More Florida reps call on Vitter to back off

More pressure on David Vitter to stop blocking FEMA nominee Craig Fugate: Led by Rep. Ron Klein, a bipartisan group of Florida legislators has penned a letter urging Vitter to "immediately release" the hold.

Signed by his fellow Democrats, Reps. Kathy Castor and Alcee Hastings, and Republicans Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Connie Mack, the letter notes that "with hurricane season less than a month away, any further delay of Mr. Fugate's confirmation could dramatically hinder preparedness efforts.”

Full text follows:

Hastings says Obama's bloom is fading

Bloomberg reports that some Democrats in Congress are warning that if the economy doesn't pick up, there could be a backlash at the polls in 2010. The article quotes U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings of Miramar: "The bloom is off the rose as far as Obama-mania is concerned. People are beginning to ask the hard question, and that is, ‘when is there going to be some improvement that is going to affect me?’”

As a Hillary Clinton supporter during the Democratic primary, Hastings didn't personally suffer from Obama-mania.

Bill Clinton pushes for aid to Haiti

Former President Bill Clinton left Haiti on Tuesday with a promise to encourage foreign donors and corporations to respond to the country's urgent needs for jobs and development while prodding government leaders to seize the "limited window of opportunity."

"I've been following this country for more than three decades. I fell in love with it 35 years ago when Hillary and I came here," Clinton told The Miami Herald.

Read more here. The meeting came as South Florida Reps. -- that's Kendrick Meek, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Alcee Hastings pictured below -- met with Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to ask that the U.S. stop deporting Haitians to the storm-wracked island.

Hastings and Ros-Lehtinen seek $$$ for hurricane research

Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings and Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have joined forces to sponsor a bill that calls for spending an additional $2.35 billion for research into how hurricanes form and intensify -- as well as improving early warning systems.

"The current federal investment in hurricane research is shameful in contrast to our nation’s increasing vulnerability," Hastings said.

Ros-Lehtinen called for the entire Florida delegation to back the bill and lobby colleagues. "To do nothing would be a dereliction of our duty and lives and property would be at great risk," she said.

Sens. Mel Martinez and Bill Nelson introduced nearly identical legislation in the last Congress.

Hastings: $1 billion to speed up voting

Alcee L. Hastings has introduced legislation to spend $1 billion over the next four years to combat long lines at the voting polls.

"It is unconscionable that millions of Americans have to stand in line for hours and hours simply to exercise their right to vote," the Miramar Democrat said. "Tens of thousands of my constituents were forced to stand in lines as long as five or six hours. This is an impediment to voting. Local governments, with aid from the federal government, have an obligation to ensure that voting is accessible to all citizens and is conducted as comfortably and efficiently as possible."

The "Critical Election Infrastructure Act" would authorize $250 million in federal spending in each of the next four years to states and local governments to upgrade, expand, and acquire more election equipment. Money could also be used to hire and train more poll workers to work during early voting periods and on Election Day.

Challenger: Hastings threatened to kill me

Congressional candidate Marion Thorpe Jr. has accused Rep. Alcee Hastings of threatening to kill him shortly after the two debated Thursday night at a candidate's forum in Boca Raton.

A Thorpe campaign press release says Hastings was upset about Thorpe's mention of his impeachment as a federal judge in 1989.

According to the release, Hastings threatened to "take [Thorpe] out permanently'' if he mentioned Hastings' impeachment again. Hastings then walked away while "wagging his finger and whispering 'It’s not over, it’s not over, I’m coming for you,' '' the press release states, adding that Thorpe has asked for a restraining order.

In a statement Friday, Hastings said "I have not seen this frivolous police report nor did I know anything about it before this afternoon. I did not say anything of the sort to Dr. Thorpe."

Investigators are looking into Thorpe's statements but as of Friday afternoon no charges had been filed, said Sandra Boonenberg, a police spokeswoman.

- DAVID SMILEY

Here's how they voted

The plan failed 205-228, splitting largely along partisan lines in South Florida: Democrats Kendrick Meek, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Alcee Hastings, Ron Klein, Tim Mahoney and Robert Wexler backed the bill.

Republicans Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen voted against it.

Democrat Kathy Castor of Tampa voted against the bill, however,

After thoughtful consideration and review, saying it didn't "provide sufficient help to middle-class families in the housing squeeze or taxpayer protections."

Klein called it an "undesirable, but essential, plan to stabilize our financial system and get our economy back on track."

White House spokesman Tony Fratto said President Bush was "very disappointed" with the vote, but fellow GOP'er Ros-Lehtinen said it "had a sky high price tag and did not address the needs of our hard-working middle class families who are struggling to make ends meet."

GOP demands a Hastings rebuke

Republican Party of Florida chief Jim Greer is calling on Florida Dems and Barack Obama's campaign to call out Alcee Hastings, who yesterday suggested Jewish Democrats should fear Sarah Palin.

"Alcee Hastings managed to attack sportsmen, African Americans, and the Jewish community in one sentence," Greer said. "By claiming that Governor Palin and those Americans who choose to bear arms do not care about the Jewish and African-American citizens of our country, Hastings is viciously throwing the worst kind of stereotypes at the wall and hoping one of them sticks. Even more unfortunate is the fact that this statement comes on the heels of an Obama Florida staff member’s comments that Governor Palin was a 'Nazi sympathizer.' The staffer had the good sense to backtrack from his comments, and so should Alcee Hastings."

(Editor's note: The staffer didn't call Palin a Nazi sympathizer, that was leveled at Pat Buchanan)

"Unless Senator Obama and the Florida Democrat Party believes that 'anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks,' " Greer said, quoting Hastings. "Both Obama and the FDP should immediately refute this ridiculous and divisive statement."

Hastings made the remarks yesterday at a panel discussion about the shared agenda of black and Jewish Democrats.

Hastings on Palin and Jews and Blacks (and guns and moose)

CNN is reporting that Alcee Hastings told an audience of Jewish Democrats "they should be wary of Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin because 'anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks.'

"If Sarah Palin isn’t enough of a reason for you to get over whatever your problem is with Barack Obama, then you damn well had better pay attention," CNN quotes Hastings as saying at a panel discussion about the shared agenda of Jewish and African-American Democrats.

The website says Hastings "was explaining what he intended to tell his Jewish constituents about the presidential race. 'Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don’t care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through,' Hastings added as the room erupted in laughter and applause," CNN reported.