Beto O’Rourke resuming presidential run with ‘major’ Texas speech
Beto O’Rourke will formally rejoin the presidential race on Thursday, resuming a campaign that has been suspended for nearly two weeks with what he promises will be a “major address to the nation” from his hometown of El Paso, Texas, where a mass shooting killed 22 people. The Democratic former congressman will outline “the path forward” for his presidential campaign “and for the future of the country.” He will then resume traveling the nation as a 2020 White House hopeful, though his advisers have yet to announce where he’ll go. O’Rourke was campaigning in Nevada on Aug. 3 when a gunman who denounced immigrants in an online screed opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, a U.S.-Mexico border town. O’Rourke rushed home and has tried to help his city cope. He missed scheduled visits to California, Colorado and Iowa, forgoing the state that opens presidential primary voting during the state fair, when nearly every other Democrat in the crowded presidential field was there. Canceling a high-profile Iowa stop immediately began clamor in Texas and beyond that O’Rourke could scrap his presidential bid and return to Texas to challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who is up for reelection next year. O’Rourke, who became a political star by nearly unseating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz last year, entered the race for the White House with strong buzz and fundraising but has seen both fade. Still, O’Rourke’s campaign manager, Jen O’Malley Dillon, dismissed that notion, saying in a statement to The Associated Press: “Now more than ever, this country needs the honest leadership Beto continues to demonstrate — and that is why he is running for president.”O’Rourke aides also say privately that the El Paso shooting only strengthened the candidate’s resolve to be president since he feels President Donald Trump helped cause it. In a CNN op-ed, O’Rourke noted that the shooting suspect drove more than 600 miles (965 kilometers) to “hunt and kill Hispanic people” and that he “followed a path of vile inspiration that reaches from the darkest chapters of our history and runs directly to the White House today,” despite the Republican president blaming mental illness and video games. “It is on all of us, individually and through the institutions of the press and Congress, to decide what this country will stand for at this defining moment of truth,” O’Rourke wrote in the op-ed. By Will Weissert Associated Press Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Gary Palmer caught in Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump crossfire
Alabama 7th District U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer has been caught in the crossfire between President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Last week, Trump fired several barbs at Sessions, telling Fox news channel’s “Fox & Friends” that Sessions “took the job and then he said, ‘I’m going to recuse myself.” “[He] never took control of the Justice Department and it’s a sort of an incredible thing,” Trump continued. Sessions then fired back at the president, saying that the Justice department would not be “improperly influenced by political considerations.” Rachael Bade, a Politico reporter and CNN political analyst, appeared on CNN Friday, saying she contacted Palmer to speak with him on the subject. “I called Gary Palmer, who is a Republican from Alabama, close with Sessions, yesterday to get his take on this sort of back and forth,” Bade said according to CNN Transcripts. “At one point Gary Palmer was very adamantly defending and blasting his colleagues who were in any way criticizing Sessions. But Gary Palmer told me he has his own problems with Sessions. And he specifically listed some of those things that the president was tweeting about this morning regarding document production to Congress, Rod Rosenstein perhaps not being the best person to be working in the Justice Department, according to him.” “And he was unhappy with certain things that Sessions was doing,” Bade continued. “So I just — I think it’s really interesting, the conversation is changing. And I don’t think that’s a good sign for Sessions. It’s a matter of time, I think, before he goes.” Palmer responded on Twitter by calling out CNN, and denying that the story was true. “A recent CNN news story mischaracterized my trust in Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He has my full trust and I think he’s done an excellent job in de-politicizing the DOJ. The DOJ has many ongoing investigations and Jeff Sessions will ultimately be judged by their outcomes,” Palmer tweeted. “As it stands, Jeff Sessions is doing his job when the only leaks are coming from those being investigated. While I share the President’s concerns about the Russia investigation and believe it should end, Jeff Sessions is recused from that,” he continued. “On the other hand, I think Rod Rosenstein has not represented the DOJ well, especially regarding Congressional oversight and document production. This is what I told the CNN reporter; CNN reinterpreting my comments for the sake of headlines is the very definition of fake news.” A recent