Payroll Tax Cut

GOP Goes To War With Itself Over Payroll Cut

Brian Beutler | December 19, 2011, 5:30PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) conducts a news conference along with fellow GOP members on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on November 30, 2011.

A civil war between House Republicans and their Senate counterparts had gone public over the possibility that the GOP will be held to blame if the current payroll tax cut expires on January 1. The Senators feel abandoned after having voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to pass a two month extension of the holiday -- only to have conservatives in the House GOP conference reject it publicly, and insult the legislation itself.

GOP Leaders on both sides of the Capitol are trying to contain the fallout, but with vulnerable Senate Republicans exposed, and the payroll tax cut set to lapse in less than two weeks, that's a tall order.

Read more »

Payroll Tax Cut

Standoff: A Guide To The Ongoing Fight Over The Payroll Tax Cut

Brian Beutler | December 19, 2011, 1:25PM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and President Barack Obama

At a Capitol press conference Monday morning, House Speaker John Boehner told reporters he expects his members will kill the bipartisan, Senate-passed, two-month payroll tax cut bill. Instead he said Republicans will insist that Senate Democrats return to Washington and hash out the differences between that package, and the partisan one-year bill the House GOP passed a week ago.

That's setting up a new round in the ongoing fight over how to prevent that tax cut -- and other expiring policies like emergency unemployment benefits, and reimbursement rates for Medicare physicians -- from expiring.

Where we go from here depends on Boehner making good on his threat. To that end House and Senate Democrats, along with key Senate Republicans -- who voted for the compromise measure, and whom Boehner is hanging out to dry -- are pressing the House GOP to follow through on the deal.

Read more »

Barack Obama

White House To GOP Critics On Libya: We Were Right

Susan Crabtree | October 20, 2011, 7:25PM

The White House is brushing aside criticism -- from the GOP presidential field and others -- that Obama doesn't deserve credit for the death of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.

In a lengthy press briefing after President Obama heralded Qaddafi's death and publicly congratulated the Libyan people for winning their revolution, White House spokesman Jay Carney was asked whether the President felt validated by Qaddafi's killing and the conclusion of the Libyan civil war.

"Well, I think I've made clear that we believe that the President made the right decisions to work with our allies, to work with NATO, to work with the United Nations, not to do something on the cheap but because it was the right policy answer to the situation that presented itself, taking a long-term view about what outcome do you want in Libya," Carney said.

Read more »

Marco Rubio

Media Matters Rips Rubio's Health Care 'Hypocrisy'

Thomas Lane | August 25, 2011, 9:51AM

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is widely tipped as a likely Republican Vice Presidential nominee no matter who wins the GOP primaries. But if the party's new golden boy is indeed going to leap to the front of national politics then he'd better get used to things like the following.

The liberal-leaning political fact-check group Media Matters is slamming Rubio for his speech at the Reagan Library on Wednesday. As reported here, in that speech Rubio denounced entitlement programs such as Medicare for having "weakened" the American people. Instead, he harkened back to the days when "our communities, our families, and our homes, and our churches and our synagogues" took care of people.

Media Matters' sidearm, PoliticalCorrection.org, points out that Rubio wasn't singing this tune just a few months ago.

Read more »

2012

Rubio's Reagan Speech: Entitlements "Weakened" Us

Thomas Lane | August 24, 2011, 5:30PM

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) seems to be the "right" man for the "right" time. Indeed, there's now so much speculation that he'll take the VP slot of next year's GOP presidential ticket that one wag recently tweeted, "Is it time to rename GOP primaries 'the contest to become Marco Rubio's running mate'?"

The GOP heartthrob delivered a much-anticipated speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Wednesday. The address was packed with the red meat Tea Party audiences crave, and at its heart was the reddest meat of all: a "things-ain't-what-they-used-to-be" take-down of entitlement programs.

Read more »

Medicare

Florida Tea Party Leader: GOP Medicare Plan A 'Public Policy Nightmare'

Brian Beutler | June 20, 2011, 11:29AM

Tea Party protesters on Capitol Hill

South Florida Tea Party Chairman Everett Wilkinson thinks the GOP budget -- and in particular its call to phase out Medicare and replace it with a marketplace for private insurance -- is a total disaster. He's saying that Republicans, including members in his sphere of influence like Rep. Allen West (R-FL), should back away from it.

