Marco Rubio Gives the Weekly GOP Address

by Charles Lemos, Sat Aug 28, 2010 at 03:35:50 PM EDT

"Today the American Dream is threatened by out of control politicians in Washington, who think that more government deficit spending is what it takes to grow our economy. That has never worked anywhere it’s been tried and it won’t work now. Now for some it may be hard to imagine that the American Dream could actually be at risk, but as the son of exiles I know firsthand that it is possible to lose your country because my parents lost theirs."

This should concern you. This guy harbors presidential ambitions and for a party that's been looking for the next Ronald Reagan for the last 30 years, they have found him. If Rubio is elected to the Senate from Florida this November, not only does that catapult Jim DeMint into a leadership position of their side of the aisle, it all but secures that Marco Rubio will be on everybody's shortlist come 2012 for the VP slot on the GOP ticket.

Unlike the other first-time GOP candidates running for the Senate, Rubio is infinitely more polished but every bit as dangerous. The narrative they are spinning that this economy is Obama's fault is laughable when Sarah Palin opens her mouth but when it is Rubio speaking, it is a whole different matter. Whether we like it or not, we have to admit that the Democrats are losing the messaging on the economy.

Marco Rubio is a unique blend that combines red-meat starve the beast fiscal conservatism with dashes of let's bomb Iran neo-conservatism and flavored just enough with the religious-based bigotry to appeal to social conservatives. Not only can he appeal to Hispanics but he can appeal to independents because he sounds sane even though he is a Jim DeMint clone. Defeating Marco Rubio is priority one.

Tags: Marco Rubio, GOP 2012 (all tags)

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If defeating him is priority one...

then we need to dump the Democratic nominee. This would have been much easier had Greene won, but Kendrick Meek is not going to win the election. Our success is with Charlie Crist.

We can be purists and lose, or we can compromise and stop Rubio. I know where I stand.

by Vox Populi 2010-08-28 05:10PM | 0 recs

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"Bigotry"?

I've been following this campaign fairly closely, and hadn't heard any Rubio pronouncements that contain what most people would call "bigotry". What exactly are you referring to?

by BJJ Fighter 2010-08-28 05:18PM | 0 recs

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RE: "Bigotry"?

Maybe his broad opposition to gay rights and his positions on immigration?

by Vox Populi 2010-08-28 05:24PM | 0 recs

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RE: "Bigotry"?

If you're talking about Marco's opposition to same-sex marriage, his position is the same as that of Charlie Crist, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama.

It seems like a new political tactic for many on the left is to brand anyone who doesn't adopt their position on given issues as either racists or bigots. Hence you had Jimmy Carter, last spring, labeling those opposed to Obamacare as racists. And those who oppose same sex marriage are routinely tarred as bigots....even though voters in California supported Prop 8, as they overwhelmingly (+60%) supported Obama for President.

I don't think this tactic is either clever, or especially creative. All it's going to do is make Democrats and progressives appear shrill, and drive independents further into the arms of the GOP. Racism and bigotry are loaded terms, which are being tossed around way too casually, and it's eventually going to cause a major backlash.

by BJJ Fighter 2010-08-28 07:56PM | 0 recs

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RE: "Bigotry"?

I hear what you are saying. There is a danger of painting too broad a brush but I'm sorry James Dobson, Tony Perkins and Phyllis Schlafly are bigots. Whether it's that their religious beliefs drive their bigotry or whether they use religion to mask their bigotry, they are still bigots.

It's not just the issue of gay marriage, these folks want to deprive LGBTs of whole slew of rights. They are against any rights for gays and lesbians because they believe that being gay is a choice.

Rubio's opposition to same-sex marriage isn't the same as Crist's, Clinton's and Obama's because it goes far deeper. He opposes civil unions. Back in May, Rubio gave the keynote address at the Florida Family Policy Council as he picked up their endorsement.

The Florida Family Policy Council is one of the main groups behind Florida's anti-gay Amendment 2, the "Marriage Protection Amendment", that passed in 2009 and enshrined discrimination into the Florida constitution by not only banning same-sex marriages, but also civil unions and any other relationship recognition for gay Floridians.

by Charles Lemos 2010-08-28 09:09PM | 0 recs

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RE: "Bigotry"?

I haven't researched Florida's "Marriage Protection Ammendment", so I'm asking the question---is it essentially the same as DOMA, which President Clinton signed in 1996?