CNN news story mischaracterized my trust in Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He has my full trust and I think he’s done an excellent job in de-politicizing the DOJ. The DOJ has many ongoing investigations and Jeff Sessions will ultimately be judged by their outcomes. — Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) August 24, 2018 As it stands, Jeff Sessions is doing his job when the only leaks are coming from those being investigated. While I share the President’s concerns about the Russia investigation and believe it should end, Jeff Sessions is recused from that. — Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) August 24, 2018 On the other hand, I think Rod Rosenstein has not represented the DOJ well, especially regarding Congressional oversight and document production. This is what I told the CNN reporter; CNN reinterpreting my comments for the sake of headlines is the very definition of fake news. — Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) August 24, 2018
The White House should revoke April Ryan’s press credentials
There are times in which I imagine working in the Trump White House — you look around you at the President, his press coverage and his staff get and you wonder if you’re in some kind of twilight zone. To say the media has been unfair to Trump, his staff and his Administration since day one would be the understatement of the century. Which is why confidence in the media and its “balanced” coverage is so dismal right now. Today there’s been a lot of talk about CNN’s April Ryan and her delusional misrepresentation of her very pubic exchange with Sarah Huckabee Sanders. What may be one of the most absurd stories I’ve seen come of this White House press briefing room is that Ryan believes Huckabee Sanders was essentially inviting her to a street fight. Because that’s what I think of when I think of Huckabee Sander’s a woman who wants to throw down. Ryan went so far as to call sweet Sarah “Very Street.” Is that even a phrase that people use? Sarah Huckabee Sanders, as I said in my last editorial on the White House Correspondents Dinner, is one of the classiest, most respectable people working in Washington, D.C. and this administration right now. For anyone to insinuate that she is looking for a fist fight is nothing short of comical. It reeks of media desperation in an attempt to shine a media spotlight on yourself. The headlines of the interaction and Ryan’s take on it have been hysterical if not sad: “April Ryan claims Huckabee Sanders’ response could have initiated ‘physical fight’: It was ‘gutter’” and “April Ryan accuses Sarah Huckabee Sanders of ‘singling her out’.“ Sarah is a professional who’s doing her job. Lord knows it’s not an easy job, but to have to deal with the accusations that she trying to start a street fight with a reporter because she pointed out that the reporter couldn’t speak to what she was feeling is insane. Should the White House just turn a blind eye to Ryan’s continued antics in the press briefing room? I don’t think they should. Essentially, April Ryan has forfeited her professional obligations as a journalist and has become a sideshow herself. The White House has an obligation to allow the press to cover their events — even press who disagree with the administration — but Ryan has passed that point. Allowing her in, is just allowing a heckler in who’s going to seek out every opportunity to cause a stir and make the media rounds herself. We deserve better. The American people deserve better. Journalists deserve better. This women needs to have her credentials revoked then she needs to issue Huckabee Saunders an apology. I realize that neither of these things are likely to happen, but that’s what should happen. The press briefing room and press corp should have higher standards than April Ryan and her antics.
Blake Dowling: Wise Kim meets Leon County
The “Leon Consulate of Florida” was overthrown this week, thanks to the chumps at the Moroccan Islamic Union-Mail. I suppose they meant Leon County, since this hacking wing of ISIS hasn’t quite mastered English. What they refer to is the Leon County (North Florida) website; it was indeed hacked for a couple of minutes, replaced with this creepy message: County officials responded immediately that the attack was only “surface level” and all sensitive data was protected behind a firewall. Perhaps the county needed a little distraction from the FBI-fueled barrage of media coverage over the past couple of weeks. Good job Kim. If you check out the Facebook page — although I would not recommend it, as the National Security Agency and FBI might be tapping on your door, or you might make a list you would rather not be on — you will see a warning to all that this group is going to be attacking “the most important sites in the world” over the next few days. So look out Andrew Gillum, Chris Christie, John Morgan and Tmz.com — this means you. Tighten up those websites. Apply patches, run updates, don’t host sites in an unsecured location etc. Although it appears this particular hack did squat in our Capital City, what happens when one actually wreaks havoc? In last week’s Petya ransomware attack, a few firms got hit hard. Reckitt Benckiser (Britain), the maker of Norofen tablets, Durex condoms, and other quality products, are still partially down as of this writing. They got pummeled; manufacturing, shipping, ordering, all disrupted. The global tab for this attack could reach $100 million, the company estimates. Some firms pay ransom to try and get their data back, but the bitcoin payments were made and (poof) nada. So, unlike similar recent attacks, this one appears to have launched just to create chaos and digital destruction in a specific area. We will see a lot of this in the near future as nation-states wish to wage cyberwarfare with one another versus more traditional combat. Besides Wise Man Kim, no one else seems to want WW3, but if it came down to that, here are the current Top 5 militaries most likely to come out on top. A local CBS affiliate is about to enter my office for a quick segment about cybersecurity, so allow me to wrap this up with some ways to protect your business or organization from hackers and threats. Step 1: Strong password. Step 2: Antivirus and antispam solutions. Step 3: Firewall. Step 4: Robust backup. Step 4: Don’t piss off CNN. Step 5: Training. Steps 1 through 4 used to be enough, but people aren’t getting the message. Users are still clicking where they shouldn’t, so they must be trained, followed up by intrusion testing (try this test for your staff). Next, more training; even then, you won’t be 100 percent protected, but you will minimize risk. As far as best practices go, that is a good path. In closing, I hope Wise Kim gets back to his party island and stops with the missile shenanigans, that will only end badly for him and the world. I hope CNN gets back to broadcasting news, and that no one else gets subpoenaed in Tallahassee for CRA-Gate. We need some good news in our region (like local hero Walter, nice work sir: That’s it for today, have an awesome weekend. ___ Blake Dowling is CEO of Aegis Business Technologies, enjoys the Allman Brothers Band, the writings of Hemingway, and any movie with Pauly Shore. He can be reached at dowlingb@aegisbiztech.com.
Retracted CNN story a boon for president at war with media
For a president seemingly at perpetual war with “fake news,” the resignation of three CNN journalists over a retracted story about a Donald Trump Russian connection is a gift from the political gods when the struggling effort to pass a health bill dominates the headlines. The White House quickly took advantage Tuesday with blistering presidential tweets and a media scolding at the afternoon press briefing. Conservative provocateur James O’Keefe piled on by releasing a video with a CNN producer caught on camera talking about the network’s Russia coverage being ratings-driven. CNN late Monday accepted the resignations of journalists Thomas Frank, Eric Lichtblau and Lex Haris over last week’s web story about Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci‘s pre-inaugural meeting with the head of a Russian investment fund. The network retracted the story on Friday and apologized to Scaramucci. Trump has been unhappy with CNN since he was a candidate, and has been particularly annoyed by its reporting on connections with Russia. The misstep on a relatively minor story – it was never mentioned on any of CNN’s television networks – left some White House staff members jubilant, believing it handed them a new talking point to use as a cudgel against mainstream media organizations they feel are largely biased against them. That happened quickly Tuesday when Sarah Huckabee Sanders called on a Breitbart News reporter for the first question of the White House briefing. It was about CNN. She said the “constant barrage of fake news” at the president has frustrated Trump. She called stories about Russia and Trump “a hoax” that is distracting from other news. Sanders urged all Americans to watch a video posted by O’Keefe’s Project Veritas featuring CNN producer John Bonifield – even though she couldn’t vouch for its accuracy. “If it is accurate, I think it’s a disgrace to all of media, to all of journalism,” Sanders said. “I think that if we have gone to a place where the media can’t be trusted to report the news, then that’s a dangerous place for America. And I think if that is that place that certain outlets are going – particularly for the purpose of spiking ratings, and if that’s coming directly from the top, I think that’s even more scary.” She was interrupted by reporter Brian Karem of the Sentinel newspapers, who accused Sanders of inflaming anti-media sentiment. “Everyone in this room is only trying to do their job,” he said. Sanders ignored CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny‘s attempt to ask a question before ending her briefing. After Sanders left the stage, she was criticized on Fox News Channel, where Trump-friendly views usually dominate. Wall Street Journal editor John Bussey told Fox’s Shepard Smith that “the White House could actually learn from CNN’s example” about being forthright when caught saying something untrue. Earlier in the day, Trump tweeted that “they caught Fake News CNN cold.” He lumped ABC, CBS, NBC, The New York Times and The Washington Post together in the same “fake news” category. He said that “CNN is looking at