Party Launches New Ad Online at HurricaneMcCain.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Floridians, be wary. Hurricane McCain is in town.

In response to McCain's visit, the Florida Democratic Party today unveiled www.HurricaneMcCain.com, an online portal dedicated to exposing the danger McCain poses to Florida, and a new ad that the Party plans to air on television soon.

The ad exposes McCain's opposition to a national catastrophe fund, which would stabilize the nation's property insurance market once and for all. This issue is particularly important to Floridians who have been hit extremely hard by skyrocketing insurance rates.

McCain's scorn for a national catastrophe fund - the Republican nominee has repeatedly bragged about his opposition - puts him solidly against Florida's Governor, Empty Chair Charlie Crist, and the state's Congressional delegation.

Click here to view the YouTube version of the ad: www.HurricaneMcCain.com.

Or media may download a high-resolution version at either of the following links:
http://www.fladems.com/page/-/videos/HurricaneMcCain.mov
http://www.fladems.com/page/-/videos/HurricaneMcCain.m4v

All Florida cabinet and congressional officials - Republicans and Democrats - strongly support the fund. Last year, U.S. Reps. Ron Klein and Tim Mahoney of Florida advanced legislation to create the fund in the U.S. House of Representatives, but President Bush has threatened to veto it. Like Bush, McCain opposes the bill.

Governor Crist even brought the subject up himself via a videotaped question for Republican Presidential candidates participating in the CNN/YouTube debate last year. The question was not used, but Crist promoted his video heavily.

The Party's ad includes commentary from Republican Attorney General Bill McCollum, who rails against McCain, repeating how he is "out of touch with the needs of Florida voters." [Miami Herald Naked Politics Blog, 1/21/08]

"With hurricane season upon us, it is imperative that John McCain quickly learn what we in Florida face each year. More than just the threat of a disaster, skyrocketing insurance costs have further strained the people of Florida, already bearing the burden of this Republican recession," Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen L. Thurman said. "A national catastrophe fund is a bipartisan solution that would strengthen Florida - and all 50 states - before and after a storm. Only President Bush and Senator McCain could possibly oppose common-sense action like this."

The ad also revisits McCain's reaction to Hurricane Katrina. The Republican candidate has attacked President Bush's response to Katrina, but as that infamous storm began to ravage the Gulf Coast, McCain was in Arizona celebrating his 69th birthday over cake - with President Bush.

Following one of the greatest natural disasters in recent memory, McCain refused to support a measure providing emergency funding for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma and twice voted against establishing a commission to investigate the response to Katrina. [2006 Senate Vote #112, 5/4/2006; 2006 Senate Vote #6, 2/2/2006; 2005 Senate Vote #229, 9/14/2005]

McCain's opposition to the catastrophe fund and his Bush-like obliviousness to a Category 5 storm make obvious his disregard for those living in storm prone areas.

A national catastrophe insurance fund would widen the insurance pool to all Americans who may be faced with an unexpected disaster - be it tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires or hurricanes.

McCain has brazenly and falsely overestimated the cost of the fund by about $200 billion. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the cost at about $25 million per year.

MCCAIN OPPOSES A NATIONAL CATASTROPHIC INSURANCE FUND

February 2008: McCain Bragged About His Opposition To A National Catastrophic Insurance Fund. In his speech to CPAC, McCain highlighted his opposition to the national insurance fund, bragging, "I campaigned in Florida against the national catastrophic insurance fund bill that passed the House of Representatives." [John McCain CPAC Remarks As Prepared For Delivery, McCain Campaign email, 2/7/08]

January 2008: McCain Refused To Support National Catastrophic Insurance Fund. In a speech in Coral Gables, Florida, McCain suggested that the government should do more to bolster FEMA and rejected the National Catastropic Insurance Fund. McCain said, "I do not support a national catastrophic insurance policy... That insurance policy is there and it's called FEMA and it's called national disaster preparedness...I still do not have confidence that FEMA is capable of handling those responsibilities.'' ["Naked Politics" blog, Miami Herald, 1/21/08, http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2008/01/so-much-for-cri.html]

