Debate Between Ander and Jay McGovern

Fla. Dems Good on Environment, Reps Not So Much

The League of Conservation Voters released their scorecards for Congress. Can you guess what the pattern is? Of Florida Republicans, only Ileana Ros-Lehtinen does as good as any Democrat and that's only one person. Beyond that, all Democrats do way better than all Republicans. No shocker there.

Alcee Hastings (D), 92%
Ron Klein (D), 92%
Timothy Mahoney (D), 92%
Kendrick Meek (D), 92%
Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D), 92%
Bill Nelson (D), 91%
F. Allen Boyd (D), 85%
Corrine Brown (D), 85%
Kathy Castor (D), 85%
Robert Wexler (D), 69%
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), 69%
Vern Buchanan (R), 62%
Gus Bilirakis (R), 38%
Ginny Brown-Waite (R), 38%
Mario Diaz-Balart (R), 38%
C.W. Bill Young (R), 38%
Mel Martinez (R), 36%
Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R), 31%
Ander Crenshaw (R), 15%
Ric Keller (R), 15%
Connie Mack (R), 8%
John Mica (R), 8%
Adam Putnam (R), 8%
Dave Weldon (R), 8%
Tom Feeney (R), 0%
Jeff Miller (R), 0%
Cliff Stearns (R), 0%

Esquire Endorsement

Esquire endorsed Jay McGovern over Ander:

Crenshaw, our pick in '06, has tossed his principles overboard in favor of election-year expediency. Offshore drilling won't increase our national security. Electing a veteran who understands that "diplomacy is not appeasement" will.

Letter to the Editor on Crenshaw/McGovern Race

With the price of a barrel of crude oil fast approaching $140, it's no secret that our country is facing the most dire energy crisis in our history. Increasing demand and limited supply are causing prices to skyrocket with no end in sight. Jay McGovern recognizes the brutal impact these record gas and energy prices have on family budgets. While Ander Crenshaw offers more of the same failed, backward looking policies of the past eight years, Jay McGovern understands the complexity of the crisis we're facing and offers a fundamentally new way of thinking about energy solutions. McGovern knows that there is no single answer for removing our dependence on foreign oil. We need a sound, comprehensive approach to solving these problems, and Jay McGovern is just the man for the job. While some talk about energy solutions, McGovern makes it happen.

Jay McGovern is an engineer who is trained to solve problems. It's his job to take big problems, to break them down into smaller, more manageable problems, and to find solutions to those issues. He's carried over this analytical approach to problem solving into his personal life. Jay processes his own bio-diesel to fuel his car. While gas is $4 a gallon, Jay makes his own diesel to fuel his car for about 80 cents a gallon. At his farm, Jay has installed solar panels on his barn to produce hot water for his farm. In other words, Jay has lived his life in the pursuit of finding better alternatives to the energy dilemmas of our day, the types of renewable and alternative energy solutions in which our country so urgently requires investment.

On the other hand, Ander Crenshaw's voting record on energy legislation during his past eight years in office proves that he doesn't get what needs to be done to adequately address our gas and energy crisis. Here's a quick overview:

● Voted NO on raising corporate average fuel efficiency (CAFÉ) standards; incentives for alternative fuels. [Bill HR.6 ; vote number 2003-630 on Nov 18, 2003]

● Voted YES on passage of the Bush Administration national energy policy which authorized 25.7 billion dollars of tax breaks for the oil and energy industries while offering little in the way of incentives for conservation, alternative fuel, or renewable energy development. [Energy Policy Act of 2004; Bill HR 4503 ; vote number 2004-241 on Jun 15, 2004]

● Voted NO on keeping the moratorium on offshore drilling for oil. [Ocean Energy Resources Act; Bill H R 4761 ; vote number 2006-354 on Jun 29, 2006]

● Voted NO on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies which sought to end the unwarranted tax breaks & subsidies which have been lavished on Big Oil during the Bush Administration, a time of record prices at the gas pump and record oil industry profits. [Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation(CLEAN); Bill HR 6 ("First 100 hours") ; vote number 2007-040 on Jan 18, 2007]

● Voted NO on tax incentives for renewable energy. [Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act; Bill H.R.5351 ; vote number 08-HR5351 on Feb 12, 2008]

Based on this record, it's no surprise that Crenshaw received a 0% rating from the Campaign for America's Future (CAF) on energy issues and a 5% rating from the League of Conservation Voters on environmental issues.

Crenshaw also supports a "gas tax holiday" over the summer. This idea, which John McCain and George Bush also support, has been thoroughly debunked as a gimmick that only enriches the pockets of Big Oil while passing on paltry savings to the consumer at the pump. Furthermore, this proposal does nothing to address the root cause of the problem -- our dependence on foreign oil. While Crenshaw offers gimmicks, McGovern provides real solutions.

The United States has only 5% of the world's population. However, we account for 30% of the world's automobiles, and we produce 45% of the world's automotive carbon dioxide emissions. Our addiction to oil harms our environment, our economy, and our national security. Jay McGovern understands these hard realties and knows that the only way we're going to break this costly cycle is to invest heavily in alternative fuel solutions and renewable sources of energy.

In much the same way the Space Race spawned numerous technological innovations in aerospace engineering and electronic communication which we consider commonplace today, Jay believes we should embark on a similar, bold, new race to develop sustainable and renewable energy sources. Whether it's clean coal, bio-fuels, wind, solar, hydrogen fuel cells, nuclear, or any future renewable technology that works – they're all components of a bigger, comprehensive solution.

Support Jay McGovern

Republicans Don't Support Troops As Well As Dems

Check out the latest scorecards from Disabled American Veterans and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America...

DAV:

Bill Nelson, 100
Allen Boyd, 100
Corrine Brown, 100
Kendrick Meek, 100
Robert Wexler, 100
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 100
Alcee Hastings, 100

Mel Martinez, 60
Jeff Miller, 66
Ander Crenshaw, 66
Ginny Brown-Waite, 66
Cliff Stearns, 66
John Mica, 66
Ric Keller, 50
C.W. Bill Young, 66
Adam Putnam, 66
Connie Mack, 66
David Weldon, 66
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, 66
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, 66
Tom Feeney, 66
Mario Diaz-Balart, 66

Notice a pattern here? All of the Dems have 100%, while none of the Republicans has anything better than a mid-range "D." So much for supporting disabled troops.

IAVA:

Bill Nelson, A+
Allen Boyd, A
Corrine Brown, A
Kathy Castor, A
Timothy Mahoney, A
Kendrick Meek, B
Robert Wexler, A
D. Wasserman Schultz, A+
Ron Klein, A+
Alcee Hastings, A

Mel Martinez, B
Jeff Miller, B
Ander Crenshaw, B
G. Brown-Waite, B
Cliff Stearns, B
John Mica, B
Ric Keller, A
Gus Bilirakis, A
C.W. Bill Young, B
Adam Putnam, C
Vern Buchanan, B
Connie Mack, B
Dave Weldon, C
I. Ros-Lehtinen, A
L. Diaz-Balart, B
Tom Feeney, B
M. Diaz-Balart, B

Republicans do a little better on this one, with Keller, Bilirakis and Ros-Lehtinen all getting an "A." Dems still do better, Meek has the lowest grade on our side of the aisle, and he still has a "B." The only "A+" grades amongst Florida's delegation are Dems and the only grades below "B" are all Republicans. Again, which party actually supports the troops?