George Will Likes Rubio

I think George Will likes Marco Rubio.

In his column today, Will writes, "In January 2011, one Floridian will leave for the U.S. Senate. He is unlikely to be a former governor at odds with his party's nominating electorate, or the probable Democratic nominee, Kendrick Meek, a hyper-liberal congressman. Rubio intends to prove that 'in the most important swing state, you can run successfully as a principled conservative.' He probably will."

Will points out that Crist has made several poor decisions for Florida; one problematic and risky one was his government run property insurance program which has "driven private insurers to limit their business or even stop doing business in the state." When the next big hurricane hits, guess who is going to be on the hook for the bill?

For his part, Rubio understands how the Republicans got in trouble in the first place. In a speech this week he criticized Republican spending during the Bush years and their misdirection with regard to real reform and conservative principles. KeysNet covered Rubio's speech in Key Largo and noted that "Rubio said neither former President George W. Bush or congressional Republicans seriously pushed for what he considers real reform measures — term limits, a simplification of the federal tax code and the elimination of the capital gains tax."

Tomorrow's St. Petersburg Times has a recap of the straw polls to date:

Here are the votes taken so far:
Marion County GOP, Rubio 40, Crist 8, abstain 4;
Hernando County GOP, Rubio 46, Crist 0;
Gilchrist County GOP, Rubio 11, Crist 1;
Republican Women's Club of Duval Federated, Rubio 65, Crist 4;
Northwest Orange Republican Women Federated, Rubio 49, Crist 3;
Jefferson County GOP, Rubio 30, Crist 6;
Highlands County GOP, Rubio 75, Crist 1;
Pasco County GOP, Rubio 73, Crist 9;
Lee County GOP, Rubio 60, Crist 9;
Florida Federation of College Republicans, Rubio 19, Crist 6;
Bay County GOP, Rubio 23, Crist 2.

I know straw polls aren't scientific, but there's a pretty clear pattern here.

Making a tennis analogy, George Will referred to the NRSC's early endorsement of Crist as an "unforced error." It certainly suggests that the NRSC is as out of touch with the base as Crist seems to be if the straw polls are to be trusted.

(Cross posted at And So it Goes in Shreveport)

Michael Steele, Your Ship Is Sailing Without You...

There's an Upset Brewing in Florida

Cross posted at Carol's Closet

From the September 13th addition of the St. Petersburg Times:

"It's rare that I talk to anyone that's got a good thing to say about the governor right now. It's hard to find a real Charlie Crist ally," said former state Republican chairman Tom Slade. "Charlie Crist is a marvelous politician, but rarely do you use the word statesman with Charlie Crist. That's his vulnerability, getting branded as another self-centered politician, and he doesn't have many more opportunities to muff up before that happens." ...

His state is losing population for the first time in 60 years. Unemployment and foreclosures are soaring. Taxes haven't dropped like a rock as he promised, and Florida remains one hurricane away from bankruptcy. County Republican parties are openly revolting against Crist, while a charismatic young rival, Marco Rubio, is being hailed on the cover of William F. Buckley's National Review magazine as the future of the GOP. ...

The polls don't show it yet, but warning signs abound for Crist. Local Republican executive committees and clubs in every corner of the state are holding symbolic "straw poll" votes where Rubio doesn't just beat Crist, but consistently trounces him 8- or 9-to-1.

Three things have brought the Florida Republican Senate race to this point.First, Charlie Crist, generally considered a (very) liberal Republican, angered the base by embracing President Obama and the president’s highly unpopular Stimulus Bill. Bad has gone to worse for the governor as unemployment has risen in the state and Crist broke his promise not raise taxes on already cash strapped Floridians.

Second, Marco Rubio showed up on the scene as Crist’s polar opposite Rubio, the former Speaker of the Florida House is a staunch conservative who fires up the base at every event he attends. In addition to his conservative credentials, he is young, photogenic and unbelievably well spoken. He connects with “the people” because he intuitively knows how to talk to people without talking down to them-a refreshing quality in a politician.

