The Donalds Dossier: Insurance, water and the power of PACs

*Water and insurance: the bane of Florida homeowners.*

May 5, 2024 by David Silverberg

Southwest Floridians know that their region is in the midst of a property insurance crisis and faces long-term water issues.

Insurance companies have left the state, people are having difficulty insuring their homes, and rates are skyrocketing. Much of the crisis is caused by repeated hurricanes devastating the area—and a new and potentially disastrous hurricane season looms.

The water issue is simply ensuring that safe, clean, unpolluted water is available to sustain life in the region.

Right now the water issue has reached a new inflection point. There’s a battle between the big sugar companies of Florida’s interior and environmental groups on the Gulf coast like Captains for Clean Water over how to use the water in a major reservoir.

In the midst of these existential problems, one might expect the congressman representing the area, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.) to be actively engaged on behalf of the people of his district, roughly the coastal area from Cape Coral to Marco Island.

However, an examination of the political action committees (PACs) contributing to his campaign reveal the heavy presence of Big Insurance and Big Sugar. It means he’s beholden to these industries financially and less likely to intervene when there’s a conflict between the interests of the companies and those of his constituents.

Which PACs have purchased a piece of Donalds? Their contributions are revealed in filings with the Federal Election Committee (FEC). While these contributions are legal and properly filed, they do reveal patterns of influence that explain Donalds’ handling—or neglect—of key issues vitally affecting Southwest Florida.

As it has since Donalds boasted that “the PACs didn’t get me elected” in 2021, The Paradise Progressive has issued periodic reports on his PAC support.

The issues go well beyond just insurance and sugar. PAC donations reveal a full spectrum of businesses and industries seeking to influence the congressman.

It needs to be stressed that none of this reporting alleges illegality or wrongdoing since these filings are in keeping with federal law. Also, to be compliant, none of these contributions are supposed to be given in exchange for a definite quid pro quo, a specific official action in return for a specific contribution. However, as will be seen, in one case contributions did perhaps “inspire” a very specific legislative initiative.

Big insurance

Donalds has a longstanding relationship with the insurance industry.

In the past session he sat on the House Small Business’ Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee, which oversaw regulations that included the heavily regulated insurance industry.

In this session he sits on the House Oversight and Accountability’s Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee.

On this committee he mainly used his position to bash the Biden administration for a wide variety of reasons, including many related to Hunter Biden and to pursue a presidential impeachment, which went nowhere. However, given the subcommittee involvement in regulatory affairs, it’s no surprise that the insurance industry saw fit to invest in his campaign in this cycle.

Some 16 insurance industry PACs contributed a total of $94,000 to the Donalds campaign in 2023. In the first quarter of 2024 he added $4,000 from the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, Inc., PAC and $7,000 from the State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Federal PAC.

The other insurance industry PACs contributing are (in alphabetical order): American Council of Life Insurers PAC; American Property Casualty Insurance Association PAC; Enact Holdings, Inc. PAC; Liberty Mutual Insurance Company – PAC; Metlife Inc. Employees’ Political Participation Fund A; Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation PAC; National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors PAC; National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies PAC; New York Life Insurance Company PAC; Protective Life Corporation Federal PAC; State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Federal PAC; The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers PAC; The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. Federal PAC; and the Wholesale and Specialty Insurance Association PAC.

The bottom line conclusion from all this is that in any conflict between constituents and insurance companies, Donalds is very beholden to the insurance industry and very unlikely to contradict the industry’s interests.

Big sugar and bad water

In Southwest Florida the sugar industry has a major presence. It has always been deeply involved in the legislative process either to maintain federal sugar subsidies or to fend off restrictive legislation.

The industry has also been accused in the past of contributing to the pollution of Lake Okeechobee, a charge the companies have vehemently denied. When released, polluted water from the lake flows down the Caloosahatchee River through Fort Myers, contributing to the growth of blue-green algae, threatening the health of both people and wildlife. The companies have denied causing the pollution and argued that they follow environmentally responsible practices.

However, right now a new battle has broken out.

Sugar companies are suing the US Army Corps of Engineers to access water from the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) reservoir rather than allow it to purify before flowing south into the Everglades and to the coast.

Environmental organizations like Captains for Clean Water are petitioning the sugar companies US Sugar Corp, Florida Crystals and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida to drop the lawsuit. If the lawsuit succeeds, according to the organization, the sugar companies will hoard the water at the expense of all other water users, change the purpose of the reservoir and could use it for their own purposes, polluting it. It could lead to events like the Big Bloom of 2018 when Southwest Florida was hit by both red tide and blue-green toxic algae blooms at the same time.

Donalds has been a major recipient of the sugar PACs’ largesse. In 2023 seven sugar industry PACs contributed a total of $11,000 to Donalds’ campaign. They were: the American Crystal Sugar Company PAC ($5,000), Amalgamated Sugar Company PAC ($1,500), the American Sugar Cane League of USA Inc. PAC ($1,000), the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative Sugar PAC ($1,000), the Western Sugar Cooperative PAC ($1,000), Florida Sugar Cane League PAC ($1,000), and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida PAC ($500).

Big finance, big banking and big tech

In 2023, after the insurance industry, the next largest contribution, $70,000, was donated by 24 financial services PACs.

This was followed by 18 banking PACs contributing a total of $67,000.

Donalds’ seat on the Digital Assets subcommittee has also made him a magnet for big technology contributions. Accordingly, in 2023 he received donations from the Microsoft Corporation Stakeholders Voluntary PAC ($3,000), Comcast Corporation and NBC Universal PAC – Federal ($2,500), Google LLC NetPAC ($2,000), Meta Platforms PAC (the company owning Facebook) ($1,000), AT&T Inc. Employee Federal PAC ($1,000), Verizon Communications, Inc., PAC ($1,000) and Charter Communications Inc., PAC ($2,500), a broadband connectivity and cable operating company.

In the first quarter of 2024, Donalds received $3,500 more from Comcast/Universal PAC, $578 from ROC Media LLC, a company that does targeted digital messaging based variously out of Sheridan, Wy., and the Virgin Islands, and $258 from Better Mousetrap Digital, a Vancouver, Canada-based digital marketing company.

Energy, nuclear and fossil

Examination of Donalds’ 2023 contributions reveals some differences from his 2022 cycle.

One of the most striking changes is in the energy sector.

For all of the Sunshine State’s sunshine—and its potential for solar power—Donalds has instead championed nuclear power.

According to Congress.gov, 14 of Donalds’ 53 bills (roughly 26 percent) in the current Congress related to the nuclear power industry, mostly deregulating it or in some way favoring it.

(A note on this: Congress.gov is the official count of the US Congress. It shows Donalds sponsoring 53 standalone bills, nine resolutions and four amendments, or 66 pieces of legislation altogether in the 118th Congress. Donalds’ office counts him as sponsoring 77 pieces of legislation.)

Donalds benefited from energy industry PACs and seven of them contributed a total of $25,500 in the 2024 cycle. Fossil fuel PACs included those from the companies Sinclair, Valero, Marathon and Exxon Mobile as well as NextEra Energy, a utility infrastructure company, and Duke Energy, an energy holding company. Also contributing was the overall trade group for fossil fuels, the American Fuels and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association PAC.

While the fossil fuel companies have all diversified their energy sources in past years, it is interesting to note that the premier nuclear industry PAC, the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Federal PAC, did not make a contribution, which an observer might otherwise expect. Of course, that could change during the course of this year’s campaign.

Ideological PACs

In addition to industry PACs, Donalds received a variety of contributions from fellow members of Congress and ideologically-driven organizations.

In 2023 these included the Eye of the Tiger PAC run by House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-1-La.), which contributed $5,000 to Donalds’ campaign. The Scalise for Congress committee also contributed $2,000.

The Let’s Get to Work PAC of Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) donated $5,000. Other members of Congress whose PACs have contributed include: Reps. Jim Jordan (R-4-Ohio) (Jim Jordan for Congress, $2,000); Jason Smith (R-8-Mo.) (Mr. Southern Missourian in the House PAC, $5,000); Patrick McHenry (R-10-NC) (Innovation PAC, $5,000); and John James (R-10-Mich.) (Mission First People Always PAC, $2,000). Former Wisconsin congressman and current Fox News commentator Sean Duffy (Duffy for Wisconsin) contributed $2,000.

In the first quarter of 2024, the Lean Forward America Fund, run by Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-38-Texas), another African American conservative member of Congress, contributed an unusually large $15,601.74 to Donalds’ campaign.

The curious case of the Kochs and Americans for Prosperity

When he first ran for Congress in 2020 Donalds was backed by Americans for Prosperity, an ideological PAC backed by the extremely conservative David and Charles Koch brothers of Wichita, Kansas. Its contributions put him over the finish line in both the primary and general elections in what was then a very tight race.

But Americans for Prosperity is missing from this cycle’s list of Donalds’ PAC donors. One reason for that may be Donalds’ embrace of earmarks, special appropriations requested by members of Congress for their districts.

Initially denounced by Republicans, Party members changed tack in 2022, embracing earmarks first with disgust and then enthusiastically when they won control of the House.

In the first year that earmarks were again permitted Donalds didn’t bother to request any for the 19th Congressional District, subjecting him to local criticism (“SWFL loses out on federal millions when Donalds won’t ask for cash”). He has changed that since then and now entertains requests from constituents.

But that may have alienated Americans for Prosperity, which has remained staunchly anti-earmark despite the Republican change of heart.

Another reason may be that the Koch brothers very publicly backed former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley for president and Donalds is an outspoken Trumper.

Whatever the reason, Americans for Prosperity were not among Donalds’ donors in this cycle.

However, the Koch Industries PAC remained a backer. It contributed a total of $4,000 in 2024 and $2,000 in 2023.

Analysis: The mother’s milk of politics

There has been money in politics going back to the days when Marcus Licinius Crassus bankrolled an aggressive young Roman politician named Julius Caesar.

It’s certainly nothing new. Money has been called the “mother’s milk of politics” and Byron Donalds certainly knows how to suck at that teat.

“Folks, I like money,” Donalds told the Conservative Political Action Committee on Feb. 25, 2022. “Can we be honest about this? I like money!”

Donalds may not be a productive lawmaker or an effective advocate for his Southwest Florida constituents but he is a relentless and persistent fundraiser.

His fundraising appeals have headlines like “Stopping the cheating Democrats dead in their tracks.” They feature statements like: “Next to Crooked Joe INTERFERING in the 2024 election, what’s the one common denominator across the Left’s many Witch Hunt [sic] against President Trump? SOROS. Soros-funded DAs, Soros-funded prosecutors – all accomplices to Crooked Joe’s attempt to DESTROY his chief political rival like a Third World Marxist.”