big management changes now that they got caught falsely pushing their phony Russian stories. Ratings way down!” A spokeswoman for CNN chief Jeff Zucker didn’t respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. CNN’s public relations staff refuted Trump’s notion that the network is hurting, saying it is completing the most-watched second quarter in its history. The president was livid at CNN’s story but also felt vindicated because it seemed to confirm his belief that the cable network was trying to undermine his presidency, according to one staffer who demanded anonymity to discuss private conversations. The CNN issue enables the White House to change the subject for what has been a rough stretch for the presidency, with constant questions about the Russia probe and a vote on the Republican health care bill delayed. Aides also believe that highlighting media mistakes could be a useful way of questioning reporters’ credibility and convincing supporters that Trump was the victim of a witch hunt. Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted a link to the Bonifield video. Besides talking about ratings, the Atlanta-based producer in CNN’s medical unit said the network has no “smoking gun” showing wrongdoing by Trump and that “the president is probably right to say, look, you are witch-hunting me.” CNN said in a statement that it is standing by Bonifield. “Diversity of personal opinion is what makes CNN strong,” CNN said. “We welcome it and embrace it.” O’Keefe told The Associated Press that Project Veritas got the video on Friday and that a portion, in an elevator, was recorded at CNN’s headquarters. He said that Project Veritas plans to release another video involving another CNN employee, with the timing dependent on how CNN reacts to the Bonifield material. O’Keefe and Project Veritas have a track record of aiding Republican causes, often by using hidden cameras and hiding identities, and Trump’s nonprofit foundation has made two $10,000 donations to the organization. His sting operation led to the downfall of ACORN, a community organizing group that O’Keefe portrayed as engaging in criminal activity via hidden camera. Before last November’s election, Project Veritas released a series of heavily edited videos that included a Democratic activist appearing to brag about deploying troublemakers at Trump rallies. The fallout included the two people most prominently featured, Scott Foval and Robert Creamer, cutting ties with the Democratic National Committee. Creamer’s firm recently sued Project Veritas alleging the sting violated federal wiretap law. O’Keefe declined to discuss how the Bonifield video came about. O’Keefe said his efforts are journalistic and, since they include video, he contends that it is more believable than media stories based on anonymous sources. The retracted CNN story was heavily dependent upon one anonymous source. One social media exchange about the CNN story indicated how feelings about the network were running strong among Trump supporters. John Podhoretz, a conservative columnist for The New York Post and editor of Commentary magazine tweeted that “CNN published a bad story, pulled it,
White House bars major news outlets from gaggle
News organizations including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, CNN and POLITICO were blocked from joining an informal, on the record White House press briefing Friday. The Associated Press chose not to participate in the gaggle following the move by White House press secretary Sean Spicer. “The AP believes the public should have as much access to the president as possible,” Lauren Easton, the AP’s director of media relations, said in a statement. Several news organizations were allowed in, including the conservative website Breitbart News. The site’s former executive chairman, Steve Bannon, is chief strategist to President Donald Trump. The White House defended the decision not to include some news organizations. “We invited the pool so everyone was represented. We decided to add a couple of additional people beyond the pool. Nothing more than that,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders. Earlier Friday in a speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference, President Donald Trump railed against the media. Reaction from barred media outlets was swift. “Nothing like this has ever happened at the White House in our long history of covering multiple administrations of different parties. We strongly protest the exclusion of The New York Times and the other news organizations. Free media access to a transparent government is obviously of crucial national interest,” Dean Baquet, the Times’ executive editor, said in a statement. “This is an unacceptable development by the Trump White House. Apparently, this is how they retaliate when you report facts they don’t like. We’ll keep reporting regardless,” CNN said in a statement. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
CNN: Donald Trump attacks haven’t hurt the news network
