Marco Rubio Protests Too Much

Marco Rubio is complaining those mean Democrats are picking on him. Rubio's campaign obitted what Rubio's latest controversy is about.

So it’s no surprise that Democrats are now targeting Marco with the first of many political stunts to distract voters’ attention from their flawed ObamaCare plan and the massive, out-of-control spending that has taken place on their watch.

The smears and attacks against Marco get more ridiculous each day. Today’s stunt is to enlist a maxed out Hillary Clinton supporter to file a frivolous complaint against Marco. It’s so frivolous that this individual wasn’t even willing to sign it.

Sadly, these stunts actually cost you, the taxpayer, money because government bureaucrats actually have to waste time on them. But worse, this illustrates the problem with politics today. When people can’t defend their indefensible big government policies, they turn to the same old politics-as-usual playbook of misleading, negative and false personal attacks.

What the Rubio campaign fails to mention is Rubio and his Chief-of-Staff during a two month period they spent $60,000 with a Republican Party of Florida credit card. Charges including a $600-a-night hotel and a limo. Chief of Staff Richard Corcoran had the audacity to say, ""Every penny was worth it." Talk about fiscal conservatism.

Rubio is being evasive about his lavish expensises.

"There might have been some that he paid, but I don't know which ones,'' Rubio said. "You're asking me about a (credit card) statement I've never seen.''

We are to believe Rubio doesn't know who paid his haircut or his $400 airline ticket for his (aborted) family vacation to Spain. That doesn't pass the laugh test. If we are to take Rubio at his word: how can voters expect Rubio to control federal spending when he is ignorant of his own finances?

Update: Fort Lauderdale resident Michael D. Ryan has filed an ethics complaint against Rubio. Usually, Florida ethics complaints don't go anywhere. However, the Ray Sansom credit card controversy and indictment is fresh in many people's memory. Ryan throws an interesting accusation about Rubio's political action committee.

Before he became speaker, Rubio and his wife started two political committees to support conservative candidates that raised about $600,000. Rubio failed to disclose tens of thousands of dollars in expenses and concealed other purchases by lumping them in credit card charges.

"It appears that Mr. Rubio believes that PAC stands for 'personal access to cash,' " Ryan says in the complaint, calling it a 'fraud upon his donors whose donations were solicited for political purposes, not to subsidize his lifestyle."

Ryan also implies that Rubio got an "Florida International University" during a time of lowoffs. Ryans is clearly linking Rubio's behavior to Sansom's. Ryan contends he doesn't have a political agenda.

Anyone involved with politics or files ethics complaints has a political agenda. Ask Kenneth Quinnell. My pet peeve is people having political agendas and saying they don't. I don't write this blog because the world of golf blogging is too tough. I write because I have a political agenda. I try to be fair and diss my side when it's deserved. I have a progressive idealogy and don't feel the need to hide that.

Republican Party of Florida Second Quarter Fundraising

The Republican Party of Florida had a dismal second quarter fundraising. The RPoF had a nearly $6 million drop off from last year. The problem with the National Republican Party are effecting state parties.

Q2 1996 - $ 2,046,331.95

Q2 1997 - $ 1,722,995.53

Q2 1998 - $ 4,022,598.08

Q2 1999 - $ 1,841,914.33

Q2 2000 - $ 2,889,420.82

Q2 2001 - $ 2,936,279.11

Q2 2002 - $ 7,484,176.57

Q2 2003 - $ 2,549,887.54

Q2 2004 - $ 2,513,537.36

Q2 2005 - $ 1,239,507.27

Q2 2006 - $ 3,085,129.52

Q2 2007 - $ 2,211,818.73

Q2 2008 - $ 7,115,093.98

Q2 2009 - $ 1,160,064.08

RPOF Average Q2: $3,058,482.49

McCain Campaign v. Florida Conservative Activists

It is panic time for the Republican Party of Florida. The St. Petersburg Times reports conservatives grassroots activists are complaining about disorganization and a lack of respect from the McCain campaign.

McCain supporter and former Republican Party of Florida chairman Tom Slade said he's been hearing rumblings over the past few weeks that the campaign is not fully utilizing volunteers, though he said that was not the case in Jacksonville.

"I get the sense that on the statewide basis, the grass roots Republicans don't quite feel like they have a natural fit within the McCain organization," Slade said.

Things have gotten so bad that RPoF Chairman Jim Greer held a meeting in Tallahassee. Greer confirmed the meeting to the St. Petersburg Times. The best that Greer could spin was "I have a responsibility to make sure things are done right." Of course, Greer does. The problem seems to be with the McCain people.

This was bound to happen. Obama placed campaign offices around the state and actively recruited volunteers. It's easy to see why Obama was an effective community organizer. McCain is a long time Washington insider who is used to staffers following his mandates. Running a campaign is different than operating a Senate office. McCain and his people fail to understand that conservative activists are backing him because they are anti-Obama. Not pro-McCain.

