Marco Rubio is not a moderate: If the Florida senator represents mainstream conservatism, the GOP is

[applegrove]

Marco Rubio is not a moderate: If the Florida senator represents mainstream conservatism, the GOP is screwed

by Sean Illing at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/29/marco_rubio_is_not_a_moderate_if_the_florida_senator_represents_mainstream_conservatism_the_gop_is_screwed/

"SNIP.............



Apart from his fresh face, virtually nothing about Rubio is new or endearing. His ideas are either conventionally Republican or uncommonly extremist. On foreign policy, Rubio is a rabid neoconservative. He wants to double down on the Bush Doctrine; he’s surrounded himself with neocon advisers; he supports the government’s unconstitutional surveilance program; he’s pro-torture; and he wants to dramatically increase defense spending even though America spends more on defense than the next eight nations combined.

On domestic and social issues, Rubio is no less extreme. Against the backdrop of record inequalities, he wants to reduce federal revenue and give the top 1% a massive tax cut (which would explode the budget). Like every other Republican, he wants to repeal Obamacare without offering a viable alternative to the millions of Americans who now have health coverage. He supports a ban on all abortions, including cases of rape and incest. And he wants to undo Obama’s executive orders protecting LGBT citizens from marriage discrimination.

Thursday night’s debate was yet another illustration of Rubio’s faux moderation. If you cut through the canned rhetoric and listen closely to what he’s saying, Rubio sounds like a meat-tossing fanatic. His mini-monologues are either outrageous or patently false. In his opening remarks, Rubio trotted out his line about Obama hating America: “You see, we usually elect presidents in America that want to change the things that are wrong with America. Barack Obama wants to change America. Barack Obama wants America to be like the rest of the world.”

What does that even mean? President Obama has said repeatedly that his story is only possible in America; that he symbolizes the American dream. This is the kind of platitudinous drivel that Rubio spews on the stump. Rubio added that Obama “systematically and habitually violates the constitution” and yet never explains what he means by that. It’s just red meat for the Obama-hating dolts in the audience.

................SNIP"

Rubio surging in Iowa. He's at 18%.

[immoderate]

1. Rubio is very stupid. With enough exposure, he will curdle.

Stupid.

--imm

[yeoman6987]

2. I don't know but it's either trump, Cruz or Rubio

Goodness having any of them that close to the presidency is chilling.

[immoderate]

4. By the process of (excuse my language) — elimination, I give it to Trump.

Hard to believe.

I think Cruz and Rubio are too devout to amass a real following, plus Rubio is an idiot and Cruz is objectionable in every other way as well. Americans don't trust real fundies. Phoney holy — OK, real holy,

--imm

[cpwm17]

3. And he likes to play the part of a theocrat: