Video: Sen. Marco Rubio At The Reagan Library

Wish there were more Senators like him in DC.



Joy has more here.

Thanks to Beth.

Video: Marco Rubio On The Floor Of The Senate Dismantals John Kerry

Metaphorically speaking, of course.



I know, it's a bit old but yet, there's a timeless quality to it.

Thanks to Ted.

Video: I'm Marco Rubio And I Will Be President Someday

He didn't say that so much in words but in how it was said.

Sissy has much more about Rubio.

Place Your Bets - 2012 GOP Candidates

Charles Krauthammer is my favorite political analyst and columnist currently. In his column today, he is giving odds for the Republican nominees in 2012. Here is a summary of the likely candidates:

1. Mitt Romney: 5-1


2. Tim Pawlenty: 5-1


3. Mitch Daniels: 6-1


4. Haley Barbour: 7-1


5. Newt Gingrich: 12-1


6. Michelle Bachmann: 20-1


7. Donald Trump: Lions have a better chance at winning the Super Bowl

He mentions but doesn't give odds for those he believes aren't running - Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee.

He does discuss the very deep 2016 bench. They are Paul Ryan, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, and Nikki Haley. Personally, I would add Allen West and Bob McDonnell to his list.

So based on this list of Krauthammer's odds and my previous post of electoral college strategy, upon whom are you willing to place your bet?

Just In Case You Missed It

Sen. Marco Rubio spoke at the Tampa Bay Tax Day Tea Party.

One More Republican Senator Declares His Opposition To The Continuing Resolutions

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah says it's a losing strategy and taxation without representation (video of Sen. Lee at link to Cubachi).

Mike Lee joins Marco Rubio in support of passing a real budget, instead of this week by week nonsense that is being done now.

The Democrats failed to pass a budget at the start of the financial year so Congress have been reduced passing the short term CRs instead of an actual budget. But with passing the CRs, ObamaCare is being funded by hidden provision put in by the Democrats last year. So many Republicans are at a fork in the road. Take a principled stand call for a vote on a real budget or keep funding ObamaCare, a couple of weeks at at time.

The messaging should be easy enough for the budget. Keep pushing that the Democrats had control of both the House and Senate and failed to act and lead.

When the eventual question about a "Government Shutdown" is asked, reply back that it wouldn't have been necessary if the Democrats did their job last year and passed a budget instead of kicking the can down the road. Hammer home that message. If someone strays off point-- Lindsey Graham comes to mind as an example for no particular reason-- haul him off into some backroom and beat him with a pillowcase full of door knobs until he gets back on message. "A Government Shutdown wouldn't have been necessary if the Democrats did their Constitutional duty and pass a budget last year."

Oh yeah, Mike Lee is the (Tea Party) guy who took (Establishment) Bob Bennett out of the running last year in the state caucus.

Marco Rubio: No More Budget Games

Rather than these two week continuing resolutions, Sen. Rubio seems to be putting his foot down.

“Our country faces a brutal reality: for far too long, the federal government has been recklessly spending money it does not have. It is the reason we now have a $14 trillion debt that threatens to bankrupt our country and why, each day, our government borrows $4 billion - almost half from foreigners and most of that from China.

“Despite the seriousness of this debt crisis, an absurd pattern has clearly developed in Washington. Last year, when they still controlled the House, Senate and White House, the Democrats failed to pass a budget at all. In the first two months of this year, Senate Democrat leaders have spent invaluable time not on tackling the debt but on re-authorizing the F.A.A. and reforming the patent system. Their only attempt at addressing our debt was a plan to cut $4.7 billion in spending, which only equals what our government borrows approximately every 30 hours alone.

“Democrats' unwillingness to engage on this issue is leading us closer to a catastrophic debt spiral that will irreversibly damage our government, our economy and ultimately our country.

“The absurdity of what we have witnessed on the Senate floor is only eclipsed by the lack of leadership demonstrated by the White House, and a President who has been absent from this debate and even sent his lead negotiator on a five-day foreign trip.

“All this has led to a very predictable outcome: Washington politicians of both parties scrambling to put together two and three week plans to keep funding the government, while not fundamentally changing the behavior that has gotten us into this mess to begin with.

