Smiles no more: Rubio-Crist battle heats up

House Speaker Marco Rubio is the only powerful politician in Florida consistently challenging Crist's middle-of-the-road, let's-all-get-along agenda.

By his words and actions, Rubio, 36, makes it clear that he believes that he - not Crist - is the true Republican. That is stirring talk about the Miami lawmaker's political motivations beyond 2008, when term limits force him from the Legislature. (Story here.)

Comments

[John]

Governor Crist is one hurricane away from having huge disapproval ratings. He's rolling the dice.

I'm supporting Rubio for Governor in 2010.

Marco Rubio will be a great Governor after Crist plummets.

Fellow Republicans,
Don't fall into the media's trap. They thrive on controversy and have to have it to survive. Success for Crist and success for Rubio aren't mutually exclusive. There are plenty of scenarios where both do well but they will focus on the one (2010 Governor's race) that pits us against each other. DOn't fall for it.

Crist has 70% approval and is a national leader and a great Governor

Rubio doesn't even have 30% approval in his home county and can't even lead the Florida House.

Who is the media trying to kid?

Rubio better forget about Crist and worry more about Sansom, Cannon, Weatherford, and Rivera making him irrelevant this year. Mark my words, it's already happening.

First Rubio wasted millions on his 100 ideas book tour and now Rubio has hired, at $6,000 a month, Rubio has hired a professor at MIT to help shape energy policy for the 2008 legislative session.

Which one of these guys is the man of ideas and principle? Clearly not Rubio if he has to pay everyone to think for him.

Kind of funny, huh?

7:06 since since you seem so bold, why don't you reveal your name?

7:06 I wish that were true. But the truth is that the "shift in power" is a myth that floats through the capitol and in both chambers about every two years.

Yes, returning members start to look towards the future in the next session, but the reality is that the Speaker and President control everything until the last minute of the last day. Even Byrd held on to power until the bitter end.

Rubio and Pruitt and especially immune to this because neither of them have any personal pet projects (ie. a Byrd center etc.)

Furthermore, the presiding officers have almost absolute administrative power. That is. Sansom and Atwater will play nice if for nothing else out of a desire to get their people hired BEFORE they take over. They cant do anything UNTIL they are sworn in. They need Pruitt and Rubio to do it for them.

Can someone explain something to me.

The Governor doesn't have anything to do with putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot: true?

That means it's all up to the House Speaker and Senate President lead their members to put something on the ballot: true?

Marco Rubio is the Speaker: true?

He voted for this plan and the last one: true?

If Rubio didn't want this on the ballot he could have stopped it: true?

If it fails he is weak: true?

And now in a schitzo move he is trying to push another amendment before the other one passes: true?

He had his lacky write an interpretaton so he could openly violate the gift law and is shaking down lobbyists for money: true?

He has leas than two months to get this on ballot in 2008: true?

If he doesn't get that on the ballot in 2008 and the one he sherperded through the house doesn't pass in January, he is weak as a kitten: true?

Mr 7:32, under your theory then the largest expoansions in gambling that passed this year only passed because of Marco Rubio?

7:12 bold of you to ask me to reveal my name when you hide like a baby.

If I revealed my name I would lose my chairmanship

If I revealed my name I would lose my anonymity, which I use as a cowardly shield not unlike a drug-addled Britney Spears hiding behind her phalanx of roid-abusing bodyguards.

[terminator]

Crist has nobody to blame but himself.

How many times on the campaign trail did he say "I'm a Jeb Bush Republican".

Now he has shown his true colors and their anything but a Jeb Bush Republican. In fact their not even close to Republican.

What can you expect when you hang around tax and spend uber-liberals like Steve Geller, Dan Gelber and Robert Wexler and count them as your best friends. Or waste taxpayer money on useless junkets to places like Israel and Brazil while you're state is facing economic meltdown?

Charlie hasn't accomplished a thing of importance in his first year (no property tax cut, no property insurance cut, no BHAI's as it relates to education policy, nada, zip, zilch).

