Crist-Rubio feud grows by the day

[seafan]

Crist-Rubio feud grows by the day

BY MARC CAPUTO
November 20, 2007

TALLAHASSEE --
Nothing cuts through politicians' rhetoric like a lawsuit.
Once House Speaker Marco Rubio sued Gov. Charlie Crist over his gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe on Monday, it exposed tensions that have simmered between the top Republicans for months, as they have sugar-coated policy barbs with public compliments.

But now they will square off in the state Supreme Court, and the court of public opinion as well.

Rubio's suit hits Crist at the core of one of his claims that he's an open-government leader who ''respects'' the Legislature, which the governor says is in its ''Golden Era.'' The West Miami leader says Crist's gambling expansion ''blatantly usurps'' the power of the Legislature, which was kept in the dark during Crist's talks with the tribe.
The power struggle got personal when Crist hit back with a statement that he's ''disappointed'' Rubio is delaying money for schools. After all, the gambling agreement would help shore up the state's flagging tax collections.

Regardless of how the justices rule, the fallout from the suit presages a rocky spring lawmaking session as the two Republicans drift apart. Crist is pragmatically moving to the left -- the political center -- while Rubio shuffles to the ideological right.
From property taxes to global warming, Rubio has nipped at Crist's policies on a variety of fronts to establish himself as a hard-line conservative who is upholding Jeb Bush's legacy.
A number of Bush confidants are Rubio allies, including financial advisor Donna Arduin, who has espoused a starve-the-beast budgeting philosophy to limit government growth.

So don't expect the talk of more school money to play well in the House. .....
''The political philosophy of Jeb Bush and the political philosophy of Charlie Crist are easily definable and different. Jeb and Marco are in lots of contact, and Jeb long ago had nearly annointed him as potential governor,'' King said, referring to a ceremony in which Bush gave Rubio a samurai sword. .....
And though Rubio is now fighting what he sees as the governors' encroaching on lawmakers' turf, he and the rest of the Legislature were once willing to allow the executive branch to overstep its authority: They passed a law that gave Bush the power to bypass a court to re-insert a feeding tube in a dying woman named Terri Schiavo. The state Supreme Court rejected the law.

.....

Marco Rubio



September, 2005, anointed by Jeb Bush





Secret deal-makings by GOP angers many (Rubio-led Florida Legislature), October 8, 2007


Rubio is indeed, Jeb's Chosen One., May 13, 2007


Pricey GOP consultant eludes state budget cuts (Rubio's $10,000/month consultant), October 8,2007


FL Senate flips on'resign-to-run' (House Speaker Marco Rubio-R has eye on running for Governor), April 28, 2007

The state Capitol has been abuzz with rumors that Rubio would challenge Crist in an election -- a dream of Rubio advisors who supported Tom Gallagher, the Republican Crist trounced in the 2006 primary.
But such a campaign is unlikely. Crist's popularity numbers are high. Few know and like Rubio outside of Miami-Dade. Also, Rubio leaves office next year due to term limits. He'll have to wait two years before getting a shot at any statewide office.

Florida's quality of living will not improve until we clean and fumigate this legislature.