OPEN THREAD: GOP Top Ten Debate

Watch along with us and weigh in during the main GOP debate at 9PM eastern. The event will be live-streamed on Fox News where you'll need your cable system login to watch.

HRC Slams Rand Paul & Marco Rubio

GOP Field Denounces Donald Trump

The Hill reports:

Republicans of all stripes spent Saturday hammering Donald Trump for his remarks mocking Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) over his time spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Many of the GOP’s most visible members are suggesting the outspoken billionaire and presidential candidate went too far taunting McCain during a speech Saturday afternoon. “He was a war hero because he was captured,” Trump sarcastically told host Frank Luntz during the 2015 Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa. “I like people who weren’t captured.” The quip came after Luntz challenged Trump’s criticisms of McCain’s political career. The pollster questioned his verbal attacks on McCain, calling him a “war hero.” “I supported McCain for president,” Trump said. “He lost and let us down,” he added, arguing he spent $1 million supporting McCain’s Oval Office bid. “I’ve never liked him as much after that,” Trump added. “I don’t like losers.”

Ted Cruz won't condemn Trump:

Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), who considers himself a friend of both McCain and Trump, refused comment on the bitter feud. "I recognize that folks in the press love to see Republican-on-Republican violence, so you want me to say something about Donald Trump or bad about John McCain or bad about anyone else,” he said, according to The Washington Post. “I’m not going to do it.” “John McCain is a friend of mine,” Cruz added. “I respect and admire him and he’s an American hero. And Donald Trump is a friend of mine.”

Marco Rubio: We Need More Scalias

Sen. Marco Rubio Opposes Constitutional Ban On Same-Sex Marriage

Via Bloomberg:

Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said Wednesday he would oppose a constitutional amendment allowing states to ban same-sex marriage after the Supreme legalized it nationwide, even though he disagrees with the landmark 5-4 decision. "I don't support a constitutional amendment. I don't believe the federal government should be in the marriage regulation business," the Florida senator told reporters after a speech the Cedar Rapids Country Club in Iowa. "We can continue to disagree with it. Perhaps a future court will change that decision, in much the same way as it's changed other decisions in the past. But my opinion is unchanged, that marriage should continue to be defined as one man and one woman. The decision is what it is, and that's what we'll live under," he said.

Over at the right-wing Hot Air, Allahpundit is "mystified."

I could understand if he justified his position by saying “an amendment will never pass” — that would at least be true, if not politically astute — but he’s not saying that. Instead he gives the bizarro reason that “the federal government should [not] be in the marriage regulation business,” which is … exactly what many conservatives have said in criticizing the Supreme Court’s decision. The Court’s part of the federal government and they’ve now imposed a coast-to-coast regulation on marriage. If you don’t believe the feds should be messing around with this subject, you should support returning the matter to the states, no? Rubio’s tactics are usually lucid but I don’t get why he’d go this route, unless he thinks that mere rhetorical support for a longshot amendment will be such a liability in the general election that he’d rather stay away from it in the primary. And if he feels that strongly, why continue to defend traditional marriage at all? Why not just “evolve” and be done with it?

On Sale By Sen. Marco Rubio

Fox Panel Goes Nuts Over Marco Rubio's Ridiculous Claim That Christians Will Soon Face Hate Speech Charges

Marco Rubio On 700 Club: Anti-Catholic Hate Speech Laws Are Coming

Pat Robertson raves: "The Hispanic vote is going to be enormous....Rubio could be the Democrats' nightmare."

Host Of Rubio Fundraiser Once Worked For Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh

Josh Israel reports at Think Progress:

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), who announced last month that he will seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, will hold a campaign fundraiser on Wednesday with an array of Washington lobbyists. One of the lobbyists co-hosting the event (and helping to raise money for Rubio) is BGR Group principal Jennifer Lukawski. She recently served as the registered foreign agent for a western African regime known for its human rights abuses, including repeated threats to behead gay people. In April 2013, BGR Government Affairs LLC and the then-Secretary General of The Gambia signed a contract. In exchange for $45,000 a month (plus expenses), BGR agreed to “advocate and help build support for increased political and economic assistance from government and non-governmental organizations for The Gambia’s adolescent and adult female education programs. BGR may provide guidance and counsel on other issues from time to time as required.” Several weeks later, Jennifer Lukawski informed the Department of Justice that she would be lobbying for The Gambia pursuant to that deal. The arrangement continued until that December.