It’s shrill and extreme but it seems to work—and even if Donalds didn’t write this purple prose himself, it goes out under his name and with his approval.

Donalds enters his re-election campaign with a substantial war chest. According to the 2024 1st quarter filings, as of March 31 he had $3.2 million (or $3,249,767.73, to be exact) on hand. Of that, $2,259,178.60 came from individual contributions and of that roughly half, $1,166,795.32, came in donations under $200, so the donors don’t have to be individually reported. He has already spent $2.5 million ($2,571,446.38) on the campaign.

The PAC contributions are much more modest: a total of $371,134.15. But it’s the PAC contributions that reveal Donalds’ ties to the various industries and businesses that keep him in office.

And one case in particular reveals the connection between money and legislation and Byron Donalds.

The smokin’ stogey

The image of cigar-chomping politicians doing deals in reeking, smoke-filled back rooms with other puffing politicos is an old one.

But in the case of Donalds, when it comes to cigars, the scene is more literal.

Donalds is a fan of cigars. He even has a “cigar chair” in his Washington, DC office for the occasional smoke.

*Alex Lorusso, a conservative online journalist, works on an interview in Rep. Byron Donalds’ “cigar chair” in his Washington Office on Nov. 7, 2023. (Photo: Office of Rep. Donalds)*

But Donalds’ affinity for cigars goes well beyond simply smoking them—and illustrates the PAC-Congress connection.

Political contributions are supposed to be for general campaign purposes; they’re rarely tied to specific pieces of legislation or official actions—which if done improperly is illegal.

In the spring of 2023, Donalds received $5,000, the legal limit, from Swisher PAC, the political arm of Swisher International Inc., a tobacco company based in Jacksonville, Fla., which sells cigars among its many products. He also received $4,000 in two contributions from the Premium Cigar Association PAC, which represents high-end cigar and pipe tobacconists.

On Nov. 9, 2023 Donalds introduced House Joint Resolution (HJRes) 99 to “Amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to Exempt the Premium Cigar Industry from Certain Regulations.”

Under the bill a premium cigar would not be classified as a “tobacco product” and so would not be subject to regulations covering other tobacco products like cigarettes. These regulations include prohibiting sales of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21, marketing to children, selling fruit or candy-flavored products to entice underage children to smoke and making false or misleading claims that a tobacco product isn’t harmful.

The exemption has been the goal of the premium cigar industry for some time.

After introducing the bill, on Dec. 13 Donalds received an additional $1,000 from the Premium Cigar PAC.

Like the rest of Donalds’ legislative proposals, HJRes 99 hasn’t gone anywhere. It sits in the House Energy and Commerce’s health subcommittee, where it has remained since the day after it was introduced.

But it illustrates the relationship between PACs and members of Congress in general.

And in Donalds’ case that’s a pretty tight relationship.

*An archetypal scene of a smoke-filled room from the 1933 movie, The Invisible Man. (Image:Universal)*

Of historical note: This article marks the 500th post of The Paradise Progressive.

Liberty lives in light

Kari Lerner: The courage and conviction to serve in Congress

Kari Lerner (center) explains her positions to voters following a parade in Fort Myers. (Photo: Campaign)

March 3, 2024 by David Silverberg

It takes great courage to run for Congress as a Democrat in Florida’s 19th Congressional District, the coastal area from Cape Coral to Marco Island.

But Kari Lerner, chair of the Lee County Democratic Party, has that courage. And she’s facing a formidable incumbent in Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.).

“There was no way Byron Donalds would run unopposed on my watch,” she said in an interview with The Paradise Progressive. “I will tell you, in all sincerity, that I believe that a victory is improbable—but far from impossible.”

With that in mind, Lerner is collecting signatures to put herself on the ballot. She has until April 26 to turn in 5,491 signatures. Alternatively, she can pay a $10,440 fee to register as a candidate.

Her petition drive is well under way.

Ambition and vulnerability

Donalds, 45, has made a name for himself for the past four years as a very ambitious, very extreme Make America Great Again (MAGA) Trumper who is now hoping for a slot as former president Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate.

And that makes him vulnerable, in Lerner’s view.

“Byron Donalds is not well-liked,” she said. “He’s not done the job. He’s not brought resources to the majority of his constituents; he’s more interested in building his career than he is in serving and doing the job. I think it’s horrible.”

Indeed, in recent weeks, as the prospect of a Trump vice presidential pick has loomed, a stampede has been under way among Republican politicians to prove themselves ever more fanatical, ever more loyal and ever more fawning to gain his favor.

Donalds has been no slouch in this department, sending out reams of X messages (formerly tweets) and fundraising solicitations using ever more extreme rhetoric. Among many other appearances, he appeared on the mainstream NBC program Meet the Press on Feb. 25 to justify Trump remarks that many people found insulting to the black community.

But in his rush to curry Trump’s favor, Donalds has overlooked the district’s needs and issues and neglected to advance any legislation he introduced in Congress. It’s a pattern that has held throughout his two terms in office.

By contrast, Lerner, 64, has experience representing a district—and a Republican one at that.

From south to north

It was a journey to get to that point. She was raised in Cape Coral, where she graduated from Caloosa Middle School and Cypress Lake High School in Fort Myers. In an act of personal climate change, she then travelled to New Hampshire where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (summa cum laude) from Southern New Hampshire University.

In Chester, NH, she was elected Town Chair of the town’s Democrats and was active in local politics, which were even more heavily Republican than in Southwest Florida. She found a Democratic Party consisting of six people meeting in a public library and keeping the Party treasury in a shoebox. She built the local organization and increased attendance at meetings.

When a position opened up for state representative for District 4 she ran in a special election, won and then won the seat in a regular election. It was a milestone—she was only the second Democrat in 120 years to represent the district.

“I was able to represent the entire district, not just the special interests,” she said proudly.

She gained some legislative chops from the experience, co-sponsoring a landmark bill protecting children from underage marriage, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support.

After stints in a variety of jobs, including nine years as a substitute mathematics teacher in middle and high school, she moved back to Southwest Florida in 2019 to be with family and work as a realtor.

She also remained politically active, becoming chair of the Lee County Democratic Party.

In that capacity she began seeking people willing to run for the congressional seat but hit a surprising roadblock.

“It was my job to recruit candidates and I beat the bushes for a year and a half,” she recalled. “Most of the people I reached out to were attorneys. Most were concerned about their practices but not for the reasons you would think. They were concerned because the judges are all MAGA judges now and they’re concerned that their clients might not get fair trials. To a person that was the concern.”

What was more, they were concerned for the safety of their families. By contrast, “I don’t have children in the school system to be harassed and threatened,” Lerner noted. Her three adult children are pursuing their own careers.

Given that she was not going to allow Donalds to run unopposed, on Jan. 20 she announced her own candidacy.

But she was driven by more than just the need to oppose Donalds; there were important principles at stake.

“I’ve never been arrested or convicted of any crime,” she said, in pointed contrast to Donalds. “I believe in the rule of law. And I believe that we are more than the R or the D that is stamped on our foreheads, I believe that we are Americans first, and this divisiveness is weakening our country. Division is weakness, unity is strength and the world is watching as our house bickers relentlessly—about everything.”

She continued: “I will not refer to fellow Americans as vermin. Even those I disagree with, I am not going to call traitors.”

That said, her travels and interactions with voters have revealed some glaring deficiencies in Donalds’ representation of the district.

“The support of the voters has been overwhelming,” she recalled of the reactions to her own candidacy. “When I tell people I’m running against Byron Donalds the first response is always ‘someone needs to!’ I’m surprised at how many people who are not Democrats feel that way.”

She continued, “He envisions himself as the next governor of Florida. He’s not. We’re a stepping stone for him in his illustrious career. I think the people of Southwest Florida deserve more than to be a stepping stone. I think they deserve more than to be stepped upon.”

That was especially apparent in Donalds’ response to Hurricane Ian in 2022.

“That was when it became apparent that he does not understand the job,” she said. “When you’re a member of Congress, you do not need to be the one standing there handing out water for a photo op. You need to be in DC getting us the resources that we need. We needed gasoline, we needed propane, we needed communications, we needed that Ian disaster declaration that finally came through. Why weren’t they writing that the day after the storm? Why weren’t they looking to get us the resources that we needed?”

She recalled one woman on Fort Myers Beach who told her that Donalds appeared on her doorstep, apologized that she had been victimized by the storm, posed for a photograph to be published and then disappeared. Moreover, “That’s a common theme I hear from people.”

The experience has made her angry. “It’s the job of the representative to be the liaison between the district and the federal government” she emphasized. “Your number one priority is your district—it’s got to be the people in your district.”

Fighting for fundamentals

When it comes to issues, Lerner starts with fundamentals: a belief in putting the needs of people over that of personal ambition, acting independently for the sake of the district and upholding the rule of law and the Constitution.

She believes in personal autonomy in healthcare decisions, including the right to abortion. She’s a fierce defender of the right to vote and to give everyone eligible the opportunity to vote. Defense of the fundamental rights of freedom of worship, freedom of thought, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are cornerstones of her campaign.

She calls herself a woman of faith and is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, which she says drives her social and political impulse to do good, although she emphasizes that “I’m not here to shove any doctrine down anybody’s throat.”

There’s no doubt that she faces a long, hard struggle if she’s going to unseat Donalds.

Not only is the district 65 percent Republican based on voter registration, in the last quarter of 2023 the Federal Election Commission reported the Donalds campaign as having $2.3 million in receipts compared to just under $17,000 for Lerner. Donalds’ backers include political action committees representing big sugar, big oil and big finance, among many other industries.

Still, driven by her conscience, the needs of the district and the support of voters with whom she has talked, Lerner is undeterred.

She said that one of her strengths is the ability and determination to look ahead. “I think things through beyond what most people will,” she said. “I take things to their logical extreme, looking for unintended consequences, trying to understand origins. I think it’s important to think beyond the surface, to look beyond what’s easy because at the end of the day nothing is ever easy and if you go with what’s easy you don’t always get the best result.”

And there’s one other thing she brings to the table—what she calls her superpower. It has helped her throughout her life and brought her success in previous political battles.

And what might that be?

“My superpower,” she said with steely intensity, “is being underestimated.”

Liberty lives in light

The Donalds Dossier: How a shutdown threat hurts hurricane victims, SWFL and reveals legislative failures

*President Joe Biden surveys the damage from Hurricane Idalia during a visit to Live Oaks, Fla. (Image: CSPAN)*

Sept. 4, 2023 by David Silverberg

On Saturday, Sept. 2, President Joe Biden came to Live Oak, Fla., to see the damage from Hurricane Idalia for himself.

