Did Marco Rubio Lie During GOP Debate

At the Republican presidential debate on CNBC earlier this week, Senator Marco Rubio dismissed a series of questions about some serious skeletons in his closet as “discredited attacks.” But in reality Rubio’s history of mismanaging money and financial troubles will come to trouble him, either in the Republican primaries or if he survives and becomes the party’s nominee.

Politifact took issue with Rubio’s casual dismissal of the controversy, and rated his description of them as “false”:

Here’s what Rubio did that will cause Republican and general election voters to take pause before they pull the lever for the telegenic right-winger:

1. When he was in the Florida legislature, Rubio commingled his personal finances with the finances if his political committees. A newspaper investigation found that Rubio paid his wife Jeanette $5,700 for “gas and meals” while giving his relatives another $14,000
2. Rubio charged thousands of dollars worth of restaurant meals to a credit card issued to him by the Republican Party of Florida while the cost of his meals was being covered by Florida taxpayers
3. Rubio bought a house in Tallahassee, Florida with his pal state Rep. David Rivera. Rivera failed to make mortgage payments on the house, and was sued by Deutsche Bank for $136,000 as foreclosure proceedings began, soon to be stopped by a quick payment from Rivera. Rivera ended up in an ethics investigation and Rubio shoved him out of his inner circle as he sought more power in Florida and on the national stage.
4. Rubio claims that he can run the entire country’s finances, but he can’t seem to keep his own house in order. He liquidated a $68,000 retirement fund in 2014, costing himself thousands n taxes and penalties – apparently because he needed access to the cash despite his $174,000 Senate salary. When he was asked about this by Fox News, Rubio said he needed the money to replace an air conditioning unit and for “college” for his children (his oldest child is 15, the others are 13, 10, and 8)

Politifact looked at Rubio’s skeletons and concluded, “All of these events happened and have been well-documented. It’s not accurate for Rubio to refer to the issues as ‘discredited,’ whether his opponents have used them to attack him or not.”

White House Internship Program Announces Fall 2015 Florida Participants

Alexander, Darrell Hometown: Jacksonville, FL; University of Florida, FL

Ambroise, Myriam Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL; Florida International University, FL

Bayes, Weston Hometown: Naples, FL; University of Central Florida, FL

Brown, Joseph Hometown: Palm Coast, FL; Florida State University, FL

Higdon, Jacob Hometown: Jacksonville, FL; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC

Higgins, Hilary Hometown: Miami, FL; Harvard University, MA

Houston, Elyse Hometown: Wesley Chapel, FL; The George Washington University, D.C.

Kava, Samuel Hometown: Weston, FL; The George Washington University, D.C.

Kim, Gina Hometown: Gainesville, FL; University of Virginia, VA

Van, Vincent, Hometown: Miami, FL; University of Mount Union, OH

Jeb Bush Campaign Plan Leaked To Media

It’s never good when you have to say that your campaign is “not on life support.”

Despite a debate performance where he struggled to get speaking time, Jeb Bush's campaign has high hopes for their candidate in early states, according to a 112-page presentation document obtained by U.S. News that also includes details related to his internal polling as well as pointed shots at the campaign of Florida rival Marco Rubio.

The campaign had initially released 45 pages to select reporters, but the additional documents published by U.S. News on Thursday revealed the extent to which the Bush campaign is pushing its talking points against the Florida senator, while showing its frustration with a lack of discipline among supporters.

In one slide meant for donors, titled "Marco Is A Risky Bet," bullet points include: "Misuse of state party credit cards, taxpayer funds and ties to scandal-tarred former Congressman David Rivera takes away line of attack on Hillary Clinton."

Rubio and Rivera faced foreclosure on a home they jointly purchased 10 years ago, which the Florida senator recently sold for a loss of $18,000, according to The New York Times. As a state lawmaker, Rubio used the state party's credit card for personal expenses, which he later acknowledged as a mistake.

"Those who have looked into the Marco’s background in the past have been concerned with what they have found," the final bullet point reads. The next slide notes that Rubio has not gotten as many endorsements in their home state of Florida.

SEE THE SLIDE SHOW HERE 

The document provides a rare behind-the-curtain look at the gritty details of a campaign at a crucial inflection point. Here's a breakdown of the most illuminating pieces of intelligence contained in 

Bush is now enduring a new round of hand-wringing about his campaign after he failed to land any lasting blows against his thirsty rivals Wednesday. Some donors will inevitably begin shopping for another horse, advisers inside and out of the organization will gripe and finger-point about the strategy, and another bad round of polling is likely to drop as the calendar turns to November.

