I remain in a state of hypovolemic shock over the love affair between the conservative pundocracy and the image portrayed by the Rubio Senate campaign. What is becoming obvious, is that fact and reality is absent from the conservative movements quest to discover a generation-x Ronald Reagan.
Florida has never appeared to me to be a State that embraces populist candidates, but instead usually elects candidates that run on pragmatic platforms. The most recent examples in Florida state wide elections are; President Obama, Governor Crist, Governor J. Bush and Senator Nelson. This would explain why most of Florida’s mainstream conservative leaders are supporting Crist, not Rubio.
But, if the tendencies of Florida’s voters are to migrate to pragmatists, why are mainstream conservatives outside of Florida advocating for the Rubio campaign?
Rubio, a staunch advocate of eliminating the teachings of Charles Darwin from Florida’s public schools, pushed legislation in 2007 that would have stripped the power of developing science curriculum from parents and local school officials, only to hand them over to unionized teachers. This would have resulted in teacher union bosses having a veto over Florida public school science curriculum. Rubio’s agenda is in sharp contrast to the mainstream conservative policy position of working around union bosses, by legislating and empowering school board administrators to offer both evolution and creationism in science classrooms.
Rubio endorsed Governor Huckabee and agreed to chair his Florida campaign days before the 2007 Iowa caucus. This endorsement was made public during the height of Governor Huckabee’s verbal war against neoconservatives (“bunker mentality”) and pro-growth Republicans (“club for greed”).
Rubio received criticism from the Cuban-American community for chairing Huckabee’s Florida campaign, because for nearly ten years Governor Huckabee aligned himself with the far left wing of the Democratic party on advocating for the normalization of trade relations with Cuba, regardless of the Castro regimes record on human rights and their support for terrorist organizations.
Facing criticism, Rubio reiterated his support of the embargo, to the Cuban-American community. It was almost as if Rubio was hinting at one policy position to those who only speak English and another to those who’s primarily or only spoken language is Spanish.
Rubio’s populist leanings have not only been limited to education and foreign policy, but have also focused on economic policy. Rubio has never been a strong proponent of reducing the overall tax burden on families, but instead has promoted tax-shifting as a way to spur economic growth. He has advocated policies similar to those of California, where tax revenue is mostly generated from sales taxes. As we have recently learned from the California economic disaster, solely relying on consumption taxes instead of property and income taxes, can lead to bankruptcy for States that are manufacturing and agriculture based, during economic recessions.
Even more frightening is the method Rubio uses to sell his tax schemes to Floridians. His rhetoric is part limousine liberal, part Hugo Chavez.
“I was raised on other people’s leftover money. That’s how I look at it, ok. They spent their money they spent it in the places where my parents worked. And I’m telling you that this property tax cut will create $6 billion in disposable income. And what that means in real terms is that people who now mow their own lawns will hire someone to do it. And that helps the working class. People who now maintain their own pools, will hire someone to do it. People who now go do their own nails once a month will go do it once a week. And that helps the working class. Disposable income is what the working class lives off of. The working class are not doctors; they’re not lawyers; they’re not law professors; they’re not businesses; they’re not any of the CEOs of companies. They depend on other people’s leftover money. That’s what the working class lives off of.”
Rubio said nothing about how the people who live off of ‘other people’s leftover money‘ will feel about paying $6 billion more in sales taxes, just for the opportunity to cut the grass of the collective society.
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Kristofer Lorelli can be contacted at lorville@rogers.com, on Facebook and Twitter/Kris_Lorelli
November 11th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Senator Rubio will endorse Huckabee once again, and that is a good thing.
Rubio is far more conservative than Crist. That is indisputable.
Is Rubio perfect? No. But can he coalesce party support behind him? Yes. Both Huck and CfG are supporting him.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
The answer to your confusion is very simple, Kris. He’s on par or better than Gov Crist on the issues that people care about, he didn’t openly advocate for the stimulus, and he’s a minority (of which the GOP desperately needs to put forward more of). Simple as that. He’s also fairly likely to win the general if he wins the primary.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
What’s the difference?
