"Marco Is A Risky Bet"

With Halloween just around the corner, and the scary- bad campaign of "J.E.B.!" Bush receiving its last rites from many pundits, there's an October 26 presentation to fat cat donors by the Bush campaign that's leaked out which indicates they've located some, um, skeletons in the closet of chief rival Sen. Marco "Glug Glug" Rubio (R-AWOL).  Only 45 pages of the Power Point presentation was made public;  the full 112 pages included some hints of oppo research that may be unleashed on "Glug Glug" shortly. This summarizes a section of the Bush presentation entitled "Marco Is A Risky Bet:"

While the slides released to the press highlight Bush's Sunshine State endorsements and Rubio's lack of experience, another page for donor edification gets dirtier.

It's titled "Marco Is A Risky Bet," and it bullet-points Rubio's "misuse of state party credit cards, taxpayer funds and ties to scandal-tarred former Congressman David Rivera."

When Rubio was a state lawmaker, he used the state party credit card for personal expenses, a decision he later called a mistake. In 2005, he and Rivera jointly purchased a home that later faced foreclosure.

Another bullet point says Rubio's "closeness with Norman Braman, who doubles as personal benefactor[,] raises major ethical questions."

Braman, a billionaire auto dealer, is expected to pour $10 million into Rubio's White House endeavor, The New York Times reports. He's also paid Rubio's wife to oversee his charitable work.

The Bush team also mocks Rubio's "tomorrow versus yesterday" argument as one that would be "widely ridiculed by media" should he run against the first potential female president.

So far, this is on- record chicanery from ethics and court proceedings.  What else ya' got?

The most cryptic slight is left for last: "Those who have looked into Marco's background in the past have been concerned with what they have found."

A Bush aide says that line refers to concerns Mitt Romney's team unearthed when they vetted Rubio for vice president in 2012.   (our emphasis)

You can be sure any further "concerns" about "Glug Glug" will eventually come out during Republican primary vetting.  We have some doubts, though, whether the chronically non- confrontational "J.E.B.!" has the cojones to go for "Glug Glug's" soft underbelly.  (We see that necessary fratricidal chore more likely being undertaken by someone with the instincts of a psychopath and the  ethical standards of a lizard -- someone like, hmmm, let's see...  Sen. "Tailgunner Ted" Cruz!)  Or maybe a "J.E.B.!" ratf*cker (think the late Lee Atwater) can handle the dirty work with a wink and a nod from the "low- energy" "J.E.B.!"

"Is it irresponsible to speculate?  It is irresponsible not to."   Also, "it's out there."

This is the kind of dirt Republicans are so good at spoon- feeding to a water- carrying media.  It's much harder for the likes of "Glug Glug" to try to change the subject when the accusations aren't weak soundbites lobbed at him with no intention of follow- through.  Let 'er rip, boys!

BONUS:  Ed Kilgore at Washington Monthly has a good read on vetting "Glug Glug."

BONUS II:  Steve M. at No More Mister Nice Blog found something in the presentation that demonstrates "J.E.B.!'s"  tin ear when it comes to appealing to the Republican wingnut base.

(Photo:  He's also a thirsty bet.)