Harris: 'I'm not a Beltway boy'

Daytona Beach News-Journalonline ^ | September 02, 2006 | JAMES MILLER

[NautiNurse]

Her opponents in the Republican U.S. Senate primary cast front-runner Katherine Harris as a liability to the party.

Harris casts herself as a true believer who doesn't kowtow to Washington elites and doesn't play politics as usual.

Few would argue the last point. The Republican race to challenge Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November has been anything but usual.

It pits three political unknowns against one of the most recognized -- some might say infamous -- women in the Republican party in a race where name recognition has sometimes looked like a bad thing.

"I'm not a Beltway boy, and I'll never go along to get along," Harris said after a July campaign stop in Volusia County. The primary is "not much of a primary," she said, adding she can beat Nelson, despite polls that have consistently shown Harris trailing him in a general election showdown.

"If the liberals weren't so worried they wouldn't be hitting me so hard," the 49-year-old congresswoman from Longboat Key told an enthusiastic, if small, crowd at a restaurant in the Spruce Creek Fly-In.

But Will McBride, a 34-year-old Windermere lawyer identified in polls as her closest challenger, sees if differently.

"Republicans are fed up with the runaway spending of Congress. They're fed up with the deficit. They're fed up with the scandals they read about every day, and they're fed up with catering to special interests," McBride said. "Unfortunately, Katherine Harris is part of the problem."

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday showed Harris garnering support from 38 percent of likely voters. McBride got 22 percent, while LeRoy Collins Jr., a 71-year-old retired Naval Reserve rear admiral from Tampa, got 11 percent. Peter Monroe, a 63-year-old lawyer from Safety Harbor with a federal government background, got 3 percent.

A press release from the Connecticut university concluded that Harris' three opponents "are so little known that none has more than 18 percent rating him favorably."

But name recognition may be a double-edged sword for Harris.

To this day, supporters sometimes thank her for her role in halting the 2000 presidential recount as Florida secretary of state.

Harris also advances positions that may have populist appeal with conservative Republicans. She advocates improved border security and a tightly monitored temporary guest worker program and pushes the so-called "fair tax," a proposed sales tax on new goods and services that would replace all other federal taxes.

But from the beginning of her campaign, Harris has been buffeted by bad press, including reports about $32,000 in campaign donations originating with a defense contractor who pleaded guilty to bribing a former California congressman. Harris said she didn't know about the money, which she later gave to charity. But her campaign has received a federal subpoena related to an investigation into the contractor.

Also troubling were defections by several staff members and a May 7 letter from the Republican Party's state chairman telling Harris the party wouldn't support her campaign because it faced "irreparable damage."

Consequently, her opponents have zeroed in, with two -- Collins and Monroe -- calling on her to withdraw from the race.

"It would be a travesty, a travesty for the Republicans to send this person forward," Monroe said.

The candidates occupy similar turf on some issues, including immigration and staying the course in Iraq.

Like Harris, McBride supports the "fair tax." But he also emphasizes giving the president a line-item veto. "I'm excited about bringing everyday experience to this job and doing it in such a way that I can be a deficit hawk with integrity," McBride said.

He also emphasizes the need to appoint judges that don't "legislate from the bench."

Collins, who has received a number of major newspaper endorsements, focuses on national defense.

To that end, he wants a tougher immigration policy, including punishment for employers who hire undocumented workers. He also wants to reduce reliance on Middle East oil by promoting alternative fuels and using incentives to get domestic auto manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency.

Monroe touts his experience with the federal government, including a post as president of the Resolution Trust Corporation, which managed the multi-billion dollar savings-and-loan bailout starting in the 1980s.

"We saved over $100 billion by being creative and finding free market solutions to problems Democrats might handle with bureaucracy," he said.

Monroe wants to tackle the state's insurance crisis by charging an add-on to insurance premiums to fund a national catastrophe fund, which he said will ultimately drive down rates by encouraging competition.

james.miller@news-jrnl.com

Office: U.S. Senate

Salary: $165,200

Term of office: 6 years

LeRoy Collins Jr.

