Robert Wexler

Important To Have A US Ambassador To Israel Who Can Promote Middle East Peace

The position of being US Ambassador to Israel becomes ever more important after the recent 11 day war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.

Antisemitism is rising in America and around the world, due to the harsh Israeli attacks in the past two weeks, justifiable as a self defense tactic against Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians, but still causing grief for Israel even among many younger American Jews.

Someone who knows the Middle East well, and could do the job of pressuring Israel toward negotiations for a two state solution, promoting what President Joe Biden wants and thinks is essential for Middle East peace long term, is the goal.

And former South Florida Congressman Robert Wexler could be the person to do it, and is supposedly on the short list for the position.

Wexler has been the President of the S. Daniel Abraham Center For Middle East Peace since he left the Congress in 2010. It is an American Non Profit Advocacy Group that works with leaders and policy makers in the United States and the Middle East to help reach a just and comprehensive peace that will bring an end to the Arab-Israeli Middle East conflict. Meetings, travel, conferences, workshops, and diplomatic exchanges further the mission of this group.

The Presentation Of Future Democratic Presidential Possibilities At The Democratic National Convention

Tonight, as the Democratic National Convention opens in Charlotte, North Carolina, we are seeing the presentation of future Presidential possibilities, giving them a chance to be noticed and judged by political observers and fellow Democrats.

Among those speaking are Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker; San Antonio, Texas Mayor Julian Castro, who is giving the keynote address; and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.

Also speaking are former Florida Congressman Robert Wexler; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Independent Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee, a former Republican; Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, former Chief of Staff to President Obama; Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick; Lilly Ledbetter, the woman who is mentioned as the name on the Equal Pay Act for women; the brother of Michelle Obama and the sister of President Obama; and finally, the distinguished First Lady herself!

It will be an exciting evening for Democrats, and Independents alike!

Congressional Employees And Payment Bonuses: Is That Appropriate In Difficult Times? YES!

As if there have not been enough attacks on state and local government employees and their salaries and benefits, now the attack is beginning on Congressional employees, who are the backbone of our Congress, and whom without, our Congress could not operate!

The average Congressional employee is grossly underpaid, as compared to what could be gained in private employment, but these men and women, primarily in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, feel a calling to serve their country by working for members of Congress!

Without these dedicated public servants, Congress could not operate, as they are the substance and the solid base of every Congressman and Senator and all House and Senate committees!

These are people with excellent educations and skills that keep every Congressional office operating, and keep their member of Congress up to date and informed about the myriad of issues that each member of Congress faces daily!

Does anyone think any member of either house of Congress could do their job without their dedicated staffs? How does one think legislative action is accomplished, that research is done, that speech writing is achieved, that scheduling is set up, that constituent services are smoothly arranged?

If, with pay lower than normal for the talents and skills needed, it is made impossible for a Congressman or Senator to use his or her discretion to pay bonuses to his or her staff members who deserve it for long hours and often constant attention to their work even when supposedly off from the job, then we will see a mass exodus of the best and the brightest from employment on Capitol Hill, and the nation will be the worse for it!

This commentary is based on the reality of what the author knows from years of study and reflection on the American political system, plus the experience of his older son, David Feinman, having devoted three years to the service of the constituents of the 19th Congressional District of Florida under Congressman Robert Wexler!

South Florida Conservative Talk Show Host Joyce Kaufman And Congressman Elect Allen West: Two “Wingnuts” That Will Make News! :(

One of the most notable Tea Party Movement favorites who won election to the House of Representatives last week was Allen West, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, who was forced to leave the military after inappropriate treatment of a prisoner In Iraq in 2003, and who has been associated with right wing, pro gun groups!

With large amounts of money, including support from Karl Rove associated groups, West defeated Congressman Ron Klein of Boca Raton, in one of the most confrontational campaigns in the country! 🙁

West is a “wing nut” who will make lots of news with his comments and actions, seen by many as an African American male counterpart of Michele Bachmann, Congresswoman from Minnesota, who is constantly making outrageous statements and calling for extremist actions against the opposition party, and confrontation in foreign policy!

It is bad enough that West will be a “nightmare” in Congress, but he has now appointed right wing “nut job” talk show host Joyce Kaufman, who is a South Florida “wannabe” replica of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity on the local level! 🙁

Kaufman has been an outrageous talk show host on WFTL in Fort Lauderdale, spewing poison, hate, and nastiness, calling for violent actions against illegal immigrants, war against Islam, and ridiculing Democrats in despicable language, such as calling Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Debbie Wasserman Schmutz (dirt in Yiddish)! She has used similar assaulting language against other Democrats, including former Congressman Robert Wexler, and other Democrats on the national scene, and has been totally negative in every way toward President Barack Obama!

