"A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." (Thomas Jefferson)
You want dumb? Go into Florida and make Senator Rubio mad who is probably the most popular Senator in Florida in years. Senator Rubio is correct about the ad. It is also time to lower the rhetoric. TV ads like this are being run by a SUPER PAC IMHO. These SUPER PACs supporting various candidates are out of control as they put ads on the air with no fact checking at all. The ads are to severely damage the other candidate but they are ending up damaging their own candidate when they don't check facts.
It looks like the two leading contenders for the nomination didn't learn one thing from the Rubio campaign for Senate in 2010. He had some of the most positive ads and speeches I have seen in a campaign in years. One of very best speeches was this one on American Exceptionalism during his campaign on August 17, 2010. Rubio is class all the way -- shame it hasn't rubbed off on our two leading candidates Presidential candidates. Decided to repost Senator Rubio's speech from the 2010 campaign trail so people can see what a candidate who truly appreciates America has to say. It is a pleasant change from what we have been subjected to in this primary. This is why he was such a good candidate and now a Senator who actually listens to his constituents.
Rubio Blasts Gingrich TV Ad as "Inflammatory" and "Inaccurate" 2:05 PM, Jan 25, 2012 • By JOHN MCCORMACK
Sen. Marco Rubio scolded Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign over a Spanish-language radio ad that accuses rival Mitt Romney of being “anti-immigrant.”
“This kind of language is more than just unfortunate. It’s inaccurate, inflammatory, and doesn’t belong in this campaign,” Rubio told The Miami Herald when asked about the ad.
“The truth is that neither of these two men is anti-immigrant,” Rubio said. “Both are pro-legal immigration and both have positive messages that play well in the Hispanic community.”
Rubio's comments here, along with his statement yesterday that Mitt Romney is "no Charlie Crist" and a "conservative," have fueled some speculation that Rubio is really pulling for Romney while officially remaining neutral. That could be--there are plenty of pro-Romney folks in Rubio world. But Rubio takes a strong position against illegal immigration. And for Gingrich to call Romney "anti-immigrant" is to call Rubio "anti-immigrant" as well. Rubio was defending himself today as much as he was defending Romney. Yesterday, he was simply responding to Gingrich's claim that Romney is just another Charlie Crist. Romney endorsed Rubio before Gingrich did, so Rubio must have felt obliged to speak up.
****** Note: Former Governor Crist left the Republican Party when he couldn't win the nomination for Senate -- didn't do well in the general either. As an independent and former Republican, he has connections all over Florida but his staffers from the past would be Republican. Going after Charlie Crist in Florida is not the way to win this election. I think Newt has some of the dumbest advisers or he is not listening. I am not sure which but his strategy in Florida is a mess. Pandering to Hispanic voters on amnesty is stupid when you don't have a plan. Promising some citizenship when joining the military is already a path to citizenship which obviously he didn't know.
The problem I see in this election is that the two leading candidates are as arrogant as they come and they think voters are stupid. Newt took the wrong message from SC IMHO -- voters didn't want to be told who the nominee was going to be after three primaries so they decided to put a log in the road of Romney. If we had better candidates, I would be willing to be the outcome of SC would have been different.
How did the Republican Party end up here? That is a question that is being asked all over with many different answers. What we really have is a group of former and current office holders who didn't want to run this time for a variety of reasons so we are stuck unless some miracle happens and we get an Open Convention or someone else gets in the race who many voters would welcome in the Republican Party both of which have pretty slim chances of happening.
Republicans are in the process of shooting themselves in the foot once again. It is utterly amazing how many times the Republican Party has done this and frankly we need new leadership to keep from happening again.
This is great news that Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is dropping his co-sponsorship of Protect IP Act in the Senate. We figured that he was not aware of just how bad this bill was and sure enough when he found out from the opposition to the Protect IP Act and SOPA, he is dropping his sponsorship of Protect IP. That says a lot about the 1st term Senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, and the type of leader he will be in the future. He was willing to listen and then made an informed decision. That is totally refreshing.
Now if others would do the same, this Protect IP Act, it could be sent to the trash heap of history along with SOPA. Both have gone way too far and would harm the openness of the internet. We do not need big brother making the decision on websites and blogs when the current President and Congress cannot even pass a budget.
We believe that anyone sponsoring/co-sponsoring these two bills should be the target of a primary because they did not take the time to do the research of these bills and allowed lobbyists IMHO to dictate the bills. We all know that the Hollywood lobby could care less about rights of the people who live in Middle America and who are not about to have something like this passed without raising loud voices of concern. We know at least one Senator listened -- Marco Rubio.
