Crowley Political Report

Everything changed for Donald Trump on inauguration day. After spending most of his 70 years carefully cultivating his image, America’s 45^th president has turned his life over to an unknown teenager.

Each morning, Trump begins his day looking in the mirror seeing a man of importance, power and great wealth. It is an image he cherishes. Woe betide those who might challenge that image. He is, in his view, simply fabulous. Unmatched in street smarts and education. And in case you doubt, he repeatedly reminds you just how smart he is.

Trump’s image is everything to him. The only way he could lose the election would be if it was “rigged.” The only way Hillary could win more votes is if there was fraud. Just weeks into his presidency Trump sees himself on Mount Rushmore. He is, in his view, already one of America’s great presidents.

Should there be any failures in his White House (Michael Flynn comes to mind), it will certainly not be his fault. He will have been decisive. Trump will take credit for directly firing Flynn whether he did or not.

And Trump will continue to do all he can to build his family’s wealth. He has no choice. He can’t look in the mirror and not see someone who is fabulously rich. For him, the measure of success is not merely holding one the most powerful offices on earth - he must remain executive producer of Celebrity Apprentice.

Trump demands total control of his public image.

That teenager may disagree.

Somewhere, there is a teenager who is just now becoming fascinated with American politics. This teenager is reading history, studying past presidents, and curious about the current one. Over time, this teenager’s interest will grow. College will broaden that interest. Perhaps a graduate degree in American history. Authors like Robert Caro and David McCullough, Douglas Brinkley and Richard Neustadt may inspire.

And sometime, perhaps toward the middle of the 21^st Century, this teenager, now middle-aged, will have completed the first successful biography of President Donald J. Trump. It will be written with the passage of time. The ferocity of the moment will have passed.

While the early signs of Trump’s presidency suggest history will not look favorably upon him, the fact is at this point we still do not know. And neither does Trump.

This may be the thing that will scare Trump more than anything. One morning, standing in front of that mirror, he may realize that after decades of creating a public image, he has left it in the hands of others he will not be able to control.

That teenager.

By Brian E. Crowley

Jeb Bush has said he has no intention of voting for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. It is a silly and disturbing notion.

Florida’s 29 electoral votes will decide whether Trump or Clinton will go to the White House. It will be an extremely close race with a Florida victory squeezed out by the smallest of margins. Recent polls suggest a slight Trump lead or a statistical tie.

There is a very reasonable chance that Trump could win Florida and with it the White House. If you merely look at the race in the style of the soulless Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, a Trump victory is merely a win for the GOP and the name on the White House mailbox matters little as long as it belongs to a Republican.

Some Florida Republicans are repulsed by the idea of Trump leading the GOP and they have actively, if so far ineffectively, been part of the NeverTrump movement.

Meanwhile, Jeb Bush has been largely silent. He will tweet on occasion about issues that interest him. Bush took some time off to do a skit with Jimmy Kimmel for a pre-Emmy Award show. (He was very good, acting an out of work Uber driver).

Sitting on the sidelines since quitting his own presidential bid, Bush seems to be content essentially telling voters – you picked a lunatic over me, live with it.

The middle child of the Bush family needs to get over it and step up for Florida and his party. It is unconscionable that Jeb Bush would abandon the party when it needs him most. His family has been deeply involved in the GOP since his grandfather, Prescott Bush, was elected to the U.S. Senate from Connecticut in 1952.

If he believes, as many establishment Republicans do, that Trump would be the destruction of the GOP, how can Bush remain idle? Was his campaign for president an ego-trip or a belief that Republican Party principles are better for the future of the nation?

Late Monday night, it was reported by CNN, Politico and others that Bush’s father, former President George Bush, told former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend he plans to vote for Clinton.

The elder Bush, 92, over the years has developed a close relationship with former President Bill Clinton, the man who defeated him in 1992. Former President George W. Bush also has a close relationship with Clinton often joking that he is his “brother from another mother.”

Despite these public friendships between the Bush and Clinton families, Jeb is the moody outsider who can’t bring himself to publicly support Hillary Clinton.

Yet, perhaps the last, most notable public service Bush could perform in this election would be to endorse Hillary Clinton.

As already stated, Florida will be won by a small percentage of votes. Bush does not have the political power in the Sunshine State he once held, but in a race this close, he could have an impact. His endorsement could free others to publicly abandon Trump – perhaps even U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio who still harbors presidential ambitions.

Jennifer Rubin, a conservative columnist for the Washington Post and a Bush admirer, wrote last week:

Are Florida Republicans a leaderless party?

Who is the leader of the Florida Republican Party?

Governor Rick Scott? Marco Rubio? Adam Putnam? Pam Bondi? Jeff Atwater?

Or perhaps Jeb Bush?

Or – are Florida Republicans so fractured that there is no single leader of the party?

Today’s Florida Republican Party is very different than the one Bush took over when he staged a coup in 1994. He showed up in that year’s governor’s race as candidate who had never run for office, had limited campaign experience and a business background marked by notable failures. Like Donald Trump, what he did have was a name everyone knew – Bush.

With the help of his family name, Bush easily pushed aside more established GOP candidates to become the party’s nominee for governor. Bush would narrowly lose that election to incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles, but the GOP would take over the Senate and the Florida Cabinet. And Bush began his reign has the undisputed leader of the Florida Republican Party.

Today, Florida Republicans are rudderless. The party that Bush ruled with a firm hand for more than a decade, is fractured. The slide began with the election of Charlie Crist as governor in 2006. It’s hard to believe now that at one point Crist was among those being considered to be John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign.

Crist, much like his arch-enemy Marco Rubio, was always a malleable Republican shifting direction as fit his political ambitions. Florida Republicans tolerated Crist because, well, he was governor. And by golly, if a Floridian became vice president that would be swell too.

Bush deeply cared about the machinery of politics. He put his best people in the right places. Crist could care less. He turned the party machine over to the now notorious Jim Greer who plundered the party coffers and ended up in prison.

Crist’s hold on the party was so tenuous that a faux hug from President Obama led to screams from
the hard right and opportunity for Rubio. The once moderate Rubio found maneuvering room by suddenly becoming an ardent follower of the emerging Tea Party movement. Many establishment Republicans laughed at the notion that Rubio could successfully challenge Crist who decided he would rather be a U.S. Senator than run for a second term as governor.

It was a calamitous moment for the Florida GOP and it began the cracking of party unity.

Rubio became a hero of the Tea Party and as the 2010 primary approached, his ardent followers were overwhelming the GOP establishment. And Republicans who had been lukewarm about Crist suddenly had an opportunity to abandon him

Crist leaves the GOP to run as independent. Rubio captures the party nomination and goes on to win a three way race defeating Crist and Democrat Kendrick Meek.

At the same time, a stranger arrived in town – Rick Scott.

Florida Politics, a website owned by Peter Schorsch, reported today that a new poll shows Florida congressional candidate Francis Rooney way ahead with a "double digit lead over his Republican rivals."

The "poll" was done by an organization called Remington Research Group. 

Pray tell - who is that?

According to Florida Politics, the Remington poll shows that:  Rooney leads the pack with 45 percent of the vote. Chauncey Goss is in second with 29 percent, while Dan Bongino received 15 percent support. The poll found 11 percent of respondents were still undecided.  . . . Remington Research Group surveyed 1,606 likely Republican primary voters in Florida’s 19th Congressional District from Aug. 14 through Aug. 15.  The automated survey has a margin of error of 2.4 percent.

But pray tell - who is Remington?

A bit of Googling led us to discover that Remington Research Group was founded by Jeff Roe who most recently gained fame for managing Ted Cruz's presidential campaign. He is also the founder of Axiom Strategies based in Kansas City, Mo.

Roe is rapidly becoming one of the Republican Party's most sought after political consultants.

But pray tell - what does this have to do with the Remington poll?

Well a visit to the FEC website for Francis Rooney campaign expenditures came up with this:

There is a second expenditure for $7,500 bringing the total sent to Axiom to $60,774.

Once again let's note:

From Wikipedia: In addition to Axiom Strategies, Roe founded creative agency and direct mail firm Candidate Command and polling and public opinion research company Remington Research Group.

Or let's look at Axiom's website: Axiom Strategies, in collaboration with Remington Research Group, has studied election results in seven battleground states to identify Axiom’s Battleground Counties.

Yup, Axiom and Remington are both owned by Rooney's campaign consultant.

So forgive us if we don't find the Remington poll to be worth much as polls go....although it appears to be worth at least $60,774. 

You can read the Florida Politics report here.  Less than an hour after offering its readers the Rooney poll, Florida Politics began reporting that it has "obtained" a poll for the district 18 congressional race. No source is named. So we'll pass. But if you are interested the link is here.

Donald Trump is planning two rallies in Florida this week. The first is Wednesday at the BB&T Center in Fort Lauderdale. On Thursday, Trump will attend a rally in Kissimmee at the Silver Spurs Arena. Both events are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 4 p.m.

Ticket information for the Fort Lauderdale event can be found here.  Tickets information for the Kissimmee event can be found here.

Long shot Republican senate candidate Carlos Beruff has a new ad suggesting that former Florida Governor Charlie Crist and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio are political twins.

Beruff's ad calls both men political opportunists who rely on political doublespeak. Beruff's campaign is based on being a successful businessman  and political outsider.  Sound familiar?

Here's the ad:

Donald Trump is getting support from an unlikely source - Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, son of Jeb.

In an exclusive, the Texas Tribune reports that:

Addressing state GOP activists Saturday, Bush said it was time to put aside any lingering animosity from the primaries — where Trump defeated Bush's dad, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, among others — and get behind Trump. 

"From Team Bush, it's a bitter pill to swallow, but you know what? You get back up and you help the man that won, and you make sure that we stop Hillary Clinton," Bush said, according to video  (see below) of the remarks provided by an audience member.

Bush was speaking in his capacity as the Texas GOP's victory chairman, who is responsible for overseeing the party's statewide campaign in November. Bush had been criticized for taking the role without backing the party's presidential nominee.

Read the Tribune story here.

One wonders, after the verbal beating he took from Trump, what does Jeb think about his son's decision.

Republican businessman and Florida U.S. Senate candidate Carlos Beruff says he loves Donald Trump and if rival Marco Rubio doesn't, Beruff would be happy to take his place at the Republican National Convention. Rubio recently described Trump as "worrisome," while still saying he will vote for Trump because he believes Hillary Clinton is worse.

From the Beruff campaign:

Today, Carlos Beruff released the following statement regarding reports that establishment Republicans are shying away from speaking at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland:
 
“Donald Trump is a businessman with real-world experience who’s looking to shake up the status quo in Washington. So am I. The career politicians in Washington are always afraid to lose power and candidates like Trump and myself challenge their authority. It’s no surprise that Marco Rubio and others are shying away from supporting Donald Trump.
 
“I’m happy to take Marco Rubio’s slot at the Republican National Convention because I’m not ashamed of Donald Trump as our nominee. Trump is motiving voters across Florida and the country who have felt ignored by the Republican and Democratic establishment alike. He’s looking to shake up Washington and I’m behind him 100%.”
 

Governor Rick Scott is urging Florida voters to take a look at his buddy, businessman Carlos Beruff, as their choice to be the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.

Washington GOP leaders begged Marco Rubio to run for a second term and, after much staging, Rubio "reluctantly" announced this week that he would oblige them.

Whoa!, said Scott in post on Facebook earlier today.

When I ran for office in 2010, I was a political outsider and the entire Republican establishment was against me. They already had their hand-picked candidate and it wasn’t me.

But, the voters of Florida spoke and I was elected Governor.

Carlos Beruff is a good friend of mine, a businessman and an outsider to politics. The voters of Florida deserve the opportunity to consider his candidacy alongside Senator Rubio and make their own decision.

The opinions of the political class in Washington are not relevant to the voters of Florida. Florida Republicans will pick the nominee on their own.

Translation - pound sand Marco.

One suspects that the Rubio camp is not happy with the Governor.  

Marco Rubio is asking Floridians to ignore a year of telling them that if he lost his bid for the presidency he would not run for a second term in the U.S. Senate. And Rubio is keeping that promise. How you may ask?

Well, Rubio is not really running for a second, 6-year term. This is a placeholder position for him as he plans his second run for president. So expect that by 2018, Rubio will begin working on the 2020 race. And perhaps by 2019, we'll again get a pledge that Rubio will not run for a third term if he fails to win the GOP nomination.

In fact, Rubio when asked about finishing a second term, would not commit to doing so. According to the Miami Herald, Rubio: made no commitments about his future ambitions, declining to say if he’d serve a full, six-year term or run again for president in 2020 — or 2024.

“What I’m done making is unequivocal statements about anything at this point,” he said. “I don’t even know who the next president’s going to be. But I will say this to you: If I wanted to run for president in 2020, running for re-election in 2016 was probably not the best choice to make politically."

In politics, admitting you’ve changed your mind is not something most people like to do. But here it goes.

I have decided to seek reelection to the United States Senate.

