Marco Rubio’s conservative record
By Tom Quiner
Out of 435 members in Congress, Marco Rubio is the 8th most Conservative.
He is more conservative than conservative Iowa Congressman, Steve King, or the iconic conservative Iowan Senator, Charles Grassley.
According to the Heritage Action scorecard, Mr. Rubio has a 94% conservative voting record.
Compare that to these Iowans in Congress:
√ 77% for Steve King
√ 70% for Rod Blum
√ 65% for David Young
√ 59% for Senator Joni Ernst
√ 59% for Senator Charles Grassley
√ 16% for Dave Loebsack
He is even more conservative than Rand Paul who has a 90% conservative voting record.
The American Conservative Union gives him a lifetime rating of 98 compared to Senator Grassley’s lifetime rating of 83.81.
He has received a perfect rating from the conservative National Rifle Association.
He has received perfect 100 scores from the Family Research Council in three of the past four years.
He has received a lifetime rating of 95 from Citizens Against Government Waste, who have labeled him a “Taxpayer Super Hero.”
The pro abortion group, NARAL, hates him, giving him a zero rating, while National Right to Life has given him a perfect 100 rating in two straight cycles.
He has lent his voice to the National Organization for Marriage by making robo calls on behalf of traditional marriage which places the family ahead of a lifestyle choice.
He is a radical fiscal conservative, calling for freezing the federal budget at 2008 levels for all items except national defense and veterans care.
He has co-authored a tax plan which would lower rates and simplify the Rube Goldberg system we currently have.
When he ran for the Senate in Florida in 2010, the Republican establishment supported then-Governor, the moderate Charlie Crist.
Rubio won, and Christ left the party, running as an independent.
I belabor Senator Rubio’s record out of necessity. Ted Cruz and his supporters suggest Mr. Rubio is some sort of moderate-to-liberal “establishment” candidate, despite his sterling conservative credentials.
A recent blogpost, “A vote for Trump or Cruz is a vote for Hillary,” generated impassioned feedback from loyal Quiner’s Diner readers like this one:
“Sure let’s put up another moderate. It worked so well in 96 and 08, and in 2012. The last time we really won an election was when we “raised a banner of no pale pastels but of bold colors”, in 1980 and 84. I can’t believe you wrote this piece, Tom. You’re better than this. Be a principled conservative, and support the only true conservative who has a shot of getting the nomination AND winning the election.
When people get to know Cruz in the debates with Hillary, they will like him. And they will vote for him, rather than the liar. Cruz knows how to debate (actually was a national debate champion, and argued in front of the SCOTUS as solicitor general for Texas). He will destroy Clinton in the debates.
Polls at this point mean very little. The only poll that matters is the one on February 1, when Cruz will win the Iowa Caucus, and then go to NH and place in the top 3. This will set him up to win the nomination, and the presidency.
If we nominate another milquetoast moderate Republican, we might as well send Hillary the ordering book for the white house china, because she’ll be residing there (again) probably for 8 years. Incumbents are hard to beat.”
As the detail above confirms, Senator Marco Rubio is no “milquetoast moderate.” He is an inspirational conservative without the negative baggage that will surely doom a Trump or a Cruz candidacy.
I have tremendous respect for Cruz supporters, but the Texas Senator’s negative polling numbers are damning, and I believe fatal to a successful White House bid.
If you want to vote for a conservative who can successfully lead us into “a new American century,” Marco Rubio is the man.
Senator Ted Cruz: 100%
Enough said. Unflinching conservatism. Rubio’s involvement in the Gang of 8 is enough to disqualify him as the “best candidate”.
http://townhall.com/columnists/johnhawkins/2015/12/19/the-ugly-truth-about-marco-rubio-and-his-gangofeight-amnesty-bill-n2095418/page/full
Would I vote for Rubio over Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders? Surely. But I still think Cruz is a better candidate and a better conservative. Rubio would be my second choice of the 3 candidates who have a chance of winning the GOP nomination.
Redstate seems to agree with me:
http://www.redstate.com/diary/chadb/2015/12/09/cruz-electable-rubio/
By the way, Hillary’s favorability rating is at -8%, far below either Cruz or Rubio’s -2%, so I think either can and will beat Hillary. I would love a Cruz/Rubio or even Rubio/Cruz ticket.
To me, the surefire winning ticket is Rubio/Kasich simply because Republicans MUST win Florida and Ohio, or else they lose the election. Kasich is hugely popular in Ohio and would guarantee the win.
Ugh…I cannot abide Kasich. He’s maybe the worst of the bunch.
I like Cruz and support him verbally. I no longer donate $$ to any political candidate out of pure disgust for how they’ve betrayed the Conservatives time after time. That stated, I like Rubio but his jumping over with the Gang of Eight ( McCain was part of that) on amnesty left a bad taste in my mouth. Denny and I had the opportunity to go to a dinner party with Rubio as the keynote. I liked him even more after that. I definitely don’t trust Trump. On Jan 13, 2016 9:28 PM, “A Heapin Plate of Conservative Politics &
Thanks for your input, Rhonda. I like hearing from Iowa conservatives I trust like you and Shawn, whether we agree or not. The so-called ‘Gang of 8’ efforts were certainly undermined by a president who made it clear he would twist and distort the legislation like he has done everything else. The moral of the lesson: don’t do “comprehensive” reform; do it piecemeal, beginning with securing the border, which I believe can be done without a fence.
Reblogged this on The Right Slant.
Great article! Excellent points about Senator Rubio, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’ve said before that if President Reagan was alive today, he’d back Rubio! I read his book, An American Son, and was quite impressed with his character and his humility. No self-aggrandizment, and open about his personal and political shortcomings. A breath of fresh air! He is authentic, and it comes across!
Thanks for the kind words, and for your input on Senator Rubio. Please come again.
Definitely!! I enjoy your blog!
Tom, I’ll be sending this to a number of people. Good job!
Thanks for the kind words.