And a few things his opponents would rather you forget

By Chris Ingram

Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman was in Florida yesterday. A light day of campaigning was preceded by a coveted appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press in which Huntsman raised the issue of GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney’s electability and his repeated flip-flops.

From CEO’s like Welch to the few everyday Americans who are actually paying attention to the race, voters are still looking for a believable leader who lacks the baggage of candidates like Caine and Gingrich and the poll-tested and plastic nature of Mitt Romney. Huntsman may be the answer, but a lot of stars will have to line up in a row for Huntsman to become the nominee.

Live free or die

Metaphorically speaking, Huntsman has (more…)

By Chris Ingram

Following my column in the Tampa Tribune today, a reader sent an e-mail regarding a fundraiser for Jon Huntsman in Dunedin, Fla. on Sunday, November 4, 2011. The general reception starts at 4:30 with a suggested contribution of $150 or $75.00 for young professionals. There is a private round table event beforehand with a suggested contribution of $500.

For more information, click here: Huntsman invite (PDF) to view a PDF of the invitation.

(more…)

By Chris Ingram

The Tampa Tribune

Published November 4, 2011

OK, I admit it. I like Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman. If you haven’t heard of him, it’s because his campaign has yet to catch on with Republicans. Among GOP primary voters Huntsman is wrongly perceived as something of a squish — that’s a conservative code word for moderate. It’s also the kiss of death if you’re running in a Republican presidential primary.

But the facts are, as governor he was a fiscal conservative and a tax-cutter. He supports the Ryan budget plan, and he has said repealing Obamacare is a top priority if elected.

On social issues Huntsman is (more…)

A fellow Cuban-American’s perspective on Florida’s junior senator’s latest tall tale

(Editor’s note: The following commentary was written by Patrick Monteiga, editor of Tampa’s La Gaceta newspaper, the only tri-lingual newspaper in the United States. The column appeared in today’s edition. Monteiga and his family are of Cuban ancestory. The column is reprinted with permission).

Sen. Marco Rubio at CPAC. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

The revelations from Marc Rubio’s family history have brought us closer to the U.S. Senator than we’ve ever been before. You see, the real version of Rubio’s heritage closely resembles the Manteiga heritage.

My grandfather Victoriano, like Rubio’s dad and mom, came from Cuba to the U.S. for a job and a better life. My grandfather came in 1913 (at least that’s the story) and was hired by the workers at the Morgan Cigar Factory as the lector. Rubio’s father, Mario, came over in 1956 and found a bartending job.

Victoriano wanted to stay here permanently and become a U.S. citizen, but he was still interested in the family and friends left behind in Cuba. Mario seemed to follow the same creed.

Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista was hated by my grandfather who hoped Fidel Castro would bring better days to Cuba. Mario left in 1956 during the reign of Batista supposedly because of the violence and uncertainty. It seems he also hoped that Castro would change things for the better.

In 1961, after Castro resumed relations with the USSR and nationalized American oil companies and  sugar interests, Rubio’s mom, Oriales, went back to either look after a relative or to see if things were better in Cuba so her family could move back depending on the version of the story. Odd, considering that most observers could see Cuba slipping towards Soviet-style communism by then. (more…)

By Chris Ingram

The Tampa Tribune

Published October 27, 2011

Last weekend I took my family out in the boat for a sunset cruise. On our return, my spotlight went out, and we got off course heading into the channel as I slightly misread the compass bearing. It was dark, the tide was low, and we were hitting bottom. So I called my friends Tommy and Ronnie, who are avid boaters and retired firefighters and live in the same neighborhood as I do. I asked for some points of reference — however limited at night — which they provided.

A few minutes later we were still off course and in shallow water when Tommy called to check on us. I told him we were still under way, looking for channel markers, though still in very shallow water. He offered to come to our aid, which I declined, telling him I’d call him back in a half hour if we needed help.

When I called Tommy back, he was already in his boat, and Ronnie was with him. An hour later we were all back home safe and sound, thanks to their help.

My selfless friends showed me and the girls in my life what being neighborly is all about.

This little misadventure got me thinking about whom among the GOP presidential candidates I would call as a “lifeline” if I needed their help in a similar situation. (more…)

Lies, bad judgment, blaming others for his mistakes

By Chris Ingram

Double-billing taxpayers for a few flights to Tallahassee: a couple hundred bucks

New wood floors in the family’s Miami home paid for with an RPOF American Express card: $4,000

Caption: Who can I blame for this mess?

Landing a part-time job as a college professor when other professors are being laid-off: $69,000

A Cuban-American U.S. Senator who (more…)

This month’s Irreverent View lunch will be next Monday, October 24^th at 11:45 a.m. at the Tampa Club. 

This month’s guest: Our special guest this month is State Senator Mike Bennett http://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s21 who represents portions of Sarasota and Manatee counties. Mike is Senate President Pro Tem and he serves on the Banking and Insurance and Criminal Justice committees – among others. He is a successful small businessman and Navy veteran who served 4 tours in Vietnam.   Mike flirted with running for Congress next year but decided the rigors of a campaign and days in Washington were more than he wanted. Mike is a no-nonsense legislator who calls it exactly like he sees it. And when I say exactly like he sees it, I mean he gives the unvarnished truth as he sees it – political correctness be damned.  Mike will speak for 10-15 minutes about current issues facing the legislature including improving the economy and legislative redistricting. He will also take a few questions about issues. This is a speaker not to be missed!

Please RSVP by noon Saturday (October 22nd) .  As always, feel free to bring a friend. There is plenty of parking (bring your stub to the lunch to get it validated for a discount). We will have a private meeting area for our lunch, just ask for the Irreverent View lunch when you arrive. The address is: (more…)

The police assume they were thieves, but perhaps they’re just very smart Americans trying to shut-up our do-nothing president…

HENRICO, VA (WWBT) – NBC12 has uncovered one of those stories that makes you think: “How in the world does that happen?!”  A truck filled with President Obama’s podiums and audio equipment was stolen in Henrico just days before his visit to Chesterfield.

We confirmed an investigation with the U.S. Defense Department.  There are still a lot of questions.  The biggest one being did the thieves intentionally target the President’s truck or did they take advantage of a crime of opportunity and give a big “uh-oh” when they saw what was inside.

When you see President Obama speak, there is a pretty typical setup including the presidential seal on a podium, the see-thru Teleprompter and a portable sound system.

Thieves saw the truck carrying that equipment and couldn’t resist the target.  (more…)

Protecting perceived “rights” of dirtbags more important than protecting kids from violence in the home

By Chris Ingram

Earlier this week I wrote about the murder of a nine-year-old little girl whose murder was allegedly at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend. Today I went on Fox News Live to talk about a solution to this problem that I proposed in my column (see link to video below).

Liberal do-gooders and ACLU-loving types (inlcluding Tampa’s La Gaceta newspaper) are already up in arms — preferring to protect the liberties of evil-doers over the rights of innocent children from being the victims of preventable crimes caused by people who live in their homes.

Of course the thing these liberals fail to acknowledge is that (more…)