Marco Rubio Stands Tough against Washington Establishment

Florida republican senatorial candidate Marco Rubio has penned a tough editorial against the "Washington Establishment" at Townhall.com today.

In the article entitled "An Idea-Based Conservative Future". Rubio rails against the business as usual attitude prevailing in the nations capital. He blasts the uncontrolled spending as he offers solutions to a system that seems to be out of control.

America’s proud legacy of limited government, free enterprise and personal responsibility is under assault in Washington in the form of Obamacare, the so-called stimulus and cap and trade. Washington is broken, and there’s a fundamental question voters must ask themselves this election year: Who do you trust to fix it?... 

So what do we do to avoid their fate? Here are some commonsense ideas that will help reverse the trend we are on and put us back on the right track:

First, we should freeze non-defense and non-veteran discretionary spending at pre-Obama levels. Though it’s a relatively small part of the budget, non-defense and non-veteran discretionary spending has ballooned in recent years and must be brought under control. We should cancel the unspent stimulus funds, repeal a TARP program that has evolved into a revolving bailout and slush fund, and sunset discretionary spending programs every 10 years after the Census. This will force our political leaders to evaluate the success and cost effectiveness of each and every government program on a regular basis. Lastly, we must also rein in the size and compensation of federal government workers. We need a freeze on civilian employment and adjust their pay and benefits, which are now some 70% higher than their private sector counterparts...

To read the entire two page article please click the link provided above.

Video: Rubio Weighs in on Crist's Decision to Keep the Cash

Rubio:

This is not about some principled person who left the republican party because the party was going in a direction he didn't like. This is about someone who unfortunately, with all due respect, is looking to extend his political career and figured out he could not do that through the republican party.

Jeb Bush Endorses Marco Rubio for Florida Senate

From AP :

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is endorsing Marco Rubio's campaign for U.S. Senate.

Bush, still popular and influential with Florida Republicans, has long been rumored to be a Rubio backer, but his endorsement comes less than a week after Gov. Charlie crist decided to run as an independent rather than face Rubio in the GOP primary.

Bush says Rubio is a passionate, principled leader who wouldn't change his views when political winds shift.

The Rubio campaign released the following soon after the announcement:

Miami, FL – Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush today endorsed Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate. The two will campaign together for the first time this Friday night at the Pasco County Reagan Day Dinner.

“Washington is broken, and Marco Rubio is the only candidate in this race that I trust to help fix it,” said Bush. “He is a bright, passionate and principled leader who approaches public service with a servant’s heart and a reformer’s detail for policy. Reforming Washington will not be easy and will require leaders who stay true to their principles even when the odds are stacked against them. The last thing the Senate needs is another politician who has to take a poll to make a decision.

Charlie Crist Under Investigation by the FBI

Apparently the FBI and IRS are interested in the campaign affairs of current Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

Crist, who is in the battle of his political life, is currently running against conservative republican Marco Rubio for the US senate seat vacated by former senator Mel Martinez.

According to recent reports, the FBI AND the IRS are interested in finding out if Crist is guilty of co-mingling state GOP funds with personal expenditures.

The Hill Blog reports:

Federal investigators are probing the Senate campaign of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) to see if it improperly co-mingled state GOP funds with personal expenditures, according to a report Thursday.

The FBI, IRS and U.S. Attorney's office have opened a preliminary investigation into the Republican Party of Florida to see if credit cards it issued to staffers and officials were used for improper personal expenses.

The Hills story is just the latest in the seemingly inivisble thread of possible wrongdoing by Charlie Crist and his hand picked Chairman Jim Greer. (Greer was forced to resign).

Charlie Crist to Run as NPA in Florida

This story is from 10Connects.com in Tampa Florida

Reporter Mike Deeson reports that Crist will Run as an NPA (No Party Affiliation) and that Crist's new ads will begin in a couple of days.

Marco Rubio Announces Details of "TAKE A STAND" BUS TOUR

The Marco Rubio campaign has released details the of his statewide four day bus tour. More than a dozen stops.
Marco’s statement on changes to the “Take A Stand” bus tour .
Miami, FL – Today, U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio issued the following statement regarding the rescheduling of some bus tour events:
“Unfortunately, my father Mario Rubio has been diagnosed with a recurrence of lung cancer. This will require me to return to South Florida.
“We are in the process of rescheduling some of the coming days’ events and look forward to continuing our conversation with voters in these communities in the near future.”

