Rubio's conservative rhetoric doesn't always match record

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio is emerging as the champion of activists fed up with Republicans who don't stay true to conservative principles. But if those turning against Gov. Charlie Crist are looking for a pure, uncompromising conservative, Rubio's legislative record might give them pause.

"He was a big disappointment to us when he was the speaker,'' said NRA lobbyist Marion Hammer, who saw Rubio do little to help pass a bill allowing employees to bring guns to work. "He talked the talk, but he didn't walk the walk."

As speaker of the House, Rubio consistently presented smaller budgets than the governor and the Senate. But he also spent eight years casting votes and cutting deals that reflect the reality of the legislative process: hard-line ideology rarely triumphs over compromise.

The 38-year-old campaigning as an authentic, from-the-gut conservative is the same person who spent tens of thousands of dollars to test political messages on focus groups, gave out big staff salaries and, like Crist, favored a $60 million subsidy for a new Florida Marlins stadium.

(Story here)

Comments

[Nice Ring]

Marco Rubio - big government spender, tax raising liberal. That has a nice ring to it.

[Nose Ring]

Marco Rubio - lapdog for corporate interests, typical right wing suckup to the silly Limbaugh fringe.

[Rubio, divider not uniter]

And this is just the start!!!

[PINELLAS FOR CRIST]

The Truth is Revealing.

[givemeabreakharry]

Dissapointment on the Guns to Work cause...Marion is correct...Hopefully it wont hurt him..But it was a dissapointment.

[Cynical Idealist]

Conservatives, the lunatic fringe and the tea bag crowd have embraced Rubio as their "savior du jour" and will wind up sorely disappointed.

Marco, while he would prefer to hew to a conservative path is also a political realist.

He knows that for the most part, his strict conservative ideology doesn't fall into the mainstream of Florida (or U.S., for that matter) politics and so, he "tests" his "message" on "focus groups" so he can couch it in terms that "average" American will swallow.

He also knows politics is the art of compromise and that to get anything done you need the support of moderates.

[Rubio's Real Record]

Gov. Jeb Bush, whose successor will be chosen by voters in the same election in which Rubio is expected to rise to power, appeared to be moved by the Miamian's selection.

"I can't think back to a time when I was prouder to be Republican," said Bush...

[Does Fasano even own a house?]

Fasano who lives with his mommy railed against repealing sales tax exemptions for corporate big shots. Ridiculous sales tax exemptions that could've generated revenue?

Way to show 'em Mr Big Shot Conservative. How'd that work out for ya?

[search it]

tweet, tweet Rubio, who do you tweet to?

[.]

Wow. This blog reads like a bunch of 6 year olds. Clearly we know who Crist's base is now. And it explains alot...

[Little man]

Quick, quick, get David All and the paid bloggers to rally. We cannot withstand the truth. Next they'll expose that I'm just another slick Miami politicians. Help

[jaguar]

Its true Rubio didn't get every issue for the conservatives, but that's not the job of a Speaker. What do you whiners want? A Pelosi-style "shove this down your throat" highly partisan approach to leadership? Rubio has the conservative wing of the GOP fired up because of sticking to his principles.
Crist used to call himself a Jeb Bush-conservative, but Rubio and the Republican faithful know better now.

[Fickle Friends]

Ah, Marco. Wondering right about now why did the love affair end. The press loved me, touted me and got my "fans" all stirred up thinking I could knock off the front-runner. I was getting the filet mignon treatment and then suddenly I am chopped liver. Now that the press has decided to write about the "other side" of Marco, the sordid truth will come out in spurts and my new-found friends will drop like flies. This bites.

[facts speak for themselves]

Rubio supporters caught sleeping? Where are the paid to blog children this morning? Party last night?

[That's Not All]

What about all of the stuff he packed in the budget (ala Sansom) such as his $750k flag football field? What about his position at FIU while still Speaker? What about hiring his brother-in-law to sit around the Capitol? This is just the beginning...when the sun shines on his record it won't be pretty. All talk..no game.

