In Florida, a Candidate Veers From Tea Party’s Script

[SecularMotion]

Source: New York Times

PENSACOLA, Fla. – When the year began, the stars could not have shined brighter for Marco Rubio, the fresh voice of newly invigorated conservatives who embodied the change that frustrated grassroots Republicans demanded from inside their own party.

This week, facing a more complicated path to victory than he had anticipated in his race for a United States Senate seat, he is hoping to begin a Second Act.

The Florida primary on Tuesday was once going to be Mr. Rubio’s chance to dispatch his main Republican opponent, Gov. Charlie Crist. But Mr. Crist bolted the party four months ago rather than face Mr. Rubio in the primary and is running as an independent in a three-way race.

Now, facing intense competition for the moderate Republicans and independents who could be the keys to victory in one of the nation’s most closely divided states, Mr. Rubio is seeking to show that he is more than just an insurgent protest candidate – and is breaking with some Tea Party orthodoxy in the process.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/23/us/politics/23rubio.html?_r=1&hp

[Itchinjim]

1. Rubio? Not a Teabagger?

Bull shit. They've jumped the the friggin shark these GOP teabaggers have. We will win in November. End of story.

[JBoy]

2. Good luck with that, Rubio.

[JNelson6563]

3. So funny how we see this issue so differently

when it's their side. In campaigns we see clearly that the extreme conservative can't get elected and laugh that Rethug base doesn't understand they need candidates that everyone can find some common ground with. Oh but here on the left apparently it's different. We scream and cry when we get candidates with broad appeal. And though we loathed Team Bush and the Cong. Rethugs for completely steamrolling the Dem minority and veering sharply right, so many on our side would have us do the same and somehow manage to hold majorities forever.

I guess we wear different glasses, depending on what side we are looking at.

Julie

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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[tomm2thumbs]

5. what? a fair-weather tea bagger?? who could have imagined that!

they'll say or do anything to get in office - that is the nature of the tea bagging fad

- freedom of religion... uh, that doesn't include the religions I decide don't count
- right to privacy... uh, except in your marriage, which somehow is my business to get involved in
- lower taxes... uh, well at least for the richest of us because that's tradition
- smaller govt... uh, except that particular part of the govt that wages long, expensive wars
- right to bear arms... uh, except when you don't look like me because that would be scary
- right to equality... uh, unless you were born just a little less equal than me, which doesn't count
- country first... uh, unless it benefits my campaign to screw the country over in spades
- the common good... uh, unless common means 'poor' because I've got mine already
- equal justice... uh, well if by equal you mean 'fair' than I have to disagree with it
- separation of church & state... uh, really I mean keeping your religion out of my state religion
- main street, not wall street... uh, but gimme those tax breaks for my foreign factories please
- American ideals... uh, you know, the ones that are enshrined in my particular religion
- balance the budget... uh, but I didn't say I know how to do it, it just sounds good

tea baggers are useless... but then again, look at the leadership who subscribes to their beliefs and you'll see why they are useless - their ignorant sap doesn't fall too far from the tree