Dear RedState Reader,
This morning I noted that we should primary Senators and Representatives on the left and right who refuse to back away from SOPA and Protect IP.
Included in the list of sponsors, unfortunately, was Senator Marco Rubio. I would hate, hate, haaattttteeeee to primary such a great guy. We spent a lot of time, energy, effort, and money getting him elected. But SOPA/Protect IP is that bad.
Now, I’ve made clear that we wouldn’t do this unless the left was on board too and I’ve only really heard crickets from them. But it was a threat so many of us felt needed to be made to emphasize just how bad this legislation is.
Today, about an hour ago, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida showed again why he is a real leader and listener within the conservative movement. He is dropping his co-sponsorship of Protect IP.
I hope other Republicans in the Senate follow his leadership on this issue. and please call Senator Rubio’s office and thank him for his leadership. His number is (202) 224-3041.
Senator Rubio posted his reasons for abandoning his co-sponsorship on Face several hours ago and we would hope that more of the co-sponsors would join him with the same decision:
In recent weeks, we’ve heard from many Floridians about the anti-Internet piracy bills making their way through Congress. On the Senate side, I have been a co-sponsor of the PROTECT IP Act because I believe it’s important to protect American ingenuity, ideas and jobs from being stolen through Internet piracy, much of it occurring overseas through rogue websites in China. As a senator from Florida, a state with a large presence of artists, creators and businesses connected to the creation of intellectual property, I have a strong interest in stopping online piracy that costs Florida jobs.
However, we must do this while simultaneously promoting an open, dynamic Internet environment that is ripe for innovation and promotes new technologies.
Earlier this year, this bill passed the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously and without controversy. Since then, we've heard legitimate concerns about the impact the bill could have on access to the Internet and about a potentially unreasonable expansion of the federal government's power to impact the Internet. Congress should listen and avoid rushing through a bill that could have many unintended consequences.
Therefore, I have decided to withdraw my support for the Protect IP Act. Furthermore, I encourage Senator Reid to abandon his plan to rush the bill to the floor. Instead, we should take more time to address the concerns raised by all sides, and come up with new legislation that addresses Internet piracy while protecting free and open access to the Internet.
We note that Oklahoma's Senators Coburn and Inhofe, Alabama's Senators Shelby and Sessions, Kansas' Senators Roberts and Moran (withdrew as co-sponsor days after signing on), and Texas' Senators Cornyn and Hutchison are not on this list of 40 co-sponsors. That should tell you all you need to know about these two bills -- bad for the American people but great for Hollywood:
S.968
Latest Title: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011 Sponsor: Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] (introduced 5/12/2011) Cosponsors (40) Related Bills:H.R.3261
As I watched and listened to the Marco Rubio giving the Republican address on 11/16/10, I am struck with his ability to connect to people even on YouTube. It is like he is talking directly to each of us that watch his videos. Marco Rubio has that rare trait that he can connect with people whether in person or in a video.
Senator Rubio has received his committee assignments in the Senate and has chosen his Chief of Staff Cesar Conda who worked at one time for Vice President Cheney. Now when can Rubio and other newly elected Senators move into their permanent offices? Because of increased numbers of Republicans, some will be taking over former Senate offices occupied by Democrats. We learned that outgoing Senators have six months to clear out? Why?
Senator Rubio has a basement cubicle in the Dirkson Senate Office Building along with Sen Dan Coats (R-IN) who has a vast background in foreign policy and another Freshman Pat Toomey (PA). Very few Republicans have their permanent office unless they are replacing a Senator that had some ethics and cleaned out the office in time for the new Senator to occupy when the session started. Some Senators with seniority also switched offices for a better view or other reasons so the moving people in the Senate have been very busy.
Senator Rubio has an impressive list of Senate assignments to enhance his background as detailed by the Miami Herald and other news sources. He made a weekend trip earlier this month to Afghanistan as part of a group of seven Republican Senators led by Minority Leader McConnell along with Lindsey Graham (SC), and Richard Burr (NC), and other Freshman Senataors Pat Toomey (PA), Ron Johnson (WI) and Kelly Ayotte (NH).
The trip, disclosed by a NATO website, is Rubio's first overseas visit as a senator (he went to Israel after the election but before being sworn in) and gave him an up-close look as the debate picks up over what to do with the war.
