Florida candidates for United States Senate face off in ABC debate
On Thursday night, October 7th, Marco Rubio, Charlie Crist and Kendrick Meek took part in a round table debate for 1 hour on ABC News. Topics during this debate ranged from health care, to social security, to gay adoptions, to the deficit, to the stimulus bill passed by President Obama and the left-wing congress at the commencement of his term. I found this debate to be a true snapshot of what this campaign has been about:
Charlie Crist misrepresenting Marco’s position on social security
Kendrick Meek repeating ad nauseam that he is “the only candidate in this race” to “fill in the blank here”
Marco Rubio drawing clear distinctions between himself and the 2 Democrats (because, lets face it folks…Charlie Crist is a Democrat posing as an Independent) on the ticket
Charlie Crist’s failure to portray himself as a middle-of-the-road, common sense type of guy who sees good in both the major political parties
Kendrick Meek demonizing the rich, and accusing both Crist and Rubio of making their careers out of being opponents of the middle class
It would seem that the best way to fix the social security system as we know it, is to legalize 12-14 million illegal immigrants, give them access to jobs, and let them pay into the system in order to save it. That’s right! Charlie Crist considers this to be a sound, common sense solution. Has anyone ever told Mr. Crist that eventually, those people will retire too? D’OH! Sorry, Charlie. You see, using this as a realistic, logical solution makes absolutely NO sense. Why? Well, it’s simple really - the reason why we have a serious problem with the system at present, is because there is an inverse relationship between retirees, and employees. The baby boomer generation is reaching retirement age, and the facts are pretty simple: estimates are that between now and 2017, social security will be paying out more than it takes in. By 2037, when I turn 53, it will be no more. Yet Democrats, including Charlie Crist, conclude that social security MUST be saved, and that ANY attempts to privatize it (such as the attempt by former President Bush 43) would adversely effect seniors. Charlie would also have you believe that Marco wants to raise the retirement age for EVERYONE. This is nothing short of a scare tactic by the left, to protect government power. Marco’s plan, and a plan that we really have no choice BUT to back, is to phase out social security, so that MY generation (and really anyone born after 1972) has a real hope to see retirement. Current day seniors, and those entering retirement age in the next 10 years, would see no change to their retirement. But folks like good ole Charlie and Mr. Meek would leave you to believe that Marco is an evil Republican who wants grandma in Boca Raton to be SOL (sh*t outta luck). Does ANYONE buy that?
Apparently, the answer is a resounding “NO!”: as of the most recent Rasmussen Reports poll, which surfaced post-debate, Marco now enjoys a very comfy 50%-25% lead over Charlie (who’s better off fending off Kendrick Meek with table scraps before he ends up sinking into last place). Charlie’s attempts to paint Marco as anti-social security, anti-health care, anti-teachers, anti-women, and as this extreme right-wing Tea Partier, have failed. He’d have you believe that the 20,000 teacher jobs that were saved by Florida’s cut of the stimulus money would have been lost if Marco had his way, and that his support for the State Senate bill tying a teacher’s salary to student performance was evil. He’d have you believe that Marco’s interest in total repeal of Obamacare is irresponsible, and wrong. He’d have you believe that Marco’s support for ultra-sounds prior to the decision to abort a fetus is heartless. He’d have you believe that the Tea Party is full of wackjobs. Kind of hilarious coming from a man who idolized Ronald Reagan 4 years ago, and now can’t run away from his conservative image fast enough. It’s a source of amusement to watch a man who ran as a fiscal and social conservative for governor, running as a pro-gay adoptions, pro-gay marriage candidate who accuses the Republican party of being “extreme and radical”. Amusing, yet somehow sad and pathetic.
The Florida senate race is really about 3 things - 1. An Obama/Pelosi lackey who paints himself as a supporter of the middle class who hates big oil and the rich and believes the stimulus worked (yet claims he’d support a leaner, meaner government), 2. An Obama lackey who paints himself as a good guy who’s running as an independent because he sees both parties at fault (NOT because he couldn’t win the nomination…*jab jab, wink wink*, and 3. A true conservative who wishes to be a roadblock against the Obama agenda, and who wants to save this nation from a Greece-like reckoning.
Common sense people in the state of Florida are making their decision more and more obvious by the day…sorry Charlie, St. Petersburg is calling. Not Washington, D.C.
