Dubious Rubio Wins Climate Denier Award

Congratulations to Sen. Marco Rubio on winning the Climate Denier award. Organizing For America presented a silver unicorn trophy to Rubio's office. Like unicorns, Rubio's belief that climate change is not man made is pure fiction. As long as the oil industry lobbying money keeps rolling in; don't expect Rubio's beliefs to change.

Dubious Rubio's Anti-Climate Change Position Explained

Marco Rubio has long been a global warming denier. Rubio is also not an original anti-global warming skeptic. Back in 2007, Rubio was reciting Freedom Works talking points with false claims that global warming is just a fiction. Organizing For America is going after dubious Rubio's anti-science stance ob climate change. I say it is about time.

"Sen. Rubio is standing strong against the overwhelming judgment of science, so OFA will be handing out an ‘award’ to recognize Sen. Rubio perseverance in resisting the facts,” says a news release from the group.

They’ll gather at his office on the University of South Florida campus at 3 p.m., the news release says.

Rubio's anti-science and reality stance might have something to do with the $271,228.00he has raised from the oil and gas industry. How else do you explain Rubio voting against the elimination of tax subsidies for the oil industry.

"It’s a tax increase. I don’t vote for tax increases," Rubio told the Buzz. "Those are the same subsidies that are available to everybody and every company. I’m interested in lowering gas prices. I’m not interested in wasting time talking about things that aren’t going to help lower people’s gas prices."

Rubio is so stupid that he doesn't even know what a tax subsidy is. A tax subsidy is the federal government either giving a corporation money or a tax break to help pay for expenses. The federal government is helping highly profitable oil companies and getting none of the perks. Marco Rubio wants to keep this corporate welfare in place.

More On the Obama Ground Game

I outlined to Peter Schorsch how President Barack Obama has a superior ground game to Mitt Romney. The graph above provided in Molly Ball's article tells how far Mitt Romney is lagging in campaign field offices.

David Gergen reported the Ohio "Romney field team looked like a high school civics class." Ball reports of similar disorganization with the Virginia Romney offices.

Only about a mile down the road was the Republican office, a cavernous, unfinished space on the back side of a strip mall next to a Sleepy's mattress outlet. On one side of the room, under a Gadsden flag ("Don't tread on me") and a poster of Sarah Palin on a horse, two long tables of land-line telephones were arrayed. Most of the signs, literature, and buttons on display were for the local Republican congressman, Frank Wolf. A volunteer in a Wolf for Congress T-shirt was directing traffic, sort of -- no one really seemed to be in charge and there were no paid staff present, though there were several elderly volunteers wandering in and out. The man in the T-shirt allowed me to survey the room but not walk around, and was unable to refer me to anyone from the Romney campaign or coordinated party effort.

These basic characteristics were repeated in all the offices I visited: The Obama offices were devoted almost entirely to the president's reelection; the Republican offices were devoted almost entirely to local candidates, with little presence for Romney. In Greenwood Village, Colorado, I walked in past a handwritten sign reading "WE ARE OUT OF ROMNEY YARD SIGNS," then had a nice chat with a staffer for Rep. Mike Coffman. In Canton, Ohio, the small GOP storefront was dominated by "Win With Jim!" signs for Rep. Jim Renacci. Obama's nearest offices in both places were all Obama. In Canton, a clutch of yard signs for Sen. Sherrod Brown leaned against a wall, but table after table was filled with Obama lit -- Veterans for Obama, Women for Obama, Latinos for Obama, and so on. The Obama campaign uses cell phones exclusively, while the Republicans use Internet-based land line phones programmed to make voter calls. Every Obama office has an "I Support the President Because..." wall, covered with earnest paeans to Obamacare and the like.

The signs are that Obama is crushing Romney in early voting and made strides in absentee balloting. I said it before and I say it again. This election was over a long time ago. Obama is going to get a second term.

The Obama Ground Game

I wrote before about my doubts about. Mitt Romney's ground game. President Obama has a huge lead over Romney in early voting.

Obama had a lead of 53-42 percent among the 17 percent of the surveyed registered voters who said they had already cast their vote.

Like many other polls, the rolling Reuters/Ipsos poll has shown a tight race since shortly after the two candidates met for their first debate on October 3. The two met for their third and last debate on Monday and most surveyed voters said the face-off did not change their view of either candidate.

Former Reagan staffer David Gergen has more bad news for Republicans. Romney's Ohio operation is a mess.

In the pivotal state of Ohio, for example, the Obama campaign has three times as many offices, often captained by experienced young people. By contrast, a major Republican figure in the state, throwing up his hands, told me that the Romney field team looked like a high school civics class.

Ouch.

Peter Schorsch, Stop Worrying

Peter Schorsch asks if President Barack Obama should give up on Florida. The answer is absolutely not.

Romney has pulled money and staff out of Missouri to help win Florida. Obama has campaign offices in Florida that have been up and running for two years. Romney has had trouble getting his Florida offices off-the-ground. The result has been Democrats making improvements in absentee voting. Organizing for America have brought in people from out of state to help phone bank for early voting. The Obama campaign has an excellent ground game. They know how to win Florida since they have done it before.

