Florida is on a list with the incoming Obama Administration, but unfortunately it is not a list we want to be on. The fact that the majority of Democratic House Members and Sen. Bill Nelson supported Sen. Clinton in the Democratic primary could be the reason Florida is on the wrong list. When you examine the nominations for the Obama cabinet Florida did not get any, and in fact they didn’t even mention names of people from Florida as possible candidates. The norm is to throw a bone to Key Democrats in a state by saying they are being considered for a major cabinet position. You then quietly advise them they aren’t going to get it and let them announce that as much as they would like to accept the job they can’t because they want to spend more time with their family. The closest Florida came to a cabinet position was Carol Browner, former head of the Florida EPA who became head of the EPA under President Clinton. She was named as Obama’s Climate Czar.

The most glaring example of how Florida was left out was the fact that Sen. Bob Graham was not even considered to be head of the CIA. A friend of mine from the Congress and former Chief of Staff of the Clinton White House, Leon Panetta, has been nominated. His nomination has not received overwhelming Democratic support because of Leon’s lack of experience. In my opinion he is a class act, a decent and honorable person, and a quick study. However, when you compare his background to Sen. Graham there is just no comparison. You would have thought that they would have at least mentioned Sen. Graham’s name and given him some exposure. Sen. Graham’s many years of honorable service in the Senate and on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, combined with his broad experience in foreign affairs would have made him a popular, non-controversial choice. One wonders if Florida’s inability to breakthrough in major appointments will have a negative impact on what funding we receive in the stimulus package. I certainly hope not.

An interesting question has been raised and that is: Will Florida in the next two years have one or two Senators? The reason for the question is that Mel Martinez (R-FL) has announced he will not run for re-election in 2010. Many believe he is a lame duck and will be ineffective. First let me give you a civics lesson. There are only 100 U.S. Senators representing about 300 million people and Mel Martinez has one vote out of 100. As long as Senators are in office they are not lame ducks, but have an incredible amount of power.

Furthermore, not running in 2010 can aid Sen. Martinez in what he does. He doesn’t have to raise money and spend all that time on the road campaigning, instead he can concentrate on his legislative responsibilities. In addition, he is able to stake out legislative positions knowing that they won’t be looked on as “political” positions, as he is not running again. Also, the Democrats will look at what he is doing and not worry about helping him as his re-election is not an issue. The bottom line is he will be easier and safer for Democrats to work with. This also gives him political flexibility as he can disregard the polls, talk radio, etc. Finally, he and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) have a strong working relationship and this relationship will continue.

Florida is the fourth largest state in the union. It is an important state economically. It is a swing state politically and cannot be ignored. I guarantee you that Sen. Martinez will not be ignored. In fact I believe his last two years in the Senate will be his best. Let me repeat, those who think Sen. Martinez is a lame duck are just wrong!

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Lou Frey represented Central Florida in the U. S. Congress from 1969 to 1979. In his last election, he received nearly 80% of the vote. He was elected one of five Republican leaders in the House of Representatives during the 93rd and 94th Congress. He served on...