10 reasons not to vote for Carlos "Crybaby" Curbelo

Many people are still trying to figure out why Carlos “Crybaby” Curbelo was anointed early on as the chosen one to pit against Democrat Congressman Joe Garcia in November.

Why was this wet-behind-the-ears, lame-o Miami-Dade School Board member and professional lobbyist with very little actual public service experience declared the favorite of our local and national GOP celebrities? How is it possible that anybody thought this snot-nosed privilegiado, postalita little Belen boy who hasn’t done squat on the School Board was ready for Congress?

It seems disingenuous when one-time Republican presidential nominee and national loser Mitt Romney comes to pose for photos with Curbelo and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen — who had Ladra’s respect until she said this — called him an “education innovator” and a small businessman. What on Earth has he innovated? Last time I checked, Curbelo was a lobbyist who founded and runs Capitol Gains, even though he put the company in his wife’s name to hide his client list. Not a small business man.

Still, those are the best they can do for reasons to vote for him. Ladra can top that with ten reasons not to vote for Curbelo.

Let’s get the personal stuff out of the way with reason number 10: He is a liar. Carlos Curbelo accused Ladra of extortion, quite a serious allegation, all the while knowing he was making false claims. The real strategy was to discredit me because he simply doesn’t like the reporting here on Political Cortadito. Facts are stubborn things. We were the first to expose him hiding his business associates — he doesn’t have to declare clients who could be benefiting from his position at the school board — and the first to report that he didn’t report the results of a $35,000 poll. Political Cortadito also reported that one of his fundraisers was at the home of convicted, admitted tax cheats, and that he had been paying Mitt Romney’s communications team for weeks before he got that timely endorsement. Curbelo used to love Political Cortadito until he became the subject of this scrutiny. And he used to be friendly with Ladra. He knows me and my style. And he knows he is lying when he says I solicited an ad in exchange for favorable coverage. What’s somewhat comforting is that everybody else knows he’s lying, too. From WPLG’s Michael Putney, to whom Curbelo whispered this slander in an effort to get me off the show, to the friends of my parents who were going to vote for him but are not now. Because if he would lie about that, what else might he lie about?

Reason number 9: He hides who his clients are by putting his company in his wife’s name. As an elected member of the School Board, where he steers billions of dollars in taxpayer funds, Curbelo would have to disclose any clients in his lobbying business who provide at least 5% of his annual billings. But he got around that by putting the company in his wife’s name, even though Cecilia Curbelo doesn’t even work there. He says he did this at the advice of Senate attorneys when he worked for former Sen. George LeMieux. But he can’t produce any letter of instruction or similar documentation — like they just whispered it to him in the hall — and he worked for LeMieux less than a year. Also, he switched his company to his wife’s name the year before he ran for School Board. Almost like it was planned. Almost. And he never switched it back because he “trusts his wife.” I guess we’re just supposed to trust that none of his clients do business with the school board or have benefited from his position. After all, that is precisely why these laws exist for — so the public can know who you do business with when you are in elected office.

Reason number 8: He thinks we’re stupid. Curbelo says all this is legal. That he has complied with the law. But of course he has. He put the business in his wife’s precisely so he could comply with the law and still hide his clients. Because his financial disclosure doesn’t have to list “her clients.” Because that’s what this scenario would have us believe — that the clients of Capitol Gains are Cecilia Cubelo’s clients. Curbelo also said that he would be happy to disclose his client list. He said it on This Week in South Florida with Michael Putney, but he lied again because he still hasn’t disclosed it. And later, he told Roberto Rodriguez-Tejera from Mira TV and Jim DeFede from CBS4 that it was an arbitrary request and that, again, he had complied with the law. “Why should I do more than required by law?” Then he has the nerve to say that Cutler Bay Mayor Ed “Mac” MacDougall, who lives closer to the center of the district than anyone, shouldn’t run because he technically lives right outside District 26. Just because it’s legal, “doesn’t make it right,” Curbelo said in practically the same breath he used to claim that he was legally disclosing everything he was required to disclose.

Reason number 7: We don’t want this same kind of backroom hidden business going on in Washington. Will Curbelo put his business in his own name? He says he doesn’t have to because he trusts his wife. But how can we trust him to know that none of his clients would benefit from him having a position in Congress.

Reason number 6: His supporters include a shady cast of characters, like former and disgraced State Rep. Ralph Arza, Hialeah Mayor Carlos Hernandez and Demetrio Perez, Jr., a convicted felon who committed fraud on elderly residents of his Little Havana apartments and is still making millions off the taxpayers through school board contracts. In fact, Ladra has to wonder if Perez is a client of Capitol Gains.

Reason number 5: Did I mention Curbelo is a liar.

Reason number 4: He’s vengeful. Curbelo hasn’t done very much at the school board. His legacy is lacking. But one thing he did try to do was privatize the transportation of children. This was a punitive thing against the bus drivers that never got any traction from his colleagues on the board.

Reason number 3: He is not a leader, he is a follower. Curbelo attacked Sen. Marco Rubio when he worked for former Gov. Charlie Crist. Later he supported Rubio’s immigration reform plan. Most lately, he’s pushing another sombebody else’s plan: Jeb Bush’s much touted Common Core, an education system based on testing and curriculum decided upon by the government, not teachers and parents. He cut his teeth on the campaigns for former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart and his brother and successor Mario Diaz-Balart and then tried to get a school named for the elder brother. Residents refused. Because they saw right through him (and I hope they vote in this race).

Reason number 2: Curbelo owes too many favors. He has spent $1 million on this primary and gotten the empty endorsements — given without even a courtesy consideration of the others — Ros-Lehtinen, both Mario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart, former Gov. Jeb Bush and even RNCC Chairman Greg Walden, because some guy in Oregon is really going to know. These are more for insiders (read: special interests) and collecting money than for votes. It is unlikely that Curbelo can be an independent voice in Washington. He owes everybody.

And the number one reason why not to vote for Curbelo is because… you’re just giving the election in November to Garcia. Republicans who vote for Curbelo in the primary will be throwing the general away.

Think about it. With all the aforementioned baggage, Curbelo will be, like Milhouse, easy prey for Garcia and the national Democratic machinery. He cannot avoid getting hit on his business dealings as a lobbyist. This will turn into a scandal vs. scandal campaign unless one of three others (not former Congressman David Rivera either, for obvious reasons) is elected.And Curbelo will not be able to use Garcia’s own absentee ballot fraud to peel Dems off his base because of his own cloudy business dealings.

The Republicans need a truly clean candidate to run against Garcia this year because it’s the last chance they have at getting this seat back until 2018.

And Curbelo, who only pretends to be clean, ain’t it.

By the way, this message, like all of Ladra’s other posts, was not paid nor approved by anyone.

10 reasons not to vote for Carlos “Crybaby” Curbelo added by Ladra on August 24, 2014
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