Rubio shot back that Crist "changes positions on the issues because he wants to win the election."
Crist tried to present himself as an independent throughout the debate, at one point calling the conversation between Meek and Rubio over tax cuts an example of partisan "bickering" that voters dislike. "You are seeing it right now, right here," Crist said. "That is why I'm running as an independent."
Meek suggested differently: "The governor is running as an independent, because he couldn't beat Marco Rubio."
In a back-and-forth that defined their campaigns, Crist depicted Rubio as a conservative ideologue unable or unwilling to deviate from extreme views regardless of changing dynamics. "You know, facts change all the time," Crist said. "I think people want an open-minded senator rather than the opposite, a closed-minded senator."
Rubio "wouldn't accept tax cuts on 98% of the people in America because of his ideology," Crist said. "That's exactly the problem, that's what's not right with Washington today." While Crist advocated a compromise, Meek backed the Obama position.
The NC State Bureau of Investigations is probing whether absentee ballots were used to alter the vote in three 9th District elections, including the 2018 primary and general elections. The investigation is centered on Leslie McCrae Dowless, a 62-year-old veteran operative in Bladen County who pleaded guilty to felony insurance fraud in 1992. Working as a consultant to the Harris campaign, Dowless allegedly gathered absentee ballots in areas considered to be supportive of McCready but never turned them in.
The NC State Board of Elections could certify Harris as the winner or take the extraordinary step of ordering another election. The Charlotte Observer, the state's largest newspaper, called for a new election in an editorial.
DONALD TRUMP: It's disgraceful. It's amazing that they can get away with it. I think they're very concerned. I think they're extremely nervous about it. I also think that probably the law will be changed in this case, or the rule may be changed in this case, because it's just inconceivable to me that they can allow this to happen.
JESSE VENTURA: I think it's despicable. Here in Minnesota when I ran, at the point of the primary, I was only polling 10%, which means that if you went by their criteria, I would not have been allowed to debate and subsequently would have not won the election. It shows great fear on their part in the fact that a candidate like me can be at 10% and can turn around in a mere six weeks and win. It's obviously clear to me that they don't want that to happen again. I think it's cheating the American public.
GOV. JESSE VENTURA: If Donald decides to become a candidate, it will be at that point in time. But I can't sit out here and say, "Yes, I'm endorsing Donald Trump" when he's not a candidate, because if he makes the choice, which is certainly his choice and the people close to him to make that choice. If he decides to the negative that, no, he doesn't want to get in as a candidate, well, then that makes me look kind of stupid. You know, and I don't like looking stupid.
[OTI explanation: Donald Trump briefly entered the Reform Party presidential primaries in 2000, but lost without winning primaries in any states. Pat Buchanan won 47 states and the Reform Party nomination; John Hagelin won 3 states. Jesse Ventura and Ross Perot were the major founders of the Reform Party; Ventura's faction encouraged Trump to enter the primaries.]
"I think both campaigns have filed legal actions and we have the time to have those heard," said Clinton, who endorsed Gore's position in the dispute. "I believe that it certainly is important that every American have the confidence that his or her vote is counted and certainly in Florida there are questions about votes that haven't been counted. I think those should be resolved," she said.
America's government institutions, including the presidency, are "strong and resilient" enough to weather the current dispute, Clinton said. She added that Gore as well as his Republican rival, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, would "certainly be able to hit the ground running" after taking office.
Q: The woman in question said the ad is accurate, but "over the top." [To Conway]: Do you believe he's a Christian?CONWAY AD NARRATOR:
- Why was Rand Paul a member of a secret society that called the Holy Bible a hoax, that was banned for mocking Christianity and Christ?
- Why did Rand Paul once tie a woman up, tell her to bow down before a false idol, and say his god was Aqua Buddha?
- Why does Rand Paul now want to end all federal faith-based initiatives and even end the reduction for religious charities?
- Why are there so many questions about Rand Paul?
CONWAY: I'm not questioning his faith. I'm questioning his actions. Baylor University banned this group because they were "making fun of Christianity and Christ." And we're asking, is it appropriate, whether you're 22 years old or 42 years old, to ever tie up a woman and ask her to kneel before a false idol?
