Is Obama blocking a delegate deal or Clinton?

Frankly we can't really tell because it's often tough to tell who speaks for whom. Officially the Clinton camp position is "count every vote in FL," and officially the Obama camp position is, "We'll talk, but a fair solution would be divide the delegates evenly."

Meanwhile, Clinton supporters like Bill Nelson say the DNC should divide the Florida delegation in half - net Clinton 19 delegates - while prominent Obama supporters in Florida are talking about a deal that might perhaps net Clinton 6 or 13 delegates. Except they say the Clinton campaign won't budge from fully counting and seating the delegation based on Jan. 29, to net 38.

Chairman Dean I know has asked both sides to come together and we've said, "Where and when,' " said U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor of Tampa, an Obama backer. "And the next thing I hear (from the Clinton campaign) is, "We're not interested.' "

Brian Blair opponent gets some muscle

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor is co-hosting a fundraiser next week for Kevin Beckner, a Democrat who's challenging Republican Brian Blair for his County Commission seat. Castor served with Blair on the commission before winning her Congressional post. Among the other Beckner backers listed on the invitation: State Democratic party chair Karen Thurman; Tampa City Council members Gwen Miller, Linda Saul-Sena and Mary Mulhern; State Rep. Betty Reed; and State Sen. Charlie Justice. Beckner has raised about $53,000 so far in his bid to unseat Blair. Blair has raised more than $120,000. Blair also has a Republican challenger: Don Kruse. He's raised $1,000.

Enviros dig Nelson

The League of Conservation Voters released its 2007 scorecard today, and Bill Nelson was one of three senators to get a 100% rating on votes deemed key to the LCV. Mel Martinez got 13%.

Here are the scores of Florida members of Congress: Jeff Miller, (R)   10; Allen Boyd (D)  65; Corrine Brown (D) 85; Ander Crenshaw (R) 5; Ginny Brown-Waite (R)   20; Cliff Stearns (R)   15; John Mica (R)  5; Ric Keller (R) 15; Gus Bilirakis (R) 15; CW Bill Young, B. (R)  35; Kathy Castor (D)  95; Adam Putnam (R)  5; Vern Buchanan (R) 25; Connie Mack (R)   5; Dave Weldon, D. (R)  5; Tim Mahoney (D) 75; Kendrick Meek, K. (D) 85; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) 30; Robert Wexler (D)  85;  Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) 90; Lincoln Diaz-Balart, (R)  20; Ron Klein (D) 75; Alcee Hastings, (D)  90; Tom Feeney (R)  5; Mario Diaz-Balart,(R)  15. 

Kathy Castor endorses Obama

Castor: "Barack Obama is the right person at the right time to lead our great nation as President in the challenging days ahead. Americaneeds Barack Obama to unite and inspire us to improve our country’s economic stability, health care and national security. Everywhere I go people are energized by the Obama campaign because it embodies our hope for change. I ran for Congress in 2006 to fight for a new direction for our country. Senator Obama offers the most determined and coherent plan for a new direction and change and I am proud to endorse him for President of the United States"

"Obama now leads nationally in the number of pledged delegates, in the popular vote, and the number of states won. It is time for our party to coalesce around Barack Obama’s nomination for President.”

Here's Castor last week as a neutral superdelegate.

Castor's superdelegate thinking

The Democratic Congresswoman from Tampa and uncommitted superdelegate shared her thinking with us. The full Q&A runs in Sunday's Perspective section. Castor:

"I was very interested in the election results in my congressional district, and Sen. Obama won my congressional district. That’s going to be a very important factor, how the folks that I represent voted. It’s not the determining factor, but it is one very important factor.  I would hope that all the super delegates take their responsibility very seriously, and certainly every super delegate that’s a member of Congress should be considering who their districts voted for. But it’s not a determining factor...Another factor is which candidate can be most successful in November and which candidate has a vision for this country. Another factor is their interest in how we provide health care in Hillsborough County. How they see that fitting into their future policy plans."

Castor going for two

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, plans to kick off her reelection campaign later this month at Valencia Garden, the venerable Spanish restaurant on West Kennedy Boulevard.

Castor, 41, a freshman, said she wants to return to the House to continue pushing to end the war in Iraq, expand health insurance and improve access to college education.

A reliable Democrat who serves on the House Rules and Armed Services committees, Castor easily won her first election to Congress in 2006 with 70 percent. District 11, which was held for more than a decade by Jim Davis, who resigned to run for governor, includes parts of Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties.

Her campaign party is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Feb. 21.

Keep an eye on Castor in '08

"The first-term congresswoman from Tampa has been taken under the wing of the leadership and, if she continues to do their bidding, could move up the ranks to some leadership positions. If not in 2008, then most likely after the election in the natural ebb and flow of new members. ..." says the Times "10 to watch" feature today, which also includes the Florida voter, who will be mighty busy in 08.

You're SCHIP-ing me!

When Buzz returned to D.C. after meetings in Florida this week, we were surprised to find this name on the list of Nay votes for reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP: Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, one of the program's biggest supporters, who had led the debate in favor of the bill when the House first considered it.

Maybe not in her aye, but the smoke still stings

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, under fire for leading the charge for a bill that would increase cigar taxes, sent out a statement from Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee saying she did what she could.

On Wednesday, the House passed a nearly $50-billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides insurance to poor kids who aren't poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. Much of the money comes from a new tobacco tax, including a 33-percent excise tax on cigars, with a $1-per-stogie cap. The Senate version has a $3 cap. The current tax is 5 cents per cigar, and cigar industry folks in Tampa and Miami say either could cost thousands of jobs.

Castor was seen on CSPAN managing the bill on the House floor. Enter Rangel, whose committee approved the tax hike, damage control:

"Rep. Castor should be commended for her leadership in the House to ensure the cigar industry's concerns were addressed while drafting the ... act," Rangel said in a statement released by Castor's office. "People should be proud of her efforts to reduce the cigar tax from the high levels set by the Senate, and she has my promise to continue to work with her to make sure we do not ignore the very real impact this change could have on a Tampa tradition."

Even if the House and Senate can reconcile their versions, President Bush has vowed to veto the bill.

Smoke in her aye?

No, says U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor. The Tampa Democrat says she's trying to dampen a whopper of a cigar tax, but not at the expense of the children's health insurance the new tax is supposed to fund.

"We're working on it. If we can make it more equitable to (taxes on cigarettes), we will," Castor told reporters in her office Friday. "But our first priority is children's health."

Castor, a freshman, represents several cigar-making operations in West Tampa and Ybor City, and cigar makers fear a downturn in sales if Congress approves the tax increase to pay for an expansion of the State Childrens Health Insurance Program, known on Capitol Hill as S-Chip.

The current federal tax is about 5 cents per cigar. The Senate version calls for a 53-percent excise tax on the tobacco used to roll cigars, with a cap of $10 per cigar. The House version seeks a 44-percent excise tax, with a $1 maximum tax per cigar. Floridians in both chambers are working to trim the proposed taxes before the House and Senate vote on the bills next week.

Congress wants to expand the program to cover up to 6-million more children who are poor, but not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. President Bush has vowed to veto the increase.

Castor defends Young

Rep. Kathy Castor is distancing herself from state Democratic chairwoman Karen Thurman's recent charge that Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Indian Shores, had let down veterans by not doing more to fix problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

"It was a little too political," the Tampa Democrat said of Thurman in a Political Connections interview airing at 11 a.m. on Bay News 9 (and later on Channel 342, Bay News 9 on demand). "Congressman Bill Young has devoted a large part of his career to serving veterans and the war wounded."