Beach Peanuts

Ayotte Wants To Redefine Background Checks, Rubio Wants To Redefine Democracy

Sinking To A New Low To Defend The Indefensible

For a man who "aspires" to be President someday, Marco Rubio sure has a frightening way of twisting that whole "Democracy" thing.

From Think Progress:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is asking supporters of his Reclaim America PAC to support beleaguered Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) for voting down a bipartisan amendment extending background checks for gun purchases.

Ayotte is the Senator who, after voting against background checks, saw her approval ratings do a nosedive. Having tanked in the polls, she now claims she supports, and in fact voted for background checks. She's so desperate to have constituents believe this that she penned an op-ed at the Bedford Patch, opening with this statement: 

I want to set the record straight: I support effective background checks and in fact voted recently to improve the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

By "setting the record straight," Ayotte is in fact saying that as long as you ignore her voting record, don't read the fine print on what she actually voted for, and redefine what a background check actually is, then sure, she voted "for background checks." The kind of background checks that are easier to pass.  Because that's what the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), and Amendment, would have done. 

Rubio of course knows this, and while he's not all that sharp in some departments, he knows how to grift. So if he can cash in on ignorance and score political points at the same time, what's not to love? "Freedom" at any price is Rubio's cash cow, and his selling of it has little to do with actual Democracy, or common sense.

This is his argument in support of Ayotte:

Liberals just can’t get over the fact that their most recent attempt to restrict our Second Amendment rights was defeated soundly by the American people.

Whether Rubio can read, or chooses not to, is beside the point here. It's not "liberals" that can't get over the background checks that failed, which in no way would have restricted Rubio's beloved Second Amendment rights. It's the 91% of all "the people" regardless of party affiliation who favored those very same background checks that won't easily get over the fact that Rubio and his "freedom loving" colleagues voted against their will. It wasn't "defeated soundly by the American people," it was defeated by 46 NRA backed Senators, several of which are now seeing their poll numbers plummet. Go figure. If "the people" had soundly defeated it, the NRA would have no need to spend $250,000 to support Ayotte now, and Rubio would have no reason to grift anew. And yet, here he is waving a petition in the face of the gullible as he hands them a pen to sign it with, and while they're at, another check. "Reclaim America" indeed.

No, for the sake of this particular argument, these are a few of the only people that matter in Rubio's world right now. The people who have vowed to break the law by marching into Washington armed on the Fourth of July, and daring any authorities to enforce that law against openly carrying loaded weapons in the subtlest way possible. Nothing says "subtle" like knowingly break the law, then claiming enforcement of that law means "the government chooses to make it violent." 

Beyond that, apparently anyone who doesn't fit into Rubio's minority mold is a "liberal," and I know more than a few Republicans who would be surprised to hear it. (Even if you're of the minority Rubio is using as a political stepladder, no Democrats or liberals need apply.)

Speaking as a "liberal" I would be the first to stand up for, and support anyone, Republican or Democrat, who would be willing do what all of "the people" want, not just the ones who Rubio defines as "Americans." The majority of Americans do, but they have no representation in Marco's world, and he's not being subtle in pointing that out. For those who still need a little convincing, he and Ayotte have to grift their way around reality to get where they want to go. Unfortunately the dishonesty is catching up with them, and their desperation is showing.

Obtaining power by propaganda and force rarely bodes well, but then isn't that the whole idea that Rubio has propped up his history and political ambitions with?

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From The Department Of "No, He Really Can't Make This Stuff Up," Marco Rubio

Marco Rubio, Pausing To Insert His Political Agenda

Today Marco Rubio "took a stand" and said he will "strongly oppose" the confirmation of President Obama's Hispanic labor secretary nominee Thomas Perez, even though he acknowledges his "sharp intellect:"

...Rubio acknowledged the politics of opposing a fellow son of immigrants, complimenting Perez's "sharp intellect" even as he trashed him as a liberal.

In a news conference yesterday, Hispanic lawmakers warned Republicans not to block Perez. “Tom Perez is eminently qualified for this job,” freshman Rep. Joe Garcia, a Florida Democrat, said in an interview with McClatchy. “If Republicans wanted to show an understanding of the Hispanic electorate or sympathy for the Hispanic electorate, they picked the wrong guy to make a scapegoat.”

