Rubio makes a Reaganesque pitch for free enterprise, growth
The next debate among GOP White House hopefuls will be next month at the Reagan Presidential Library in California. But they will be hard-pressed to match the words spoken there this past week by one of those non-candidates conservatives find so intriguing.
Marco Rubio rode into the U.S. Senate last year on the tea-party wave. The son of Cuban immigrants and former speaker of the House in Florida gained national notoriety by running then-Gov. Charlie Crist out of the primary and then beating him soundly in the general election (when Crist ran as an independent).
On Tuesday in California, he gave a speech worthy, in substance and style, of the man for whom his venue was named.
Rubio’s subject was defining the proper role of government. Reagan, he said, did this “better than any American has done ever before.” And this question, he added, is today “as important as it has ever been.”
He began his own answer with an observation that “the vast majority of Americans share a common vision for what they want our nation to be”:
First, “free and prosperous, a place where your economic hopes and dreams can be accomplished and brought up to fruition.” Second, “compassionate…a place where people are not left behind.”
And he explained why this vision is unfulfilled, and the question about government’s proper role unresolved.
“Both Republicans and Democrats established a role for government in America that said, yes, we’ll have a free economy, but we will also have a strong government, who through regulations and taxes will control the free economy and, through a series of government programs, will take care of those in our society who are falling behind.”
This 20th-century vision, he said, was “doomed to fail from the start” because “it forgot that the strength of our nation begins with its people and…these programs actually weakened us as a people.”
Instead of saving for our own security or acting on our own to help those in need, he said, “government crowded out the institutions in our society that did these things traditionally [and] weakened our people in a way that undermined our ability to maintain our prosperity.”
On top of it all, we made these changes without regard to cost — building “a government that not even the richest and most prosperous nation in the face of the Earth can fund or afford to pay for.”
If we are to answer the question of government’s role ourselves, and not let our creditors do so for us, Rubio said we must recognize this truism:
“The free enterprise system does not leave people behind. People are poor and people are left behind because they do not have access to the free enterprise system because something in their lives or in their community has denied them access” to it. It is a system that pulls “millions of…people out of poverty,” one which “creates prosperity, not denies it.”
Public policy should promote free-enterprise growth: “in our economy, the creation of jobs, and of opportunity, of equality of opportunity.”
Finally, the 40-year-old made a stirring call to his own generation — “those of us raised in Ronald Reagan’s America” — to bear the burden of fulfilling the promises of Social Security and Medicare for our elders and changing it for our children, even if it is “a system that we will never fully access.”
Clarity, sobriety, unity, optimism and responsibility — it was all in there.
The Gipper would have been proud. Presidential candidates of the future should be scared.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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247 comments Add your comment
MarkV
August 27th, 2011
6:00 pm
Reagan’s legacy @4:36 pm: “Tax revenues actually grew faster in the low-tax 1980s than in the high-tax 1970s”
Neat trick comparing the 1980s with 1970s, rather than with 1990s. But still false.
Moderate Line
August 27th, 2011
6:04 pm
My2cents
August 27th, 2011
5:45 pm
There are a bunch of us out here in agreement. The government is completely out of control and growing. I don’t feel represented at all anymore. How many of you feel as if you We’d really like to see our borders secured, immigration under control, and to stop all the aid to foreign countries.
+++
I don’t understand how we can borrow money and then give it to foreign countries as aid.
My2cents
August 27th, 2011
6:06 pm
Prosperity and compassion, very nice. The government is out of control and still growing. There are lots of us who would agree.
If you’re listening out there while we’re striving for prosperity and compassion please let us know we’re represented and address these issues:
Enforce our immigration laws and secure our borders.
Stop all the foreign aid to countries where the leaders and citizens want to kill us.
Renegotiate terms on trade agreements so they’re no lose-lose propositions for us.
I’m an independent voter waiting for our government to step out of private business and start addressing these national needs. I’ve been feeling as if I’m not represented for decades now.
.
