From the Charlie Crist campaign: "Gov. Crist supports the extension of unemployment benefits. In these challenging economic times, we have an obligation to help people keep a roof over their heads and provide for their families while looking for gainful employment."

That makes Republican Marco Rubio the only major U.S. Senate candidate who opposes the proposal to extend unemployment benefits for nearly 200,000 Floridians and 2.5 million Americans. Only if specific cuts were identified to offset the $34 billion cost of extending benefits would Rubio support it.

"At some point someone has to draw a line in the sand and say we are serious about not growing debt,'' Rubio said Monday while campaigning in Tampa.

The Miami Republican, however, would not insist on identifying specific spending cuts to offset the cost of cutting taxes and extending the Bush tax cuts: "We do have to cut certain taxes like double taxation on capital gains, the corporate tax rate," he said. "But the most important thing we need to do is extend the current tax rate. If you don't extend the current tax rate you're actually raising taxes beginning next year, and I don't know of anybody in this room who believes that's good for business and job creation in America."

Jeff Greene: "Today, the same career politicians who passed billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans have obstructed emergency relief for unemployed workers for a third time. The American people, and especially American workers, deserve a government that will not turn their back on them in time of need. I know what it’s like to lose one’s livelihood, as my father lost his. That’s why I’m running for US Senate. I will fight to ensure all Americans have a voice in Washington."

Kendrick Meek: "(Rubio)'s reading  right off the hard-right song sheet.. It's unfortunate that he's opposed to it because we have double-digit unemployment here in this state. We have a number of Floridians who have been working their entire lives and this is the first time they've ever asked for any assistance whatsoever. .. For every dollar paid in unemployment compensation, it puts $1.63 into the local economy."

*