Third, in a huge miscalculation, the NRSC came out in favor of Crist right out of the gate. Sadly, many in the Republican party leadership do not seem to understand how unhappy the base is with them. By backing a candidate prior to the primary, the NRSC cemented the feeling among the base that the ‘street level’ Republican doesn’t count.

This is being played as an ‘upset in the making’ but as a member of the base, I don’t know anybody who is upset by the notion of ‘Senator Rubio.’

United We Stand

Cross posted at Carol's Closet

Over the course of the last few months I have had an awakening. I have always followed politics in my state of Florida, but to be honest, prior to the Stimulus Bill and Cap and Trade and the bailouts and now ObamaCare, I never spent one moment thinking about S. Dakota or Washington or any other state. I suddenly realized how important it is that I get informed and support candidates who share my values because no matter what state they represent, every single member of the United States Congress affects my life.

Yesterday I had the privledge of listenning to a speaker who has the opportunity to affect not only my life but the lives of every citizen in this country in a positive way. Every member of Congress has taken an oath to defend and be faithful to the US Constitution but once the swearing in is over, they forget their oath and defend nothing more or less than their own re-election. We can not continue to elect officials who serve only themselves. The stakes have grown too high.

Please view the following videos of Marco Rubio speaking at the Lakeland Republican Club on September 2, 2009. We need this man, and more like him, in the US Senate. I am not only asking you to support Marco, but also to find the Marco in your state and get me the information so that I may support him or her as well.

We showed yesterday that we can come together as a united voice for freedom. We can turn this country around by remaining unified in forwarding our message in one very loud voice.

At the end of the second video it refers to "part three" but I couldn't find it anywhere. If anyone does, please email me the link.

Marco Speaks

Rubio Dominates Crist in Florida Straw Polls

The Huffington Post takes a look at the straw polls in Florida and summarizes the results:

Pasco County: Rubio wins, 73-9
Lee County: Rubio wins, "7-to-1 margin"
Highlands County: Rubio wins, 75-1
Bay County: Rubio wins, 23-2
Volusia County: GOP Committee censures Crist
Palm Beach County: GOP Committee almost censures Crist as motion fails on a 65-65 tie, still a stinging rebuke
Broward County: GOP Committee attempts a straw poll, blocked only by Crist acolyte eager to avoid embarrassment for Crist

The Senate Guru concludes with this: "The only question is whether or not the Rubio camp's organization will be effective enough to translate this clear-cut support (and broad discontent with Crist) into a sufficiently strong grassroots army to counter Crist's fundraising advantage and Washington D.C. establishment support. If Rubio does (and I think he can), a major upset may be in the works."

Read the post for details and links to the actual polls by county.

Maybe the voters in Florida are capable of choosing their own candidate without the NRSC's help after all. Imagine that.

NRSC Now Interferes in Colorado Primary

Thanks to John Hawkins of Right Wing News for alerting us to this Denver Post article by Lynn Bartels:

The chairman of the Colorado Republican Party says he plans to inform a national GOP group today that it created a "backlash" by registering two domain names for potential U.S. Senate candidate Jane Norton.
Dick Wadhams pointed to a rash of e-mails during the weekend among Colorado Republicans who are upset with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which they believe is playing favorites in the crowded 2010 primary field. . . .
One e-mail was written by Le Moine Dowd and distributed by Scott Starin, chairman of the Boulder County Republican Party. The subject line reads, "Send this to every Republican you know."
She wrote that the "the endorsement of Jane Norton by the NRSC is essentially a deathblow for all other candidates."
"Do we want the NRSC deciding our candidate? Does this action by the NRSC make the primary election irrelevant? Does it make the Colorado Republican Party irrelevant?" she asked. . . .READ MORE HERE

Also be sure to read the rest of the column where John Hawkins explains that the NRSC has also been meddling in the California GOP primary.

