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I’m Not Afraid of the Big Bad Rubio and Jeff Greene is a Real Schmuck

I’m NOT Afraid of the Big Bad Rubio
and Jeff Greene is a Real Schmuck:
Why We All Need to Get Behind Kendrick Meek Right Now

I keep hearing folks say that they have given up on Kendrick Meek and that they’re voting for Chain Gang Charlie Crist in November because he is the only hope to keep Tea Bagger Marco Rubio out of Washington.

Bullshit.

It’s true that the polls don’t look very good for Meek right now, but November is a long way away and Marco Rubio is primed to self-destruct.  As Rubio implodes, Dems may end up with a real choice in November, but only if we ensure that Kendrick Meek wins the Democratic Primary.

Rubio is a lightweight.  He’s never been tested in a statewide race.  His West Miami district is safely Republican.   Like some other Tea Party candidates who found themselves suddenly newsworthy, his campaign is wilting somewhat as the harsh glare of the national media spotlight illuminates slimy stances that are forcing the candidate to dance around the issues.

But in Rubio’s case, the campaign is also drowning under a deluge of scandal.

Rubio, the fiscal responsibility candidate, was carrying a million dollars or so in debt as of 2008 and is a deadbeat.  Apparently, at least since he was forced to cut up his Republican Party of Florida AMEX, he has not been making monthly mortgage payments on a house he co-owns in Talahassee.  Rubio’s camp claims it’s all a big misunderstanding.  The Bank has filed for foreclosure.

Speaking of Rubio’s RPOF AMEX, he was one of the big spenders, racking up one hundred and six thousand dollars in charges.  He is known to have double billed taxpayers and the RPOF for expense reimbursement and he was very slow to reimburse the party for personal expenses incurred on his card.  He chalks all that up to accounting oversights.  The IRS and FBI are investigating.

It was accounting again, along with staff errors, that led to six million dollars allegedly being misappropriated by Ray Sansom, Rubio’s hand picked successor as Speaker of the Florida House.  Neither Marco Rubio, whose job as Speaker required him to sign off on all budget items, nor Governor Charlie Crist, who could have vetoed this particular turkey, have any memory whatsoever of the line item which paid for a brand new airplane hanger for Sansom’s future employer.  Sansom is awaiting trial.

All of these scandals are starting to wear on Rubio and he’s already slipping in the polls.  He’s not coming back up.

So, if Rubio continues to slip, then there really is no reason to strategically back Crist to keep Rubio out of DC.  And if Kendrick Meek wins the Democratic Primary then we will have a choice between Crist, a Republican who is adopting Democratic ideas in a calculated move to appeal to the political center and Meek, a real Democrat who has always believed in and voted for the ideals that form the bedrock of our party.

But now, with Jeff Greene having purchased a spot on the primary ballot, Meek first has to win the Democratic primary in order to give us a real choice in November.  Jeff Greene has bombarded the airwaves and has literally bought himself up to parity with Meek,  but no one really knows anything about him or where he stands on the issues.

It is, however, fairly easy to illustrate the difference between the Democrat in the Democratic primary race for Florida Senate and the other guy who is running in the Democratic primary.

First, from The Buzz:

Jeff Greene's first campaign stop in Tampa Bay yesterday. He met privately with assorted politicos, taped some TV interviews and stopped by the Jordan Park gym in St Pete, to visit an after-school program serving mostly African-American children. His chauffeur drove up in a shiny cadillac, and Greene cheerfully pressed the flesh with nearly two dozen people.

Jeff Greene with his Limo and his Driver

And from The Miami Herald:

Unlike most candidates, Meek usually carries his own bags and takes the wheel on campaign road trips,  even while making fundraising calls or doing interviews. He drives a solid 80 mph on the highway, frequently in the left lane. ``The one thing I like about going out on the road [to campaign] is that I get a chance to drive,'' he said.

Kendrick Meek delivers petitions. Meek is the only statewide candidate to qualify for the ballot via petition in Florida history.

We've got a regular guy with working class credentials and values up against The Millionaire Billionaire and his wife mom.

Billionaire Democratic Senate candidate Jeff Greene features his 83-year-old mother, Century Village of West Palm Beach resident Barbara Greene, in his newest TV spot.

“My Jeff, he’ll shake things up in Washington and he’ll get results. That’s what he does,” Barbara Greene says in the ad.

The Billionaire and his mom.

People were being mean to Jeff Greene so he used his mom as a human shield.  Classy.

Look, I haven't even touched on the fact that Crist is tied into most of the same scandals as Rubio plus a few of his own.  Crist and Rubio could both conceivably be under indictment soon.  Even if you think you will ultimately vote for Crist, you need to support Meek right now during his primary challenge or you could find yourself regretting your lack of a plan B as you hold your nose and send Democratic Primary Winner Jeff Greene to DC.

Keep your options open.  Support Kendrick Meek in the primary.  Don't let this schmuck Jeff Greene buy the nomination.  Ensure that voters have a real choice in November.