Florida Republicans Cannot Trust George LeMieux
By Team Mack
Posted on May 17, 2012
MIAMI – Sticking with his campaign of lies and half-truths today on MSNBC, former appointed Senator George LeMieux also claimed amnesia when it came to the attacks he facilitated against Senator Marco Rubio in 2010.
This week Florida’s PolitiFact found the latest campaign ad against LeMieux by the Mack Campaign to be “True,” while four times over PolitiFact found George LeMieux’s false personal attacks against Connie Mack, his family and his marriage to be “False” or “Mostly False.”
“Facing dwindling fundraising, a voting record praised by Barack Obama, and seeing Connie Mack earn the support and full endorsement of the next President Mitt Romney, George LeMieux is losing his grasp. LeMieux’s meltdown is revealing the real George LeMieux Republicans cannot trust. After all, when Charlie Crist was in trouble he could go to George LeMieux. On his downward spiral, not even Charlie Crist will take his calls anymore,” stated David James, Deputy Campaign Manager of Mack for Senate.
When asked on MSNBC’s Daily Rundown to describe how involved he was in the attacks on Senator Marco Rubio campaign in 2009, LeMieux stated, “Not very much at all.” But press accounts of November 2009 have then Senator LeMieux telling other Senators “the shoe was about to drop” with respect to Senator Rubio’s campaign and character. (The Miami Herald, 11/27/2009)
“The shoe is now dropping on the real George LeMeiux and as the layers peel away, the pattern of undermining conservative values and principles is clear and all that is left is a liberal trial attorney, who legally parses words on the stump, and who can’t let go of the 16 months Charlie Crist gave him,” James added.
Other more recent examples of George LeMieux’s efforts to undermine Senator Rubio, Congressman Mack and conservative ideals include:
• Referring to the Rubio, Paul and Mack Penny Plan to balance the budget in five years as a “gimmick.” The plan has over 70 co-sponsors in the House and a dozen backers in the U.S. Senate. Dismissing the notion of major reductions to the federal government, LeMieux told Sunshine State News on February 23, 2012, “You can’t cut 1 percent a year and go to balance.”
• On May 2, opposing Senator Marco Rubio’s position on the RESTORE ACT on Pensacola NewsRadio 1620. LeMieux would have supported the various tax increases in the bill with only 80% of the BP money assured to coming to the Gulf Coast, Senator Rubio supported 100% of the money coming to the Gulf Coast.
• Flip-flopping on government-financed student loans to appear “conservative” at a Tea Party gathering in Orlando on March 30. At the forum LeMieux stated, “Is it worth borrowing the money from China to spend this dollar? And the answer is, in most cases, the answer is no.” But according to the Tampa Bay Times on April 24, LeMeiux stated, “Florida needs more college graduates, not fewer. Letting the interest rate double on student loans during a down economy is unconscionable.”
• His orchestration of Charlie Crist’s support of the Obama Stimulus Plan and his continued public campaign for it (The LeMieux Report, 2/16/2009)
Mack: "United With Our Next President, We Will Put the Country Back on the Road of Freedom and Prosperity."
By Team Mack
Posted on May 16, 2012
MIAMI - Following the endorsement of Mitt Romney in his campaign for U.S. Senate today, Congressman Connie Mack released the following statement:
"Mitt Romney's leadership will put the country back on the road to freedom and prosperity, and Floridians made that clear on January 31st. Having the endorsement of the next President of the United States is truly humbling, and together we will fight for our shared conservative vision for Florida and the nation. Mitt Romney and I believe the best ideas come from people, not from government and that is something we discussed at length on our journey throughout Florida in January. Conservatives across the nation know the road to retaking both the White House and the Senate must include victories at every level of the Florida GOP ticket in November and today is another large step in building our united front against the Lockstep Liberal agenda of Bill Nelson and Barack Obama."
See below for the release from the Romney campaign:
MITT ROMNEY ENDORSES CONNIE MACK FOR U.S. SENATE
Boston, MA – Today, Mitt Romney released the following statement on his endorsement of Florida Republican Senate candidate, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack.
“Connie Mack is a friend, a strong conservative and the type of principled leader we need in Washington to restore fiscal responsibility. By electing Connie Mack, the people of Florida will be sending a clear message to Senator Nelson and President Obama that their failed policies have not worked to change the borrow and spend ways of Washington.”
Leaders of Mack For Senate Conservative Coalition Announced
By Team Mack
Posted on May 15, 2012
MIAMI – The Mack for Senate Campaign announced today the names of the leadership team that will head up Congressman Connie Mack’s statewide Conservative Coalition. Each one of the co-chairs has been active in Florida politics and is committed to ensuring the election of principled conservatives at every level of government.