MCCAIN VOTED AGAINST RELIEF MEASURES FOR VICTIMS OF HURRICANE KATRINA
McCain Voted Against Appropriating $109 Billion In Supplemental Emergency Funding, Including $28 Billion for Hurricane Relief. McCain voted against passage of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations of 2006. Passage of the emergency supplemental bill would appropriate roughly $109 billion in emergency supplemental funding for fiscal 2006. It would provide $72.4 billion in fiscal 2006 funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and foreign aid, not counting an almost 3 percent across-the-board cut to defense funds in the bill. It would provide more than $28 billion for hurricane relief, approximately $2.3 billion for pandemic flu preparations and $1.9 billion for border security efforts. [2006 Senate Vote #112, 5/4/2006]

McCain Voted Against Granting Access To Medicaid For Hurricane Katrina Victims For Up To Five Months. McCain voted against providing emergency health care and other relief for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. The amendment would grant access to Medicaid to Hurricane Katrina victims for up to five months; it also provided full federal funding for Medicaid in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for up to one year; provide $800 million to compensate providers caring for Katrina evacuees; it temporarily suspended the Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty; and permit states hit by or serving evacuees to access the TANF Contingency Fund. It would be offset with funds unspent by the FEMA. [2005 Senate Vote #285, 11/3/2005]

McCain Voted Twice Against Establishing A Commission To Study The Response To Hurricane Katrina. McCain voted against establishing a Congressional commission to examine Federal, State, and local response to devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in U.S. Gulf Region, especially in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and other areas impacted in the aftermath; and makes immediate corrective measures to improve future responses. [2006 Senate Vote #6, 2/2/2006; 2005 Senate Vote #229, 9/14/2005]

McCain Opposed Granting Financial Relief To Those Affected By Hurricane Katrina. In 2005, McCain voted against allowing up to 52 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina. [2005 Senate Vote #234, 9/15/2005]

JOHN MCCAIN VOTED AGAINST EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

McCain Tells Voters That The Government Must Be Better Prepared To Respond To Natural Disasters. "We must also prepare, across all levels of government, far better than we have done, to respond quickly and effectively to another terrorist attack or natural calamity. I am not an advocate of big government, and the private sector has an important role to play in homeland security. But when Americans confront a catastrophes, either natural or man-made, their government, across jurisdictions, should be organized and ready to deliver bottled drinking water to dehydrated babies and rescue the aged and infirm trapped in a hospital with no electricity." [CNN Live Feed (Jacksonville, FL), 4/3/08]

But McCain Repeatedly Voted Against Communications Equipment For First Responders. In 2006, McCain voted against Sen. Stabenow's amendment that provided an additional $5 billion for emergency responders for reliable interoperable communications equipment to respond to natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and public safety needs; and offsets by closing tax loopholes. In 2005, McCain twice voted against funding for emergency communication systems. [2006 Senate Vote #45, 3/15/2006; 2005 Senate Vote #227, 9/14/2005; 2005 Senate Vote #183, 7/14/2005]

McCain Also Voted To Eliminate A $100 Million Fund For Emergency Communications Equipment. McCain voted to support an amendment that eliminates $1 billion Commerce Department interoperability grant program and transfers funds to Department of Homeland Security for an uncreated interoperability grant program; and eliminates $100 million fund for strategic reserves of communications equipment designed for deployment in event of major disaster. [2007 Senate Vote #66, 3/7/2007]

McCain Voted Against Over $300 Million In Funding For FEMA. McCain voted against an amendment to provide an additional $301 million for disaster relief fund operated by FEMA. [2006 Senate Vote #199, 7/13/2006]

McCain Voted Against Making FEMA An Independent Agency. McCain voted against an amendment to establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent agency within the Executive Branch with a Director reporting directly to the President. It would require the agency's head to have significant expertise in the area of emergency preparedness and response. [2006 Senate Vote #193, 7/11/2006]

McCain Voted Against Allowing A Simple Majority To Waive The Budget Requirement For Natural Disaster Emergency Relief. McCain voted against an amendment to allow three-fifths vote provisions of Balanced Budget amendment to be waived by majority vote in each House for fiscal year in which outlays result from declaration made by President and Congress that major disaster or emergency exists. History has proven that there is almost always widespread support for emergency funding when truly needed, and that it would not slow down fast action when disaster strikes. [1995 Senate Vote #66, 2/14/1995]