Another Vet
August 27th, 2011
6:16 pm
Heritage should be careful bringing the stock market into this. Since Hoover took office in 1929 the Dow has increased from about 250 to 11,000 +. Add all the pluses and minus during republican presidencies and you get a total of 0. Add all the pluses and minuses of democratic presidencies and you get a total of +11,000. In other words a score of 11,000 to 0. The three stock market crashes all occurred with republicans in the white house. The three financial market crashes all occurred with republicans in the white house.
Greenspan started his Fed career during the S & L crisis and ended his career with the insurance and banking crisis. He didn’t learn anything, and history will judge him poorly for the results during his tenure.
Reagan's legacy
August 27th, 2011
7:55 pm
MarkV, answer the questions.
clem
August 27th, 2011
8:01 pm
seems like moderate and another vet kicked some butt here today
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
August 27th, 2011
8:09 pm
“seems like moderate and another vet kicked some butt here today”
Yeah, if you believe up is down and left is right, they sure did.
Otherwise, not so much.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
August 27th, 2011
8:15 pm
“So now the Republicans are into central planning like the Soviets.”
Deflection AND moving the goalposts in one sentence.
But as usual, failing to understand simple concepts.
lem
August 27th, 2011
10:25 pm
seems like moderate and another vet got their butt kicked here today
danny no brains
August 27th, 2011
10:45 pm
FDR didn’t end WWII, facts overrules wishful opinion. The leaders of the former U.S.S.R. feared Reagan greatly, they didn’t give a crap about the Pope in regards to anything he said, thought or did, virtually or otherwise. Facts again overrules wishful opinions.
GT
August 28th, 2011
8:57 am
The American economy is rather like the water and drought we have in the mainland of this country. In New York there are floods while in other parts of the country like Texas there are droughts. I have often thought we could come up with a system to distribute water from one location to another instead of wasting it.
The economy is the same. Millions are looking for jobs but there are jobs in the market place. The problem is we define ourselves as a cook, or an accountant so we don’t look where there are jobs we look at our profession where there may not be jobs. What we really need to do is look at the overall picture and say there is a demand here or a problem there that needs to be fixed. Instead of having someone hand you a job, make a place in the market for yourself. We are a country that loves to complain, turn that complaining into employment, fix the problem, it may be worth money, and it certainly will stop some complaining. The distribution of services and work in this country has gotten worse and worse. Banking in particularly has gotten bad, airlines, service in some restaurants. If we take action this country gets better and the people who don’t deserve our business that we are forced to use will be the ones looking for jobs. This country is far from efficient; the original idea of the economy was this would be replace by more efficient people. In mainland America it has not because we have been invaded by the too big to fail world of strangers who could care less about the fly over country except to feed their bonuses.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
9:19 am
We obviously need our federal and state governments to pass some laws and write a whole bunch of new regulations to ensure capital and labor flow to the most efficient, productive uses. Let’s make sure companies can’t just build factories willy-nilly wherever they want. We should also raise taxes on businesses that don’t behave the way we want.
MarkV
August 28th, 2011
9:37 am
Reagan’s legacy August 27th, 2017:55 pm: ”MarkV, answer the questions.”
Why should I answer your dumb questions? This is a stupid political game both sides are playing, which I refuse to play. When I see false information, like your statement that “Tax revenues actually grew faster in the low-tax 1980s than in the high-tax 1970s,” I point it out, but I won’t bother with claims that nobody can prove.
The essence of all you questions is that it was Reagan’s policy and actions that caused the effects you cite, such as:
“Before the Reagan tax relief, the unemployment rate averaged 7.7 percent. Since the tax cuts, it has averaged 5.8 percent — a difference that translates into 2.8 million jobs per year
In the two decades before the Reagan tax relief, the S&P 500 increased 120 percent. In the 20 years following Reagan’s tax cuts, the market jumped 575 percent.”
“In the two decades before the Reagan tax relief, the average household’s annual disposable income increased $13,000. In the 20 years following Reagan’s tax cuts, these incomes surged $28,000.”
Prove that Reagan’s tax relief caused the unemployment to drop. Prove that Reagan’s tax relief caused the S&P 500 to increase 120 percent. I could just as well say that the unemployment would have been even lower without the Reagan’s tax relief, that the S&P 500 would have increased more than 120 percent, that the average household’s annual disposable income would have surged more. You cannot disprove it any more than I can prove it.