In an email to fellow Tea Partiers last week, obtained by The Palm Beach Post, Wilkinson called the GOP plan a "public policy nightmare" that could trigger "huge Democratic wins in 2012," and prompt Republicans to blame the Tea Party for their losses.

Read more »

Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio Sets High Bar For Debt Ceiling Vote

Benjy Sarlin | March 30, 2011, 9:51AM

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Congress is on the verge of shutdown over its inability to pass a continuing resolution, but Tea Party icon Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is already laying down a marker on the next high-stakes funding battle: raising the debt limit.

In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal today, Rubio called a vote on the debt ceiling "nothing more than putting off the tough decisions until after the next election" and warned that "this may be our last chance to force Washington to tackle the central economic issue of our time."

"I will vote to defeat an increase in the debt limit unless it is the last one we ever authorize and is accompanied by a plan for fundamental tax reform, an overhaul of our regulatory structure, a cut to discretionary spending, a balanced-budget amendment, and reforms to save Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid," Rubio wrote.

Read more »

Libya

Kerry and Lugar to Obama: Where Are You On Libya?

Susan Crabtree | March 17, 2011, 2:02PM

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)

Congressional supporters and opponents of U.S. military intervention in Libya on Capitol Hill are calling on President Obama to clearly define U.S. interests in the Arab country as well as the type of air strikes and other options the administration is pushing in an attempt to prevent Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi from prevailing against rebel forces.

In hearings Thursday, the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Sens. John Kerry (D-Ma) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), respectively, expressed opposite views on imposing a no-fly zone in Libya. Kerry views it as vital to the success of opposition forces; Lugar thinks it would be too costly. But both want the President to step in and use the bully pulpit to clearly articulate his views on the increasingly violent clash.

Read more »

Jeff Flake

Flake Joins GOP Frosh Fray, Won't Vote for Next CR

Susan Crabtree | March 14, 2011, 6:35PM

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a longtime fiscal conservative who is running for Senate, is closing ranks with his fellow Tea Party loyalists in rejecting the latest stop-gap spending measure crafted to avoid a government shutdown and which has the backing of the House GOP leadership.

"How are we ever supposed to tackle the grave fiscal challenges before us like the debt ceiling, the debt, and the FY2012 budget when we just keep punting on FY2011 spending?" Flake said in release Monday afternoon.

Read more »

Chuck Schumer

Schumer: Boehner Needs To Ditch Tea Party GOPers For Budget Compromise

Brian Beutler | March 14, 2011, 2:26PM

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)

Reacting to a recent statements from conservative Republicans, who say they will oppose all stop-gap efforts to avoid government shutdowns, the Democrats' point man on messaging and policy says Tea Party-backed Republicans would rather trigger a crisis than compromise on domestic discretionary spending cuts.

In a statement sent my way, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is now urging House Speaker John Boehner to dismiss the conservatives in his party, and forge a compromise with moderate Republicans and Democrats on a long-term spending package.

Read more »

Government Shutdown

Congress Expected To Avert Government Shutdown -- At Least This Week

Brian Beutler | March 14, 2011, 12:40PM

President Barack Obama meets with Democratic and Republican leaders

Barring an unexpected turn of events, Congress will avoid a government shutdown again this week, by passing stopgap legislation to keep the government funded for another three weeks. But patience is wearing thin across Washington -- in the Republican and Democratic conferences on the Hill, and at the White House, where officials are frustrated about having to run the government on piecemeal, inefficient budgets.

The House will vote Tuesday on yet another "continuing resolution," which cuts several billion more in spending from the government's current operating budget. It will likely pass both the House and the Senate, but it's not clear they'll be able to pass another, if they don't bridge the budget impasse by early April.

"We may not be able to fully resolve this and meet next week's deadline for the continuing resolution, which means that there may be potentially one more short-term extension," President Obama said at a Friday press conference. "[W]e can't keep on running the government based on two-week extensions."

Read more »

CPAC

Marco Rubio Skipping Boycott-Saddled CPAC This Year

Jillian Rayfield | January 31, 2011, 1:48PM

Former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Marco Rubio may have keynoted CPAC as a senate candidate last year, but now that he's a senator he's not going to show up at all.

Read more »

2012 elections

Poll: Obama Leads In Hypothetical 2012 FL Matchups

Jon Terbush | December 22, 2010, 10:52AM

President Barack Obama (D)

President Obama carried the critical swing state of Florida in 2008, and according to a new poll, he's leading there again in 2012.

In a new PPP poll, Obama leads all five potential Republican challengers matched against him in the Sunshine State. Mitt Romney comes closest to catching Obama, trailing by just two points, 46% to 44%. Romney is the only challenger to come within the poll's 3% margin of error.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Speaker Newt Gingrich each came within five points of Obama. Huckabee trailed Obama 49% to 44%, while Gingrich garnered 42% to Obama's 47%. Against Florida's Sen.-elect Marco Rubio -- who has been touted in some circles as a rising conservative star -- Obama's ahead 48% to 40%.

Obama's only double digit lead in the poll came against Sarah Palin, whom he led 52% to 38%.

Read more »

2012 elections

PPP Poll: Palin Narrowly Leads GOP Field -- And Performs Worst Against Obama

Eric Kleefeld | November 30, 2010, 1:25PM

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin (R)

The new national survey from Public Policy Polling (D) suggests that Sarah Palin continues to hold a narrow national lead in the Republican presidential field -- and that she is also probably their worst possible candidate against President Obama in the general election.

The numbers: Palin 21%, Gingrich 19%, Romney 18%, Huckabee 16%, Ron Paul 5%, Pawlenty 5%, Thune 3%, and Daniels 2%. The survey of national Republican primary voters has a ±4.9% margin of error.

In the previous poll, from all the way back in June, Romney led with 25%, Huckabee had 22%, Palin was in third with 19%, followed by Gingrich at 15%, and Ron Paul 6%.

As for the general election, PPP's numbers released Monday showed Obama leading Palin by a solid 51%-42%. By contrast, he only edged out Romney by 47%-46%, led Gingrich 49%-43%, and led the lesser-known Marco Rubio by 48%-37%.

2012 elections

PPP Poll: Bloomberg Unpopular With Republicans, Democrats And Independents

Eric Kleefeld | November 30, 2010, 9:58AM

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg

A national survey released Monday from Public Policy Polling (D) suggests that New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I) would not start out with any broad national appeal if he were to mount a third-party run for president in 2012. What's more, the ex-Republican Bloomberg would take more votes from the GOP nominee's column, helping President Obama.

In two-way races, Obama leads Mike Huckabee by 48%-45%, leads Sarah Palin by 51%-42%, leads Newt Gingrich by 49%-43%, edges out Mitt Romney by 47%-46%, and leads Marco Rubio by 48%-37%.

With Mike Bloomberg thrown in for a three-way race with Romney, Mayor Mike gets only 11%, with more of it apparently taken from the Republican column. As a result, Obama's lead grows to 44%-38%, plus Bloomberg's 11%.

Read more »

Earmarks

Earmark Fight In Senate Pits Tea Partiers Against Establishment GOP

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 12, 2010, 8:50AM

Jim DeMint

Total opposition to earmarking is a key tea party tenet, and the battle to get Republicans to voluntarily ban it in their ranks is already raging. Establishment leaders like Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- who favor earmarking for its time-honored electoral implications -- are clashing with pro-ban Senators led by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), the body's tea party hero.

Lining up behind DeMint in the push to end earmarks are Sens. Jim Coburn (R-OK), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Ensign (R-NV) and Mike Enzi (R-WY) -- along with Senators-elect Pat Toomey (R-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Ron Johnson (R-WI).

McConnell has reportedly been fighting behind the scenes to squash the proposed ban, and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) -- one of the Senate's most conservative members -- is publicly blasting his anti-earmark colleagues for hypocrisy.

