Rising GOP Stars - Marco Rubio, Cuban American Tea Party Patriot

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Highly regarded for his principled, energetic and idea-driven leadership, Marco Rubio won a three way battle for U.S. Senate fighting off numerous trips by Obama and leading Democrats and efforts to split the GOP vote in 2010. His humble and honest acceptance speech after the victory was one of the highlights of all speeches by candidates. Take a moment to listen to this 39 year old rising star.




In 1971, Marco was born in Miami to Cuban-born parents who came to America following Fidel Castro’s takeover. When he was eight years old, Rubio and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where his father worked as a bartender at the Sams Town Hotel and his mother as a housekeeper at the Imperial Palace Hotel. In 1985, the family returned to Miami where his father continued working as a bartender at the Mayfair House Hotel until 1997. Thereafter he worked as a school crossing guard until his retirement in 2005. His mother worked as a Kmart stock clerk until she retired in 1995.

Rubio attended South Miami Senior High School, graduating in 1989. He attended Tarkio College in Missouri for one year on a football scholarship before transferring to Santa Fe Community College and then graduating in 1993 with a bachelor of science from the University of Florida. He continued his studies at the University of Miami where he earned his juris doctor, cum laude, in 1996.

From 2000-2008, Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives. During this period, he served as Majority Whip, Majority Leader and Speaker of the House, effectively promoting an agenda of lower taxes, better schools, a leaner and more efficient government and free market empowerment. Rubio also helped spearhead Florida’s congressional and legislative redistricting effort. He chaired the House Select Committee on Property Rights, which crafted national model legislation to protect private property rights following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Kelo v. City of New London decision that opened the door for eminent domain abuse.

During the two years prior to assuming the speakership, Rubio traveled around the state hosting “Idearaisers” to solicit Floridians’ input on ways to strengthen Florida. The 100 best ideas were compiled into a book entitled “100 Innovative Ideas for Florida’s Future” which served as the basis for his term. All 100 ideas were passed by the Florida House. Fifty-seven of these ideas ultimately became law, including measures to crack down on gangs and sexual predators, promote energy efficient buildings, appliances and vehicles, and help small businesses obtain affordable health coverage. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich hailed the effort as “a work of genius.”

In addition to these ideas, Rubio championed a major overhaul of the Florida tax system that would have eliminated all property taxes on primary residences in favor of a flat consumption tax. The effort garnered national attention, with Grover Norquist, president of the fiscally conservative Americans for Tax Reform, praising Rubio as “the most pro-taxpayer legislative leader in the country.”

During his legislative career, Rubio also promoted efforts to develop a world-class public school curriculum, increase performance-based accountability, enhance school choice and target the socio-economic factors affecting chronic academic underperformance. He is also widely credited for blocking the expansion of gambling in Florida and shepherding the passage of historic energy legislation based on market incentives rather than government-imposed mandates.

Since the end of his tenure as Speaker, Rubio has resumed his law practice as a sole practitioner. He has also served as a visiting professor at Florida International University’s Metropolitan Center, worked as Florida Chairman of GOPAC and as a political analyst for Univision during the 2008 election cycle.

He has also continued his community and civic involvement, serving on the boards of the Latin Builders Association and Alafit International, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting global literacy. He also remains engaged in the West Miami community where he served as a city commissioner prior to being elected to the state house.

Rubio and his wife, Jeanette Dousdebes Rubio, have been married since 1998. They are the parents of four children: Amanda, Daniella, Anthony, and Dominic. They currently live in the working class city of West Miami, just four blocks from the home his parents moved the family to in 1985.
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Super Tuesday Election Results

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Helen Reddy singing 2010 campaign theme song.


Could it be the dawning of a new age in America? An age a long time in coming and long overdue?

Super Tuesday primary day saw America take a giant leap forward toward Women taking over America and it is long overdue. Since the Coltons Point Time said last fall that it was time we turn the nation over to women, I mean look at the mess the good old boys got us into, the voters have spoken.

Republicans led the way and believe it or not, Republican women, not the liberal Democrats, include a Native American and Hispanic woman both hoping to become the first of their culture to be governors.




Nikki Haley - First Indian American Republican - Governor South Carolina



Susana Martinez - Hispanic Republican - Governor New Mexico



Meg Whitman - Billionaire CEO Republican - Governor California



Carly Fiorina - Millionaire CEO Republican - California US Senate



Sharron Angle - Republican - Nevada US Senator



Blanche Lincoln - Incumbent Democrat - Arkansas US Senate



Sarah Palin - Helped bring about the avalanche of female Republican candidates.