The Jim Greer Bashing Continues

I urged fellow progressive bloggers to voice their displeasure at RPoF Chairman Jim Greer's comments that all Democrats are welfare queens.

"Republicans get up and go to work," Greer said he told the boy. "Democrats get up and go down to the mailbox to get their checks."

The welfare queen meme was a race-baiting tactic used by Ronald Reagan during the 1976 presidential campaign. Reagan championed Barry Goldwater and supported apartheid in South Africa. The black community is well aware of the meaning of Greer's polarizing words.

Creative Loafing's Wayne Garcia entitled a post entitled "Blow me, Greer and Kottkamp."

I know lots of Democrats who are out busting their ass in this economy, and plenty of Republicans, too. Last I saw, the national unemployment stats weren’t cross-tabbed by party registration, but maybe that is good idea, right Jim? The reality is that after 10 years of Republican governors and leadership in the House and Senate, Florida consistently is at or near the top of Bad-News Economic Statistics lists these days.

It the economy, Greer. Not race that is hurting Floridians. Of course, the Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida doesn't want to point out that the GOP controlled Florida legislature has not provided economic relief and Gov. Charlie Crist's overseas trip provided no jobs.

Garcia takes exception with Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp attacking the media. When do Republicans not blame the media for the woes?

"Print media is really archaic," Kottkamp told the board of the Beacon Council, Miami-Dade's nonprofit business recruitment agency. "They're laying off people. Their view of the world is pretty skewed."

What is really shameful is that Kottkamp lacks the heart to stand behind his comment.

Kottkamp quickly backtracked, saying he was just advising the print media to look to the future online.

“My message is not that I don’t like you,” he said. “I love you.”

Ahh. Kottkamp was actually giving the media a big kiss. A former legislator, that that attempted to make it illegal to remove a Confederate flag from public land, should not be the view of others "pretty skewed." What's even more hysterical: Kottkamp had selective memory loss about his Confederate flag bill.

What Kottkamp said when reporters asked him last week about the bill -- a bill that he co-sponsored, mind you -- was: "I don't even remember the flag being mentioned."

Pretty skewed, indeed.

Jim Greer's Hate Rhetoric

Progressives should get together and hammer Republican Party of Florida Jim Greer for making this hateful statement.

"Republicans get up and go to work," Greer said he told the boy. "Democrats get up and go down to the mailbox to get their checks."

Can Greer name what Democrats are waiting for their checks? I'm sure Greer isn't talking about trustfund checks. He is using the old racist welfare queen line that plays well to GOP crowds.

Greer has been busy using Amendment 2 as a wedge issue to draw social conservatives to the polls. Nevermind, that there is already a law banning gay marriage in Florida. Nevermind, that the amendment is bigoted against a minority. Nevermind, that it is a cynical attempt to use a wedge issue to make voters ignore the lack of Republican accomplishments.

Greer should talk about waiting for checks. He got his current job by being a fundraiser for Charlie Crist. How much work is it to beg people for money? Mr. Greer, most people call that panhandling.

Progressive bloggers: hold Greer's feet to the fire on his asinine statement. Don't let him get away with this.

Florida (Non)Primary Update

Tamara Lytle and John Kennedy of The Orlando Sentinel have written an informative summary of how the DNC and RNC are dealing with Florida moving up the primary. The current status is that Democratics and Republicans in the Florida legislature voted "virtually unanimously" for the Jan. 29th primary date. Florida Republicans will lose half their delegates. Democrats lose all. Governor Charlie Crist has reiterated he will not move the primary back.

Republican Party of Florida Charman Jim Greer maybe able to deliver all of Florida's delegates to the Republican National Convention.

State party Chairman Jim Greer said he has found a loophole. The Jan. 29 vote is binding, but the actual delegates won't be named until later. And if the RNC won't accept that, he said, the eventual nominee can use his influence to make sure all of Florida's delegates are seated.

The DNC is leaving the FDP lousy options if they don't move back their primary. What is likely to happen is either a delegate-selection convention or mail-in ballots. The other hope is the eventual nominee asks Dean to bury the hatchet with the FDP. With the way things have been going that is not a guarantee.

Charlie Crist hinted that he might lobby Democratic candidates to campaign in Florida. I believe when I see it.

Update: Tally likes the delegate-selection idea.

Update: Crist and Senate minority leader Steve Geller agree that there will be no shut down of the Senate or House. Jon Ausman, of the DNC, sent out an email urging Democrats to use parliamentary procedures to grind the Florida legislature to a halt. I'm glad they agree on that. The daily business of state government shouldn't be affected because of the primary mess. There are too many problems the legislature need to address. Ausman's idea doesn't help matters.