During a press conference, Biden was asked: “Are you confident there will be enough money to deal with the disaster and other disasters that have happened and will continue to happen around the country?”

Biden answered: “The answer is I am confident because I cannot imagine Congress saying, ‘We are not going to help.’ There are going to be fights about things that do not relate to this. But I think we will get through it, I cannot imagine people saying ‘No,’ they are not going to help.”

And yet there is a very significant faction in Congress saying exactly that.

The federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and this year, as in past years, the far right Freedom Caucus in the US House of Representatives is threatening to shut down the government if its policy demands aren’t met.

In an Aug. 21 statement, the Caucus listed their demands before approving government appropriations for the next fiscal year. They demanded that the United States vastly restrict border access and end “woke” policies of inclusion and non-discrimination in the military. But their truly significant demand was that Congress “address the unprecedented weaponization of the Justice Department and FBI to focus them on prosecuting real criminals instead of conducting political witch hunts and targeting law-abiding citizens;” i.e., stop investigating and prosecuting former President Donald Trump and other insurrectionists like fugitive Proud Boy Christopher Worrell of Naples.

If these demands are not met and the Freedom Caucus succeeds in stopping next year’s appropriations in any form, the government will stop functioning at midnight on Sept. 30. Critical services and functions will shut down. Most importantly, federal aid and assistance to people and communities suffering from natural disasters like Hurricane Idalia will suddenly stop at a time when need will still be extremely high.

Among the members of this extreme, Trumpist, invitation-only 45-member Caucus is Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.), who is ready, willing and eager to bring government to a halt. (Another member is Rep. Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.))

“I’m not afraid of shutdowns,” Donalds told Punchbowl News, a website that focuses on Washington news. “American life doesn’t halt because government offices are closed … We have to be serious about spending.”

As early as July 25 he told reporters “If it’s [a government shutdown] a requirement to break bad habits, so be it. And this town [Washington, DC] has a bad habits problem.”

Of course the people who would suffer to break these bad habits would not be in Washington, DC; they would be in Florida and in the places where they’re still recovering from the effects of the storm.

In a more immediate impact for his constituents, Donalds’ support for shutting down the government sabotages his own legislation, introduced early in the session, to help protect Southwest Florida from the effects of harmful algal blooms (HABs) even if there’s a government shutdown.

In fact, this contradiction brings to light Donalds’ legislative record in the current Congress, which is, to put it mildly, abysmal. He’s introduced 46 bills and then ignored them all.

Background to the blooms

The HABs bill has its origins in 2018’s massive and persistent red tide and blue-green algal blooms. Then-Rep. Francis Rooney, the Republican congressman who represented the 19th Congressional District covering the coastal area from Cape Coral to Marco Island, introduced two pieces of legislation.

One was the Harmful Algal Bloom Essential Forecasting Act. This bill ensured that federal agencies would monitor HABs even if there was a government shutdown. The agencies included the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science. Their monitoring enables local communities to prepare for bloom effects and warn residents of health and water hazards.

The other bill added HABs to the official roster of major disasters eligible for federal aid. The Protecting Local Communities from Harmful Algal Blooms Act consisted of a three-word amendment to The Robert T. Staff ord Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Under this, Southwest Florida businesses and residents would be eligible for a variety of federal support if businesses or livelihoods were damaged by a bloom just the same as if they were hit by a hurricane.

Neither bill made any progress during Rooney’s two terms in office, which ended in 2021.

This year Donalds reintroduced Rooney’s two previous pieces of legislation.

In January he introduced the Harmful Algal Bloom Essential Forecasting Act as House Resolution (HR) 325. In February he introduced the Combat Harmful Algal Blooms Act as HR 1008.

(Also in February he introduced a new water-related piece of legislation, the Water Quality and Environmental Innovation Act (HR 873). This established and funded a Water Quality and Environmental Innovation Fund that for five years would provide money to the Environmental Protection Agency to use advanced technologies to protect water quality. This proposal would also be sabotaged by a government shutdown.)

These bills directly benefited Southwest Florida. But none of them have made any progress after being introduced. In fact, of 46 bills he has introduced, he has not worked to advance any of them. None have made any progress at all.

To understand why this constitutes such a legislative failure, it helps to understand the legislative process.

Protocols and procedures

When a member of the House of Representatives introduces a stand-alone bill (one not attached to any other piece of legislation), the Speaker of the House (actually, his office) refers it to a committee for consideration.

Especially when a bill is of a technical or scientific nature, the committee chair usually refers it to a subcommittee handling specialized topics.

The subcommittee holds hearings, gets input from the public and listens to experts before recommending that the bill be considered by the full committee. The committee considers it, often does a “mark-up,” in which it is edited and revised, then votes whether to send it for consideration by the full House of Representatives.

If the bill gets to the floor and passes, it’s then sent to the Senate for consideration. If it passes the Senate in the same form as received from the House it then goes to the president’s desk for signature and implementation.

Any member of Congress can introduce a bill on any topic. But the art and craft of legislating is in moving a piece of legislation from introduction, through committee, to full passage—to say nothing of getting Senate approval and presidential signature. It’s an arduous process full of compromise, contention and often controversy. It takes skill, perseverance and attention to get a piece of legislation all the way through the process.

In this session of Congress, Donalds has not advanced a single stand-alone bill he introduced.

He counts as successes three amendments to other people’s legislation, which passed. Two were related to the nuclear industry, one streamlining the permitting process (House Amendment (H.Amdt) 133) and the other (H.Amdt. 149) to require a report on the status of US uranium. A third, (H.Amdt. 265) established an aircraft pilot apprenticeship program.

None directly affected Southwest Florida.

Legislation introduced this year by Rep. Byron Donalds and its status

Below is a list of all the stand-alone bills introduced this year by Rep. Byron Donalds with their status and a brief description. They are in chronological order. Categories are assigned by the author. No bill has advanced further than its initial introduction. More details on each individual bill can be obtained by going to Congress.gov and entering the bill number in the search box or by accessing and downloading the Excel Workbook available at the end of this article. (Source: Congress.gov)

Analysis: Going nuclear

Instead of attending to the legislation he introduced that directly affected Southwest Floridians, Donalds chose to become a champion of the nuclear power industry and is putting all his effort into promoting and expanding it through legislation. No doubt most—if not all—of the legislation he has introduced on this topic, some of it very technical and specific, was drafted by nuclear industry lobbyists and simply introduced under Donalds’ name.

None of this is directly related to the 19th Congressional District, which is drenched in 266 days of sunshine a year and perfectly situated to take advantage of solar power. As of this writing, no known nuclear power plants are planned for the district.

Opponents of nuclear power will be comforted, however, by the fact that Donalds hasn’t advanced any of his nuclear bills, nor is there any prospect of him doing so. Like his every other piece of original stand-alone legislation, they sit at their committees’ doors, ignored by their sponsor. They are more likely to be promoted by far more active and attentive nuclear industry lobbyists than anyone working on behalf of Southwest Florida.

More than any legislative efforts, Donalds has put his real energy into ideological crusades, either promoting extreme Make America Great Again positions, defending former president Donald Trump, raising money, impeaching President Joe Biden, or trying to rise in the Republican Party. Political speculation is that he’s either angling for a slot as Trump’s vice president or positioning himself to run for Florida governor in 2026.

Whatever Donalds’ aims, protecting Southwest Florida from harmful algal blooms and helping hurricane-devastated Floridians are not among them.

Commentary: Moving the legislation

When it was introduced, HR 325, the bill keeping forecasting going in the event of a shutdown, was referred to the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee. It was also referred to the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

HR 1008, treating blooms as a natural disaster, went to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials. It was also referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

In normal times, it’s unlikely that either of these would be passed by the whole Congress this late in the legislative session. But with a government shutdown looming, it may make sense for Southwest Floridians to take matters into their own hands and try to lobby for the legislation that their congressman seems to have forgotten.

As a start, concerned, active Floridians can contact the subcommittee chairs and ranking members (the most senior member from the other party) and tell them that in light of their congressman’s inaction, they themselves are urging that these pieces of legislation be advanced as soon as possible to beat a possible shutdown.

It’s a Hail Mary play but when the quarterback is missing in action, there’s not much else anyone can do. (Contact information is at the end of this article.)

Commentary: No time to shut down

Donalds’ embrace of a government shutdown at this time is incredibly irresponsible. A government shutdown will be a new form of devastation for Floridians already suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Idalia. It would certainly hinder, if not bring to a screeching stop, operations by FEMA. Assistance to individuals, communities and the state could be cut off just when people need it the most.

Donalds’ willingness to shut down the government is especially illogical in light of the fact that legislation he introduced is intended to ensure that essential forecasting services helpful to his district continue despite a possible government shutdown—a shutdown which he himself is now accepting and promoting as a position of the Freedom Caucus—which might better be termed the Crazy Caucus.

Donalds’ action (or inaction) on these matters has brought to light his gaping failure to responsibly advance the legislation he has introduced during this session. Clearly, to Donalds, introducing bills is nothing more than throwing mud at a wall, hoping some of it sticks and not even waiting around to see if it does. He’s not serious about what he proposes; it’s merely an ancillary activity while he concentrates on ingratiating himself with the nuclear industry and Donald Trump.

And his efforts are in the service of the Crazy Caucus’ efforts to disrupt, derail and destroy the government. These people want to shut down the government chiefly to protect Donald Trump, who is finally facing justice in a court of law.

President Joe Biden has other priorities more critical to Florida: “As I told your governor, if there’s anything your state needs, I’m ready to mobilize that support,” Biden said at his news conference. “Your nation has your back, and we’ll be with you until the job is done.”

The Crazy Caucus threat to the nation’s appropriations comes as FEMA’s disaster fund is running low because of all the climate change-related natural disasters it’s had to handle. The administration is asking Congress for $16 billion to cover not just the Idalia cleanup but everything else as well and looming future challenges.

Providing that funding in the next fiscal year or sooner is really what Congress needs to be doing—not wrestling with a government shutdown caused by a handful of fanatics that will hurt all Americans and especially those suffering in Florida and its Southwestern region.

Donalds should be giving his loyalty to the people he represents, not an indicted former president and a suicidal cultic caucus.

*At a May 30 press conference at the Capitol building Rep. Byron Donalds and other members of the Freedom Caucus listen to Rep. Lauren Boebert. (Photo: Washington Post)*

__________

To contact members of Congress and urge them to advance legislation to full committee consideration, contact the following key chair people and ranking members. E-mail addresses are only for constituents so this requires a paper letter or phone call. In any messages, it should be made clear that you are contacting them in their capacity as leaders of their subcommittees. Be sure to mention the bill number and your concern for the 19th Congressional District of Florida.