His approval ratings remain high because he is perceived as a nice guy after years of acrimony here with Jeb and on Capitol Hill between W and the D's.

Agree with the earlier poster who said Charlie's one big hurricane away from catastrophe.

Charlie is a phoney-baloney of the highest order and it appears he's hoodwinked alot of people.

Who can blame Marco for picking up the mantle as heir to the
Republican conservative throne. After all the promises, it was Charlie who abandoned it!

[Leo DiBenigno]

I like and support BOTH Crist and Rubio. They each have strengths and weakness and want to do right as they see it for all Floridians.

[Repubtallygirl]

I will vote for ANYONE other than CC in 2010. All the campaign slogan will have to say is "I am NOT Charlie Crist" and its a shoo-in.
70% is unbelieveable.

Crist has already in his first year cut more taxes than Bush did in his entire term, vetoed a record amount of pork, did as much for the life movement as he did, there isn't much more to do to prtect 2nd amendment (it's safe as kong as Rudy or Romney doesn't win - and even then Crist will protect us), and the only stuff we don't like it all of the time spent on African American issues (like Bush) and climate. Sounds conservatives are safe and sound under Crist.

Leo, what do you view as Charlie Crist's weaknesses?

Sounds like the Crist press machine just got to work with that posting by 8:08.

All Charlie has done is make promises and then lied to us:

"Property taxes will drop like a rock."

"I do not support the expansion of gambling in Florida."

"I'm a Jeb Bush Republican."

Charlie's a con-man. Nice guy, true. But he'll say anything to get a vote. I'd rather have a leader running the state.

Nice photo, which one is the husband?

When the Speaker leaves office and he doesnt have the state paying his bills, he will go away like all the others...

The problem Speaker Rubio has is that he has treated several good people pretty badly and several bad people pretty well, all in an attempt to consolidate power. People aren't dumb, they see that and don't really like it. In order for a Speaker to rise to a higher position, he needs a vast army of House members to support him. For example, the multitude of House members wearing "Bense for Senate" stickers on the last night of the 2006 session. That was a direct result of the way members were treated by Bense. Rubio will not be able to accomplish what he wants with the 10 or so members who he hasn't managed to tick off in the last two years. If he really wants move up in the world, he needs to start treating some people a little better.

Rubio was elected by thousands.

Crist was elected by millions.

[ds]

8:19 and terminator - you have it right. The fact that people believe anything the tan man says is a testament to how good of a con man he really is. And I will never believe that the man has that high of an approval rating. Polls are useless anyway unless you are asking EVERY SINGLE REGISTERED VOTER. A small percentage of people from a select area and bingo! - you have the results you want.

Sometimes I don't understand the people posting on the blog. If Governor Crist is middle of the road, which 95 percent of the residents of Florida are and if he is trying to work with everyone, Democract, Republicans, etc., then why do so many of you have a problem with him. I am not writing this because I like Crist more then Rubio, I just don't understand the way some of you think. I personally believe that any elected official, whether its Democrat or Republican, if they work to do what is right for the people, then that is what matters. My question to you all is why do you have such a problem with Crist being middle of the road, as the majority of Floridians are?

9:57 - I think I can explain it to you. For years the GOP has maintained a precarious hold on power by cobbling together a coalition of the willfully ignorant - special interest groups with potentially conflicting agendas. Now that the reality of their failure is beginning to open cracks in the neocon edifice, the far right are scrambling to herd their blind unquestioning lackeys back onto the official GOP page.

I don't like Crist or Rubio, and I think that they both pander and lie. However, I would note that Crist promised two things during the campaign that I thought he had no intention of following through with that he actually got on the ballot for January. These were a doubling of the homestead exemption and SOH portability.

Rubio throws out pandering ideas (like eliminating property taxes on homesteads) when he cannot get the votes even in just the House for his "ideas." He is the Speaker, and he can't get the votes. He is the Speaker, and he can't get the votes. He thinks he can get the votes in a statewide general election when he can't get the votes from his own House, which is dominated by his party, for his "ideas." He is a bit off.