AGE: 71

RESIDENCE: Tampa

OCCUPATION: Retired businessman and U.S. Naval Reserve rear admiral

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

PRIORITIES: Improve national security by securing borders, providing no special path to citizenship for illegal workers and punishing those who hire them. Reduce dependency on Middle East oil. Dialogue with Cuba.

Katherine Harris

AGE: 49

RESIDENCE: Longboat Key

OCCUPATION: Former marketer and real estate manager

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Florida secretary of state, 1999-2002; state senator, 1994-1998; U.S. representative, 2003-present

PRIORITIES: Control borders and create limited temporary worker program. Promote economic development by reducing hurdles for small business. Cut taxes. Provide better health care for veterans

Will McBride

AGE: 34

RESIDENCE: Windermere

OCCUPATION: Lawyer, former public school teacher

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

PRIORITIES: Reduce congressional spending by giving the president a line-item veto. Support "fair tax." Control borders and send illegal workers to the back of the line for work permits with no special path to citizenship.

Peter Monroe

AGE: 63

RESIDENCE: Safety Harbor

OCCUPATION: Lawyer, real estate developer, former federal government appointee

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

PRIORITIES: Tackle Florida property insurance crisis by charging an add-on to insurance rates to create a federal catastrophe fund. Take hard line with Cuba and Venezuela. Strengthen border controls, provide no special path to citizenship for illegal workers.

[Mr Rogers]

Y'all must spend a lot of your time getting upset. Do you get equally insulted when someone disses Hillary, or Cindy? Somehow I doubt it.

If you can't take the heat, get out of the rhetorical kitchen.

I was a KH supporter at first, but her entire campaign has been a disaster rolling downhill. Whenever I thought it had hit rock bottom, she has found a new hole to dig and jump into. Her statements have crossed the border of stupidity more often than our southern border gets crossed by wetbacks. The incredible turnover in her campaign demonstrates a total lack of leadership.

But you 'gentlemen' feel free to call me an ass because I pointed out her face isn't her most feminine feature - and pretend you're doing it because you have good manners.

Thanks to KH, we'll have an idiot democrat from Florida in the Senate.

[F.J. Mitchell]

KH will kick the asp of which ever Dem she faces and when she arrives in the US Senate she will share her intestional fortitude with the gutless wonders on the right side of the aisle, and be the worst nightmare the left ever envisioned.

[Joe Brower]

You don't know what the word "upset" means. Your crap is barely on my radar, chum.

Insults to statist tyrants like Hillary are perfectly in order. Treasonous POS' like Cindy Sheenan fully deserve every pejorative thrown at them. If you can't tell the difference, you need your head examined.

As for "I was a KH supporter at first", I believe that about as far as I can throw a lead-lined safe.

Think what you want, but do everyone here a favor and STFU.

[Joe Brower]

"I heard that things are going so bad that even the horse quit her campaign."

Well then, someone's feeding you BS, and you've swallowed it entirely.

[Mr Rogers]

"Think what you want, but do everyone here a favor and STFU."

No thanks. You aren't 'everyone", and you don't have the right to speak for "everyone". There are a lot of folks on FR who think KH is a nut-job. I'm probably not even in the minority here...

[Wormwood]

There are a lot of folks on FR who think KH is a nut-job. I'm probably not even in the minority here...

*raises hand and FL voter ID card*

[Joe Brower]

"I'm probably not even in the minority here..."

You are. Bank on it. And when Harris wins both the primary and general elections, as she has won every office she has run for since the beginning, I fully expect you and all the other detractors to simply fade away without a word.

It will be fun to watch.

[Non-Sequitur]

Well then, someone's feeding you BS, and you've swallowed it entirely.

I'm not sure I'm the one chowing down on the BS. Suffice it to say we will find out one way or another come November.

[Mr Rogers]

OK. I'll bookmark this thread for further discussion in November...

[Joe Brower]

I'll be here.

[Joe Brower]

"Suffice it to say we will find out one way or another come November."

Yes.

[Non-Sequitur]

I hear her campaign is going quite well, despite the best efforts of the party rulers who have been supporting her opponents from the get go.

