Can conservatives fall in love again with Marco Rubio?
Remember when Rubio was the upstart “Not One Red Cent” candidate?
Marco Rubio is set to announce a run for President on Monday.
We haven’t talked a lot about Marco recently, ever since the immigration debacle, from which he has backed away. (Like Scott Walker?) That event seemed to take him off the radar.
But why?
We remember Marco. The insurgent Tea Party candidate who defeated Charlie what’s his name, the National Republican Senatorial Committee anointed candidate. Those were heady days, all the way back in 2010, as we recalled in Give Some Credit To “Not One Red Cent”:
There are many stories to tell about this election cycle, but one group of bloggers deserves special credit.
In May 2009, a group of bloggers started a blog called Not One Red Cent in reaction to the attempt by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to anoint Charlie Crist as the Republican nominee in Florida, and to deprive Marco Rubio of a fair chance to compete for the nomination….
In those first few months they blogged like crazy, and they were voices in the wilderness.
Over time Marco Rubio began to pick up recognition and support and went mainstream, and NORC posts dropped off as others picked up the cudgel elsewhere. The rest, as they say, is history.
When that history is written, I hope people will recognize the impact a few bloggers had in the revolution of 2010.
Since those days, the liberal media, Democratic politicians and the Republican establishment sought to crush the Tea Party, with mixed results. The Tea Party changed the dialogue, the national focus, and both houses of Congress.
But some of those early Tea Party candidates changed too, and Rubio is remembered with some disappointment by his earliest backers, the bloggers who believed when no one else did.
But has he changed so much that he’s no longer a viable conservative candidate?
While not too much faith should be put in ratings, Marco does have some pretty good conservative ratings:
- American Conservative Union Rating lifetime 98.67
- Madison Project Hall of Fame
- Freedom Works 94% Rating.
- Heritage Action
And like it or not, foreign policy will be a big part of the 2016 campaign, and that is his strength.
So what do you think?
Can conservatives fall in love again with Marco Rubio?
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
No.
Once bitten, twice shy.
No, sums it up. He forgot who brought him to the Senate dance like a certain now unelectable former GOP senator from Massachusetts by the name of Scott Brown.
He turned RINO.
Once a turncoat, always a turncoat.
Yeah, that’s what they said about Nixon in 1962.
Rubio can come back, but not for 2016 which, Krauthammer notwithstanding, was never realistic. He needs to gain some more experience – getting rolled by McCain and Schumer was strictly minor league – and show he can run something bigger than his Senate office staff by running for Governor of Florida at some point in the future, and doing a good job at it.
He’s young, and has plenty of time.
Anything is possible. But Mario would need to answer some hard questions about his positions, preferably from the grumpiest most ornery tea party in the US.
And then we hold his wife as collateral during his presidency.
Nope. He sold out when he did the amnesty deal.
Can’t get that to just disappear. We have long memories.
Especially since we have great choices this time.
Dittos!
Mega-dittos!!!
The problem I have with Rubio isn’t just the immigration stance, it’s more about who he chose to make that stand with.
Turban Durbin, Flakey Flake, Grahamnesty, Don’t fence me in McCain and Schmucky Schumer.
He chose his partners now let him dance with them.
Yep. When you find yourself standing at a podium with Chuck Schumer, you’re doing it wrong.
This isn’t a toughie.
No.
The problem isn’t that Rubio was involved in an “immigration debacle.” The problem isn’t even that he was on the wrong side of the Gang of Whatever immigration bill. The problem is that immediately after being elected, he switched his position on immigration 180 degrees from the position he had campaigned on.
In other words, Rubio told Obamaesque lies on an extremely important issue. He proved that he can’t be trusted. So who cares what he claims his position on immigration – or anything else – is now?
Rubio disqualified himself. Forget him.
Exactly. Impeaching is a near impossible thing, so if you don’t stick to your word and we know we can’t count on a thing that comes out of your mouth, ever, then that candidate is a dangerous choice. Not worth it for an unseasoned pretty boy dealing in affirmative action.
never was in love with him anyway so its not happening here.
feel free to love him long time if you want though 🙂
I’m mostly but not completely with irv. Senator Rubio pivoted so hard and so fast as to make himself look like, well, a Democrat.
If I want one of those (and I don’t), I’ll vote for them directly.