Want me to show you, by the same reasoning, that Obama is the most successful President in recent history in economic terms? Easy. When he was inaugurated, the GDP growth rate in the first quarter of 2009 was –6.7%. In the first quarter of 2010 it was 3.9% That is a positive change of 10.6% in one year. Show me a president with that record. The argument is stupid, but it is no more stupid than what you have cited.
MarkV
August 28th, 2011
9:41 am
Reagan’s legacy August 27th, 2017:55 pm: ”MarkV, answer the questions.”
The most ridiculous of all the claims of the Reagan idolatry is that he won the cold war. Some even do not hesitate to show their dumbness by writing “But it took ONE President to end it WHEN IT DID.”
I have news for you. President Reagan did not win the cold war. Nobody won the cold war. It ended not by any victory and defeat, but because the Soviet Union fell apart. The policies of the US, both Reagan’s and of those before him, accelerated this process of disintegration, but were not the only or even the major cause. To claim a victory is like a tennis player, whose opponent retires because of injury, who chalks in a “win.” He might argue that his play caused the other player to injure himself, but the reality is that he never defeated the other one.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
9:46 am
No doubt MarkV will be crediting our President Bush for OBL’s demise. After all, He started the global war on terror and put OBL on the run, and put policies in place that allowed the U.S. to gather the intelligence that led to Abbottabad.
lester maddox
August 28th, 2011
9:56 am
If anybody here actually believes that large business can and will police themselves is delusional. Money and power come first. This country and it’s people come second. We are only consumers that make them more money.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
10:00 am
We are only consumers that make them more money by purchasing products and services the businesses offer which we find value in.
—————————
Fixed.
lester maddox
August 28th, 2011
10:00 am
Without regulations we would have brown air and undrinkable water. Big polluters didn’t regulate themselves before and won’t now. Unless of course there is money to be made from it.
lester maddox
August 28th, 2011
10:03 am
They know we want or need their products. They have us by the nads and they do what they want (good, bad or indifferent)because of it.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
10:10 am
They don’t have us by the nads because we can choose to do business with their competitors, so they do what we want or go out of business.
————————-
Fixed.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
10:11 am
lester, would you buy from polluters?
lester maddox
August 28th, 2011
10:19 am
Rubio is a politcian, has been all his adult life. His rise is all about himself. Another establishment shill posing as an anti-establishment shill.
lester maddox
August 28th, 2011
10:21 am
I don’t have a choice but to buy from polluters, barry. Unless I want to do without electricity.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
10:23 am
lester, you’re part of the problem then.
Why aren’t you pooling capital with which to finance generation of green power? Waiting for someone else to do what you aren’t willing to?
lester maddox
August 28th, 2011
10:23 am
You missed my point, barry. Without some kind of government regulations businesses that were big polluters would have continued to be big polluters. If we take those regulations away, they will go back to there old ways.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
10:29 am
Lester, would you be willing to pay more for green energy?
My guess is that you’re one of the hypocrites bashing Georgia Power for doing what you want. Green energy, such as that provided in droves by nuclear power plants, isn’t going to be free.
DannyX
August 28th, 2011
10:51 am
“isn’t going to be free.”
Great point Lil’. We are lucky we have a state government that believes in old fashioned conservative principles.
Our Republican Socialists created a great financing scheme that proves to Georgia Power residential customers that green energy won’t be cheap. Our Republican socialists devised a scheme that requires only Georgia Power residential customers prepay for the new nuclear plant. Yep, only residential GP customers. The other utilities are not required by law to force their customers into doing the job of investor. This socialist scheme also puts the customer on the line for most cost overruns, we all know how that will end up.
Oh its expensive all right, if you are a Georgia Power residential customer.
fascist socialist brain dead liberals
August 28th, 2011
10:57 am
What you idiot liberals don’t want to get is a “constitutionally limited” (sic) federal government. Which means the federal government can only regulate a very, very, small number(enumeration) of items that are specifically listed(spelled out) in the Constitution.
