Jacob Ogles
V. Issa White spent Ramadan organizing Bilal Ibn Islamic Center feeding events for Orlando’s poorest residents. When he couldn’t convince U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost to do the same, he challenged the Orlando Democrat on the ballot.
The Muslim leader last week qualified to face Frost in an Aug. 20 Democratic Primary, where Wade Darius also qualified to run. White said the region needs a Congressman who puts in the hard work to help Central Florida’s most marginalized.
“I’ve been to over 100 countries,” White said, “and within the district, now we have some of the worst poverty that I’ve ever seen.”
White alleged that Frost, who has hosted concerts in Florida’s 10th Congressional District and his office in Washington, treats Congress as his “playground” and a place to “have fun” instead of solving problems. Meanwhile, White said, others in the public seek change more effectively from outside of the Capitol.
But White voiced frustration with leadership throughout Washington. Angry at continued funding for wars overseas, including sending billions to Israel amid an ongoing conflict in Gaza, he wants change from top to bottom in leadership. That includes President Joe Biden, who faces re-election this year.
“As far as Joe Biden, the Democrats should find another candidate,” White said.
White notes that his father led the NAACP in Delaware when Biden served as a U.S. Senator there. He feels the Democratic incumbent’s record of tough-on-crime legislation and a three strikes sentencing law has disproportionately hurt Black Americans.
“He is an old-line war advocate,” White said of Biden, “and that causes more corruption. That causes more hostility and anger with countries that we don’t need to be in conflict with, as opposed to dialogue.”
He criticized a foreign aid package recently signed by Biden that funds Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan amid tensions with Hamas, Russia and China, respectively, and he slammed Frost for going along with that effort.
Importantly, Frost voted against sending money to Israel over concerns about killed Palestinian civilians, though he voted for funding for Ukraine and Taiwan.
“If he was concerned, he would have said we’re voting against war completely,” White said. “If he had enough sense, he would know something about the Ukrainian issue, how it developed and how it is just wasted money.”
There is one clear issue where White, a former Republican, is running from Frost’s right. White believes more should be spent securing the border. He says a flood of migrants has cut into federal resources that should go to infrastructure improvements domestically and to help those in poverty in the U.S.
“We cannot afford just an open-ended immigration policy that allows everyone,” White said. “I mean, our economy is in shambles.”
He notes that his own father was originally from Costa Rica, and even was deported once from the U.S., which made him all the more grateful to return to America.
But immediately, he’s frustrated that Frost, an activist before his election to Congress, and other Democrats in Congress have not listened more to pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the country.
“Go back to Maxwell Frost. If he was really concerned about free speech and the protests like he said, he would be one of the first people to say, ‘I support these young people and they have the right to protest. I am against the mechanisms trying to suppress these people, trying to suspend them and create a criminal record against them,’” White said. “But he hasn’t done that at all.”
White said Congress also needs to address the rapid cost of living in cities like Orlando.
“We have 7 million homeless people in this country and we have the decline of the American dollar,” White said. “That’s going to be havoc on American society in terms of inflation. We have Americans being confronted at the grocery store with a loaf of bread for $4.”
13 comments
Mike Coleman
May 2, 2024 at 10:38 am
Mr White sounds like a MAGA plant.
His economic understanding of the US Dollar is woeful.
Florida’s politics are quite shady and elections are spaced far enough apart for voter’s memories to recall the cheaters and use their votes wisely.
The hubris of being a one party state will eventually end.
Hung Wiil
May 2, 2024 at 1:26 pm
You sound like a Democrat dipshit. Florida politics are quite shady . . . what a stupid, vapid, Dumbarton loser comment that means absolutely nothing. When you lose by 20 points, you’ve got nothing to say.
Max Frost is also a potty-mouthed know-nothing, but he will prevail over this dude.
rick whitaker
May 2, 2024 at 1:32 pm
HUNG, you sound like a republican dipshit.
Hung Wiil
May 2, 2024 at 3:19 pm
Republican is capitalized you trailer park high school dropout
rick whitaker
May 2, 2024 at 9:48 pm
HUNG, i capitalize when I want to. i got a bachelor’s degree in behavioral science and i also graduated from three tech schools. do you really think a persons education level is dependent on punctuation? i thought your comment was kind of childish, just how old are you?
Mike Coleman
May 3, 2024 at 6:54 am
Hung, you missed your calling as being one of the least self aware commenters to appear on this website.
The irony is pure comedy!
JD
May 2, 2024 at 2:48 pm
If the special elections are an indicator (and they are far better than polls or voter registrations), there is going to be a referendum 2024 and possible 2026 for FLGOP.
The 19% win by Desantis will NEVER happen again. 100 year pandemic and his feeding of hate of that magnitude? Talk about lucky stars aligning.
Hung Wiil
May 2, 2024 at 4:17 pm
JD,
You are finally correct about something!! DeSantis will never win by 20 points again, because he’s term limited. Tool.
By the way, the only place you will find someone claiming special elections are more relevant than polling and voter registration is in the vacuum you call a brain.
JD
May 2, 2024 at 4:33 pm
Actually Dipshit “Not So” Hung Wiil, if you read the statue, it doesn’t actually say that. All the other officers are, but not the governor. Everyone keeps assuming that’s the case, but it could be challenged. Tool.
Go back to your Pho stand or Donut Shop. Dipshit.
Hung Wiil
May 2, 2024 at 9:16 pm
There no statute to read you mental midget. Term limits are in the state constitution for Governor. Time to remove head from ass. You’ve got no business commenting on grown up stuff. Go download something.
rick whitaker
May 2, 2024 at 8:15 pm
HUNG, how could you be so wrong about so many things, it’s like it’s on purpose. who’s paying you to muddy the water so much?
Hung Wiil
May 2, 2024 at 9:18 pm
Wrong about what, toad stool.
Monday news
May 2, 2024 at 12:07 pm
Arab’s,,, Gaza,,, and Jews have a couple of miles of land it’s a eye soar.b.s
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