CONWAY: No, I'm not implying criminal. And the woman came out again today, and she said our ad was correct.
Q: Well, she said your ad was over the top.
CONWAY: And FactCheck.org said our ad was correct.
Q: Accurate, but over the top. But does an incident that may or may not have occurred 27 years ago, does it really matter to voters today, given all the things that people are facing, all the things, the problems that people are having in their own lives?
Q: Doesn't everybody do stupid stuff in college or when they're in late teens, early 20s?
CONWAY: Sure, sure, everyone does stupid stuff. But Rand Paul is denying that this happened.
CONWAY: Well, the woman who has made the allegations has remained anonymous.
Q: So, you don't know, really, who she is, other than one or two reporters who have talked to her?
CONWAY: Other than the reporters for "The Washington Post" and "GQ" and the other reporters. One gentleman named Mr. Green has gone on record who was a compatriot of Rand Paul's in this secret society and said, yes, they aspired to sacrilege and Rand Paul reveled in it.
Q: But does it concern you to be basing so much of your campaign on a nameless person who won't come forward? You're an attorney. You couldn't put this person on a stand. You couldn't put these statements in court.
CONWAY: Look, she has called it sadistic and she has called it weird. And she's talked about it on multiple occasions. The president of Baylor banned the group.
GOV. JESSE VENTURA: If Donald decides to become a candidate, it will be at that point in time. But I can't sit out here and say, "Yes, I'm endorsing Donald Trump" when he's not a candidate, because if he makes the choice, which is certainly his choice and the people close to him to make that choice. If he decides to the negative that, no, he doesn't want to get in as a candidate, well, then that makes me look kind of stupid. You know, and I don't like looking stupid.
[OTI explanation: Donald Trump briefly entered the Reform Party presidential primaries in 2000, but lost without winning primaries in any states. Pat Buchanan won 47 states and the Reform Party nomination; John Hagelin won 3 states. Jesse Ventura and Ross Perot were the major founders of the Reform Party; Ventura's faction encouraged Trump to enter the primaries.]
VENTURA: You really kind of stand on an island, and you have to take your own punches and weather the storm as it goes along. I like that. I've been kind of a renegade my entire life and career. I'm very comfortable doing that. But the nice thing is, too, I don't have to answer to a political party, and I don't have to hire party cronies. I can get the best person for the job regardless of their party without having to hire within a party.
Q: Would you consider in 2004 running for president?
VENTURA: I'm flattered, but at this point in my life I don't think I would want the job, because the president really lives in a bubble. The president in itself is an oxymoron in a way because he is the leader of the free world, but he has no freedom himself at all. You can't go anywhere because of national security without being heavily guarded. It is really like living in a prison in its own way.
VENTURA: It wasn't really a mistake, but it did cause my family and myself heartache. Because I was bluntly honest, and when you become a politician, it can be very detrimental to be honest. It's easier to lie because if you're really truthful, sometimes the truth hurts. What I have learned as governor is that I represent the state of Minnesota. So in doing that, I sometimes tend to hold back now a little more on my personal opinions on some things.
DEMINT: Well, let me clarify what I mean by conservative. I'm just talking about common-sense people who don't think balancing a checkbook is a radical idea. What I'm talking about is where mainstream America is, and it's just common sense
Q: A poll said about 19% of Americans support the tea party movement. That's not mainstream. That's not most Americans.
DEMINT: The interesting thing is, for instance, in Delaware, there are probably at most a few thousand tea party activists. But ten times that many voted for Christine O'Donnell in the Republican primary. So for every person who takes up a sign and goes to a tea party rally, there are thousands of Americans who agree with them, who don't like Republicans or Democrats, but they're concerned about the incredible spending.
"John Walsh is Hard to Find These Days..." says the NRSC's website, which goes onto claim "That's because he doesn't like to answer questions about his disastrous record, his ability to lead, and a management record dominated by a culture of poor morale, inappropriate relationships and horrific personnel problems."
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was quick to defend Walsh and criticize the NRSC. "Only a Washington insider like Steve Daines would call on his NRSC handlers to smear John Walsh's distinguished 33-year record of service leading the Montana National Guard," said the DSCC press secretary.
