver on our For The People promise to increase paychecks by rebuilding America with green, resilient, modern and job-creating infrastructure by passing HR 2, the Moving Forward Act.”

She called the bill “bold and transformational” and stated it would promote clean energy, create jobs and ensure provision of clean water while restoring existing American infrastructure.

In explaining his “nay” vote, Steube tweeted: “Congress has already gone trillions over budget and Speaker Pelosi won’t stop. HR 2 is just another expensive attempt to shove the Green New Deal through Congress. This legislation contains radical leftist provisions that will cost our country billions.”

The bill now goes to the Senate where Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said: “House Democrats appear addicted to pointless political theater. So naturally, this nonsense is not going anywhere in the Senate. It will just join the list of absurd House proposals that were only drawn up to show fealty to the radical left.”

Liberty lives in light

Sleaze, slime and slander: Southwest Florida’s summer in the swamp

06-29-20 Fig and Hurley NBC2

Dr. William Figlesthaler and Matthew Hurley in happier times. (Image: NBC2)

July 2, 2020 by David Silverberg

If you’ve been preoccupied with the resurgence of coronavirus in Florida, the breakdown of the state unemployment system, protests and reactions and the general collapse of civilization, you could be forgiven for overlooking the schemes and scandals of Southwest Florida’s local politics, of which there has been a bumper crop.

So here, for those who might have missed them and would like to catch up, is a roundup of some of the seamier stories that have burst on the airwaves and Internets this summer.

Figlesthaler’s news—fake and otherwise

This one belongs to political reporter Dave Elias of NBC2, who has been peeling back layers of denial and obfuscation toward something that may be much bigger and badder than first reported.

On June 22, Elias reported that Matthew Hurley, a campaign staffer with Dr. William Figlesthaler, a Republican congressional candidate in the 19th Congressional District, had been arrested for contempt of court charges in a business contract dispute unrelated to the campaign.

Figlesthaler denied that Hurley had been with the campaign. (“Local Congressional candidate denies affiliation with arrested man, despite contrary evidence.”) Hurley is also a partner in a political consulting firm—owned by his girlfriend, Rachel Schaff—called Southeastern Strategies that was hired by Figlesthaler (as confirmed by Federal Election Commission (FEC) financial reports).

Figlesthaler didn’t just deny that Hurley was with his campaign, he went all-Trump on Elias and the story. In a statement, he claimed to be “the overwhelming front runners (sic) in the race” (absolutely not true), accused NBC2 of being “fake news media [that] utilized lies and distortions to attack our campaign and promote their anti-Conservative, anti-Trump, anti-America message,” (that honor belongs only to The Paradise Progressive) and accused Elias of being “a long-time liberal activist, open borders proponent, and self-proclaimed Never Trumper” who attacks “real America First Conservatives” (totally untrue).

But the real essence of Figlesthaler’s attack and the person against whom he leveled real accusations was one of Elias’ on-air sources, a woman named JoAnn Debartolo.

“Elias’ only so-called ‘source’ in his hit piece was well known political extortionist JoAnn Debartolo,” Figlesthaler stated. “JoAnn has for years preyed on independently wealthy individuals to pay her personal bills and mortgage. In March of 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, JoAnn attempted to extort my campaign for more than $50,000 in cash. When I refused to pay her, she quickly aligned with one of my deep-pocketed opponents in an attempt to spread lies about our campaign.”

Debartolo is a long-time Collier County Republican activist who was approached to join Figlesthaler’s campaign and turned him down—and provided Elias with the proposed contract to prove it.

06-29-20 Roger Stone endorsement YouTube — Roger Stone endorses JoAnn Debartolo. (Image: YouTube)

(Debartolo is on this year’s Republican Party primary ballot for the position of state committeewoman. On June 20, Roger Stone—yes, that Roger Stone—endorsed Debartalo as a “conservative Trump supporter” over her opponent in a 41-second YouTube video.)

Elias followed up his first story the next day, June 23, with one that provided even more evidence of Hurley’s relationship to the campaign: “Congressional candidate claims coverage of campaign member is ‘fake news’ despite piles of evidence.”

The story featured statements by competing Republican candidates Darren Aquino, Christy McLaughlin, Casey Askar and state Rep. Dane Eagle (R-77-Cape Coral) attesting that they were all approached by Hurley on behalf of Figlesthaler’s campaign—either in Hurley’s capacity as a campaign worker or in an effort to get them to drop out (Aquino).

Elias’ report also revealed that: “Lawsuits show Hurley owes thousands of dollars in civil lawsuits and has not paid them. A judge has ordered them paid and an arrest document lists Figlesthaler’s campaign as a possible employer to garnish wages.”

As of this writing, there have been no further reports by Elias on the Figlesthaler-Hurley relationship. However, Elias had solid evidence for all his reporting and his work to date seems to hint at something deeper.

At the very least, Figlesthaler’s Trump-like reactions of blame, denial and accusation to the stories indicate the kind of congressman he would be if elected to represent Southwest Florida in the House of Representatives—and he’s running on a “drain the swamp” platform, no less.

Much more is likely to come on this story. Stay tuned!

The origins of Askar’s millions

In the 19th Congressional District race, businessman Casey Askar rocketed to the front of the Republican pack on the strength of a $3 million personal loan to his campaign.

But now it appears that $3 million may not have come out of his own pocket.

In a June 9 article, “Complaint alleges Casey Askar bankrolled with improper loan,” in Florida Politics, reporter Jacob Ogles detailed a FEC complaint alleging that Askar’s $3 million was actually a sweetheart, interest-free loan from Northern Bank and Trust.

The complaint was filed by Stan Carter, a conservative activist in St. James City (on the southern tip of Pine Island, in the 19th Congressional District). Carter told the FEC that the loan “reeks of fraud to the highest degree.”

While ostensibly a business loan made to several individuals, Carter suggested that it was really a personal loan by the bank’s president to Askar.

Kristin Davison, a consultant with the Askar campaign, told Ogles that the loan came from a line of credit Askar had through Northern Trust for years. Money was drawn from the account before Askar filed for Congress and he then loaned it to the campaign.

“The bank didn’t loan money to the campaign,” she said. “Casey has a line of credit. Those are his personal funds.”

The fact that the original business loan was made to several individuals meant that the money was not Askar’s alone to lend to his campaign, thus violating campaign finance rules, according to Carter.

“Of course, banks are conscious of the stringent regulations surrounding campaign finance, and they would be all the more conscious of those regulations when lending a figure as large as $3,000,000,” Carter wrote. “However, Northern Bank & Trust Company blatantly ignored these regulations. Why? Because Kousay ‘Casey’ Askar conspired with the President & CEO of Northern Bank & Trust Company, James Mawn, to receive the fraudulent loan.”

As Ogles put it in his article: “The FEC complaint itself focuses on Askar’s loan, suggesting a bank with no personal ties to Askar would never grant such a low-risk deal to a first-time political candidate and saying the way the money was directed into the campaign account was unlawful.”

Northern Bank & Trust did not return Ogles’ calls before the article’s publication.

In response to a question from The Paradise Progressive, a FEC official confirmed that the complaint had been received at the federal agency but FEC rules prohibited her from providing further details of the proceeding.

Carter’s complaint did highlight something that is now being used against Askar by his Republican opponents: his Iraqi immigrant origins and the fact that his birth name was Qusay (قصي or Kousay, as his critics prefer to spell it). Askar seems to be hitting back with a new video ad that again focuses on his faith and immigrant roots—and allegiance to Trump—called “Time to fight back.” It takes aim at the usual liberal targets—but also, it seems, his Republican tormentors.

Heather’s horror

No sooner had state Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen (R-78-Fort Myers) abandoned her quest for the 19th Congressional District House seat and staked a claim on the state Senate seat representing the 27th District (basically, Lee County) than her opponents opened up with all guns blazing.

Her bid outraged fellow Republicans in the Florida Senate, who didn’t want her in a primary race against a fellow Republican, didn’t like her political moderation and thought she was too cozy with a powerful Democratic lawmaker.

The result was a 30-second TV ad whose female narrator intones: “Planned Parenthood’s favorite politician? Nancy Pelosi? Nope, Heather Fitzenhagen.” As this is said, Pelosi’s face morphs into Fitzenhagen’s. The ad attacks Fitzenhagen for a variety of conservative heresies like opposing Trump and being liberal but most particularly her stance on choice.

06-29-20 Pelosi morph 1

06-29-20 Pelosi morph 2

The metamorphosis of Heather Fitzenhagen, according to the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. (Images: FRSCC)

Produced by Isaac Communications of Jacksonville, the ad is sponsored by the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, which urges viewers to vote for Fitzenhagen’s primary opponent: State Rep. Ray Rodrigues (R-76-Sanibel, Pine Island, Fort Myers Beach, Bonita Springs). It’s also supported by state Sens. Debbie Mayfield (R-17) and Gayle Harrell, (R-83), all of whom approved it, as it says in the fine print at the end.

Whenever the ad runs on local television stations it’s paired with a 30-second pro-Rodrigues ad that touts his conservative credentials.

Despite the vitriol, an internal poll by the Fitzenhagen campaign showed her leading Rodrigues by 10 points, according to a June 22 Florida Politics article by Ogles: “Internal poll shows Heather Fitzenhagen with a double-digit lead on Ray Rodrigues.”

Of course there is a Democratic alternative to the 27th Senate District Republicans: Democrat Rachel Brown, a Naples native. And running for the seat Rodrigues is vacating is Democrat Anselm Weber. Both first-time candidates are campaigning as progressives trying to bring change to Southwest Florida.

Ogles reported on June 16 that state Sen. Gary Farmer (D-34) representing eastern Broward County, urged Brown not to run so that Democrats could vote in an open Republican primary and elect the more moderate Fitzenhagen. However, Brown refused.

“How can I tell people I’ve marched with that I changed my mind, I’m not going to run, and they should go vote for a mediocre Republican instead who’s just going to take their taxes and use it for corporate handouts?” Brown told Ogles. “And how can I take a backroom deal that represents the behavior I’m fighting to end?”

Democrats Rachel Brown and Anselm Weber. (Photo: The Daily Kos)

McCarthyism makes a comeback

In case you didn’t enjoy the first round of McCarthyism when Sen. Joe Mc

07-01-20 Joseph_McCarthy — Sen. Joseph McCarthy

Carthy (R-Wis.) was active in the 1950s, or if you missed it entirely (like this author) you have a second chance to see it right here in Southwest Florida.

That’s because Darren Aquino, a retired actor formerly of New York and now a Republican congressional candidate, is raising the old “Communist” canard—and like McCarthy, is doing so without any basis in fact, evidence or truth.

Aquino’s far fringe campaign consists almost entirely of tweets leveling insults and spitting hate against everyone around him. He calls Casey Askar a “snake” because he’s an immigrant and not a “natural-born citizen” and Aquino wants to make immigrants ineligible to serve in Congress. He also thinks America is headed for civil war and it’s time to pick a side. He despises refugees, Democrats, and other fellow Republicans (he calls Dane Eagle a Republican in Name Only and Sen.Marco Rubio a Never-Trumper, etc.) He even wants Bubba Wallace thrown out of NASCAR. And, of course, WINK News is fake news in his eyes.

06-11-20 Darren Aquino — Darren Aquino (Image: WINK News)

But Aquino’s “communist” attack was leveled against Democratic congressional candidate Cindy Banyai, whom he first called a “socialist” but then decided to change into “communist” after she called for removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in downtown Fort Myers.

Aquino’s hysteria would be laughable on the face of it but on June 23 he went on to call for Florida Gulf Coast University to fire Banyai as an adjunct professor because of her views.

The attack is reminiscent of Joe McCarthy’s baseless personal smears and the professional price people paid when targeted by him and his assistant Roy Cohn. Aquino is the only SWFL candidate in any race who is attacking another candidate’s livelihood.

At the moment there’s no indication that anyone—including FGCU—is taking Aquino seriously.

Aquino’s bitter McCarthyist revival seems destined to end up in the dustbin of history. As Karl Marx once pointed out, history sometimes happens twice: “the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.”

Liberty lives in light

US House votes to enhance healthcare in defiance of Trump; Rooney absent, Diaz-Balart, Steube oppose

US_Capitol_west_side 3-2-19

June 30, 2020 by David Silverberg.

Yesterday, June 29, by a vote of 234 to 179, the US House of Representatives passed House Resolution (HR) 1425, expanding and enhancing the Affordable Care Act, generically referred to as Obamacare.