DannyX
August 28th, 2011
11:08 am
“What you idiot liberals don’t want to get is a “constitutionally limited” (sic) federal government.”
At least that “idiot liberal” Richard Nixon got his at the end. Idiot Nixon gave us the EPA. Idiot Nixon gave us the Endangered Species Act. Idiot Ford did his share too.
What is with the idiot Republicans turning this place into a liberal socialist nation??????
All the liberal things come from Republicans. W gave us socialized Medicare Part D. Reagan handed out amnesty to 22 million illegal aliens, (what don’t you understand about “ILLEGAL???) “Read My Lips” Bush 1 raised taxes.
Stop electing Republicans.
MarkV
August 28th, 2011
11:16 am
Some brain-dead people think that they know and understand the Constitution better than the Supreme Court of the US.
1819 McCulloch v.Maryland upheld the right of Congress to create a Bank of the United States, ruling that it was a power implied but not enumerated by the Constitution. The case is significant because it advanced the doctrine of implied powers, or a loose construction of the Constitution.
1824 Gibbons v. Ogden defined broadly Congress’s right to regulate commerce.
MarkV
August 28th, 2011
11:21 am
“breian dead people think,” A nice contradiction in terms.
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
11:29 am
DannyX wants green energy but wants someone else to pay for it. The Democrat mentality of dependence and parasitism on display.
If you have a problem with state regulation of energy markets, lobby for ending it. Otherwise, shut up and pay for your green energy.
fascist socialist brain dead liberals
August 28th, 2011
11:33 am
1819 McCulloch v.Maryland upheld the right of Congress to create a Bank of the United States, ruling that it was a power implied but not enumerated by the Constitution. The case is significant because it advanced the doctrine of implied powers, or a loose construction of the Constitution.
If that truly be the case then the above fascist socialist brain dead liberal should have acknowledged such a “loose construction” of the Constitution makes the document null and void.
Though, it is very doubtful that loose interpretation is as broad as marxists would make it out to be.
Any event a ruling on ObamaCrae may clarify just how broadly the right of Congress is in regulation commerce or the lack thereof?!
All the more reason Conservatives need to gain sufficient power to amend the Constitution in such manner necessary to nullify McCulloch v.Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden which gives federal supremacy the absolute power never intended by the founders according to the federalist papers and furthermore to render any future contrary court actions moot.
MarkV
August 28th, 2011
11:36 am
“If that truly be the case then the above fascist socialist brain dead liberal should have acknowledged such a “loose construction” of the Constitution makes the document null and void.”
Take it up with the Supreme Court.
fascist socialist brain dead liberals
August 28th, 2011
11:53 am
“If that truly be the case then the above fascist socialist brain dead liberal should have acknowledged such a “loose construction” of the Constitution makes the document null and void.”
Take it up with the Supreme Court.
Nope! Rather take it up with the Constitution to overrule the court and restrict its hand forevermore in this matter once and for all. No more pee-gressives a.k.a. “fascist socialist liberals”
In fact, a complete overhaul of the constitution is long overdue – Conservatively speaking of course.
Hillbilly D
August 28th, 2011
12:21 pm
The leaders of the former U.S.S.R. feared Reagan greatly, they didn’t give a crap about the Pope in regards to anything he said, thought or did, virtually or otherwise.
I’d have to disagree with the second part of that statement. Pope John Paul II played a large part in the eventual downfall of the Soviet Union. He served as an inspiration, among other things, to the Poles. Poland is where the idea of a free Eastern Europe, really started to gain traction, although it took another 10 years or more to see it happen.
There is ample evidence that the Soviets were behind the shooting of John Paul, working through the Bulgarians. In my opinion, not only did they give a crap about him, they feared him and what he represented.
MarkV
August 28th, 2011
12:31 pm
“Nope! Rather take it up with the Constitution to overrule the court.”
