Marco Rubio: The GOP’s Canary in the Coal Mine



Just in case a 24 percent public approval rating is not low enough to satisfy the leadership of the Republican Party, there are still some options available to them to drive their numbers even lower – or, perhaps, even drive them to extinction. Their surest path to political oblivion would be to get behind a massive amnesty for illegal aliens.

On a personal level, a Republican politician contemplating a gulp of the amnesty Kool-Aid might consider what it has done for Marco Rubio. Since becoming the Republican front man for the Gang of Eight amnesty bill, Rubio’s support has plummeted among Florida voters. His role in pushing amnesty has also dimmed his once bright prospects as a presidential candidate, where he now ranks sixth in support among Republican voters nationally.

The support Rubio has squandered among Republican voters will not be offset by increased support from independent voters. “If immigration reform becomes law, Rubio won’t get much credit from reform advocates, yet will still suffer plenty of blame from anti-immigration forces,” crows Bill Scher, the executive editor of the website, LiberalOasis.com.

What Republicans will get from amnesty and continued mass immigration is a lot of new voters who are likely to vote against them – like, about 32 million of them by 2036. Most of the new voters who could be added to the voter rolls as a result of amnesty and increased legal immigration are likely to support bigger government. Among Hispanic voters, whom some Republicans hope to attract by supporting amnesty, 75 percent say they want bigger government, which provides more services and benefits. Only 19 percent say they support smaller government. This is hardly fertile recruiting grounds for the party that stands for cutting the size and scope of government.

Even if Republicans could manage a 60-40 split among these new voters – highly unlikely, given their feelings about the role of government – their deficit in national elections would increase by some 6.4 million votes. If Republicans could maintain their 70-30 split among these voters – and even that is not a sure thing – their gap would widen by 12.8 million votes.

As the House Republican leadership weighs its options on immigration, they might want to think of Marco Rubio as their own canary in the coal mine.

About Author

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Ira joined the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) in 1986 with experience as a journalist, professor of journalism, special assistant to Gov. Richard Lamm (Colorado), and press secretary of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. His columns have appeared in National Review, LA Times, NY Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, and more. He is an experienced TV and radio commentator.

17 Comments

  1. avatar
    cynthia curran on

    The GOP shows a remarkable ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Rather than just step aside and let the obvious flaws of Obamacare become evident, they have to insist on shutting down the government, which puts the focus on them instead of Obamacare. Like it or not, it’s a law. There is a legitimate case about deficit spending to be made, and both parties are guilty of not taking it seriously, but the Republicans chose to focus on the wrong subject. Same with amnesty. It will get them nowhere. Because the Democrats will out promise every time.
    Cruz is a case in point for a long time he play tough on immigration but his interview with the New York times where he is going to bring in 300,000 tech vistas and legalized Mexicans and others without citizenship and up legal immigration from 600,00 to 1 million should get people to pause. It seems that the Tea Party has too many idiots like Cruz that opposed tax increases, Obama care and regulation but don’t really care about immigration unless their voting based goes against it.

  2. avatar

    Rubio stood before us and lied. He told us that he would not support any type of amnesty or legalization. Romney was running an enforcement campaign stressing self deportation, Rubio started his push of amnesty leaving to many no longer trusting the republicans so they stayed home, resulting in Obama winning.
    Sadly I was one that did believe the LIAR Rubio and voted for him, that will never happen again.

  3. avatar

    Marco Rubio is an unmitigated liar. He played the voters of Florida, but his lack if character was revealed in this amnesty nonsense. Pink slip him, that’s our plan

  4. avatar

    The globalists bent on dissolving our border and destroying U.S. sovereignty have infiltrated both the Dems and the GOP. It’s not a partisan thing, per se. For the Prog globalists have hijacked the Democrat Party from true Liberals loyal to America, and the globalist RINOs and neocons have wrested control of the GOP.

    Bush answers to the same globalist bankster bosses that created Obama. That’s why Obama was never vetted by the Bush admin in 2008.

    Forget about partisan loyalties or right and left. It’s the globalists versus America. And to distinguish who’s who, just look at whether or not a Dem or GOP supports globalist agendas bent on dissolving our border. Like trying to attract more job-stealing illegals here by giving them amnesty.

    Both Obama and McCain were rated an F minus on immigration by non-partisan NumbersUSA, which also rated six DEMOCRATS in Congress an A or an A plus for their staunch opposition to amnesty. Obama promised the illegals amnesty, “free” healthcare and everything else, even college at taxpayer expense [the “Dream Act”], plus has already unconstitutionally issued by executive order over 800,000 work permits to illegal aliens, despite the fact that over 23 million of our own citizens are out-of-work. What does that tell you about Obama?

  5. avatar

    Anyone who thinks Hispanics are for smaller govt should go visit the countries they come from. They are portrayed as conservatives yet 50% of the births to Hispanic women are without husbands and 50% of the Hispanic HS kids are dropouts………Do you think they resemble another minority group in the united States sucking up welfare you and i have to provide.

    People keep talking about Rubio’s ability to get the Hispanic vote…….Earth to GOP…….in 2010 Rubio got 54% of the Hispanic vote in FL…….the majority of the Hispanics being Cubans!

    Amnesty doesn’t not work……..in the 1986 amnesty where 4 times the estimated amnesty seekers were accepted only 40% ever became Naturalized!……Think they are here for love of country?

    If the current amnesty planned turned out the way the first did in 1986 we could expect 30-40 million to apply which is what Mike Cutler former DHS employee estimates are in the country.

  6. avatar

    Ira: Thank you for this article…

    In response to a BS on-line letter I just received from the Rubio camp, this is how I responded:

    DEAR MR. SANCHEZ.

