THE OPPO FILE ON MARCO RUBIO The Oppo File on Marco Rubio: Why He’s an Unlikely Veep Pick [The Atlantic] “Overlooked in this is Rubio’s big Achilles’ heel: his record. Not his legislative record — though Democrats would surely take great pains to paint him as an extremist, he tends to be in the mainstream of the GOP — but his political and lifestyle ones. Those areas will give opponents plenty to work with. There’s no single smoking gun — the lone revelation that would make him unviable. Instead, his record raises a series of smaller questions that would add up to many potential headaches for a campaign headed into a tough election against an incumbent president. The case for Rubio is well known, but here’s a quick rundown on his potential vulnerabilities.”
FDP ON RUBIO OFFENSIVE [Miami Herald] “The Florida Democratic Party has been salivating over the possibility of such a high-profile target as Rubio, releasing daily rundowns of media reports about the Florida senator. They include rehashing Rubio’s personal use of the Republican Party of Florida’s credit card, campaign finance irregularities, and his friendship with U.S. Rep. Florida David Rivera, R-Fla.”
Will a longstanding friendship block his vice presidential prospects? [Weekly Standard] “Rubio, for instance, has repeatedly addressed—if not entirely put to rest—claims that he used a Republican party charge card for personal gain…Beyond that, there are suggestions that Rubio will get caught up in the trial this July of former Florida Republican party chairman Jim Greer…There is another, potentially much bigger problem, however—one that could affect Rubio’s prospects for a spot on the ticket in 2012. His name is David Rivera”
RUBIO & GOP’S HISPANIC PROBLEM Rubio no sure thing for Hispanics [McClatchy] “Rising Republican star though he may be, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s national appeal may be tepid among the Hispanic voters both parties are so desperately courting this election year…‘We don’t have any evidence that [Rubio] would provide any significant boost to Romney if he were on the ticket,’ said Matt Barreto of Latino Decisions, which in January conducted a widely cited poll of Hispanic voters for Univision and other media outlets”
Hispanic vote presents electoral map hurdle for Mitt Romney [Tampa Bay Times] “At a private fundraising reception in Palm Beach recently, Mitt Romney was overheard acknowledging his weakness among Hispanic voters. If it’s not turned around, he said, ‘It spells doom for us.’ Take a look at the electoral map, and you’ll see why.”
Will Obama or Romney win over I-4 Hispanics? [Orlando Sentinel] “Democrats appear to have a yearlong head start. Obama’s campaign, Obama For America, opened offices all over Florida and began a bilingual campaign last spring…To Pérez and many of his customers, the Republican Party and Romney fumbled the immigration issue with hard-line, ‘kick-out-all-the-illegals’ rhetoric last year. Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith contends polls show the vast majority of Hispanics were unhappy with that rhetoric. ‘They [Republicans] know where they are: they are dramatically behind,’ Smith said.”
OBAMA UP WITH NEW AD Obama up in Florida with new ad on auto industry [Tampa Bay Times] “The Obama campaign this morning announced a new TV ad that focuses on the auto industry recovery. It’ll run in Florida and Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina and Colorado.” Watch the ad here.
President Barack Obama Campaign Headquarters Opens in Panama City [WJHG] “‘This is a make or break moment for the middle class and we’ve been through too much to turn back now.’ A group of political activists are trying to help get that message out here in Florida. Today, President Obama’s local campaign headquarters opened its doors to supporters for the first time. Many of the volunteers have been working for weeks leading up to today’s grand opening, canvassing neighborhoods throughout Bay County.”
CONNIE MACK, CALL YOUR OFFICE: George LeMieux releases attack ad – “Lifestyles” against Connie Mack, WATCH IT HERE
RICK SCOTT’S NO GOOD, VERY BAD WEEK Loser of the week: Rick Scott [Tampa Bay Times] “Pandering to Cuban-Americans in Miami is hardly rocket science. But our governor, who sometimes seems more clueless about Florida than most tourists, managed to botch his efforts big time”
Gov. Rick Scott’s biggest failure: Chief of Staff Steve MacNamara [Miami Herald] “Rick Scott’s biggest failure as governor has a name: Steve MacNamara. An at-times ethically challenged Tallahassee insider, MacNamara was hired by the neophyte governor to avoid the very type of major embarrassment Scott suffered last week…The Florida Democratic Party couldn’t have picked a better chief of staff for Scott.”
Steve MacNamara: Rick Scott’s brass knuckles gatekeeper or shadow governor? [Times/Herald] “Scott’s closest supporters and some Tea Party followers, however, say that the union between the newcomer governor and the wily insider is for them a Faustian bargain. Though they refuse to be quoted by name, several advisors to the governor — both inside and out of government — fear Scott is squandering his conservative credentials and his outsider brand by engaging in deal-making with special interests who have connections to MacNamara.”
Gov. Scott’s ad blitz not swaying Floridians [Palm Beach Post] “Despite six weeks of upbeat television ads and a wholesale image makeover, Republican Gov. Rick Scott continues to draw lousy ratings from Floridians, a position Democrats are eager to exploit in the nation’s biggest presidential toss up state…’It’s clear that the Republican Party sees Rick Scott as a drag on the ticket and is doing everything it can to try to prop him up,’ said Brannon Jordan”
OTHER NEWS WE THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW
Congress must restore law to protect women from violence [Orlando Sentinel Guest Column] “Adams’ bill, which the House Judiciary Committee will vote on next week, is not the Violence Against Women Act that has stood for almost two decades, reauthorized with bipartisan support. Instead, H.R. 4970 has been hijacked by other congressmen with political agendas and has become a step backward, not forward, in protecting vulnerable women and children. If enacted, H.R. 4970 would increase the danger for women at risk from domestic violence and sexual assault.”
Connie Mack IV Denies Calling Man Jackass by Insinuating Man is Jackass [Miami News Times] “Riptide would like to point that we’re not saying Mack IV is an incompetent candidate who’s running a sloppy campaign that’s greatly endangering his party’s chance of claiming a Senate seat. He may be, but that’s not what we said.”
Connie Mack not conservative enough for base [News-Press] “Congressman Connie Mack IV, who is running for the Republican nomination in the U.S. Senate race, has been called a whole lot of things in his political career, including the Charlie Sheen of Florida politics. But it’s doubtful the Fort Myers House member has ever been called not conservative enough.”