Quite a remarkable nonsense. Since the Constitution makes the Supreme Court the arbiter of what is or is not constitutional.
killerj
August 28th, 2011
12:33 pm
This country need,s a leader not a divider,2012 cannot come soon enough,for all that suffer because of this fool keep the faith you can make a change………..Go Tea Party.
reusha2000
August 28th, 2011
12:33 pm
This Country has a problem, because people vote for the media darlings!!
STOP LISTENING AND VOTING FOR THE “MEDIA CANDIDATE”!
RUBIO AND RICK PERRY BOTH, ARE SELF SERVING AND NOT RIGHT FOR THIS COUNTRY !!
snoqualmiefalls
August 28th, 2011
12:36 pm
Saint Reagan, I agree lets review his deeds. First lets start with his people negotiating with the Iranians for the release of our hostages… before he was elected, that’s called treason in my book. then the wars of Central America, Nicarauga Honduras. How about drugs for arms and money, check out treasonous pilot Mr. Hausenfuss running part of the game, Iran Contra… Enough for ya? How about allowing 3 million illegal aliens gaining citizenship. Funny how all this escapes the author of this piece and Mr. Rubio… whitewashing Reagan to assume the mantle of… of…. what? Please….enough with these history revisionists, can’t take it anymore…. Sign me a former history pro.
reusha2000
August 28th, 2011
12:40 pm
WHAT HAS RUBIO DONE???
NOTHING!!!!
A LOT OF MOUTH !!
reusha2000
August 28th, 2011
12:50 pm
42 YEARS OLD AND THE GOP IS PUSHING THIS GUY ON THE PEOPLE??
THE GOP PARTY IS GIVING US JOHN MCCAIN AND SARAH PALIN , AGAIN!!
Lil' Barry Bailout (Revised Downward)
August 28th, 2011
1:26 pm
reusha2000: STOP LISTENING AND VOTING FOR THE “MEDIA CANDIDATE”!
—————————-
Amen to that! Look at the retard we’ve got now, and all because the media thought it would be cool to elect a black guy!
Next time, vote for someone who loves America.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
August 28th, 2011
1:48 pm
“I have news for you. President Reagan did not win the cold war. Nobody won the cold war.”
MarkV, REAL historians disagree with you and your assessment.
Moderate Line
August 28th, 2011
1:49 pm
MarkV
August 27th, 2011
6:00 pm
Reagan’s legacy @4:36 pm: “Tax revenues actually grew faster in the low-tax 1980s than in the high-tax 1970s”
Neat trick comparing the 1980s with 1970s, rather than with 1990s. But still false.
+++
According to the OMB tables Revenues grew by 18.19% under Reagan. However, in the previous 8 years they grew by 31.9%.
Also, if we look at the 70’s vs the 80’s the 70′ grew by 31.9% while the 80’s grew by 25.8%.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
August 28th, 2011
1:50 pm
“46 YEARS OLD AND THE DEMS ARE PUSHING THIS GUY ON THE PEOPLE??”
reusha2000, fixed your typo on the current office holder’s age when HE began campaigning for President.
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
August 28th, 2011
1:52 pm
“WHAT HAS OBAMA DONE???
NOTHING!!!!
A LOT OF MOUTH !!”
reusha2000, fixed your typo on the current office holder’s accomplishments when he began running for President.
Now, don’t your posts about Rubio seem a bit silly?
Tiberius - Your lightning rod of hate!
August 28th, 2011
2:10 pm
“According to the OMB tables Revenues grew by 18.19% under Reagan. However, in the previous 8 years they grew by 31.9%.
Also, if we look at the 70’s vs the 80’s the 70′ grew by 31.9% while the 80’s grew by 25.8%.”
Continuing with the lies, damned lies and statistics without context meme. . .
Dusty
August 28th, 2011
2:22 pm
Well, I see that HillBilly D is here and that is always good news. For those who haven’t met HillBilly D before, he is the guru of good sense.
Now he suggests that the Pope did have a lot of influence. I”m inclined to agree with that. John Paul was a man of great and good influence. OUr enemies don’t want that now and they did not want it then. The Soviets are suspect in the shooting..
clem
August 28th, 2011
2:22 pm
didn’t reagan let regan start this whole wall st greed machine….not to mention greatly increasing national debt