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Welcome to the Big Leagues Rand Paul - Just ask Sarah Palin for Media Advice

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Newly nominated Senate candidate Rand Paul, a threat to everything the Administration and left liberals stand for if he gets elected this fall, had not basked in the glory of a stunning primary victory for 48 hours before the propaganda arm of the Obama left and Democrats, PBS and MSNBC, began the task of trapping and discrediting the political neophyte.



It was done with surgical precision in a one-two punch by PBS, followed by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC that left the rookie staggering. Much like his father Congressman Ron Paul, who has been a master of communications with our youth and general public but is denied access to much of the national media, Rand Paul takes a rather cerebral approach to news conferences. He actually tries to give an in depth insight into his views and philosophy on issues.



Well the left liberals educated him on why the national media has lost the confidence of the public as they took his words, reinterpreted what he said, and incited national media hysteria over whether he was for or was against the 1960's civil rights act. A little deft editing and the Democratic pit bulls were cut loose trying to force him out of the election before the final primary votes had been counted.



In less than 24 hours he was back trying to do damage control and again he demonstrated he is not quite ready for prime time by trying to explain his position in a reasoned way. Wake up Rand, today's media can only be controlled with sound bites and video clips. Give them 5-10 seconds of senseless patter that keeps you out of trouble and don't get seduced into thinking you can walk right into the liberal lion's nest and be treated with anything but the scorn and fear they have for you.



Now Paul is a fresh face and I have been involved in many political campaigns including running US Senate races and never have I seen such a stupid job by his communications advisors. He should fire his entire communications staff and bring in the pros who can prepare him for the massive scrutiny that he will face throughout the rest of the campaign.



To think that PBS and MSNBC, the national masters of media manipulation and the propaganda machine for the left guard, would give a conservative libertarian a fair interview is just plain stupid. Whoever let him schedule the interviews with the gotcha networks, yes they advertise that they will find a way to smear anyone who does not agree with them, should be replaced as well.

Rand should stay off the air until he gets the right advisors and schedulers and is properly prepped before facing the lions again. He may strike a nerve with the public, but the media is his enemy and he cannot forget it. They have the power to twist your words into anything they believe will hurt your chances to get elected.



Ask Obama who watched the media, who were in his back pocket when he was elected, turn on him. Better yet, ask the most prominent victim of media manipulation in America and one of your first major supporters Sarah Palin what kind of fair break you will receive from the silver screen mouthpieces. She was a trained journalist and proven communicator and look what happened.



Keep your campaign with the people, not the media. Get experienced and good communications and scheduling advisors. And keep your campaign focused on the people of Kentucky and today, not some 1960's law that has nothing to do with the problems America faces today. Lick your wounds and move on, don't keep trying to educate a media that has no interest in telling your story.



We need your independent voice in the Senate. Keep independent of the liberal media and you have a chance. The people of Kentucky deserve no less.

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Did Senator Evan Bayh Retire to Replace Rahm Emanuel as White House Chief of Staff?

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The Associated Press said in yesterday's stunning announcement that:

"Two-term Sen. Evan Bayh says ever-shriller partisanship and the frustrations of gridlock made it time for him to leave Congress. Republicans aren't buying it, saying he and fellow Democrats sense that voters will be after their heads this fall.

The Indiana Democrat, a moderate who twice came close to being added to his party's national ticket, said Monday he will not seek re-election this November. The announcement gives Republicans a strong chance of capturing his seat and makes it likelier that the 59 votes that give Democrats command of the 100-seat Senate will dwindle.

Bayh, 54, said his passion for helping people is "not highly valued in Congress." He said he did not love the institution in which his father, Birch Bayh, had also represented Indiana."



Well I for one don't really believe his explanation. Bayh was a potential powerhouse among moderate Democrats with a history of working for bi-partisan government. His credentials were everything the American people are looking for in leaders of the new America.

There are several reasons I think he retired and having watched his career, I do not doubt the veracity of what he said. His Midwest background and father's influence are indeed significant causes for him to express frustration with liberal Democrats and the inertia of Congress. His acute awareness of the unfair need for elected officials to spend much of their time raising money for the next campaign is exactly why I got out of politics so I am encouraged he pointed out the huge flaw in our political system.



Yet there is more I suspect beneath the surface because a person like Bayh is needed now more than ever. To explain let me first outline what else happened yesterday when he announced he was retiring at the end of the year. The most powerful person in the Senate, Democratic leader Harry Reid, did not find out about this dramatic development until after Bayh made the announcement. It is unheard of that a party boss would be left out in the cold on such an important matter impacting on the future control of the US Senate by the Democrats.