Of Southwest Florida’s representatives, Rep. Francis Rooney (R-19-Fla.) was absent, while Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25-Fla.) and Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.) opposed the measure.

The bill, informally called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, built on legislation introduced in February that increased subsidies to help people afford healthcare. Under the bill, individual Obamacare recipients would see their premiums go down. The bill also increases funding for Medicaid expansion and requires the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices, reducing them for individual users.

The bill was a House response to the administration’s renewed attempt to kill Obamacare by filing a brief against it in the Supreme Court on Thursday, June 25, at the direction of President Donald Trump.

“You would think that in the middle of a pandemic the President of the United States would uphold the law instead of going to overturn the law, which provides affordable care to so many millions in our country. ” House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-12-Calif.) said in a CNN interview. “So, as we are enhancing the Affordable Care Act, the President is overturning it, at a time when we have over 125,000 Americans who have died from the pandemic, and the President is overturning one of their lifelines.”

None of the Southwest Florida representatives issued statements explaining their actions.

The bill now goes to the Republican-dominated Senate where it is not expected to be passed and may not be considered.

Liberty lives in light

US House passes police reform bill; Rooney absent, Diaz-Balart, Steube oppose

US_Capitol_west_side 3-2-19

June 26, 2020 by David Silverberg.

Last night, June 25, the US House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 (House Resolution (HR) 7120) by a vote of 236 to 181.

Of Southwest Florida’s representatives, Rep. Francis Rooney (R-19-Fla.) was absent and Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25-Fla.) and Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.) voted against it.

HR 7120 makes a variety of reforms to police practices in the wake of the death of George Floyd. These include increasing accountability for police misconduct; making police data more accessible and transparent and eliminating discriminatory police practices. Police will have lower thresholds for misconduct, less qualified immunity and a national registry will track complaints and records of police misconduct.

During the debate on HR 7120, Steube, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, spoke against the measure, saying “this is nothing more than an outburst of political emotion and a willingness to take advantage of civil unrest.” He argued that the bill “promotes anarchy and puts our law enforcement officers’ lives on the line.” (Steube’s full statement is below.)

Diaz-Balart also denounced the measure, tweeting that: “Meaningful & real police reform will require work & negotiation from both sides of the aisle. The bill presented today by House Leadership is yet another messaging tactic that actually puts our police officers & community at risk & fails to include any bipartisan provisions.” He added that senators were willing to amend their Republican bill to accommodate Democratic changes but Democratic senators were unwilling to allow it to come to a vote.

The House bill will now go to the Senate, where Senate Republicans drafted their own reform bill. However, Republicans needed 60 votes to proceed with debate on that bill and lost a procedural vote by 55 to 45 votes, effectively killing it.

In an interview with National Public Radio, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that the Republican bill “was so deeply flawed that it was not fixable, even if they let us have a few amendments, and McConnell did not promise that we would get amendments. No Democrat was going to vote for it.”

Analysts do not expect HR 7120 to make any progress in the Senate, leaving police reform uncertain and deadlocked in Congress, with both sides blaming the other for the lack of movement.

Full statement of Rep. Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.) on HR 7120.

“Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Today, I rise in opposition to this bill and House Democrats’ completely partisan attempt at actual law enforcement reform. They call it the ‘Justice’ in Policing Act, but this legislation would not achieve justice for anyone.

Instead, it would promote anarchy and put our law enforcement officers’ lives at risk. It would end legal protection for our officers who actually follow their training and protocol. It would take essential weapons and protective equipment away from police. In a time like today, where law enforcement officers are ambushed and targeted just because of their profession we are going to take away their ability to receive protective equipment.

So not only do the Democrats want to take away an officer’s legal protection if they follow their training and protocol, then they want to take away their protective vests, protective shields and protective vehicles they get in Military transfers that physically protect our officers from bullets. None of which have anything to do with George Floyd’s death. How does this make any sense? I can tell you it doesn’t make much sense to the mass majority of Americans who trust that someone will be there when they call 9-1-1.

This legislation comes from the same party who has been calling to defund the police. Members of this very body have called to defund our police officers and our police departments. I have to ask my colleagues how they think that would help?