Unfortunately the particular goat in question is a Democrat, a sin that far outweighs intellect, or the lack thereof, to Marco Rubio. After all, Rubio's own mentor is, of course, former Sen. and Republican Jim DeMint. DeMint is now the head of the Heritage Foundation, a "think tank" which is big on "tank" but small on "think." They recently hired Jason Richwine, who wrote: 

‘No one knows whether Hispanics will ever reach IQ parity with whites, but the prediction that new Hispanic immigrants will have low-IQ children and grandchildren is difficult to argue against.‘

Of course Jim DeMint's "brilliance" is another subject entirely, but I digress. Getting back to Rubio's opposition to Perez:

“Before joining the Obama Administration, Mr. Perez built a long record as a committed liberal activist and politician, particularly in the areas of labor and immigration.  It was that record that gave many senators pause over his initial nomination to be Assistant U.S. Attorney General. 

Oh my, sounds so scary! After you pause for a refreshment, please continue Senator....

Those who voted against his confirmation then feared that he lacked the capacity to put his political agenda aside when he became a federal official tasked with enforcing the law. Unfortunately, his record as Assistant U.S. Attorney General confirmed those fears," Rubio said in a statement. 

“During his tenure at the Justice Department, Mr. Perez has been associated with some of the Department’s most controversial decisions and appears to have engaged in selective and politically motivated applications of the law.

Again, sounds so ominous. I'm sure Rubio will get to those "controversial decisions" in detail sooner or later...

“As the son of immigrants, Mr. Perez rose from modest beginnings to the highest levels of government through his obviously sharp intellect and impressive work ethic.  Many Americans, especially those of us of Hispanic descent, celebrate his success and his personal story as yet another example of all that’s possible in America no matter where you or your family came from.

So far so good. Sounds like a ringing endorsement. Also, most of it sounds oddly familiar. Son of immigrants, rose from modest beginnings, smart man, good work ethic, seems to have overcome that old Heritage Foundation low IQ standard. So what's the problem? 

Unfortunately, intellect and work ethic are not sufficient qualifications for a cabinet secretary.

“Mr. Perez’s far left views and troubling record at the Justice Department simply do not qualify him to lead the Labor Department, and I will strongly oppose his confirmation.”

It all just comes down to the "being a Democrat" problem? "Being a liberal?" Is that really the best Rubio can do? He can't support Perez because "he lacked the capacity to put his political agenda aside when he became a federal official tasked with enforcing the law?"

By those standards, I wonder if Marco Rubio would also oppose this guy, who lacked the capacity to put his political agenda aside when it came to voting to block the Violence Against Women Act? Twice. Or this one, who opposes gun laws because of his political agenda? Or the one who blocks student loan rate extensions for others? What about the guy who draws the line between those who shouldn't get Social Security and Medicare and his own family? 

How would Rubio feel about this guy, who only jumped in to the immigration debate in the first place  "because with or without us, the president and the Democrats who control the Senate were going to bring this issue up?"

Saying "no" to anyone simply because they're a Democrat? No political agenda to be found there, no sir! When it comes to making an "intellectual argument" you sure fooled us, Marco!

If there's one thing we know about Marco Rubio, it's that he ALWAYS "puts his own political agenda aside" when tasked with legislating and making decisions on the behalf of others.

Right?

 

 

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Florida 2013 Legislative Session Ends With No Medicaid Expansion

Reactions from Democrats and Progressives to the 2013 Legislative session:

Statement from Progress Florida executive director Mark Ferrulo:

"In dissecting the 2013 legislative session, one thing is clear, Florida has the wrong leaders with the wrong priorities. Floridians want effective and efficient government that improves our quality of life and protects the middle class. What Republican leadership delivered was a 60 day corporate special interest feeding frenzy.

"Floridians want economic fairness, quality public schools and access to health care. What we got instead was a refusal to expand access to health care, more attacks on our public schools, and hundreds of millions in corporate tax giveaways.

"Not only did Gov. Scott and legislative leaders ignore the priorities of working families, they doubled down on a commitment to govern from the far right and at the beck and call of corporate donors."

 

STATEMENT FROM FL DEMS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SCOTT ARCENEAUX:

"The 2013 legislative session was a loss for Florida's middle class. It will best be remembered for Governor Rick Scott and House Speaker Will Weatherford's complete failure to expand affordable healthcare to 1.2 million Floridians. Weatherford placed such a premium on catering to the Tea Party that he rejected federal funding and the creation of over 120,000 permanent jobs that Medicaid's expansion would have brought to our state. Scott, who reversed his position on expanding Medicaid just before session, proved that when he said he 'cannot, in good conscience, deny the uninsured access to care,' it was nothing more than an electioneering gimmick. Health care costs for every Floridan will now go up as a result. 