She will now gain national attention, which she craves, as the Chief of Staff to Congressman West, and she is sure to be a “lightning rod”, drawing controversy by her statements and actions, instead of being a quiet, behind the scenes figure as Chief of Staff!

It is odd for a political figure to pick a media personality to be the leader of his staff! It is also weird that Kaufman, who constantly promotes states rights and hatred of the federal government, will now be a federal government employee and be paid by taxpayers for her work!

Interesting example of total hypocrisy on her part, and it also brings to mind that she somehow expects to be a “correspondent” for her radio station while working for West, which is seen by people on Capitol Hill as a conflict of interest, and totally inappropriate, and possibly illegal to boot!

But then conservatives like to rail against government, and then feed at the public trough as they pursue their agenda to make this country a land of the elite doing everything they can to make the rich richer, the poor poorer, and the middle class slipping constantly down in the direction of poverty!

The voters of the 22nd Congressional District of Florida will eventually realize the blunder they have made, brought about by large amounts of corporate cash without limit, thanks to the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case in January of this year! 🙁

The Florida US Senate Race: Charlie Crist The Best Choice!

For those who are progressive, the US Senate race in Florida is a difficult choice!

The Republicans have nominated former Speaker of the State House Marco Rubio of Miami, a favorite of conservatives and the Tea Party Movement! He is a Cuban American who would help promote the conservative agenda, and has sometimes been called the Cuban Barack Obama, a young man who could be imagined to be a seeker of higher office than the Senate were he to win the seat!

The Democrats have nominated Miami Congressman Kendrick Meek, who has gained the support of President Obama, Vice President Biden, former President Bill Clinton, and former Vice President Al Gore! Meek has a strong liberal record, and is the only African American candidate for the US Senate this year, and were he to win, he would become only the seventh US Senator of his race, and only the fourth to be elected by popular vote!

And then there is Governor Charlie Crist, who has been a Republican his whole political career, until he recognized that he could not win the GOP nomination in a primary race with Rubio, witnessing an extremely rapid drop in polls over a period of about six months late in 2009 and early in 2010! So he proceeded to leave the Republican Party this past spring and announce a candidacy as an Independent!

Crist has had a comparatively moderate record as Governor, but has been criticized as having no principles, except his own advancement, but he actually comes across as a person who has shown courage and willingness to cross the aisle, and pledges that is what he would do if elected to the Senate! The one thing that remains troubling is his refusal to indicate how he would side in organization of the Senate were he to win–that is, would he join the Republican caucus which has already rejected him in favor of Rubio, once he bowed out of the primary race, or would he join the Democratic caucus, in either case probably keeping an official Independent status, as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman have asserted!

For a progressive, it is a tough choice as to who should be supported, but the key point is who has the greater likelihood of stopping Marco Rubio and the Tea Party Movement from gaining the Senate seat!

It is extremely hard to imagine Kendrick Meek winning the seat, and he remains in third place! So it seems likely that a vote for Meek would help Rubio defeat Crist, an unfortunate and tragic circumstance were that to happen!

With the announcement today that former Congressman Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, who knows and admires Crist, but worked in the House of Representatives with Meek, is about to endorse Crist, it comes across to the author that despite what Obama, Biden, Clinton and Gore have done to back Meek, that the stance of Wexler makes a lot of sense!

If Meek somehow should gain the seat, it will be a surprise victory, but under the circumstances that exist, and with Crist being a moderate likely to organize (hopefully) with the Democrats while remaining an Independent, the author has decided that he will support and vote for Charlie Crist as the next US Senator from Florida, and hopes that Marco Rubio will be denied that seat in what is now a very close race between Rubio and Crist! May Charlie win and accomplish a distinguished record in the Senate for the state of Florida over the next six years!

Ted Deutch A Worthy Successor To Robert Wexler as Palm Beach/Broward Congressman!

South Palm Beach Country and Northern Broward County in Florida were fortunate to have Robert Wexler as their Congressman from the beginning of 1997 to the beginning of 2010! Wexler chose to leave and become engaged in the promotion of Middle East peace through leadership of a Middle East organization dedicated to that endeavor!

But as of April 15, the Congressional district I am a resident of has been blessed to have former State Senator Ted Deutch as its new Congressman, and already he has been successful in pushing through rebates for homeowners nationwide who have been victims of nature, including hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and other natural disasters!

Imagine, it has only been three weeks since Deutch took the oath, and already he has had an impact! 🙂

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has appointed Deutch to the same committees that Wexler was on, Foreign Affairs and Judiciary, arguably the two best committees to be a member of in the House of Representatives!

Deutch has pledged to work against Iran and for Israel’s security, and also to support civil rights and abortion rights!

This is fantastic news, and Deutch will be a worthy successor to Robert Wexler and represent his district in an exceptional manner! 🙂