Turn it Out

From Karen Thurman, Florida Democratic Party Chair (big fan!):

At Jefferson-Jackson Weekend last July, I opened my Chair's Address by
declaring, "Change is in the air."

Months later, those winds of change swept through Florida and on to
Washington, carrying a larger and stronger Democratic delegation to
Congress.

Last week, I traveled to the U.S. Capitol to celebrate the swearing in of
Florida's newest members of Congress: Kathy Castor, Ron Klein and Tim Mahoney.
All three landed roles on key, powerful committees. You can read more about that
in our website's news section: www.fladems.com/headlines. They are off to a
fantastic start.

I also witnessed the election of the first female Speaker of the U.S. House
of Representatives. And, let me tell you, as a former female member of Congress,
it brought tears of joy to my eyes.

I am proud, and you should be, too. The Republican-held Congressional seats
Floridians took back, as well as Kathy Castor's election and the re-election of
Representatives Allen Boyd, Corrine Brown, Alcee Hastings, Kendrick Meek, Debbie
Wasserman-Schultz and Robert Wexler all contributed to the new Democratic
majority that created this historic moment. In addition, the re-election of
Senator Bill Nelson to the U.S. Senate will increase Florida's influence on
pressing matters such as Iraq.

Democrats are not wasting any time getting to the business of the American
people.

Yesterday, our Democrats made good on their promise to pass the bipartisan
9-11 Commission recommendations to improve our nation's security as part of the
first 100-hours agenda. Today, they fulfill a second promise: raising the
minimum wage for the first time in ten years. And there's still more to come
this week and next! I can't begin to explain how excited I am for this first 100
hours. You can read more about the Democrats' agenda at newly-elected House
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's website: http://www.majorityleader.gov/

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I'll be in touch again
soon.

Here's to a successful session - both in DC and Tallahassee. For everyone, this time.