November 11th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
November 11th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
“Florida has never appeared to me to be a State that embraces populist candidates, but instead usually elects candidates that run on pragmatic platforms.” That is probably true. However, I am not sure that Mr. Rubio is a real McCoy Populist himself.
As for Darwinism versus non-Darwinism, I do not send my children to the Florida public schools so I do not have a dog in that fight. Mr. Crist is certainly not a full fledged RINO, but by the same token, neither is Mr. Rubio. I still do not care too much about this race, but whoever in the Crist camp is making these silly videos had better stop because he is hurting the whole party, not just a few people in Florida.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Kris:
Rubio is not the perfect conservative, no one in the know would deny that point. There is no perfect conservative. But, he is a better conservative than Crist, he can win the Senate seat, and he doesn’t give man-hugs to Obama when Obama’s popularity was at 70% and bash him when his aprroval is at 49%.
As for Florida electing pragmatists over populists, history shows that that isn’t necessarily true. Take Bob Graham and Lawton Chiles. Graham did his brilliant “workdays” program where he went and did a different job once a week working along with the people. Chiles was named “Walkin Lawton” because he walked across the state saying he was doing it to connect with Mr/Mrs Average Floridian. Sounds pretty populist to me.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Oh boy. Marco Rubio is a Populist? Compared to Charlie “Weathervane” Crist? Marco Rubio’s a populist compared to a fella who said he supported the stimulus because “Florida needed the money”? Marco Rubio’s somehow in bed with the teacher’s union, compared to a character who said he supported the stimulus because it “saved teachers jobs”.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Whether or not this is a good idea, I see no way in which it could be characterized as populist. Quite the opposite.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
Sorry for screwing up the html on #8.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
I think we knew what you meant Bob Hovic.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
How sad that the point has been missed completely. As a conservative, I would rather vote for a “populist”, a characterization, btw, on which I disagree, or a “conservative” like Rubio – who has a core value system that is well defined, than a “populist” who has no core values at all, aka, Charlie Crist. With Rubio, I know where he stands on every issue of importance – some of which I may disagree with – rather than Crist, who takes every side of every issue to solicit your vote on his way to the ultimate goal of being President. What a disaster Crist has been to every small business owner in Florida. I, for one, hope sincerely that people recognize this race is far greater than Crist or Rubio – it is for the future of this great Country.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Rubio may not be perfect, but Crist is a limelight stealing headache in the Senate waiting to happen. We put him in power and we’ll regret it a hundred times over.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
“Rubio may not be perfect, but Crist is a limelight stealing headache in the Senate waiting to happen. We put him in power and we’ll regret it a hundred times over.” That may be true. As soon as Mr. Crist can stop his loose cannon from exploding, people will once again give him the benefit of the doubt.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
1. Populist and conservative are not mutually exclusive terms.
2. Property taxes are more regressive than sales taxes. EVERYONE pays property taxes, even if it is only embedded in the rent. Since the poor tend to pay a higher % of income on housing expense, we can fairly surmise they pay a higher % of their income in property taxes, particularly when you factor in the elderly on social security. Buying stuff (sales tax) more or less goes up and down with income.
3. Rubio handed science curriculum over to the “union bosses” to stamp out evolution in schools? That doesn’t even make sense.
4. I don’t know that ending an embargo can fairly be equated with “normalizing relations.”
5. “Tax shifting” CAN spur economic growth. It depends on what you start taxing less of and more of. Taxes affect behavior. Don’t we all know that?
November 11th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
As for Rubio endorsing Huckabee, so what? Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy, does that suddenly make him not a social conservative? And I would hardly say taht the Club for Growth is the embodiment of fiscal conservativism. They seem much more interseted in shrinking the number of Republicans and Conservatives in Congress, at least their actions seem as such.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
shut up kristofer your a dumbass
i dont like huckabee, but guess what crist endorsed the right wing extremist mccain
yes, conservative credentials indeed. so what if huck ‘attacked’ the club for growth. so did mccain 10x as much. and really, if the club for growth was concerned about t his, i guess they wouldn’t be endorsing him. god knows romney flipped all over. who else was there to endorse? is anyone who didnt endorse tom tancredo considered a liberal?
