[Miami, FL] The junior U.S. Senator from Florida – Marco Rubio – is playing hardball this week against President Obama, who visited the Sunshine State for some good old-fashioned campaign fundraising as well as some official appearances.

On Tuesday, President Obama gave some back at a speech at Florida Atlantic University in which he made his pitch for multi-millionaires and billionaires to pay more in taxes.

“It’s time for us to choose which direction we want to go in as a country,” said Obama. “Do we want to keep giving those tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans like me, or Warren Buffett – he definitely doesn’t need them, or Bill Gates?”

During an interview with CBS 4 Miami, Rubio challenged the President over his push to instate the so-called “Buffett Rule,” which is a popularized catch phrase for Obama’s push for tax policy change aimed at raising the rate on the wealthiest Americans.

Rubio, obviously, doesn’t agree with President Obama’s idea that the wealthier pay more taxes.

“They do pay more — and that’s one of the fundamental misleading things the President is saying,” said Rubio. “Somehow the perception is being created that if your paycheck is a million a year you pay less in taxes. That is not true. What the President is talking about when he talks about the ‘Buffett Rule’ is investment income.”

“We have always wanted Warren Buffett to, instead of putting that money in a coffee can, to take his money and invest it because that created jobs,” said Rubio.

Rubio and his Republican cohorts are dead set against raising rates for the richest Americans, claiming that if the have more money to spend they will create more jobs or “trickle down,” to use a classic GOP phrase. The problem is, as Obama points out, that we tried that way and it didn’t work.

Obama said Republicans are “doubling down on a lot of these broken down theories” that proved to not work under George W. Bush.

An eye-opening study from the Congressional Budget Office shows the wealth gap widening, employee salaries stagnated and income concentrated more and more by those who already have obtained riches. The lowest earners in this country saw their incomes raise by 20% over 30 years.

Sounds good? How about this: The top 1% saw their incomes go through the roof at a staggering rate of 275% over that same three-decade period. It is that kind of hard data that is driving the debate around the water cooler and dinner table and why polls show support for Obama’s position.

And Rubio knows this.

“I understand the polls. I can read a poll just like Barack Obama can,” said Rubio, sounding a bit huffy. Right? That sounded huffy.

“I understand that people look at it and say, ‘Yeah, how come Warren Buffett pays less than his secretary?’. What they need to understand is the reason why he may pay less than his secretary in terms of the rate is that she makes her money on a paycheck and he makes his money on investments,” offered Rubio.

Problem is, we are now competing with countries like Rwanda, Ecuador, Cameroon and Uganda when it comes to the wealth gap, and President Obama is seizing upon that realization in appealing to a population that feels that it has been trickled on enough.

“Here in America we look out for one another. Here in America we help each other get ahead. Here in America we have a sense of common purpose. Here in America we can meet any challenge. Here in America we can seize any moment. We can make this century another great American century,” said Obama, sounding a little bit like candidate-in-chief.

Don’t expect this issue to go away anytime soon as the President will continue to drive this populist message until Republicans are forced to vote on the matter.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Lead image: Marco Rubio’s YouTube Channel

Marco Rubio

[Tallahassee, FL] After a strange trip that at one time threatened to short-circuit the session, the Florida Legislature approved a state budget a shade over $70 billion on Friday, allowing lawmakers to leave the Capitol one time even as a Florida Supreme Court ruling ensured they would return.

The measure passed the House on a party-line, 80-37 vote; the Senate followed suit just minutes before the session concluded with a bipartisan, 32-8 vote.

The spending plan adds more than $1 billion in state funding to public education – a key goal of Gov. Rick Scott, even though school districts have argued that the money doesn’t make up for a series of cuts to public education in recent years. It drains $300 million from university reserves to help in closing a state budget gap.

And the budget slashes some health-care services at the same time a conforming bill forces counties to pay millions of dollars in disputed Medicaid charges, no doubt causing consternation among local governments.

In an advance copy of his weekly radio address, Scott reveled in the victory.

“I would like to thank Speaker [Dean] Cannon and Senate President [Mike] Haridopolos, as well as the entire Legislature, for putting Florida’s children first,” he said.

Gov. Rick Scott delivers his Weekly Radio Address

But as they debated the spending measure, Democrats returned to the same refrain that they have sounded often as the state’s economy has lagged and revenues have dwindled: Republicans are stubbornly refusing to get rid of unneeded tax relief or accept money because of its ties to President Barack Obama‘s agenda.