"The Governor refused to lead on this issue and sat silently by as Will Weatherford and House Republicans put politics before a morally and economically sensible policy. The GOP-led House instead spent their time on divisive social issues and doling out hundreds of millions in corporate tax giveaways. With thousands of lives on the line, this refusal to act in the best interests of the people of Florida is unconscionable."

 

Democratic Leader Perry Thurston Calls For A Special Session:

THURSTON: ‘Governor Scott, please order the Florida Legislature into special session’

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Legislature adjourned the 2013 regular legislative session Sine Die on May 3 without adequately addressing a crisis of uninsured Floridians. House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston (D-Fort Lauderdale) issued the following statement:

“To save lives and improve health outcomes, to create jobs and grow our economy, Florida House Democratic Caucus members proudly fought throughout the 2013 legislative session, and will continue to fight, for an expansion of health care coverage for working Floridians.

“Unfortunately for our state, the Florida House of Representatives, under Republican leadership, failed to meet the health care needs of our citizens.

“Despite ample opportunities to pass a bipartisan health care solution that enjoys the backing of Republican Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Senate, House Republican leadership dropped the ball.

“By blocking passage this session of a plan that would dramatically help 1.2 million of Florida’s low-income and working families, many Floridians are disappointed and will continue, despite the session’s end, to expect the governor and Legislature to approve a bipartisan health coverage expansion compromise that relies upon available federal funds.

“Therefore, I call on Governor Scott to take prudent action and to please order the Florida Legislature into special session at the earliest convenience to pass a bipartisan health coverage expansion plan for Florida’s working families.”

 

Rep. Mark Pafford (D-West Palm Beach), From the Miami Herald:

Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, said it was difficult to address Florida’s needs when more than a third of the budget is tied up in trust funds that restrict spending to specific line items. That millions get reserved for street beautifications while other health care and elderly care needs go unmet is not acceptable, he said.

“The budget is not plugged into the reality of what’s happening outside this chamber,” Pafford said. 

 

From "Protest" To Praise: Florida Democrats Cave To Republicans, Again

“I would like to thank Mr. Speaker for a bipartisan affair,” said state Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton. “Sorry we had a meltdown for a little bit, but we are real happy.”

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From "Protest" To Praise: Florida Democrats Cave To Republicans, Again

Democrat Irv Slosberg Apologizes For Briefly Standing Up For Low Income Floridians

After an encouraging sign from Florida Democrats, who for two days protested the House inaction on Medicaid by forcing the bills to be read in full, and who said they would not vote for a budget if Medicaid was ignored this year, it appears the protest was merely symbolic.

Today they not only caved on the budget, but they praised Speaker Will Weatherford for the budget at the same time:

On the House floor Friday, Democrats praised the budget, the process and House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who dug in against accepting federal money for health care, a move that helped derailed expansion talks this year.

“I would like to thank Mr. Speaker for a bipartisan affair,” said state Rep. Irv Slosberg, D-Boca Raton. “Sorry we had a meltdown for a little bit, but we are real happy.”

While the budget does provide some good things the Democrats wanted like funding for public education, pay raises for teachers and state workers, the budget, and most of what was passed this session is indicative of a sad truth in Florida: The state is for sale to the highest bidder, and Floridians have virtually no one to stand up for them in Tallahassee. It pains me to say this, because some Democrats have done things that were admirable, but in the larger picture, citizens have been sold out.

To go from saying you will take a stand for those who have no voice and no hope of decent health care one day, to apologizing for the little "meltdown" just days later is a sad display. Democrats were praised for doing it, praise that may not have been deserved.

In the end the Democrats caved, and if the budget passes, along with it they still get their pet projects, so everybody's happy in the Capitol, Republicans, Democrats, lobbyists and Gov. Rick Scott. Legislators will go home happy knowing that they only have to pay a mere $8 for their own health insurance. Rick Scott will be happy that he gets to look as if he favored Medicaid expansion, and happy that the Republicans had his back by ignoring Medicaid altogether. He gets to have it both ways, even though Floridians know better.