Who wins the scrum could have broad implications in 2012.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Republican Marco Rubio Cruises To Victory In Florida Senate Race

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 2, 2010, 8:02PM

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Marco Rubio, who has actually been compared to a young Barack Obama by excited Republicans, has ascended to the U.S. Senate from the state of Florida. Rubio has handily defeated both Gov. Charlie Crist, the independent candidate, and Rep. Kendrick Meek, the Democrat -- a three-way sweep that quite literally is the stuff GOP dreams are made of.

With 649 of 6,881 precincts reporting, Rubio leads Crist and Meek 51.6-28.9-19.5. CNN and Fox News have called the race for Rubio.

Read more »

2010 elections

Day Of The Tea Party? Election Day Answers Some, Not All Questions

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 2, 2010, 8:58AM

Clockwise from top left: Sharron Angle (R-NV), Joe Miller (R-AK), Ken Buck (R-CO), Christine O'Donnell (R-DE)

So this is it -- the day the tea partiers take back America. Or at least part of it. Or at least convince Republicans to stop taking it away as much as they did the last time they were in charge. Or at least convince Republicans to repeatedly respond to the movement's inflamed passions with tea party-friendly rhetoric.

Whatever happens, tonight's tally sheets will be all about the tea party -- those folks on TV will be counting candidates and races to see how big the tea party's influence in Washington will be in the end. There are several races to watch, but the main thing to remember is that the tea party can't really lose tonight: all they can really do is win less.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Crist Adviser: He Would Caucus With The Dems In The Senate

Eric Kleefeld | October 29, 2010, 5:58PM

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

Everyone knows that Republican Marco Rubio is ahead in the polls for the Florida Senate race, helped in part by a split in the anti-GOP vote between independent (and ex-GOPer) Charlie Crist and Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek. Crist has often refused to say for certain which party he would caucus with if he were elected. But as the Wall Street Journal an adviser to Crist says that he would caucus with the Dems if he were to win the election:

That's a big "if." Mr. Crist is trailing Republican candidate Marco Rubio in most polls. But the declaration by Florida trial lawyer John Morgan sheds light on one of the many mysteries in the Bill Clinton-Charlie Crist-Kendrick Meek imbroglio.

"Crist is going to caucus with the Democrats," Mr. Morgan said. "I don't think there's any ifs, ands or buts about it. It would be, in a very tight year, almost like a Democratic pickup in a solid Republican state."

Read more »

FL-SEN

Democrat Meek Denies Agreeing To Clinton-Arranged Deal To Drop FL-SEN Bid And Endorse Charlie Crist

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 28, 2010, 8:10PM

Marco Rubio, Charlie Crist, and Kendrick Meek at a Florida Senate debate

An explosive new story from Politico's Ben Smith has led to some serious sniping between the two men trailing Republican Marco Rubio in the Florida Senate race. Smith reports that Bill Clinton orchestrated a deal with Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek (the guy currently running a distant third to Rubio) to drop out of the race and endorse independent candidate Charlie Crist, the guy running second.

The deal could have given Crist a real shot at beating Rubio and, therefore, moderates and Democrats a chance at stopping Rubio's rapid rise in the GOP. Rubio has been a conservative darling of the GOP ever since he pushed Crist out of the Republican primary and into his current independent bid. Most say Rubio will be a major player on the Republican scene if, as polls currently suggest, he cruises to victory Tuesday.

All that could have been different if Clinton's deal had happened. But, as Smith reports it, after first warming to the idea of dropping out -- things went so far that a unity rally was planned for Oct. 26 -- Meek "lost his enthusiasm for the arrangement, spurred in part...by his wife's belief that he could still win the race."

Now comes the sniping. Crist confirms Smith's account of things. Meek says it's not true. That's led to a new war of words between the two men while Rubio continues his march toward certain victory.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Quinnipiac Poll: Crist Only Down 7 In FL-SEN Race

Marc Kilstein | October 28, 2010, 2:31PM

FL Sen candidates Kendrick Meek (D), Charlie Crist (I), and Marco Rubio (R)

A new Quinnipiac poll of the Florida Senate race suggests independent Gov. Charlie Crist is not trailing Republican nominee Marco Rubio by as much as other recent polls would have you believe.

The three-way matchup finds Crist down seven points to Rubio, 42%-35%, with Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek polling at 15%. When Quinnipiac last polled this contest on October 10, the Governor was down a more significant 14 points, 44%-30%, with Meek earning 22%.

