March 2, 2010
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Heralding "the Herald" Feedback, Pt.2
Let's hear from the people.On the other hand, those on the far Left are hoping to have a field day over the credit card scandal. Of course Mr. Crist is having a field day over the event. His campaign infomercials and e-mail networking argue that this credit card exposure places serious doubt that Rubio is fiscally responsible. Here is the message : "It's clear Speaker Rubio didn't leave home without his American Express, but Florida voters, if they want someone in office they can trust with their tax dollars, need to leave Speaker Rubio at home." Many employers inquire about credit card responsibility to determine trustworthiness. Does our state government?
The Republican Party now faces the awkward question of whether they should release all the credit card statements to clear the air and reassure donors. Interestingly, however, there are still a few with cool heads about it. The Florida state attorney who got the ball rolling against Ray Samsom, Willie Meggs, was quoted in saying “If the trip was a legitimate state trip, and the state paid for it, then I would say that's OK. Then the state of Florida is not a victim," Meggs said. "If [Rubio] got reimbursed some other way, then he is sort of double-dipping. I think that could be an issue." Beyond that, he has not involved himself.
Jeff Atwater, Florida's Senate President commented on Friday about the parameters and guidelines he was judged by when using his credit card. The criteria he stated was: "Whether or not I was advancing the work of the party." The candidate for state chief financial officer, while in Miami said: "I can speak for myself. I would think that the card was provided for the purposes of being sure we were advancing the party, identifying a candidate, supporting a candidate, helping raise resources or getting to know people who could help us in grass roots". He concluded: "If somebody used it other than that, and they made arrangements to take care of that, that's up to them and the party." In other words, if it's ok with 'the Party', then it's "OK".