For HR 325 in the Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee:

Chairman, Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-2-Ore.)

409 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-6730

Ranking Member Rep. Jared Huffman (D-2-Calif.)

2445 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-5161

For HR 1008 in the Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials Subcommittee:

Chair Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5-Ore.)

2188 Rayburn House Office Building

45 Independence Ave. SW

Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-2006

Ranking Member Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6-NJ)

2107 Rayburn HOB

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-4671

Click below to access and download a Windows Excel interactive version of the Donalds legislative record spreadsheet.

rep.-byron-donalds-legislative-record-2023-the-paradise-progressive Download

Liberty lives in light

Help defend democracy in Southwest Florida—donate here!

The Donalds Dossier: Did Byron Donalds ‘win’ his bid for Speaker of the House?

*Rep.-elect Byron Donalds declares his support for Kevin McCarthy during the 12th ballot for Speaker. (Image: CSPAN)*

Jan. 11, 2023 by David Silverberg

On Jan.7, after 15 rounds of voting, Kevin McCarthy, the Republican congressman-elect from California’s 23rd District was finally named Speaker of the US House of Representatives. But Byron Donalds from Florida’s 19th Congressional District also ran.

Did he win his bid?

“Win” in Donalds’ case may not necessarily mean being elected Speaker. Everyone knew that Donalds was not going to be elected, especially Donalds, most likely.

But did the sudden and unexpected effort of this sophomore congressman-elect advance his political career—or will it hinder it?

A brief recap

To briefly—very briefly—recap what occurred in the race to be Speaker of the 118th Congress: Republicans won 222 seats in the 2022 midterm election to the Democrats’ 213.

The entire House elects its Speaker as its very first order of business upon reconvening in the new year after an election. Ordinarily, the majority party with more than half the votes is expected to elect the Speaker.

Once elected, the Speaker swears in the new members thereby officially establishing the new Congress and their legitimacy to make national decisions. (Until they’re sworn in, they have the title representatives-elect.) All legitimate authority to do anything in the chamber flows from the Speaker.

The Speaker (actually, the office but with the Speaker’s approval) determines who can take the floor, who presides, what bills proceed and sets the calendar. The Speaker counts the votes, appoints the members of the different committees, determines to which committees bills are referred and signs all bills that are passed in the House before they go to the Senate for further approval. The Speaker is also the next in line after the Vice President in the order of presidential succession. It’s also worth remembering that all tax bills must originate in the House, so in essence the Speaker has a major role in determining tax policy.

The Speaker is the linchpin of Congress, the authority from which all else flows. If there’s no Speaker, there’s no House. If there’s no House, there’s no government.

Going into the election, Kevin McCarthy was expected to get the 218 votes that would make him Speaker. Democrats put up their candidate, Rep.-elect Hakeem Jeffries (D-8-NY).

But McCarthy wasn’t dealing with a unified Republican caucus. In essence there was a Republican Party and there was a MAGA (Make America Great Again) Party, which refused to support him.

On the first ballot Jeffries received 212 votes; McCarthy received 203 and then a variety of other dissident Republicans received votes: Reps.-elect Andy Biggs (R-5-Ariz.) received 10, Jim Jordan (R-4-Ohio) 6, Jim Banks (R-3-Ind.) 1, and 1 for Lee Zeldin, a former representative who ran unsuccessfully for governor of New York.

Also on that first ballot Donalds received a single vote from Rep. Chip Roy (R-21-Texas).

Donalds was in the race for Speaker

The Donalds Role

*Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert nominates Byron Donalds for Speaker on the fifth ballot. (Image: CSPAN)*

McCarthy lost the first and second ballots. Donalds voted for him both times.

On the third ballot, with McCarthy making no progress, Donalds switched his vote to Jordan, joining all 20 hard-core MAGA dissidents. He was the only Republican to switch away from McCarthy.

“The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes,” he explained. “I committed my support to him publicly and for two votes on the House Floor. 218 is the number, and currently, no one is there.”

On the fourth ballot, however, Roy nominated Donalds for Speaker.

“Now, here we are, and for the first time in history, there have been two Black Americans placed into the nomination for Speaker of the House,” said Roy in his nominating speech. “However, we do not seek to judge people by the color of their skin but rather the content of their character.”

He concluded his speech saying, “Do you think that the American people want us to continue down the road of what we have been doing, with the leadership that is currently in place, has been in place? Do you think they want us to continue down that path? The argument that I would make is that they want a new face, new vision, new leadership, and I believe that face, vision, and new leadership is Byron Donalds. I am proud to put his name into nomination.”

The nomination put Donalds in the national—and international—spotlight. He was suddenly a viable, if unlikely, candidate for Speaker. He was the person with whom McCarthy had to negotiate.

On the fifth round, Donalds was nominated by Rep.-elect Lauren Boebert (R-3-Colo.) who called him “an amazing man of Florida, an amazing leader, someone who almost even took leadership here in our Republican Party and came very close in doing so.”

After praising Donalds, Boebert concluded with a dig at both McCarthy—and Donald Trump.

“So, let’s work together. Let’s stop with the campaign smears and tactics to get people to turn against us, even having my favorite President call us and tell us we need to knock this off,” she said. “I think it actually needs to be reversed. The former President needs to tell Kevin McCarthy that, ‘Sir, you do not have the votes and it is time to withdraw.’”

Donalds’ candidacy lasted for eight rounds of balloting. He began losing votes as the dissidents fragmented. On the 12th ballot Donalds gave up his candidacy and returned to the McCarthy fold.

“The Speaker’s Office must work for We The People, and I believe the concessions we’ve secured achieve this,” Donalds stated in a tweet as he gave up his bid. Many of those concessions remain secret. It was not until Sunday that he revealed on Fox Business the major concession that won him over to McCarthy: a seat on the Republican Steering Committee, the body that determines which Republican representatives sit on which committees. It’s a powerful committee within the Republican caucus and a step up for Donalds within the Party (and the committee from which Donalds’ predecessor, Francis Rooney, was booted when he broke with Trump).

McCarthy was elected on the 15th ballot by 216 votes to Jeffries’ 212, when six die hard MAGAs voted “present.”

Analysis: Fallout and future

The racial debate

Donalds built his entire congressional career as an anomaly: “I’m everything the fake news media says doesn’t exist: a [Donald Trump]-supporting, liberty-loving, pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment black man,” as he put it in his kickoff campaign tweet, issued, ironically enough, on Jan. 6, 2020.

He’s a black representative in an 85 percent white, deeply conservative, heavily MAGA Republican district. He barely eked out a victory over nine other white Republicans in his 2020 primary bid.

He maintained his viability and won re-election in 2022 by taking extreme Trumpist, MAGA policy positions. This included support for voter suppression measures in Florida, Georgia and nationally, opposing masking and public health measures during the worst days of the COVID pandemic, attacking the teaching of critical race theory, voting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and following the most extreme MAGA line on all national issues. Most of all, he displayed extravagant and slavish loyalty to former President Donald Trump.

Congressional Democrats were not impressed by Donalds and the person who expressed the most disgust during the Speaker battle was Rep.-elect Cori Bush (D-1-Mo.), whose district includes the city of Ferguson.

“[For what it’s worth, Byron Donalds] is not a historic candidate for Speaker. He is a prop. Despite being Black, he supports a policy agenda intent on upholding and perpetuating white supremacy,” she tweeted at 2:56 pm on Jan. 4. “His name being in the mix is not progress—it’s pathetic.”

Four hours later, at 6:31 pm, Donalds replied in his own tweet. “[For what it’s worth] nobody asked [Cori Bush] her opinion on the matter. Before you judge my agenda, let’s have a debate over the policies and the outcomes. Until then, don’t be a crab in a barrel!”

Bush didn’t confine her criticism to tweets. She was vocal and emphatic.

“It seems as if they’re using him as a prop, as a tool, not because they think that he’s great, that he’s done all of these things to lead them,” Bush told the Huffington Post. “I don’t like that they’re using him that way. I don’t want them to use him that way. And I want him to understand: They’re only using you… don’t let them do that to you. Make them treat you with dignity and respect.”

She continued: “To hear Chip Roy stand up and say this is not about color … it absolutely 100 percent is because if you were nominating him on his worth and merit, I think none of us would have been surprised because we would have seen him do leadership things.”

The Bush tweet and the resulting publicity clearly bothered Donalds through the night. At 9:39 am the next morning Donalds tweeted: “[Cori Bush], if you see a Black man rise, let the man rise even if you disagree with them. I’d be happy to sit down and debate our policies one on one whenever you’d like. As a Black man to a Black woman, I’d never do that to you. It’s a shame you did it to me.”

Bush sent a blistering rebuttal: “Working to overturn the 2020 election & embracing Trump MAGA fascism is not you rising, Byron. You’re being used. It helps you politically at the expense of our community. THAT’S what’s shameful,” she tweeted at 1:39 pm that afternoon. “It’s clear which party promotes white supremacist chaos and which works against it.”

In the end the question was moot because Donalds dropped his candidacy. But Bush expressed criticisms that have long festered about Donalds. When he stepped onto the national stage, the criticism went national too.

Congressional pathways and the road ahead

When a person is elected to the House of Representatives he or she has a choice of pathways: Will the congressperson concentrate on being an expert in a particular subject? Will he or she champion a particular cause? Will the representative concentrate on district work or constituent service? Will the seat serve to achieve higher office?

Among the many pathways a congressperson can walk there is one of climbing in the House party leadership. This was the path that Kevin McCarthy chose for himself.

It is also clearly the path that Byron Donalds intends to pursue. Now that he’s won his re-election bid and appears to have a safe seat, he’s in a position to try to move up.

His first reach for a leadership position was stomped down pretty hard when he challenged Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-21-NY) for the third leadership slot, head of the House Republican Conference, in November. Then, he lost to Stefanik, 144 to 44.

There’s no denying that Donalds’ bid for Speaker brought him a much higher profile nationally and within the caucus. Instead of an obscure freshman from an obscure corner of Florida, he is now a significant player in the MAGA movement and among congressional Republicans.

Gaining a seat on the Steering Committee was a considerable step up. He may not be Speaker or head of the conference but by sitting on the Committee he’s in a position to dispense favors, make connections and collect debts as other Republicans come to him seeking their desired committee assignments. He’s not a kingmaker but he’s on the Privy Council.

His speakership bid also gives him a larger megaphone in the public forum. He’ll be more sought after as a talking head. He’ll get more prestigious interviews on more media platforms including in the mainstream media he purports to despise. He’ll reach more people, especially among the MAGA faithful.

