Tag: Marco Rubio

Member Post

Kelly D Johnston
Kelly D Johnston
46202
 

The Democratic National Committee, apparently at the behest of President Joe Biden, is poised to replace Iowa as the first presidential nominating caucus for South Carolina, followed quickly by New Hampshire and Georgia on the same day, followed by Michigan and Nevada. The Silver State presumably would have to ditch its caucus system for a […]
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Who’s Committing Election Violence?

Kelly D Johnston
Kelly D Johnston
23131182
 

Never ones to let a “crisis” go to waste, President Biden and his fellow travelers are working overtime to accuse Republicans of being behind election violence threats.

“President Joe Biden urged Americans to vote in favor of democracy, reject election-denying candidates, and be patient with results ahead of the first national Election Day held since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol,” screamed CNBC in its coverage of Biden’s Union Station speech last Wednesday.

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My “Early Election Returns” Scorecard, Part I

Kelly D Johnston
Kelly D Johnston
15151323
 

We are now t-minus 20 days from the 2022 elections. It’s about now that I customarily begin eyeballing well-crafted public opinion surveys and national and state election dynamics (debates, candidate performance, local issues, etc.), as many campaigns fall by the wayside.

Early voting is well underway in more than a dozen states. We’re in the throes of televised debates, a final round of endorsements, and the final flurry of attack ads and “October surprises.” Lawyers are being hired for the inevitable recounts.

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The Stupid. It Hurts.

Kelly D Johnston
Kelly D Johnston
74212661
 

As a longtime political operative, I love the “art of the comeback” or the retort. They often occur during televised political debates. When I was coaching congressional candidates for debates, we often proposed retorts to accusations or statements our opponents were likely to raise. Conversely, we warned of ones they might use.

One of the best retorts in political history occurred in 1988 during the vice presidential debate between two US Senators – Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) and Dan Quayle (R-IN). Chris Lamb tells the story:

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Why Are Working-Class Americans Paying For Your Student Loan “Forgiveness?”

Kelly D Johnston
Kelly D Johnston
112142065
 

Everyone has a story. And if you’re one of the millions of Americans who eschewed a college education for other vocations – homebuilding, plumbing, truck driving, or a host of manufacturing and service jobs – I bet you have a story, too. Or worked to pay off your debt. Perhaps with a little help from family or “angels.”

Now would be a good time to tell your story.

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Diminished President, Undiminished Ineptitude: The Biden Presidency in 4 Words

Kelly D Johnston
Kelly D Johnston
36909
 

“Probe with bayonets. If you encounter steel, withdraw. If you encounter mush, continue.” — Attributed to Vladimir Lenin

Trepidation often occurs when a new US administration takes office. Nefarious totalitarian and authoritarian regimes, such as Iran, North Korea, and of course Communist China and Russia – often prod for weakness. But sometimes, crises take the form of opportunities.

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Marco Rubio Puts Big Business on Notice

Manny
Manny
3014
 

Senator Marco Rubio published an important Op-Ed Monday titled, “Corporations that undermine American values don’t deserve GOP support.” I read it in the NY Post but it may be syndicated elsewhere. We have been seeing an astonishing change in the mindset of corporations over the last 20-plus years. For most of the previous century, corporations tried to remain politically neutral, and if anything they leaned to the right. Rubio starts with that premise:

“What’s good for General Motors is good for the country.” This was a ­defining American ­adage in the last century, because it was true: US corporations helped to make our country the most prosperous in the history of the world. But with the profits came a corporate duty to care for the strength of the nation and its citizens.

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Member Post

Ed G.
Ed G.
258
 

;P I stayed home, sick, from my home office yesterday, and I had a lot of time to browse and catch up on things. One of them left me shaken to my core. Marco Rubio had become a fascist. Well, fascist would be too much of an ugly exaggeration, but he certainly advocates for dictatorship […]
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American Compass? No, I’d Rather Stay Lost.

BastiatJunior
BastiatJunior
2710
 

A recent National Review article is titled “The Return of Conservative Economics.” When a politician or a political writer says his great new idea is “conservative,” grab your wallet and run the other way as fast as you can. Not only will it not be conservative, it will likely be daft — and accompanied by the force of law.  The NRO article is a perfect example of this.  It opens with:

Today we are announcing the formation of American Compass, an organization dedicated to helping American conservatism recover from its chronic case of market fundamentalism. In preparation, we have been perusing the mission statements of many of our nation’s think tanks. Nearly every group has one. Oddly, the right-of-center’s preeminent public-policy institutions all have the same one: to advance the principles of “limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty” or “free markets and limited, effective government” or “free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom” or “individual liberty, limited government, free markets” or “economic choice and individual responsibility” or “individual, economic, and political freedom; private enterprise; and representative government.”