Lawmakers turned down $438.5 million in federal health-care funding because it was tied to the federal health-care bill Republicans derisively call “Obamacare.”

“This Legislature can find the will to dip into universities’ reserves to fund and plug gaps, but it is unwilling to take funds from the federal government or to close loopholes where people are not paying their fair share,” said Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich (D-34/Weston).

In the end, seven of the 12 Democrats in the Senate voted with the Republican majority, while three Republicans bolted their party to oppose the measure.

Meanwhile, in the House, Speaker-designate Will Weatherford (R-61/Wesley Chapel) scolded Democrats for locking down against a state budget that included many of their suggestions and projects.

“I watched all the bipartisanship in the committee,” Weatherford said. “Why is it not bipartisan now?”

But even some lawmakers who voted for the budget opposed related bills, such as the Medicaid billing measure. That measure forces counties that dispute how much they must pay into the Medicaid system to go ahead and pay, though they can get a discounted rate, or if they think they’re right, they can fight it and try to recoup the money.

Photo: FL House/Mark Foley

House Speaker-designate Will Weatherford wonders where all the bipartisanship went

But the counties say it’s a big cost shift that will cost them money for the state’s mistakes and opponents like Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla (R-36/Miami) argued was unfair to counties that dispute the charges.

“We don’t just take money from people because we need the money or we want the money,” said Diaz de la Portilla. “We can’t even prove that we’re owed the money, or quantify it.”

There were echoes of last year’s implosion of the session when some conforming bills were derailed; a health-care bill for the University of Florida was defeated 20-20 the first time in the Senate. But the chamber eventually reversed itself.

At times, the state budget and when it would be done served as the major theme of the session. After lawmakers left town last spring, a cheery revenue forecast had raised hopes that lawmakers would be able to avoid the painful cuts of recent years.

But the chance of the budget surplus evaporated in the economic troubles of the late summer and lawmakers were forced to contemplate deeper reductions.

The dramatic swings in the economy brought warnings from Senate President Mike Haridopolos (R-26/Merritt Island) that lawmakers might need to adjourn early and return when the revenue picture for the state was clearer.

Photo: FL Senate

(L-R) Dean Cannon, Gov. Rick Scott, Mike Haridopolos, Lt. Gov. Carroll

The House charged ahead anyway, with Speaker Dean Cannon (R-35/Winter Park) arguing that there was no reason to pull back. The Senate eventually joined the House the day after the once-a-decade redistricting process had finished and Haridopolos’ concerns about the revenue were apparently alleviated.

Even then, there were speed bumps. Residents from rural Jefferson County protested plans to close a prison that was the community’s economic backbone; lawmakers approved a plan that would keep the facility open.

The Senate battled over cuts to the University of South Florida that Tampa Bay-area lawmakers argued were revenge for the campus resisting a push by Senate Budget Chairman JD Alexander (R-17/Lake Wales) to gain independence for the university’s Lakeland campus.

The cuts were eventually softened, but Alexander got his university.

By: Brandon Larrabee/The News Service of Florida

Lead image: Redistricting Chairman Will Weatherford gets a standing ovation from all his House colleagues on the house floor after finishing his closing remarks on the committee’s final product, approved minutes later by the House Friday, Feb. 3, 2012 (photo: FL House)

state budget

[Orlando, FL] President Obama is officially in campaign mode now.

Even though he is not sure who he will face in the general election in November, Obama is already shoring up money for his re-election bid. And on Thursday, the President will be in Orlando to attend a private party fundraiser which reportedly cost $30,000 per ticket.

No telling how much Ticketmaster service fees will add to the cost (note: tickets are not really available via Ticketmaster).

And in case you are wavering on going because that $30k would dip too far into your food budget for the day, yes, dinner is included in the admission price.

Is it a coincidence that Obama, a huge basketball fan, is coming to town just before the run of the NBA All-Star Game events are set to begin in Orlando (Feb. 24-26)? The game itself is on Sunday, so he won’t be hitting that, but who knows.

The party for President Obama is taking place at 8 p.m. at former Orlando Magic player Vince Carter’s house (he’s still in the NBA playing for the Dallas Mavericks).It will be a great opportunity for the President to pick up support from current NBA players and former legends, who will already be in town for the All-Stars.

Last time through, Obama dined at attorney John Morgan’s house for a similar affair for high-rolling donors.

“Orlando loves the President,” said Morgan, when asked by Sunshine Slate about Obama’s big-ticket return to Orlando. “We raised $1.1 [million] at my home and we are on track to have a big night Thursday. … These are record numbers for a Democrat.”

