Rubio, another young conservative who is satisfying the TEA PARTY adgenda

[PHILIP SCHNEIDER]

Wouldn't it be great to have a handfull of new patriotic conservatives in congress after the fall elections . . . .
We could kinda like call it the "TEA PARTY CAUCUS".
Insurgent Rubio Wows National Conservative Gathering


Thursday, February 18, 2010




By
Fred Lucas, Staff Writer

Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio brought the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference. (CNSNews.com/Penny Starr)

Washington (CNSNews.com) – Declaring the 2010 congressional campaigns “a referendum on the very
identity of the nation,” Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio brought
the crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference to its feet
several times during his speech.

“People understand that if we get this wrong, there is no turning
back,” Rubio said. “They want someone to stand up to the big government
agenda and not be co-opted by it.”

The conservative Rubio, a former speaker of the Florida House of
Representatives, turned a 30-point deficit last year into an
eight-point lead in polls against his Republican primary opponent
moderate GOP Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, the favored candidate of the
National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The Florida primary is drawing national attention as a defining battle between conservatives and the GOP establishment.
Crist has faced tough criticism for literally embracing President Obama in early 2009 when the president traveled to Florida to promote the
passage of $787 billion stimulus package. Crist was among the most
prominent Republican governors to support the recovery act.

“From the tea parties to the election in Massachusetts, we are seeing
the greatest political push back in American history,” Rubio said.

Rubio delivered the first speech of the three-day event.

A Tampa Bay Business Journal released a poll Tuesday of 2,024 Florida
voters that found Rubio held a 46 percent lead to Crist’s 38 percent.

“A long list of early establishment endorsements will not spare you a primary,” Rubio said to loud applause.

Rubio is a first generation American born to Cuban exiles. He talked
about how his blue collar working class parents shaped his political
views.

“My parents never achieved wealth or influence, but their hard work
opened doors for their children,” Rubio said. “They came here because
leaders before us chose free enterprise.”

He hit most of the right issues for the conservative CPAC crowd,
talking about cutting taxes, keeping the Guantanamo Bay prison open,
fighting terrorism and controlling the debt and size of government. He
also rejected the goals of the Obama administration.

“If their goal is not to fix America, but change America, then we want
leaders who will be here to fight them every step of the way,” Rubio
said.