“Connie Mack has been a champion for conservative causes in Washington just as he was as a state legislator,” said Pat Neal, Chairman of Neal Communities, former State Senator, and former Chair of the Board of the Christian Coalition of Florida.
“Mack is the only candidate for US Senate that conservatives can count on to advance a philosophy of limited government based on our Constitutional principles,” Neal added.
The leaders of Mack’s Conservative Coalition are sending the following letter statewide which compares the record of Connie Mack to liberals George LeMieux and Bill Nelson.
The text of the letter follows:
SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES FOR MACK COALITION
May 15, 2012
Dear Fellow Conservative:
There has been much talk about the conservative credentials of our candidates for the United States Senate and who among them is the right person to represent mainstream conservative values in the effort to unseat Bill Nelson this fall.
Without hesitation, we believe that leader is Congressman Connie Mack.
Connie Mack is one of the most conservative and hard-working Members in the United States Congress. He has received 100 percent ratings from the Christian Coalition of America, the National Right to Life, and the Family Research Council.
Over the past two years alone, Connie has averaged a 98% rating from the American Conservative Union; a 100% rating from Americans for Prosperity; and a 95% rating from the Club for Growth in2010, followed by a 98% rating from that same organization in 2011.
These great conservative ratings barely scratch the surface on telling the story about the kind of conservative leader Florida has in Connie Mack.
Connie was one of the earliest, loudest, and strongest opponents of the bailout of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the auto companies and he fiercely opposed the stimulus plans that have failed badly and cost us so much.
Connie was one of the first opponents of TARP and he introduced one of the first pieces of legislation to repeal ObamaCare. He has also consistently voted against Republican and Democrat budgets alike because they spend too much of our money.
Connie’s solution to Washington’s spending problem - the Mack Penny Plan - would balance the budget by cutting a penny (1%) out of every Federal dollar spent. It’s a plan that has been endorsed by 70 members of the House, and 13 members of the Senate including Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and other leading conservative leaders
Connie is a widely recognized leader in the realm of foreign affairs – particularly in Latin America – where he has fought for policies that recognize the difference between America’s friends and enemies.
It is for these and many other reasons that Connie keeps earning the endorsements of the overwhelming majority of state and national conservative leaders and organizations including the American Conservative Union, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and Senator Rand Paul.
We have been disappointed to learn that George LeMieux is currently spending so much time tearing down Connie Mack and trying to re-make himself with conservative rhetoric that is not consistent with his record.
George LeMieux has shown support for many socially liberal programs, both before and after he orchestrated Charlie Crist’s election.
George was an early and vocal supporter of the gay agenda as a candidate for state representative and then while serving as the self-anointed political maestro and Chief of Staff to Charlie Crist’s failed governorship. He orchestrated many liberal initiatives including the Crist era policy of Cap and Trade and the endorsement of President Obama’s failed Stimulus Plan.
After Charlie Crist handpicked him to serve in the Senate, George broke ranks with conservatives yet again and voted for President Obama’s failed liberal jobs program – one of only two Republicans to do so. And just recently, LeMieux even sided with Bill Nelson when he attacked Marco Rubio for voting against a version of the RESTORE Act that was chock-full of tax hikes and spending increases.
LeMieux is in no way a solid conservative and in no way deserves our support.
Our responsibility as Florida conservatives and Americans is to defeat Bill Nelson and elect a conservative to the United States Senate. Connie Mack is the right candidate on both counts.
Sincerely,
Christian Camara, Tallahassee
John Giotis, Tarpon Springs
Lois Jones, Homestead
Warren Lutz, Cutler Bay
Pat Neal, Bradenton
Mike Rodriguez, Miami
Leslie Steele, Tallahassee
Bob Touchston, Palm Bay
Mack’s conservative coalition includes:
- Christian Camara, Tallahassee: Conservative activist and blogger; keyorganizational activist in the Marco Rubio for US Senate Campaign; business and competitive economic analyst.
- John Giotis, Tarpon Springs: Educator and school headmaster, appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the Jacob Javits Fellowship Board, anti-pornography activist, organizer for the Christian Coalition of Pinellas County, Social Conservatives for Bush-Cheney Team Leader of Pinellas County, and Pinellas County Director for the “Yes4Marriage” Campaign in 2008. State Co-chair of Social Conservatives for Bondi and Social Conservatives for Romney.
- Lois Jones, Homestead: Pro-life activist and organizer for conservative organizations in Miami-Dade County. Assisted with the effort to fight casino gambling expansion in Miami. Leader of the Miami-Dade County Social Conservatives for Bush Coalition.
