Under fire from Republican rivals looking to run against Democratic incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, Mike Haridopolos issued a statement Wednesday afternoon insisting he backs the budget plan sponsored by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan.
Earlier in the day, Haridopolos appeared on the Ray Junior national talk-radio show in which the host asked him if he would vote for Ryans proposed budget. Despite being asked numerous times if he would vote for the plan -- yes or no -- Haridopolos hedged, then replied that it's complicated and not before him. He then attempted to speak about his own Senate accomplishments. After Junior continued to ask without getting a direct answer from Haridopolos, he said, "Get rid of him" and hung up on the state Senate president. (See a video of the exchange on this page.)
The Haridopolos camp looked to limit the damage in the afternoon by releasing a statement from their candidate.
I absolutely support the goals of the Ryan Plan to cut federal government deficit spending and applaud Representative Ryan's bold leadership in putting forth an intelligent and serious plan to tackle the largest issue confronting our nation, he said. Representative Ryan's leadership in actually putting forth a plan to tackle the deficit is in stark contrast to the irresponsibility demonstrated by President Obama and the Democratic Senate who have failed to pass a budget for over 750 days, adding trillions to the debt during that time. While I support almost every provision of the Ryan Plan, I believe that it must be amended to provided greater protections for seniors.
Fighting for seniors is not new to me. One of the main reasons I fought Obamacare, including passing Florida's Health Care Freedom Act, is because of the devastating cuts it dealt to seniors, cutting $500 billion from Medicare to fund Obamacare-welfare programs, added Haridopolos. Again, I absolutely support the goals of the Ryan Plan and believe in almost all of the provisions to cut federal government deficit spending and address entitlements. As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, I am the only person in this race with a proven record of reforming entitlements [Medicaid, government pensions, and welfare] and a demonstrated commitment to making cuts to balance the budget in the state of Florida without increasing taxes or fees.
The other camps quickly opened fire on Haridopolos. The team behind former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner took aim at both Haridopolos and former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, who is also seeking the Republican nomination.
"How can voters trust Senators Haridopolos or LeMieux to stand up for Florida if they aren't even willing to say where they stand on the important issues?" asked Rick Wilson, a campaign adviser and spokesman for Hasner. "Florida Republicans know the vote on the Ryan Plan was a line-in-the-sand moment for our country. Conservatives like Marco Rubio and Allen West voted to save Medicare and reduce out-of-control entitlement spending. Democrats like Bill Nelson and Debbie Wasserman Schultz voted to demagogue the issue and watch Medicare go bankrupt. By staying silent, Senators LeMieux and Haridopolos are running scared and saying they'd vote 'present' on the important issues facing our country. With each passing day, it becomes clearer that Adam Hasner is the only candidate who can be trusted to go to Washington and take the tough stances on the big issues."
Haridopolos also drew fire from the Florida Democratic Party, which sent out news clippings hammering the state Senate president for his comments on the issue -- including forwarding an interview run at the conservative blog Shark Tank, where Haridopolos' campaign manager said his boss would not back the Ryan proposal.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com, or at (850) 727-0859.