I understand my opponents will try to use this decision to score political
points against me. Have at it. Because I have never claimed to be perfect, or to have all the answers.

Still, the people of Florida deserve to know why I’ve changed my mind.

On the one hand, former presidential candidate Marco Rubio publicly shakes his head in dismay at the conduct of Donald Trump. That of course does not stop Rubio from trying to raise money for the Florida Republican Party in an effort to elect Trump.

See below. 

Friend, You and I can't count on the Bernie Sanders to defeat Hillary Clinton. Nor can we count on the Obama Administration to indict her for jeopardizing our national security with her private email server. The only way we can STOP HILLARY CLINTON is to beat her in the key battleground state of Florida and deny her the Sunshine State's 29 electoral votes. You may not live here, and you may not vote here, but you can still impact the election in Florida by chipping in $10, $15, $25, $50, $100 or more to help fund the Republican Party of Florida's vital grassroots efforts to stop her. I may have suspended my own campaign for President – but I remain 100% committed to making sure the only way Hillary Clinton reaches the Oval Office is as a guest. It is often said you cannot win the Presidency without winning the state of Florida. We get only ONE shot to stop her. It's a huge undertaking with colossal national implications but if we work together and pool our resources we can win. Consider what's at stake if Hillary wins Florida: ObamaCare becomes permanent. Obama's executive orders become permanent. Our military forces continue to decline. Spending skyrockets higher and our debt explodes. And the liberals seize control of the Supreme Court. If you act today, you can help prevent that. Will you chip in $10, $15, $25, $50, $100 or more right now? Sincerely, Marco Rubio Contributions to the Republican Party of Florida are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Contributions received from this solicitation are subject to federal contribution limits and prohibitions and will be deposited into the Republican Party's federal account. Paid for by the Republican Party of Florida. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.florida.gop

Minutes ago, former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio posted a definite "no" on Facebook apparently in an effort to end speculation that he is even remotely interested in being Donald Trump's running mate.

Of course, his statement could also be interpreted as offering a hint that he might be willing to run for a second term in the U.S. Senate.  

Just minutes ago, Jeb Bush posted a statement on Facebook criticizing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and saying he will not vote for Trump in November.

In fact, Bush said he will simply sit out the presidential election. Bush said he cannot bring himself to voter for Democrat Hillary Clinton. Earlier, Bush's father and brother - George Bush and George W. Bush - said they would not attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Below is Bush's statement:

By Brian E. Crowley

On the 1960 British Pathé newsreel, the headline says "Kennedy talks strategy with Congress leaders." Palm Beach was used to its Kennedys but not like this. For the first time, this quiet island whose residents valued privacy as much as wealth, was becoming the center of world attention.

In one of his first post-election meetings, John F. Kennedy summoned his newly elected vice president, Lyndon Johnson, and congressional leaders to discuss his plans after his inauguration. It would be the first of many visits to the Kennedy home on the island of 6,000 residents by national and world leaders. The north end island Kennedy home was now the Winter White House. 

Now, more than a half century later, Palm Beach is again a political spectacle. Only this time, the Winter White House could be Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. If JFK was of the Mad Men generation, Trump is a Twitter-boomer. If JFK brought youthful vigor to the island and willingness to blend, Trump stormed the island, determined to bend it to his will.

JFK brought glamour. Trump brought New York attitude and new money glitz. And while old Palm Beach may cringe, Trump is there to stay whether he wins or not.

The Kennedys arrived in Palm Beach when family patriarch Joseph Kennedy bought a home there in 1933. There were 1,700 residents. The island, like much of Florida, was segregated. But it was much more than a division of whites and blacks. It was a division of Jews and Gentiles, the extraordinarily wealthy and the lower classes.

Joe was a member of the then notoriously segregated Everglades Club which excluded minorities, Jews, and anyone who simply didn’t measure up to their elite standard.

By the time his second son was elected president, Palm Beach’s population had climbed to more than 6,000. The island remained deeply segregated and attitudes had changed little from when Joe Kennedy first bought a home there 27 years earlier.

JFK made frequent trips to Palm Beach during his presidency. One Kennedy home video, shows Kennedy playing in the family pool with his very young children Caroline and John Jr. JFK is seen tossing a ball to a pair of dogs running beside the pool.

Palm Beachers still like to see old black-and-white pictures of the First Couple going to St. Edwards Catholic Church, JFK holding press conferences, and the children at play.

