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Steve Forbes Endorses McCollum, Blasts Scott

By: BigGator5 (Diary)  |  July 8th, 2010 at 01:00 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

(H/T Newsmax.com) In the Tampa Tribune, Steve Forbes, two time Republican Presidential Candidate and self-described “Capitalist Tool“, endorsed Bill McCollum:

The top priority for Florida’s next governor will be fostering an economic climate that makes it easier for businesses to grow, prosper and create jobs. Florida is suffering from one of the country’s highest unemployment rates, and it will take years to replace the more than 900,000 jobs the state has lost during this deep recession.

It is for this reason, among others, that I am supporting Attorney General Bill McCollum in the Republican gubernatorial primary. His economic plan will accelerate Florida’s recovery and facilitate the creation of more than half a million jobs over the next six years.

I’ve known Bill for many years, since his days as a congressman representing Orlando. He’s an experienced leader with a fine record on the issues that matter to Florida Republicans. When he says he will cut business taxes and remove regulatory roadblocks to job creation – he’s going to do it.

Steve Forbes has also endorsed Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, so he’s not just siding with the Republican insiders, but people who can make a difference in our political landscape. As I have said Bill McCollum is a proven conservative leader here in Florida and Steve Forbes agree.

In the same article, Steve Forbes slams Rick Scott:

[I]t’s hard to know what to make of Bill’s primary opponent. Rick Scott boasts about his experience building HCA/Columbia, a massive network of for-profit hospitals that at one time employed one in every 1,000 American workers. For some reason, he doesn’t like to talk about how that story ends – being ousted as CEO by his board of directors, massive federal fraud charges and unprecedented company fines totaling $1.7 billion.

After years investigating HCA, federal law enforcement officials found evidence that Scott’s hospitals kept two sets of books. The first tracked actual expenses, while the second contained inflated figures that were submitted to the government for reimbursement. By the time charges were filed, HCA officials admitted to systematically overcharging the government – and by extension taxpayers – with fraudulent claims, including exaggerating the treatment of Medicare patients to increase billings.

It should be noted that while HCA agreed to plead guilty to 14 felonies in five states, Scott himself was never charged with any crimes due to differences in the laws at the time. But there’s a higher standard than just indictment here, and it’s one that requires all Republican voters to ask themselves: “What did Scott know about HCA’s criminal conduct, and when did he know it?”

I have asked that question to myself since I began to look into Rick Scott. With HCA and his current dirty tactics, I don’t think we want this guy in the highest office in Florida.

Also, no one has yet been able to answer WHY we should choose Rick Scott over Bill McCollum. Just because Rick Scott has never been in elected office, does not make him more of a good guy over McCollum. I mean, just look at Jesse Ventura’s tenure as Governor of Minnesota. The people hated him when he left office and he couldn’t run for a second term, even if he wanted to. Do not get me started on Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Again, I’m going with the proven leader over the unknown.

BigGator5.net

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  • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine

    parties. In fact, after my 2000 epiphany, one of my first realizations was how much I envied the conservative lifers for there earlier wisdom than this Gamecock.

  • http://www.redstate.com/etcartman Kenny Solomon

    Disclaimer right up front:

    I’m a member of a South Florida organization called DC Works For Us.

    DC Works For Us has endorsed our state’s A.G. Bill McCollum for Florida’s Governor.

    That does not necessarily mean all members do so.

    ————–

    OK, I’m about to cork off a ton of people here at RS who I respect.

    The following commentary contains facts, one link and my opinions and thoughts. I trust everyone is learned enough in the matter and knows me well enough as ‘that crazy Jooooooooooo from Flori-duh’ to divide the three.

    My choice for our next Governor should be quite clear in my writing here. In fact, I state it outright.

    ————–

    According to what I can dig up, Mr. Scott’s campaign is outspending Mr. McCollum’s at an exponential rate that a few people have told me is reaching 10 to 1 or possibly even higher – a bunch of it through semi-third-party adverts, like that Let’s Get to Work thing.

    Why ?

    The job of Florida’s Governor pays around $133,000 annually.

    Mr. Scott was at the helm of a corporation that defrauded YOU to the tune of BILLIONS of dollars and he walked away with a few hundred million, free and clear.

    How ?…… Why ?

    He says he didn’t know about it.

    How ?…… Why ?

    He expects people to trust him with the governorship of a state (our state no less), just because he can open up his own checkbook and put more adverts on TV and radio than anyone else, saying he’s a Conservative ?

    I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to in the past several weeks seeking honest gut-level reactions from them – Republican, Democrat, Independent, doesn’t matter – who will swear up and down that Mr. Scott is using what they firmly believe are ill-gotten funds…….. and I’ve conversed with many many people over the time since Mr. Scott declared for the seat.

    I’ve talked to a bunch of former Columbia HCA employees who want to…… I better not go there……. really.

    OK, back to the matter at hand and no, I am not trying to promote my organization – it’s not mine anyway………

    At the DC Works For Us website, you can watch interviews with Mr. Scott AND Mr. McCollum done in front of hundreds of members of our organization and judge for yourself. (The venue is several rooms of a large restaurant and we tie in all their video screens, plus use one of my PA systems for sound reinforcement.)