This in turn will build the Byron Donalds “brand.” And what is that brand? It is, as it has been since 2020 and before, that of a “Donald Trump-supporting, liberty-loving, pro-life, pro-2nd Amendment black man.”

As Cori Bush pointed out, this also serves as a “prop” for the MAGA movement to deflect charges of racism. What Bush failed to recognize or point out is that Donalds isn’t a mere prop being used, he’s a willing prop, a prop that goes out of its way to be on stage and serve as the black face of a movement that is otherwise characterized by “hatred, prejudice and rage,” to use Donald Trump’s own words.

(It is also worth noting that despite Donalds’ slavish adoration and praise of Trump, Trump himself has done Donalds no favors: he didn’t endorse Donalds when he really needed it in his 2020 primary run; despite a general endorsement after the primary, he didn’t mention Donalds at all when he campaigned in Fort Myers during the general election campaign in October 2020, when Donalds was diagnosed with COVID and couldn’t be on stage; he endorsed Stefanik against Donalds during his conference leadership run; and he didn’t endorse Donalds during his speakership bid, choosing McCarthy instead. As always with Trump, loyalty is strictly a one-way street.)

The perils of prominence

*Joy Reid in a contentious Jan. 10 interview with Rep. Byron Donalds on MSNBC. (Image: MSNBC)*

Rising in prominence as Donalds is doing brings with it risks. The higher a person rises, the bigger a target he or she becomes.

Donalds may be gaining in stature among MAGAs, the Republican leadership and in the media but Democrats and especially black politicians like those in the Congressional Black Caucus aren’t buying his act. This was in evidence when he was savaged by MSNBC TV host Joy Reid on her show, “The Reid Out,” on Jan. 10. Reid was visibly infuriated by Donalds’ positions and his answers to her questions.

In days to come, and as the 118th Congress proceeds, Donalds’ extreme Trumpist MAGAism is going to come in for greater scrutiny, criticism and challenge from all quarters, not just black politicians and journalists.

It was very interesting that in his reply to Bush, Donalds saw his personal rise as divorced from the policies he espouses. In essence Donalds took the position that his race shouldn’t matter when he pursues his ambition but that it should matter in shielding him from criticism.

His policy positions seem secondary in his mind. That was an argument that Bush simply didn’t buy and not many other Americans—black or white—are likely to buy either.

It’s as though Donalds can’t connect the public policy positions he’s taking with their impacts on the ground. They’re just things he feels he has to say to get elected, not directions and priorities for the nation.

Donalds has chosen to surf a wave of “hatred, prejudice and rage” to higher office, betting that he has the skill and luck to navigate its water without falling—or being drowned.

Also, Donalds has plenty of other skeletons in his closet that haven’t seen the light of day yet and the higher he goes, the more fame and power he accrues and the more extreme positions he takes, the more likely they are to come tumbling out. That’s what happened with Herschel Walker in his bid for a Senate seat in Georgia—and his Republican promoters are unlikely to want to repeat that experience.

Maybe Donalds will succeed in riding the MAGA wave to the shore of his choosing. Then again, maybe not.

The forgotten Southwest—Florida

Speaking of waves and shores, there are the forgotten needs of the coast of Southwest Florida and the 19th Congressional District that Donalds ostensibly represents.

Despite its Herculean efforts at recovery, Southwest Florida remains devastated after Hurricane Ian. People are homeless and businesses are desperate. Southwest Florida’s congressional representative should be working non-stop, on steroids, in overdrive, with afterburners to get it every federal penny and all assistance available both for communities and individual constituents.

Clearly, however, that is not Donalds’ priority amidst his efforts to climb the greasy pole of Republican leadership, although to be fair, the current Congress could not do anything until a Speaker was elected. But before that he could have made personal efforts like urging on and working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies to expedite aid and build helpful coalitions. Instead he just posted links to FEMA websites for constituents who had no Internet.

Donalds’ record to date is not encouraging for his district. He, along with Southwest Florida’s two other congressmen, Reps. Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.) and Mario Diaz Balart (R-26-Fla.), voted against the end of year $1.7 trillion spending bill that included $25 billion in disaster relief for communities throughout the country. Further, his rhetorical focus remains fixated on a different southwest—in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, distant from Florida’s Gulf shore and irrelevant to its needs.

Along with the rest of the MAGA-led Republican caucus he is vowing to further cut federal spending at the very moment the region needs it most. The local prospects for federal aid are dim. This Congress may not allow spending earmarks, which could have been directed to Southwest Florida’s damaged communities—and which Donalds was unlikely to pursue anyhow.

On top of this, members of the Republican caucus are threatening to cut or eliminate Social Security and Medicare, on which tens of thousands of Southwest Floridians are vitally dependent.

What is gathering is a potential perfect storm of cuts to federal aid, cuts to senior incomes, cuts to healthcare, the potential for a government shutdown that would close all federal activities and on top of all that a refusal to raise the debt ceiling that could send the country into default and the entire world into economic collapse. Southwest Florida is facing a financial Hurricane Ian as bad as the climatic one and the source of the storm is Capitol Hill.

The 19th Congressional District has always been a steppingstone, a secondary priority to Donalds. The issue to watch and the question to ask is: will Donalds remember his district and do anything at all to relieve its suffering in the session ahead? Will his adherence to MAGA vengeance and his Party ambitions take precedence over the needs of the damaged people and businesses of his district? Donalds will answer this by his actions in the days ahead.

Southwest Florida gained nothing from Donalds’ Speaker struggle. It’s even more obscure, neglected and ignored than before and is likely to continue that way.

A star?

Did Donalds “win” his bid for the speakership? From a narrow personal standpoint, the answer has to be “yes,” for all the reasons enumerated above. He’s more prominent and famous than previously and his prospects for rising in the Republican leadership are better than before.

It’s worth remembering, though, that in politics fame can be fleeting and victory ephemeral.

What’s more, Donalds’ inescapable contradictions between his race and his politics are in higher relief now. He can only rise by promoting policies the majority of his fellow black politicians and black journalists find dangerous and repulsive. He’s inseparable from a MAGA movement of hatred, prejudice and rage that tolerates him as a prop but could turn on him at any time for any reason. He idolizes an indifferent god in Donald Trump who gives no love in return. And the democratic forces trying to hold back MAGA autocracy now recognize him as a threat and will treat him accordingly.

Donalds is also facing the apocalypse of the Republican presidential nominating process when he will have to unambiguously declare his support for one of the potential nominees. In Florida, that could be either Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) or former President Donald Trump. Whatever his choice, he will offend the person he doesn’t endorse and that person’s followers. The only way out is if one of them drops out or drops dead.

The path of politics has never been easy and it gets more difficult and demanding the higher the climb, as Donalds is discovering. Many politicians aspire to the summits of their ambition but only a handful reach the peaks they seek.

During his run against Stefanik, Donalds put together a promotional video that presented him as a rising star in the Republican Party.

After the end of the 15th ballot for Speaker, is Donalds a rising star? Perhaps the best way of putting it is this: his star is a bit higher above the horizon; it glows a bit brighter than before; but whether it’s rising with the dawn or falling with the dusk is still to be determined.

Liberty lives in light

Help defend democracy in Southwest Florida—donate here!

Christy McLaughlin, SWFL conservative activist, candidate, arrested for DUI, property damage – Updated

Nov. 28, 2022 by David Silverberg

Correction: This story corrects an earlier version based on an erroneous source. Updated Dec. 1 with precise location and new detail.

Christina “Christy” McLaughlin, 27, a two-time Republican congressional candidate and conservative activist, was arrested Friday, Nov. 25, and charged with driving under the inluence of alcohol (DUI) and damage to property, according to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

After refusing an alcohol test, McLaughlin bonded out of custody, according to CCSO.

The crash occurred at Immokalee Rd., and Lakeland Ave.

On Sunday, Nov. 27, at 2:51 pm, Mclaughlin posted on Facebook: “To my friends, I am fine.”

Political profile

In 2020, McLaughlin ran for Congress in the 19th Congressional District, the coastal area from Cape Coral to Marco Island. She was defeated in the primary election.

In 2022 she sought the Republican nomination for Congress in the 23rd Congressional District in the Miami area, which includes the towns of Weston, Davie, Pembroke Pines, and Aventura. She was defeated by Joe Budd on Aug. 23 in a nine person race. (Budd was defeated in the general election by Democrat Jared Moskowitz.)

McLaughlin has been an advocate for extreme conservative causes. She hosted an event in Naples on Dec. 3, 2020 at which Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys group, was an unannounced speaker.

*Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio and Republican congressional candidate Christy McLaughlin (center) pose at The Mercato in Naples, Fla., on Dec. 3, 2020. (Photo: Facebook)*

She also organized a Naples welcome party for conservative activist and operative Roger Stone on Jan. 3, 2021 that featured a heavy Proud Boys presence.

*Christy McLaughlin welcomes Roger Stone to Naples on Jan. 3, 2021. (Photo: Facebook.)*

She was present at the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection and riot at the US Capitol Building. In an op-ed she wrote for the Washington Times, she blamed the riot on leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives.

Christy McLaughlin addresses a crowd on the steps of the Supreme Court on Jan. 5, 2021. (Image: Christy McLaughlin/Facebook)

The Paradise Progressive reached out to McLaughlin by e-mail for this report but had not received a reply as of this writing.

Liberty lives in light

Help defend democracy in Southwest Florida—donate here!

Closing argument: Banyai for Congress, democracy for America

*The Statue of Liberty. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)*

Nov.4, 2022

Election Day is no longer the deciding day for elections; it’s really the day that votes are counted.

By the time the polls close on Tuesday night, large numbers of people will have already cast their ballots or mailed them in. Locally, as of this writing, 39 percent of voters have voted in Collier County, 38 percent in Lee County and 38 percent in Charlotte County.

So an argument made on the eve of Election Day is intended more for the record than the ballot box, more a monument for history than an effort to sway anyone still undecided. It may only be a warning. Nonetheless, it needs to be made.

This is even more important in the absence of any debate between congressional candidates. In Southwest Florida’s premier congressional race, that of the 19th Congressional District covering the coastal towns from Cape Coral to Marco Island, there will be no face-to-face encounter between the contenders, Democrat Cindy Banyai and incumbent Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.).

Debates, whatever their flaws, highlight politicians’ policies and records and force them to defend their actions and put forward their positions. Voters can evaluate them side-by-side. Due in large part to Hurricane Ian, Southwest Florida voters will not have the benefit of this kind of discussion.