“Running our government on the fumes of borrowed spending is unacceptable, short-sighted and dangerous. I commend the efforts of House and Senate Republican leaders to deal with this, but I did not come to the U.S. Senate to be part of some absurd political theatre.

“I will no longer support short-term budget plans. While attempts at new spending reductions are commendable, we simply can no longer afford to nickel-and-dime our way out of the dangerous debt America has amassed. It is time our leaders in Washington wake up and realize that we are headed for a debt disaster.

“With Congress set to begin another week-long recess next week, every senator and representative should feel ashamed if they have to go home again, look their constituents in the eye, and explain why nothing is being done about our debt crisis.

“If the federal government keeps spending money we don't have, we are going to do permanent damage to our economy's ability to grow and create jobs while ultimately destroying Medicare and Social Security.

“Despite the lack of leadership demonstrated so far in Washington, we still have a choice. A government shutdown is entirely avoidable if the President steps up to lead and if politicians from both parties finally get their act together, pass a budget for the rest of the year, and move on to the real debate to save entitlements and tackle America's debt crisis.

“If we deal with these issues seriously and immediately, we can leave our children with a country better than the one we grew up in. If we don't, we will be the first Americans to leave our children worse off than ourselves.”

Is This For Real? Sen. John Cornyn Approached Joe Scarborough To Run For Senate?

Gadzooks, it might not be a joke after all:

The genius who picked Charlie Crist over Marco Rubio is back to his old tricks in the Sunshine State.

Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told The Hill on Thursday that he has talked to Scarborough a couple times about a Senate bid. And he indicated he’s still working on persuading the MSNBC host to run for the upper chamber.
“I’d be delighted to talk to him a third time,” Cornyn said.

Just what the Republicans need. Another Senator who will capitulate his own side in order to 'work across the isle'.

UPDATE: Clarification is called for. It wasn't Florida but New York Cornyn talked to Scarborough about.

The Stack Of Naked Pictures John Cornyn Has Must Be Pretty Impressive

That's the first thing I thought of when I saw that John Cornyn's running unopposed to be in charge of the NRSC again. And Marco Rubio is supporting him? The same Marco Rubio that ran and won against the NRSC endorsed Charlie Crist in Florida? The NRSC that was headed by John Cornyn at the time?

Yes, yes he is.

Politics makes strange bedfellows, indeed.

Sen. John Cornyn is expected Tuesday to formally make a bid for another two years as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
GOP sources confirm to CNN that the Texas Republican will put his name up for nomination for re-election as NRSC chairman, as the Senate Republican Conference meets behind closed doors. According to the sources, the two-term senator is not expected to face any opposition in his bid to remain as NRSC chairman, and has already secured the support of a number of new Republican Senators, including Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Rob Portman of Ohio, and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.

Emphasis mine.

Robert Stacy isn't pleased about this, needless to say. Cornyn's behavior was the reason Not One Red Cent was started.

Maybe Cornyn is going to owe them a favor or two for the support? One can only hope at this point this might be the case.

Marco Rubio Responds To Moronic Dolt, Harry Reid

For starters, Harry Reid can't see much of anything beyond his own political divide. Which explains how he can say what he did about Hispanics. A republican Hispanic doesn't fit into his mindset. Worlds collide with dogs and cats living together or something.

Which brings us to Marco Rubio. Who happens to be Hispanic and a Republican running for Senate in Florida.



Reid has a 'D' after his name. Sadly, he can make stupid statements like he did and still be sitting as Majority Leader in the Senate.

Quarterly Campaign Report Is In For Marco Rubio

In the year ending 2009 quarterly report, Rubio raised $1.75 million.

The first quarter of this year, Rubio was up to $3.6 million.

This last quarter alone, Rubio has raised $4.5 million. Even former Crist donor, U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, has chipped into Rubio's campaign chest.

Crist, on the other hand, has gone from $2 million to $1.1 million to not disclosing what he's brought in so far.

Charlie Crist Campaigns To Obscurity

Charlie Crist is officially an independent.  There's only one thing left to say to him.

Charlie Crist To Run As An Independent

Via Drudge.

John Cornyn wept.

Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist has decided he will run as an independent in the race to fill the Florida U.S. Senate seat, Crist allies tell Fox News. The official announcement is scheduled for Thursday at 5pm ET in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Senate campaign has been rough and tumble for Crist, he was once the front-runner -- but in recent months began trailing his GOP opponent, Florida State Speaker Marco Rubio.

Crist has said that under no circumstance would he drop out of the race, saying he will do what is best for the voters of Florida. The governor says Republicans in Washington want him to stay in the Republican party but voters in Florida have told him they want him to run as an independent.

Not shocking at all to anyone who has been following the campaign.

Can We Call Marco Rubio A Fundraising Star Now?

Chalk this up as one more reason for the NRSC to stay out of the primary. It seems like Marco Rubio is starting to self finance just fine all his own.

[VA]Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has now become a national leader for conservative causes--and you don't have to take just our word for it.

Cuccinelli is a "nationwide leader in fighting the unconstitutional excesses of the federal government." That's according to Marco Rubio, a candidate in the GOP primary for senator in Florida and himself a conservative favorite, in a statement accepting Cuccinelli's endorsement of his candidacy this weekend.

Cuccinelli has joined a variety of Republicans taking sides in the Florida primary battle between Rubio and Gov. Charlie Crist. Last week, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) also chose the more conservative Rubio over Crist.

If I recall, one of the big reasons why the NRSC asked Crist to run was because Crist could self-finance an election at the time. That will be an issue when he goes with an independent bid.

As of March 31, Crist was sitting on a healthy $7.6 million in his federal campaign account, but he’s going to need every penny — and more — in a race where a statewide media buy likely will cost well more than $1 million per week this fall.

Besides advertising, Crist will have to build a get-out-the-vote operation and gather voter information to microtarget his voters. One operative who has worked on multiple high-profile Independent campaigns said both of those important components — which make up a major part of what party organizations provide — can be bought on the open market, for a price.

But unlike New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I), who spent $102 million of his vast fortune to win re-election last fall, Crist can’t self-fund his bid.
[. . .]
Crist won’t be legally obligated to return the money that he’s raised and could try weathering the storm to preserve precious cash. But that would create its own issues with news stories about donors saying Crist took their money under false pretenses. If nothing else, it will be an awkward story for Crist to deal with as he tries to relaunch and rebrand himself.

Exit Question: What state should Crist retire quietly to?

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

This Friday News Dump Was Embarrassing

Especially in light of Rubio's releasing his numbers earlier this week.

Charlie Crist has finally released his figures from the last quarter.

Charlie Crist, once known as a world champion money-raiser, announced Friday that he had raised $1.1 million for his U.S. Senate campaign this year -- less than one-third of what Republican front-runner Marco Rubio raised in that period.
[. . .]
Crist campaign manager Eric Eikenberg spun the weak total as due to Crist being busy governing. . .

That's about half of what he raised in the last quarter of 2009. Which was less than the quarter before that. I think the word is 'Nomentum'.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

A Split In The Senate Over Endorsements?

Interesting. Considering that the NRSC endorsed Charlie Crist with nary a thought about the primary.

Senator Tom Coburn has endorsed Marco Rubio.

“I have closely studied Florida’s Senate candidates and have no doubt that Marco Rubio is the only fiscal conservative in this race," the Oklahoma Republican said in a statement. “Rubio would be a faithful guardian of taxpayer dollars in Washington and a valued ally in the Senate. At a time when Washington is piling on crippling debt on our economy, the American people need Marco Rubio in Washington to stand up to this reckless behavior and offer clear conservative solutions."

Crist needs to withdrawal quietly. Especially if he wants John McCain to campaign for him. The last thing the media needs is an R on R battle with lines being drawn in the sand all the way up to the US Senate. It's for the greater good, Charlie Crist. Quit now.

RELATED/ADDED:

Crist received the Don Shula endorsement. As well as the stamp of approval from this guy:

[Col. Bud] Day confirmed he was speaking of Obama and Rubio.

“You’ve got the black one with the reading thing. He can go as fast as the speed of light and has no idea what he’s saying,” Day said. “I put Rubio in that same category, except I don’t know if he’s using one of those readers.” [emphasis mine]

Charlie Crist Flips Flops On ObamaCare

The Winds of Change are in the air and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist just wet his finger and stuck it in the air to find out what position he needed to take today.