We were surprised to see that Senator Bill Nelson from Florida has lost his seat on Armed Services according to the Miami Herald since he was a member of the military and an astronaut. The seat was lost because Republicans gained six seats in the Senate? Can think of other Democrats that should not have a seat on Armed Services instead of Nelson -- why put Freshman Senators Coons or Manchin on Armed Services instead of Bill Nelson? Has Nelson fallen out of favor with Reid? Latest info: Nelson has given up his seat at the request of Majority Leader Harry Reid
Marco Rubio gets committee assignments: foreign relations, intelligence; Nelson loses Armed Services post
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio today landed perches on several key committees: Commerce, Science and Transportation, Foreign Relations, the Select Committee on Intelligence, and Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
.....
Rubio said: "I’m honored to be a member of these important committees that address some of our nation’s and state’s most important issues. This committee portfolio will enable me to work directly on policies to promote private sector job creation, keep Americans safe and maintain our strong standing in the world.
"In addition to continuing my work with small business entrepreneurs I’ve met throughout Florida, I am especially encouraged by the fact that these assignments will allow me to work on many issues of great interest to Floridians, including NASA, free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama, our missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and relations with key allies in our hemisphere and across the world."
(That makes Rubio the 5th Floridian on a foreign relations committee: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen chairs the House panel and David Rivera, Frederica Wilson and Connie Mack are on the committee.)
We did get one chuckle out of all of this as this paragraph appeared in the article from the Weekly Standard about Rubio's staff:
Conda is one of four senior Rubio staffers who worked on or otherwise advised Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign. (The others are: Sally Canfield, Rubio’s legislative director; Joe Pounder, communications director; Alex Burgos, press secretary.)
All these people did work for the Romney for President campaign but a lot of George W and Jeb Bush's people worked not only for Romney, but for a lot of the campaigns in 2008. Backgrounds on all but Alex Burgos go back to Bush/Cheney where Cesar Conda worked two years for Vice President Cheney,Sally Canfield was a Domestic Policy Advisory to Gov George Bush during the 2000 campaign, and Joe Pounder worked in the Bush White House in Communications the first two years of the Administration. Alex Burgos was senior communications manager at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center before joining the Rubio campaign, and he was also deputy press secretary for the NRCC.
What Senator Rubio has done is hire some of the best people Republicans have with a lot of experience at not only the state level but at the National level which is very important to a Senator that their staff has worked in DC.
Marco Rubio Picks a Chief of Staff: Cesar Conda12:15 AM, Jan 28, 2011 • By STEPHEN F. HAYES
The old Washington axiom that congressional staffers are often more powerful than their bosses will not apply to Marco Rubio and those who work for him. But, as the tremendous number of resumes submitted to his office suggests, Rubio’s staff will be important. And in a move that brings an end to what has been the source of growing speculation on Capitol Hill, Rubio has hired Cesar Conda as his chief of staff.
Conda is a well-known and highly regarded policy wonk, with experience in the executive branch as well as on Capitol Hill. He worked closely with Rubio during the fall campaign, advising the candidate on policy and serving as a key player on Rubio’s debate prep team. After the election, Conda helped run the transition, a job that included putting together the staff he will now lead.
Conda served as the top domestic policy adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney during the first two years of the Bush administration. In that capacity, he played a critical behind-the-scenes role in conceiving the Bush tax cuts and Bush economic policy more broadly. When Cheney engaged in a quiet debate with his old friend Fed chairman Alan Greenspan about whether bigger deficits lead to growing interest rates, he tasked Conda to prepare his response to a study Greenspan sent.
Before joining the Bush administration, Conda worked on Capitol Hill for Senator Spence Abraham from Michigan (when Abraham was a freshman) and Senator Bob Kasten from Wisconsin. In the private sector, he worked as an analyst for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and, more recently, was a co-founder of “Navigators,” a public affairs firm.
....
Yesterday, Rubio was assigned to the Senate Commerce, Small Business, Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committees
This explains why some National Tea Party people threw Rubio under the bus after the election and recently got mad at him for not becoming a member of the DeMint/Paul Tea Party Caucus in the Senate. Some Tea Party people accused Rubio of being the establishment. Let's see, Rubio was the Speaker of the Florida House (check), looks to Jeb Bush for advice (check), hires members of his Senate staff with ties to George W. Bush/Dick Cheney/NRCC/Chamber of Commerce (check) for starters. NOTE: The Tea Party in Florida has joined with the Florida grassroots and others to form a coalition and do support Rubio as the vast majority of them campaigned for Senator Rubio, but then they also like Jeb Bush.