The president of CNN said Thursday that neither the network’s journalism or business have been hurt as a result of President Donald Trump‘s attacks. Jeff Zucker, president of CNN Worldwide, spoke Thursday at the same time Trump was holding a news conference in Washington in which he continued his barrage against media coverage of the administration. Zucker said he was worried enough about Trump’s labeling of CNN as “fake news” through the campaign and after that he ordered a study last month to see if it had damaged the network’s reputation with viewers. He said it hadn’t. Less than a third —or 31 percent — of 2,000 Americans surveyed said they believed CNN’s coverage of Trump had been unfair, the internal study found. The survey also reported that a little more than half of respondents said they trusted CNN, but that was well above the trust level for Trump or members of Congress. “The CNN brand has been as strong as it has ever been,” Zucker said. Network executives said CNN had its most profitable year in 2016 and was on pace to do even better this year. The administration has reportedly banned its officials from appearing on CNN, although there have been sporadic exceptions. The dispute has been most apparent on Sundays, where on two weekends Vice President Mike Pence and presidential aide Stephen Miller were guests on other network political affairs shows but not on Jake Tapper‘s CNN show, “State of the Union.” Zucker, who said he had not spoken with Trump since December on this or other issues, said it hasn’t affected CNN’s ability to tell the political story. “We don’t feel it’s hurt us in any way,” he said. Angered by the Pence snub, CNN said that it declined an administration offer to instead have aide Kellyanne Conway on Tapper’s show, saying she had credibility issues. Conway has said she wasn’t available that day. But Tapper interviewed her two days later. “Saying that we have questions about her credibility does not mean that we would never interview her,” Zucker said. Like its rivals, particularly Fox News Channels, CNN has benefited from extraordinary interest in the new administration. CNN’s ratings are up 51 percent this year compared to last, he said. That’s unusual because news network ratings usually tumble after a presidential election. Trump’s lengthy news conference on Thursday was filled with media criticism. But he took questions from a range of reporters; many White House reporters — including CNN’s Jim Acosta — had been concerned over the past week when Trump bypassed the mainstream media in three separate news conferences connected to visits by foreign leaders, instead calling on representatives from more friendly news outlets. On Thursday Trump even took questions from Acosta, but also specifically criticized some of CNN’s coverage of him. The president said that CNN’s 10 p.m. news show, hosted by Don Lemon, “is almost exclusive anti-Trump.” “I would be your biggest fan in the world if you treated me right,” Trump said. “I sort of understand there’s a certain bias, maybe by Jeff or somebody, you know, whatever reason. And I understand that. But you’ve got to be at least a little bit fair and that’s why the public sees it. They see it. They see it’s not fair. You take a look at some of your shows and you see the bias and the hatred.” Acosta, for his part, told the president that “just for the record, we don’t hate you. I don’t hate you.” After the news conference, CNN’s Tapper said the president was “unhinged.” He said that Trump’s performance might play well among people who voted for him, but “a lot of people are going to say, ‘that guy isn’t focused on me. I don’t know what he’s focused on.’” A few minutes later on Fox News Channel, Bret Baier said that Trump’s “mesmerizing” performance was an illustration of why people had supported him. “There are people who are going to say that it was unhinged, or their heads are going to explode at something he said, but this is Trump being Trump,” Baier said. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Donald Trump says White House ‘fine-tuned machine,’ despite turmoil
Donald Trump mounted an aggressive defense of his young presidency Thursday, lambasting reports that his campaign advisers had inappropriate contact with Russian officials and vowing to crack down on the leaking of classified information. Nearly a month into his presidency, Trump insisted in a freewheeling White House news conference that his new administration had made “significant progress” and took credit for an optimistic business climate and a rising stock market. The president denounced media reports of a chaotic start to his administration marked by his contentious executive order — rejected by a federal appeals court — to place a ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations. Trump said he would announce a “new and very comprehensive order to protect our people” next week. “This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine,” Trump declared in a lengthy news conference that saw the new commander in chief repeatedly interrupting reporters’ questions and airing his grievances. Throughout the encounter the new president delivered recurring criticism of the news media, accusing it of being “out of control” and promising to take his message “straight to the people.” He dismissed recent reports in The New York Times and on CNN that Trump campaign aides had been in contact with Russian officials before his election. Trump