Tuesday E-News Briefs, 8/21/07, Florida Rep. Gives National Address

In This Issue

• Rep. Soto Delivers National Democratic Radio Address In Spanish
  
• Obama Swings Through Florida, Helps Local DECs
  
• Presidential Candidates In Orlando To Discuss Domestic Issues
  
• Jackson County DEC To Hold Annual Boots & Blues Bar-B-Q
• MUST WATCH: Dan Rather Uncovers Faulty Touch Screen Voting Machines

Rep. Soto Delivers National Democratic Radio Address In Spanish

Over the weekend, Florida House Rep. Darren Soto (D-Orlando), a first-generation American of Puerto Rican descent, delivered the weekly national Democratic Spanish-language radio address. In the address, Soto explained the tremendous strides that the Democratic Party has made for Hispanic Americans, including an historic raise in the minimum wage. According to Soto, "Para los 2,3 millones de hispanos que recibirán un aumento gracias a la nueva ley, puede significar un promedio de 9 meses de mercado, o 11 meses de calefacción y servicios domésticos, o 22 meses de ropa." (On average, for the 2.3 million Hispanics who will see a raise as a result of the increase, it can mean nine months worth of groceries, or 11 months of home heating and utilities, or 22 months of clothing.) Listen to Soto's full address at:
http://www.fladems.com/podcasts

Obama Swings Through Florida, Helps Local DECs

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (IL) will be visiting the Sunshine State this week to campaign and help out two great local Democratic Party organizations. Obama will be the keynote speaker at the Leon County Democratic Party's 2nd Annual Collins-Steele Dinner on Friday, August 24. For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the Leon County Democratic Party at 850-577-3367 or visit www.leondems.com. The next day, Obama speaks to the Miami-Dade Democratic Party at the Miami-Dade Auditorium on Saturday, August 25. For more information on this event, contact the Miami Dade Democratic Party at 305-477-4994 or visit www.miamidadedemocrats.com.

Presidential Candidates In Orlando To Discuss Domestic Issues

Underscoring the Democratic Party's commitment to America's workers, major Democratic presidential hopefuls - including U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY), former U.S. Sen. John Edwards (NC), U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH) and possibly U.S. Sen. Joe Biden (DE) - will join a discussion hosted by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) on August 27-28 in Orlando. The IAM's "Conversation with the Candidates" will allow Democrats to share their vision on a variety of domestic issues. For more information, visit www.goiam.org.

Jackson County DEC To Hold Annual Boots & Blues Bar-B-Q

On Thursday, Sept. 13, hundreds of Democrats will storm the Jackson County Agricultural Center for the Annual Boots & Blues Bar-B-Q. The event, hosted by the local Democratic Executive Committee (DEC), is expected to draw Democrats throughout North Florida, including Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Karen Thurman. For more info, contact the Jackson County Democratic Party at 850-482-5943.

MUST WATCH: Dan Rather Uncovers Faulty Touch Screen Voting Machines

On August 14, "Dan Rather Reports" aired an eye-opening special titled, "The Trouble with Touch Screens." The program exposed the host of problems that touch screen voting machines presented in 2006. Since the 2006 election, Democrat Christine Jennings has joined with the voters of District 13 to ensure the integrity of future elections and help end paperless voting in Florida and around the country. This special is mandatory viewing for any Florida Democrat who is concerned about the integrity of our elections. If you missed the original airing of the show, watch it now: www.hd.net/danrather.html