Morgan is glad to see the President being aggressive in terms of fundraising and exposure.

“The I-4 corridor is where Florida will be decided, so this is very encouraging,” he said.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: aflcio

President Obama

[Tampa, FL] The Republican primary candidates moved to Florida in full force Monday night, with the four remaining candidates clashing on electability, the housing market and space issues in a debate in Tampa with the state’s vote a little more than a week away.

The candidates largely agreed on a slate of Florida-specific issues they were asked about, but only after a sharp exchange at the beginning of the debate about who would be best to take on President Barack Obama in the general election.

In the most-anticipated clash of the night, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia fought over whose lingering issues might hurt him most against Obama.

Romney tried once again to deflect questions about his decision to wait until Tuesday to release his tax return for 2011. Romney has not specified how many earlier years he might release or when he might do so. Romney promised there would be no surprises when the documents were release.

“The real question is not so much my taxes, but the taxes of the American people,” Romney said.

Gingrich, meanwhile, brushed off Romney’s attacks on his work for government-sponsored mortgage giant Freddie Mac – with Romney having suggested that Gingrich was involved in influence-peddling, claims Gingrich said were false.

Image: DonkeyHotey

Newt Gingrich (left) and Mitt Romney (right) lead the Republican primary field

“You have been walking around this state saying things that are not true,” Gingrich said.

But Romney mocked Gingrich’s claim that he was working for Freddie Mac as an historian.

“They don’t pay people $25,000 a month for six years as an historian,” Romney said.

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania tried to explain why he would remain a strong Republican primary candidate in spite of soundly losing a re-election bid in 2006 – noting that the national and state climates were hostile to the GOP that year and suggesting he would be a stronger conservative than either of the front-runners.

“There’s one thing worse than losing an election and that’s not standing for the principles you hold,” Santorum said.

Aside from Freddie Mac, most of the housing talk at the debate focused on how involved the government should be in trying to stabilize the market. Romney, who had argued last year that the government should “let [the foreclosure process] run its course and hit the bottom” emphasized trying to help homeowners on Monday night.

But Romney also stood by his largely non-interventionist message.

“You have to get government out of the mess,” Romney said. “It created the mess.”

Image: DonkeyHotey

Republican primary: Rick Santorum (left) and Ron Paul (right) are still in the race

Romney and Gingrich agreed on what they said was the need to repeal the financial reform bill signed by Obama in 2010. Santorum said homeowners should be allowed to claim the losses on the sale of a home as a tax deduction.

Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, whose strongly libertarian campaign has outlasted several more conventional candidates, pushed to allow the markets to work toward spurring home sales.

“You want the prices to go down so that people will start buying them again,” Paul said.

Romney, who spent part of his time hammering Obama for having failed Florida as the state’s unemployment rate spiked above 10% and its housing market continued to sink, also knocked the president on his policies regarding space exploration, a vital industry for the state.

“What we have right now is a president who does not have a vision or a mission for NASA,” Romney said.

Gingrich, whose interest in space often draws derision from his critics, pushed for government to focus on giving incentives or prizes to private companies who reach certain goals.

“There’s a whole series of things you can do that are dynamic that are better than just more government bureaucracy,” he said.

The Republican primary candidates also largely agreed on trying to roll back sugar subsidies, pushing English as the official language and abhorring the Communist regime in Cuba.

Democrats, watching from the sidelines, knocked the debate as little more than an extended bout of pandering.

“This isn’t a race to the White House, it’s a race to the right. … This field has made clear they want to continue with giveaways to millionaires and billionaires at the expense of Florida’s middle class families,” Florida Democratic Party Chairman Rod Smith said in a statement issued moments after the forum ended.

The candidates will meet again Thursday in Jacksonville in the final debate before the Florida Republican primary January 31st.

By: Brandon Larrabee/The News Service of Florida

Images: Donkey Hotey

Republican primary

[Orlando, FL] Perhaps it is a strategic appearance ahead of the Florida presidential primary on Jan. 31. Or maybe he just wants to get the heck out of Washington (who wouldn’t).

Whatever his underlying reasons, President Barack Obama plans to deliver remarks on the economy in Orlando on Jan. 19.

That’s about as much info that’s available at the moment. President Obama in Orlando. Jan. 19. Wish we could tell you more.

By: Mark Christopher/Sunshine Slate

Image: official White House photo

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