Gingrich is one of his heros. But Newt made a contract with America and followed through with 100% of the promise. Each of the issues would be voted on and they were. Rubio created 100 "ideas" and didn't do anything with it. Which ones passed? Property insurance reform? HA! Property tax reform? HA! World Class Schools? Who was he kidding with that one? The guy is a joke. I am enjoying as they (and there many minions) tear each other apart. It is great sport.

[Advice to Rubio]

Ronald Reagan earned a degree in Economics---before the Keysian theories were ever taught--so Reagan had the old school which is mostly called the Austrian School. The institute is located in Alabama. Check it out and you will do better than Crist and all others.

[stephen]

We love Charlie Crist. Keep doing the right thing Governor. Rubio is an extremeist that wants more and more power. He can't let go and he hates that he is termed out.

[Keynesian]

ms.

[Keynesian]

ms.

[stephen]

The Governor needs to stop trying to keep the peace here. It is clear that Rubio is looking to keep his name in the public arena. The Governor needs to treat Rubio like the youngster he is. Charlie, you need to tap him on the head, send him home and show his inexperience.

If Rubio hated the tax plan so much, why did he become the first Speaker in God-knows how long to take the floor to argue in favor of it?

I am starting to think his name should be Mitt Rubio.

[J.S.]

Congratulations, fellow Republicans. We have become the Democrats of 15 years ago, with nothing but power to hold us together.

If Rubio runs, his numbers will be in the single digits.

Marco “The Rube” Rubio is a sociopathic punk in man clothes.

Nuff Said!

Your right 11:42 a.m. I would be willing to bet that many of the freshman Republicans in the House are getting a bit annoyed with both being whipped into supporting the leadership positions and then being hung out to dry by the leadership. They were told to vote "yes" and then were attacked (by their leadership) for not doing anything of substance. They lost a bunch of seats last time and Sansom needs to do something to keep from losing a bunch more. Giving their own members something to go home with (like a victory on just one BIG issue) might help.

6:27's kum-by-ya comment above is the reason why if the Crist people keep sticking their heads in the sand the rubio-jebites will scalp and hang them out to dry. This is politics it's dirty and nasty and you have to be strong to win and set an example to your enemies. In this area, Jeb was excellent. Crist needs to learn to play hard ball "publicly" and stop with the "this guy trying to screw me is my friend" crap. It makes him look and feel weak and will make his administration a failure. There comes a time when you just have to exact power and control in leadership, that is what people are looking for in their electeds, they already have friends at home and dont require their electeds to be friends. They require them to get things DONE!

9:27am -- "If he really wants move up in the world, he needs to start treating some people a little better."

It really is not that he treats people badly, it is just that he has made it so people feel irrelevant in the process; both members and staff. That was one thing Bense did well. You were irrelevant, but Bense never made you feel that way. Rubio has been advised badly or just genuinely doesn't care about anyone who is not in his inner circle. I think the latter, and that my friends is a sign of poor leadership.

If Rubio is the true Republican, then the Republican Party is imploding and exploding at the same time. Self-destruction.

Go Marco!

I agree, Go Marco! Keep destroying the Republican party starting with the Governor. It is good, for us, America, Florida, Democrats, taxpayers and citizens. Don't wimp out like you did during the special session D. Bring true gridlock to Tallahassee. You can do it.

[Trilateral Commission]

Johnnie Rubio

Finally, someone is standing up to the ultra-left's attempt to make the GOP and Democratic party one in the same. With Crist as Governor, and if Rudy is the GOP nominee, who will need Democrats to take the country towards socialism?

Davis was the first Democrat I have ever voted for, and Hillary may be the conservative choice if Rudy is the nominee.

Charlie should come out of the closet and admit he's a Democrat. He will win re-election as a Dem but would feel better about it as he would know he was being true to himself.

12:46 - It's really not so much about taking the country towards socialism as it is about taking it away from fascism.