If you want to be added, please FReepMail me.
Posted on 09/19/2004 9:43:39 AM PDT by dread78645
MIAMI (AP) -- The nation's leaders need to put aside partisan labels to help Florida recover from the devastation of three major hurricanes during the past month, Democratic Senate candidate Betty Castor said Saturday.
In her party's weekly radio address, Castor said Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan "have cut a terrible swath of destruction," destroying homes and damaging military bases and the state's agricultural industry.
"At times like these, we are not Republicans or Democrats. We are all Americans," Castor said. "The worst of Mother Nature brings out the best in human nature."
Castor, a former state education commissioner, defeated Rep. Peter Deutsch to capture the party's nomination in the Aug. 31 primary. She faces Republican Mel Martinez, a former U.S. housing and urban development secretary, for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Bob Graham.
The race has been overshadowed as the state recovers from the hurricanes. Frances was a slow-moving storm that covered much of the peninsula after it struck the state's central Atlantic coast Sept. 5, while Charley was a faster, stronger, more compact storm when it blasted into the state's southwest coast Aug. 13.
Ivan damaged hundreds of buildings in the Florida Panhandle with 130-mph winds, flooding and tornadoes when it struck before dawn Thursday.
Early estimates put Ivan's insured damages at $3 billion to $10 billion - adding to estimated damages of about $11 billion to $13 billion for Hurricanes Charley and Frances. Overall, at least 65 people have been killed in the three storms or during the cleanup.
Castor said the state was "thankful for the disaster aid approved under the leadership of President Bush, Senator Tom Daschle (the Senate Democratic leader) and our wonderful Florida senators, Bill Nelson and Bob Graham." She urged Congress to approve a $700 million appropriation to help Florida's farmers recover from major losses to the citrus industry.
"These are not political problems, they're human problems. Their solutions should not be held hostage to political imperatives," Castor said. "If there's one lesson to be taken away from our response to these terrible hurricanes, it is this: There is nothing we Americans cannot achieve when we put our differences aside and work together."
Ummmmmm That would be ME. Betty Castor is B-A-D news. Talk about a Gun Grabber!! She'll make the other two look like NRA wannabes in comparison.
Remember, sHrillary is coaching her!
Maybe in S.FL but not up in Central. Heck, I never heard of her till she was running against Deutsh and I've lived here almost 15 years. Did she ever do anything in the senate?
If Mz Castor is soooooo concerned about bipartianship - she needs to tell sKerry to stay out of FL with his lies and negative campaign. She also needs to tell the DNC not to send their legal goons down here to try and steal another election. She also needs to tell the displaced NY voter snowbirds that they can only vote ONCE.
I hadn't thought about McCollum and running against Nelson. Good point.
It isn't that Mac didn't have the experience to know from being in Congress. Oh ... well.
As for Thune, isn't that exciting? That may well be a sign of things to come.
Fingers crossed, and all that. ;)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.