    I must in advance offer apologies for any sound problems on both files – that would all be my fault – I provide the sound systems for all meetings and the video company tied into my system for both interviews. Both nights, there were several instances of interference and just last week, I finally figured out what was doing the nasty — the DC motors on the two big dishwashers in the back kitchen were not grounded properly, sending out all sorts of RF into the void and of course, my audio setup. How the guys using the dishwashers weren’t blown across the room each time it turned on is a mystery to this day.

    Now then……. That nonsense out of the way……… The crux of the matter as to why I – ‘that crazy Jooooooooooo from Flori-duh’ – will vote for A.G. McCollum to be our next Governor.

    After conversing with both gentlemen in person at our DC Works For Us meetings, then watching them intently, listening to them answer what were for all intensive purposes the same questions………. I don’t believe or trust Mr. Scott for one second.

    Honest opinion here: My gut instinct is telling me – screaming at me actually – that Mr. Scott is not in this for the right reasons and I’m starting to doubt he’s a real Conservative and may not even be a Republican (Think about Alan Grayson and his planted candidates down here.).

    Yeah, I’m serious about all that. No proof, no nothing on Mr. Scott…… Just meeting him in person and trying to figure out who he is and why he wants our state got me in the double-plus negatory stratosphere.

    Here’s some things about Mr. Scott at our meeting that you can ask for confirmation from anyone who was there the evening he spoke to the group and was interviewed.

    He very rarely looked anyone in the eyes as he was talking to them. However, I guarantee he did so for me, because I won’t talk to anyone in person who won’t look at me and I’m not shy about telling them that either….. and we were just talking about his using my wireless microphones and why I was asking him to hand his ‘can’t-turn-it-off-for-any-reason’ cell phone to one of his handlers (that’s what they called themselves – seriously).

    Mr. Scott arrived at the venue approximately 10 minutes before scheduled ‘go’ time, came in through the rear kitchen entrance, spoke, did the interview, posed for about 6 to 10 photos and left with his people the way he came in…… True…. Ask anyone who was there.

    One of the people from Mr. Scott’s campaign also demanded – not requested – demanded they be given the original digital video recording and also my separate audio recording……. and that they retain all copyrights. I’m not going to tell you what the DCWFU organizer, plus the video company and I first said to the little twe……… I’m not going to tell you what the DCWFU organizer, plus the video company and I first said, but the answer was slightly stronger and louder than a simple ‘no’. In fact, two of the letters (in order) of the DC Works For Us acronym should give you a hint.

    ———————

    Now then, after all that that Rick Rolling……….

    I also have big problems with Mr. McCollum and his being ‘in the good ol’ boy network’ from day one. That bugs the heck out of me. Sweetheart deals, smoke-filled backrooms, etc….. That’s been in my mind LARGE.

    But he’s been a pretty good A.G. for our state, is the lead on the multi-state beyotch-slap to the deathcare legislation and that carries a ton of weight with me.

    Mr. McCollum also got to the meeting early – wanted to be there (our county’s sheriff was speaking first that evening and they genuinely like each other), looked everyone in the eyes as much as humanly possible as he was talking, stayed after the meeting was over and generally hung out like he was part of us from day one and was genuinely concerned about what he’s not doing that he could do better now, let alone asking many of our members what they expected of him and telling us what he expects from himself as prospective Governor.

    ———————-

    The stark contrast of the two gentlemen and their staff members in person were very obvious.

    I’ve run on waaaaaaay too long as a comment and probably should have put this all in it’s own diary, but it really doesn’t matter where I ran it up…….. I just needed to finally say something, because my gut is usually right – usually more than right – on most things.

    Cheers and sorry to the moderators and Eagle for taking up so much bandwidth here.

    • http://www.examiner.com/x-1597-Charlotte-Law--Politics-Examiner Mike gamecock DeVine
    • mschmitt

      I agree with you on all points, including no overwhelming desire to see Governor McCollum (at the expense of any other Republican), and this gets a “!!” from me:

      Honest opinion here: My gut instinct is telling me – screaming at me actually – that Mr. Scott is not in this for the right reasons and I?m starting to doubt he?s a real Conservative and may not even be a Republican (Think about Alan Grayson and his planted candidates down here.).

      Something is rotten in Denmark.

      Exhibit A: Rick Scott. Why would a conservative spend this kind of money to run another conservative out of office?

      Exhibit B: Alex Sink. If it’s obvious to us that whatever Democrat ran against McCollum this cycle was going to be a sacrificial lamb, is it so much of a stretch to think that the Democrats could figure that out also?

      • mschmitt

        … the counterpoint that needs to be mentioned, of course, is that he did put some skin into the game on Obamacare (supposedly 5 million of his own cash for seeding CPR, though I can’t confirm that independently of the MSM)…

        Assuming that’s how much he spent, and even if money is like water to this guy, that’s still more than I spent.