    I AM REMAINING A REPUBLICAN, DESPITE THIS RECENT REPUBLICAN SELLOUT AND RUBIO’S SATANIC PUTSCH TO SATURATE OUR GOOD LAND WITH 30 MILLION ILLEGALS, FOR ONE REASON AND ONE REASON ONLY: SO THAT, NO MATTER WHAT, I CAN VOTE AGAINST RUBIO IN THE PRIMARY ELECTION… NO MATTER WHO THAT PERSON MIGHT BE. I AM NOT PART OF RUBIO’S LYING RINO PARTY. MR. RUBIO UNDERESTIMATED THE TEA PARTIES… I AM BUT ONE LONE VOICE, SPEAKING FOR THE MAJORITY. INFACT, MR. SANCHEZ, I DON’T KNOW HOW YOU CAN CONTINUE TO STAND WITH HIM… OH, LEST I FORGET, YOUR LAST NAMES INDICATE THAT THE TWO OF YOU WOULD LINE-UP TO BRING-IN 30 MILLION OF YOUR OWN… WOULD KINDA BE LIKE ALL {ALMOST ALL} BLACKS VOTED FOR OBAMA… OUR HALF-WHITE PRESIDENT WHO HATES AMERICA.

    Danita Kilcullen

    P.S. IT’S OKAY TO KEEP SENDING ME CRAP, INFURIATING THOUGH IT IS… IT SERVES AS A RELEASE WHEN I RESPOND, AS IT DOES WHEN I RECEIVE WANTON REQUESTS FOR DONATIONS FOR RUBIO THROUGH THE U.S. MAIL… EVER READ WHAT I WRITE AND SEND BACK ON YOUR DIME? HOW IN THE NAME OF HELL CAN MR. RUBIO TALK ABOUT A BUDGET WHEN IN THE SAME BREATH HE WANTS TO BREAK OUR ECONOMY AND THE BACKS OF AMERICAN WORKERS WITH HIS DREAM AMNESTY, AND DEVASTATE AN ALREADY BELEAGUERED AMERICA?

  7. avatar

    Marco Rubio is finished in Florida. Public support for immigration enforcement, not amnesty is very strong in Florida. Rubio failed to learn from his predecessor Mel Martinez who also lied to the voters, saying he opposed amnesty to get elected, then went on to sponsor an amnesty bill. Martinez saw the writing on the wall and resigned his senate seat over his amnesty push with McCain and Kennedy. Rick Perry’s poll numbers went from the top to the bottom after he said in Orlando “Americans don’t have a heart if they don’t want to educate the children of illegal aliens. Newt Gingrich’s soft stance on illegal immigration sank his candidacy.

    Rubio has a very large “Trust Deficit” with Floridians and if he isn’t primed out Republicans will loose his Senate seat. Rubio has alienated his base beyond repair and there are 500,000 more registered Democrats in Florida than Republican . He won in a three way race against two Democrats, Crist and Meeks . Dems will run one strong candidate against him this time and just like Martinez, the writing is on the wall.

    There is now a grass roots movement to prime Rubio out and elect a tustworthy canidate that is strong on immigration enforcement. Go to Pink Slip Rubio. com

  8. avatar

    It is often discussed how it is politically to the benefit of Republicans to stand against immigration anarchy legislation.

    The fact that support for immigration anarchy is damaging to the Democratic Party is much less discussed.

    If the Schumer-Rubio bill became law, it would spell the death of the Democratic Party. Not tomorrow, not necessarily within 5 years, but it would happen.

    • avatar

      By the way: I don’t advocate it. The death of the Democratic Party would be small consolation for the damage to our nation’s future that immigration anarchy legislation would cause.

    • avatar

      The Democratic Party would benefit from amnesty, not necessarily the Democrats who pass it. The Democrats should ask themselves, “Who wants to be the next Howard Berman?” During his years in Congress, Berman did more to promote mass immigration than just about anyone. His reward? The demographic composition of his district changed and he was forced into a run-off with another incumbent in a newly drawn district, and he lost.

  9. Pingback: Marco Rubio: The GOP’s Canary in the Coal MineAlternate Viewpoint | Alternate Viewpoint

  10. Pingback: The GOP’s Immigration Disaster | Western Free Press

  11. avatar

    I Agree Ira

    So much of the “Pravda Style” news in America today just emphasizes non-voter wishes, pretending we want it anyway….reminds me of a computer failure safety defect attributed to a non-related control pedal….the open border keep feeding us their amnesty wish lies and allege it was our perception too, when it clearly was not.

  12. avatar

    Rubio represents how easy the Cubans have it…………………….and still do have it……………..how come he does not stop the Cubans from habing an easy greencard and do it the AMerican way the FAIR way……simply…..he is still a Cuban….

  13. avatar

    The GOP shows a remarkable ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Rather than just step aside and let the obvious flaws of Obamacare become evident, they have to insist on shutting down the government, which puts the focus on them instead of Obamacare. Like it or not, it’s a law. There is a legitimate case about deficit spending to be made, and both parties are guilty of not taking it seriously, but the Republicans chose to focus on the wrong subject. Same with amnesty. It will get them nowhere. Because the Democrats will out promise every time.

    Does anyone seriously think that if “reform” is passed, that will be the end of the demands? Nope, it will be calls for citizenship to be speeded up and any restrictions against receiving welfare done away with. When La Raza says jump, the Democrats say how high. The GOP can’t outjump them.

  14. avatar
    cynthia curran on

    The Republicans can loose if they do the Marco Rubio thing more low skilled workers and some high skilled workers or they can loose by doing the Ted Cruz thing less low skilled workers but lots of high skilled workers. The first Rubio brings in more Hispanics and the second Cruz brings in more Asians. So, the Republicans loose in the high guest worker schemes. either way because of Hispanics or Asians.