Marco Rubio Backlash Prompts Newt Gingrich Campaign to Pull Spanish-Language Ad

ABC News ^ | January 25, 2012 | Matthe Jaffee

[true believer forever]

Don’t mess with Sen. Marco Rubio, especially not in Florida.

The young Cuban-American Republican senator’s criticism of a Spanish-language ad released by Newt Gingrich that hit rival Mitt Romney for being “anti-immigrant” has caused the former House speaker’s campaign to pull the spot.

With the Florida primary fast approaching next Tuesday, Gingrich and Romney spent Wednesday feuding in an attempt to win over Latino voters at a Univision forum in Miami. Romney blasted Gingrich for the “anti-immigrant” line in the ad, saying it was “very sad” and “unbecoming of a presidential candidate.”

[true believer forever]

Despite what he says over and over, Rubio is NOT neutral, he is NOT a Conservative. He is very close to the Bushies in Fla, especially, Jeb – and has already said that Romney helped him in his early campaign… the same kind of help Romney gave to Nikki Haley, 36,000?

If he was neutral, he could have been a gentleman, his staff could have contacted Newt’s and they could have worked it out amongst themselves… what Rubio did was endorse Romney without endorsing him… it sucks. He wants the conservative vote without having to stand for the conservative in the race.

You can go to Rubio’s contact page: and send him a message – he needs to get the message, conservatives are onto him.

2 Florida zips: 32960 for Vero Beach, or 32958 for Sebastian.

http://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Rubio’s office number - (904) 398-8586...

I personally don’t think Newt should have backed down, or should have said his usual, ‘I will change anything factually incorrect.’ Now Romney is using Rubio’s attacks in ads on his website, and many papers in Florida have had scathing headlines, like ‘Rubio blasts Team Gingrich.’

[Logical me]

Rubio better get on the Newt bus or get the hell off. I don't care who in the hell he is, if he wants King Obama for another four years then get the hell our of the way. I'm tired of these RINOs.

[Lady Lucky]

I hope everyone here will appeal to the Santorum campaign, to drop the FL effort; they’re only helping Romney if they don’t drop out.

[Carry me back]

I would never vote for Rubio. Nothing but another Romney a do nothing republican. Most of what Romney talks about is his own personal finances which I care nothing about. Or I should say the media talks about. He isn’t going to do anything different from Obama, so that is why they talk about his personal finances all the time.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/17/AR2010071702375.html

"We don't need a lot of Jim DeMint disciples," Lott said in an interview. "As soon as they get here, we need to co-opt them."

[true believer forever]

Please call Rubio, I have heard from several people who got through today... and apparently the people in the office are nice and listen... and promise to give him your message.

[true believer forever]

Please call Rubio, I have heard from several people who got through today... and apparently the people in the office are nice and listen... and promise to give him your message.

[RedCell]

Thanks for the contact link. Just sent a message asking to cease and desist.

[true believer forever]

Thanks. If you can, pass it around, and ask others to do so... it is pure hell in florida right now..

[AuH2ORepublican]

Let me get this straight: Newt Gingrich runs a Spanish-language radio ad in which he accuses Mitt Romney of being “anti-immigrant” because Romney says that he wants to (gasp!) deport illegal aliens, Marco Rubio criticizes the ad and explains that wanting to deport illegal aliens does *not* make you “anti-immigrant” and that neither Newt nor Romney are anti-immigrant, and *Rubio* gets accused of being a RINO?

I understand your point about how Rubio could have contacted the Gingrich campaign privately and requested that it pull the ad, but it would be difficult for Rubio not to take a public position on this. Remember, Rubio has been fighting the liberal Spanish-language media for over a year because Univision, etc. insist that those like Rubio who oppose amnesty for illegal aliens are “anti-immigrant” (Univision went as far as to threaten Rubio with running a story about a relative of Rubio having been arrested years ago if Rubio did not agree to appear on a Univision show with an amnesty proponent), so he couldn’t leave that charge unanswered in public without the risk of Univision peppering questions premised with “even Newt Gingrich acknowledges that being in favor of deporting illegals makes you anti-immigrant.”

As for your belief that Newt did not say anything factually incorrect in the ad, do you really believe that someone who favors deporting illegal aliens is “anti-immigrant”? That’s what many liberals claim is the case, but no conservative worth his salt would truly believe that. I don’t think that Newt believes that, either; he ran the ad to scare Hispanic voters away from Romney, just like Romney and his PACs run negative ads to try to scare voters away from Newt. I know politics ain’t beanbag, but I would prefer that if a Republican candidate is going to run a disingenuous ad criticizing a primary opponent that it criticizes the other guy for being too liberal, not too conservative. I’d still prefer Newt over Romney a million times over, but Newt should have never allowed that ad to run, and I’m glad that he pulled it.

[RedMDer]

[true believer forever]

I don’t know about the immigration thing - the right or wrong of it - all I know is Rubio said Mitt was a conservative, and helped him with his campaign in Florida...

http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/rubio-romney-gingrich-endorsement/2012/01/25/id/425451

[bjorn14]

Thank G-d Marco isn’t eligible to become pResident.

[bjorn14]

Thank G-d Marco isn’t eligible to become pResident.

[AuH2ORepublican]

When Marco Rubio challenged RINO FL Governor Charlie Crist for the GOP Senate nomination in 2010 for the seat being vacated by Senator Mel Martinez, just about the entire GOP establishment, including many conservatives, lined up behind Crist because they figured he’d be a sure bet to hold the seat. But Mitt Romney supported Rubio, and it may have been the last straw for Charlie Crist, who decided to leave the GOP primary and run as an independent instead. Sure, some conservatives, such as Mike Huckabee, did endorse Rubio early on (as did I, not that my “endorsement” is worth anything), but Rubio wouldn’t endorse Huckabee’s opponent either.

That being said, while I think it is quite defensible for Rubio to say that Romney “is no Charlie Crist,” being to the right of Crist by no means makes you a conservative, and I certainly disagree with Rubio’s claim (made through a spokesman) that Romney is a conservative. 2010 endorsement or not, Rubio is being far too nice to Romney by making that whopper of a claim. But what Newt’s campaign did—parroting a liberal talking point that Republicans who want to deport illegal aliens are “anti-immigrant”—was much worse, and Rubio was correct to criticize the radio ad, and Newt was correct to pull the ad.

[true believer forever]

I agree with everything you said... I just don’t think Rubio had to give the establishment republicans talking points... two wrongs don’t make a right...

[Warthog-2]

Saw Santorum on Megyn Kelly’s show. He said emphatically he is not dropping out and already has advance teams in the next five states.

FWIW

[Dante3]

There appears to be pressures to have Santorum drop out. He is the most conservative of the candidates and did exceptionally well during the past two debates. Yet even here, he is ignored.

[Lady Lucky]

Santorum stays in, all it does is advance Romney. And he knows it. Ultimately he’s working not for Romney but for Obama.

[Lady Lucky]

Please call Rubio, I have heard from several people who got through today... and apparently the people in the office are nice and listen... and promise to give him your message.

As soon as I calm down.