In one of the most nationally coveted Senate seats, Florida’s race has turned into a three-ring circus with three unusually well-qualified candidates actively challenging the dominant two-party bipolarity.
Well, kind of.
As Republican Sen. George Lemieux, a man appointed to the Senate by Gov. Charlie Crist to simply finish off the term and not run again because Crist would soon be running for that very seat, leaves office, the race for Florida’s Senate seat has the nation’s eyes on it as our now-independent governor tries to fight back from Republican suicide and seize the Senate seat he created for himself.
But we just don’t trust him.
After leaving his party following Republican darling and former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio’s political ascension, our No. 1 tanned man in Tallahassee gives an entirely new meaning to flip-flopping.
We need a senator whom we can trust in Washington. We need someone who has a clear history of fighting for Floridians and doing what’s right. We don’t need another politician telling us what he thinks will win more votes.
In short, we need Congressman Kendrick Meek.
Meek has a history of leadership in a career field devoid of constituent interest. As a state senator in 2002, Meek fought for the class-size-reduction amendment that voters passed and still have not seen fully instituted. In fact, Meek’s support for education has earned him an A grade consistently since 2003 from the National Education Association.
Meek’s support for education and college-aged concerns can also be seen in his frequent visits to the UF campus, a number of visits that far outshine any of his competitors.
Congressman Meek opposes offshore drilling, which is something we have no idea if Gov. Crist supports as he changes his mind on the issue to whatever best suits his political interests, and Meek’s other opponent, Rubio, supports more offshore drilling.
Rubio’s support for offshore drilling is particularly problematic as he called the Deepwater Horizon disaster “horrifying” while continuing to push for more drilling.
Call us crazy, but if something is “horrifying,” we should probably do everything in our power to not let it happen again.
Like support greater pledges for renewable energy, which Meek does.
Furthermore, Meek’s support for civil rights for women and LGBT Americans is unmatched by his opponents.
Congressman Meek’s plan to shrink the enormous national debt involves both supporting the national health care reform, which would cut the deficit by $1.2 trillion during the next 10 years, and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which would save $1 million for every U.S. soldier, according to Meek.
Although we feel Florida sets itself apart from the country this year in offering its citizens a viable three-way race with three candidates who all have a proven track record of political success, Rubio just leans too far right for compromise, and that scares us. Our governor has not proven he will support issues consistently, and we need someone who speaks up for what’s right at all times and not just times it will benefit him politically.
For the race for U.S. Senate, the Alligator endorses Congressman Kendrick Meek.
