Marco Rubio seeks aggressive approach to Russia
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio called for a more aggressive approach to Russia on Friday, including new sanctions against major officials and companies. During an appearance at a national security forum in Iowa, the Florida senator called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “gangster and a thug,” adding “I stand by that phrasing.” Rubio said if he’s elected, he’ll seek additional visa bans and asset freezes, provide more assistance to Ukraine and limit diplomatic engagement with Moscow “on issues not essential to resolving the crisis in Ukraine.” “We are barreling toward a second Cold War,” Rubio said. “The more our current president fails the test of leadership against Putin, the more important it becomes for our next president to pass it. And I will pass that test if I am given that opportunity.” Russia began airstrikes in Syria this week. While Moscow officials maintain that they are targeting Islamic State groups and other extremists, U.S. authorities have questioned that, noting the areas hit were strongholds of rebels seeking to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad. Rubio has been campaigning more in Iowa recently as he rises in the GOP polls and has picked up support following Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker‘s exit from the race. During the forum, he said that Islamic State militants in Syria should be defeated by Sunnis “on the ground,” with aviation and special forces support from the United States. On the flood of refugees from Syria, he said it would not be easy for the United States to conduct background checks on the refugees and said a better approach would be to create a “safe zone” in Syria where they can go. “It isn’t good for anyone … these dangerous journeys that they’re making into Europe,” Rubio said. Rubio — who is seeking to boost the United States’ military presence around the world — also said that defense spending was not the reason for federal debt, arguing instead in favor of overhauling entitlement programs. A spokesman for the Iowa Democratic Party questioned Rubio’s foreign policy work in Congress, noting he has missed recent votes on related issues. In an email, Sam Lau said: “Marco Rubio believes he can ignore his national security commitments in the U.S. Senate and then lecture to Iowans about the issue.” Rubio, who has one of the worst voting records this year in the Senate, has acknowledged missing some votes but said on ABC’s “This Week” recently that he has “tried very hard to be there as much as possible.” He also argued that voting is only part of his job, noting that he attends committee hearings and that his office provides an array of services for his Florida constituents. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center forced to reimburse Polk County expenses from frivolous lawsuit
After a decisive victory against the Montgomery-based Southern Poverty Law Center on allegations over the mistreatment of juveniles detained in the Polk County, FL jail, the Polk County sheriff’s office sued lawyers for the SPLC to recover $1.1 million in legal fees and expenses the department incurred defending the frivolous lawsuit. This week, a federal judge in Tampa ruled against legal sanctions that would force the SPLC to pay Polk County’s legal fees. “Given the law’s ‘demanding standard for imposing sanctions,’ the Sheriff’s claim falls (barely) short,” U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday wrote in his order. Merryday did however mandate the center reimburse the county $130,383 for expenses related to the lawsuit. This week, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd took to Facebook to tell Polk County taxpayers the good news: Back in April, I promised the taxpayers of Polk County that we would go after the legal costs and fees associated with this frivolous lawsuit, after U.S. District Court Judge Steven Merryday ruled in our favor that there was absolutely no evidence that juveniles in our county jail were being treated unfairly, as alleged by the plaintiffs. Not only did His Honor pen a 182-page ruling against their claims, he rebuked the SPLC for their legal arguments. As you know, I am very fiscally conservative, and we are always looking for ways to save money. When we have to spend money defending ourselves against ridiculous allegations such as these, we will pursue every avenue to recover costs allowable by law. We couldn’t be more thrilled that we were able to recoup some of those dollars.
Email Insights: Seth Hammett leaving governors office
It’s been a tough 4-6 weeks in Governor Robert Bentley‘s office. I’m sure a fresh start is a welcome change for everyone there. Today, the governor’s office announced that his Chief of Staff Seth Hamett will be leaving and that instead of naming a new chief of staff the governor has decided to split the position into a leadership management team led by Blake Hardwich and Jon Baranier. Hamett has been the target of aggressive media reports related to an arrangement that allowed him to continue his work with PowerSouth Energy Cooperative while assisting the governor. Read the official statement on the changes below. Senior staff to the Governor will be members of a new leadership management team responsible for carrying out the core operations of the Governor’s Office. The team will be co-led by Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration Blake Hardwich and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Jon Barganier. Additionally, Barganier will serve as the primary point of contact for the Governor’s Office. “Each member of our senior executive staff plays an important role in helping me serve the people of this state,” Governor Robert Bentley said. “Our team brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, as well as a heart for the people of we serve, to the Governor’s Office. The leadership team will work to strengthen our efforts to make Alabama stronger and better for all Alabamians.” The Governor’s Leadership Team replaces Chief of Staff Seth Hammett, who announced to staff and cabinet earlier this week he was returning to the private sector. “I appreciate Seth Hammett’s service as Chief of Staff, and his dedication to serve in my administration,” Governor Bentley said. “We made great strides in economic development and workforce training during the 2015 Regular Session, and I appreciate Seth’s guidance and experience in both fields.” “I want to thank Governor Bentley for his trust in me and the opportunity to serve as his Chief of Staff over the last year. Under his leadership and direction, we have made many improvements the way state government operates and have tackled many difficult issues together. It has been a richly rewarding experience to serve in this capacity and once again, work for the people of this state,” Hammett said.