Read more »

Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | October 22, 2010, 2:13PM

Marco Rubio, Charlie Crist, and Kendrick Meek at a Florida Senate debate

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, Retired Army Gen. Hugh Shelton

• CBS, Face The Nation: Karl Rove, DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Florida Senate candidates Marco Rubio (R), Kendrick Meek (D), Charlie Crist (I).

• Fox News Sunday: Senate candidate Pat Toomey (R-PA), Senate candidate Joe Manchin (D-WV).

• NBC, Meet The Press: RNC Chairman Michael Steele.

Charlie Crist

Already Low On Support, Charlie Crist Now Low On Cash

Marc Kilstein | October 21, 2010, 4:02PM

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

Things are not looking good for independent Gov. Charlie Crist in the Florida Senate race. He trails significantly in the polls and is splitting support with Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek. And now, Crist appears to be running out of money.

According to his latest campaign report, the Senate candidate spent $7.4 million since August 5. As of October 1, this has left him with only $1.39 million on hand.

The TPM Poll Average finds Republican nominee Marco Rubio leading comfortably in the race, earning 45.6% versus Crist's 29.3% and Meek's 21.2%. The candidates are scheduled for two more debates this Sunday and next Tuesday.

FL-SEN

National GOP Says Rubio's Locked It Up In FL-SEN

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 14, 2010, 6:44PM

Marco Rubio (R)

It's all over but the shouting in the Florida Senate race, the NRSC says. Despite facing two well-funded nominees in Democrat Kendrick Meek and independent Charlie Crist, the national party is pulling $4 million in ad money out of Florida, a sure sign the party thinks Republican nominee Marco Rubio has things pretty close to locked up.

There's good reason for their confidence: Each new poll of the three-way contest shows Rubio picking up steam against his two opponents. The TPM Poll Average shows Rubio with 44.5%, Crist with 28.8% and Meek with 21.7%.

As you can see from the trendlines, Rubio's got the momentum:

Read more »

FL-SEN

PPP Poll: Rubio Ahead In FL-SEN -- And Indy Crist Is The Stronger Anti-GOP Candidate

Eric Kleefeld | October 12, 2010, 4:48PM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL) and Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL)

The new survey of the Florida Senate race by Public Policy Polling (D) shows Republican Marco Rubio continuing to lead the three-way race. And it also suggests that if Democrats want to defeat Rubio, their best bet would be for the Dem nominee Rep. Kendrick Meek to fall by the wayside, and for people to throw their support behind GOPer-turned-independent Gov. Charlie Crist.

The numbers for the current three-way race: Rubio 44%, Crist 33%, and Meek 21%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4.6% margin of error. In the previous PPP poll from late August, Rubio had 37%, Crist 36% and Meek 13%.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Crist Campaign Says No Discussions With Meek On Endorsement

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 8, 2010, 4:31PM

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

The Wall Street Journal article suggesting a massive shakeup in the three-way Florida Senate race is looking more and more like unsubstantiated speculation. Yesterday the Journal reported that Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek might be dropping his third-place bid to endorse the second-place independent candidate Charlie Crist.

Meek's campaign told me the story was "nonsense" earlier today, and now it's Team Crist's turn to throw more cold water on the story, which if true would add some excitement -- and competitive spirit -- to a race that polls show is now officially Republican nominee Marco Rubio's to lose.

"Our campaign has had no discussions," Crist spokesperson Danny Kanner told me this afternoon. But Kanner made it pretty clear that Crist wouldn't be opposed to the idea of seeing Meek exit the race.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Democrat Pushes Back On Report That He May Drop Out Of FL-SEN

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 8, 2010, 12:47PM

Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

Kendrick Meek, the Democratic nominee and third-place candidate in the Florida Senate race, is pushing back on a report by the Wall Street Journal that he may drop out of the three-way contest and endorse independent candidate Charlie Crist in his fight against Republican nominee Marco Rubio.

"Total nonsense!" a Meek spokesperson told me in an email today. The campaign released a statement saying Meek "laughed out loud" when he heard about the Journal story.