called Paul Manafort, his former campaign manager who has ties to Ukraine and Russia, a “respected man.” Pressed repeatedly, Trump said that “nobody that I know of” on his campaign staff had contacted Russian officials. He called such reports a “ruse” and said he had “nothing to do with Russia.” Trump added, “Russia is fake news. This is fake news put out by the media.” Amid reports of widespread leaks within his administration, Trump also warned that he would clamp down on the dissemination of sensitive information, saying he had asked the Justice Department to investigate. “Those are criminal leaks,” adding, “The leaks are real. The news is fake.” He blamed any problems on the outgoing Obama administration. “I inherited a mess at home and abroad — a mess,” Trump said. The president announced that Alexander Acosta, the dean of the Florida International University law school, would be his nominee for Labor secretary. That came a day after fast-food executive Andrew Puzder withdrew his nomination for Labor after losing support among Republican senators. Trump, a reality television star and real estate mogul who was elected as an outsider intent on change, said his ousted national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was “just doing his job” in talking with Russian officials before the inauguration. But he said he was “not happy” with how Flynn described his phone call with a Russian diplomat to Vice President Mike Pence. Trump knew for weeks that Flynn had misled Pence but did not inform the vice president, according to a timeline of events supplied by the White House. Trump said he had identified a strong replacement for Flynn, which made the decision to let him go easier. Trump is said to favor Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a former Navy SEAL, as his next national security adviser, according to a White House official. Harward met with top White House officials last week and has the backing of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. He was meeting with officials later Thursday. Addressing immigration, one of the biggest issues of the past campaign, Trump said it was difficult dealing with the policy known as DACA, which allows young adults to get work permits and Social Security numbers and protects them from deportation. Referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals rule, he said he would “deal with DACA with heart.” While Trump has promised to halt illegal immigration as a cornerstone of his administration, he has also promised to focus on people who have committed crimes. He said he had the “best lawyers” working on the policy now and the “new executive order is being tailored to the decision we got from the court.” Earlier in the day, Trump had a breakfast meeting with some of his staunchest House supporters. The White House has said Trump asked for Flynn’s resignation because he had misled Vice President Mike Pence over his dealings with Russia and whether he had discussed sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Flynn previously had denied those conversations to Pence and other top officials. On Thursday, he warned in a pair of tweets that “lowlife leakers” of classified information will be caught. As journalists were being escorted out of the breakfast meeting, Trump responded to a reporter’s question on the subject by saying: “We’re going to find the leakers” and “they’re going to pay a big price.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Sheldon Adelson to boost Donald Trump with $25M of ads in campaign final days
Donald Trump is set to receive more than $25 million of new advertising, thanks to a pair of outside groups looking to boost the GOP candidate in the final days of a grueling presidential campaign. This unexpected boost, first reported by CNN, could help the GOP nominee come in line with Hillary Clinton’s television ad buys. Two outside groups supported by billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson are looking to bring Trump into dollar-for-dollar parity with Democrats. Future 45 super PAC, along with the affiliated nonprofit 45 Committee will sink another $25 million, according to Brian Baker, the group’s president. Baker tells CNN it is “one of the biggest political efforts launched in the final week of a presidential campaign ever.” Included in the new ad buy is another dozen new ads on social media platforms such as Snapchat, as well as spots targeting Spanish-speaking voters and millennials. One of the spots, which premiered on YouTube Thursday, features a woman impersonating Hillary Clinton using a hammer and drill to smash phones and computers – a nod to Clinton’s persistent email controversy. Despite strong fundraising in September, both groups have not spent much recently, at least until this new wave of cash and advertising. As his campaign winds down, Trump and his committees were expected to spend about $20 million, a figure much less than that of Clinton and her supporters. Nevertheless, both Clinton and Trump – as well as their outside groups – have spiked in television purchases during the final days. Clinton and her allied groups expect to spend $53.5 million; for Trump and his groups, ad buys equal about $30.5 million.