- Warren Lutz, Cutler Bay: Leader in the Miami-Dade Christian Coalition and the Faith and Freedom Coalition; assisted with the anti-gambling movement in Miami-Dade and served as an organizer for the 2008 Florida 4 Marriage Campaign. Serves on the State Steering Committee of Social Conservatives for Romney.
- Pat Neal, Bradenton: Chairman of Neal Communities, former StateSenator, and former Chair of the Christian Coalition of Florida. State Co-Chair of the Social Conservatives for Bondi Coalition and State Co-chair of the Social Conservatives for Romney Coalition.
- Michael A. Rodriguez, Miami: Social Conservatives for Bondi Miami-Dade Committee; consultant with GCSI Group, Inc., Chair of the National Americans of Faith Alliance PAC. Led NAFAPAC’s anti-gambling campaign efforts in Miami-Dade County. Appointed by the Mayor of Doral, FL to serve on the Faith-Based Sub-committee of the Complete Count Committee. Serves on the Doral Cultural Affairs Advisory Committee.
- Leslie Steele, Tallahassee: Consultant, past Deputy CommunicationsDirector for Governor Jeb Bush and Communications Consultant for the 2008 Florida 4 Marriage Campaign.
- Bob Touchston, Palm Bay: President of Stand, Inc.; Vice-President of Within Reach Ministries; organizer for the Florida 4 Marriage Campaign of 2008; former President of Florida Right to Life, Inc.
Mack Campaign Launches TV-Ready Web Ad
Once a Lib Always a LibBy Team Mack
Posted on May 14, 2012
MIAMI – The Connie Mack for Senate campaign launched a new 30 second TV-ready web ad today featuring President Barack Obama’s public praising of George LeMieux’s vote for a liberal jobs bill that failed to create any jobs. Obama praised LeMieux at a White House ceremony for being one of only two Republicans to vote for the liberal legislation.
The text of the ad follows:
President Obama: Two Republican senators, Senators George Voinovich and George LeMieux, because of their decision, this jobs bill will finally pass.
Announcer: George LeMieux was one of only two liberal Republicans who voted for Barack Obama’s liberal jobs bill that failed to help our economy.
President Obama: Senators George Voinovich and George LeMieux, because of their decision, this jobs bill will finally pass, and I want to thank them.
Announcer: George LeMieux: once a liberal, always a liberal.
Mack Communications Director David James said: “This ad speaks for itself, but the math here is easy – When Charlie Crist hand-picked George LeMieux to serve in the Senate, George returned the favor and turned his back on conservatives yet again, voting for one of President Obama’s failed pet liberal experiments. Florida already has one liberal in Bill Nelson and they can't afford another in the form of George LeMieux.”
The ad is currently a web-ad. But at 30 seconds, and with all proper disclaimers, it’s ready made for TV.
Mack: George LeMieux’s Support For 16% Sales Tax Proves He’s Still The Same Ol’ Charlie Crist Republican After All
By Team Mack
Posted on May 10, 2012
MIAMI – Congressman Connie Mack issued the following statement today after liberal Republican George LeMieux endorsed a massive new tax hike on Florida families and businesses.
Mack said:
“George LeMieux seems to be reverting back to being the Charlie Crist Republican he publicly bragged of being.
“Last week he denounced Marco Rubio for the Senator’s rejection of the RESTORE Act—a measure that would have raised taxes and increased spending, and today, he endorsed raising Florida’s sales tax to a nation-leading 16 percent. It’s appalling.
“In the midst of one of the worst recessions in America’s history – after siding with Obama on his failed Jobs plan, attacking Marco Rubio, and now supporting a 16 percent sales tax – George LeMieux is showing his real colors and is proving to be precisely the Charlie Crist Republican he brags of being.
“There are many reasons why George LeMieux is wrong for Florida, but today’s support for a 16 percent sales tax must stun even the Lockstep Liberals, Senator Bill Nelson and President Barack Obama.”
National Tea Party Leader and U.S. Senator Rand Paul: "I Need Connie Mack With Me in The U.S. Senate."
By Team Mack
Posted on May 9, 2012
MIAMI – Congressman Connie Mack today received another key conservative endorsement in his race for the United States Senate, this time from conservative Senate stalwart Rand Paul (R-KY).
Paul, one of the nation’s leading TEA Party leaders and champion of freedom from government stated:
“I’ve had the opportunity to work first-hand with Connie Mack. He is a passionate defender and a tireless advocate for the ideals of less taxing, less spending, less government and more freedom.
“From standing against the Bush Administration on TARP and fighting against President Obama’s failed stimulus, to his introduction of the Penny Plan, which I strongly support, Connie Mack has proven time and again that he is a staunch conservative and the very type of principled leader that we need in the United States Senate.
