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Poll: Florida voters don't like Marco Rubio's immigration stance, but his approval rating remains steady
06/19/13 State RoundupFlorida voters give Sen. Marco Rubio negative ratings for his work on immigration reform and strongly disagree with his vote in the U.S. Senate against requiring background checks for those buying guns, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll, but they still give him an overall 51 percent to 35 percent job approval rating. Sen. Bill Nelson also has a 51 percent approval rating.
Rubio's approval rating is little changed from his 48 percent to 33 percent approval March 20, although on individual issues voters are not as enamored with the state's junior senator:...
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Q poll: Florida voters don't like Rubio's handling of immigration but his approval rating remains steady
06/19/13 BlogQuinnipiac University poll:
Florida voters give Sen. Marco Rubio negative ratings for his work on immigration reform and strongly disagree with his vote in the U.S. Senate against requiring background checks for those buying guns, but they still give him an overall 51 – 35 percent job approval rating. Sen. Bill Nelson also has a 51 percent approval rating.
In trial heats for the 2016 presidential race, Hillary Clinton would defeat Jeb Bush 50 – 43 percent and best Rubio 53 – 41 percent. Bush would get 47 percent against Joe Biden’s 43 percent. Rubio gets 45 percent to Biden’s 43 percent....
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Rubio, immigration backers gets boost with CBO score
06/18/13 BlogWASHINGTON (AP) — About 8 million immigrants living unlawfully in the United States would initially gain legal status under sweeping legislation moving toward a vote in the Senate, the Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday, adding the bill would push federal deficits lower in each of the next two decades....
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Rubio distances self from unnamed aide's perceived slam on American workers
06/18/13 BlogSen. Marco Rubio today distanced himself from remarks an unnamed aide gave to the New Yorker that some American workers "can't cut it."
The comment, racing across Twitter and blogs and further hurting Rubio among some conservatives, came in the context of the guest worker program in the immigration bill....
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Conservative groups seek to win support for immigration reform by simplifying debate
06/18/13 BlogThe Senate immigration reform bill is a beast, topping 1,000 pages, giving critics an easy attack. Conservative groups are hoping to cut through the complexity with the release today of a plainly written report: Translating Immigration Reform: A Layman’s Guide.
The guide, prepared by American Action Forum and Hispanic Leadership Network, which includes Jeb Bush and Mario Diaz-Balart as advisory members, goes through the bill by sections and suggests improvements. "Regardless of support for or against reform, it is important to understand the variables surrounding the legislation being debated on the Senate floor," the groups said....
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Equality Florida blasts Rubio's 'bigoted' comments on gay issues
06/17/13 BlogEquality Florida issued a sharp rebuke of Sen. Marco Rubio for recent comments on gay issues.
Rubio said last week that if Democrats try to amend the immigration bill with a measure extending rights to gay partners, he will walk away (that wasn't really news, as Rubio has said that in the past, but it provoked strong reactions.) Then a liberal group asked Rubio about the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would protect LGBT people from being fired because of their sexual orientation....
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Former Rep. Connie Mack: Told you so on privacy concerns
06/17/13 BlogFomer Rep. Connie Mack writes for the hometown Fort Myers News-Press about the government spying programs, saying he feels vindicated for criticizing the Patriot Act.
"Under this bi-partisan watch America has been drastically altered. It’s not a transformation that has made us stronger. It has been a determined orchestration of the most fundamental realignment of the relationship between the people and their government since our founding. We are weaker for it....
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Jeb Bush says his parents are 'split' on a presidential run
06/16/13 BlogJeb Bush, appearing on This Week, talks about his father and how there's a "split ballot" among his parents on a 2016 presidential run....
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Video: Rubio criticizes Obama on Syria, talks immigration
06/16/13 BlogSen. Marco Rubio appeared on ABC's Sunday news show and blamed President Obama for inaction on Syria while expressing hesitancy to embrace the immigration bill unless border security is improved. Rubio is working on a plan to insert a border security plan in the bill, which he helped write as a member of the Gang of 8, rather than leave it to the Department of Homeland Security.
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Rep. Alan Grayson 2.0: Less fire-breathing, more self-restraint
06/15/13 BlogWASHINGTON — Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida waited only hours after being sworn in to go on MSNBC, a forum he used to become a national figure during a tumultuous first go-around in Congress, and declare his return.
"As Steven Tyler would say, 'I'm back in the saddle again,' " Grayson smirked during the January appearance. And so he was off, ripping House Speaker John Boehner as "a weak, weak man."...

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Rep. Alan Grayson 2.0: Less fire-breathing, more self-restraint
06/14/13NationalWASHINGTON — Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida waited just a few hours after being sworn in to go on MSNBC, a forum he used to become a national figure during a tumultuous first go-around in Congress, and declare his return.
"As Steven Tyler would say, 'I'm back in the saddle again,' " Grayson smirked during the January appearance. And so he was off, ripping House Speaker John Boehner as "a weak, weak man."...

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Immigrants are 'more fertile,' Jeb Bush tells Washington crowd
06/14/13NationalWASHINGTON — Saying "demography is destiny," former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told a Faith & Freedom Coalition crowd Friday that "more fertile" immigrants are needed to help keep America's population young and to sustain a healthy economy.
"Immigrants create far more businesses than native-born Americans over the last 20 years," Bush said. "Immigrants are more fertile, and they love families, and they have more intact families, and they bring a younger population. Immigrants create an engine of economic prosperity."...
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Jeb Bush's immigration argument: Immigrants are more 'fertile'
06/14/13 BlogSaying "demography is destiny," Jeb Bush told a Faith & Freedom Coalition crowd this morning that "more fertile" immigrants are needed to help keep America's population young and sustain a healthy economy.
“Immigrants create far more businesses than native-born Americans over the last 20 years," Bush said. "Immigrants are more fertile, and they love families, and they have more intact families, and they bring a younger population. Immigrants create an engine of economic prosperity.”...

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Jeb Bush highlights immigration battle of GOP establishment vs newcomers
06/13/13 BlogWASHINGTON — Former Govs. Haley Barbour and Jeb Bush, the folksy pol from Mississippi and the policy wonk from Florida, sat next to each other Thursday pitching immigration reform as vital for the economic future of an aging country.
"We have to change our policies. They are broken," Bush said. "That is a winning message in conservative America."
Across town, another conservative message is confronting the establishment voices epitomized by Barbour and Bush....
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Jeb Bush highlights immigration battle of GOP establishment vs. newcomers
06/13/13NationalWASHINGTON — Former Govs. Haley Barbour and Jeb Bush, the folksy pol from Mississippi and the policy wonk from Florida, sat next to each other Thursday pitching immigration reform as vital for the economic future of an aging country.
"We have to change our policies. They are broken," Bush said. "That is a winning message in conservative America."
Across town, another conservative message is confronting the establishment voices epitomized by Barbour and Bush....