But more broadly than any local race, as President Joe Biden pointed out in a speech on Tuesday, Nov. 2, this year’s election is a referendum on democracy itself.

While Americans may have legitimate differences of opinion expressed in this year’s election, Biden said, “there’s something else at stake, democracy itself. I’m not the only one who sees it. Recent polls have shown an overwhelming majority of Americans believe our democracy is at risk, that our democracy is under threat. They too see that democracy is on the ballot this year, and they’re deeply concerned about it.”

Banyai for Congress and the Donalds record

Cindy Banyai has been fighting for the people of Southwest Florida since she first declared her candidacy in July 2019. She fought then and continues to fight for women’s choice, a clean environment, pure water, secure Social Security, affordable housing and fact-based, sensible education for all school-aged children.

Importantly for a role in Congress, Banyai knows how to reach out to those of different opinions. She’s a coalition builder. She’s demonstrated this time and again. She knows and understands the federal government and would be an effective advocate for the people of Southwest Florida, especially now that they need an advocate in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Ordinarily, an endorsement accentuates the positive in a candidate and ignores or minimizes the opponent. But in this instance it’s critical that Southwest Floridians understand and appreciate the nature of their current congressman and what they’re likely to get in the future if he’s reelected.

Donalds is one of the most unimaginative and ineffective members of Congress that this author has observed in over 30 years of watching and covering the Congress of the United States, both up close and from a distance.

Donalds comes across as a flat, two-dimensional ideologue who has sold his soul to Donald Trump and the MAGA movement in the pursuit of his personal ambition. He voted to overturn the 2020 election and deny its legitimate outcome. He has repeated Trump’s election lies. He opposed vaccinations and public health protections. He has supported voter suppression. He has mindlessly and vehemently regurgitated whatever Republican Party and Trumpist doctrines are being pushed at the moment without reflection or thought. He has no real interest in serving his district, the people in it or solving the problems that afflict it. He has pursued and advanced his wife’s anti-public education agenda and promoted private charter schools, involving himself, as a public official, in private litigation regarding that business.

Legislatively he is a failure. Not one of the 25 pieces of legislation he introduced advanced past the introductory phase. He couldn’t even get a commendation passed for the Everblades hockey team. Two of his most substantive pieces of legislation, the Protecting Communities from Harmful Algal Blooms Act and the Harmful Algal Bloom Essential Forecasting Act, which really dealt with the environmental needs of the district, were reintroductions of legislation crafted by his predecessor, Francis Rooney. Under Donalds they went nowhere. Nor are his interests or prospects better for the 118th Congress.

If there is one core function representatives are expected to perform for their districts, it is to bring home the bacon. Constituents have every right to expect the people they elect to Congress to get them and the district something for the tax dollars they pay. No matter what their policy positions, no matter how they pose or expound on other matters, getting legitimate federal benefits is an essential responsibility of elected members of the House.

Donalds completely failed to pursue funding for the district through earmarks (funding designated for specific purposes) even though there was a proper, established, bipartisanly-formulated procedure for doing so. His neighbors to the north (Rep. Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.) and east (Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25 [since changed to 26] Fla.) both put in requests for $38 million and $12 million respectively. This money was requested to make critical infrastructure improvements. Donalds didn’t even ask.

Based on his past history and current practice the people of the 19th Congressional District have no reason to expect that Donalds will get them any of the funding they so desperately need or to which they are entitled. Indeed, in a Republican House of Representatives Donalds can be expected to be at the forefront of the attack on Social Security and any kind of funding and support for everyday people struggling to recover from disaster. He will likely vote against any kind of appropriations needed by the nation, any kind of help for its people, and any kinds of improvements or investments in its infrastructure. He will likely vote to shut down the government when such votes come up and he will likely vote to destroy America’s financial faith and credit in the world by holding the debt ceiling hostage.

He is also beholden to the very insurance industry with which hundreds of thousands of Southwest Floridians are contending, so they can expect no aid or comfort from him there.

Ideologically, Donalds thinks he’s going to ride the tiger of MAGA fanaticism and prejudice to higher positions within the Republican congressional caucus. But he’s fooling himself. History shows that extremist movements turn on their boosters—and fanatics always eat their own. For all his doctrinal slavishness, the day will come when Donalds is on the menu and he’ll wonder how he wound up on the plate.

That goes triple for Donalds’ patron, Donald Trump, who has never met an ally, supporter or friend he failed to betray.

Donalds will have to soon make a choice between Trump’s ambition and that of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), so he in his turn will likely have to decide which patron to forsake. Whichever way he goes, it won’t be pretty.

A man whose rise was made possible by such civil rights giants as the Rev. Martin Luther King and John R. Lewis and Supreme Court decisions like Brown vs. Board of Education and Loving vs. Virginia has sold his soul to those forces intent on rolling back women’s rights, civil rights and voting rights. They have other constitutional freedoms in their sights and will be pursuing them in the years to come. Donalds aided and abetted them in the past and likely will in the future but despite his complicity, these are the people who will crush him, sooner rather than later. And he doesn’t seem to know or care.

Donalds is bad for Southwest Florida, bad for its towns, cities and counties, bad for its people, bad for its seniors and bad for his district.

Voters have a vastly better alternative in Cindy Banyai.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Democracy on the line

One of the most profound democratic elections in American history occurred on Sept. 11, 2001.

It didn’t occur in a polling place or on a national stage. Rather, it occurred in the body of United Airlines Flight 93, scheduled to go from Newark, NJ to San Francisco, Calif.

The plane was taken over by Al Qaeda hijackers. The pilots were killed or incapacitated. Two terrorists took over the controls and locked themselves in the cockpit. Another stood outside the cabin door, wearing what appeared to be a suicide vest that he threatened to explode.

The 33 passengers and crew had seen the mayhem. They were in touch with friends and family on the ground. They knew that other planes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York (another would crash into the Pentagon). They knew they were likely headed for death.

They caucused in the back of the plane to weigh the alternatives. Should they attack the hijackers or sit tight? They knew they were facing a life or death decision.

So they took a vote. They took a vote because that’s how Americans make decisions.

They voted to fight back and so they attacked the terrorist in the cabin and then used a serving cart to batter their way into the cockpit. There they struggled with the hijackers at the controls.

The plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Everyone died.

But by their action, those passengers and crew probably saved the United States Capitol building, which was one of the hijackers’ likely targets, along with the White House.

In that regard, the vote on Flight 93 was probably one of the most consequential in American history.

But it also illustrates the depth and pervasiveness of American democracy. When Americans need to chart a course, or make a decision, when their very lives are at stake, they vote and abide by the majority results.

As Biden said in his speech, “Too many people have sacrificed too much for too many years for us to walk away from the American project and democracy. Because we’ve enjoyed our freedoms for so long, it’s easy to think they’ll always be with us no matter what. But that isn’t true today. In our bones, we know democracy is at risk. But we also know this. It’s within our power, each and every one of us, to preserve our democracy.”

When those passengers voted, no one called the vote a sham. No one said it was rigged. No one refused to accept the outcome. No one lied that it had gone otherwise. They acted on their own behalf but also on behalf of the country and they did so by voting.

In America, democracy undergirds absolutely everything, every activity, not just in government. It’s what governs Americans’ daily behavior. It’s what gives Americans their rights. It pervades American commerce (think of shareholder votes in corporations). Even families put choices to a vote. It confers legitimacy on decisions great and small. It’s a way of life.

This is what’s at stake in this year’s elections. It is a shame and a horror that 20 years after 9/11, the fanatical followers of a twisted president attempted to end American democracy by attacking the sacred building that the passengers and crew of Flight 93 gave their lives to protect.

To vote against democracy in this year’s election is to kill those Americans all over again and complete the work of the terrorists on that day. Voting for anti-democratic candidates is bringing down a curtain of darkness on light, imposing tyranny on freedom, and eclipsing good with evil.

Winston Churchill once said, “Democracy is the worst form of government—except for all the others that have been tried from time to time.”

Preserving democracy is the paramount issue this year—and every year to come. This year, when you vote, if you haven’t already, cast your ballot in memory of the passengers of Flight 93.

Do your part to preserve, protect and defend democracy, the Constitution and these United States. You’ll be preserving, protecting and defending yourself, your family and all that you hold sacred.

Liberty lives in light

Help defend democracy in Southwest Florida—donate here!

The Donalds Dossier: Packing in the PAC cash for the midterms

*Rep. Byron Donalds at CPAC on Feb. 25 of this year in Orlando. (Image: YouTube)*

Sept. 13, 2022 by David Silverberg

“Folks, I like money,” Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.) told a cheering crowd at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) convention in Orlando on Feb. 25 of this year. “Can we be honest about this? I like money!”

Indeed, he does. And Donalds is very good at raising it. This year he entered his general election campaign with $4.8 million (or exactly $4,805,548.69) in receipts, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Donalds’ public fundraising appeals are insistent and incessant, stoking and exploiting fear and anxiety of Democrats, socialism, Dr. Anthony Fauci and all the ghosts, goblins and specters that keep extreme MAGA maniacs awake at night.

There’s no denying it—it works.

As of Aug. 8, $4 million ($4,036,842.37 to be exact) of Donalds’ contributions came from individuals and the efforts of Winred, a professional, conservative fundraising service.

But $325,302.41 came from a variety of political action committees (PACs) that are not so easily swayed by emotional appeals. These PACs represent a wide variety of industries, associations, corporations and fellow politicians. The biggest sectors contributing to Donalds’ primary and general election campaign are insurance, finance, banking and energy.

They are the organizations and businesses to which Donalds is beholden. Voters should be aware of the sources of this cash and its influence on his decisionmaking on Nov. 8 when they vote for him—or Democrat Cindy Banyai.

In 2021, after Donalds denied that he was influenced by his donors, The Paradise Progressive did a two-part analysis of his ideological and industry backers.

As the 2022 general election campaign season kicks into high gear, it’s time to take another look at Donalds’ corporate backers. These are the companies and industries whom he will be serving if returned to Congress in November.

Donalds sits on House committees and subcommittees that have a direct impact on these industries.

One is the House Oversight and Reform Committee where he sits on the Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee.

His other assignment is potentially even more impactful. On the House Small Business Committee, he sits on the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee as well as the Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access Subcommittee.

These subcommittee assignments give him influence that attracts corporate contributions.

(Of note: none of the facts reported below allege illegality or criminality. They are activities reported to the FEC as required by campaign finance laws and regulations. All numbers are year-to-date figures as of Aug. 8.)

Big Insurance

The insurance industry is heavily regulated and generally unpopular in the public imagination (think of all those personal injury attorneys inveighing against greedy insurance companies in local television commercials).