I mean, at some point, we have to realize that we may not like the conclusion that society as a whole has reached on same sex marriage....but we have to respect it. That's what living in a constitutional republic means sometimes. When voters in ME, CA, and FL (not to mention 24 other states) all turn thumbs down on same sex marriage, it's just hard to say that "damn it, they're ALL bigots!" These are three fairly diverse states, and it's not like they're Kansas or Idaho, etc. We can condemn them all we want, but we'll probably just waste a lot of time in the process, and die living in a fool's paradise. At this point, it's just time to move on.

by BJJ Fighter 2010-08-29 01:04AM | 0 recs

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RE: "Bigotry"?

Perhaps I didn't word it correctly. He's much more polished than to express bigotry outright but he appeals to bigoted social conservatives.

Rubio has been endorsed by groups like Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum, Family Research Council Action PAC and National Right to Life, Priests for Life, Wallbuilders not to mention Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Congressman Mike Pence.

His mentor is Jeb Bush and he has ties to Elliot Abrams, both of whom have their feet firmly in the neo-con camp. He's adored by the National Review and worshipped by the Weekly Standard. And he was the first project of Jim DeMint who come November will be defacto leader of the GOP.

by Charles Lemos 2010-08-28 07:55PM | 0 recs

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Charlie Crist....

....is finished after his healthcare flip-flip-flop-flip. His approval ratings are falling again as the oil spill fades away. He'll wind up in third place. Kendrick Meek is a nice guy, but he can't win many votes in central Florida.

Marco Rubio will be on the VP list--but he will be the GOP nominee in 2016 if Obama somehow manages to win reelelction.

by esconded 2010-08-28 06:38PM | 0 recs

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This seems to be a post about why Democrats should support Crist.

I think the last thing Democrats need is more Republicans joining the Party. That hasn't moved the Party in a healthy direction. I hope the Democrats have more plans for defeating Rubio in the future(like fixing the economy) then encouraging Democrats to support Republicans in elections.

by bookgrl 2010-08-28 11:02PM | 0 recs

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RE: This seems to be a post about why Democrats should support Crist.

Yeah... a small, liberal minority is the way to win our policy objectives. Expanding the tent only gets us things like financial regulation reform, health care reform, and a stimulus plan for starts.

by Vox Populi 2010-08-29 12:01AM | 0 recs

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RE: This seems to be a post about why Democrats should support Crist.

Given the recent economic statistics.....e.g., yesterday's downgrade of second quarter GDP growth to 1.6%......maybe you should refer to the stimulus plan as a "sedative plan".

The administration's court jester, Joe Biden, had the "Recovery Summer" duty this week, since Obama was on vacation. He touted the weatherization of 200,000 homes (there are 100 million homes in the entire country) as the "stimulus" plan's greatest accomplishment.

This isn't leadership, and it's not success. It's just failure.

by BJJ Fighter 2010-08-29 12:45AM | 1 recs

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RE: This seems to be a post about why Democrats should support Crist.

Well, our big, enormous majorities gave us weak financial reform, a health insurance bill that was a boondoggle to the worst actors, and a puny stimulus plan, so maybe sometimes less is more.

by bookgrl 2010-08-29 01:33AM | 0 recs

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RE: This seems to be a post about why Democrats should support Crist.

Further, I never claimed a "small, liberal minority" was the way to win our policy objectives.

by bookgrl 2010-08-29 01:37AM | 0 recs

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Enough with the "messaging", please

Jeez, every time I come over here I see some reference to "messaging" or "narrative" of something similarly mystical.

Sure, parties try to look good to the media. But their efforts are all subject to one real big constraint: the economy. Why have the Dems not been able to see their "messaging" take hold? Lack of economic growth, pure and simple. It's surprising that Democratic activists don't see this. Remember, Bill and Monica and how the media kept asking where the "outrage" of the electorate had gone? Answer = that was a message about Bill the electorate, in the middle of the biggest economic upturn in decades, was simply unwilling to hear.

When economic growth (nb: not employment) begins to pick up - and it will - you'll be surprised how quickly the "narrative" mojo of the Democrats will recover. What we have to do now is pull hard to get through the election with as few losses as possible. If we do that, then 2012 will not, believe me, be Rubio's - or any other Republican's - year.

by Tracy 2010-08-30 12:22PM | 0 recs