"Winning the Florida Senate seat for conservatives means the defeat of Harry Reid and all of us need to rally around Connie for the sake of our country. We need Connie Mack in the U.S. Senate."
Mack said:
“Senator Rand Paul was one of the earliest supporters of the Mack Penny Pan to balance the budget in five years and I’m honored to have earned his support in our fight for freedom against Bill Nelson. His fight for our shared goal of less government and more freedom in the U.S Senate has made him one of our nation’s most important conservative leaders.
“I look forward to working closely with Senator Paul in the United States Senate to bring this country back to its founding principles, back to what makes America great and back to the road to prosperity.”
Mack Speaks to Packed Okaloosa Republican Women - Federated Luncheon Today
By Team Mack
Posted on May 2, 2012
OKALOOSA – U.S. Senate candidate, Congressman Connie Mack spoke before a luncheon of more than 100 GOP Women leaders in Okaloosa today, bringing his message of lesser government, more freedom and the need to take back the U.S. Senate by defeating liberal Bill Nelson.
Mack stated at the lunch, "The only way to defeat Harry Reid is to defeat liberal Senator Bill Nelson, and that starts with a unified front against the liberal interests that will pound Florida with their special interest money to protect Bill Nelson and Barack Obama."
Mack is on a four-day campaign tour through North Florida with stops in Tallahassee, Ft. Walton Beach, Panama City, Pensacola and Jacksonville.
Bachmann: America Needs Connie Mack's Voice In The U.S. Senate
By Team Mack
Posted on May 1, 2012
MIAMI - The Connie Mack for U.S. Campaign today announced the endorsement of movement conservative and former Presidential candidate, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN).
Bachmann made the following statement regarding Mack's candidacy:
"Connie has been a steadfast fighter for freedom, less government and a fiscal hawk together with me in the United States Congress. For every good proposal passed out of the House, the liberal Senate under Harry Reid and Bill Nelson have stopped it, including Connie's recent proposal to build the Keystone XL Pipeline without Presidential approval. Senators like Marco Rubio and Rand Paul need other like-minded conservatives in the Senate to stop the liberals from tearing down our nation. America needs Connie Mack in the U.S. Senate."
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is the first Republican woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota. Representative Bachmann has developed a reputation as a principled reformer who stays true to her constitutional conservative beliefs while pushing for real reform of the broken ways of Washington. In Congress, Michele Bachmann is a leading advocate for bipartisan earmark reform and tax relief and is a staunch opponent of wasteful government spending.
Mayor Carlos Hernandez: "Miami is Mack Country!"
Mayors, City Council Endorse MackBy Team Mack
Posted on May 1, 2012
MIAMI – Republican U.S. Senate candidate, Congressman Connie Mack received the backing of Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez, former Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina, and the entire Hialeah City Council represented by Council President Isis Garcia Martinez, Councilwoman Katherine Cue-Fuente and Councilman Paul Hernandez yesterday with a packed house at the Goodlet Adult Center. The group presented their endorsement to Mack before a packed room of more than 300 active attendees of the Goodlet Adult Center in Hialeah. Mack also received the endorsement of City of Hialeah Gardens Mayor Yioset De La Cruz.
Mayor Hernandez said, "Miami is Mack country, and there is no better friend of freedom for the residents of Hialeah than Congressman Connie Mack." Former May Julio Robaina added, "Securing our freedom starts by not wasting our community's hard-earned dollars on wasteful programs, which Senator Nelson has done time and again. It is time to retire Senator Nelson and send Connie Mack to the U.S. Senate."
Following a discussion of his Penny Plan to balance the federal budget, Mack took questions and thanked the crowd for their support.
"The amount of support our campaign has been shown by the Hialeah community and the Miami area, even before we started the campaign, has been overwhelming. I am grateful for the support of Mayor Hernandez, Mayor Robaina and the entire Hialeah City Council in our fight for freedom."
After the event at the Goodlet Adult Center, Mack joined the Mayors and Members of the Council at Casa Marin Restaurant. Highlights of the endorsement can be seen here.
Earlier this year, key elected federal officials from the Miami area endorsed Mack's campaign for Senate, including U.S. Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Mario Diaz-Balart, David Rivera and Lincoln Diaz-Balart. On March 1, Mack opened his statewide campaign headquarters at 2103 Coral Way in Miami.
Following Democrats Appointment of Nelson To Congressional Conference Committee, Mack Calls On Nelson To Stand With Florida, Not Obama On Keystone Pipeline
By Team Mack
Posted on Apr 27, 2012
MIAMI – In an open letter to liberal Senator Bill Nelson, Congressman Connie Mack called on Nelson to stop playing politics with America’s energy independence and support the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline in the wake of Nelson's appointment to the Congressional Conference Committee that will oversee the implementation of legislative language on the Keystone project.