Defunding the police won’t solve any problems and only poses an extraordinary risk to our citizens who depend on society’s most basic governmental service of protecting life and property. This is nothing more than an outburst of political emotion and a willingness to take advantage of civil unrest.

And civil unrest – this civil unrest – is not constructive, it is anarchy. It also does not take into account the hundreds of thousands of good police officers risking everything to keep us safe. Officers Julian Keen, Jr. from my State of Florida. Unfortunately, you’ll never hear about the tragic death of this black officer in the mainstream media. It doesn’t fit the left’s narrative so they will ignore it. However, in Florida we will never forget Officer Keen, who was laid to rest this week, and the positive influence he had on our community. And after the criminal who killed him found out that he was a police officer in plain clothes, pulled out a gun and killed him.

So, it begs the question: who is really responsible for the flaws in law enforcement protocols?

All of these departments with all of these problems and issues are all run by Democratic commissions, and Democratic city councils. This is not a federal issue, this is a Minneapolis police issue or an Atlanta police issue, or a Ferguson issue, or a Chicago issue, where just this past weekend, they had one of the most violent weekends over Father’s day weekend. This is an issue with democratic leadership in these cities who have failed to keep up with standards training and protocol, some of these departments have training standards dating back to the 80s. Why, you ask?Because their democratic leadership has failed to make necessary reforms in their departments. And now it’s the federal government’s role to ‘police’ local police departments run by a Democratic city council or commission? Will those commissions and leaders ever be held accountable?

Everyone in this chamber wants justice for George Floyd and his family. And they will get that, in a court of law, where justice belongs. If the Democratic majority truly wants to reform our police departments and If they truly want to fix the problems, then the focus should be on the agencies with the problems and their leadership. Not passing a progressive messaging bill in an election year that you know has no chance at becoming law.

This legislation doesn’t get justice for anyone. Instead, it fails to address the real underlying problems while attempting to vilify our law enforcement officers. It won’t go anywhere in the Senate and it certainly won’t go to the President’s desk. So, let’s call it what it is: a political messaging bill. The longer we spend on this, the more time we waste in working on tangible solutions. Time to put politics aside and work on real solutions where the problems actually are located.

And I yield back.”

Liberty lives in light

Representatives, activists, call to protect Florida from offshore oil drilling; endorse Biden position

Participants in today’s Zoom press conference. (Image: Author)

June 25, 2020 by David Silverberg.

Florida members of the House of Representatives and grassroots activists today called on the state’s senators to work for passage of legislation protecting the state from offshore oil drilling.

Reps. Francis Rooney (R-19-Fla.), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-26-Fla.), Emma Haydocy, director of Florida Bay Forever, a Keys-based environmental activist group, and Daniel Andrews, executive director of Captains for Clean Water, a water purity advocacy group, made the call in a Zoom press conference.

All endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden’s call for no new offshore drilling.

“At least in Florida, where we have a pristine environment, yes,” said Rooney in response to a question on Biden’s position.

The legislation the group supports is the Protecting and Securing Florida’s Coastline Act of 2019 (House Resolution (HR) 205)), introduced by Rooney, passed in the House and currently in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (For a full account of the legislation and the issue see “Trump, Biden and Florida’s Gulf shore oil war.”)

All the speakers warned of the danger to Florida of offshore oil exploitation.

“It’s impossible to guarantee spill-free offshore drilling,” said Rooney, who noted that he had been on the board of an offshore drilling company and had worked as a contractor on one the largest offshore oil platforms.

“Anything that’s going to spill [in the Gulf of Mexico] is going to cover Florida,” he said, citing the Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010 and others since. “We can’t have the threat or even the potential threat against Florida.” He added that even the oil industry recognizes the danger presented by offshore drilling and the Shell Oil Company recently downsized a planned drilling platform by 90 percent.

The opposition to offshore oil drilling includes the US Defense Department and other members of Congress representing states with the potential for offshore drilling, according to Rooney.

Rooney recalled that when Ryan Zinke was Interior Department secretary (March 1, 2017 to January 2, 2019) he came to a meeting of members of Congress called by House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-23-Calif.). At the time, Zinke had declared that Florida—and Florida alone—was protected from offshore oil drilling. Representatives from other states complained and asked why Florida was exempted. “We just got there first,” said Rooney.