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Make Florida Great Again

Clifford A. Brown
Clifford A. Brown
1210
 

President Trump has been very busy this weekend in Florida. On Friday, he honored Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon, with a second proper presidential farewell and send-off, as he had done for Ambassador Nikki Haley. Earlier in the day, he appeared with Florida officials and the Corps of Engineers on the shore of Lake Okeechobee, highlighting an important infrastructure project.

Lake Okeechobee is a large freshwater lake described as the heart or the kidney of Florida. It is girded by a dike system, which has been in long-standing need of repair. The US Army Corps of Engineers has federal responsibility, as with other large waterways.

The first embankments around Lake Okeechobee were constructed by local interest from sand and muck, circa 1915. Hurricane tides overtopped the original embankments in 1926 and 1928, resulting in over 2,500 deaths.

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BDS Linked to Terrorist Organizations

Susan Quinn
Susan Quinn
139
 

The Boycott-Divest-Sanctions (BDS) Movement has a fairly recent history in the US for its ugly organized hatred of Israel. The organization wrongly characterizes Israel as an apartheid state and spreads lies about Israel’s history and right to the land. Most people who are critical of the BDS movement are aware that it is also an anti-Semitic organization.

Recently, the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs released a report that shows BDS is not only actively working against Israel, but it has infiltrated NGOs (non-government organizations) in order to take actions against Israel and to raise funds for its activities. The report describes 100 specific alleged links between BDS and terrorists, particularly Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP):

This approach is an evolutionary development in the tactics of the terror organizations against the State of Israel. The terror groups have realized that armed conflict is not achieving its objective and is perceived as illegitimate by the majority of Western society. As a result, Hamas and PFLP operatives have infiltrated and adopted seemingly benign NGOs in the Palestinian Authority, Europe, North America and South Africa, for the purpose of advancing their ideological goal: the elimination of the State of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people. Moreover, it appears that terrorist organizations view NGOs in the West as a convenient means for raising funds which they could not otherwise obtain.

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Three Martini Lunch

Broward Flouts Florida Law, Rubio & Scott Cry Foul, Gillibrand’s Latest Flip-Flop

11
Hosted by Greg Corombos
With guest Alexandra DeSanctis

Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America react to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio calling out ballot counting irregularities in Broward and Palm Beach counties in the race between Rick Scott and Bill Nelson.  Both counties are in clear violation of canvassing law and both Rubio and Scott are convinced that Democrats are trying to steal the election after the two counties suddenly discovered nearly 100,000 new ballots, the overwhelming majority of which are for Democrats.  And Alexandra sounds off on the latest hypocrisy from New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

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Member Post

Victor Tango Kilo
Victor Tango Kilo
1011
 

There was a lot of enthusiasm for Marco Rubio in the conservative establishment, mainly because his name was Marco Rubio. A Hispanic Republican from a purple state who could talk like Ronald Reagan and vote like John McCain was just what the Establishment wanted. It was also thought his pedigree would grease the skids for […]
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Three Martini Lunch

White House Listening Session, Town Hall Targets Rubio, Trebek Takes on Politics

32
Hosted by Greg Corombos
With guest David French

David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud President Trump for hosting a dignified event on school shootings that included a wide variety of opinions from many anguished families.  They also slam CNN for letting it’s town hall on guns turn into an endless onslaught against Marco Rubio, because he will not support an “assault weapons” ban, with one student even telling Rubio he feels like he’s looking at the shooter or down the barrel of an AR-15 when he sees Rubio.  And they shake their heads at the news “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek is scheduled to moderate a debate later this year in the Pennsylvania governor’s race.