The paper reported that "Republican leaders" in Florida "are fretting that a deal may be in the works" between the Meek and Crist camps, which are currently battling each other for Democratic votes while Rubio surges to a huge lead in public polling. The Journal's Stephen Moore reported a growing "GOP paranoia that Democrats may be getting ready to throw the sure loser Mr. Meek over the side."

Read more »

FL-SEN

Rasmussen Poll: Rubio Winning 50% Support In FL-SEN

Eric Kleefeld | October 8, 2010, 12:35PM

Marco Rubio

The new Rasmussen poll of the Florida Senate race gives Republican Marco Rubio a huge lead. And in this poll he doesn't even have to rely on a split Democratic vote between independent (and ex-Republican) Gov. Charlie Crist and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek -- he's actually posting a solid 50% support in his own right.

The numbers: Rubio 50%, Crist 25%, and Meek 19%. The survey of likely voters has a ±4% margin of error. In the previous Rasmussen poll from last week, Rubio had 41%, Crist 30%, and Meek 21%.

The TPM Poll Average gives Rubio 43.7%, Crist 28.5%, and Meek 21.6%.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Polls: Rubio Maintaining Significant Lead In FL-SEN Race

Marc Kilstein | October 7, 2010, 2:23PM

Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Republican nominee Marco Rubio was the clear target in last night's primetime debate among the Florida Senate race's three candidates. And according to recent polls, it was for good reason.

A new Mason-Dixon poll out today has the Republican leading big in the fight against independent Gov. Charlie Crist and Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek: Rubio is found ahead of Crist and Meek, respectively, 42%-27%-21%. When Mason-Dixon last took a look at this race on September 22, the Republican earned 40%, versus Crist's 28% and Meek's 23%.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Crist And Meek Gang Up On Rubio: Three Men And A Debate In FL-SEN

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 7, 2010, 10:35AM

Marco Rubio, Charlie Crist, and Kendrick Meek at a Florida Senate debate

The three candidates vying for Florida's open Senate seat met in their first primetime debate last night. According to reports from the event, confirmed frontrunner and Republican nominee Marco Rubio was the target, with Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek and independent candidate Charlie Crist trying to curb Rubio's surging poll momentum.

Their preferred method? Push Rubio as far to the right as they could, thus leaving him out in the cold among the Sunshine State's swingy moderate electorate.

"You want to take us back to Dick Cheney days," Meek sniped at Rubio, according to the Washington Post.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Rubio Ad: 'We All Know' What Crist Is Doing With Party Switch (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | October 6, 2010, 3:52PM

Marco Rubio (R) and Gov. Charlie Christ (I), candidates for US Senate in Florida

Marco Rubio has a new ad in the Florida Senate race, hammering ex-Republican and now independent Gov. Charlie Crist as an opportunist.

Though Rubio's ad doesn't directly mention the story, he appears to be alluding to Crist's recent insistence that he would have left the GOP and run as an independent even if he had been leading in the polls for the Republican primary. (At the time he switched, Rubio led in the polls for the primary by 20-30 points.)

"We all know what he's doing. Charlie Crist was losing, so he switched sides," Rubio says in the ad. "Just to win votes, he flip-flopped on everything, from the stimulus to ObamaCare. And when that failed, he started falsely attacking. Don't fall for it. Typical politicians who will say or do anything won't retire the national debt, protect Social Security, or help create a single new job. I'm Marco Rubio, and I approved this message because Washington already has enough politicians who care more about their own future than they do about yours."

The TPM Poll Average gives Rubio 42.7%, Crist 29.3%, and Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek 21.9%.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Marco Rubio's Year-Long Social Security Flip-Flop (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | October 4, 2010, 3:02PM

Marco Rubio

Like many Republicans -- and virtually all tea party Republicans -- Marco Rubio does not dismiss the idea of privatizing Social Security. But on the trail running for Senate in Florida, where the senior citizen vote matters even more than it does other places, Rubio has made it clear that the time for a serious debate about betting Social Security money on the stock market has come and gone. At least he does sometimes. As Rachel Maddow pointed out on her show Friday night, Rubio started out the year calling for a partial privatization before later moving to the "let's not and say we did" senior-citizen-friendly position he holds today.

