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Rush Limbaugh: Marco Rubio is a legitimate full-throated conservative and a disciple of Reagan
Hotair ^ | 02/03/2016 | AllahPundit

Posted on 02/03/2016 8:13:09 AM PST by SeekAndFind

When I posted these clips to Twitter, a reader replied that of course Rubio is a Reagan disciple. He supports amnesty, doesn’t he? Zing.

Fairly or not, a dynamic has developed within the grassroots right online that you can’t be pro-Trump and pro-Rubio. You can be pro-Trump and pro-Cruz because you think America needs a populist, because Washington is so sleazy that it needs to be cleansed with fire. You can be pro-Cruz and pro-Rubio because you think America needs a conservative, because Washington has moved so far left that only a hard push to the right can restore the country’s equilibrium. But you can’t be pro-Trump and pro-Rubio. They’re matter and anti-matter. Trump will deport the illegals, or so he says. Rubio would legalize many. Trump says what he thinks, no matter who he offends. Rubio is scripted and soft-spoken, and styles himself as a uniter. Trump wants to make nice with Putin and disdains nation-building. Rubio loathes Putin and favors aggressive interventionism. Trump represents “white identity politics.” Rubio represents diversifying the party. Up and down the line, substantively and stylistically, you find contrasts. Trump wants to make America great again; Rubio can’t tell you fast enough that he thinks America is the greatest country ever.

What makes these two Rush clips striking is that, for most of the past eight months, to the consternation of many anti-Trump listeners, he’s had nothing but warm words for Trump. Occasionally he’ll scold him for using McConnell-esque lines of attack on Cruz, like calling Cruz a maniac for clashing with other Senate Republicans, but much of the past year has been an exercise in mainstreaming Trump as a legitimate vessel of populist conservative anger despite his many, many prior heresies against conservatism. For most other grassroots righties, if you feel that way about Trump, chances are high that you also think Rubio’s an establishment RINO, an avatar of “business as usual” Republicanism whose Gang of Eight stain can never be scrubbed clean. Not Rush. On the contrary, listen below and you’ll find him blowing up that argument, which is at the absolute core of Trump’s and Cruz’s case against Rubio. Rush, almost singularly, is pro-Trump and pro-Rubio. Huh.

Notably, Rush was a little less pro-Trump than usual today:

And Donald Trump — I don’t know if you’ve forgotten — one thing that I remember is that he went out and again tried to criticize Cruz. Cruz here is the front-runner. Cruz is not the enemy. Hillary Clinton is the enemy. Ted Cruz is not “a nasty guy.” Ted Cruz is not a Canadian. Ted Cruz is none of that. He’s not mean-spirited. Ted Cruz doesn’t want anybody to die in the streets. Nobody’s gonna believe that, especially when you offer that criticism sounding as though it could come from Bernie Sanders.

In a Republican primary, you do not win if you’re going to sound like a liberal Democrat criticizing Ted Cruz. And it wasn’t just health care. How many of you remember (I pointed this out when it happened) Mr. Trump pointing out that you can’t do anything if you can’t make deals, can’t cooperate? Part of his criticism of Ted Cruz is he’s hated; nobody likes him. Trump said, “I can do deals with Harry Reid and Pelosi. I know these people. I like these people. Schumer? I can do deals.” No, no, no, no! We don’t want to do any more deals with these people. We want to beat those people. There are many things that harm Mr. Trump, but not showing up at the debate is not one of them.

As nasty as the Trump/Cruz war in Iowa was this month, both between the candidates themselves and among their supporters online, a Trump/Rubio war would be 10 times as bad precisely because of the stark choice they present. Cruz can be viewed (although he doesn’t have to be) as a compromise between the two — plenty conservative enough for Rubio fans, if not nearly as likable, and populist enough for Trump fans, especially as a contrast to Rubio. A Trump/Rubio race would end up as a proxy war between two radically different visions of the party. Rush would naturally caution listeners from reading too much into any soundbite, especially ones as short as these, but it’s hard not to come away from this thinking that if forced to choose between those two visions, despite his admiration for Trump in various ways, he’s with Rubio. Luckily, thanks to Cruz’s win last night, the odds of any voters having to face that binary choice — at least anytime soon — are slim.


CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: 2016election; election2016; florida; marcorubio; openborders; reagan; rubio; rush; rushlimbaugh
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To: shibumi

Cue the supposed foam party pic of Rubio


21 posted on 02/03/2016 8:24:06 AM PST by RummyChick
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To: SeekAndFind

The “truth detector” is on the fritz.


22 posted on 02/03/2016 8:27:13 AM PST by Sans-Culotte (''Political correctness is communist propaganda writ small''~ Theodore Dalrymple)
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To: SeekAndFind
Rubio says the right things most of the time, I just don't have confidence in him.

That said, Rush is right in saying that the real enemy is Hitlary & the Demonrats...

23 posted on 02/03/2016 8:27:15 AM PST by Smittie (Just like an alien, I'm a stranger in a strange land)
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To: demshateGod
If he can’t discern between conservative and opportunist, and communicate the difference to the people, what good is he?