Former Alabama first lady Dianne Bentley doing fine after divorce
Former Alabama first lady Dianne Bentley says she’s “doing fine” days after her divorce from Gov. Robert Bentley. WSFA-TV reports that Bentley made the comments during an appearance Thursday night in Montgomery. Dianne Bentley filed for divorce from the governor in late August, citing an irretrievable breakdown, and a judge officially ended their 50-year marriage on Tuesday. The former first lady says God is helping her, and expressed thanks for prayers. She says she still wants to represent the state “as a lady” even though she isn’t first lady anymore. Bentley’s comments came outside the state Capitol at a rally against domestic violence. Bentley campaigned for domestic violence awareness and prevention as first lady, and she says she wants to continue doing that. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Presidential TV ad roundup: Oct. 2 edition
It’s been another big-spend week as far as presidential campaigns TV ad buying goes, with candidates across the board investing more on the airwaves. Just this morning CNN reported that Hillary Clinton‘s presidential campaign has spent a whopping 90% of the money it raised over the last three months on campaign ads. On the other side of the aisle, Jeb Bush is the big spender as his campaign continues to place multi-million dollar ad buys into 2016 for his race for the GOP nomination. At this juncture, personal campaigns are spending far less than super PACs who continue to dominate TV messaging — a marked shift from 2012, when the opposite was true. Nevertheless, here’s the presidential TV ad roundup from the actual campaigns this past week: Jeb Bush Title: Power of My Catholic Faith Published: September 25, 2015 Tone: Sincere and personal Title: Four percent Published: September 28, 2015 Tone: Confident Title: Path to 4%: Keystone XL Published: September 30, 2015 Tone: Matter-of-fact Title: Return to growth Published: October 1, 2015 Tone: Encouraging Title: Embracing the energy revolution Published: October 2, 2015 Tone: Optimistic Mike Huckabee Title: Strip club Published: October 1, 2015 Tone: Gimmicky Marco Rubio Title: Marco’s tax plan: unapologetically pro-growth and pro-family Published: October 1, 2015 Tone: Straight-forward and informative Hillary Clinton Title: Overnight Published: September 28, 2015 Tone: Dedicated Title: Standing up for America’s educators Published: October 1, 2015 Tone: Thoughtful and determined
Donald Trump on Oregon shootings: “You’re always going to have problems”
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday said the most recent campus shooting in Oregon could have happened anywhere, adding that there are already “very strong laws on the books” to address gun violence. Trump joined MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program by phone – his 13th time on the show, either in person or on the phone, since declaring himself a candidate for 2016. He spoke the day after a 26-year-old man walked into a morning class at Umpqua Community College in rural Oregon and opened fire, hitting some students with multiple gunshots. At least nine people were killed and seven others were wounded. Co-host Willie Geist asked Trump what he would have done if the shooting happened under his presidency, noting that Oregon has universal background checks. “Well first of all, you have very strong laws on the books, but you’re always going to have problems,” Trump said. “I mean, we have millions and millions of people. We have millions of sick people all over the world. It can happen all over the world. “And it does happen all over the world, by the way, but this is sort of unique to this country, the school shootings, and you’re going to have difficulty no matter what,” he added. “I mean … probably we’ll find out with him, like we did with numerous of the others, that gee whiz, they were loners and they were probably sick. “You know, oftentimes this happens and the neighborhood says, you know, we sort of saw that about him and it really looked like he could be a problem. But it’s awfully hard to put somebody in an institution for the rest of their lives based on the fact he looks like he could be a problem. So it’s a terrible situation, it’s huge mental illness. You’re going to have these things happen and it’s a horrible thing to behold.” Geist asked, “So Donald, is it fair to say then that your opinion is some people are going to slip through the cracks and there’s not much you can do about it?” Trump responded, “… People are going to slip through the cracks and even if you did great mental health programs, people are going to slip through the cracks … What are you going to do? Institutionalize everybody? So you’re going to have difficulties … with many different things, not just this. That’s the way the world works. And by the way, that’s the way the world always has worked, Willie.” Trump also addressed remarks about him by Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton, discussed whether Congressman Kevin McCarthy should be the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and sized up fellow GOP candidate Ben Carson. A link to the video is here: https://on.msnbc.com/1M5ZCVu Material was used from The Associated Press in this post.