[Not Really]

Jaguar---people who don't know him and don't know his TRUE record are fired up...he talks a great game...but when he had a change to really do something he sat out of the game...

[Red Meat Republican]

Winners on election night:

Crist
LeMieux
Greer
Eikenberg

Losers on election night:

Rubio
Rivera
Navarro
County RECs
WingNuts

[Marco is going to win this one. Lame article, intellectually non substantive , more manufactured news from Team Crist's SPT campaign arm]

From the Miami Herald today

Just when you thought it couldn't get worse for Charlie Crist...

The press release from the Florida Democratic Party called Thursday "Charlie Crist's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.''

The description also applied to Wednesday. And Tuesday. And Monday. And to the week before that. And to the entire month of October.

Let's be clear: The governor/would-be U.S. senator from Florida known for his groundbreaking fundraising is stuck in a record-shattering slump.

More here.

Suddenly, skies are cloudy for Charlie Crist
By BETH REINHARD
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
The press release from the Florida Democratic Party called Thursday ``Charlie Crist's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.''

The description also applied to Wednesday. And Tuesday. And Monday. And to the week before that. And to the entire month of October.

Let's be clear: The governor/would-be U.S. senator from Florida known for his groundbreaking fundraising is stuck in a record-shattering slump.

*The only way things could get worse is if Gennifer Flowers, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the guy who videotaped former Virginia Sen. George Allen making an ethnic slur all showed up at his doorstep in Tallahassee.

It's hard to feel sorry for someone who has all of the powers of incumbency, a small fortune in campaign donations and a double-digit lead in the polls over his Senate rival, former House Speaker Marco Rubio of Miami. Especially when so many of Crist's problems are of his own making.

Like the other night on CNN, when he made the astounding claim that he didn't ``endorse'' President Barack Obama's economic stimulus package. Or a couple of weeks ago when he told reporters that he didn't know Obama was visiting his own state. At this point, the only way for Crist to truly distance himself from the president would be to shout ``You lie!'' at the next Rose Garden ceremony. Or to join the ``birther'' movement and publicly question the president's American citizenship.

Crist will do almost anything to erase the endless television footage of him and the president touting the administration's stimulus plan while sharing a stage and a smile in Fort Myers.

Since then, the governor has endured an unbelievable string of setbacks. The straw polls he lost at about a dozen local Republican party meetings around the state. The slaps in the face from conservative interest groups like The Cato Institute, the Club for Growth and the Family Research Council. And this latest indignity: His mother's book club in St. Petersburg unanimously voted to read Rubio's 100 Innovative Ideas for Florida's Future in the month of November.

To make matters worse, three of Crist's top campaign fundraisers -- Palm Beach County businessman Harry Sargeant, Hollywood eye doctor Alan Mendelsohn and most recently, Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein -- have had embarrassing run-ins with the law in the past year. A politician used to be able to trust someone who could raise obscene amounts of cash. The way Crist's luck is going, his accountant gave all of his campaign checks to Uncle Billy from It's A Wonderful Life for safekeeping.

Remember when Crist was like Jerry Seinfeld's happy-go-lucky television character, who cruises through life while his friends are constantly falling into misadventures? While Florida was bleeding jobs, leading the nation in foreclosures and racked by an insurance crisis, Crist's job approval ratings managed to stay buoyant. ``You know, one of these days, something terrible is going to happen to you. It has to!'' Elaine muttered to Jerry in one memorable episode. He replied: ``No, I'll be fine.''

Maybe Crist will be fine, too. He has nine months until the August primary to turn this thing around, an eternity in politics.

For now, the best strategy may be for him to contract flu-like symptoms and stay home. Crist could use a few days to sip chicken soup, sleep in and completely reinvent his public image and recent history.

Well, at least he has his hair.

Beth Reinhard is the political writer for The Miami Herald.

[Red Meat Republican]

Oh sorry, Missed one winner, Heffley.

[alice]

RUN MARCO RUN - WE NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER. YOU HAVE CRIST AND ACORN WORRIED AND IT SHOWS.

