Daytona Beach News-Journal Endorses Kosmas

Kosmas' integrity needed in Congress

In the congressional race for District 24, Democratic candidate Suzanne Kosmas makes a clear, compelling case to replace Republican Tom Feeney. It's a choice between the honesty, ethics and transparency of Kosmas and the absence of all three in Feeney.

Feeney is asking voters in a campaign commercial to forgive him. As a member of Congress, Feeney broke ethics rules and took a trip paid for by Jack Abramoff, the former lobbyist now serving prison terms for fraud. Feeney says he made "a rookie mistake." What he doesn't tell viewers is that he agreed to return the money to the Treasury only when a House ethics committee made him do it -- in his current, third term. Nothing rookie about that. Nor does he tell viewers that when he initially reported the trip, he didn't disclose the fact that Abramoff was the sponsor, citing another organization that had nothing to do with the trip. Had Feeney more honestly disclosed the matter, then asked for voters' forgiveness at the time, maybe -- just maybe -- he would have seemed more believable. His atonement ad looks instead like a re-election ploy.

Feeney's questionable ethics are only part of the problem. His record as one of Congress' most extremist right-wing members is the other. It takes effort to be out of step with one's own conservative block -- as Feeney has been with opposition to such initiatives as AIDS funding, tobacco regulation and foreclosure protection. Feeney is not just anti-government. He's anti governance.

District 24 would be far better served by Kosmas, an experienced, respected, gradual reformer within the bounds of the politically possible. As a member and leader in the Legislature for eight years, her low-key but effective pragmatism enabled her to build consensus with Republicans on issues like education, child care, child safety and crime-victim advocacy.

She supports universal health care, opposes the war in Iraq (and did, in fact, oppose it publicly before it began in 2003), favors more large-scale investments in infrastructure repair as a way to re-start the economy and generally opposes tax increases.

Kosmas' experience, her continued involvement with her community before and after she left public office, and her deliberate style make her, clearly, the better choice against Feeney in November.

RECOMMENDATION: Suzanne Kosmas for Congress, District 24.