Nelson, who claims he would support the pipeline if all the oil derived from this project would stay in the United States, is holding this Canadian oil to a different standard than oil from nations such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, who also refine their oil in the United States.
Recently Senator Nelson contradicted himself in his own op-ed in Politico when he stated, "The only way America can get off foreign oil and not fall victim to outside forces in the market is to continue to produce more energy here at home," but then went on to explain how drilling is not the answer. Floridians want to know how Nelson’s policies agree with his own policy of "not drilling" and stated opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline will bring any relief at the pump sooner, not later.
Read Mack's entire letter below:
April 27, 2012
Dear Senator Nelson,
With your appointment but he Democratic Leadership to the Transportation Conference Committee, I am writing to clarify your "Washington position" on the Keystone XL Pipeline versus your "Florida position." Floridians have come to expect that your Obama appeasing positions get a translation by you and your staff in Florida, and I would like to give you the opportunity to clarify what seems to be clear hypocrisy when it comes to the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Gas prices in this country are at an all time high as our economy continues to struggle underneath the weight of the Obama administration. The American people deserve intelligent energy policies, not politics as usual.
Speculators will continue to make more and more off of your policies, which block energy exploration and processing. In short the very speculators you are trying to blame stand to make more revenue by a reduction of supply in the market due to the policies you and President Obama are advancing.
You recently explained that your vote against the Keystone XL pipeline, and for a ban on exports of oil from the pipeline, was because, as your spokesman stated, you believe “oil from the pipeline [would] be exported outside of the U.S.” Politicizing an easy win for America demonstrates your failure to factually understand the nature of energy imports and exports in this country. If you actually believed in this approach, you would legislate that all energy imports remain in the United States.
The United States has never come close to exporting crude oil at the level we currently import from Canada, Saudi Arabia, or Venezuela. These three countries account for more than fifty percent of total U.S. crude imports, totaling roughly 265 million barrels in January of this year. The U.S. is by far the greatest importer of crude across the world.
In addition to being the world’s largest importer and consumer of crude oil, we are also its largest refiner. The U.S. accounts for about one-quarter of the world’s refining capacity, with the Gulf Coast acting as the nation’s leading supplier of refined petroleum products. Gulf Coast refiners ship petroleum products to markets within the United States as well as to overseas markets. More oil flowing to U.S. refineries means additional supply in the world oil market and lower prices.
Crude oil refineries are built near consumer markets in order to minimize transportation costs and maximize profits. To suggest that Canada is using the Keystone XL pipeline to bypass the U.S. market to access the Gulf Coast for export abroad is not only a gross mischaracterization of the facts, as well as basic economics, it is a harmful insult to our friend, neighbor, number one trading partner and number one supplier of energy. Your actions have forced our economy to suffer while we single handedly prop up the regime of a dictator Hugo Chavez by importing extreme amounts of crude from Venezuela with zero conditions.
Senator, by your logic, the United States should ban the export of all crude oil and its refined products from Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. If you truly believe your approach is best for Americans, you would institute this ban.
As a member of the Congressional Conference Committee on the Transportation Bill, join me in supporting the Keystone XL pipeline without harmful political qualifications. The sooner you and the Obama administration stop interfering in the energy market, the sooner gas prices and the speculation market will get back to normal.
Sincerely,
______________
CONNIE MACK
Member of Congress
Mack Releases First Statewide Radio Ad Blasting Lockstep Liberals Nelson-Obama For Blocking The Keystone XL Pipeline
By Team Mack
Posted on Apr 24, 2012
MIAMI – Republican U.S. Senate candidate, Congressman Connie Mack, released his first statewide radio ad this morning, blasting Lockstep Liberals Barack Obama and Bill Nelson for blocking the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would create thousands of jobs and make America less dependent on foreign oil.
The ad is running statewide in Florida. Click below to listen to the ad and see below for a transcript:
Announcer: Rising gas prices hurt families and kill jobs. That’s a fact.
Still, the Lockstep Liberals, Barack Obama and Bill Nelson, refuse to build the Keystone pipeline. That pipeline would bring Canadian oil to America. It’s energy we desperately need. The pipeline would create thousands of jobs and make America less dependent on Middle Eastern oil.
But President Obama and Senator Nelson are afraid of the political clout of a few leftwing environmental extremists.
Let’s stop the extremists by signing Connie Mack’s petition to force Washington to build the Keystone pipeline. Go to www.ConnieMack.com.