Marco Rubio donor meeting raises possibility of brokered convention
Facing unsteady ground as Super Tuesday approaches, Marco Rubio is bracing for the prospect of a brokered Republican Convention in Cleveland this July. CNN reports on a closed-door meeting with about 200 Rubio supporters and donors Wednesday evening, where the campaign considered options as a stopgap measure against the nominations of either GOP front-runner Donald Trump or Ted Cruz. According to two people at the private event, Terry Sullivan, Rubio’s top adviser, used a PowerPoint presentation and question-and-answer session to outline two possibilities for the Florida senator to secure the Republican nomination. “One is somebody — Trump or Rubio — wins enough primaries to sew up the nomination in advance of the convention,” one attendee told CNN. “The other is that nobody does, and the two candidates go to the convention.” The campaign is working overtime to convince potential donors that Rubio is the viable establishment alternative to either Trump or Cruz, and that he has a legitimate path to victory. Yet Trump is the one approaching the Super Tuesday primaries March 1 as the undisputed Republican front-runner, with decisive wins in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Rubio, in comparison, has yet to win a single state. Although only hypothetical at this point, a brokered convention seems increasingly conceivable, particularly in light of Rubio’s Wednesday meeting. Nevertheless, the attendees said Sullivan remains confident that Rubio would win in Florida, despite recent polling showing him lagging behind Trump. One major question shadowing the entire event was whether giving to the Rubio campaign would not be a waste of money, as it was with for Jeb Bush, who exited the race last week after a poor showing in South Carolina.
Email insights: It’s a big day for Marco Rubio and Tim Scott
Today’s the big day in South Carolina for Tim Scott, one of two African-Americans in the U.S. Senate. Scott is also a recent convert to Marco Rubio’s presidential campaign. A new primary-day email fundraising pitch tells how Scott, with his “friend Trey Gowdy,” spent the past couple weeks crisscrossing the state to campaign for Rubio, whom Scott calls “the man who needs to be the next president of the United States.” South Carolina is only the beginning, Scott says, and the race is far from over. “In fact,” he writes, “it’s really just a minor skirmish compared with what’s to come.” An even bigger day comes March 1, and with more in next couple weeks after that. “Marco’s going to need a huge amount of resources to build up his national campaign — that’s why we’ve set an ambitious goal of raising $300,000 by the time the polls close tonight.” Who can argue with ambition, especially on primary day? Scott adds that not only is Rubio a “good friend and would make an awesome president,” but the stakes “couldn’t be higher” in 2016. “After two terms of President Obama, we need a conservative Republican nominee who has a vision for restoring the American Dream that’s defined my life, and Marco’s,” Scott says. “Will you go here to help make sure Marco gets to be that candidate?” Primary votes may be one thing, but cold hard cash is quite another. Scott’s support is no small feat; he is the first black Republican to serve in the U.S. Senate from the former Confederate States since Reconstruction. Scott’s endorsement, along with that of Gov. Nikki Haley, provides an essential sign of GOP diversity in a state with a large African-American population. “Make no mistake: This is a big endorsement for Rubio. Scott is very popular in South Carolina,” CNN had reported February 1. “Scott held town halls with every candidate in the lead-up to the primaries, and maintained an unbiased position on all of them.” Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.
New Jeb Bush ad uses Rick Santorum’s stumble to take a shot at Marco Rubio
Jeb Bush is jumping on Rick Santorum’s inability to name an accomplishment of Marco Rubio, using the footage of in a new television advertisement. As first reported by CNN, the 60-second spot will start running in New Hampshire on Saturday. The advertisement features clips from an interview with Santorum on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Thursday. During the interview, Santorum struggles to name something Rubio had done during his first term in the Senate. After showing about 30 seconds of Santorum fumbling through the interview, Sean Hannity is heard interviewing Bush and rattling off a list of his accomplishments during his time in the governor’s mansion. “I was a reform-minded conservative. I did cut taxes every year. I balanced budgets every year. When I left, there were $9 billion in reserves, we reduced the state government workforce by 13,000,” the former Florida governor is shown saying in the advertisement. “My record, I think, shows the path of what could happen in Washington, D.C.” NEW AD: My conservative record of accomplishments vs. @MarcoRubio’s record of doing nothing in the Senate.https://t.co/vKbtrVGlmF — Jeb Bush (@JebBush) February 5, 2016 The advertisement is the second as many days using the Morning Joe footage. On Thursday, Chris Christie released a 30-second spot based on the interview. Recent polls show Rubio gaining ground in the Granite State. A NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll has Rubio in second place in New Hampshire with 17 percent. The survey found Bush was at 9 percent and Christie was at 4 percent.
