In a brawling debate, U.S. Senate candidates tangle in Tampa October 15, 2010
.....
The most blistering exchanges were between Crist and Rubio, who in a debate last week took repeated criticism from both Crist and Meek. This time Crist went even harder at Rubio, but never got the better of him.
The governor at one point quoted from the Democratic-leaning Tampa-based newspaper that recently endorsed Crist for senate.
"La Gaceta talks about the fact that my opponent on the right has essentially blind ambition and — these are their words, not mine — that you've turned your back on your Hispanic family … as it relates to so many issues going down the line," Crist said.
Rubio looked livid.
"We're all used to hard knuckle politics in these debates, but that's quite frankly governor offensive and outrageous for you to talk about me turning my back on my Hispanic family,'' Rubio said. "Let me tell you about my family. My family worked very hard so that I could have opportunities they didn't have. My father worked 30, 40, 60, 70 hours a week as a bartender. My mother was a cashier, she was a stock clerk."
.....
It is clear that
La Gaceta references Rubio's 'Hispanic heritage family', but Rubio tried to change the context of the reference during the debate.
Here, from Governor Crist's web site is
La Gaceta's
endorsement.
La Gaceta Endorses Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate
Friday, October 8th, 2010
Prominent Trilingual Newspaper Endorses Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate, urges Florida voters to unite against Marco Rubio
LA GACETA
This is a most unusual race that is drawing national attention. Former Florida Speaker of the House Marc Rub (we have stripped Marco Rubio of his Hispanicness and the vowels from his name) is the Republican nominee and faces Congressman Kendrick Meek, who is the Democratic nominee, and both are being challenged by Governor Charlie Crist, who is no party’s nominee. Let’s also not forget the other 10 candidates.
Their names are irrelevant.
This race draws national attention because of its national importance. A Rub win here could change the balance of the Senate. It would give the Tea Partiers a big win with their most mainstream candidate. It also could set the direction of Florida for years to come. If Rub wins, he’ll get 12 years in the Senate which he’ll parlay into eight years as governor and then a run for the White House. His unbridled ambition and no-moral-constraints policy positions make Marc Rub one dangerous hombre.
What bothers us the most about Rub is that he’s turned his back on his Hispanic family, and that’s unacceptable. Our concern started in August of 2009 when we first stripped him of his vowels for opposing the confirmation of America’s first Hispanic supreme court justice.
In February of 2010, we again stripped Rub of his vowels for wanting the census not to count undocumented residents. The last time the census undercounted residents of the U.S. was during slavery. This time, we set up a permanent blockade of his vowels that has lasted until today (except last week we named the First District Court of Appeal for him).
Marc Rub started his political life as a proud Cuban-American – one who loved the Spanish language, who supported special immigration status for Cubans and pushed for respect for Latinos. Rub first ran for the house a decade ago in District 111. That district had an Hispanic voting-age population of over 75 percent. Back then, Rub was poor, young and loved his Hispanic family (constituents). They rewarded him with their vote.
His income and lifestyle immediately started to improve. His net worth was $0 according to his 2001 financial disclosure and was the same in 2003, but with the love and support of his Hispanic constituents and the Hispanic caucus in Tallahassee, his net worth jumped to $415,230 in 2005.
Marc Rub’s ambition has led him far beyond District 111, and with that distance his love for his heritage and people has faded.
Here’s the proof:
• When he now talks of his family’s immigrant experience, he makes it generic, leaving off the Cuba part.
• He supports English as the official language of America.
• He opposed the first Hispanic supreme court justice, Sonia Sotomayor.
• He supports the ability of local police to arrest people if they cannot prove their citizenship or immigration status on demand.
• He opposes the DREAM act, which would allow undocumented children raised in America to earn their pathway to citizenship by serving in the military or going to college.
• He asked that the census not count undocumented residents (including Hispanics in Florida) thereby reducing our state’s share of federal funding.
• He has become silent when he shares the stage with Hispanic bashers, having lost his will and courage to correct those who disparage his ethnic group.
In his search for power, prestige and money, Marc Rub has turned his back on those who brought him to the dance – his family, the Hispanic community – and we won’t forgive him for it. His political career must be stopped.
We must choose the candidate with the best chance of defeating Marc Rub, and we don’t believe that is Democrat Kendrick Meek.
Our commitment to our cause is so great that we will buck our tradition of backing Democratic Senate candidates stretching back to 1922 and support Charlie Crist.
Since he has left the GOP, Governor Crist has found the true middle of Florida. He is for responsible education, immigration and healthcare reforms. He says he’ll consider other opinions to America’s Cuba. He’s proven his ability and desire to reach out to the Black and Hispanic communities.
Most importantly, he is a calm and rational voice in a political world where the volume is too high and all that is being broadcast is static. As a yellow dog Democrat, we believe Crist will side with Democrats on most issues and urge Democrats to unite to defeat Marc Rub.
La Gaceta endorses Charlie Crist for U.S. Senate.
Maybe Rubio would like to defend himself against any of these facts presented by
La Gaceta.
Marco Rubio's blind ambition has been noted
extensively.
And Jeb Bush has nurtured it from the cradle.
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