As America faced the rising tide of Obama’s socialist-leaning policies, T.E.A Party organizations across America helped Republicans by supporting the election of Conservatives to the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate in 2010. Against this backdrop, Marco Rubio (R-ino) was elected to represent the state of Florida in Washington, D.C. as its newest Senator.
As a candidate, Rubio ran as a man who held the same convictions as those of the T.E.A. Party, including the conviction that America’s illegal immigration problem needed fixed.
“First of all, earned path to citizenship is basically code for amnesty.” (Florida Senate debates)
“If you grant amnesty, the message that you’re sending is that if you come in this country and stay here long enough, we will let you stay. And no one will ever come through the legal process if you do that.” (Rubio statement on how Reagan erred in supporting 1986 amnesty for illegal immigrants)
“[Gov. Crist] would have voted for the McCain plan. I think that plan is wrong, and the reason I think it’s wrong is that if you grant amnesty, as the governor proposes that we do, whether it’s back of the line or so forth, you will destroy any chance we will ever have of having a legal immigration system that works here in America.” (FOX News debate with Gov. Crist)
“First and foremost we have to secure the border, we have to secure the workplace. We can’t move on to the modernization of our legal immigration system until both the border and the workplace are secure, through both E-Verify and real security at both the Canadian and the Mexican borders. We’ve got to accomplish that first before we can do any modernization, which is needed.” (Miami Herald)
Sadly, Marco Rubio has fallen under the influence of one of Washington’s inside-the-beltway gangs, the Immigration Gang of Eight. Following the lead of Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham—both members of the Gutless On Principles (G.O.P) Hall of Shame—Senator Rubio has allowed his principles to be compromised.
(Speaking in Spanish on Univision) “Let’s be clear. Nobody is talking about preventing the legalization. The legalization is going to happen. That means the following will happen: First comes the legalization. Then comes the measures to secure the border. And then comes the process of permanent residence. What we’re talking about here is the system of permanent residence. As for the legalization, the enormous majority of my colleagues have accepted that it has to happen and that it has to begin at the same time we begin the measures for [the border]. It is not conditional. The legalization is not conditional.” (“Al Punto” program on Univision)
On June 13, Senator Rubio and the rest of the Gang of 8 voted to table an amendment that would have prohibited legalization until the Homeland Security Secretary has maintained effective control of the borders for 6 months.
On June 18, Senator Rubio and the rest of the Gang voted against an amendment that would have required completion of the fence, as well as an amendment that would have required implementation of U.S. VISIT (a biometric border check-in and check-out system first required by Congress in 1996), before legalization.
* Thanks Erick Erickson for much of the information above.
Fixing the illegal immigration problem in America requires a commitment to the rule of law, which means that those who violate those laws—such as being in the country illegally—should not be granted the same rights of citizenship mentioned in the Constitution. In fa
ct, it can be argued that granting citizenship to illegals is actually unconstitutional.
As a self-proclaimed Conservative, Marco Rubio ran for office on the promise to find a solution to the illegal immigration problem that wouldn’t give citizenship to those who didn’t follow the law. And he said he wouldn’t be a part of anything that didn’t secure the border first. Did he lie, or is he playing politics with the issue in the hope that he will improve his chances of running for President in 2016?
Regardless of his motives, he no longer appears to be committed to these principles. In other words, he’s gutless.
Please join me as we enshrine our newest inductee in to the Gutless On Principle Hall of Shame . . . Senator Marco Rubio.
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