you shift between calling rubio a progressive and a right wing ideologue which is it?
rubio has been attacked for advocating a sales tax instead of property tax, and being agaisnt immigration enforcement. good lord, crist is firmly in the amnesty league w / l. graham & mccain so shut up about that. and the “stimulus” package support?
and as for free trade w/ cuba, jim demint and fred thompson support it too. and by the way the neocons suck.
look, i don’t like rubio as much as many, but, on the other hand, is see through your crap. its obvious there is something going on between you and ol’ cholly.
good bye
November 11th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
the truth is i am 100% behind rubio for the sole purpose of ending crist’s political career, as we all know he is angling for pres. or vp, and is trying to get out of the governors mansion before the &*#@ hits the fan completely (in terms of the economy)
November 11th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Kris, why don’t you just admit you support Gov Crist because you think he’d have an easier time in the election, and your main concern is winning seats each election? It’s a very Republican mindset, and a very defensible one (though I certainly disagree with it). Why do you insist on trying to portray Marco Rubio as some sort of moderate-to-liberal whackjob? Gov Crist doesn’t do so hot in the comparison, and at the end of the day, that’s what’s going to matter.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I just wonder when the so-called “conservative” purists get done purging the party of all they would disqualify – will there be more than a handful left?
Last time I looked at the definition of conservative – political dictionary – Huckabee & Rubio easily qualified.
Reagan understood the meaning of, as well as the need for, a conservative coalition. That’s what made him so successful.
While we don’t want to expand the party to the point that its core conservative principles are diluted, we don’t want to over-emphasize one leg of conservatism to the detriment of the others nor narrow it to the point that no one is worthy…
November 11th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
Kris,
So what is it that you like about Crist? Your threads would go better if you gave us a little more feedback.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
19. Huckabee is mainly a social conservative. He is far from being a fiscal or NS conservative.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
With respect, what is an NSCon? National Security or something else?
November 11th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Kris, I don’t think you’re telling us the whole story. You know, that Rubio also has sweaty feet and chronic halitosis.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Yeah, it’s about time we got a good, well-reasoned argument here. With grammar to match, I might add.
You’ve accomplished something, James — this is the first time in a long time (maybe ever) I’ve seen McCain described here as a “right wing extremist”. That sounds more Kos-ish.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
“With respect, what is an NSCon? National Security or something else?”
Yeah. National Security. One of the dozen or so terms people have tried to develop to describe that third “leg” of the GOP.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
This is more of critique of Huckabee as a populist than Rubio. I don’t see anything here that a conservative could not support although his understanding of the economy that produces jobs is a bit simplistic. Generally he is right, that disposable income is a job creator and that is why tax cuts work to create jobs.
Pragmatism isn’t always called for, and perhaps Florida will see a need for a more conservative approach.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Kristofer: I join with several others in asking what, exactly, is your complaint about Rubio?
If it is that he is unelectable (or less electable) than Crist, then I agree that you have a solid position (whether I agree or not).
But you don’t seem to be advancing that argument. Your posts seem to be around a theme of “Rubio is not a conservative” — which is going to be a very hard sell when he is being compared to Crist.
You have demonstrated that he is not a perfect conservative, but if that is the point of your posts, isn’t it a straw man? Nobody ever said that he was. Those who support him do so on the grounds that he is more conservative than Crist. Nothing you have posted has dented that belief, in my opinion.
I remain agnostic on the question of his electability.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Hmm, could it be possible that Palin and Crist are buddies? Maybe that would explain all this.
November 11th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Remember, Crist has lots of money. Lots of it. So any attacks that Kris makes now will, if effective, be broadcast widely in Florida by the Crist machine. He’s so positive & sunny that he could get away with a lot of negative stuff I imagine, and if Rubio is sufficiently destroyed then people will vote for the guy they know who’s not quite that bad.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
The fact that Rubio is against teaching evolution in public schools is alarming. The evolution theory is the closest we can get to describing how we became what we are. It is totaly based on science and it is a wonderful and interesting process to learn about. Denying kids knowledge about it is not right.