Today is the final day of a damaging 2013 legislative session. As Florida's "leaders" gather to pat themselves on the back in ceremony for a "job well done" the people of Florida are the ones who lose.

Again.

(Correction: This post previously contained a procedural error, which has been corrected.)

(Photo: Florida House Of Representatives)

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Florida Democrats Shut Down House In Protest Of Inaction On Medicaid

After the Florida Senate passed a Medicaid bill that would accept $50 in federal funds for health care coverage, Democrats in the House moved to stall the session to protest the House GOP's refusal to budge on Medicaid. The House version does not accept federal funding and instead would use state funds and would provide inadequate coverage to only 115,000.

Two House Democrats met with Gov. Rick Scott this morning asking him to veto the budget if legislature refuses to adopt the bill, knowing that Scott favors the Senate version.

This afternoon, in protest over the House inaction, Minority Leader Perry Thurston moved to request an education bill be read in full. So for nearly a half an hour, an auto-reader droned on until the entire bill was read.

The standoff began at 2:35 p.m. when Minority Leader Perry Thurston, D-Plantation, asked the a bill on the special order calendar be "read in full." The Republican majority, which had been huddling for about an our in anticipation of the move, had the bill temporarily postponed after Democrats mustered more than the 40 votes, or one-third of the chamber, needed. Democrats did the same thing with the next bill, and Republicans again skipped over the bill.

The third time, on a bill related to instructional materials in schools, House Speaker Will Weatherford relented and allowed the 14-page bill to be read in full by an auto-reader software application the speaker's office said was called "Mary."

"There needs to be some clarity so we're going to have the bills read in full," Weatherford said.

With school children in the galleries, House leaders ordered the chamber secured and all members to their desks as a robotic, female voice began reading through the bill.

In debate, Republican sponsor refused to answer Democrats questions on the bill.

House Speaker Weatherford has taken a hard line against Medicaid expansion even though his own family were Medicaid beneficiaries when he was a child.

Another priority of Weatherford's was shot down earlier when the Senate defeated a pension overhaul bill that would have forced state employees to enroll in risky private investment plans.

As of this writing, there is no word of any compromise from the House on Medicaid. There are only a few days left in the session, and with more shutdowns like today's a distinct possibility, there could be some long hours ahead before it's all over.

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Florida Democrats Won't Vote For A Budget With Inadequate Medicaid Coverage

Florida Democrats Won't Vote For A Budget With Inadequate Medicaid Coverage

Today Florida House Democrats took a stand against Speaker Will Weatherford's budget, saying they will vote "no" until it includes the kind of Medicaid expansion they're looking for. In voting against the budget, they're also voting against funds for other priorities they support, but say their goal right now is to save lives through Medicaid expansion that covers more Floridians:

In an appeal for legislative action this session to expand health coverage for working Floridians, today House Democratic Leaders Perry Thurston (D-Fort Lauderdale) and Mia Jones (D-Jacksonville) joined numerous other Democratic Caucus members at a press conference to explain a caucus stance on a state budget proposal.

House Democratic Caucus members said that they believe an expansion of health coverage is affordable and achievable, and that it is imperative that Republican leaders respond with action and available funding as directed by the nation’s Affordable Care Act.

Democratic Caucus members said that expansion of health coverage that relies on available federal resources could provide coverage to more than 1 million Floridians, is estimated to save more than 5,000 lives a year, and would create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs throughout Florida.

During their press conference, Democratic Leader Pro Tempore Mia Jones made comments concerning Florida's tax dollars, saying that we shouldn't continue to be at the top of the donor list at the same time the legislature fails to provide Medicaid coverage which is available to over a million people in the state.

Weatherford's office has planned meetings on Medicaid expansion next week. The Democrats may support the expansion then, depending on what's proposed.

For full remarks, you can watch today's House Democrats press conference here.

UPDATE: After a meeting with Gov. Rick Scott, Republican Rep. Richard Corcoran announced this afternoon that the House will unveil details on their Medicaid expansion plan on Thursday.

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Florida Democrats Respond To Rick Scott's Flip-Flop On Medicaid Expansion

Statement from Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Allison Tant, on Medicaid expansion decision:

"Today, following President Obama's lead and the overwhelming will of Floridians, Rick Scott finally abandoned his crusade to block affordable health care for Florida's families and accepted the expansion of Medicaid. We hope and expect that Republicans like Rep. Will Weatherford and Sen. Don Gaetz, who have stood with Scott to consistently stall its implementation, will soon follow suit. 