Last week Gambian president Yahya Jammeh vowed to "slit the throats" of gay men, prompting a denouncement from US National Security Adviser Susan Rice. Neither Rubio nor Lukawski, a former Heritage Foundation staffer, have responded to the Think Progress report. (Tipped by JMG reader John)

Marco Rubio: Iraq Was Not A Mistake

Larry Ellison To Host Rubio Fundraiser

Billionaire former Oracle CEO Larry Ellison pumped millions into the Romney campaign and he's about to do the same for Marco Rubio.

Ellison will host a fundraiser for the Florida Republican’s White House bid at his mansion in Woodside, Calif., on June 9, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. A VIP reception and photo opportunity with Rubio will cost attendees $2,700 per person. The fundraiser will also include a host committee dinner for couples who have raised $27,000. Ellison, who has a net worth of nearly $54 billion, hosted a fundraiser benefiting the National Republican Senatorial Committee last year that featured another presidential hopeful, Sen. Rand Paul, who has been courting major Silicon Valley donors.

RELATED: The world's fifth-richest person, Ellison has vowed to donate 95% of his wealth to charities. Much of that has been committed to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Headline Of The Day

This will be interesting. Details. (Tipped by JMG reader David)

ARIZONA: Rubio Headlines Fundraiser For Group That Backs "Ex-Gay" Torture

Yesterday Sen. Marco Rubio headlined a fundraiser for the vile Arizona Center For Public Policy, which advocates for "ex-gay" torture among other anti-gay positions. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

Although there was no media inside the room at the Center for Arizona Policy fundraiser, held at Arizona Christian University, and a spokesperson from Rubio’s campaign did not respond to repeated requests Wednesday for comment about the event or what Rubio planned to say, at least two attendees did post on social media from within the event with remarks from Rubio. “Even as I’m speaking to you now, a human life is being terminated in America,” a congressional staffer attending Wednesday’s event quoted Rubio as saying. The staffer works for Rep. Trent Franks, who also was in attendance. “Without faith at the core of our society, you fall into an era of moral relativism,” the staffer quoted Rubio as saying. When Rubio was discussing marriage, the Franks staffer did not quote Rubio directly, but he tweeted, “Dangerous era in America, says @marcorubio, where if you believe in the traditional definition of marriage, you’re a bigot.”

Two weeks ago Rubio declared that he believes that sexual orientation is "something people are born with." It doesn't appear that he addressed "ex-gay" therapy during his speech.

Marco Rubio Leads New NBC/WSJ Poll

Via NBC News:

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio lead the pack of Republicans seeking the GOP nomination for president, according to a new poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal. Asked which Republican hopeful would be their first choice to win the party's primary, 23 percent of GOP primary voters chose Bush. An additional 14 percent picked him as a second choice. Eighteen percent of GOP primary voters said that they favored Rubio most, while another 23 percent selected the Florida senator as their second choice for the Republican nod. Rubio posted particularly impressive numbers when GOP primary voters were asked which potential candidates they could definitely see themselves supporting. Seventy-four percent said they could imagine backing him, while only 15 percent said they could not imagine supporting him (net +59).

Poll breakdown here.

Marco Rubio: It's Ridiculous To Think Gays Have A Constitutional Right To Marriage

“There is no federal constitutional right to same sex-marriage. It doesn’t exist. There is no federal constitutional right to same sex-marriage. There isn’t such a right. You would have to really have a ridiculous and absurd reading of the U.S. constitution to reach the conclusion that people have a right to marry someone of the same sex. There is no such constitutional right. Can a state decide to change their laws? Yes, but only through the political process, not through the court system and that’s what is happening now. The advocates of same-sex marriage refuse to go to the legislatures because they can’t win that debate, they don’t want to have a debate in society. They want courts to impose it on people and they are not even satisfied with that. They have now gone further. They want to stigmatize, they want to ostracize anyone who disagrees with them as haters. It’s very simple. This is not a policy against anyone. I believe, as do a significant percentage of Americans, that the institution of marriage, an institution that existed before government, that has existed before laws, that institution should remain in our laws recognized as the union of one man and one woman." - Sen. Marco Rubio, speaking to the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Senate Narrowly Rejects Bill To Fund Assistance To Homeless LGBT Youth

From Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund:

Today, the United States Senate failed to pass the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act (S.A. 290), which would reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA). The vote was 56 "YES" to 43 "NO" - short of the 60 "YES" votes required to pass. The Act includes a non-discrimination clause that would help ensure lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth experiencing homelessness not only have access to critical services, but that those services are safe, welcoming, and tailored to meet their unique needs. Research continues to show that while LGBT youth make up just seven percent of the general youth population, they comprise up to 40 percent of the 1.6 million youth that are homeless in America each year. 

