I swear, this stuff just writes itself.
So, today, we hear that Jeb Bush has changed his tune, and will attend the GOP "Unity Rally" tomorrow in Jacksonville, in support of
gubernatorial hopeful and multimillionaire Rick Scott, the former CEO of Columbia/HCA, which was found in violation of
defrauding the US Government in Medicare/Medicaid billing, resulting in repayment of $1.7 Billion in fines.
The following few clips will paint the picture of what's going on in the Florida GOP right now.
More on the Republican criminal unity tour:
August 29, 2010
The Republican Unity Tour is headed to Jacksonville. One week after Rick Scott turned the Republican establishment on its head, he'll visit Republican party headquarters and be welcomed by the very people who worked against him in his race against Bill McCollum.
He'll be there Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.
The stop is one of many he's making around the state as the Republican party works to heal the wounds left by the rancorous primary.
UPDATE: The Scott campaign now says Jeb Bush will join Scott at the Jacksonville event. The time listed is 7:30 PM. ----
LINKAugust 9, 2010
"Never, in my mind, did I imagine some guy stroking a 25, 30 million dollar check out of his own bank account to run a campaign," said Bush. ----
LINKAugust 25, 2010
On Wednesday, (Jeb) Bush delivered a less-than-effusive call for the party to unify around Scott. Here’s the full statement, sent to Washington Wire via email:
“Yesterday, Floridians selected the Republican candidates who will carry forward the message of limited government, fiscal responsibility and personal freedom. Floridians are looking for strong leaders and responsible solutions and I am confident our party can meet this challenge. I congratulate Rick Scott and the Republican candidates who are answering the call to public service. We must now unite and work together for victory in November.” ---
LINKJuly 31, 2010
(Jeb Bush) said that while he supports McCollum, he has talked to Scott and advised him to stop talking so much about immigration.
Scott has spent millions of dollars on ads supporting Arizona’s tough immigration law and advocating one like it in Florida. Bush said he wonders why.
“I don’t think that the Arizona immigration problem should be on the top of the list for a candidate for governor,” Bush said.
Bush is obeying the so-called 11th commandment: Don’t’ speak ill of a fellow Republican. But it seems clear that Bush thinks Scott’s emphasis on the Arizona immigration law is wrong.
“My personal belief is that when you’re running for the coolest job in the world, which is to be governor of Florida, you ought to focus on Florida issues,” Bush said. “The economy and education and how you reform health care.” ---
LINKWell, Jeb, what kind of advice did you give your candidate Bill McCollum in HIS immigration stance?
August 30, 2010
Rick Scott, a political newcomer and self-funded multi-millionaire, decided to make a name for himself by riding the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment so popular with a segment of the Republican base. He emphasized his strong support for an Arizona-like immigration law in Florida and painted McCollum as soft on illegal immigration.
.....
In what proved to be the fatal move of his campaign, McCollum introduced his own version of an Arizona-type law less than two weeks before the primary. McCollum called on the Florida state legislature to enact it in September and bragged that the bill was tougher than Arizona’s.
Turns out, McCollum’s strategy of trying to outflank Scott on immigrant bashing backfired. McCollum rapidly lost support from Latino leaders, and faced a backlash in the press. On Tuesday, many Latinos in Miami-Dade County stayed home. Turnout in what was expected to be a McCollum stronghold was less than 17%, while statewide turnout was 21%. Scott raced over the finish line and pulled off the come-from-behind upset. ----
LINKYet, to save face, McCollum
snivels that he lost because of "lack of money".
Nope. It looks like it was his hate mongering of the immigrant issue. And this was Jeb's candidate. Jeb, the all-knowing expert on nothing, except how to
destroy public school education.
As of this past weekend, a bitter McCollum flatly states he
will not endorse Scott in the Governor's race.
Good luck with that GOP unity, boys.
August 10, 2010:
"I'm not in the attacking business any more," Bush said. Of Scott, he said: "He may be a good guy and he may not be. I don't know. He's new to the game. In these kinds of times I think it's good to have someone who's been tested," like McCollum, who served 20 years in Congress and the past four as state attorney general.
.....
"Rick Scott gives me the creeps," said Betty Wolfe, 68, a party volunteer and retired railroad employee at CSX Corp.
Maureen Ortagus, a freelance photographer from St. Augustine, said Scott "scares me. I don't like people buying an election."
Longtime grass roots organizer Nancy Peek McGowan said Scott can't be trusted because he will not hold a statewide TV debate with McCollum. "Any man who won't come forward and present his vision is not ready to lead the state of Florida," McGowan said.
.....
When taking questions from the media, Bush acknowledged that he and McCollum differ on some issues, including whether Florida needs an Arizona-style immigration law, something that McCollum supports and Bush does not.
"So what?" Bush said of the difference, and later said: "I'm not voting for someone to be a clone of me. God forbid if someone actually had all my views. That would be a little scary."
----
LINKLest we forget, Jeb Bush knows something about
Medicare fraud.
But the best comment from Jeb Bush came on August 10, as he campaigned for McCollum:
And then he
took a swipe at Gov. Crist.
"I'm proud to tell you I'm the last Republican governor of the state," he said to a round of laughs.McCollum, he said, will be the next.
Wrong on McCollum, Jeb, but as to your former statement, we intend to make that happen.