Back in February, Gov. Charlie Crist expressed what could only be support for ObamaCare, saying that “There may be parts of it that you don’t have to scrap."

Now the 'moderate' Republican has changed his mind. In his debate with Marco Rubio last Sunday, repeal suddenly sounded like a good idea to him. “What we need to do is go ahead and repeal this thing,” said Crist bluntly. “Let’s start over.” Transcript here.

Not sure if he meant that as "start over" with a meddling plan that Republicans designed or not.

Suffice it to say, Rubio has been against ObamaCare from the start.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

Marco Rubio Responds To The Issues That Matter

Which Charlie Crist happens to think is getting a back wax.

Is there any wonder why Crist is behind by 30 points in some polls?

Video via Freedom's Lighthouse.



Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

Not Looking Good For Charlie Crist

Considering how the tracking polls have pretty much flipped against him and for Marco Rubio.

Two polls released last week showed Mr. Rubio leading the governor by 18 percentage points in the August primary, a reversal from last summer, when the former Florida House speaker trailed Mr. Crist by 30 points.

The shifting fortunes underscore how profoundly President Barack Obama's slumping popularity is convulsing both parties. The rise of hard-line conservatives and Tea Party activists are eroding support for Democrats and moderate Republicans such as Mr. Crist, who was viewed as a possible vice-presidential candidate in 2008. [Emphasis mine]

Don't forget, most liberals think and want you to think that the Tea Parties are only a vocal minority. Despite the real world results.

There's more.

Mr. Rubio's ascent coincides with a descent in Mr. Obama's popularity in the key electoral state. Forty-nine percent of Floridians disapproved of the president's job performance and 45% approved in a January poll by Quinnipiac University. In February 2009, 64% of Floridians approved and 23% disapproved.

Mr. Crist also has lost about two dozen consecutive county straw polls among registered Republicans, including Pinellas County, where the governor grew up.

Tony DiMatteo, former Pinellas County Republican Party chairman, said he was a "zealot" for Mr. Crist in the 2006 race for governor. But he said he "got a sick feeling" watching Mr. Crist embrace Mr. Obama at the February 2009 rally in Fort Myers and his phone rang "off the hook" for several days from angry Republicans.

"I'm now a big Rubio supporter," Mr. DiMatteo said.

Please be sure to read the entire thing, seeing how I probably used a bit more than necessary on the blogger fair use snippet.

Two obvious reasons why Crist falling fast in the polls.  What can only be taken as support for the Government Takeover of the Health Care System and his ignorance on how jobs are created.  Here's a hint about jobs and the stimulus, Charlie, It Won't Work.

Somewhere, David Frum is crying.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

Why Is It That Liberals Know All The Good Obscure Slang?

With Donnie Douche* calling Marco Rubio a 'Coconut'?

If you are in need of some knowledge like I was about the term, Michelle Malkin has the rundown.

Quick primer for those of you unfamiliar with the “coconut” insult:

If you are a conservative with Latino/Pacific Islander/Filipino heritage, you’re a coconut (brown on the outside, white on the inside).

If you are a conservative with Asian heritage, you’re a Twinkie or banana (yellow on the outside, white on the inside).

And if you are a conservative who happens to be black, you are an Oreo (black on the outside, white on the inside).

Okay, who is getting hungry?

I need to add one more. I spent a few years doing work out on the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations a decade or so ago. Apple is another term. Red on the outside, white on the inside.

Back to the guy with the German sounding name who denigrated minorities.

Maybe Donnie Douche is endorsing Charlie Crist because they go to the same tanning salon? Who knows?

One thing, Donnie Douche with his gelled and sculpted coiffure does look kind of creepy. He looks straight out of central casting to be the kind of dad who will encourage his daughter – when she’s a teenager -- to invite her friends over for a sleepover.  Then take pictures of them while they are bouncing on a trampoline.

Or the kind of guy who will get his girlfriend pregnant then dump her. Oh, wait. That he did do.

*Yes, I know his name really is Donnie Deutsch and that calling him Douche is akin to grabbing at fruit so low hanging, it may as well be on the ground. But after stooping a married woman as well as dumping his pregnant girlfriend, he's earned it. Easily.

Via Not One Red Cent.