The clip on Maddow came from the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald. It was taken at a Rubio event in January.

"I do think the retirement age issue is going to have to be confronted," Rubio says when asked about fixing Social Security. "The other is giving people the option of taking some of their Social Security money, at least a potion thereof, and investing it in an alternative to the Social Security system itself."

But wait, someone asks, wouldn't that mean people could lose all their Social Security money in a stock market crash if they made the wrong investments?

"Potentially," Rubio says. "It's their money."

Read more »

2010 elections

Tough New Ad In Florida: Charlie Crist's Republican Sound Bytes (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 29, 2010, 9:54AM

Gov. Charlie Crist (I-FL)

A new ad in the three-way Senate race in Florida shows independent candidate Charlie Crist for the man he was for years: a prominent name in the Republican Party. That could be enough to sink him.

Coverage of the spot has called it "crushing" and a "death blow" for Crist's campaign. But really the ad is just a collection of Crist's past statements on camera (some less than a month old) espousing his own conservatism and his connection to the GOP.

Those connections are many. Crist, as you'll recall, was a rising star of the GOP in 2008, appearing on John McCain's shortlist for vice-presidential nominees before being heavily courted by the NRSC to run for Florida's open Senate seat. All that came before Marco Rubio and the tea party upended things for Republicans like Crist, eventually pushing Crist to leave the party and run for the Senate as an independent. But even that road was a bumpy one, with Crist first trying to shift hard to the right to take on Rubio before changing direction and running just as hard to the left to pick up Democratic votes as an independent.

All of this happened on camera, of course, meaning the stage was set for Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek's new ad the moment Crist changed parties. Still, the fact that Crist's past is such an obvious liability speaks to the problems he's facing stealing votes from the effective Meek.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Charlie Crist Goes Negative (Twice!) In New FL-SEN Ad (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 24, 2010, 9:55AM

From a Charlie Crist ad, "What We Don't Need in Washington"

So this is what a three-way Senate race looks like. Charlie Crist, the independent candidate in the Florida race that pits him against Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek and Republican nominee Marco Rubio is up with a negative spot that tries to tear down both of his rivals at the same time.

"Marco Rubio and Kendrick Meek," the ad's dark voiceover intones. "What we don't need in Washington."

In substance, the ad goes after both men on familiar themes. Rubio is the man who's under investigation for "using a Republican party credit card to pay for personal meals, trips and a family reunion." Meek is the guy who "steered government contracts to an indicted developer who then hired Meek's mother."

Both topics have been heavily discussed in the past. Rubio has denied any wrongdoing regarding the credit card accusations, and Meek just shook off the accusations about the developer that were at the center of Jeff Greene's primary campaign against him.

Of Crist's new ad, Meek says the negative attacks will hurt Crist in his quest to win Democratic votes in November. Recent polls have suggested that strategy is falling flat. "The governor is using the most cynical and desperate Republican attacks to stop the bleeding," Meek's campaign said in a press release today.

Read more »

2010 elections

Release The Chamber: Biz Group Goes On The Air In Key Senate Races (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 21, 2010, 1:29PM

U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue

The U.S. Chamber Of Commerce is dropping a flurry of TV ads in key Senate races across the country as we step into the final weeks of 2010 election season. The group has pledged $75 million in spending this cycle -- and if the first $2 million is any judge, most of that money is going to help Republicans.

Via the AP:

[The Chamber] has the biggest footprint, spending $1 million in Florida against Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the Senate as an independent. The chamber has endorsed the Republican candidate, Marco Rubio. The chamber is spending $500,000 in Kentucky against Democrat Jack Conway. The chamber this week endorsed Republican Rand Paul, and it is spending about $300,000 in New Hampshire against Senate Democratic candidate Paul Hodes and $250,000 in Colorado against Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet.

Not all of the Chamber's support is going to the GOP however. Just today, the Chamber announced it's backing Gov. Joe Manchin (D-WV) in the special election to fill the late Robert Byrd's Senate seat. No word yet on whether the group will buy pro-Manchin ads, but some recent polling shows the governor may need the help.

Here now are a sample of the Chamber's all-negative, all pro-GOP TV ads up across the country at the moment:

Read more »