Below is a revised schedule of remaining stops, which are all open to the media. All times listed are Eastern Daylight Time.
TUESDAY, APRIL 13
4:40 – 5:20 p.m.
Meet & Greet w/ team leaders, local leadership, volunteers
Market Square at Lake Sumter Landing
1000 Lake Sumter Landing
The Villages, FL

6:15 – 7:30 p.m.
Taped TV Interview on FOX’s “Hannity”
The Villages, FL
7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Bus Tour Send-Off
Market Square at Lake Sumter Landing
1000 Lake Sumter Landing
The Villages, FL

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14
8:00 – 9:30 a.m.
Hometown Rally
City Hall
5343 Southeast Abshier Blvd.
Belleview, FL 34420

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Speaking Engagement
Ring Power – Caterpillar Dealership
500 World Commerce Pkwy.
St. Augustine, FL 32092
Rest of Wednesday’s events to be rescheduled
THURSDAY, APRIL 15
(Events To Be Rescheduled)
FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2010
(Events To Be Rescheduled)

Charlie Crist's Pathetic Campaign Stunt Backfires

In an obvious attempt to circumvent the "announced" and scheduled arrival of Marco Rubio at an event at "The Villages, Gov Charlie Crist shows up unexpectedly with reporters in tow.


Unfortunately for Charlie, his visit was not well received. Most of the Villagers interviewed supported Marco Rubio. Rubio's appearance has been scheduled for weeks and will coincide with his four day bus tour throughout the state. Rubio will be joining talk show radio host and FOX news celebrity Sean Hannity for the event on April 13th.

This is such a desperate and pathetic move by Crist that one wonders what his campaign advisors hoped to achieve. It is pointed out several times by the Villagers that they had no idea Crist was going to be there. Charlie tried to hijack an existing crowd in a popular Square at the Villages and started handing out stickers. One resident voiced her opinion of Crist:
 

But not everyone at The Villages was convinced that Crist was the stronger Republican candidate. Villages resident Jo Tripaldi, 63, an independent, said she believed Rubio was more of a conservative candidate fit for the Republican Party.
 
"I believe he's not as conservative. I think what Charlie is doing is he is flip-flopping," Tripaldi said about Crist after she met him and placed a Crist sticker on her shirt. "He was very friendly. I had no idea he was going to be here. He's going to have such a terrific crowd and it had nothing to do with him."

 I would of thought that 10 million dollars in campaign contributions could have provided a better platform than that. The problem with Charlie is that he has NO message and can't decide where he stands on any issues except that he is glad he endorsed Obama's stimulus bill. (Oh wait, he waffled on that too). So I guess I was right the first time.
Here is some of the news footage of Charlie's unannounced visit to the "The Villages" of Florida.



Then Charlie "tweets" today" "Had a great day at The Villages & Seaplane/BBQ Fest in Tavares, FL - thanks for the great turnout!"

Really? Check the video Charlie and read the story.

Marco Rubio: Charlie Crist Caused His Own Downfall

WHICH WAY WILL CHARLIE GO?

Marco Rubio sends out a scathing press release aimed at senate primary rival Charlie Crist.

The PR hightlights the reasons that so many pundits are speculating about the possiblity of Crist running as an Independent in the 2010 Florida senate race.

RUBIO CAMPAIGN COMMENTS ON CRIST'S FUTURE IN THE GOP

Miami, FL – The Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate campaign today released the following statement from Communications Director Alex Burgos regarding Charlie Crist’s future in the Republican Party:

“The Crist campaign has no one to blame but Charlie Crist for the uncertainty he has caused regarding his future in the Republican Party. Whether it’s Charlie Crist’s well documented history of breaking promises or his abandonment of Republican principles on key issues, it should come as no surprise that so many people are no longer willing to take him at his word. Floridians know they can’t rely on what Governor Crist says anymore, but have to watch what he actually does.

Marco Rubio Raises a Stunning $3.6 Million 1rst Qtr

From The Rubio Campaign:
MARCO RUBIO RAISES OVER $3.6 MILLION IN 1ST QUARTER OF 2010

Miami, FL – Demonstrating his continuing momentum, U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL) today announced that his campaign raised over $3.6 million during the first quarter of 2010, with virtually all of it designated for the primary election.
Following today’s announcement to supporters via text message, Rubio released the following statement:

“Supporter by supporter and idea by idea, our campaign is proving that ideas and principles still matter most in our democracy. I continue to be humbled and energized by the outpouring of support we’re receiving from voters who deserve leaders willing to defend the principles that have made America an exceptional nation.

“Above all, we’re encouraged by the strength of our limited government message and its ability to rally people around our cause. Today’s announcement is a product of grassroots supporters that are stepping up to ensure we have the resources needed to promote this message throughout Florida.”

BY THE NUMBERS: RUBIO’S FUNDRAISING
• Raised in Q1: $3.6 million
• Total donors to date: Over 51,000
• Donors not maxed out: 99 percent
• Average contribution in Q1: $98.37
•Raised online to date: $1 million
• Overall raised for primary: Over 95 percent
• Overall raised to date: Nearly $7 million

Marco Rubio to make Major Campaign Announcement Wednesday

UPDATE: See post above: Marco Rubio Raises a Stunning $3.6 Million 1rst QTR.
From the Rubio Campaign:

Text Marco to MyGOP (69467) for major campaign announcement


Be the first to know! Sign up to get an exclusive text tomorrow at 9 am with a major campaign announcement. To join text Marco to MyGop (69467).
You are the heart and soul of this campaign and you will be the first to get this special update from the campaign.