Pray tell, who (of consequence) in this race is NOT an opportunist?

24 posted on 02/03/2016 8:27:45 AM PST by JimRed (Is it 1776 yet? TERM LIMITS, now and forever!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Rubio’s Gang of Eight dealings made for the most egregious political betrayal I think I ever witnessed. And it involved an issue of absolutely paramount importance. It’s forever branded him a puppet of the establishment.

No way in hell I’ll ever give my vote to Rubio, even if he’s running against Satan himself.


25 posted on 02/03/2016 8:28:30 AM PST by greene66
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To: McGruff
Rush is flopping around like a fish out of water lately.

Rush has made golfing buddies and party friends of people in the news. He doesn't want to alienate them, so he tiptoes around their current issues.

26 posted on 02/03/2016 8:28:43 AM PST by The_Media_never_lie (The Bush family needs to just go away. The Clinton family needs just to go to prison.)
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To: Smittie

We’re stuck with another Romney.


27 posted on 02/03/2016 8:30:04 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: SeekAndFind

I read this as Rush has determined that - like it or not - Rubio will be the nominee. And so Rush has already begun the general election battle.


28 posted on 02/03/2016 8:30:05 AM PST by rhinohunter
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To: SeekAndFind

Rubio is a full fledged swishy...that’s what he is, Rush.

They got to you, didn’t they Rushie, old boy?


29 posted on 02/03/2016 8:30:13 AM PST by WKUHilltopper (And yet...we continue to tolerate this crap...)
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To: rhinohunter

I am afraid to say, I agree with Rush on that.

Cruz and Trump blew it by going after each other way too early, before the others were eliminated.


30 posted on 02/03/2016 8:30:48 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: WKUHilltopper

Well now having Elton John play at his wedding makes even more sense now.


31 posted on 02/03/2016 8:32:43 AM PST by dfwgator
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To: SeekAndFind

It would be funny if after all these attacks on this forum if Rubio skated in


32 posted on 02/03/2016 8:35:35 AM PST by Blackirish
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To: Arm_Bears
For some reason, Limbaugh’s lips have been glued to Rube’s backside for years.

Might be a Florida thing. Rush has been doing his show from his Palm Beach, Florida studio (southern command) almost exclusively since the late 1990's and probably befriended Rubio around the same time as Rubio made his climb in Florida politics.

The main problem I have with Rush is that he has become "friends" with so many GOP power players/major candidates that he is afraid to speak out against them for fear of alienating them rather than rightly call them out BY NAME when they screw us over.

33 posted on 02/03/2016 8:36:01 AM PST by dsm69 (Boycott News Media/Hollywood Advertisers)
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To: pgyanke
No Rubio. No way.

If he ends up being the nominee, who do you vote for? Do we concede the election to Clinton and endure another four (or eight) years of the ongoing destruction of this nation? How about two or three more Kagans on the Supreme Court for the next thirty years? Rubio's bad, but the alternative is infinitely worse.
34 posted on 02/03/2016 8:36:12 AM PST by Deo volente (God willing, America shall survive this Obamanation.)
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To: RummyChick

No hot tub pics , but Marco`s college buddy - who he was arrested with - seems to be quite the gay porn mogul.

Kudos to Marco for having a diverse set of friends, I guess.


35 posted on 02/03/2016 8:39:05 AM PST by sunrise_sunset
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To: Smittie

No, the real enemy is the Uniparty who will work together to open our borders and dispose of the Constitution in favor of a world government.


36 posted on 02/03/2016 8:39:34 AM PST by dforest
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To: Deo volente
Rubio's bad, but the alternative is infinitely worse.

Yes... and no. I was a close observer of Schwartzenkennedy's Governatorship in CA. Having a RINO who claims to be your friend while twisting a knife in your back can be even worse. The Establishment doesn't know party boundaries. Party leaders have been working together marching us to oblivion and a RINO's purpose is to tarnish the only brand acceptable to conservatives... the GOP. It will be a long time until the GOP has any power in CA.

37 posted on 02/03/2016 8:42:31 AM PST by pgyanke (Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)
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To: sunrise_sunset

Okay so I found the foam party pic. The one I saw does not show his full face.

I reserve judgement on that one.

But I do know he did not disclose his relationship to the drug felon when he used his clout to recommend said felon for a real estate license.

Oh and where is the missing 15 million dollars of drug money from his brother in law who lived (and maybe still does) in his mother’s house.

Maybe Rubio can answer that one.


38 posted on 02/03/2016 8:43:50 AM PST by RummyChick
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To: RummyChick

There are photos of a foam party, with people. No way to know if any are Marco


39 posted on 02/03/2016 8:43:53 AM PST by PghBaldy (12/14 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15 - 1030am - Obama's advance team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Fox News, in 24/7 Rubio pimp mode, just had Sen. Tim Scott on praising Rubio. Scott used Rush’s “full-throated conservative” quote while gushing over Barak-O’Rubio.

Rubio has been chosen for you and he will be your candidate come November. Enjoy!!


40 posted on 02/03/2016 8:43:55 AM PST by TTFlyer
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