Five years before Donald Trump arrived in Palm Beach, attorney Allen DeWeese had been arrested by Palm Beach Police for jogging shirtless. The town council had passed an ordinance declaring jogging shirtless to be indecent exposure. Violators faced up to 60 days in jail or a $500 fine.

In court, the town argued that it had a right “to protect the beholder of unsightly displays.”  A judge tossed out the arrest calling the ordinance not only unconstitutional but “silly.”

Palm Beach may have lost the case but not its belief that every aspect of living on the island must be regulated. From the height of a resident’s hedges to the types of companies allowed to do business there, the town is ever alert for the smallest infraction.

New businesses are suspect. They must prove that most of their customers will be people who live there. Some fought the opening of a Starbucks fearing that it would attract outsiders.

When Trump arrived in 1985, islanders soon found out he would have little regard for the town’s many rules and regulations.

Moments ago on Florida Governor Rick Scott's Facebook page, he said, "it is time for the "Stop Trump" movement to end."

Scott has long supported Trump even though he did not formally endorse Trump during the Florida primary. In his Facebook post this afternoon, Scott it is time for "Republicans to come together."

Here is Scott's post:

It is time for the ‘Stop Trump’ movement to end. Yesterday’s election results show that the anti-Trump efforts didn’t work.

Republicans now need to come together. Donald Trump is going to be our nominee, and he is going to be on the ballot as the Republican candidate for President. The Republican leaders in Washington did not choose him, but the Republican voters across America did choose him. The voters have spoken.

If the anti-Trump groups don’t stop now, their efforts will be nothing more than a contribution to the Clinton campaign.

Let's start with the fact that Rick Scott is not one of Florida's most beloved governors. Still, the video going viral of a former Lake Worth city commissioner screaming at Scott as he was getting a cup of coffee in a Gainesville Starbucks is troubling.

Cara Jennings, 38, is a self-proclaimed anarchist. Long known in Lake Worth for her antics, as well as her concerns about the poor and others ignored by society at large, Jennings was a city commissioner from 2006 to 2010.

Jennings gives much of herself to fight for the causes she believes in. More citizens should be as involved in issues they care about.

Still, there is nothing appropriate about her screaming at Scott. Her actions suggest someone who has become so self-absorbed that she no longer understands the consequences of boorish behavior.

Of course Scott, as he is about to dash out the door, grins and says he created 1 million jobs.

Once again proving that no Florida governor has ever been more disconnected with the average Floridian than Scott.

Still, Jennings behavior, where a bunch of folks just wanted to drink their coffee, was rude, inappropriate and something not to be applauded.

Unfortunately, many folks are praising what Jennings did.

You should reconsider.

Learn more about Cara Jennings here.

Well this is odd. BuzzFeed is reporting that David Jolly's campaign changed his Wikipedia page to delete reference to his involvement with the Church of Scientology,  the fact that he was a lobbyist, and other information about the Republican U.S. Senate candidate.

From BuzzFeed:

Sarah Bascom, Jolly’s spokesperson, confirmed that the campaign removed references to Jolly’s past career as a lobbyist, his association with the Church of Scientology, his support for same sex marriage, and political contributions he made to Democratic candidates. Bascom accused a unspecified rival campaign of adding what she described as “campaign propaganda” in the first place.

. . .

Each piece of information deleted by the campaign was cited, and some of it has been included in his Wikipedia page for more than a year. After the Jolly campaign deleted the information the first time, on March 15, it was reinstated later in the day by another user. On April 4, the campaign again deleted the information before it was again reinstated.

Asked by BuzzFeed News which Wikipedia users were associated with a rival campaign, Bascom pointed to two users named “CFredkin” and “Champaign Supernova.” Both users have a long history of Wikipedia editing of politicians on both sides of aisle, dating back years. In 2014, “Champaign Supernova” was awarded a Wikipedia “Barnstar Award” for editing the pages of members of Congress. “CFredkin” received a “Barnstar award” as well.

Read the complete BuzzFeed story here.

Clearly Bascom's attempt to remove elements from the Jolly's Wikipedia page was a mistake. It simply highlights for his opponents areas where the Jolly campaign is worried.

Plus, it make the candidate look bad. It makes it appear that he has something to hide.

You can already imagine the 30-second video. 

The Florida Republican primary will be tough enough without unforced errors.

Never doubt that Jeb Bush is taking his humiliating defeat for the Republican nomination very personally. His endorsement of Ted Cruz says more about Bush's anger at how Donald Trump pushed him out of the presidential race than his sudden love for Cruz. And Bush's decision not to endorse Marco Rubio before the Florida primary was little more than petty revenge because Rubio dared to run against him.