Yet immediately after he made the announcement the President and White House praised Bayh and said they were aware of his decision beforehand. Why would he consult the president and not the leader of the Senate where he is a member? Let me give you a clue.

The White House has demonstrated how to mismanage the presidency to a degree not often seen before with tactics that infuriated both the Democrats controlling the House and Senate as well as the public and the Republicans. Since before Obama took office I pointed out how they were making one of the first sins of government, expecting the hard nosed opportunists from the campaign to be able to run the nation's government.



No newly elected president has done that because they know the campaign people have neither the experience nor the ability to work with all elected officials, Democrats and Republicans, once elected. By nature the campaign people are paranoid, living in constant fear the other politicians will undermine their efforts. To compensate they use heavy handed tactics to force loyalty from their own party, Democrats, and use intimidation and threats to try and control the opposition party, the Republicans.

It never works. All new administrations make a series of staff mistakes that take one to two years to correct. Obama made these mistakes throughout his fledgling administration loading his staff with friends and associates, campaign contributors and lobbyists. Time after time his own people have been his biggest burden and their actions have upset those who know what makes the government tick.



To be successful a president must surround himself with people who are not paranoid and who know they must govern for all the people, not just those throwing money at them. Thus the White House staff is a sea of turmoil when they have no policy, executive nor practical experience in a bi-partisan world.

Such appointments are not necessarily a sign of weakness but a sign of inexperience. In time the polls and the inability of the president to govern make these mistakes obvious. Perhaps Obama has finally seen the light and realizes his strident and petty staff are his own worst enemy.



Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been the most striking example of how a staff member can get a president in trouble. Every major failure of the Obama administration can be laid at the doorstep of the Chief of Staff from secret deals with the pharmaceutical companies and unions (SEIU) to interfering in local elections (New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts).

When your key aide is the cause of your failure to govern the key aide becomes an untenable liability and now many people are questioning the judgment of Obama's Little Napoleon. I suspect the reason Obama knew about the Bayh resignation in advance is that Obama may have talked to Bayh about taking over as his new Chief of Staff. It was necessary for Bayh to clear the way to move to the White House and take over.

By announcing his retirement when he did, the day before the filing deadline for someone to run for his Senate seat, it left no one time to file as the Democratic candidate for Senate from Indiana. Since no one expected Bayh to leave no one was prepared to file the next day. This means the State Democratic party in Indiana can select the next candidate for the people, giving them time to recruit the best possible candidate for the race.

It is all too convenient for Bayh to end up taking over as Chief of Staff for Obama and solving one of the biggest headaches for the president, how to get Emanuel out of there. Bayh could resign at any time and his seat would be filled by governor's appointment. The governor is a Republican in Indiana but Bayh could make a deal with him on his replacement, appointing a Democrat who will not run for office in the fall. The Indiana governor is a weak form of state organization so he may very well make a deal to get the seat open and to get a friend (Bayh) in the White House.



If Obama does not make moves to fix his White House staff there will be a series of resignations by cabinet members like Hillary Clinton who are sick and tired of the backroom politics of Emanuel and the other staff members and see their ability to represent the United States being undermined by the politics in the White House. Bayh would be in a great position to help the president and smooth over the ruffled feathers on Capitol Hill.

Remember, President Reagan was successful because he had former Congressman and moderate James Baker as his Chief of Staff. Obama could learn from Reagan's experience. It was Baker who helped make Reagan one of the most popular presidents of all time. Oh yes, as an early supporter of Hillary in her campaign for president Bayh would go a long ways toward healing the deep wounds between Obama and the Clintons.

Stay tuned...

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Sotomayor to be First Latin Supreme Court Justice

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Sonia Sotomayor will become the first Latino and only the third woman to serve on the US Supreme Court when the US Senate confirms her nomination in the next few days. In spite of media efforts to say the Republicans are trying to stop the nomination, there is no evidence they are going to do it.





In fact Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican, has vaulted into the national spotlight with his most thoughtful questioning in Committee hearings on the nomination. Graham is the only person to question her so far who did not work from a script intended to highlight her strengths or weaknesses depending on whether you are a democrat or republican. Graham talked with her about honest questions regarding her previous statements, speeches and rulings.





Sotomayor, of Puerto Rican descent and a lifelong New Yorker from the Bronx, would be the only person on the Supreme Court with trial experience in addition to being a federal judge and in spite of some very strange statements she made some time ago. In the end she will be confirmed because we need a Latino on our highest court and she does have the necessary credentials.