Marco Rubio: Mitt Romney is no Charlie Crist

Tampa Bay Times ^ | 1-24-12 | Marc Caputo

[Anti-Hillary]

Newt Gingrich's decision today to bash Mitt Romney for hiring former Charlie Crist loyalists and employees doesn't seem to be sitting well with Sen. Marco Rubio, who drove Crist out of the Republican Party before beating him at the polls in 2010.

Said Rubio: "Mitt Romney is no Charlie Crist. Romney is a conservative. and he was one of the first national Republican leaders to endorse me. He came to Florida, campaigned hard for me, and made a real difference in my race."

[SoConPubbie]

Newt is no conservative.

Santorum is the only one left.

So somebody who does the following (hat-tip to Patriot08) is a conservative?

Santorum:

Voted AGAINST increasing the number of immigration investigators:
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00201

VOTED AGAINST HIRING AN ADDITIONAL 1,000 BORDER PATROL AGENTS, paid for by reductions in state grants.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00179

VOTED TO GIVE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00058

Voted to allow illegal immigrants to receive the earned income credit before becoming citizens.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00154

SANTORUM: Trim Social Security now- even if painful.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j7O34Bpp42k-IlMMNiOLBkYF2zNw?docId=b1cff9ecefe24ca6ae1764a09761e361

VOTED AGAINST FOOD STAMP REFORM
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00353

VOTED AGAINST MEDICAID REFORM
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00352

Voted to increase the social services block grant from $1 BILLION to $2 BILLION
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00302

VOTED TO RAID SOCIAL SECURITY instead of using surpluses to pay down the debt.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=2&vote=00056

Voted to impose a uniform federal tax mandate on states to force them to allow convicted , rapists, arsonists drug kingpins and all other ex-convicts to vote in federal elections.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=2&vote=00031

[Windflier]

Rubio just took obama to the woodshed in a scathing letter. He’s no rino.

Marco Rubio, US Senator from the state of Florida, just called Mitt Romney a conservative, and went to bat for him in a big way.

You're perfectly fine with that?

[livius]

So why is Rubio assuming Romney is going to win?

I thought Rubio was great and I’m really sorry to see him say something this stupid.

[willk]

Post #29 before the dreaded RINO word? Seriously, the word has lost its
effect. By the way, Mitt was the first to endorse other Tea Party candidates in the last election.

[SoConPubbie]

Sorry, but I’m still not convinced that the current Newt isn’t the same one who held Liberal positions and had questionable pals in the recent past. I’m not on the bandwagon....yet.

I understand and have the same misgivings, however, we are reduced with the current candidate set of really listening hard to what they are saying now and tempering that with their past record.

Furthermore, while I understand and empathize with your point, it has nothing to do with Rubio purposely mis-characterising Romney as a conservative. That was a lie on his part or he has his head buried in the sand.

[Windflier]

If it’s true that Romney came to Rubio’s aid against Crist early in the game when Rubio was desperate for big name help - then of course Rubio is going to remember that and be classy about it.

How very honorable of him, to stick up for the sleaze ball liberal who "came to his aid".

Did it ever occur to you to question why he'd accept help from a big government, establishment tool like Romney in the first place?

[George from New England]

I posted a week ago here, that Romney IS JUST A CHARLIE CRIST.

RINO coming and going.

[jwalsh07]

I can only assume that you would have voted for those amendments offered by democrats while RINO’s like Demint, Sessions, Crapo and most repulicans voted against them. Is that correct?

[SoConPubbie]

Post #29 before the dreaded RINO word? Seriously, the word has lost its effect. By the way, Mitt was the first to endorse other Tea Party candidates in the last election.

So?

Romney has a lifetime history of taking both sides of issues near and dear to conservatives, including last week with his near praise of Obama and his bailouts of the Auto-Industry when he was under fire for his Bain experience and then turning around and ripping Obama for TARP.

Nothing Romney says or does right now will erase is lack of trustworthiness where conservative issues are concerned, nothing.

He does not have a core bone of conservatism in his body.

[stormhill]

You're very sensible, but you miss my sense.

Romney doesn't have to win to make Rubio's present position necessary.
There's no point tilting at the windmills of the Republican establishment; if he intends to make a significant contribution, he must first survive.

[swamprebel]

Step away from the “spending like a drunkend sailor crowd” Marco.

[jwalsh07]

Not that I support Romney because I don’t but could you explain why a liberal backed a conservative over a liberal who was the overwhelming favorite at the time?

[paudio]

Oh come on. Rubio simply returned the favor that Romney provided when he a candidate against Crist, and we suddenly hate him? He didn’t even openly endorse Romney, only offered his opinion with regard to Crist v. Romney. If I remember correctly, there’s a candidate that openly endorsed leftist Dede Scozzafava but since he’s useful for the cause now, not only we forgive him, we anoint him ‘the great conservative leader’.

[Windflier]

Even Sarah endorsed Mccain, for crying out loud. We can completely repudiate Romney without damning anyone who says a nice word about him.

Sorry, bud. Sarah gave McCain her endorsement, and that was that. She never stuck up for him in a press interview like this, after she repaid him. She certainly never lied about his political orientation, the way Rubio just lied about Mitt's.

Rubio deserves every harsh word coming to him, for making such a dishonest statement.

[stormhill]

Thanks for the memories!

[Windflier]

What conservative would advocate cap and trade, shill for Freddie, sit on a couch with Nancy, be for mandates in health care and criticize Clinton while he is himself stupping the help???

Newt is no conservative.

Just sayin'...

[stormhill]

Au contraire, mon FRere!

Rubio didn't even endorse Romney.
His words are worth less than spit.

[stormhill]

Au contraire, mon FRere!

Rubio didn't even endorse Romney.
His words are worth less than spit.

[EternalVigilance]

Not in the least surprised.

[paudio]

If Marco is staking his personal reputation on the fact that Romney is a conservative, he is going to lose Tea Party support.

Yep, just like Newt lost the so-called 'Tea Party' support over his official endorsement of Dede Scozzafava. And look where Newt is now. Politicians change allegiance now and then, as do voters.