[come clean Marco]

When will Marco come clean and request the Republican Party of Florida release copies of Marco's credit card charges on his old party AMEX card?

[Red Meat Republican]

Plus, Charlie can appeal to the Obama, ACORN, liberal Democrat votes too, and win the general. Go Charlie!

[Rubio Not a conservative]

Wait until Greer gets fed up and releases the 100 ideas spending and the plane and amex bills

[no way]

11:32
You do not get it- Greer cannot release Marco's party credit card expenses without being forced to release HIS- and Chair Greer definitely does NOT want that to happen!

[LOL]

So on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is perfect Conservative and 1 is Left wing wacko, Rubio is an 8 and Crist is a 2.

Is that really the best the Crist folks can come up with?

[sorry Marco]

Much more to come!

[Artus]

I don't know what Rubio did or didn't do on the Guns to Work bill, but could someone explain to me what is remotely conservative about using the power of government to force private businesses to allow on their private property, things they don't want? The notion that being pro-gun is synonymous with being pro-forcing guns, is as ridiculous as it is stupid. No wonder people equate the NRA with nut jobbery. For all their talk about liberty, the NRA is clearly opposed to the concept of property rights, and of individual freedom of choice.

That said, it would be nice if someone with consistent pro-freedom positions--fiscally conservative and socially permissive would actually run and gain some traction. It seems that the reality is, we are back to getting excited about the lesser of two evils. And that's a sad commentary on political choices. Instead of having the choice not to be beaten, we can only ask about candidates, "how wide is his whip?" Sad.

[Truth Factor]

Cap And Trade? Rubio opposes, Crist supports.

Stimulus Bill? Rubio opposes, Crist supports.

Liberal judges? Rubio opposes, Crist supports.

Reducing penalties for felons? Rubio opposes, Crist supports.

Crist actually did endorse the stimulus bill, before he said he was against it.

[Rubio, divider not uniter]

ahhhhhhhh the Rubio bloggers are awake from last nights fiesta! Goodmorning children!

[CM]

Rubio punished the two Republican leaders who were willing to opposed the property insurance takeover by a Socialist REPUBLICAN Government in Florida. Then, he went on Spanish radio in Miami to claim that the insurance lobby was too powerful. To say that he speaks from both sides of his face is to claim that he would only mislead two sides. He is a POSER. But then again, so is Charlie.

[Is that it?]

9:11 if this is all you have on Rubio, this is the start - and the end too.

11:27 Release of RPOF-related AMEX statements is not up to Marco. It is up to Jim Greer who has a lot to lose from coming clean.

Like I've said before: you Charlie girls sound a lot like the Gallagher people used to in 2006: constantly promising dire revelations that never came. It is called- DESPERATION.

HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA

[Charlie's Problem]

The problem for Crist is that he represents everything that is wrong with the Republican Party. I don't always agree with the Crist=Lemeiux=Specter but the point is true: Crist is Specter.

His people will spend his millions to try and distort Rubio's record and change the subject away from his own.

Case in point: This story is about whether Rubio's support of $60 million for Marlin stadium destroys his Conservative credentials. Meanwhile, Crist campaigned with Obama and gave speeches and lobbied Congress to pass Obama's stimulus bill which squandered Trillions of dollars and indebted future generations. Do I like the $60 Million? No. But in light of what Crist has done to our state and our nation, it is a non-issue.

[Not for Marco.]

Rubio says what YOU want.
And does what HE wants.

[Jason]

Red Meat Republican,

If that's the case on Election Night (which I don't believe it will be), then the real losers will be the people of Florida. Opportunists such as Crist and his cronies no longer have a place in our political system.

[Lifelong Republican]

I can't stand the direction my party is heading - right back into the same failed conservative policies that ruined our economy. Re-invent.

[Lest we forget]

“.. It is important that we pass the Stimulus Package…” Governor Charlie Crist.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOXvgZvZqnw

[What?]

"Lifelong Republican,"

Switch parties.

You and Crist believe in Cap and Trade, so does the Democrat Party.

You and Crist believe in Obama's stimulus bill, so does the Democrat Party.

You and Crist believe in judges who oppose the Constitution and second amendment, so does the Democrat Party.

You and Crist believe in more government power and less individual freedom, so does the Democrat Party.

If you believe so strongly in what the Democrats stand for, why are you a Republican?

[Funny in North FL]

Rubio seems to oppose everything that Crist (and virtually every Republican in the FL house and Senate) did the day after Rubio left office in Jan 2009. But Rubio voted along with them the whole time he was in office. What does that say? Seems like a case of "convenient conservatism" to me.

[Funny Lies]

3:03, No, he did not. You seem to have the same memory Crist has on whether he endorsed Obama's stimulus.

Rubio passed 9 different property tax reform bills but Crist and the Senate blocked all of them. Get your facts right. If you don't like Rubio, fine, but argue with facts not with yours and Charlies revisionist history.

[Sorry MARCO.]

The Rubio supporters are in uprising after one article?

Get ready for more. Your boy Marco is about to be crushed.

[Truth]

Actually, the Rubio supporters are in an uprising over 3 years of Liberal drivel coming out of the spineless Charlie Crist!

The Crist folks are desperate to talk about anything EXCEPT Crist's record. So, what is the Crist story today? Did he support the Obama Stimulus? Or was campaigning for it alongside Obama and lobbying Florida's Congressional delegation just Charlie's way of trying to stop it? Hmmm?

[What Funny Lies]

I see the little Toad has come out of his hole and is blathering the Fascist-Libertarian tripe under several IDs.

[true Republican]

Just like the rest of us republicans. We'll tell you what you want to hear and do what ever we want. The best thing is you'll keep voting for us. I keep asking why do the fools keep voting in republicans? We all know the answer is there are 2 kinds of republicans the rich and the dumb. We can always count on the dumb votes to get us in. They believe everything they hear on Fox.

[Artus]

WFL,

Fascism and libertarianism are wholly incompatible. Can you please point out the post(s) that allegedly offer opinion from both camps at once?
The GOP has certainly waded through fascist waters on their journey chasing the Democrats to the left. I hope you aren't equating libertarians with the modern day GOP. The Republicans have no more vocal enemies than libertarians.

[TCS]

Marco Rubio is as conservative as they get unlike tax & spenders like Alex Sink and Kendrick Meek

[ipsofacto]

Guns to work? That's it? You have to do better than that. Corporations can define internal speech as a matter of employment. All a company has to do is say, bring a gun to work and you are fired...which most would do. NRA needs more scholars and less rednecks.

[KerryC]

Conservatives, the lunatic fringe and the tea bag crowd have embraced Rubio as their "savior du jour" and will wind up sorely disappointed.

Marco, while he would prefer to hew to a conservative path is also a political realist.

He knows that for the most part, his strict conservative ideology doesn't fall into the mainstream of Florida (or U.S., for that matter) politics and so, he "tests" his "message" on "focus groups" so he can couch it in terms that "average" American will swallow.

He also knows politics is the art of compromise and that to get anything done you need the support of moderates.

Posted by: Cynical Idealist | November 07, 2009 at 09:34 AM
***********************

We're talking a primary Cynical. And as we saw in Virginia and New Jersey, the voters understand the danger of having two democratic parties.

Heck we now see the danger of just one controlled by the radical left!

The regular election will either be Rubio against the dems or Bob Smith is gonna get a ton of votes if he runs as an independent.

[Crist People Sticking It To Latinos]

It is really incredible to witness the ferocity with which the Crist folks are attacking a bright young Cuban politician. If you're hoping to make inroads with the Hispanic community, I'm pretty sure that trying to slit the political throat of one of their own is not the best way to do it.

[Are You Kidding Me?]

Wait, am I reading this right? Are the Crist people actually criticizing Rubio for not being Conservative enough? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[gag me]

The evil witch-god, Marion Hammer, strikes again.