Jeb Bush endorses McCollum at rally as GOP base strengthens

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum speaks to guests during his 2010 Florida Tour stop in Jacksonville. McCollum is running in the primary to win the Republican nomination for governor.Former governor Jeb Bush arrived in Jacksonville on Monday to support Attorney General Bill McCollum’s bid to win the GOP Primary in the Florida gubernatorial race.

Besides one of the most popular Republicans there to offer an official endorsement, other notables attended.

Guests included Florida state senators John Thrasher (also party chair) and Mike Haridopolos. Florida congresswoman Jennifer Carroll was also there along with many other GOP notables. Members of the Jacksonville Young Republicans were there—the club has been designated best large club in the nation—and also members of various GOP women’s clubs were present.

I also had the pleasure of seeing Mario Rubio again. Mario is US Senate candidate Marco Rubio’s brother. I have endorsed Marco publicly; he is only the second candidate I have ever publicly endorsed.

Despite a sweltering day, the Mandarin GOP headquarters was packed. I saw one Alex Sink supporter with a poster and a couple of Rick Scott's supporters standing on the street corner.

Within minutes of Thrasher’s welcome, it was evident the GOP is no longer the dispirited party triumphed over by Democrats who touted national victory in 2006 with their Washington takeover.

State senator John Thrasher, chair of the Republican Party of Florida, talks to guests at the GOP Mandarin Headquarters.Key national media were also complicit in that victory of course. We can officially look to some media as being responsible for the government we have at present. I repeatedly questioned actions by key media during the 2008 elections. I now know I was right about the overwhelming bias for Democrats because of the Journolist scandal broken by The Daily Caller.

The change in attitude evident yesterday is in large part due to a federal government spun out of control, a government controlled by the far left at the moment.

“Today is the day to start taking back America,” Thrasher declared.

And for the first time in four years I believed we might begin to do just that.

COMPARISON OF POLITICS
Carroll stands out as one of the few females in either party who is a naturally gifted orator. She speaks from conviction, eliminating the need for notes or a teleprompter. And she told an interesting story about her observations of politics in China and India.

Florida state representative Jennifer Carroll offered remarks prior to Attorney General Bill McCollum's stop in Jacksonville during his 2010 Florida Tour, part of his campaign to win the GOP nomination for governor.Carroll said that in India, more than 60 percent of the poor turn out to vote. One reason—politicians give them gifts like television sets. The poor enjoy those sets we Americans of all income levels take for granted. Ironically that set is probably all they will get. After all, India’s social caste system still plagues the culture.

Carroll said that as Republicans, we demand candidates “represent the people.” She pointed out the importance of everyone casting a vote, but doing so with full information about the candidates and issues. And she encouraged those present to talk to their neighbors about the various candidates, something Republicans have rarely done in the past.

The charismatic congresswoman used the anecdote about India to move onto the topic of the governor’s race. Candidates like McCollum have a record of service; newcomers don’t. With a newcomer, the record that must be considered is whatever he or she has done in the private sector. And Carroll said the word that’s on many a conservative’s lips today. “Keep the Constitution and our ideals in mind before you vote.”

RUNNING ON A RECORD
But this is a small part of what happened. The focus of the day was McCollum, whose initial campaign left party faithful confused. In an earlier column I mentioned talking to a woman at a political gathering about the primary. She is a McCollum supporter, and she confessed she was frustrated by his messaging. She said he needed to “come out of his shell.”

At that point I thought she was spot on. Frankly, no one was more surprised than I was when political newcomer Rick Scott began to gain in the polls.

That sort of thing usually happens when an incumbent has not done a good job. Ironically, McCollum as attorney general, in my opinion, has been very effective. I appreciated his efforts on reining in cybercriminals and on doing something about Medicaid fraud. I was familiar with his efforts to do something about identity theft, especially regarding seniors, and to go after mortgage fraud. I covered all these efforts and wrote about them long before he decided to run for governor.

My perception of McCollum is that of some at the top of Florida’s political system, McCollum actually did a good job, particularly when you compare his performance to that of Gov. Charlie Crist or Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, both of whom have been in my opinion a complete disaster.

On one occasion a couple years ago, I’d had to call McCollum’s office for assistance and I received excellent service. No one knew who I was, so the service wasn’t rendered to me as a special favor. I was just Mrs. Public Anybody phoning to ask a question.

McCollum is popular with the base—that was evident at the gathering that’s part of his 2010 Florida Tour.