    • Archer

      or at least candidates who are proposing solid rational economic programs in line with supply-side economic theory. I’ve never once looked into the economic plans of a candidate Forbes had endorsed and found that the was bad on conservative economic issues. I’d be backing Forbes right now in the presidential primary like I did the last two times if he’d run again. As it is, I was originally torn between supporting Perry or Gingrich.

      As for Scott, almost everyone who runs for office as a Republican calls himself a conservative. Most republican candidates are more conservative, on at least some issues, than whoever the democrat runs. And there’s a large variety of issues to be conservative about: numerous social issues, the war on terror, defense spending in general, immigration, tax and monetary policy, government spending and waste, adhering to the constitution and appointing sound judges, and the candidate’s stance on whatever harebrained scheme the democrats are pushing this week.

      Here’s what I think you have to do when looking at a candidate: Look at their history.

      Even if the person hasn’t held public office before, has he been a Republican, Libertarian, or member of the Conservative party so that you might suspect he’s right on some issues? Or is he like Colin Powell, Eisenhower, and Romney and take his first political stance right before considering running for office?

      Honestly, if you hit 30 years old or more and haven’t considered what you believe and take a side, I don’t want you running for office…on my side at least.

      Has the person been active for whatever causes he claims to believe? Membership in organizations like the NRA. Writing a blog, youtube videos, or letters to the editor promoting conservatism? Precinct chairman? Attending monthly meetings of his county political party? Endorsing conservative candidates in the past, working in their campaign, or at least donating money to that candidate (and NOT donating to both sides)?

      No one who is an adult and devoted to a cause can move through his life and not leave a discernible mark.

      When looking at his history, note his stances on whatever conservative issues are important to you.

      Then compare that to what he says he will do now. If they’re the same, he’s likely being honest. If there’s a difference, its likely he’s not being honest.

      Next consider what side of the issues he likely really supports and whether that’s what you want in a candidate.

      If Scott really has absolutely no record of conservative activity, then he’s either a really, really recent convert or he’s not a conservative. If he’s a recent convert, he ought to have some story he tells about what brought him to the light.

      In a race of someone with no conservative track record versus someone with a conservative track record, I’ll take the one with the track record almost every time. The only exception would be someone new who is enthusiastically spouting supply side economic principles versus someone who is generally conservative but not great on tax and monetary issues: in that case I’ll take a chance on the new guy. I’ve seen a lot of people get exposed to supply side economics, get excited, then immediately want to jump into running for office (like some people which GOPAC recruits). Those kind of newbies are generally the kind who want immediate reform in Washington rather than just wanting to go there to manage things.

    • Archer

      Is there some special secret handshake you have to know or something?

      I’ve got a place to click that says “Create New Diary Entry” but it just gives an error message. I’ve emailed redstate about it several times but have never gotten it fixed or even a response.

      My comments often run long and sometimes should be a separate discussion when I think the original discussion ties in closely with two or three other major topics which also need to be considered.

      • acat

        There’s no secret handshake, just actually making contact …

        Mew

        • Archer

          and what I’ve done repeatedly but there was an outside chance I was missing something. Thanks for letting me know for sure that I’m just being either ignored or deliberately locked out.

          • acat

            Include the string “Attention: Neil” in your e-mail and ask for a reply.

            Mew

          • Archer

            I’ll give that a try.

            See I KNEW there was some secret handshake involved.

          • acat

            It’s a secret handshake, after all …

            Seriously, it’s not a secret at all, it just requires paying attention….

            Mew

          • Archer

            I should have been paying attention to?

            Neil, whoever he is, isn’t listed on the “about” link for me to easily find out he exists.

            The “help” link provided no help on my issue.

            The “contact” link has repeatedly failed to make useful contact.

            I clicked on everything that would click and didn’t find anything else relevant.

            I’m really here to talk politics and spend my time here reading and talking about that. If there’s some special place to read about what to do when there’s a website issue, I didn’t see it. “Tech at Night” didn’t appear to be for contacting the webmaster who comes in to work the nightshift for redstate.

            I’ll admit to sometimes being oblivious to an easy solution which is staring me in the face which is why I asked for help in the first place. If I missed something, I apologize for wasting the bandwidth by asking for help but I still don’t see what it was that I missed.

            Again, thanks for the help. I hope it works this time.

          • Archer

            when I saw the name Neil Stevens on Tech at Night, I should have click on the name and read his profile rather than going straight to reading the items which attracted my attention.

            I’m not really a “people person” to be interested in someone’s background rather than what they say so that comes back to bite me in the butt.

  • George Neitz

    In the White house dragging our country to the pits of European socialism.
    After reading this I am more convinced we should run away fast from Mr. Scott.
    I do not care for Mr. McCollum as he appears to be everything that is wrong with the RPOF,cronyism, lies, deceit and all around general lack of excitement.
    But at this point and sad to say Mr McCollum appears to be the way lesser evil.

    • http://www.redstate.com/etcartman Kenny Solomon

      Hardly.

      These folks are definitely pros at what they’re doing. 99.9% of the media says so. Day after day after day after day. So do most of the politicians….. many of whom we put in place as being on ‘our side’.

      Look at it this way…….

      ?If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.?……………. J. Goebbels. Germany.