"Three years of staunch opposition and tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars later, embattled Governor Rick Scott today flip-flopped on the central issue which has defined his political career. This stunning about-face is merely the latest move to repackage a Governor whose approval rating with Floridians remains as toxic as his Tea Party agenda. But Scott’s election year makeover on issue after issue is fooling no one and simply underscores his central problem: he can’t be trusted."

 

Governing By Revenge: The Crist Switch And The GOP

(Photo by Martha Jackovics)

On Friday night, those who were checking their Twittter feeds saw the now infamous "Tweet Seen Around The World" from Charlie Crist:

 

Merry Christmas GOP!

And so it begins.

That Crist was switching parties once again since he left the office of Governor in Florida was no surprise to anyone. Long ago he spoke of leaving the now crazy majority in the Republican Party to cross over to the sane world of everyone else in the country. Was it a political move as well? Sure. Because that's what Charlie does. (For a good history lesson on more political switches from the way back machine by "Empty Chair Charlie," Benjamin J. Kirby over at The Spencerian has a great rundown.)

The latest conversion began with the "Obama hug of doom" when he stepped up in support of stimulus money that would (Gasp!) create jobs and help the economy in 2009, something the GOP frowned on because it was coming from President Obama. Oh the horror.

It was downhill from there and Charlie switched to Independent in order to run against the empty suit that was, and is still is Marco Rubio in his Senate run. Fast forward to 2012 and Florida wound up with Governor Disaster Rick Scott, and that empty suit is now a member of the U.S. Senate, where he's done virtually nothing beyond making speeches and playing the role of the face of the "new Republican Party."

Unfortunately, all the GOP has done is roll out that new face touting the same failed policies. For instance, they think an immigrant living here who arrived as a child will find it more pleasing when the person sending them back to a world they've never known and an uncertain future has a younger, prettier face than say, Joe Arpaio.

Sure. That will do it!

The Republican Party Of Florida has been foaming at the mouth in anticipation of a Crist switch to the Democratic Party for quite some time now, fearing that Crist would try and get his old Tallahassee job back, giving a well deserved boot to Governor Clusterf@#!. And for good reason, as Floridians would probably vote for a can of Spam at this point rather than let Scott completely destroy the state in a second term, if there's anything left by then, of course. Sure, the RPOF may send their spokesman out there to "talk tough on Twitter" (Ooh, grr!) and fling out press releases bragging of crushing Charlie in 2014, something they started months ago, but you don't work that hard at a preemptive strike unless you're scared, just plain stupid, or you have the largest case of denial on record.

Bingo on all of the above. 

No, denial isn't a river in Egypt as they say, it's being a member of the Republican Party that deserves to be in a rubber room somewhere rather than out there trying to get control of the country and the State of Florida, but that's where we find the party now, and this is what they have to say now that Crist has officially defected to the opposition:

Earlier Saturday, Florida Republicans gathered for a meeting and said they will be extra motivated to re-elect Gov. Rick Scott if his opponent is Crist, who left the GOP during his 2010 run for Senate.

"Bring it on," Peter Feaman, the party's national committeeman, told a room of Republican activists. "That man sat at my house, in my kitchen, at my breakfast table and told me he was a Ronald Reagan Republican. OK, I'm putting my boots on, because guess what? You lied to me."

I would venture to say that perhaps Feaman is putting his boots on in order to avoid stepping in the mess he and his party have created for themselves, but I digress.

That the Republican Party will now vow to double down in support of Rick Scott, who they've never liked in the first place merely as a way to get revenge on Crist for that hug of doom puts the real face on the party. They would rather go down with the ship, taking Floridians and the state with them rather than let Crist, or anyone else dare to attempt to do what's right for the state and the country:

Governing by revenge.

And they wonder why they lose?

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Democrats Want Civil Rights Probe Of Florida Voting Laws

While Former Florida GOP leaders say voter suppression was the reason they pushed new election law, members of Florida’s Democratic Congressional delegation have written to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights requesting that it convene a hearing to investigate Florida’s 2011 electoral law, HB 1355, after former Republican state leaders and GOP consultants said the law was expressly designed to reduce Democratic voter participation:

The commission, which has subpoena powers, is charged with investigating violations of civil rights.

