Disclosure: Progressive America, blogger for Joe Garcia campaign posting this. Help Joe out by contributing on my Co-Host New York Event Page

Today there are more McCarthyist attacks on Charlie Rangel and Joe Garcia in the Miami Herald, coming from Diaz-Balart and Republican groups.

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, the Republican congressman Garcia is looking to oust, called Rangel a ''radical left-wing extremist'' and suggested the twice-decorated Korean War veteran had a history of ''appeasing our nation's enemies.'' Spanish-language radio trashed Rangel, and a group of Venezuelans living in South Florida, who say Rangel is also too cozy with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez, asked Garcia to reconsider the fundraiser.

Garcia, though, defends the decision, arguing that it's in the district's best interests to have a working relationship with Rangel, who as chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee is one of the most powerful members of Congress.

''It's this kind of behavior,'' Garcia said, referring to Diaz-Balart's characterization of Rangel, ``that got us zero when the Republicans were in power and less than zero now that the Democrats are in power.''

Then of course in addition to the more than $80,000 in campaign contributions Diaz-Balart has accepted from anti-embargo PACs, it's now come out that Republicans connected with the Diaz-Balarts have also met with Rangel, emphasizing the same other important issues Joe Garcia finds agreement with Rangel on.

Miami lobbyist Ana Navarro, a longtime supporter of the Diaz-Balarts, said she hosted Rangel in her home last December. She said the gathering was not a fundraiser but an opportunity for a dozen Miami cigar makers to talk to Rangel and share their opposition to a proposal Democrats had to hike cigar taxes to pay for children's health insurance.

''I thought long and hard about it but knew if he came to my house, it would be under my terms and my conditions,'' she said.

''At the meeting when I introduced him, I said publicly that he and I did not agree on anything but that it was a working meeting to give the cigar industry a chance to talk with him,'' Navarro said. She said she did not contribute to Rangel's campaign, though campaign finance reports show Florida cigar makers contributed at least $10,000 to Rangel in December.

Mario Diaz-Balart is ranked an embarassing 406th out of all 435 representives in terms of performance, that's for a district that could use enormous help right now during Bush's economic recession and a district where 14,500 children don't have health care because Diaz-Balart said the big tobacco interests are more important. We need more than ineffectiveness in South Florida, we need progress on the issues that matter, like expanding health care to all, protecting the Everglades and combating climate change, and bringing our brave men and women home from Iraq responsibly.

Over the next few days, we have the opportunity to Help fight back against Diaz-Balart's rediculous hyprocrisy and red-baiting by co-hosting Joe Garcia's event in New York and the Netroots. Together we can show that we support a politics that rejects special interest groups and embrace one that moves the country forward.

Please visit the Act Blue Page and tell Diaz-Balart what you think of his attacks.

On April 21st (next Monday!), Joe Garcia will be attending an event with Rep. Charlie Rangel in New York. Joe’s opponent, Bush rubberstamp Mario Diaz-Balart is trying to divide the South Florida community with the event, calling Joe and Rep. Rangel “left-wing extremists.” This of course is sticking with the Diaz-Balart campaign theme. When Joe announced his campaign, he was called a “Castro-sympathizer” and Diaz- Balart said Joe’s run was an attempt “to overthrow him from Congress.” Except the facts are that Joe has been standing up for Democracy in Cuba his entire life and he opposes the Bush/Diaz-Balart restrictions on travel and family remittances, which have taken power away from the Cuban people.

Mario Diaz-Balart on the other hand has made hypocritical attacks. He’s taken over $80,000 in campaign contributions from special interests and PACs with ties to the Cuban government, many of them who have lobbied against the embargo. At the same time Diaz-Balart continues to call powerful members of Congress "communists," partisan rhetoric that makes it difficult to get anything done for the 25th district. This is part of the reason the district ranks 407th out of 435 in the US in terms of performance from their representative, even though it's one of the poorest districts in the nation and could use significant help from the government.

Help fight back against Diaz-Balart’s rediculous hyprocrisy and red- baiting by co-hosting Joe Garcia’s event in New York. Together we can show that we support a politics that rejects special interest groups and embrace one that moves the country forward on combating challenges like protecting the Everglades and taking on climate change, expanding health care coverage to all, and bringing a responsible end to the war in Iraq.

Help get the fundraiser off to a start at the Act Blue Page with even a $5 or $10 contribution, really that’s all it takes! If Republicans are going to use misleading and McCarthist attacks, we need to show our numbers and make them pay for it, every single time.

There will also likely be a virtual event, either a live-blog or townhall, with Joe Garcia before or after the event on Monday, so we truely will be co-hosting!

Thank you for your support!

Shane Markowitz

Hello Mydd, this is the campaign blogger for Joe Garcia here!

While Joe Garcia has been actively reaching out to voters across the 25th district of Florida with a plan that will unite the South Florida community on bringing about the kind of change that will enact universal health care, bring a responsible end to the war in Iraq, tackle climate change and protect the Everglades, and revitalize the economy, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart has been busy pandering to right-wing groups with outlandish statements.

Just two months into the campaign Bush rubberstamp Mario Diaz-Balart has already put his campaign to the level of using fear-mongering, redbaiting, and Rovian style tactics to scare up votes. The latest attacks come from yesterday's Miami Herald in a story in which he attacks both Joe Garcia and Rep. Charlie Rangel as left-wing extremists. This comes a month after the Diaz-Balarts called Joe a sympathizer and friend of Castro.

Joe Garcia, the FDP, and South Florida grassroots supporters are pushing back strongly against these outlandish statements.

With the end of quarter fundraising deadline just hours away, mood in the campaign office is very jubilant. In just the past week over a thousand people have contributed to the campaign, joining a grassroots army of supporters who will help bring change to Washington. Joe Garcia doesn't take money from energy industries, health care companies, and other special interest groups or their PACs, so he's relying on us to own this campaign and help turn South Florida blue. In Congress Joe wants to invest power in the many who enact real change in America like a progressive energy policy, universal health care, and bringing our brave men and women home from Iraq with the Responsible Plan.

Felipe Sixto, an aide for the Bush administration has resigned today over alleged financial wrongdoing with his former employer, the right-wing Center for Free Cuba. This case has resemblances to the recent RNCC scandal involving Christopher Ward, another Republican political operative who stole money from Republican party funds. Republicans don't just cheat the country, they cheat their own party and interest groups who fund their campaigns too.

MSNBC:

"Felipe Sixto was promoted on March 1 as a special assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and stepped forward on March 20 to reveal his alleged wrongdoing and to resign, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Friday. He said Sixto took that step after learning that his former employer, the Center for a Free Cuba, was prepared to bring legal action against him.

Stanzel said the alleged wrongdoing involved the misuse of money when Sixto was an official at the center."