I hear she's trailing Nelson by 40-odd points. Hardly 'doing well. Campaign staff have been bailing like crazy, she's all over the news with this electing anyone but Christians as leaders is promoting sin nonsense, she claims endorsements which are promptly denied, and to top it all off I understand she wants the rest of us to subsidize your home owners insurance. I believe that Ms. Harris needs to give some thought to what she is going to do after political office because the time is fast approaching.

But rather than get into an arguement with you I'll close with the suggestion that you bookmark this thread because one or the other of us will be eating crow on November 7th.

[FloridianBushFan]

Katherine Harris has supported Amnesty for Illegals. Her record on Immigration issues is not 100% Conservative.

Voted for temporary amnesty for certain Central Americans Rep. Harris voted against the Tancredo Amendment to H.R. 5441, the fiscal year 2007 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill. The Tancredo Amendment would prohibit funds appropriated by H.R. 5441 from being used to administer extensions of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) amnesty for Guatemalans, Hondurans, or Nicaraguans.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll222.xml

Cosponsored H.R. 3142 to grant amnesty to illegal aliens. Rep. Harris cosponsored H.R. 3142 to reward certain illegal aliens working in agriculture with amnesty.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR03142:

Voted no on reporting illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment on H.R.3722
To amend section 1011 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to impose conditions on Federal reimbursement of emergency health services furnished to undocumented aliens.>br> Undocumented Alien Emergency Medical Assistance Amendments of 2004 - Amends the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 to: (1) prohibit Federal reimbursement of hospital-provided emergency and certain transportation services to undocumented aliens unless the hospital provides the Secretary of Homeland Security with information regarding an alien's citizenship, immigration status, financial data, and employer; (2) make the employer of certain undocumented aliens responsible for such costs; and (3) direct the Secretary to initiate removal procedures against an alien determined to be removable under Federal immigration law.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:h.r.03722:

Voted in favor of rewarding illegal aliens from Mexico with Social Security benefits in 2004

Rep. Harris voted against the Hayworth Amendment (H. AMDT 745) to H.R. 5006, the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill. The amendment would have prohibited any funding in the bill from being used to pay Social Security Administration (SSA) employees to administer any benefits that would not be payable but for a totalization agreement with Mexico. The effect of this would be to prevent the U.S.-Mexico totalization agreement from taking effect -- at least during FY 2005 -- since SSA employees could not be paid for any work they do to determine or pay benefits under the agreement. The U.S.-Mexico totalization agreement would allow both legal AND illegal aliens working in the United States to qualify for Social Security benefits.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HZ00745:

Voted in favor of sanctuary policies for illegal aliens in 2005

Rep. Harris voted against an amendment (H. Admt. 138) to H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2006. The amendment would deny federal homeland security funding to who refuse to share information with Federal immigration authorities from being states and local governments who refuse to share information with Federal immigration authorities. The amendment, offered by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), would have created a huge incentive to rescind the policies that protect illegal aliens, criminal aliens, and, potentially, terrorists, by denying them some Federal funding. Sanctuary policies bar public officials, including police officers, from asking an individual's immigration status to determine eligibility for public services and from reporting illegal aliens to federal authorities. In 1996, Congress passed a law that specifically prohibits state and local governments from enacting sanctuary policies. Despite that, cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, still have sanctuary policies in place. Maine is the only state with a sanctuary policy.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d109:11:./temp/~bduLDJ:

Voted against amendment to fund program to deny driver's licenses to illegal aliens in 2005

Rep. Harris voted against the Obey amendment ( H. Amdt. 144) to H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The Obey amendment provided $100 million to fund grants under the REAL ID Act to assist States in conforming with minimum drivers’ license standards. The Obey amendment passed by a vote of 226-198.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HZ00144:

Americans for Better Immigration gave Katherine Harris a Career Grade of C+

Representative Harris supported the interests of the National Council of La Raza 50 percent in 2004.

[Mr Rogers]

If she winds the primary, I hope she wins the general election. But I think we are looking at a worst case scenario - she barely wins the primary, and loses big in the general.

Only time will tell.

[F.J. Mitchell]

If Katherin Harris loses in November, crow will be the most wholesome thing we will be eating for a long, long time.

