No one is happy with Marco Rubio on immigration
Marco Rubio's first day as an official candidate didn't go very well. He's facing heated criticism for backtracking on his immigration reform bill after tying his political fortune to its success. Rubio is stuck between a rock and a hard place with two constituencies he needs to support him: Latinos and tea party conservatives. Tea Partiers are unhappy with Rubio's key role in immigration reform and will never forgive him. At the same time, four out of five Latino voters oppose Rubio's immigration stance, as American Bridge pointed out this weekend, and they're feeling abandoned by the senator. Mark Murray from NBC has it right: Immigration is "toxic" for the Rubio campaign. This is one issue that isn't going away.
VIDEO: Marco Rubio: New Face, Same Old Problems
Marco Rubio's presidential announcement should trigger yawns from anyone who has followed his career. A typical politician, Rubio is plagued…
MEMO: Polling Proves Marco Rubio Has the Wrong Priorities for Latinos
TO: Interested Parties FROM: Brad Woodhouse, President, American Bridge 21st Century RE: Polling Proves Marco Rubio Has the Wrong Priorities for Latinos DATE: April 11, 2015 Marco Rubio jumps into the presidential race facing a skeptical conservative base. As a darling of the Tea Party, Rubio’s quick rise through the U.S. Senate seemed pre-ordained. But he has faced right wing, conservative, criticism from the GOP base for changing his positions when it’s politically convenient, as he did on immigration. Rubio’s core electability message to right wing Republicans is his supposed strength with Latinos in the general election. We agree with Rubio that Latinos are a key demographic he will need to win over if he has any chance of becoming president. However, we disagree – and the polling backs this up – that Latinos are ready to side with Rubio.
Delusions of Randeur
The honeymoon of Rand Paul's presidential announcement lasted all of a few hours. If his extreme record and alarming history weren't enough, his temperament and glaring inability to deal with the media torpedoed his candidacy before the lights were turned off in Louisville.
Prime time? Not so much
Rand Paul failed at damage control last night with Megyn Kelly. Rand wasn't interested in answering any of Kelly's questions:
Do you regret shushing the one reporter and jumping in?
The question some people are asking about you is whether you're ready for prime time?
Did you get overly emotional?
People are accusing you now of being too thin-skinned.
Rand continued to prove that he doesn't want to be held accountable to his extreme positions. He's trying to trick viewers into writing off past statements like ending all foreign aid to Israel or a complete ban on a woman's right to choose as "editorializing" by reporters.Jeb admits he signed Hispanic voter form without reading it
SHOT: "They pass laws and say, 'Trust us, we'll read it afterwards.'" [3/2/15] CHASER: "I signed the application for a change of registration and without knowing someone put Hispanic."
Rand Paul REALLY doesn't like reporters asking him about his extreme positions
Add Savannah Guthrie to the list of reporters who have been shushed or berated by Rand Paul for asking him questions about his past right-wing positions. Rand shushed CNBC anchor Kelly Evans recently and hung up on Howie Carr. Guess Rand hasn't mellowed out. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, listen. You've editorialized, let me answer a question. You ask a question and you say, 'Have your views changed?" instead of editorializing and saying my views have changed." -- Rand Paul
VIDEO: Univision and Telemundo on Jeb's voter registration
Jeb Bush landed in trouble across Latino TV last night for registering as "Hispanic" on his 2009 voter form. From Univision to Telemundo, Bush was subjected to more negative coverage that added to his headaches. Jeb isn't exactly winning over Hispanics, either. A new ABC/Washington Post poll shows him trailing Hillary Clinton by a 3 to 1 margin, 71-21, among Hispanic voters.
American Bridge Welcomes "Paul Off The Wall" to the Presidential Race
Senator Rand Paul is making his presidential bid official today, and American Bridge is welcoming him with 20 reminders of his wild and crazy moments at PaulOffTheWall.com.
Jeb's Self-ID Problem Draws Widespread Mockery
Jeb Bush's self-identification problem had the political world scratching its head Monday. After registering as "Hispanic" on his 2009 Florida voter registration form, the presumptive presidential candidate was hard-pressed to explain the error. Instead he tried to poke fun at the mistake, which would have been a savvy move had the entire national press corps not beat him to the punch.