Any reader in Colorado wondering "what can I do?" should phone the Colorado State GOP at (303) 758-3333 or send an e-mail to State Party Chairman Dick Wadhams. Tell the state party officials you support their stand against the NRSC's illegitimate interference in Republican primaries.

The entire point of NOT ONE RED CENT is to defend the right of Republican grassroots voters to choose their own candidates without being stomped on by the clueless idiots at GOP-HQ in Washington who have been running the Republican Party into the ground. Don't let anybody in D.C. tell you who to vote for.

However, it's about time conservative grassroots asked themselves whether the NRSC's support of any Republican candidate in a contested primary should be considered the political Kiss Of Death. Hasta la vista, Jane Norton!

Charlie Crist Makes His Pick

Via The Weekly Standard, here is Marco Rubio's statement about Charlie Crist's appointment of George LeMieux to fill the vacant Mel Martinez seat:

"This is a disappointing appointment for Florida. George LeMieux is a talented political operative and the governor's best friend, but that doesn't make him the right choice to represent Florida in the Senate. Governor Crist had a wealth of consistent and principled conservative candidates to choose from, all of whom would have been a reliable check and balance on the excesses of the Obama-Pelosi-Reid agenda."

The Miami Herald quotes mixed reactions around the state to the appointment.

The St. Petersburg Times has a report of LeMieux on the issues; well, how he felt in 1998 at least. Then, he supported gay adoption and same-sex benefits but thinks gay marriage should be left up to the voters. He opposes drilling off Florida's coast. He says as a Catholic he opposes abortion except in "limited circumstances" and supports the right to bear arms but thinks that the waiting period to buy guns should be the same at gun shows as it is at gun shops.

LeMieux has served as Crist's deputy attorney general, he ran Crist's campaign for governor, and was Crist's first chief of staff as governor. LeMieux describes himself as "a Crist Republican" which means "The Charlie Crist way of staying with your principles but still trying to solve problems for the people is the way that we need to address things in Washington."

As such a good friend of Crist's, it's probably safe to assume that LeMieux has no interest in running for the seat permanently which brings it back to Crist/Rubio. And Rubio is looking better and better all the time.

NH GOP Candidate Holds Townhall while Dem Hides from Constituents!

NH Mayor and GOP candidate Fred Guinta will hold a townhall in NH in the absence of the state's Democratic incumbent.

Following on a similar move by Arizona's Jesse Kelly, this represents a growing trend for local Republicans to take decisive action to reach out to constituencies being neglected and misserved by their Democratic incumbents. It would be great to see this level of initiative from the RNC.

It would be great to have Penelope Cruz show up at my door in a Hooters outfit with a pitcher of beer and a basket of wings, too, but I ain't holding my breath for that either.

Ari David Pulling in Campaign Cash after Breitbart TV feature!

California Congressional candidate Ari David, running against Howard the Snout Waxman, reports significant campaign contributions received after a feature on Breitbart's Big Hollywood.

The following is Ari's speech from his campaign kickoff at Hollywood's famous Formosa Cafe...

“Thank you for coming to our event tonight. First I want to give special thanks to John, Ron and Evan for all of their support and all the great work they have done on our behalf. Please give them a hand.

Eric, I want to thank you for being the emcee at this party. Everyone, please buy a copy of his book because it is a great read and Eric Golub is really in touch with where the modern conservative movement is heading and last but certainly not least, I want to thank my gorgeous wife Fini who supports me in all of my AMBITIOUS endeavors. Honey, without you I would not be here tonight. I love you.

Fini and I are about to become proud parents of a beautiful little girl. I want you to all imagine the grief we are going to give Henry Waxman as we campaign. Let’s see, a beautiful wife, an adorable baby, a stunningly handsome candidate (that would be me) and a golden retriever puppy. CENTRAL CASTING DID A GREAT JOB, DIDN’T THEY? People tell me that they think this will be a tough race. I agree with them. It will be really tough on Henry Waxman.

The theme is simple. Ari David and family love children, puppies and kittens. Henry Waxman will ROB YOUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE and put you in the poorhouse.