"Thank you to the 56 senators who showed true leadership today by voting in favor of protecting all of our nation’s 1.6 million homeless youth,” said Cyndi Lauper, Co-Founder of the True Colors Fund. “Unfortunately, 43 senators put the objections of conservative religious groups ahead of the lives of our nation’s most vulnerable youth. Every day, homeless gay and transgender youth experience rejection and discrimination from their families, communities, and the providers who are supposed to help them. Today, 43 senators added their names to the group of people who think that it is acceptable to throw away the up to 40% of homeless youth who identify as LGBT."

Chris Geidner reports on the voting:

For the third time this year, a majority of the Republican-led Senate voted for a pro-LGBT measure — with 56 senators, including 10 Republicans, voting for an amendment that including LGBT protections for runaway youth. Wednesday’s vote to amend the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act into the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 failed, however, as it would have required 60 votes to pass. The amendment included a nondiscrimination clause that would have prohibited runaway and homeless relief programs created by the act from discriminating against LGBT children based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Sens. Kelly Ayotte, Shelley Moore Capito, Susan Collins, Dean Heller, Mark Kirk, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Rob Portman, Dan Sullivan, and Pat Toomey joined all the Democrats in voting for the measure, which was brought to a vote by Sen. Pat Leahy. Among the declared presidential candidates, Paul was the only one to vote for the measure. Sen. Marco Rubio opposed the amendment, and Sen. Ted Cruz did not vote on the amendment or the underlying bill, which passed 99-0. This was not the first such vote, suggesting that, while there is still not yet a filibuster-proof majority supporting LGBT rights in the Senate, there is a simple majority who appears willing to back a broad range of LGBT rights measures. In many cases, however, the Republican leadership’s opposition to LGBT rights measures would keep them from coming to the floor.

Jon Stewart Rips GOP Gay Wedding Flap

Mediaite recaps:

Jon Stewart tonight mocked all the Republican candidates who gave all sorts of answers to the question of whether they’d go to a gay wedding. Because if, Stewart said, this election comes down to one thing, it’s “who do you trust to pick up a phone at 3 am and RSVP to a gay wedding?” He saved perhaps the strongest derision for Rick Santorum, who said he would love and support gay loved ones, but wouldn’t attend their wedding. Stewart said, “I know you don’t want to redefine the word ‘marriage,’ but it does appear you want to redefine the words ‘love’ and ‘support.’”

Marco Rubio: Being Gay Isn't A Choice

Via the Washington Post:

Marco Rubio said Sunday that he believes sexual orientation isn't a choice, but he is opposed to courts deciding on marriage for same-sex couples. "I believe that sexual preference is something that people are born with," he said on CBS's "Face the Nation." Rubio also said that he believes marriage should be "between one man and one woman" but insisted "it's not that I'm against gay marriage." States have always regulated marriage, and if a state wants to have a different definition, you should petition the state legislature and have a political debate," he said. "I don't think courts should be making that decision, and I don't believe same-sex marriage is a constitutional right."

UPDATE: Here's the clip.

Frothy Mix: Unlike Sen. Marco Rubio, I Would Never Attend A Gay Wedding

And we all heave a sigh of relief.

Marco Rubio: I'd Attend A Gay Wedding

Mediaite recaps:

“If there’s somebody that I love that’s in my life, I don’t necessarily have to agree with their decisions or the decisions they’ve made to continue to love them and participate in important events,” Rubio said. He compared it to attending “second marriages,” which are not strictly allowed the Catholic faith. “If it’s somebody in my life that I care for, of course I would,” Rubio reiterated on the question of attending gay weddings. “I’m not going to hurt them simply because I disagree with a choice they’ve made or because I disagree with a decision they’ve made, or whatever it may be.” “Ultimately, if someone that you care for and is part of your family has decided to move in one direction or another or feels that way because of who they love, you respect that because you love them,” he concluded. Again, he compared the union of a same-sex couple to the divorce of a straight one. “If someone gets divorced, I’m not going to stop loving them,” he said.