08.04.2004
Deutsch Decries Castor Ads
Her Relationship with EMILY's List is Questioned
By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press
WEST PALM BEACH - U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch compared new advertising by a political organization supporting rival Betty Castor to the 2000 recount on Tuesday, accusing the group in a Senate Democratic debate of plotting to buy the election.
"What we don't need in Florida is what is happening right now, an out-of-state special interest group that's trying to buy this election," Deutsch said without mentioning EMILY's List by name. A subsidiary of the group is airing ads touting Castor's support of health-care issues.
"That really reminds me of what the Republicans did in 2000. Out-of-state people came to this state and stole the election," Deutsch said. "We let it happen once. I don't think we're going to let it happen twice in this state."
Deutsch's reference to the disputed 2000 election came during a relatively polite televised debate of the three Democrats vying for the U.S. Senate nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Bob Graham.
Castor has held a double-digit lead in recent polls, but Deutsch has ramped up his advertising and questioned the former University of South Florida president's connection to EMILY's List, a fund-raising network which works to elect Democratic, pro-abortion rights women to public office.
A Deutsch supporter filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission claiming the political organization and Castor were coordinating campaign strategy. Both Castor's campaign and EMILY's List denied the allegations.
Even before the debate began, Deutsch's campaign released still photos showing similarities between a recent Castor campaign commercial and the health-care commercial. It showed Castor wearing the same clothing and appearing with the same group of veterans.
Deutsch's reference to the recount came from a question posed to him by Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas. Asked later, Castor said she was "amused" by the comment, noting that Florida has 10,000 EMILY's List members and "they support the idea that women ought to be elected to public office."
Castor's campaign has criticized an independent group run by a Deutsch friend that has called into question her handling of a university professor accused of having ties to terrorism.
The three candidates differed on the war in Iraq, with Penelas calling for the withdrawal of troops by the end of next year.
"I've got the courage to tell President Bush that he was wrong," Penelas said.
Castor and Deutsch both called for a multinational coalition of troops to help rebuild Iraq, but criticized President Bush's handling of the nation's entry into the Middle Eastern country. Neither offered a specific timeline for the withdrawal of American troops.
Castor said it was "impossible to put a timetable" for withdrawal but said the nation's entry into Iraq was "a failure of our intelligence agencies. However, we are there and we have got to keep the faith."
Deutsch assailed Bush for failing to bring more allies into Iraq.
The three candidates agreed on supporting efforts to enhance stem-cell research, which is currently restricted by the Bush administration. All three said they opposed efforts to put a ban on gay marriage in the Constitution and agreed in their opposition to new travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans seeking to visit family members on the island.
Penelas has trailed Castor and Deutsch in most polls but has held out hope for a late challenge before the Aug.31 primary.
The mayor was asked about comments made by Al Gore, who called Penelas "the single most treacherous and dishonest person" during the 2000 campaign. Penelas focused on the future, saying "this election is about electing John Kerry the next president of the United States."
Deutsch took a subtle swipe at both Penelas and Castor, saying he was the "only person on the panel" to work for Gore during the election and into the recount.
Castor, in a bid for independents and nonaligned voters crucial in the fall, said she had "worked across party lines, in a nonpartisan way" to help implement a health care program for children and develop high-tech jobs.
The debate was broadcast live on NBC stations in Miami, West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Tampa, Jacksonville and Tallahassee and being shown on tape-delay in Panama City and Pensacola.
The debate was moderated by Chandra Bill, anchor of WPTV in West Palm Beach. She was joined by Michael Williams of WTVJ in Miami and Craig Wolf of WBBH in Fort Myers.
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