But being a
suckerforgiving person, I’d give the good Senator a chance to show me that he’s seen the light. My standards, however, are high.No. Next question…
The problem with Rubio is that he did what most Senate candidates do when they win; he realized he joined an exclusive club, and bought into (or was seduced into) the prevailing establishment position on immigration. Given his Cuban roots, it’s hard not to understand why.
No, we can’t fall in love with him again. If he bought into one of the establishment’s canards, he probably bought into more than just the immigration position.
Marco Rubio, like Sarah Palin, should have run in 2012. He had the magic then, he doesn’t now. The closest he’s going to get to the Oval Office in the near future is as Vice President.
Rubio made a mistake in a time when conservatives are once bitten, twice shy.
He made his bed, now he gets to watch from the sidelines.
I’m supporting Ted Cruz:
https://www.tedcruz.org
Nope, Gang of 8 ended it for me.
No. Weasel. Never.
Anyway, too many other good people running to even need to consider him.
No. No amount of paint will cover those stripes.
I am skeptical, but compared to Jeb, Marco is Barry Goldwater!
I think we’re very fortunate because those of us not totally up on his activities in Florida found out the hard way exactly how Rubio thinks………and it ain’t pretty.
Rubio joined with the likes of Schumer and McCain to enact a bill that would transform this country into the unamerica. The proof is in what Obama is doing with illegals only Rubio and the gang of eight wanted to do it legally. It really doesn’t matter how conservative he is on other issues we cannot and must not elect a president who wants illegals to become a majority voting block for Democrats, add to welfare rolls and take jobs away from Americans. Rubio didn’t back away from this until long after appearing on radio and TV and lying about what the bill would do. We don’t need another lying to get elected politician.
Rubio is not any more competent than Obama, and as young and inexperienced. Being a senator mean nothing except that you won an election. What has he administered except his career,. He’s hispanic Obama.
Article V Convention
Repeal the 17th Amendment
If Marco helps take out Jeb…well that would be ok.
Would you buy a used car from this guy?
Hee! That made me almost snort coffee all over my keyboard. Good question, and the answer is a head-shaking, chortling hell to the no.
The Not One Red Cent gang still deserve a lot of kudos. Remember, that was back when Crist, now an out-and-proud Democrat, was still pretending to be a Republican, and he was the darling of the GOP establishment here in Florida. If not for NORC; Crist, not Rubio, would be our Senator.
And Rubio on his worst day is still better than Crist on his best.
I wouldn’t vote for him in the presidential primary because there are way better candidates than him, in my opinion, and I actually think he’d do better to stay a Senator than to throw that away for a presidential campaign I can’t see him winning, but if for some reason he ended up our nominee, yeah I’d vote for him over any Democrat contender.
80 percent of Florida GOP insiders say that Rubio will run for governor once he loses the primary. This is his real game plan.
“Rubio is not enamored with the Senate and is looking to get out,” a Republican said. “His efforts are a way for him to remain relevant on the national level, keep his name out there so to speak, and then run for governor. He is lacking in serious executive experience in order to run for president, which being governor of the 3rd largest state would greatly help him with.”
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/insider-poll-bush-stronger-against-hillary-fla-primary-likely-bush-v-rubio/2224971
Rubio is a “prima donna” and is bored in the senate where he is merely one of many. The Dauphin Jeb spoiled Rubio and unjustly pushed people aside for his pet to be speaker of the Florida House.
In 2010 Jeb told Rubio to wait that it wasn’t his turn to run for the senate seat. It was Orange Charlie’s turn. Conservative grassroots obtained Rubio’s senate seat for him and he paid them back by doing what Jeb told him to do to get back in his good graces, join the Gang of H8.
Rubio is a Legend in his own Mind. He has boxed himself in a corner. Many Florida GOP insiders believe he was promoted beyond his pay grade, didn’t pay his dues and, he is still not satisfied. He has burned bridges in Florida with the powers that be, except for the Dauphin Jeb. The conservative grassroots also want to extract their pound of flesh.
I don’t know about you but being a Floridian who knocked down doors to put Rubio in the senate I will relish when he gets his comeuppance and exile from the magic kingdom.
We Floridians sent Rubio to the “District of Corruption” to drain the swamp not jump in the cesspool. Instead Rubio is just a corrupt “Bought and Paid For” power hungry lunatic that stands for nothing except the advance of his own corrupt power. What a complete and utter disgrace!
