Republican Connie Mack Serious Threat to Defeat Democrat Bill Nelson in Florida

Assuming Florida Senator Marco Rubio doesn't vacate his seat to be the VP nominee, a Connie Mack victory over Bill Nelson next November could give that state the best 1-2 conservative punch in the nation. Of all potential Republican candidates, Mack - at least so far - has the best chance of beating Nelson. He's young, he's been a congressman for a few terms, and he's a Tea Party favorite. If you remember, he's also the guy who came up with the 'Penny Plan' during the Debt Ceiling debate. It was, by far and away, the best idea for how to deal with the crisis, which meant it would be discarded.

Via the Miami Herald:

Congressman Connie Mack’s entrance into Florida’s moribund U.S. Senate race has propelled him into instant-frontrunner status in the Republican field and threatens incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson, according to a new poll.

Mack garners 32 percent of the theoretical vote, while his fellow Republicans are polling in the single digits, the Quinnipiac University poll shows. In a general-election matchup, Mack would get 40 percent of the vote and Nelson 42 percent.

“The entrance of Congressman Connie Mack into the Senate race changes what had been shaping up as an easy reelection for Sen. Bill Nelson into a tough fight that the incumbent could lose," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. “The fact that Mack is essentially tied with Nelson, who has been a statewide political figure for two decades, should set off warning bells at Democratic headquarters.”

Nelson is the only Democrat elected to statewide office in Florida. The fact that he’s nearly tied speaks volumes about the challenges of running as a Democrat in 2012.

What makes the numbers so surprising is that Mack has yet to campaign and hasn’t made an official announcement that he’s even running. But he’s the son and namesake of a well-liked former Florida Republican senator, who was the grandson and namesake of a famous baseball player. So Mack, a Cape Coral Republican, could be enjoying some residual benefits of having high name recognition.

If you're not all that familiar with Mack, here are some good clips from him. First, with Piers Morgan during the Debt Ceiling debate, Mack warns the CNN host not to turn his show into a 'joke.'



Here is Mack pressing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about operation Fast and Furious. Look for this testimony to rear its head as the investigation continues to get bigger. Clinton did damage to herself here thanks to Mack's questions. So far, he is the only congressman or Senator to press Clinton on the failed operation that resulted in the death of a Border Agent. One should walk away from this exchange with the strong sense that Hillary has culpability. If so, Mack did a huge service to the Oversight committee's investigation. The questions Hillary wouldn't answer were so straight forward that she sounded like she was pleading the fifth by not answering them:



Let's also not forget former Obama manufacturing czar, Ron Bloom. Mack, as best I can tell, is the only congressman to call Bloom on his outrageous comments about the free market being 'nonsense' and that Bloom agreed with Mao about how to gain political power.



If Mack is elected Senator of Florida in 2012, it will be a significant victory for conservatism.

h/t Hot Air

Video: Will this help Conservatives Warm-up to Newt?

Recently, on Fox News, Newt Gingrich said that the climate change ad he did with Nancy Pelosi on a love seat was the 'dumbest thing' he's ever done. He is obviously attempting to nip this concern in the bud with conservatives. It may or may not work but what about his working with Hillary Clinton on health care?

Maybe this will help conservatives get over that.

Newt's mother tells Connie Chung in the 1990's that Newt thinks Hillary is a "B**ch."

Eric Holder's Apology Letter reaches POLITICO Before Terry Family

During the November 8th Senate Judiciary committee hearing, Attorney General Eric Holder was asked by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) if he's apologized to the family of slain Border Patrol agent Brian Terry. Holder said he had not and declined to do so when Cornyn gave him the opportunity to do so during the hearing. The subsequent fallout apparently caused Holder to issue an apology.

However, in a gaffe that should cause EVERYONE to forget about Rick Perry, Holder's letter appears to have reached the press before showing up in the Terry family's mailbox.

Via Daily Caller:

Politico reported Thursday that Attorney General Eric Holder sent a “private letter” to the family of murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, apologizing for his death. But friends of the Terry family have told The Daily Caller that no such letter has made it to the Terry home.

“Eric Holder has told the grieving family of slain U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry that he is ‘sorry for the loss of your son’ and offered to meet with them,” reporter Tim Mak wrote.

Holder’s letter, Mak wrote, praised the fallen Border Patrol Agent: “Brian was a hero who served his nation bravely and made the ultimate sacrifice. I agree with you that the tactic of allowing guns to ‘walk,’ as was permitted in Operation Fast and Furious, is completely unacceptable.”

The Holder letter may exist, but Politico hasn’t published it. And friends of the Terry family told The Daily Caller on Thursday that they haven’t received it.

Either Holder never sent his “private letter,” or the Justice Department leaked it to Politico before the Terry family received it.

“He never sent a letter,” Lana Domino, a Terry family friend, told TheDC on Thursday.

“I talk to them daily,” Domino added. “They never received an apology. They never received a letter.”

If it wasn't obvious that any apology from Holder after declining to issue one at the Senate hearing would be politically motivated, not heartfelt, it should be obvious now.

Read it all.