This is also an example of some of the National Tea Party people who do not understand the world of politics and how it works -- candidates and offices holders reach out to people with experience who have already been through campaigns and have gained experience working for people who were elected to office. In this case because of Rubio's contacts, he has pulled in some of the best and brightest people we have to be part of his Senate staff with a lot of experience at the National level.
These are the some of the same Tea Party people who got mad when Freshman Senators and Representatives went to the official orientation to learn from the Claremore Institute how everything works in DC instead of their Tea Party Patriot orientation. What did one of their people do when they got mad, she sent out Freshman names with their private cell phone numbers and email addresses.
Rubio was the Florida Grassroots candidate before the Tea Party got involved something else the National Tea Party does not understand. He built his base in the counties where the County Chairs were livid with Gov Crist and GOP Chair Greer. Senator Rubio has had close ties to Jeb for years and they served together -- Jeb as Governor and Rubio as Speaker of the Florida House plus you can tell they genuinely like each other. Jeb's two sons were some of Rubio's first fundraisers long before Jeb endorsed Marco for Senate.
If Senator Marco Rubio is what the Tea Party now calls 'establishment,' please give us more candidates like the 'establishment' Marco Rubio. Next up he will be joining a lot of other fellow Republicans with the 'elitist' label to go with 'establishment' label.
Seems to now be the mantra of some Tea Party people if you don't agree with them, then they are going to label you with names they think have a negative connotation. Childish is a better word for these tactics. Reminds you of the little kid who wanted to be quarterback and when they chose someone else, he took his football and went home. Are these the same people who are always threatening Republicans to stay home and not vote which they carried out in 2006 and 2008 or vote Third Party because the candidate didn't agree with their views 100%? We are quickly beginning to wonder if those are the people who have taken over the National Tea Party movement. After all, Ron Paul keeps taking credit for starting the Tea Party movement.
Tea Party movement was started with individuals mad about how the Federal Government under Obama and the Progressive Democrats were spending their tax dollars, but how many of them are Paul supporters? Is Sen DeMint going to be shocked when Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky takes over the Senate Tea Party Caucus and DeMint learns a lot of the Tea Party are actually Paul supporters? Is Rand Paul going to run for President if his Dad doesn't? Is Fox News really the people behind the National Tea Party movement? All good questions with no answers -- we will be watching.
Pass the popcorn as this is about to get interesting as various candidates fight it out to claim the Tea Party candidate mantle -- we are betting a good portion of the Tea Party will once again support Ron Paul like they did in 2008 or his son, Rand Paul, if his Dad doesn't run. Then what are the Fox commentators going to have to say about the Tea Party movement they pushed so hard as bright, shiny, and new?
Currently the authorities are looking for a second person of interest in this shooting.
This is a sad day for Arizona and for the United States when a Member of Congress holds a Meet and Greet in her own Congressional District and gets shot. Latest word has her as the target of the shooter. What kind of sick person would do such a thing is on people's minds. Tonight she is out of surgery and responding to doctors but by all accounts she has a long road to recovery.
The shooter seems to be what we would call a nutcase who believes in conspiracies -- type of person who political rhetoric that is ignored by most of us would take it as reality. From the accounts we read tonight he appears to have a troubled past and unable to function normally. In fact, he is one scary person by all accounts who was filled with anger. No one in the local Tuscon Tea Party has any record of him being involved. With his book lists, don't think he would fit in with conservatives at all -- more likely with skinheads. Mein Kamp and the Communist Manifesto on his list are not books you would see conservatives or moderates reading.
Too many people were too quick to jump to assign blame when this person obviously is an angry, bitter person whose video's and facebook make little sense. After shooting the Congresswoman, he shot at random killing six people.
A Federal Judge was shot and killed because he happened to be stopping by after mass to say hello to the Congresswoman.
Gifford's aide was shot and killed because he was there to help out with the Meet and Greet.
A nine-year old girl who had been elected to her student council was killed when she was taken to the Meet and Greet to meet the Congresswoman. The authorities have not released the names of the other victims.
The office of Congresswoman Giffords had been targeted earlier and damaged after she voted for the healthcare bill. She was a supporter of the 2nd amendment rights, member of the Blue Dogs, and by all accounts someone who served her district well and got along with the people she came in contact with.
Remember when Republican Eric Cantor's office was a target for vandalism and the death threats made against him.