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush has endorsed Attorney General Bill McCollum for governor. Bush patiently posed for numerous photographs when McCollum visited Jacksonville as part of his 2010 Florida Tour.THE JEB FACTOR
It doesn’t hurt that Bush is endorsing him. If ever there were a popular governor  with the base, that would be Jeb. I’d never met him in person until yesterday. He has a commanding presence—for one thing he is a really tall guy. He doesn’t do what I call ‘poli-babble’—spout forth talking points for the sake of ideology. And a number of people I talked to are hopeful he will one day run for president, though he told the crowd he is happy right now to be away from politics. I can’t say I blame him for that. I can’t think of a more stressful job than serving in government.

I learned something too—Thrasher said Jeb was the first Florida governor to lead with a GOP legislature supporting him. That was a reminder of the long rule the Democrat Party had at the federal level—a 40 year stretch during which time the entitlements we strain to pay now were established. In his diary, President Ronald Reagan alluded to the frustration of being a Republican president with a Democrat Congress that controlled the nation for so long. And of course that reign affects us today—Clinton may have manipulated his budget because his Republican Congress focused on fiscal issues, but those entitlements were projected to grow. And grow and grow.

The long term cost of Democrat entitlement programs is something President Barack Obama forgets when he assigns blame for everything to a single Republican president. Affronts to the taxpayer such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the inevitable affront that will occur now that his party took over the student loan business and has further contracted the health insurance market, and the lack of oversight over Stimulus funds are all Democrat products—de facto entitlements.

Clinton also dodged the radical Islamist movement. He applied a bandage when he should’ve taken decisive action. I believe his lack of strength on foreign policy led directly to the wars we are fighting now, wars that might have been avoided had that policy been decisive and effective.

That mess, by the way, was what President George W. Bush inherited but had the good grace to simply deal with instead of blaming his predecessor at every turn. Blame is no man’s solution; an obsession with blame is a mark of weakness.

Jeb Bush said he voted early and he voted for McCollum. For the base, that was the single most prized endorsement a candidate could receive.

A CANDIDATE COMES INTO HIS OWN
McCollum spoke briefly and my first impression is that he’s cast off the shell for sure. He pointed to his record of public service and added, “I am a Ronald Reagan Republican. You know who I am. Who is Rick Scott?”

And McCollum noted he’s got something in common with Jeb. “I am going to do what I say when I get elected.”

McCollum has laid out a very specific agenda on his website. In first place is an issue that will resonate with every American—jobs. Tax incentives for businesses and regulatory reform are among his goals, but so are forward-thinking issues like energy independence and planning in order to capitalize on the expansion of the Panama Canal.

The US Report asked McCollum about the Tenth Amendment. “I’m a strong supporter of states’ rights,” he said. He cited the lawsuit on Obamacare as one example.

And like any good job candidate, McCollum has confidence in his experience. Of his opponent, McCollum said, “He doesn’t have the understanding of state government—look at the way he ran his business.”

I believe McCollum’s opponent committed a strategic error by refusing a statewide debate. The base wants such a debate and Scott won’t commit to it. If I were a candidate, I would listen to the base and if they wanted a debate, I'd agree.

PRIMARY DAY APPROACHES
Cindy Graves, president of the Florida Federation of Republican Women, welcomed guests before Attorney General Bill McCollum and former governor Jeb Bush arrived as part of McCollum's 2010 Florida Tour.Individuals who choose not to take advantage of generous opportunities to vote early will head to the polls August 24. There’s a full moon that night—if the month stays very warm, it will likely have a red haze. Many of us will sit up late to take in returns, hoping the candidates we select will emerge victorious. Whatever happens, one thing is for sure.

The Grand Old Party—or the Gallant Old Party, depending upon whose history you accept—is no longer the party in disarray as as it was when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) made a promise to deliver an ethical Congress to the American people. On that note it is my opinion she and her colleague Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) have failed miserably. Select branded media have also failed miserably to cover the failure in detail, focusing instead on our First Lady’s vacation and our president’s golf games.

Perhaps we needed a wakeup call. Just before McCollum and Bush arrived on Monday, Thrasher noted, “There’s more enthusiasm in our Republican Party than I have ever seen.”

In that observation, Thrasher is spot on.

Dean Black talks to a guest at the Jacksonville stop for Attorney General Bill McCollum's 2010 Florida Tour. Black is one of several GOP candidates hoping to win the primary and oppose longtime Democrat congresswoman Corrine Brown in November.

(Commentary and photos by Kay B. Day/Aug. 10, 2010)