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Three Martini Lunch

Good Family Leave Plan, GOP’s Reconciliation Surrender, GOP Mad Paul Tells Truth

11
Hosted by Greg Corombos
With guest Alexandra DeSanctis

Alexandra DeSanctis of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer the family leave plan pushed by Sen. Marco Rubio and Ivanka Trump to allow parents to tap their future Social Security checks to cover the weeks surrounding the birth of a new baby in exchange for waiting extra weeks when they reach retirement.  In addition, Alexandra rebuts the liberal insistence that family leave must be a whole new entitlement.  They also slam Republicans for effectively surrendering the option to use budget reconciliation for the next two years as part of the horrific budget deal with Democrats.  And they fire back at Republican lawmakers who spent Thursday trashing Sen. Rand Paul’s filibuster as a waste of time, when those GOP members are really just mad that Sen. Paul called them out for their blatant hypocrisy on deficit spending and not wanting to take a vote on restoring budget caps.

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Three Martini Lunch

Trump Slashes Regulations, Tax Bill Drama, Net Neutrality Hysteria

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Hosted by Greg Corombos & Jim Geraghty

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud President Trump for making good on his efforts to eliminate and postpone costly and burdensome federal regulations.  They also tense up as five different Senate GOP votes could be in jeopardy as vote nears on tax reform.  They shake their heads as liberals lose their minds and predict an internet wasteland after the Federal Communications Commission votes to return internet regulations to where they were two years ago.  And Jim offers a spoiler-free look at the new Star Wars movie.

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Member Post

Victor Tango Kilo
Victor Tango Kilo
3318
 

Unlike a lot of people on here, I’m not a fan of Marco Rubio. I wouldn’t be voting for him, but on the other hand, I am pretty sure there’s no video anywhere of Marco Rubio talking about grabbing women by the hoo-hoo-dilly. I do think he can consider himself the presume frontrunner for 2020, […]
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Why No Trump Congress?

Tom Meyer, Common Citizen
Tom Meyer, Common Citizen
3922
 

As you’ve likely heard, Senators Marco Rubio and John McCain coasted to significant victories last night in their respective primaries, in much the same way that Speaker Paul Ryan easily bested his Trumpian challenger earlier in the month. As Charles C. W. Cooke writes writes on NRO, this suggests an obvious question:

In Arizona last night, John McCain beat his primary opponent by ten points. McCain was a key member of the “Gang of Eight.” He has a reputation as a “squish.” He has been an elected official since 1982. Why weren’t these figures swept away? How, in this “climate,” could they possibly have won? Where was the “anger”; the “frustration”; the “revolt”? Back in 2010, the Tea Party became a credible movement because it actually got its candidates nominated — and elected. What, other than benefit briefly from a perfect storm, has the Trump Party done?

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A Thought Experiment: Inspired by Sen. Rubio

Dennis A. Garcia (formerly Gai…
Dennis A. Garcia (formerly Gai…
5115
 

shutterstock_314009114Senator Marco Rubio is back in the news thanks to his decision to seek reelection for his Florida senate seat. From the beginning of this election cycle, I was ambivalent toward him as a presidential prospect and the ambivalence remains to this day. Simply put, Rubio’s talents qualify him well for some parts of the presidency, but poorly for others. From the start, I’ve felt that he would make the perfect head of state. An eloquent public speaker, clear eyed about America’s role in the world and with the bi-partisan instincts needed to function as a truly national figure, the Florida senator would be uniquely well suited as the face of the American Republic. And as much as conservatives shun this kind of thinking, Rubio’s ethnicity and family history would add a certain symbolic value.

Symbolism, however, is the key and therein lies the problem. Due to the Founders’ inability to predict the rise of the imperial presidency, we are left with a unitary executive that combines the functions of a head of state and head of government. To the former office, Rubio would excel; to the latter, his thin resume and proclivity to “work across the aisle” — as well as his somewhat shaky conservatism on domestic issues — would be far less well-suited. Our country is greatly polarized and precious few of our problems will be solved without a nasty partisan fight, the kind that would pose a major obstacle to any would-be unifying figure attempting to represent America abroad with a united voice. For the job of head of government, the present moment requires not just a true conservative, but also a leader who does not mind being hated, perhaps even one capable of reveling in his own unpopularity. A certain Texas senator — ironically, of similar ethnic heritage — comes to mind.

Given that the current situation is nearly impossible to contemplate, let’s turn to a hypothetical. Suppose that the modern presidency were not the noxious combination of chief executive and deified celebrity that we see today. Suppose further that it were possible to separate the necessary task of symbolic leadership from the even more necessary task of, you know, actual leadership. Whom would you support for president, if we still had a choice? More importantly, whom would you support for prime minister?

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