I do think Rubio is more conservative than most of us give him credit for. That said for many conservatives immigration is more important than other issues, making weakness on it a more unforgivable crime than say being willing to fund some random social welfare program. I do disagree with Rush though when it comes to the Establishment. Rubio may or may not be a full fledged member of it, but I think of the top four candidates he’s the one most likely to do what they want.
Rubio’s problem isn’t his ideology; it’s his lack of conviction and immaturity. He was sent to DC with a fire in his belly that was extinguished on first contact. He was elected due to extensive grass-roots conservative and Tea Party efforts, and he abandoned them as soon as he saw the bright lights and power games.
He is a player now, but make no mistake, he is a junior player who will listen to the powers-that-be and not his constituency or conscience—if he still has one. He sold us out without even getting a good deal. He speaks well, and can spin a good yarn, but he cannot be trusted.
After Romny, I am done playing nice with the GOPe. Supporting the GOPe is worse than electing Democrats as has been proven repeatedly over the past decades. I would never support Rubio in the primary, and frankly am not sure that I will even show up if he’s “our” candidate. I’ll take my lying, duplicity, and cowardice straight up and preferably from the other side of the aisle.
What confuses me is the utter hatred I see for Rubio on this website. Did he make a mistake trying to find common ground on immigration reform? Yes, and he has admitted it. As much as I admire Carson, I have to admit that his candidacy is unrealistic at this point. Too many hills for him to climb over.
The other two remaining viable candidates have also reversed serious mistakes on immigration. Only Rubio gets held accountable. Of the three candidates, in terms of what a president can actually DO (as opposed to campaign grandstanding), their current immigration policies are essentially the same.
As I have said, I have serious problems with Rubio. He's not my candidate. But I still believe that we should be at a stage where it is beneficial to hear the ideas of more than on or two guys. The reaction that I see to Rubio stinks of closed-minded tribalism.