The campaign was already fed up with the armchair quarterbacking from his backers, enough to devote one slide showcasing a quote in a news story from an anonymous donor mourning Bush's "death spiral."

"Discipline Matters," the title of the slide barks.

They'll need that message to be heeded in order to make it to their fourth-quarter fundraising rollout, scheduled for Dec. 5 at the trendy Art Basel in Miami. The event is called, "Pop Art, Politics & Jeb."

By then, Bush World hopes to have something to celebrate.

Did Marco Rubio Win The Debate

It was a good night for Senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas. It was a rough one for Jeb Bush and the CNBC moderators.

And for everyone else onstage at the Republican presidential debate in Boulder, Colo., the outcome was basically the status quo.

It’s hard to overstate how poorly Mr. Bush is viewed by Republicans, including his supporters, after a debate that fell a week after he slashed his budget and acknowledged that the election terrain has not looked the way he expected it to.

Mired in single digits in the polls, he failed to land the punch he needed. Mr. Bush, who in his opening remarks said he did not want to spend the race tearing down other people, tried to hit Mr. Rubio over missing votes in the Senate, an issue raised by one of the moderators. Mr. Rubio effectively swatted down the attack from Mr. Bush, who tried to respond. Mr. Rubio spoke over him and mocked his previous comments comparing his campaign to the comeback effort of Senator John McCain in his 2008 presidential race.

For Mr. Rubio, who rode the Tea Party wave of anti-establishment anger in 2010 to win a contest against Charlie Crist, a Republican who was then the Florida governor, the attacks from Mr. Bush have helped. Mr. Bush has been running an establishment-focused candidacy, filled with endorsements and donor support, that is similar to the one Mr. Crist ran against Mr. Rubio. That has helped Mr. Rubio, who has started to be viewed through the lens of Washington after his time in the Senate, regain some of his outsider credibility.

Mr. Bush should have the resources to keep going for a while. But he will have to show the interest and ability to grind out a win that he hasn’t yet demonstrated. And many Republicans believe Mr. Rubio will finally start to see the donor support he has been poised to get for many weeks.

Tonight was an opportunity for Rubio. He’s rising in the polls and he needed to capitalize on his momentum. I thought he did that. There were no obviously bad moments for him. And he managed to avoid taking any direct hits, including from Jeb and the two frontrunners. Even his dumb answers were received well. When asked about his greatest weakness, he said he loves America too much. When asked why he never shows up for work at the Senate, he said it’s because America needs him. And the audience loved it. I suspect he’ll become the preferred establishment alternative to Bush, if he isn’t already. Rubio’s young, polished and reasonable-sounding enough to be competitive in a general election. He can’t beat Hillary, but he may be the best shot they have.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush Loses Debate Badley

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush

Bush’s performance was almost universally panned, and with good reason. The early front-runner in the race has faded badly and needed a big moment here to re-establish his momentum. Searching for it, he overstretched with an attack on Rubio, contending that he was so seldom in the Senate that he was treating it like “a French work week.” But Bush got caught by an effective counter-punch and the fight seemed to go out of him after that. He was virtually invisible for long stretches. Aides at the debate voiced frustration that he did not get more airtime, but Bush was not an assertive presence. The concern that already existed among his supporters and donors will surely now be deepening toward panic.

Jeb was the big loser tonight. He had the most at stake and he did nothing to help himself. His campaign is collapsing, his poll numbers are falling, and his donors are panicking. His only goal tonight was to plug the leak, to convince his financiers that he’s still a good investment. He failed to do that. In addition to fending off Trump, Jeb had to damage Rubio, who is quickly becoming the establishment guy. But he couldn’t do it, because he’s a terrible candidate and nothing he says or does works in this campaign. He almost succeeded at demonstrating his regular guyness when he referenced his fantasy football record (he’s 7-0), but even that felt unnatural and canned. More than anyone else, Jed needed a boost tonight. He needed to be seen as strong and presidential. None of that happened. He was low-energy, basically.

Sun Sentinel: Sen. Marco Rubio Should Resign

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida — currently polling third for the GOP nomination — has been under fire for his poor attendance record in the Senate during his campaign. When asked recently by a voter why he has missed so many intelligence briefings and votes in his home state, Rubio replied, “Because I’m running for president.”