(According to a July 16, 2019 report from the US House Natural Resources Committee, the Florida exemption was established to aid then-Gov. Rick Scott’s Senate bid.)

On May 29 The Paradise Progressive posed questions to Florida Republican senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio asking whether they had taken any actions to support or advance HR 205 in the Senate.

No answer has been received to date.

Liberty lives in light

Paranoiapalooza: SWFL’s Republican video wars

Dane Eagle takes aim in his latest campaign video. (Image: Dane Eagle for Congress)

June 24, 2020 by David Silverberg.

Antifa, rampaging Democrats and George Soros are banging at the gates, defiling churches and about to murder you in your bed—right here in Southwest Florida, this hotbed of anarchy and insurrection.

That, at least, is the impression three local Republican congressional candidates are creating with a blitz of videos released over the past two weeks by their campaigns.

The videos are now on the Internet, and while they haven’t yet been broadcast on local television, they may soon be.

All were clearly made during the initial days of outrage over the murder of George Floyd. All reflect President Donald Trump’s initial characterizations of the resulting protests.

Each is also in competition with the other, intended to differentiate its candidate from the nine candidates running for the seat of retiring Republican Rep. Francis Rooney in the 19th Congressional District, the coastal area from Cape Coral to Marco Island.

Most of all, each video attempts to one-up the other, each displaying a mounting sense of extremism, hysteria and paranoia.

Casey Askar and “Home of the Brave”

Casey Askar in his June 12 video. (Image: Casey Askar for Congress)

Casey Askar started the stampede on June 12 with his 30-second video called, “Home of the Brave.”

It’s narrated by Askar, who intones over a variety of visuals: “Our president is under attack from the media, government bureaucrats and radical socialists and violent anarchists. They’re desperate to destroy him because in spite of all their lies and conspiracies, lockdowns and riots, President Trump is fighting to keep America the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Askar then appears and says he’s running for Congress “to stand with President Donald Trump” and pledges to “always have the president’s back.”

William Figlesthaler gives his all

Dr. William Figlesthaler calls the Democratic Party “a criminal enterprise.” (Image: Figlesthaler for Congress)

Apparently worried that he’d be left behind as a Trump defender, on June 14 Figlesthaler issued his latest 30-second spot. Titled “Everything I’ve got,” it tries to go at least one level better—or lower—than Askar’s ad.

After introducing himself, Figlesthaler says “America is “at its greatest crossroads yet,” over visuals of House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-12-Calif.) ripping up Trump’s State of the Union speech.

Against a backdrop of rioting and burning buildings Figlesthaler continues: “The Democrat Party has transformed into a criminal enterprise that is destroying our country from within: trampling the Constitution, defunding our first responders and wreaking havoc on our churches and businesses.”

It’s not the time to send “weak leaders to Washington,” he says, and he’ll fight “the radical left” with “everything I’ve got—you can count on it.”

The video gives off a whiff of desperation; Figlesthaler seems not only committing to the political fight but committing to continue what appears to be a faltering political campaign right up to the end.

Dane Eagle on the firing line

Dane Eagle is ready to take his shot. (Image: Dane Eagle for Congress)

On June 18, state Rep. Dane Eagle (R-77-Cape Coral) entered the fray with his own march to the margins, a 1-minute video called “Stop Antifa.”

“Antifa terrorists have declared war on our country,” he declares. “They’re killing our police, looting our businesses, assaulting the elderly and burning our churches. To make matters worse, the Democrats are doing nothing to stop them. In fact, they’re doing just the opposite: Biden and Hollywood elites are bailing the terrorists out of jail. AOC and the squad are organizing the riots, and Nancy Pelosi is cheering them on.”

Eagle then introduces himself and says that he’s running for Congress “because we cannot continue to let the radical left continue to destroy our country.” He wants law and order, arrests of all Antifa terrorists, investigations of those who are funding them (with a picture of George Soros) and their sympathizers voted out of office (with a picture of a laughing Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi).

“If we do not do that, everything we love about America is at risk: our freedoms, our jobs, our safety—all of that—is at stake. I’m Dane Eagle and I approved this message,” he says amidst swelling music. Wearing ear and eye coverings, he then turns down a shooting range and squeezes off three shots from a pistol. The visual ends before the viewer can see the target or his marksmanship.