"Planning protest to #ReOpenAmerica? EVERYONE wear scrubs & masks--the media doesn't care if you are really in healthcare or not--it's the 'message' that matters," she wrote.
Ward's comments come a few days after she questioned the authenticity of a small group of health care workers in Colorado who counterprotested against people calling for the state to reopen.
"EVEN IF these 'spontaneously' appearing ppl at protests against govt overreach (sporting the same outfits, postures, & facial expressions) ARE involved in healthcare - when they appeared at rallies, they were actors playing parts #Propaganda #FakeOutrage," Ward tweeted last week.
MURKOWSKI: Well, let me tell you, Jim DeMint or the Tea Party Express, far be it for them to determine whether or not the senator representing the people of Alaska is conservative enough for them. I'm trying to do is represent the people of my state. Maybe from Jim DeMint's perspective, you know, I'm not conservative enough for him. But the question is, do I represent the values of the people of the state that I represent?
MURKOWSKI: What happened in my particular race, you had the Tea Party Express, this California-based group, come in at the last minute in a mudslinging, smear campaign, with lies and fabrications and mischaracterization. They dumped $600,000 into a small market here in Alaska, and they clearly influenced the outcome of that election. But you have a process here where so many Alaskans did not have an opportunity to speak up and vote for the person that they wanted to.
Q: But isn't that how the process works? And you're now kind of undermining the Republican Party?
MURKOWSKI: It's not about undermining the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. It's about representing the people of the state of Alaska. And if the people of the state of Alaska are going to stand up and say, Lisa, you've got to give us an opportunity to participate, to give us a choice.
The NC State Bureau of Investigations is probing whether absentee ballots were used to alter the vote in three 9th District elections, including the 2018 primary and general elections. The investigation is centered on Leslie McCrae Dowless, a 62-year-old veteran operative in Bladen County who pleaded guilty to felony insurance fraud in 1992. Working as a consultant to the Harris campaign, Dowless allegedly gathered absentee ballots in areas considered to be supportive of McCready but never turned them in.
The NC State Board of Elections could certify Harris as the winner or take the extraordinary step of ordering another election.
Born to Lebanese immigrant parents in Connecticut, Nader is a Harvard-trained lawyer who has taken on a vast range of issues, ranging from an unsafe General Motors car, the Corvair, later withdrawn from the market, to banning smoking on airline flights. He was named by the LA Times as one of the 50 people who most influenced business this century.
He and his team of investigators, popularly dubbed "Nader's Raiders," have pushed for legislative change and raised public awareness. Nader works out of the Center for Responsive Law in Washington and lives nearby in a studio apartment. A bachelor, he does not own a television or car and has few interests outside his work.
We're talking about militant terrorist situation, which I believe isn't a widespread thing. But it is enough that we need to address, and we have been addressing it. My thoughts are these. First of all, Dearborn, Michigan, and Frankford, Texas, are on American soil and under constitutional law, not Sharia law. And I don't know how that happened in the United States. (APPLAUSE).CNN: That certainly sounds scary.But it seems to me that there is something fundamentally wrong with allowing a foreign system of law to even take hold in any municipality or government situation in our United States.
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| 2024 Presidential contenders on Principles & Values: | |||
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Candidates for President & Vice-President:
V.P.Kamala Harris (D-CA) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.(I-CA) Chase Oliver(L-GA) Dr.Jill Stein(D-MA) Former Pres.Donald Trump(R-FL) Sen.J.D.Vance(R-OH) Gov.Tim Walz(D-MN) Dr.Cornel West(I-NJ) |
2024 presidential primary contenders:
Pres.Joe_Biden(D-DE) N.D.Gov.Doug Burgum(R) N.J.Gov.Chris_Christie(R) Fla.Gov.Ron_DeSantis(R) S.C.Gov.Nikki_Haley(R) Ark.Gov.Asa_Hutchinson(R) Former V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN) U.S.Rep.Dean_Phillips(D-MN) Vivek_Ramaswamy(R-OH) S.C.Sen.Tim_Scott(R) | ||
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