The request follows two stories in The Palm Beach Post, published Oct. 26 and Nov. 25, about the involvement of GOP staff and consultants in writing HB 1355, which reduced early voting days and proscribed the activities of voter registration organizations, such as the League of Women Voters. The bill was passed by the GOP-controlled legislature and signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, in May 2011.

Former state Republican Party chairman Jim Greer told The Post that while the party claimed the law was designed to stop voter fraud and save money, the true intent was to stem early voting, which GOP staffers and consultants believed favored Democrats. The law reduced early voting from 14 days to 8.

Greer is under indictment for allegedly stealing money from the party through what has been called a phony fund raising firm. He has counter sued the party, asserting that party leaders knew what he was doing. His trial is pending.

Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, also no longer in the party —and reportedly considering a run for governor in 2014 as a Democrat— backed Greer’s claims that the law was designed to reduce Democratic turnout. A Republican consultant, who asked not to be identified, also said Republicans wanted to eliminate early voting on the last Sunday before an election because that day was particularly popular with black voters, and most of them have backed Democrats. 

The letter to the Civil Rights Commission was signed by Democratic party U.S. Reps. Alcee Hastings of Miramar; Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston; Corrine Brown of Jacksonville; Kathy Castor of Tampa; Ted Deutch of Boca Raton; and Frederica Wilson of Miami. It was addressed to Martin Castro, chairman of the Civil Rights Commission.

The group hopes to shine a light on  the errors made that caused so many problems for voters at the polls. In many cases the voter suppression tactics backfired on the Republicans when so many refused to leave the long lines even when the election had already been called. Many remained in line until they voted.

Castor agreed. She also said she thought it was clear that HB 1355 was intended to inhibit Democratic voting.

“But this has taken a darker turn,” she said, “The racial undertones are very troubling. We need to learn more about how coordinated this was.”

Florida House Democratic Leader Perry Thurston, of Fort Lauderdale, also called for a federal probe. He said Democratic lawmakers questioned the purpose of HB 1355 all along “because in our opinion no (voter) fraud was ever brought to light.”

In his interview with The Post Greer said f0llowing the 2008 victory of President Barack Obama, GOP staffers and consultants began to discuss ways to inhibit the Democratic vote.

“The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates,” Greer told The Post. “They never came in to see me and tell me we had a (voter) fraud issue. It’s all a marketing ploy.”

Mitchell, in a deposition taken in a lawsuit brought against the state over HB 1355, also spoke of meetings starting in 2010 at which new electoral laws were discussed. Mitchell’s name has been connected to charges of alleged voter suppression in the past.

Following the 2000 election, the Civil Rights Commission held hearings in Florida after the Florida Division of Elections issued lists of persons who were allegedly felons and who should not be allowed to vote. Supervisors of elections later found that many of the persons on the list were not felons. The employees of database companies hired by the state to compile the lists later testified that it was Mitchell who had set the parameters for the list. Mitchell was not called to testify.

Tuesday, State Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, who served for a year as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida after Greer stepped down in January 2010, said he believes a Civil Rights Commission hearing is unnecessary.

Thrasher also said he does not believe Greer and Crist are credible.

Crist is “mad at the Republican Party,” Thrasher said. He said Crist’s anger comes from being beaten by Marco Rubio in the GOP U.S. Senate primary in 2010 and subsequently running as an independent and losing to Rubio again.

And Greer is facing criminal fraud charges stemming from his tenure as party chairman, Thrasher said.

“I’m not going to give a lot of credibility to anything either one of them say,” Thrasher said. “You can take evidence from just about anybody and there’s a lot of second-guessing afterwards and a lot of people now who have an axe to grind and want to grind it. But where is the evidence that shows anything like that, that any senator voted for anything they thought was going to suppress turnout? I don’t think you’ll find any senator who will say that because it’s not accurate.”

Mitt Romney: Here's That Tax Plan That I Said Didn't Exist!

"Holy Wonk Batman, It's The Flim-Flam Twins!"

The Romney-Ryan's mysterious tax plan that the latest upgraded version of Mitt Romney claims doesn't exist, and that pseudo-wonk and self proclaimed "math guy" Paul Ryan dismisses an explanation of because "there just isn't enough time to explain the math"* has finally, FINALLY been revealed!**

Here you go!

*Except that former President Bill Clinton manages to explain the math in just a little over two minutes here.

**We're still waiting on those tax returns Mitt.