He doesn’t stand a chance.

I challenge Henry Waxman on three issues:

First:

I fully support Israel morally, militarily and diplomatically.

Henry Waxman pays lip service to the Jewish States security issues. But he has a deplorable record of standing with Pelosi and Obama at every turn as they harm Israel AND betray his true agenda. This agenda is the acquisition of unlimited political power. To gain this power from the Democrat party, he happily sells his own people down the river.

The first thing I will do in office is work to empower Israel to act unilaterally against any of her enemies at her discretion. I will also work to share with her all the missile and rocket defense systems available and work to continually develop more. Having the latest missile defense systems up and running is in Israel’s best interest and with Iran and North Korea becoming ever expanding threats it is in our best interest too. Henry Waxman has voted against missile defense system funding every time it has come up for a vote in the House. IF HE HAD HIS WAY, OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE WOULD CONSIST OF SLINGSHOTS AND PEA SHOOTERS. WELL MAYBE THAT’S AN EXAGGERATION. HE’D PROBABLY THINK JUST PEA SHOOTERS ARE ENOUGH.

The second issue I challenge Henry Waxman on is his Cap and Trade FIASCO.

I am against all regulation and taxes on energy use and production. We are the most car centric district in the nation. How dare Henry Waxman sponsor (and pass) cap and trade legislation when his OWN constituents, are the PEOPLE most dependent on gasoline to live our lives?

Unemployment in California is at 15% and rising. We are in a terrible recession brought on by the Democrats in both Washington and Sacramento.

It is a shocking example of arrogance for Henry Waxman to IMPOSE any law on his voters that would increase the costs of OUR businesses and OUR LIVES. AND AS IF THAT ISN’T ENOUGH DESTRUCTION, HE’S NOW IN THE FOREFRONT OF DEMOCRATS TRYING TO FORCE SOCIALISED HEALTH CARE DOWN OUR THROATS. THE PLAN HE SUPPORTS WOULD BE SO DISASTROUS FOR THIS COUNTRY, WOULD INFLICT SO MUCH HARM ON OUR ECONOMY AND ON AMERICANS, EVEN OSAMA BIN LADEN MIGHT LOOK AT IT AND SAY, “I CAN’T TOP THAT.”

HENRY WAXMAN does not know the MEANING of the word enough!

The second thing I will do in office is work to rescind all of the federal fuel and energy taxes on Californians.

The third issue is CLOSE TO MY HEART, AND MANY IN THIS DISTRICT.

Every town has a local mill. I believe that our local mill, otherwise known as the entertainment industry must be protected and kept local.
Henry Waxman has presided over a massacre of runaway production and job loss in our entertainment business.

The third thing I will do in office is WORK TO streamline all regulations and significantly reduce all taxes on entertainment production in the LA area. AND at a minimum WE SHOULD give the same economic incentives to LA production that equals or exceeds whatever the most generous benefits being given by any other state or nation. I will also work to curb production insurance costs.

THE ENTERTAINMENT business is critical to the local economy, BUT IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO AMERICA BECAUSE HOLLYWOOD HAS SO MUCH INFLUENCE OVER OUR CULTURE.

MOVIES, television, music and sports are what give Americans from diverse regional backgrounds a common unified culture. BUT AS FOREIGN INTERESTS GAIN MORE AND MORE CONTROL OVER ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT, THIS CULTURE IS INCREASINGLY THREATENED.

Because film content is being made for and controlled by foreign interests we have White supremacist villains in action films from Waco and Belgium instead of Muslim terrorists from Syria or Saudi Arabia.

PRESIDENT REAGAN SPOKE OF AMERICA AS A SHINING CITY ON A HILL, BUT RIGHT NOW our nation is on the precipice of a cliff. THAT’S WHY the choice (before us) in the next midterm election is crucial. We will either preserve our nation which has proven itself for more than 200 years as the last great hope for mankind or we will take the final steps into a thousand years of darkness.