The Romney campaign was rather disorganized with getting their regional offices up and running. I don't know how many times I have been by the Romney campaign office in Temple Terrace during the summer and seen it empty. I go into coffee shops and see OFA people phone banking for Obama. I don't see people holding Romney signs or have Romney-Ryan bumper stickers on their cars. There definitely is an enthusiasm gap between Obama and Romney.

Given there usual three point margin of error in polls, Obama and Romney are tied in Florida. It would be foolish for Obama to pull up stakes now. I'm sure Peter remembers Rudy Giuliani pulling his campaign out of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina to try to win Florida. That didn't workout well for Rudy. Panic is not a good way to run a campaign. Steve Schmidt panicked and told John McCain to pick Sarah Palin as his running mate.

The Obama campaign has been successful shrinking to electoral college map. Romney needs to win Florida. Obama doesn't. If Obama abandons Florida, Romney can free up resources to contest another swing state. Obama would hurt his chances to win the general election by giving Florida to Romney.

There are also the down ballot candidates. Bill Nelson appears to be safe. But why take the chance. Democrats could pick up seats in the House. Obama would have more political power if he made Republicans lose seats. He won't have super-majorities or even the House. However, the less tea party Republicans he has to deal with the better.

There are several good reasons for Obama to fight to win Florida. There are no good reasons for Obama to cede a swing state he has won before to Romney. If Romney wins Florida, he would have paid a steep price with no guarantee of winning the general election. If Obama wins Florida he gets a second term.

Peter needs to stop pulling an Andrew Sullivan and calm down.

Campaign for Accountability Event

The Tampa branch of Organizing For America will be canvassing and making phone calls to help get the vote out. Here is some information if you wish to participate.

What: Campaign for Accountability Event

Where: South Tampa Office
3009 W. Barcelona st.
Tampa, FL 33629

When: Wednesday, October 27th
10:00 am

Petition to Repeal DADT

Organizing For America is urging supporters to sign a petition to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It is good to see President Obama using his grassroots organization to gain support to repeal DADT.

Update: the National Journal Insiders Poll asked establishment Democrats and Republicans on views on DADT. 82 percent of Democratic insiders support repealing DADT. 50 percent of Republican insiders want to downplay DADT. Only 31 percent support opposing the repeal. Republicans know bashing gays is killing them with younger voters.

"Intolerance and gay baiting have resulted in losing younger voters and suburban voters in the past and could well do the same this year."

Expect Mitch McConnell, John Boehner and Eric Cantor to fight repealing DADT. These guys fear the Tea Party and social conservative base of the Republican Party.

BFD

Vice-President was overheard by the media tell President Barack Obama that the passage of the health care bill was a "big fucking deal." The Democratic National Committee and Organizing For America is using Biden's verbal gaffe as a fundraising T-shirt. DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse explained the reasoning to CNN.

"Health reform is a huge and historic deal that will benefit American families and small businesses," Woodhouse said. "We and our supporters agree with the Vice President – health reform is a big bleeping deal."

Biden forgot to add the bleep.

We All Derserve Health Care

Organizing For America have announced their winner for best health care video.

Organizing For America v. Republicans

Ben Smith reports Organizing For America have sent out emails to voters in Republican districts that voted for Barack Obama. Smith reports the Democratic National Committee launched the attack on Republicans voting against health care reform. However, Mitch Stewart of Organizing For America is responsible for sending out the email. An unnamed Democrat expresses a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.

Said a Democratic official: "If Republicans think this is a political problem for us - they're sorely mistaken. the American people want reform and Republicans are standing in the way for the sake of partisan politics. That is a political problem for them. We are going to cause havoc for them."

Here is the list of Republicans Organizing For America are targeting.

CA-3 Dan Lungren
CA-24 Elton Gallegly
CA-25 Howard P. "Buck" McKeon
CA-26 David Dreier
CA-44 Ken Calvert
CA-45 Mary Bono Mack
CA-48 John Campbell
CA-50 Brian P. Bilbray
DE-AL Michael N. Castle
FL-10 C.W. Bill Young
FL-18 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
IL-6 Peter Roskam
IL-10 Mark Steven Kirk
IL-13 Judy Biggert
IL-16 Donald Manzullo
IA-4 Tom Latham
MI-4 Dave Camp
MI-6 Fred Upton
MI-8 Mike Rogers
MI-11 Thaddeus McCotter
MN-3 Erik Paulsen
NE-2 Lee Terry
NJ-2 Frank A. LoBiondo
NJ-7 Leonard Lance
OH-12 Pat Tiberi
PA-6 Jim Gerlach
PA-15 Charlie Dent
VA-4 J. Randy Forbes
VA-10 Frank R. Wolf
WA-8 Dave Reichert
WI-1 Paul D. Ryan
WI-6 Tom Petri

Health Insurance Reform Now Rally

Organizing for America is holding a health care rally at Al Lopez Park this Saturday. There will be speakers and progressive activists at the event.

Where: Al Lopez Park
4602 N Himes Ave
Tampa, FL 33614

When: Saturday, September 12th
Arrival Time: 3:00 p.m.
Start Time: 4:00 p.m.