Whether they agree with individual lawmakers’ policy positions or not, at the very least, it’s worth it to the insurance industry to invest in political campaigns to keep potential investigations and new regulations at bay.

Insurance-related PACs have been very good to Donalds, both trade associations and individual companies.

Over the past year, Donalds’ most generous contributor was the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies PAC, which contributed $22,000 to his general election campaign.

That was followed by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors PAC, which contributed $10,000 to his primary election campaign.

The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, Inc., PAC kicked in $8,500 to his general election campaign, while the American Council of Life Insurers PAC gave $2,500 to his primary campaign.

Individual insurance companies’ PACs contributed too:

The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. Federal PAC contributed $4,500 to his primary campaign.
Cigna Corp. PAC, which supported Donalds’ 2020 campaign, contributed $3,500 to his primary campaign this year.
New York Life Insurance Company PAC contributed $2,500 to his primary campaign.

Big finance

The financial industry is heavily affected by congressional actions, so Donalds received contributions from a variety of finance-related companies and trade associations:

Regions Financial Corporation PAC contributed $5,000 to Donalds’ primary campaign and $22,000 to his general election campaign.

ACPAC ACA International PAC (The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals) represents credit reporting and collection agencies. It contributed $5,000 to Donalds’ primary campaign and $10,000 to his general election campaign.

The Credit Union Legislative Action Council PAC of the Credit Union National Association gave $5,000 to Donalds’ primary campaign and $7,500 to his general election campaign.

Navient Corp., provides education loan management and business processing solutions. Its PAC contributed $5,000 to Donalds’ primary campaign. Perhaps not accidentally, Donalds was a ferocious critic of President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness program. A large part of Navient’s business is managing and collecting existing student loans.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association PAC contributed $1,000 to Donalds’ primary campaign.

When it comes to investment-related associations and companies, Donalds has the backing of LPL Financial LLC PAC. LPL is a registered investment advisory firm that contributed $5,000 to his primary campaign and $7,500 to his general campaign.

In terms of investor-related associations, the Small Business Investor Alliance PAC contributed $4,000 to his primary campaign and the American Investment Council PAC contributed $2,500. The latter represents private equity investors who invest in companies that don’t offer shares on public stock exchanges. The move to private equity has been blamed by critics for looting otherwise healthy companies and harming workers.

Big Banking

Among banks, Community Bancshares of Mississippi Inc., PAC is the only individual bank PAC to contribute to Donalds, donating $3,000 to his primary campaign. Claiming to be one of the fastest growing banks in the southern United States, Community Bancshares, formerly Farmers and Merchants Bank, based in Brandon, Miss., claims $4.5 billion in assets, 54 offices, and over 850 personnel in four states.

While that may be the only individual contributing bank, that doesn’t mean the banking industry has overlooked Donalds.

The American Bankers Association PAC has been a particularly enthusiastic backer, kicking in $17,500 for the general election campaign.

Also contributing to the general election campaign was the Mortgage Bankers Association PAC, which contributed $10,000.

Another banking-related contributor was the Independent Community Bankers of America PAC, which contributed $3,000 to the primary campaign.

Big energy

Donalds doesn’t discriminate between money from fossil fuel and electric power companies—he takes money from both.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation Employees PAC contributed the largest allowable amount to Donalds’ general election campaign: $7,500.

Another fossil fuel and energy company, Valero Energy Corp. PAC, based in San Antonio, Texas, gave the next largest amount among the energy companies: $5,000 for Donalds’ primary campaign.

Nextera Energy Inc., claims to be the world’s largest utility company. Its PAC contributed $2,500 to Donalds’ primary campaign.

Duke Energy is an electric power and natural gas holding company headquartered in Charlotte, NC. Its PAC contributed $2,000 to Donalds’ primary campaign.

The PAC of the Tampa Electric Company (TECO) Energy Inc., Employees’ PAC, contributed $1,000 to Donalds’ primary election campaign.

All these were the PACs of individual companies. But in the energy sector, Donalds did receive a contribution from a single trade association: the Solar Energy Industries Association PAC contributed $1,000 to his primary campaign.

Big tobacco

Two major tobacco PACs contributed to Donalds’ campaigns:

The Swisher International Inc., PAC Fund is the PAC of Swisher International Inc., a tobacco company based in Jacksonville, Fla. Swisher has been in business since 1861 and according to its website, ships more than two billion cigars a year to more than 70 countries.

Altria Group, Inc. PAC is the PAC of one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of tobacco, cigarettes and related products. Altria companies include Philip Morris, US Smokeless Tobacco Co., and John Middleton, a producer of pipe and cigar tobacco.

Other PACs of note

In addition to these industries, some additional contributors stand out.

Koch Industries, Inc., PAC contributed $5,000 to the primary campaign. This is the company of the well-known and extremely conservative Koch brothers.
Florida Sugar Cane League PAC contributed $3,500 to the primary campaign. The sugar industry has been criticized for allegedly polluting Lake Okeechobee, a criticism sugar companies reject.
Publix Super Markets, Inc. Associates PAC contributed $1,000 to the primary campaign. (More about Publix’s political activities can be read here: “Publix: Where politics bring no pleasure.”)

A full list of Donalds’ PAC contributors can be seen on the FEC website and accessed here.

Liberty lives in light

Help defend democracy in Southwest Florida—donate here!

Jim Huff, Congress and the courage to be civil

A new kind of Republican challenger is taking on Rep. Byron Donalds in the 19th Congressional District primary this August

Jim Huff on the job with the US Army Corps of Engineers. (Photo: Jim Huff for Congress campaign)

July 8, 2022 by David Silverberg

These days it takes courage to simply be civil.

It takes even more courage to run for public office and do it in a civilized way—a way that respects voters of all persuasions, avoids insults and hyperbole and relies on reason, rationality and professionalism.

And it takes enormous courage to do this as a Republican in Southwest Florida in a primary race against a sitting congressman who exploits fear and paranoia and extremism.

But Jim Huff has that courage.

Huff is seeking the Republican nomination for Congress in the 19th Congressional District, the coastal area from Cape Coral to Marco Island. He is on the primary ballot against Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.).

His candidacy, he says, was the result of a culmination of factors. “In particular, I’d watch TV interviews with politicians where they were acting like they were in a high school drama. They were calling out other parties and calling out other people for their mistakes but never providing a solution.”

As he states on his website, “We cannot afford to sit back and watch any longer. We have to stand up for our freedoms before everything America stands for is squandered away.”

Huff, 38 and single, is a civil engineer who has been working on infrastructure and water-related projects in Florida his entire professional life. No candidate of any party has come to the political arena with the depth of technical knowledge and environmental expertise that Huff possesses. He not only understands the district, he understands what flows through it and what lies beneath it—literally.

Candidate Jim Huff. (Photo: Author)

In person he’s friendly, open and polite. He’s clearly new to politics but that also means he lacks the slick veneer of career politicians. Instead his bearing is that of a professional and his federal service has given him the experience of accomplishing a mission when assigned it. When he disagrees on a point, it he does so rationally and civilly.

Until deciding to run for the 19th Congressional District seat Huff was a civil engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). As such he was prevented from engaging in political activity under the Hatch Act, a 1939 law prohibiting federal employees from partisan political activity. It meant he had to leave the Corps and couldn’t build a campaign before becoming a candidate in April so he has a lot of catching up to do.

He’s been doing that by walking through the neighborhoods he hopes to represent. “When I go door to door you get people who don’t want politicians,” he said in an interview with The Paradise Progressive. “Even within the Republican Party people tell me that we need to get back to core values and our politicians are out of touch.”

Huff is not intimidated by Donalds’ fundraising and incumbent advantages, observing: “Among the people I’ve talked to, the loyalty to Donalds is maybe 10 percent.”

He also thinks he can beat Donalds, saying: “If I didn’t think I could beat him I wouldn’t have spent $10,440 to get on the ballot.”

Florida transplant

Jim Huff during his days as an Eagle Scout. (Photo: Campaign)

Huff is originally from rural New Jersey, where he grew up, participating in the Boy Scouts and rising to the rank of Eagle Scout. He started working as a farm hand at age 15 and continued working while going to school before heading to Florida to attend the University of Florida at age 18. He didn’t stay there but during the summers began working for USACE starting as a laborer in the Field Exploration Unit.

He ultimately earned an associate degree in engineering from Santa Fe Community College and stayed with USACE, which brought him to Florida to work on Corps projects like the Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee, the Kissimmee River restoration, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan and the Picayune State Forest restoration.

His USACE experience prompted him to complete a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida Gulf Coast University, where he graduated magna cum laude. He also became involved in the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers where he oversaw community cleanup programs and reached out to students with STEM programs (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

When he decided to run, he went in all the way: he quit his job, sold his house and dedicated himself to campaigning full time.

Mission-oriented

Huff with FGCU students at an Army Corps of Engineers project in Florida. (Photo: Campaign)

Huff’s engineering experience gave him an appreciation for the role of the federal government and especially federal funding in managing Southwest Florida’s environment and infrastructure. It was another factor in his decision to run.

When there’s money available, “Why shouldn’t we take that opportunity to establish pilot programs and studies?” he asks. Since federal funding is not for private businesses but for schools like FGCU’s Water School or USACE infrastructure improvement, there’s no reason not to get it. “If we don’t start with these pilot programs, how can we ever get there?” he asks.

He is particularly scornful of a bill Donalds co-sponsored, Protecting Local Communities from Harmful Algal Blooms Act (House Resolution 74), “I feel it was a cop-out,” he says. “It was a great title but it doesn’t do what the title says; it’s a reactive measure and will cost the taxpayers more money without providing improvement.”

That bill is in keeping with a past Donalds practice of introducing bills with elaborate titles but then never following up with content that actually does something. “In my personal opinion, that is a lot of what our politicians have turned to for popularity for their next election without following through,” Huff observes.

Huff was also disturbed by Donalds’ refusal to seek federal funding for district needs. “It gave me the realization of how much we’re losing in this community.” If elected Huff is determined to get every penny the District is entitled to receive from the federal government.

Republicanism and rationality

Huff is a lifelong Republican and his positions reflect the Party’s traditional mainstream approach and attitudes.

He says he has three main priorities as a candidate.

The first is to make politicians accountable. A key element of this is imposing term limits on members of Congress and enforcing existing ethics rules, which he thinks have been too laxly pursued. “If we allow people to get a pass, then essentially we do not have any rules,” he argues.

The second is to fight for clean water and bringing it to Southwest Florida either through ongoing efforts or new initiatives.