Bring down gas prices, create jobs, make America less dependent on Middle Eastern politics. Sign the Connie Mack Keystone pipeline petition today. Go to ConnieMack.com
Mack Grateful For Tea Party of Florida Endorsement
Grassroots and Conservative Groups Continue to Coalesce Around Mack for SenateBy Team Mack
Posted on Apr 20, 2012
MIAMI - Following today's announcement by the Tea Party of Florida's Chairman John A. Long of his group's endorsement of Congressman Connie Mack for U.S. Senate, Mack made the following statement:
"I am truly grateful for the endorsement of the TEA Party of Florida, a group rooted in freedom, democracy and reducing the size of the bloated federal government. TEA Party groups have put the nation on notice that the old ways of Washington are over, and that our freedoms are not granted by our government but by the citizens of this great nation. These principles could not be further from the liberal policies of Barack Obama and Bill Nelson, who gave us wasteful, bloated stimulus spending and ObamaCare. The efforts behind the Mack Penny Plan started from a grassroots movement, again proving the best ideas for governance come from outside of Washington. With the TEA Party of Florida's help, we will change the liberal agenda in Washington and help ensure prosperity for our future."
The TEA Party of Florida's endorsement follows the endorsement of the American Conservative Union earlier this week, demonstrating that Mack's message of lesser government, more freedom and fiscal responsibility is uniting grassroots and conservative groups behind his candidacy.
American Conservative Union PAC Endorses Congressman Connie Mack for U.S. Senate
Mack Earns "ACU Conservative" AwardBy American Conservative Union
Posted on Apr 17, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC – The American Conservative Union (ACU) Political Action Committee (PAC) today endorsed Congressman Connie Mack (FL – 14) for Florida’s U.S. Senate seat, currently held by Senator Bill Nelson. Congressman Mack received the “ACU Conservative” award for his score on the recently announced ACU 2011 Ratings of Congress.
“From his proven leadership on pro-growth economic policies and energy independence solutions to his courageous efforts to bring attention to dangerous and tyrannical regimes across the world, it is clear Connie Mack is the innovative, conservative leader ready to take on Bill Nelson this fall,” said ACU Chairman Al Cardenas. “Liberals in the Senate have rubberstamped President Obama’s agenda, and now it is time for voters to hold them accountable. Congressman Mack is one of many great conservatives running for Senate across the country, and the American Conservative Union PAC is proud to endorse him. The ACU PAC urges all Florida conservatives to support Connie Mack for U.S. Senate, and we look forward to aiding his victory in both the primary and general elections.”
“I thank Chairman Cardenas and the American Conservative Union for their strong support of my campaign to defeat Bill Nelson in November,” said Congressman Connie Mack. “With the help and support of conservatives across the Sunshine State, I will continue to fight for freedom, security and prosperity – fundamental ideals critical to reclaiming American Exceptionalism.”
The ACU Political Action Committee is the political arm of the American Conservative Union, the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots conservative organization. The committee supports candidates for office who reflect the conservative principles on which ACU was founded. The goals of the ACU PAC are to increase the number of quality candidates who share our commitment to conservative principles and to protecting and advancing the fiscal, social and security priorities of the Reagan era. These funds are utilized in conjunction with endorsements and public announcements to communicate our support for chosen candidates to their constituents and conservatives across the nation.
The ACU recently announced its 2011 Ratings of Congress, the 41st edition of the conservative ratings guide. For more information on the ACU PAC or to download the full 2011 Ratings of Congress, please visit www.conservative.org. To support, or learn more about, Congressman Connie Mack, visit www.conniemack.com.
Mack Blasts Nelson For Forfeiting U.S. Energy Policy To Leftwing Extremists
By Team Mack
Posted on Apr 16, 2012
MIAMI – Republican U.S. Senate candidate, Congressman Connie Mack (FL-14) issued the following statement in response to liberal Senator Bill Nelson’s op-ed in Politico, which ignores his career of bowing to leftwing extremists and ducks the biggest energy issue facing our country today: the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline—a project Mack has ardently supported for months.
Mack said:
“Senator Nelson’s column in Politico today about oil drilling and gas prices is the same political slight of hand he’s been trying to use to take attention away from his own failures and his own liberal record of doing President Obama’s bidding to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline from being built.
“The simple truth is the Lockstep Liberals -- Senator Nelson and President Obama --have failed us. They've chosen to keep us dependent on oil from the likes of Venezuela and the Middle East over our own energy independence and security.
“Unfortunately for the people of Florida and the nation, the Lockstep Liberals would rather play politics and kowtow to a handful of leftwing environmental extremists then do what’s best and right for the people and our economy. Enough is enough.