I’m curious as to how these Tampa Bay Times “Florida GOP insiders” were selected, and what their agenda is. I see that nearly 80% of them, in addition to hating Rubio, support Jeb; I’m thinking they’re not exactly representative of the average Florida Republican.
And forgive me for not trusting the Tampa Bay Times when it comes to either psephological accuracy or political neutrality. Because:
In other words, they’re Democrat operatives with bylines, and they don’t even try to hide it any more. I give their hand-picked panel of “Florida GOP Insiders” about the same credence I give the paper itself.
Rubio, blech. He lost me when he used the state GOP credit card for his own personal purchases and only paid it back when he was caught (two years later). Small change in the big picture of political spending? Sure, but dishonesty, theft, and corruption on a small scale rarely lead to honesty, morality, and good judgment on any scale.
After using the TEA Party–nationally, too, don’t forget–to win the senate seat in Florida, he immediately declined to join the Tea Party caucus and butted heads with Jim DeMint (by anyone’s estimation a fine, authentic, and passionate conservative.) on a number of key issues. Rubio continued back-peddling away from the TEA Party much to our surprise, though we shouldn’t have been surprised, he was already proven to be . . . less than honorable or honest (see above re: GOP credit card).
Then, of course, we come to the Gang of Ocho and Rubio’s outrageous reversal (not a flip or a flop, a radical reversal) of his campaign stance on immigration and his attaining the vaunted status of Chuck Schumer’s pet Republican: http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/05/marco-rubio-our-republican-says-chuck-schumer-and-with-good-reason.php
He’s not been in the Senate long enough for me to be sure exactly what he is, but one think I am sure he is not is a conservative who values the same things that I do. For this reason and to answer your titular question: no, this conservative, at least, will not be falling in love with Rubio again. That ship sailed well before he went full progressive Obot on immigration.
I tried to tell people at the time that the Tea Party adopted Rubio mainly as a reaction to the RSCC supporting Crist, that he was NOT a “TP politician.” Young or not, Speaker of the State House is an “establishment” position. Big improvement over Charlie the Orange, but still . . .
Hey, I don’t hate the establishment like some smelly hippy, but I know the players.
Naturally, I was roundly derided, smeared, called a RINO amongst other things, as usual, before being proved right over time. No problem – used to it.
Rubio’s father fled communist Cuba. The process of Castro seizing power is there and Rubio does not recognize the parallel process happening here in America.
It is his blindness that renders him just a punk-kid in my eyes.
Rubio is Lord Jim and now has to spend the rest of his life redeeming himself. Job one, throw himself on the grenade that is Jeb Bush.
You’re either conservative or not, Rubio shut the Barn Door on that miles back
One of the great lessons in life is that expecting perfection from people is not very realistic. And when you run into someone who seems perfect, better look reeeeeeeeeeal closely. In politicians, well, good luck if you write guys off for a few mistakes, especially when they are young and inexperienced.
Ronald Reagan said, “My 80% friend is not my 20% enemy.” Until the Purity Police types learn the truth of that observation, you are doomed to eternal frustration.
No, but when there is evidence that not only does he disagree with you; but is quite happy to lie to you to your face about it, take your money because you believed in the lie, accept your work for him because you believed in the lie, and then the moment he is elected for him to turn around and join with your enemies and stab you in the back on the issue he lied to you about . . . . that is not a matter of purity police. That is the matter of the candidate being a lying sack of excrement whose word cannot be trusted on anything any more.
We already have one DIABLO Party supported candidate who literally and openly has no policy positions that Hillary would disagree with. Why should we tolerate another who quite probably is the same but is willing to lie to us about it?
The pro-amnesty, business Republicans live in a bubble of denial. They keep thinking there is some sort of ‘split the baby’ position on immigration and borders that will “solve” the political problem.
They don’t get it: it’s not a political problem – its a moral problem. And Rubio is the latest in a series of amoral tone-deaf Republicans (starting with G. Bush) who live in a different moral and economic world than the rest of us.
Rubio was my favorite until his immigration nonsense, and his failure to redeem himself when he should have abandoned it when he failed to get serious border security. He did not.
We have been lied to SO MANY TIMES on this issue. There is no room for forgiveness.