But now it seems as if the voices clamoring from the Sunshine State are getting louder, large in part to a piece published on behalf of the Sun Sentinel editorial board late Tuesday night. The Sun Sentinel, out of Broward County, Florida took the Senator to task for what they view as his continued negligence of his home-state constituents, while his national ambitions take priority. The Sentinel board writes, “Rubio has missed more votes than any other senator this year. His seat is regularly empty for floor votes, committee meetings and intelligence briefings. He says he’s MIA from his J-O-B because he finds it frustrating and wants to be president, instead.”

Speaking directly to Rubio, the editorial board continues:

Sorry, senator, but Floridians sent you to Washington to do a job. We’ve got serious problems with clogged highways, eroding beaches, flat Social Security checks and people who want to shut down the government.

If you hate your job, senator, follow the honorable lead of House Speaker John Boehner and resign it.

Let us elect someone who wants to be there and earn an honest dollar for an honest day’s work. Don’t leave us without one of our two representatives in the Senate for the next 15 months or so.

You are paid $174,000 per year to represent us, to fight for us, to solve our problems. Plus you take a $10,000 federal subsidy — declined by some in the Senate — to participate in one of the Obamacare health plans, though you are a big critic of Obamacare.   READ MORE 

Plane Crash in Broward County

Video From News6

A small plane has crashed on I-75/US-27 in Broward County just north of Griffin Road.

One person was being airlifted to a hospital as a trauma alert, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.

The Piper fixed wing multi-engine plane is owned by the Spohrer & Dodd Aviation LLC company based out of Jacksonville. The firm is not yet commenting on the crash.

Rescue units are responding to the scene.

Sky 10 was flying to another scene when the pilot spotted the downed plane in the Everglades.

The crash occurred near U.S. Highway 27.

Quick Clicks

• 

  Local 10 News engineer Juan Rodriguez (left) and another man try to help the pilot.

• Breaking News: Plane crash

The pilot was still inside the cockpit and appeared to be injured.

Sky 10 arrived before paramedics got there.

Local 10 News engineer Juan Rodriguez just happened to be on Sky 10 at the time, so the helicopter landed briefly so that Rodriguez could help the pilot.

Firefighters arrived a short time later and were working to help the pilot.

Donald Trump was interrupted repeatedly by protesters In Miami

Donald Trump’s events tend to get more rowdy than a Jerry Springer show these days. Footage captured by a local reporter in Miami showed a man being brutally removed from the Republican presidential candidate’s campaign event after disagreeing with the GOP frontrunner’s immigration policies.

In the video below, we’re able to see a male protester being violently pulled toward the exit by a white man in a red polo shirt. When the protester falls onto the ground, his attacker doesn’t give up. The protester is then dragged across the floor before his assailant lets him go, delivering a few kicks. During the entire disturbing encounter, the crowd around the two men are cheering and chanting, “U-S-A! U-S-A!”, egging on the white man and drowning out other protesters.

Protesters made their way into the #DonaldTrump campaign rally tonight in Miami. NBC 6 reporter Steve Litz caught one protester being removed on camera. http://on.nbc6.com/3WP9bmQ
Posted by NBC 6 South Florida on Friday, October 23, 2015

In reality if Donald Trump had removed all the protesters, there would have only been about a hundred people left in a hall meant for thousands

VIEW THE WHOLE SPEECH HERE

Donald Trump was interrupted repeatedly by protesters during a rowdy presidential campaign rally before hundreds here Friday night.

Speaking in a ballroom at his own Trump National Doral Miami luxury resort, Trump paused during at least three disturbances, acknowledging them each time.

"See the first group, I was nice. Oh, take your time," he said. "The second group, I was pretty nice. The third group, I'll be a little more violent. And the fourth group, I'll say get the hell out of here!"

"Equality! Equality!" chanted one protester as she was being removed from the event. Another said: "We are not the enemy. We need to unite so we can have policies to benefit the American people and their families. Keep families together. Stop the deportations."

Pro-immigration activists from several groups organized a gathering outside the resort.

"Donald Trump is not welcome in Miami, this is our city," said Bertha Sanlés, a member of United Families, in a statement. "His words and the anti-immigrant hatred he has promoted against immigrant families like mine, do not make this country great. On the contrary, immigrants have made this country great with our hard work and our contributions."

Toward the end of his speech, Trump reiterated his call to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, drawing cheers from the crowd.

"In this group, I wasn't so sure I should be talking about walls," he said.