“We’ve had enough of Bill Nelson and the Lockstep Liberals here in Florida. I urge people to sign my petition at ConnieMack.com and join me in calling on Senator Nelson and President Obama to build the Keystone Pipeline now.”
George LeMieux: What Did You And Charlie Crist Really Know, And What Did You And Charlie Crist Really Do?
By Team Mack
Posted on Apr 13, 2012
MIAMI – Jeff Cohen, campaign manager for Congressman Connie Mack's U.S. Senate Campaign issued the following statement following breaking news about George LeMieux and the Jim Greer finance scandal.
Cohen said:
"I wish I could say most people were flabbergasted this afternoon to read news articles alleging that George LeMieux, in his capacity as Chief of Staff to former Governor Charlie Crist, was at the epicenter of the Jim Greer finance scandal. But I doubt they were.
"So perhaps George LeMieux will come clean once and for all and answer the most basic questions of this scandal -- What did George LeMieux and Charlie Crist really know about the Jim Greer scandal, and what did they really do?"
"The people of Florida anxiously await the truth."
Obama's Keystone Pipe Dream Embarrassment to American People
Open Letter To ObamaBy Team Mack
Posted on Apr 13, 2012
MIAMI - With gas prices soaring to over $4 a gallon in Florida this week, Congressman Connie Mack sent an open letter to President Obama upon his latest visit to Tampa today:
Dear Mr. President:
In the Tampa area today, regular gas is priced at the Sunoco on North 22nd is $4.09 and $4.19 at Bollinger on Tyrone in St. Petersburg. The price of gas has now soared to well over $4 a gallon in Florida, and is poised to climb even higher because your energy policy has failed the American public.
Instead of supporting the Keystone XL Pipeline that would create jobs and improve America’s energy security, your lack of a commonsense energy policy is failing the American people and keeping us beholden to the likes of Hugo Chavez and others. That’s wrong.
Your policies have given us Solyndra. They’ve given us half a pipeline to and from nowhere. It’s an embarrassment. That’s not a pipeline, it’s a pipe dream.
Worse yet, Florida’s own Senator Bill Nelson has done your bidding to kill the pipeline at your personal request and to support your energy ideas at every turn.
Mr. President, your policies have failed. Your own State Department, not once, but twice, found minimal environmental impact to building the Keystone XL Pipeline. Yet despite clear facts, and the thousands of good jobs that would be created, you politicized the Pipeline to appease your political base.
Enough is enough. We must do all we can to help the people, and now. The people of Florida want you and Senator Nelson to do something that will actually make a difference. They want you to build the Keystone XL Pipeline without any more delays and without any more excuses.
Sincerely,
CONNIE MACK
Member of Congress
Connie Mack Calls On All Republicans To Unite Behind Mitt Romney
By Team Mack
Posted on Apr 10, 2012
MIAMI - Following the announcement by Rick Santorum today that he was exiting the race for President, Congressman Connie Mack made the following statement:
"Today it is clear that Mitt Romney will be chosen in Tampa to be our party's nominee to defeat Barack Obama. It is critically important that all Republicans and conservatives unite to ensure victory for the values we believe in – a strong and prosperous America built on the principles of freedom that our founding fathers enshrined in our Constitution. Barack Obama and Bill Nelson and the Liberal-Democratic establishment in Washington will hear the voice of the people and victory will be ours in November."
Mack first endorsed Governor Romney in 2008, serving as co-chair of Romney's Florida campaign. He again endorsed Governor Romney in April of 2011 and campaigned with Romney throughout January, leading to Romney's decisive Florida victory on January 31.
Mack to Nelson: "Speculators Are Making Money Because of Your Liberal Blockade of Keystone XL!"
By Team Mack
Posted on Apr 3, 2012
MIAMI - After more than a year of blocking the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline, ensuring profits for fuel speculators, liberal Senator Bill Nelson tried blaming those same specualtors for the high cost of fuel prices that Nelson himself has helped ensure. Running for political cover, Nelson then called on President Obama for a new chief at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a scapegoat for the Nelson-Obama led effort to oppose Keystone.
As Chairman of the first hearing on Congress to build the pipeline, Congressman Connie Mack is circulating a petition to force President Obama and Bill Nelson to build the Keystone Pipeline.
"Bill Nelson has opposed virtually every measure in the Congress to bring about energy independence, opting to reliably waste taxpayer dollars on Solydra as the path to energy cost reduction. Now with gas prices soaring, he blames others. The reason specualtors are making money is because of Senator Nelson and Barack Obama's continued blockade of the Keystone XL Pipeline. Senator Nelson continues to look for solutions to grow our economy through government and fails time and again to understand that ideas and innovation come from the private sector. Bill Nelson is a liberals' liberal who can be counted on to do the wrong thing over and over again and blame everyone and everything except himself and his left wing allies. Enough is enough."
