CPAC - Marco Rubio

Safely settled at CPAC 2012 in the bloggers' lounge.

First speaker I've been able to report on: Sen. Marco Rubio. His comments are below with apologies for typos and the structure of the post:


- Hard to get a teleprompter in this town...

- Senate is an interesting place - told the greatest thing about it is that he could be there 30 years and still be the youngest member.

- was starstruck when he looked around and saw his fellow members...wondered 'how did I get here?' Six months later I looked around and wondered 'how did they get here?'

- fundamental choice our country has...these aren't just popularity contests, they're choices

- very clear choice before us

- where we are...

- State of the union, the president did not talk about his record because it's not very good - when he became president, we had high unemployment, bad economy. Had a Dem Congress...and everything got worse.

- he can't run on his record, so what can he do? He pits Americans against each other.

- Basic argument he's making is that some of us are not as well off, because others are. That the only way for less well-off to get better is to tear down those who are doing well.

- the only way for some people to better is for others to do worse: that's the though process of other counties - it's what people come here to get away from.

- it doesn't work.

- how do you know majority Americans are conservative? How many liberals ever actually admit they're liberal? They come up with a new term, progressives... I thought that was an insurance company.

- Conservatives fight over who is more like Ronald Reagan. Do liberals ever fight over who is more like Jimmy Carter?

- If you're an appellate lawyer, better brush up on your S. African law (reference to Justice Ruth Bader Gingsburg's comments on the U.S. Constitution)

- the way prosperity is created is when people have the freedom and opportunity to pursue their dreams.

- families are being fed, people will cash paychecks because others had a dream and the freedom to pursue it.

- What does government do to encourage this process? First it has a simple tax code - simple and easy to understand. Tax codes should not be an impediment to jobs and opportunity.

- regulations are needed, but cannot exist just to justify the existence of an agency.

- Conservatism is about tax reform and regulatory reform - but with common sense.

- America doesn't have an energy policy - it has energy politics.

_ America is an energy-rich nation. Why would we tie our own hands behind our back when we're competing with everyone else in the world. Conservatism says that if you're an energy-rich country, you need to use the energy that God has blessed your country with.

- Debt - unsustainable to spend more money than you take in. Europe is our future if we don't act. We know the drivers of our debt: Medicare is going bankrupt - anyone who is in favor of leaving it the way it is now is in favor of bankrupting Medicare.

- What is the President's plan? He doesn't have one. He waits for someone like Paul Ryan to present one and then attack him.

- He's been in office 3 years and dealt with none of the issues.

- Strength of nation means we must be strong economically and from a national defense perspective.

- Strong economically, militarily and your people must be strong. Our greatness does not derive from our laws, our president and certainly not from our Congress - it derives from our people.

- government shouldn't be telling our religious institutions what to do or how to operate. (reference to the Catholic Church's objection to HHS rulings on providing contraception to employees). The First Amendment still applies - it's not about contraception - it's about the Constitution.

The federal government does not have the authority to force religious organizations to pay for things that that organization believes is wrong.

- This matters because this is the country we are going to give our children.

- with all the problems we have around the world, let's not forget that it is the impact and influence of this country that has made the world better.

- Nazis and Imperial Japan would have won had it not been for the resolve and determination of the American people.

- world is a lot better because we are the strongest nation in the world.

- the rise of democracy and free enterprise has happened because of the U.S. and contributed to the rise of the middle class across the world.

- Democracy spread because American spoke out about these things - led and spread the idea.

- our political system, as messy as it is, has protected our rights better than any other system in the world.

- People around the world know that here, there are people doing things that they cannot within their own country. Whether they agree on various issues or not, they've seen what the American example can accomplish and they want that for themselves.

- if we diminish? We'll leave a space that will be filled by someone else. Who? The only nations capable of filling that void are totalitarian nations like Russia and China.

- why do they not condemn Syria? Because they reserve the right to do the same things to their own people if faced with the same situation.

- the greatest thing we can do for the world is be America. That is what is at stake - what we have to choose - what November is about.

- President looks like a he's a good father and good husband, but he's a terrible president. At the core is what kind of nation do we want to be and leave to our children and the world.

- Our greatness is derived from our blessedness - God has given us much: resources, best and brightest people, prosperity on our own continent, peace,

- my parents were good people, but they didn't have what I have.

- I was born with the privilege and honor of being a citizen of the greatest nation in history. Being an American is a blessing and a responsibility.

- shining city on a hill - America is a light. What you have done in your lives every single day who doesn't wait for the government to tell them what to do.

- the light of everyday people who will never be famous, but make a real difference in the lives of others - you shine for the world.

- When America sends their sons and daughters to die overseas, they do so for other people's freedom and liberty. What other nation in the world has ever done that?

- This is who we've been and who we are and now we must decide if we are going to continue. That is the choice: choice between someone who has failed over the past 3 years and is asking for 4 more, or a new direction.

- historic opportunity. We should be grateful that God has placed us here at this point - Through our example, we can change the world for the better.