For the first time since mankind’s ascent from the swamps to the stars has the leading culture on earth decided to sacrifice it’s place as the leader of all the other nations of the world and offer to destroy it’s civilization for the siren’s song of internationalism and equality.

We must not let this happen. It’s clear that the leaders of our nation believe there is something wrong with all THE GREATNESS WE HAVE ACHIEVED, AND because of this they believe America must be diminished. The irony is that oppressed people on earth who dream of being in America and dream of freedom will have their dreams die as the beacon of American freedom is dimmed and extinguished.

The choice that we have before us is not right or left. It is not Liberal or Conservative. My friends, the choice before us is only up or down.

The choice up leads to ideals of American exceptionalism, free enterprise, civil society and individual liberty. The choice down that our Democrat friend’s present leads straight to the soup kitchen of the welfare state and to the ant hill of totalitarianism.

The Democrats promise Utopian ideas like health care for all, reduced carbon emissions and low cost education in exchange for volunteer service. They promise us many things in this version of Eden including butterflies and rainbows. What their Utopian plans will actually deliver though is the Dystopia of East Germany in 1957. There was nothing gray or dreary there. No one went hungry or in need in that Marxist dream place so our Democrat leaders, ignorant of the history of their economic and social theories think “Why not impose that here?”

The party that espouses keeping the government out of our bedrooms and out of a woman’s body is putting the plan together to invade all the other rooms of our houses, our offices and our cars. They are even working on getting into our Jacuzzis. I like to be naked when I am in the Jacuzzi so I find this particularly disturbing because I don’t want to be anywhere near Nancy Pelosi while I’m naked.

Now with their so called health care plans they are going to invade all of our bodies and invasively cavity-search every orifice.

With their plans to cut costs the Democrats are willing to sell our bodies to the Federal government and of course, do this for our own good. This is why I like to call what they are doing to us “Death Care” plans instead of health care because the governments only care for us is that if we are dead so they won’t have to allocate scarce and strictly rationed resources to us.

I am not one to trade freedom for security because this leaves us with neither and the Democrats (have) did a masterful job terrifying the majority of Americans into making this nefarious trade last November.

It is time for us to stand up to these tyranny peddling oppressors and say no! No more invasions of our choices and no more micromanaging of our lives by the nanny state.

Henry Waxman for all of his beauty, benevolence, charisma and charm is nothing more than a petty bully dictator who wishes to have ultimate power over all of us.

Henry Waxman and his fellow commissars of the inconsequential must be stopped now! HENRY WAXMAN HAS BEEN IN CONGRESS TOO LONG. NOW IT’S TIME TO SEND HIM BACK TO THE REAL WORLD WHERE HE WILL HAVE TO LIVE UNDER THE OPPRESSIVE LAWS HE HAS HELPED PASS.

I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees in chains and slavery. A country that is ready for a master deserves one. My friends, we deserve no master and we will never be ready for one.

On November 2nd 2010 we can pull the trigger and fire a new shot heard round the world. We will shock the Democrats and beat them in this district that they take so much for granted. Let’s join the rebellion and have a new revolution. We will redeem and preserve the original ideals that made this country the greatest on earth and the place where men could be truly free.

Thank you for joining us tonight. God bless you and God bless the United States of America!”

Mark Reed Picking Up Support!

California Congressional candidate Mark Reed is picking up important support from the California GOP for his campaign to unseat Democrat Brad Sherman. Senior State GOP officials have promised to work with Mark on his campaign.

An important distinction needs to be made here: although the GOP officials are supporting Mark, this is not yet an official endorsement. The CA GOP will not make such an endorsement until the primary, an important difference from the Charlie Crist FLA debacle. But it does mean Reed gets support with access, information and communication.

Keep the Skeer On...

Marine, Iraq Vet and Businessman Jesse Kelly stepped in to provide the voters of his district in Arizona with a place to be heard and honest dialogue when Democratic Congresswoman Giffords cancelled her townhall and hid under her desk...

HT: Gila Courier