Last week in Tampa, FL, Congressman Mack launched a nationwide petition to send the message to Senator Nelson and President Obama to "Build it Now. Visit the petition at ConnieMack.com.
Mack, America to Obama-Nelson: Stop Inflating Gas Prices, Build the Keystone XL Pipeline Now
Build It Now!By Team Mack
Posted on Mar 28, 2012
TAMPA - Speaking to reporters at a Marathon Gas Station in north Tampa today, Congressman Connie Mack (R-FL) launched a national petition drive aimed at stopping President Obama, Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and their Washington liberal allies from continuing their relentless efforts to kill the Keystone XL Pipeline -- a critical project that would create thousands of good private sector jobs and would help reduce rising gas prices for American families and businesses.
People can sign Mack’s Keystone XL Pipeline petition online at ConnieMack.com
Mack, who serves as Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee and who held the first Congressional hearing to expedite the Keystone XL Pipeline project over a year ago, said his national petition drive will help channel and amplify the public’s overwhelming support of Keystone.
Mack said:
"The Keystone XL pipeline would create more than 20,000 private sector, 'shovel-ready jobs.’ It would make America more energy independent and secure. It is such a common sense project that even former president Bill Clinton supports it. Yet at every turn President Obama has fought tooth and nail against this critical national priority. And at every step along the way, Senator Bill Nelson has stood by the President’s side and done his dirty work in the U.S. Senate to stop the Keystone XL project from moving forward. Shame on them.
“While gas prices continue to climb, hurting our economy and hardworking families businesses, President Obama and Bill Nelson have played politics on behalf of their ultra liberal base. Enough is enough. Up until now it’s been clear that President Obama and Bill Nelson either don’t understand or don’t care what the American people want and need -- Jobs and Security. That must change.
“Today I’ve launched a national petition drive to help the American people make sure the President and Senator Nelson hear their voices. The people deserve to be listened to. They deserve better from their leaders than deaf-ears and a disastrous liberal agenda that has failed to create jobs, failed to lower energy costs, and failed to make us more secure and energy independent.”
In a Foreign Affairs hearing in late February, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton publicly affirmed to Chairman Mack that the State Department study on the Keystone XL Pipeline concluded that the project would have minimal environmental impact, yet still went along with President Obama's efforts to stonewall the project.
Following the hearing, Mack assembled a bipartisan group of House and Senate colleagues to support his bill to fast track the Keystone project without President Obama's authority.
On March 8th a bipartisan Senate measure, which adopted Mack's bill, was killed in the Senate with the help of liberal Senator Bill Nelson after President Obama personally intervened to make sure Senate Democrats killed it. Nelson voted against the project after earlier suggesting he was for it.
“Gone are the days when Senator Nelson can vote like a liberal in Washington and pretend to be a moderate in Florida. The Keystone XL Pipeline is but the latest example of Senator Nelson’s pattern of trying to have it both ways. But the people know better.
“By signing our national petition at ConnieMack.com the people can join me in telling Senator Nelson and President Obama to stop playing political games and to build the Keystone XL Pipeline now.”
Mack intends to deliver the petitions to Senator Nelson and the White House.
Mack to Obama: "You Can't Call 'Time-Out' on National Security."
"How Dare The President Sell Out Our National Security Behind Our Backs"By Team Mack
Posted on Mar 26, 2012
MIAMI - President Obama put his national security weakness on full display for the world when he pleaded with the Russians to hold-off on missile defense treaty negotiations until after the November elections.
Responding to President Obama’s outrageous choice to put politics ahead of America’s security, Congressman Connie Mack, Member of the U.S. House Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement:
"How dare President Obama sell out our security behind our backs when he thought no one was listening. The invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944 didn't wait because President Roosevelt was worried about his re-election six months later; it happened because every President has known that foreign policy does not revolve around our election schedule and our ability to be 'flexible' with our security. It is now time for President Obama to get out of the way, since he cannot lead or follow. Putting his own election, and the election of his liberal allies like Bill Nelson, above the interests of our nation and our allies is inexcusable. The Iranians aren't going to stop the nuclear threat to our ally Israel; Hugo Chavez hasn't stopped harboring terrorists in Venezuela, and terrorists themselves aren't putting their plans to attack us on hold because of President Obama's election hopes. The people of Florida have had enough, and today I call on Senator Bill Nelson to join me in demanding an apology from President Obama for this foreign policy failure to the people of Florida and the nation. The President owes all Americans an explanation for his inexcusable behavior today on the world stage."