Peter Schorsch
An old proverb goes: “You are the company you keep.” Another saying, not quite as old, is “stop saying dumb things on social media.”
That last one is a bit of wisdom Marco Rubio might have imparted on Republican activist Sam Rashid during Thursday’s $500-a-plate “Day One Marco” fundraiser in Tampa.
Florida’s junior senator has been very busy this summer, crisscrossing the state in his re-election effort. That means pressing a lot of flesh. So it should come as no surprise to see Rubio meeting with a wide range of supporters coming out for the GOP front-runner.
Nevertheless, when Rubio made his way to Tampa this week, one name stood out above the rest in the high-profile host committee: Sam Rashid.
Rashid, for those not familiar, has had a long — and infamous — reputation on social media, and also is a well-known figure in Rubioworld.
To put it another way, Rashid and Rubio are more than just Facebook friends; and that might not be a good thing.
Listed among the hosts were such big names as lobbyist Michael Corcoran and his brother, incoming House Speaker Richard Corcoran, as well as former Speaker Will Weatherford and Ambassador Mel Sembler and his wife, Betty.
However, no one on that list has a more colorful online profile as Rashid.
For example, Rubio appointed Rashid last year to a committee advising both Rubio and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on judicial appointees. It didn’t last long.
Rashid resigned in May 2015, after he was criticized for a Facebook post calling some local judges “dumbasses.”
Later, Rashid infamously resigned again in October, this time from the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, after he called Tampa-based public relations consultant Beth Leytham a “taxpayer-subsidized slut.”
Apparently, Rashid doesn’t think people actually read the things he posts on Facebook.
Gov. Rick Scott had appointed Rashid to the Aviation Authority in June 2014 and was reportedly under immense pressure to fire him for the comment about Leytham.
Instead of showing remorse for his blatantly misogynistic remark, Rashid doubled down, stubbornly refusing to apologize for the slur that led to his resignation.
So when a notorious Facebooker like Rashid appears at the top of a Rubio host committee — $5,400 to be a “Day One Marco Supporter” — it makes one wonder.
Is this really the company Rubio wants to keep?