It has to stop with the rhetoric that has gotten so far out of hand. Members of Congress of both parties are shouted down at Town Hall meetings now and not allowed to speak at their own Town Halls. No matter how much someone dislikes their member of Congress, they were still elected and have a right to speak at their Town Hall. Now security has to be tightened for members of Congress in case there are copy cats out there.
Having personally handled Meet and Greets, never considered that something like this might happen. Some Republicans had as much trouble at their Town Halls as Democrats and they didn't vote for healthcare. Somehow all the rhetoric has tapped into some unstable people. Did not attend Town Halls after getting the word it wasn't a good idea because they didn't know what might happen. We live in a heavy Republican District. Remember at our State Convention how angry some people got the other year -- thought they were going to have a heart attack.
The threats toward a member of Congress doesn't do what a group says, "they" are coming after them and will destroy them has bothered us from day one. The anger has been way over the top. Sane people know it is campaign rhetoric but what about the mentally unstable? The 'sky is falling' rhetoric has to end from both sides. People involved in politics from all sides have to realize that something that may seem harmless to them could trigger off some unstable people.
Senator Marco Rubio was the perfect example of what ads should be about -- very positive and even when going after his opponent, he kept a sense of humor. His best ad in my mind was the one on American Exceptionlism. Brought tears to my eyes because in all the rhetoric flying around about how bad things were, here was now Senator Rubio with his positive ad about America.
People who can never find anything good to say and are continually angry at elected officials need to find help. That is not normal to get that upset about what someone does who is part of the Government. We have had Administrations I couldn't stand and others I really liked but in the end our Government has continued to be strong. Back in 2009 some people were saying we wouldn't have elections in 2010, but we did and they went off very well. In fact, got in several arguments about it but decided it was not worth my time and quit a website because of all the nasty rhetoric.
That led us to starting the two blogs out of frustration at the lap dog mainstream media, the ramming of legislation through Congress without following the rules, and wanting to win the House back and make inroads in the Senate which happened. We like to add a little bit of humor on here to keep things in perspective. We are the glass half full types which we know drives the glass empty types nuts but that is how we approach things.
Can remember the days in the Senate when both sides would fight like cats and dogs on the floor of the Senate and go out to dinner that night. We need more of that and by all accounts Congresswoman Giffords from listening to Governor Brewer talk about her was like that.
It is a sad day for America but if we can get back to the days where you have reasoned debate in Congress and can agree to disagree then just maybe the people who have died will leave a legacy of spirited but reasoned debate among all of us including on Capitol Hill when we stop to realize we live in a wonderful Country filled with people who have the ability to recover from tragedy and become stronger.
America and Arizona's best days are ahead as we believe in that Reagan optimism that we as a people can right the ship and all of us working together can make this a better Country. Never give up hope that tomorrow the sun is going to rise in the east and will be a new day filled with hope and promise for the future.
God be with the people involved in this tragedy. Please pray for all of them to give them strength they need.
Arrogance of NRA is simply stunning - for an organization who used to be about gun safety now the bottom line for gun/ammo manufacturers trumps all as the NRA lobbies for them.
According to Think Progress, “NRA: Practice Range” is billed as a “network of news, laws, facts, knowledge, safety tips, educational materials and online resource” for the organization.The National Rifle Association released a new app on Sunday that includes a gun range equipped with coffin-shaped targets, and the option for players to simulate using a military-grade sniper rifle.
The app includes what it calls “9 true to life firearms,” and allows players to download an MK-11 sniper rifle setting for 99 cents. The rifle can shoot 750 rounds per minute.
Dems/GOP Fighting -- Will they Finally Work Together for the Country? Will replace this image when they do. (11/07/2012)
Quotes
"We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and that is true. No single law, no set of laws can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society, but that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this." President Barack Obama, Newtown, CT, 12/16/2012
******
"I don't think that the way to correct a spin from the left is to try to impart a spin from the right.... [A]n information flow distorted from the right would be just as much a disservice as distortion from the left. What we really should be after... is accurate information. And I don't see what any conservative or anybody else for that matter has to fear from accurate information." M. Stanton Evans
******
Former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY)
“For heaven’s sake, you have Grover Norquist wandering the earth in his white robes saying that if you raise taxes one penny, he’ll defeat you,” he told CNN back in May. “He can’t murder you. He can’t burn your house. The only thing he can do to you, as an elected official, is defeat you for reelection. And if that means more to you than your country when we need patriots to come out in a situation when we’re in extremity, you shouldn’t even be in Congress.”
******
"We are are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation.
John Stuart Mill was a 19th century political philosopher:
"I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it." John Stuart Mill.
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