Analysis: Firing their shots

On the one hand, any thinking person might laugh off this kind of exaggeration as the hyperbole of a campaign season. To the best of anyone’s ability to determine, there’s no Antifa in Southwest Florida (at least none that’s been publicly identified), there’s been none of the isolated destruction that plagued early protests elsewhere and the initial outrage over the death of George Floyd is calming as serious people get to work on serious reforms.

Of course, that’s not what prompted these videos. There’s a strong element of one-upsmanship as each candidate tries to appeal to a very small base of likely Republican primary voters.

But they’re doing it by stoking paranoia and “hatred, prejudice and rage,” to use Donald Trump’s own words.

It’s also interesting that only Askar mentions Trump in his video. The other two mainly lash out at perceived enemies.

Of the three, the Eagle video is the most problematic because it literally ends with gunfire.

There are several elements at work here. One is that Eagle has had a gun problem since he announced his run for Congress in October of last year. Since he served as the Florida state House Majority Leader, he is blamed by pro-gun advocates for the gun restriction reforms passed in Florida in the wake of the Parkland mass shooting in 2018. He takes continuous fire from the right for passage of these reforms. He has been accused of bowing to former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s push for gun violence reform and by implication taking his money.

As a result, he’s made a point of his support for gun ownership and always includes gunfire in his videos.

In his first, announcement video, the gunfire is peripheral and mentioned in passing.

Opening up with an automatic weapon in Dane Eagle’s first announcement video. (Image: Dane Eagle for Congress)

But in his current video the hysteria builds to a crescendo and then Eagle blasts away. A clear inference can be made that he’s encouraging the shooting of the enemies he’s identified: protesters, Democrats and phantom terrorists. Nor is it a great leap of imagination to envision some impressionable souls following his example—except not on a gun range but at demonstrators or on a street.

Aside from this video’s potential incitement to gun violence, Eagle runs the risk of civil or criminal liability as an accessory before the fact if there’s a politically motivated shooting anywhere in Southwest Florida. It wouldn’t take much for a prosecutor or plaintiff to connect to Eagle if a perpetrator’s viewing of the video can be established.

This liability could also extend to local television stations should they run the video as a broadcast commercial. It might be a wise course for them to reject any such advertisement if offered.

Ultimately, all these videos and the entire tenor of the Republican primary campaign to date reflect the erosion of a common language for civilized political dialogue. This can entirely be laid at the feet of Donald Trump’s absolutist, brutalist, win-at-all-costs, demonizing, denigrating approach to politics. We see it at the national level and now we’re seeing it in Southwest Florida.

Of course, the ultimate outcome of this turkey shoot will arrive on Primary Election Day, Aug. 18.

Hopefully we can all get there without anyone being shot.

Liberty lives in light

SWFL State of Play Today: Holden reveals endorsements; Banyai launches video

June 22, 2020 by David Silverberg

04-16-20 David Holden cropped — David Holden

Democratic congressional candidate David Holden has revealed a slew of Democratic endorsements in the primary race for the Florida 19th Congressional District race, according to a Holden campaign press release.

The endorsements include Javier Estevez, Democratic candidate running for Florida House District 105 (interior Collier and Miami-Dade counties) and Sara McFadden, Democratic candidate in Florida House District 106 (coastal Collier County).

Todd Truax, Holden’s rival in the 2018 congressional primary race, is now running for the Lee County Board of Commissioners District 3 (southern Lee County). Holden has endorsed Truax’s bid.

Holden also announced endorsements from two community activists: W. Earl Sparrow Jr., a community organizer in Lee County; and Crystal Johnson, president of the Community Forum Foundation, a Fort Myers-based non-profit foundation helping children and families.

Banyai drops new video

A scene in Cindy Banyai’s new video. (Image: Banyai for Congress Campaign)

Cindy Banyai, a Democratic candidate in the 19th Congressional District, unveiled a new campaign video and advertisement on June 17.

The 1-minute, 6-second video, titled “Our Community,” introduces Banyai and touts her community commitment, family ties and intention “to bring the voice of the people of Southwest Florida” to Washington, DC.

Asked about his campaign’s plans for video ads, Holden told The Paradise Progressive that he intends to release ads following the Aug. 18 primary.

Coming soon: Paranoiapalooza