Haridopolos Misses Another GOP Luncheon, Has Bigger Fish to Fry

State Sen. Mike Haridopolos was a no-show at the annual meeting of the Republican Women of the Treasure Coast today. Organizers said it was the fourth time the Merritt Island Republican had canceled a scheduled speaking engagement with the Vero Beach-based group.

The Senate president-designate, who could not be reached, apparently has bigger fish to fry -- like raising funds for his pals around the state, notably Bill McCollum. Haridopolos' Freedom First Committee recently funneled $435,000 to the Citizens Speaking Out Committee, which is buying TV ads attacking McCollum's gubernatorial primary opponent, Rick Scott.

Term-limited, and representing a staunchly Republican district, Haridopolos was replaced at the podium by former U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Melbourne.

Weldon, who served seven terms in Congress before retiring in 2008, served up red meat for the conservative luncheon crowd, bashing the "incompetence coming out of Congress and this administration."

"The No. 1 thing we have to do is stop borrowing," Weldon said.

"What's happening today is like someone putting an addition on a house that's being foreclosed on," said Weldon, who predicted that the current rate of borrowing -- $1 trillion a year -- will make the United States "the next Greece."

Amid a roomful of nostalgia for Ronald Reagan, Weldon uttered nary a word about one of the nation's biggest spenders: George W. Bush.