Rubio Would Have Taken Stimulus Money

By Reid Wilson

Ex-FL House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) seems to have changed his position on stimulus funding, now saying he would have accepted federal money headed to his state.

But that's not what he said earlier this year. In an interview with the Herald/Times in Aug., Rubio suggested -- but did not outright say -- that he would not have taken stimulus money offered by the federal government.

"I would have spent the money we have. You balance the budget," Rubio says when asked what he would have done with the money had he been governor. "I would have only spent the money I have."

But in more recent interviews, Rubio changes his tune: "Ultimately, I would have accepted those portions of the money that would not have put Florida in a worse position off in the future than it is right now."

Rubio plans to make support for the stimulus bill a key part of his campaign against Gov. Charlie Crist (R) for Sen. George LeMieux's (R) seat. Crist appeared at a rally with Pres. Obama in Ft. Myers in support of the package. Rubio says he would not have appeared at the rally, but Crist's campaign pounced on the apparent flip-flop, widely distributing YouTube clips of Rubio's then-and-now change of heart.

"It is incredible that Marco Rubio has based his entire campaign on attacking Charlie Crist for doing exactly what, he now admits, he would have done himself," said Andrea Saul, Crist's spokesperson, in a statement. "Time and again, voters in Florida will begin to see the real Marco Rubio."

"The real Marco Rubio" is a phrase Crist's campaign has embraced when discussing their opponent. Expect to hear it much more in advance of this summer's primary.

Update: Rubio's reply, sent to Hotline OnCall in an email:

"Charlie Crist campaigned with President Obama in support of the $787 billion stimulus spending bill and pressured Florida's congressional delegation to vote for it. And if he had been in the U.S. Senate, he would have voted for it. Unlike Charlie Crist, I do not believe we can deficit spend our way into prosperity. I would have stood up to the Obama-Crist stimulus package and offered a clear alternative in the form of permanent tax cuts."

"Advocating for the stimulus plan and accepting those dollars are not the same. The stimulus was a disaster and I would have fought it in every way possible. But once President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Charlie Crist mandated their mountain of debt, I have said I would have handled the stimulus money the same way real conservative governors like Rick Perry, Bobby Jindal, Sarah Palin and Haley Barbour have."

"The difference is clear. Charlie Crist actively advocated for this fiscally irresponsible stimulus policy. At a time when most other prominent Republican governors were fighting Obama's stimulus and offering conservative alternatives, Charlie Crist actually championed the Obama package and helped him pass it. Charlie Crist may not understand what he did wrong or he may just want to forget it, but I'm confident that Florida Republicans won't."