[NautiNurse]

Without spending too much time responding to your post:

HR 2360 Amendment. Harris and Tancredo both voted No.

HR 3722 is an unfunded madate for healthcare workers to become ICE agents; and is in direct conflict with established EMTALA laws.

HR 3142 over 50% of FL Reps co-sponsored this same bill.

[NautiNurse]

Oh, forgot to mention--while you were laboriously pulling together your post on this thread, I was out campaigning for Katherine Harris today. The bipartisan crowd was overwhelmingly supportive of Harris. Unfortunately, there were several people not planning to vote at all, and three avowed Democrats stopped by to chat.

[FloridianBushFan]

Your wrong. Rep.Tancredo did not vote against his own Admendemnt. Check your research. My comment above did not mention how they voted on the overall bill it is on the admendment. Read correctly.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d109:11:./temp/~bdn1q0::

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll177.xml

I guess my Representative was wise and did not co sponsor HR 3142 which would have granted Amnesty unlike Harris.

Katheine Harris as a member of the US Congress has cast votes for Amnesty for Illegal immigrants and has voted against helping to catch illegal immigrants in this country. She does not have a 100% conservative record on Immigration like you all make her out to have.

[NautiNurse]

LOL--here's the link you provided:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HZ00144:

You will see both Harris and Tancredo voted no to the amendment for HR 2360.

It's your info. I just used the link you provided. :o)

[Rockingham]

Consider the way that political parties function. Ideas and personalities figure large, but state and national parties work to increase their power and elect candidates. Supporting unelectable candidates is luxury to be avoided and is rarely undertaken even when they are the nominee. If nothing else, major donors do not permit and other candidates object fiercely to wasted resources.

These days, in Florida at least, GOP party leaders and the RPOF staff have an abundance of collective political experience and resources. They may get things wrong, but are usually quite good on the large strategic decisions and on almost all the tactical choices. The GOP faithful are enthusiasts, as they should be. RPOF staff is professional.

There are twenty-somethings at the RPOF headquarters on East Jefferson in Tallahassee who have run half a dozen campaigns and worked on many dozens more. The political middle management types who run campaign operations on a statewide basis are the best of the breed, and the senior management and the better consultants are among the most capable in the country.

What you are suggesting about Harris’ former staffers is implausible because things are not done like that and it would be contrary to the best interests of those professionals. In politics, disloyalty is worse than being in a disfavored campaign or even having been in the other party. GW Bush actually has people working for him who were key figures in Pat Buchannan’s campaign against his father, and I can recite many similar examples.

Moreover, Harris picked her staff and consultants and alienated one team after another. One stayed out of loyalty despite her odd conduct, but then quit after learning that Harris lied to them about having been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury. The subpoena should also have been disclosed to the Speaker of the house but was not.

As a political professional, would you continue to work for a candidate after being abused personally and with your trust violated? The better grade of lawyers and accountants usually drops clients for abusing and lying to them, we drop friends for doing so, and people often quit jobs or marriages in such circumstances. Political campaigns call for much, but the sacrifice of one’s self-respect is usually not required.

As for Harris, since the 2000 election, she has had incredibly high negatives in statewide polling. Harris did not come off well in the Bush v. Gore controversy due to the news media, pummeling from Democrats, and the nature of the dispute. Despite the merit of ideas on offer, high personal negatives are exceedingly hard to reverse and are almost always fatal to a non-incumbent political candidate. Fair or not, that is the way that it is.

Harris disputed the polling even though it was done by the premiere GOP polling firm in the country. Her high negatives have been confirmed many times. Worse, Harris has done little to alleviate the opprobrium she gained in the 2000 election. Harris did not gain expertise or seniority. What does Harris offer to lure the disaffected to her camp? Why should a doubtful Republican or Independent vote for her – especially against the popular Nelson?

Even now, late in Harris’ Senate campaign, she has not tried to develop a signature issue, but has confirmed her prior reputation for wacky and imperious conduct. When Harris wins the primary, her campaign will still not catch fire. She will search for someone to blame. It will, of course, be the GOP.