I could never support any politician who is against science. This is the most important reason for my reluctance to support Huckabee. This issue is at the very top of my agenda. If you are against science you are an ignorant, you make up things and can not be persuadet by logic, since anyone who can be persuaded by logic would support scientific evidence.
I hope that Rubio does support scientific evidence, such as evolution. If this is not the case i will not support him, even if i agree with him on other issues.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Chuck Norris endorses Huck and Rubio.
AND Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs. ; )
November 11th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
JayPe,
“So any attacks that Kris makes now will, if effective, be broadcast widely in Florida by the Crist machine.”
Fortunately, Kris hasn’t made any effective attacks. So far, his anti-Rubio mini-series has elicited mostly yawns and stares of bewilderment.
But dawgoneit, he keeps tryin’!!!
November 11th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Chuck Norris doesn’t go hunting. He goes killing.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
MWS, obviously my point is wider than Kris – but had to link it to the FPP.
Crist has the money to attack, and Rubio is not a perfect candidate. Chances are this will be a very nagative primary, and if the voters learn to hate both they are more likely to vote for the sunny smiling Governor they know.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I’m far less alarmed, since Kris gives us the argument that school curriculum control would be handed to union bureaucrats under Rubio’s dastardly plans. This tidbit is somehow supposed so support the claim that Rubio favored “eliminating the teachings of Charles Darwin from Florida’s public schools”.
That’s an odd chain of mysterious reasoning — miraculous perhaps? It had escaped my notice that teachers’ unions were promoting a religious science agenda. Usually they’re criticized for being too anti-religious.
Kris also fails to provide evidence that teachers are descended from apes, but I guess that’s a whole ‘nother ball ‘o wax…
November 11th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
“The fact that Rubio is against teaching evolution in public schools is alarming. The evolution theory is the closest we can get to describing how we became what we are. It is totaly based on science and it is a wonderful and interesting process to learn about. Denying kids knowledge about it is not right.”
I’ve got no problem teaching evolution – but we should also be teaching the alternative theories, including the idea of a supernatural creator.
At the very least, it should be noted that there are critics of Darwin’s theory and that science does little to truly explain the origins of life.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Mark,
I thought that was odd too, as I noted in #14. Since when are NEA “union bosses” clamoring to shut down evolution?
November 11th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
And for what its worth, it’s not just the “far left wing of the Democratic Party” that favors lifting the embargo on Cuba. There is a strong case to be made that it hurts the poor the most (in Cuba, that’s basically everybody), that “sunshine” and trade is the best way to get rid of the commies (build that middle class), and well, embargos haven’t done a helluva in umpteensomeodd years to get rid of Castro.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
MWS, all your points in 14 are valid. The idea of shifting taxation from property to sales has another thing going for it: The FL housing bust has left a lot of foreclosed properties that the banks aren’t paying taxes on. I would also think that the property tax assessments would have to be going down as bubbly property values collapse.
That state legislators would be trying to find better sources of revenue is unremarkable.
Or maybe Kris is just auditioning for a writer’s slot on Late Nite with David Letterman. I hear the pay’s good and the women are easy.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I understand that the Cuban community in Florida is rather split on the embargo question. At one time they were monolithic, but now there’s some disagreement with much of it being generational. Perhaps someone more familiar with Florida politics could clarify that.
In any case, I agree that opposition to the embargo is not necessarily evidence of leftist leanings. A case can be made for engagement being more effective in bringing down the current regime.
November 11th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
“I understand that the Cuban community in Florida is rather split on the embargo question. At one time they were monolithic, but now there’s some disagreement with much of it being generational. Perhaps someone more familiar with Florida politics could clarify that.”
Not from florida, but I have something of an understanding of the issue. Essentially, its that the older generations of Cuban Americans – those who lost land under Casto, were forced to flee, or have some concept of a pre-castro cuba, are most opposed to doing anything which makes that country and its government stronger. The younger generation, with no concept of any of those things, sees it as an outdated cold-war policy.
—-
“A case can be made for engagement being more effective in bringing down the current regime.”
Only absent of the historical evidence that trade and international relationships DO NOT end Tyranny. Look at China. A lot of people thought that opening up trade with that country would bring freedom as well.
It hasn’t happened, and there’s no reason to think that things in Cuba would be any different.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
There is no ‘ctrl’ button on Chuck Norris’s computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
The China example at least demonstrated that millions have been lifted from destitute poverty, and the regime is arguably less antagonistic to us and its own citizenry, although it is still far from ideal, being a police state and all.
I’d say that the positive potential probably depends on how antagonistic the regime is towards us. In the case of Iraq and the “oil for food” business, the slight lessening of sanctions that we went along with was used decidedly against us, and also as a means of crushing internal Iraqi dissent.
For a time, eased sanctions against Cold War adversaries, and then against the subsequent independent post-Soviet states worked uniformly well. But then, the eased sanctions were a response to positive changes underway. Still, the only recalcitrance has come from the post-Soviet Russian Federation after a decade of improving relations.
On balance, it doesn’t seem that loosened sanctions work positively. On the other hand, sanctions don’t appear to bring about the desired changes by themselves either.
I guess the biggest argument for changing course in Cuba policy is that what we’ve been doing has not produced results, and it might therefore be worth pursuing a different policy.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Perhaps Chuck is the reason Huckabee doesn’t talk a tough foreign policy game – you don’t need to, if Chuck Norris is around. He’ll give new meaning to the term “executive branch”
“Only absent of the historical evidence that trade and international relationships DO NOT end Tyranny. Look at China. A lot of people thought that opening up trade with that country would bring freedom as well.”
How much power does China’s government really have? Tons, constitutionally, but practically speaking not so much. Being integrated into the global economy has done huge favors for the freedom of Chinese people as a whole, since economic freedom is one of the most fundamental there are. China as it is now can never be controlled by Mao’s type again, not without dramatic upheaval. Vietnam is experiencing the same change now. And if Cuba and North Korea were open, they’d be subdued without ever lifting a finger.
November 11th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
Kris,
Considering the options, who gives a flying fart?
November 11th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Economic freedom sure – they can buy and sell and trade and get rich.
But they do not have freedom of Religion
They do not have freedom of the press
They do not have freedom of speech
They do not have freedom of thought
November 11th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
WSU: What has the embargo accomplished?
November 11th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Bob,
Well, it’s given Fidel a scapegoat for his failures, and allows him to more easily control what information comes in from the outside world.
November 11th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
“Marco Rubio: Populist or Conservative?”
Um, both. I think the best politicians are both. Ronald Reagan was.
November 11th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
[...] race42008.com » Blog Archive » Marco Rubio: Populist or Conservative? [...]
November 11th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
[...] I remain in a state of hypovolemic shock over the love affair between the conservative pundocracy and the image portrayed by the Rubio Senate campaign. What is becoming obvious, is that fact and reality is absent from the conservative movements quest …Read Original Story: Marco Rubio: Populist or Conservative? – Race 4 2012 (blog) [...]
November 12th, 2009 at 1:17 am
“It is totaly based on science”
This is not true, it is full of speculation, it ignores contrary facts, and much like global warming nonsense thrives on an unwillingness to publicly debate its opponents. If you really believe in the separation of church and state, abolish government schools, they are filling children with the religions of humanism, constructivism, “critical thinking”, and Marxist revolution.
Does evolution answer how life began?
“For every house is builded by some one; but he that built all things is God.” (ERV, Hebrew 3:4)
I just walked by a new house on my street. It wasn’t built by anybody, a tornado came through and hit a lumber company and out popped this house: built, painted, furnished. Believe that and I have a scientific theory for you.
November 12th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X1GlvJt-2U
the real rubio
November 12th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
my calling mccain a right wing extremist was obviously sarcastic. i was commenting on the fact that kristofer was knocking rubio for endorsing huckabee while crist went and endorsed mccain, who also blasted the c4g as well as social conservatives. the truth is huck is relgious right progressive, mccain is a neocon, and romney is a rockefeller turned helms turned rockefeller. we should have all suported Thompson.
November 20th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Can someone tell me where Rubio stands with regard to the wars overseas?