VIEW THE WHOLE SPEECH HERE

GOP sources in the state of Florida confirm that Jeb Bush is thinking about pulling the plug on his failing campaign

What took place at the No Labels Problem Solver Convention in New Hampshire last week spells the end for one of the worst presidential campaigns in history. Inside GOP sources in the state of Florida confirm that Jeb Bush is thinking about pulling the plug on his failing campaign.

A female audience member named Lauren Batchelder played the role of a female antagonist, as she asked  questions. These questions were directed  toward Donald Trump. The problem for Bush is that Batchelder  volunteers  for his campaign.

Trump got two questions about Equal pay, and Women s  rights. Both of which came as a surprise to Trump.

The Bush volunteer has been outed. CNN also helped get her on camera and panned back to her for the second question. No other audience member was allowed to ask a follow up question that did not pertain to the first question they asked.

This is right out of the " Lee Atwater, G.W. Bush" dirty politics play book

This is a rather ironic turn of events considering that only a few weeks ago, Jeb Bush was caught saying he would not fund women’s health issues. This plant was purposely chosen to start a counter narrative against Trump. But this is not 2005. Social media is all over it.

With this story now going picking up steam, it’s too early to say when Jeb Bush will pull the plug on his presidential bid. Three of Bush’s fundraising consultants have already left the campaign. And more will likely follow soon, signaling a cathartic end to the Bush dynasty. Is It lights out, for the Bush campaign?

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist will announce on Tuesday that he will run for Congress

Charlie Crist (D)

Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (D) will announce on Tuesday that he will run for Congress,Politico reported on Friday.
He will run in Florida's 13th district, the seat currently held by Rep. David Jolly (R-FL). Jolly is running for the open Senate seat in the state.

Crist served as the governor of Florida as a Republican, but then switched to the Democratic party in 2012. 

Wasserman Schultz raises more than $400,000 toward re-election

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz,

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, of Weston, raised significant funds toward her re-election during the past three months. She'll report late Thursday to the Federal Election Commission that she took in $402,000 in the third quarter.

Start the conversation, or Read more at South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Mayor Gary Resnick Testifies Before the Senate on Wireless Broadband

Mayor Gary Resnick, Wilton Manors, Fla. testifies during a Senate committee hearing.

Earlier this week, Mayor Gary Resnick, Wilton Manors, FL testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation at the "Removing Barriers to Wireless Broadband Deployment" hearing. Mayor Resnick is a long time member of the National League of Cities and current chair of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Intergovernmental Advisory Committee. The hearing featured representatives from the wireless industry, the Administration, and the technology space.

Mayor Resnick testified on the clear and strong role for local governments in increasing wireless broadband services for their communities. Not only does it help promote the economic well-being of their residents, it helps local governments ensure quality communications services for public safety and other critical services. Mayor Resnick highlighted this role by talking about the innovative ways local governments are working to improve the way they respond to requests to increase wireless infrastructure.

Industry can tend to paint a picture of local governments as being an obstacle to wireless deployment and Mayor Resnick was able to share examples of where local governments have taken steps to eliminate unnecessary review procedures thereby expediting this critical deployment and successfully creating partnerships with the wireless industry to improve wireless communications services. To further underscore this partnership, Mayor Resnick noted the FCC's recent wireless broadband facilities siting order and the resources jointly developed by NLC, the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors, the National Association of Counties, CTIA, The Wireless Association, and PCIA, The Wireless Infrastructure Association to help localities comply with the order.

Despite the nation's need for additional broadband deployments, Mayor Resnick testified that needs must be balanced with the ability of local governments to maintain reasonable control and authority over the placement of wireless facilities in their communities. "Because of our responsibility as local leaders to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our residents, federal policies must respect our ability as local officials to manage public rights-of-way as well as land uses on private and public property," said Resnick. "Disruption to neighborhoods, open spaces, streets, sidewalks, and businesses can have a negative impact on public safety and industry, as well as the sustainability of our communities."

When asked by Committee members how cities were managing the various infrastructure requests from industry, Mayor Resnick talked how communities were streamlining applications processes on small cell technologies and developing solutions to facilitate larger structures such as towers. These larger structures can cause an aesthetic issue in the community and Mayor Resnick was able to refer to an example of how these structures are being stealthily disguised to blend in with the environment while increasing wireless capacity. However, local governments are not always experts on the types of infrastructure needed for wireless broadband and he urged the industry to help educate local decisions makers so that they can create policies that would expedite deployment.

Committee members also asked how the federal government can help localities deploy broadband more effectively and Mayor Resnick talked about federal barriers, such as how, in his community, CDBG funds were not eligible for a digital literacy initiative or transportation dollars to be used to build telecommunications infrastructure as part of a transportation project. These obstacles are not unique to Wilton Manors and significantly limit what city leaders can do to spur broadband expansion while stunting innovation at the local level.

The hearing represented a win for local governments as the Senate realized the role cities play in a national discussion about wireless broadband and provided an opportunity for cities to share how they are working to help facilitate the development of this critical infrastructure.

Judge Terry Lewis Redistricting Map Goes To Florida Supreme Court

Court-ordered Florida congressional map

Judge Terry Lewis, as the judge overseeing the end stages of Florida's long redistricting saga just recommended one of the plaintiffs' proposed congressional maps over competing plans from the Republican-controlled legislature. Now Judge Terry Lewis' recommendation will head to the state Supreme Court for further review. However, the high court previously ruled against Republicans, so there's good reason to believe the GOP won't have much luck getting anything changed in its favor.

The two sides were mainly squabbling over a handful of districts in South Florida, and fortunately for Democrats, the trial court's ruling, if it stands up on appeal, means that vulnerable freshman Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo's 26th District will not become redder as the legislature intended but will instead see Obama's margin of victory expand from six points to 11.5 percent. While Republicans in Miami-Dade County have a tendency to outperform Mitt Romney's numbers thanks in part to Cuban-American voters, that's still a tough hill for any Republican to climb these days, meaning Curbelo will be very vulnerable next year.

Elsewhere in the state, the map will likely affect several other congressional incumbents. First-term Democratic Rep. Gwen Graham's 2nd District loses much of its Democratic base in Tallahassee and, with Romney carrying the revised version by over 30 points, it would be extremely difficult for her to win re-election there. (Graham hasn't announced her plans yet but could run for Senate instead, or wait until 2018 to run for governor.)

On the other hand, the Republican-held 13th District would have voted for Obama by 10.6 points now that the entirety of the city of St. Petersburg is included within its borders. That makes it a very strong pickup shot for Democrats, especially if ex-Gov. Charlie Crist runs, as he's suggested he will.

Another big prize for Democrats is Republican Rep. Dan Webster's 10th District in Orlando, which flips from a Romney seat to one that Obama carried by 22 percent. Webster himself has acknowledge this seat would be unwinnable, so instead, he's been pursuing a bizarre campaign for speaker of the House. As a result, the neighboring 9th District, which is being vacated by Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson, drops down to just a 12.7 percent Obama margin of victory, but with the Democratic trend in Central Florida, along with presidential turnout, Democrats should be favored to retain it.

No other districts change by a significant enough margin to affect the likely 2016 partisan outcome. Overall, we can expect Democrats to net two seats as a result of redistricting: There's a good chance they'll pick up FL-10, FL-13, and FL-26 while losing FL-02. If Democrats can hold on to the open 18th District (which is unaffected by this map), Florida's delegation would wind up with 15 Republican seats and 12 Democratic seats. That's still a big advantage for the GOP, considering Obama carried the state twice, but it's definitely an improvement.

You can find the court's decision here, along with the 2012 presidential results calculated by Matthew Isbell for districts 1-19 here and districts 20-27 here, under "Coalition's First Map." A detailed version of the map itself is available here, under the header "Coalition Plaintiffs Proposed Congressional Map (CP-1)."

ORIGINALLY POSTED TO DAILY KOS ELECTIONS 

Is Marco Rubio The Real Outsider in the 2016 race for President

Jeb Bush, despite never serving in Washington, has been tagged by virtue of his family and his deep donor support as inextricably linked to the establishment. The candidate he is most closely eyeing right now, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, has been laying low for much of the summer of Trump. He is trying to stay above Mr. Trump’s increasing criticisms, and he has been gaining a sense of momentum.

But Mr. Rubio, who won the 2010 primary in his state as a Tea Party candidate, has been in Washington for almost five years. Navigating the current dysfunction could be a challenge.

South Florida To Host Last Democratic Debate

Democratic presidential primary debate will take place March 9 in Miami, a source in the Democratic National Committee confirmed.

The locations of the six debates — and the dates of the first four ,The first will take place on Oct. 13 in Nevada. One debate will take place each month afterward: Nov. 14 in Iowa, Dec. 19 in New Hampshire, Jan. 17 in South Carolina, Feb. 11 in Wisconsin, and, finally, Mar. 9 in Miami. The exact location of the Miami debate has not yet been announced.

The Miami debate will come just six days before Florida voters cast their vote in the presidential primaries.