Jeb Bush's ideological heir, FL House Speaker Marco Rubio, calculates next political move.

[seafan]

Beware.



Next for Rubio? Not Dade mayor but maybe pundit

BY MARC CAPUTO
May 16, 2008



AP FILE PHOTO
State House Speaker Marco Rubio leaves office in November because of term limits.

TALLAHASSEE --
Sparing Miami-Dade County a potentially vicious mayoral race, state House Speaker Marco Rubio said Thursday that he won't run against incumbent Mayor Carlos Alvarez.

''First off, it wasn't right for me. And second, he needs more time,'' Rubio said of Alvarez, who is only in his second year as strong mayor of Miami-Dade.

No, Marco, YOU are the one who needs more time.

.....

The West Miami Republican could appear on TV any day now, he says, because he's in talks with a Spanish-language media group he wouldn't name to provide election-year commentary. And, he said, he wants to run for office in the future, but wouldn't say if it's for governor or the state or U.S. Senate.

''I have a passion for politics, a passion for public service. And I want to be on the ballot in the future. I want to run for political office, but not in 2008,'' Rubio said. ``This is a year where I need to focus on my family, on my legal career and spend some time involved in the process from a different perspective.''

But, that's not what he told us merely one year ago:

.....

The change to the resign-to-run law is being pushed by House Speaker Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, who said he wanted to encourage Floridians to run on the national stage but that he has no personal ambitions himself. Senate sources said Rubio wants to make it more attractive for Crist to accept the vice presidential nomination in 2008 so that Rubio can run for governor in 2010.

Convenient for Rubio, eh?

.....

A big reason Rubio doesn't want to talk about which office he'd seek: It would interfere with his possible stint as a pundit, commentator or analyst. ''If you're a declared candidate, you can't do those things,'' he said.

Rubio's next-likeliest political move: a run for the state Senate seat that Republican Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla will leave in 2010 due to term limits.

Thanks to a recent change in election law that allows politicians to run for other jobs without resigning their seats, Rubio could then run for U.S. Senate in 2012 against incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson. Nelson's office had no comment.

Other options: a run for chief financial officer in 2010 if Democratic CFO Alex Sink runs against Republican Gov. Charlie Crist. Or a run for governor in 2014, assuming Crist doesn't find a job earlier with John McCain if the Republican wins the White House this year.

Meantime, Rubio plans to campaign on behalf of McCain, Republicans for the House and Senate and, perhaps, a tax-swap plan that will be on the November ballot.

That is the same tax swap plan that greases the skids for the resurrection of Jeb Bush's religious school vouchers. This is one of three deceptive amendments to appear on the Florida November ballot that will strike language from our state constitution that has protected us for more than a century against using public money for private religious institutions. Jeb and Rubio stacked the obscure Taxation and Budget Reform Commission with right wing operatives, who directly inserted these amendments onto the ballot.

These amendments are carefully contrived to avoid mentioning "vouchers", and will be used to manipulate voters into approving them. So, Marco will be campaigning for his amendments. Look for Jeb! to emerge from his lair to push these amendments soon as well.


After the implosion of the Florida Legislature, led by Marco Rubio, under Jeb Bush's tutelage, this is the type of deceit that we can expect from Marco Rubio in any future elected positions.


Jeb II.



As to why Rubio chickened out on running against incumbent Carlos Alvarez for Miami Dade Mayor in November, 2008:


Rubio:

``My passion is more about the issues that affect the state of Florida and the United States.''

Look out, Crist and Nelson.








FL Senate flips on'resign-to-run' (House Speaker Marco Rubio-R has eye on running for Governor), April 28, 2007


Rubio is indeed, Jeb's Chosen One.



Marco Rubio; Jeb Bush




NO TO MARCO RUBIO.