First FL US Senate Debate on now

[RockaFowler]

All ABC Stations in Florida are currently airing the debate.

That Rubio is one smug SOB.

[DCBob]

1. Rubio sounds nervous..

Crist and Meek have him on the defensive.

[RockaFowler]

2. Rubio is an idiot

He looks like a deer caught in the headlights

[DCBob]

3. He looks and sounds naive and childish..

Crist and Meek are winning this debate so far.

[RockaFowler]

4. OK Crist Lovers

He is Pro-Life. He just said it. Can you really vote for him?? The only candidate that is pro-middle class and pro-choice is Kendrick Meek. There's a reason lie is in Charlie's name. It's all he's got. He will lie to get your vote. He is lying now.

[DCBob]

5. I doubt anyone on DU is a "Crist lover".. those voting for Crist are doing so only to stop Rubio..

Rubio is dangerous RW radical and Crist is the only candidate capable of beating him.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. By Your Logic FDR Was A Stalin Lover Because He Allied With Him To Stop Hitler

~

[RockaFowler]

14. Whatever

Look if you want a real Democrat - vote for the ONLY Democrat in the race. Not the charlatan called Charlie Crist. He lied in the entire debate and I'm so glad that Meek called him out on it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

17. Meek Is Losing By Twenty To Thirty Points. I Can't Help Him.

Enjoy Marco Rubio.

Don't forget about the people who warned you when he parlays his Florida Senate seat and membership in the nation's largest non-majority into a potentially successful presidential bid in 2016. He's a GOP/Teabag Dream and Floridians are abetting him. Who would have thought Floridians would give birth to a Latin Ronald Reagan? Actually, it makes sense.

[golfguru]

9. Crist is anti-choice?

I did not know that!

[jenmito]

11. I don't think so. What I heard him say is he's "pro-life but" he's "also pro-woman." n/t

[golfguru]

15. Ahhhhhh...he is on both sides of the coin!

Sounds like a man who will say anything depending on what you
wanna hear.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. I Think He Gave The Answer That Practically Every Democratic Officeholder Gives

That they are peronally opposed to abortion but it's an individual choice.

The sad thing is Marco Bushio is the beneficiary of this car wreck.

[wmbrew0206]

37. Crist is whatever will get him the most votes in the election he is currently in.

[provis99]

28. as far as I know, advocating for voting against the Democrat

is grounds for tombstoning on DU; you've probably been seeing the same pro-Crist/anti-Meek threads that I've been seeing. But that hasn't stopped them from saying vote for closet Republican Crist over Democrat Meek.

[wmbrew0206]

38. I believe that Skinner or one of the Mods stated that this race was an exception.

[RockaFowler]

39. When??

If so, boy does that go against anything that we stand for on Democratic Undergound.

[jenmito]

6. It's their 2nd debate. Rubio called America something like, "the greatest country in the history of

the earth" about 4 times in his opening statement. Teabag talk.

[RockaFowler]

7. It's the same thing in his commercials

That's all they have. Commercials and Soundbites. He has nothing else

[jenmito]

10. Yup. n/t

[jenmito]

13. Wow-Meek was VERY strong. Crist looked like an opportunist, but both did

a GREAT job of calling out Rubio as a teabagger extremist.

[DCBob]

16. The debate is over.. I think it helped Crist.. Meek came off good as well..

Rubio continued to spew RW teabagger talking points that only appeals to those who were already voting for him. It is noteworthy that Meek did not attack Crist much and vice versa. Bottom line Crist picks up a few points in the polls.

[jenmito]

18. I think Crist and Meek both "reminded" people that Rubio is aligned with the likes

of DeMint-that he's an extreme RWer teabagger.

[DCBob]

19. I have seen Rubio in one-on-one interviews where he does much better..

Tonight he seemed out of his league. Maybe FL voters noticed that as well.

[jenmito]

22. He looked like he was running away from the teabaggers...

but they wouldn't LET him.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

20. If The Anti-Rubio Vote Doesn't Coalesce Around One Candidate Rubio Wins

He's been around 40% since the primaries ended.

Rubio is dangerous. He's young. He's handsome. And he's Hispanic. He's Karl Rove's wet dream. That's why his mentor, Jeb Bush, has groomed him for this day.

[DCBob]

21. Yep, that about sums it up.

and it remains to be seen how this thing plays out.

[jenmito]

23. Exactly...

and I HOPE voters figure that out in time. Rubio is an extremist wrapped in a nice-looking package.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

26. You Should Live In Florida

If you think about it an Hispanic Teabagger is an oxymoron given Teabagger hostility to immigration. That just shows how smooth and dangerous he is.

[jenmito]

27. I know!

He claims he's against the AZ law for FL, but he thinks it's necessary in AZ. He starts talking about how he understands people wanting to come to this country because his parents came here. He IS very smooth and dangerous.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

29. He's No Bobby Jindal

Rubio is a dagger aimed right at the heart of the Democratic coalition. If he wins it is likely he will parlay his success into a national role.

His debate performance might not have pleased the folks here but I assure you it will play well in Florida. That being said, Crist is wise to attack him on SS. That's how Lawton Chiles staved off a serious challenge from Jeb Bush in 94.

[jenmito]

30. Meek and Crist should

both do polling to see who the stronger of the two would be to beat Rubio, and the other should drop out.

[DCBob]

31. How about quickie "primary" just for anti-Rubio voters -- loser drops out.

I suspect Crist wins that easily.

[jenmito]

32. If that could happen, I'd be all for it.

So the polls should do.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

33. Florida Doesn't Have Run Offs

If there were run offs everybody could just vote their conscience. If Rubio could win 50% he deserves the position but I doubt he could get 50% vs Crist.

[DCBob]

34. too bad.. cuz if they did Rubio loses..

imo.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

35. Seems That Way

What a car wreck.

[COLGATE4]

40. You're absolutely right. Rubio is one of the most serious challenges

we as Democrats have. If he's elected Senator, look for him to be a VP candidate in 2012, followed by Pres either in 2020 if a Rethug Pres is elected or possibly as early as 2016 if Obama gets a second term. He's what the Rethugs were hoping for in Jindal - a furriner who is just palatable enough to the Goobers to be elected.

[Bluenorthwest]

24. Wow! The first debate is just now?

Amazing. I've been reading on DU for months that Meek was done, and that Rubio was to be feared as he was a brilliant candidate who had to be stopped. And yet the campaign had not really even started. It was written in stone here in June that Meeks was done. And this was the first debate?
Meek is the Democratic candidate. Democrats should vote for him. Not for the Palin endorsing Crist. Doing the Crist Twist.

[jenmito]

25. Nope. This was the SECOND debate. I posted what I found of the first debate:

http://www.kendrickmeek.com/index.php/weblog/archive/watch_the_first_u.s._senate_debate/

[recadna]

36. Crist is not dropping and Meek can not drop out.

Crist is going until the end. I mean, he did not quit for Rubio, why would he quit for Meek?

We need Meek in the race to HELP OTHER races. Without strong AA turnout, FL dems would be wiped out AGAIN from statewide races.

What did get us into this Meek/Crist mess first? No strong statewide elected official! Had we had a democratic AG or someone like that, s/he would unite the base and beat the little tea bagger like a drum.