Marco Rubio to host ‘strategy summit’ with donors in Las Vegas
As Marco Rubio enjoys somewhat of a resurgence in national polling, the Republican presidential candidate will host a two-day Las Vegas summit with several top donors next week. The move by the Florida senator is an attempt to woo former backers of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who dropped out of the race last week after a poor showing at the second televised GOP debate. Rubio’s poll numbers have been on the rise. First reported by Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post, the football-themed “Quarter Four Strategy Summit” will be Oct. 8 and 9 – days after the close of the third quarter fundraising period — at the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip. Events include a “breakfast and team talk” and picnic dinner with the senator, according to the event invite. The meeting is to focus on fundraising strategy for the final three months of 2015. While in Nevada, a key early primary state, Rubio expects to hold a series of campaign events. Candidates have until mid-October to report fundraising totals to the Federal Election Commission.
Jeb Bush donors pitch ‘long haul’ after initial ‘shock and awe’
Jeb Bush‘s challenge in the first half of the year was daunting yet simple. To be considered a fundraising success, the Republican presidential candidate had to hit the magic number of $100 million, an ambitious goal set by some in his campaign. And he did. As another fundraising period ends, what now constitutes success for Bush isn’t as clear cut. No longer the front-runner in preference polls, Bush won’t repeat as the champion at raising money in the GOP’s 2016 field, lapped in the past three months by retired surgeon Ben Carson and perhaps by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, too. “They created such a high bar,” said Spencer Zwick, a top Republican donor who was 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney‘s finance chief. “Now anything less than $100 million in a quarter seems small.” But Bush’s financial team and strategists argue that he should now be judged by a different benchmark. Their mantra: He’s built to last. Using phrases like “go the distance,” ”marathon” and “long haul,” they argue that the former Florida governor is uniquely positioned to outlast other candidates, regardless of the fundraising number he posts for the third quarter. “If we were frozen with just the resources we have right now, he could still be in the game right to the very end,” said Kenneth Lipper, a New York financier and top fundraiser for Bush. “Longevity is the right word.” Bush’s finance team describes his fundraising in the past three months as “respectable” and “fine,” while declining to provide the specifics on just how much they raised. That detail will come later this month in a report filed with federal regulators. It’s true that the summer months of the year before the election are typically the bleakest time for candidates to raise money. Romney collected $14.2 million during the same period in 2011, the least of any three-month period between the beginning of his campaign and when he secured the Republican presidential nomination. Yet the summer didn’t slow down Carson, who has never run for office and has raised $20 million since July. Bush aides say they also expect to be topped by Cruz, the Texas senator with unvarnished contempt for his own party’s leadership and an enthusiastic tea party following. Bush has scored harder-to-measure fundraising gains, such as winning the support of Anthony Scaramucci, a national fundraising leader for former candidate Scott Walker. Next week, Bush heads back to Chicago, where he quickly converted former Romney supporters early this year, for a series of fundraisers hosted by wealthy donors who helped get his super PAC soaring. Bush’s fundraising still has a distinctly presidential look, in part because it includes so many who raised money for his father and brother. Bush’s major donors will gather in Houston at the end of the month for a “Jeb celebration” that includes Presidents George H.W. and George W. Bush. “For others, stardom is ephemeral. I’m very happy to see Jeb hold his own,” said Fred Zeidman, a Houston businessman raising money for Bush. “We have the most money and we can outlast. He’s showing the discipline of a long-term candidate.” Unlike Walker, who dropped out of the race because he couldn’t raise enough money to pay for his 100-employee political operation, Bush’s campaign fundraising and campaign scale are in sync, his donors said. That doesn’t mean they are comfortable where they are, or expect to be any time soon, said longtime Bush supporter Al Hoffman, the founder of Florida’s largest real estate development company. “We’re all worried. That’s what we do, we worry all the time,” Hoffman said. “But it’s a healthy sense of anxiety that we can always do more that keeps us going.” Craig Duchossois, a Chicago-area private equity investor and Bush donor, said national polls showing Bush in single digits unnerves some less-seasoned donors. He admits some movement this fall by Bush in early-voting state surveys “certainly would be encouraging.” But he argues that more than anything else, success for Bush at this stage is raising enough money for his actual campaign to stay in the race and take advantage of his super PAC. Helped by two dozen million-dollar checks, it amassed $103 million in donations through the end of June — more than double any other candidate-specific super PAC. “Let me suggest to you that fundraising is not the metric as important for Jeb as it is for everyone else,” said Duchossois, who hosted an event for Bush’s super PAC in February. “Jeb’s goal, and what we consider success, is getting his message across.” Bush, who as a candidate can no longer direct the super PAC, left it in the hands of his top media strategist, Mike Murphy. It has started spending its millions introducing Bush as “a committed conservative” to voters in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The tentacles of the official campaign, which also just began advertising, have spread well beyond those early voting states. That’s partly why Austin Barbour said he joined Bush’s campaign after former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the candidate he’d been helping, dropped out last month. Barbour will help Bush organize a push for wins on March 1, when voters in a dozen states including Texas and Virginia cast their primary ballots. “The campaigns that have the resources to go deep into April,” Barbour said, “those are the ones that are going to survive and thrive. You’ve got to be prepared to go the distance.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