What's more, little more than a week after more than 1 million Florida Republicans voted for Trump - 46 percent of the GOP vote - Bush is backing the guy who got 17 percent of the Florida Republican vote.

If there remained any pretense at all, and there was very little left even before the campaign, that Bush remained a leader of the Florida GOP, his decision to back Cruz removed the last vestige of it.

Bush never really thought very much of the average Florida Republican. They were there to be instructed and led. Disagreement with Bush wisdom was at your own peril.

Many believe Bush's aim is to thwart Trump by helping establishment Republicans rally around Cruz in the hope of a brokered convention.

Florida Governor Rick Scott apparently disagrees. The day after the Florida primary (of course), Scott endorsed Trump. The day before, Attorney General Pam Bondi also endorsed Trump.

Does anyone seriously believe that Bush thinks Cruz should be president?

We certainly know he doesn't want Trump in the Oval Office.

And does anyone doubt that Bush believes Kasich is more qualified than either Cruz or Trump?

One telling part of Bush's endorsement was his proclamation it was for the “sake of our party and country.”

Interesting that he put party first.

During the campaign, Bush repeatedly said he would support the Republican nominee.

Does Bush still intend to do that - even if it is Donald Trump?

Jeb Bush is not endorsing Marco Rubio. Clearly Bush is still pouting. He may loathe Donald Trump, but with Rubio it's personal and nothing would please Bush more than to see Rubio lose the Florida primary.

Meanwhile, Rubio is rediscovering his home state. The man who adorned the cover of Time magazine, has spent little time worrying about the day-to-day lives of Floridians. That's the downside of seeing your picture on the cover - rock stars start to forget the fans back home.

Nine out of 10 Florida political insiders polled this week (more than 160) by the Tampa Bay Times say they expect Rubio to lose Florida. Rubio's campaign is deeply worried. One Rubio adviser told Crowley Political Report that if Rubio loses Florida, there is no road to continue the campaign.

Even if Bush were to suddenly decide that he must endorse Rubio to stop Trump, there really is no reason to believe that Bush's endorsement would be of much help. Bush was a dismal presidential candidate. Polls showed him trailing Trump badly in Florida. The vaunted Bush machine proved to rusty and out-of-step. Many of those who did support Bush are still bitter and his inner circle never forgets.

Tomorrow marks the seventh anniversary of the formation of the Marco Rubio exploratory committee. On March 4, 2009, Rubio formed the committee to prepare for 2010 U.S. Senate race. At the time, he said he would switch to running for governor if Republican Governor Charlie Crist decided to run for the senate.

Crist did. Rubio decided to take him on. He pushed Crist out of the GOP. In a three way race against Democrat Kendrick Meek, and newly no-party candidate Crist, Rubio won with 49 percent of the vote.

It was impressive. National Republican leaders were excited. Rubio became a rock star. Ambitious and confident, Rubio wouldn't even budge from the presidential race under the withering pressure of the House of Bush. 

Now Rubio is at a crossroad. Should he continue his struggle to win the nomination? Should he quit if he loses Florida? Should he quit before Florida?

There is no easy answer.

Meanwhile, Bush continues to pout apparently not caring if Trump is the nominee.

And Trump continues to smirk.

Maybe it was just a coincidence but among the many notable things about Mitt Romney's attack on Donald Trump today was his use of the phrase "con artist."  That term as become a favorite of Marco Rubio who has repeatedly called Trump a con artist as the campaigns entered Super Tuesday.

Romney did not endorse anyone. Instead, Romney urged Rubio, Ted Cruz and John Kasich to win their home states, do well elsewhere and deny Trump the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination. The result would be a brokered convention.

Below is a text of Romney's speech as prepared for delivery.

I am not here to announce my candidacy for office. I am not going to endorse a candidate today.

Instead, I would like to offer my perspective on the nominating process of my party. In 1964, days before the presidential election which, incidentally, we lost, Ronald Reagan went on national television and challenged America saying that it was a "Time for Choosing." He saw two paths for America, one that embraced conservative principles dedicated to lifting people out of poverty and helping create opportunity for all, and the other, an oppressive government that would lead America down a darker, less free path. I'm no Ronald Reagan and this is a different moment but I believe with all my heart and soul that we face another time for choosing, one that will have profound consequences for the Republican Party and more importantly, for the country.