The third is to maintain a sense of professionalism. As he puts it: “I won’t say that’s something that every politician has lost but I will say as a whole, especially the ones we see on TV, we have lost our professionalism.” Examples of unprofessionalism he cites include House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-12-Calif.) ripping up a copy of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech and Trump refusing to attend President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

“You can go to any politician going on national TV and berating another politician or another party for their beliefs. So when I say ‘professionalism’ what I honestly think it is, is ‘know when to bite your tongue,’” he says.

On other issues, he supports law enforcement, a strong military, meeting veterans’ needs, reforming the immigration system and securing the borders, upholding free enterprise and protecting individual liberties.

Although a Second Amendment and lawful carrying supporter and an AR-15 gun owner, Huff is not a member of the National Rifle Association. As he puts it, he believes in taking steps in a reasonable direction to protect Americans without their having to surrender their rights to gun ownership.

Huff says properly administered “red flag” laws that enable law enforcement to take guns from people deemed a danger to themselves or others can protect the public. “It’s not a popular cause,” he acknowledges. “But it’s also something to consider, with education, that our own state has already implemented. Speaking to law enforcement, and also people who have gone through the red flag process themselves, it is effective [used] in the right way. Is it a bit of a nuisance for some? Yes, if falsely accused, sure, but in general we know it is helping our imperfect system.”

Huff is also avoiding being tied to corporate or industry political action committees (PACs).

This is based on personal experience. Like all candidates, Huff has received questionnaires from PACs asking about his positions in exchange for their support. To get PAC endorsements and money, a candidate has to accept the PAC’s position on issues.

“There’s always a line at the bottom with a pledge to support the PAC’s position,” he recounts. “The pledge ties my hands throughout my term. Even for the right cause, it’s too vague. I don’t want to open this up. I believe that interest groups are the problem.”

He explains: “My focus is to speak to the people. We need to support ourselves as a community first, and then take those principles and ideals to the federal level, not take our special interest groups and then feed that down the opposite direction.”

Huff has encountered numerous questions and challenges about his position on Trump’s contention that he won the 2020 election and the events of January 6, 2021, an event he missed watching on television in real time because he was working.

He stated his position in a Facebook post on June 23.

“To this day, I do not believe Donald Trump broke a law because it is likely he would have been arrested or indicted already and tried in a court of law for the law(s) he broke,” he wrote. “HOWEVER, I KNOW LAWS WERE BROKEN THAT DAY AND THOSE COMMITTING THE CRIMES MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE. I do believe Trump’s actions contributed to the mistaken expectations of those who did storm the capitol, that Trump would continue being President after their actions. I support the prosecution of every individual found guilty of breaking the law that day, not to the fullest extent but to a reasonable extent given each’s specific circumstances. You know what that’s called? Justice.”

He’s also skeptical of the proceedings of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, which he calls bad politics and more reality TV than a hearing. “I believe we all deserve the truth of details as to what happened factually, without bias to one point of view or the other,” he stated.

Restoring civility

One of the most voluntary acts a person can commit in life is running for public office. No one is forced to do it and the immediate reaction of most people to a new candidate is discouragement: the incumbent is always too entrenched, the cost of campaigning is always too high, the opponent’s coffers are always too full, the odds of winning are always too long.

So it takes courage to take that step and declare a candidacy, whether for dog catcher or school board or Congress.

Whether one agrees with Huff or not, he is undeniably showing courage by stepping forward against an incumbent who plays to the lowest common denominator.

He says that people have told him that even if he doesn’t win the Aug. 23 primary, he will be well positioned to run again “next time.” However, he says, “There is no plan for a next time. It’s always been a plan to get in, make an improvement and then go back to my career as an engineer, as a normal citizen. And I do believe a lot of people recognize if we had more people running for those reasons we would have a more effective government.”

Whatever one thinks of Huff’s candidacy, in a Southwest Florida district whose past Republican primary election campaigns have been awash in gunplay and insults and dirty tricks, it is definitely refreshing to have as a candidate someone who is a professional and a civil engineer—in every sense of the word “civil.”

Liberty lives in light

Help defend democracy in Southwest Florida—donate here!

The Donalds Dossier: Putin’s pal; an address mess; and a legal laurel–Updated

*Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: TASS)*

May 17, 2022 by David Silverberg

Updated at 4:30 pm with additional bill details and Senate status.

Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn’t been getting much good news lately but surely he must have smiled when he saw that Southwest Florida’s own Rep. Byron Donalds (R-19-Fla.) had voted against aid for Ukraine.

The vote came last Tuesday, May 10, at 10:05 pm when the United States House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to grant Ukraine $40 billion to keep up its fight for democracy and independence, a fight that has inspired the world.

The Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022 (House Bill 7691) passed by a vote of 368 to 57. Even 149 Republicans voted for the bill, among them Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25-Fla.) and eight other Florida Republicans.

“Among other things, the bill provides appropriations for defense equipment, migration and refugee assistance, regulatory and technical support regarding nuclear power issues, emergency food assistance, economic assistance, and seizures of property related to the invasion,” according to its official summary.

“It’s about democracy versus a dictatorship,” argued House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-12-Calif.) in favor of the bill. “Democracy must prevail. The Ukrainian people are fighting the fight for their democracy and, in doing so, for ours as well.”

“Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and their future against Russia’s unprovoked and illegal war,” Rep. Charlie Crist (D-13-Fla.) stated. “This vote makes clear that the US remains as committed as ever to supporting Ukraine in its fight for freedom and democracy. Slava Ukraine!”

By contrast, Donalds said in a statement: “While I’m a firm supporter of the Ukrainian defense, the American taxpayer shouldn’t bear the perpetual cost of this war.” He argued that “the $40 billion aid package I voted against is an unfunded commitment that shovels money blindly without proper accountability and opens the door for even more irresponsible funding. I supported the original multi-billion-dollar aid package, but we cannot continue down this reckless spending pattern bankrupting our nation,”

(It should be noted that there’s nothing “perpetual” about the aid package. It’s a one-time infusion to help Ukraine defend itself and assist Ukrainians victimized by the conflict.)

Oddly, Donalds failed to mention the vote in his newsletter recapping the week’s events.

To Donalds’ north in Southwest Florida, Rep. Greg Steube (R-17-Fla.), another far-right conservative who also opposed the package, complained that while he had voted for previous Ukraine funding: “Congress has not received a single report on how much of this funding was spent, if any, nor assurances that the funding even reached Ukraine. Today less than 6 hours before a vote, the Democrats dropped a massive, last-minute bill to send $40 billion more without any safeguards, assurances of use, or proof of a strategic plan for the US role in Ukraine.”

Somehow, the pictures of charred Russian tanks and equipment abandoned in retreat from Ukrainian territory might indicate that current aid is being put to very good use.

Following passage in the House the bill was sent to the Senate. Yesterday, May 16, senators voted 81 to 11 to proceed with the legislation and a final vote is expected this week, possibly as soon as tomorrow. Both of Florida’s Republican senators voted to proceed with the bill.

District delay

The extension of the 19th Congressional District boundaries to Santa Barbara Blvd. in Collier County under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ preferred congressional map. It includes Rep. Byron Donalds’ home address at the approximate location of the X. The red line denotes the existing boundary of the district. (Map: Florida Redistricting Committee)

Donalds will remain outside the district he represents if Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) favored congressional district map is invalidated by the courts, where it is now being considered.

A congressperson doesn’t have to live in the district he or she represents, only in the state. Donalds’ address of record is in the 25th Congressional District represented by Diaz-Balart. [Editor’s note: The precise address is not being posted here out of courtesy to Rep. Donalds.]

Traditionally, of course, it is best for the member of Congress to reside in the district. The representative can stay close to the people, personally share their concerns and keep an eye on the community’s needs and issues. It also gives the member credibility at election time.

Donalds, elected in 2020, has never resided in the 19th but he was handed a favor when DeSantis’ team redrew the Florida congressional map, rammed it through the legislature and DeSantis signed it into law on April 22. Instead of moving into the 19th, DeSantis moved the district’s borders to include Donalds.

This not only closed a campaign vulnerability for Donalds, it avoided a potentially damaging primary fight between Donalds and Diaz-Balart if Donalds had chosen to run in the 25th (re-numbered the 26th in the DeSantis map).

It was a neat solution for all concerned. However, with the DeSantis map thrown out in court and now up in the air as the judge’s ruling is appealed, it remains to be seen in which congressional district Donalds hangs his hat—which has never seemed to matter much to him anyway.

Court conquest

Donalds might have received a blow when the court threw out DeSantis’ map but a different court handed him a victory in his battle with former Republican congressional candidate, businessman Casey Askar.

The case was initially scheduled to be tried before a jury on May 18. However, Judge Elizabeth Krier of the 20th Judicial Circuit handed down a ruling on April 14.

To recap: On primary election day, Aug. 18, 2020, a text message was sent to Republicans, allegedly from Donalds, saying that he had dropped out of the race. Donalds vehemently denied its authenticity and accused Askar of sending the false message.

However, Donalds provided no evidence and Askar denied the charge. On Nov. 16, 2020, Askar sued Donalds for defamation and libel, demanding $30,000 in damages.

After nearly a year and a half of legal wrangling and maneuvering—and legal expenses—Krier granted Donalds’ request for a summary judgment and dismissed Askar’s complaint.

“…Viewing the facts in a light most favorable to Plaintiff, there is no genuine issue of material fact as to the mandatory element of actual malice, and therefore Defendant Donalds is entitled to judgment as a matter of law,” Krier wrote.

Essentially, Askar had to prove that Donalds acted with malice against him, knowing his charges were untrue. What was more, Askar had to provide evidence to that effect. The bar for doing this is especially high when it comes to public political figures like political candidates.

Askar failed these tests, in Krier’s view. Donalds’ accusations against Askar were merely “opinions” she wrote. Donalds had made the accusations based on the belief that one of Askar’s consultants, Jeff Roe, had allegedly pulled this kind of trick in 2016 against Dr. Ben Carson in his presidential primary race against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Given that Askar failed to make his defamation case with “clear and convincing evidence,” Krier ruled against him.

Krier may soon rule that Askar has to pay all the attorney’s fees and court costs to Donalds for the litigation, which likely comes to quite a tidy sum. One hopes for Askar’s sake that the pizza business is booming.

Slava Ukraini! Liberty lives in light

Help defend democracy in Southwest Florida—donate here!

Florida Redistricting, Collier County and you

A presentation on new districts at the congressional, state and county levels made to the Collier County Democratic Party on May 11, 2022.

Hours before this scheduled presentation, Judge Layne Smith of Leon County, Fla., struck down the governor’s congressional redistricting map. The fate of Florida’s congressional districts remains undecided at this time.