Free Republic

Conservatives are right to be deeply committed to constitutionalism and to test all government actions against the plumb line of that great charter of liberty. We would never dismiss concerns about the constitutionality of legislation or the eligibility of persons to hold office under that Constitution the way former Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed objections to the legitimacy of ObamaCare. The former Speaker looked incredulously at her questioner and said: "Are you serious?" Happily, such disdain for constitutional concerns is one reason why she is the former Speaker of the House. Don't worry, dear readers -- be happy. The good news...

There is broad consensus in Washington that a “balanced approach” between spending cuts, controls, and increased revenue is the only possible way to reduce our $14.3 trillion national debt and avert a Greek-style debt crisis. I share this perspective. As the ongoing debt negotiations advance, members of Congress should evaluate the components of a debt package through one question: Will this make it harder or easier for the American people to create jobs? For my part, I have never met a job creator in Florida that has told me they are waiting for Congress to pass another tax hike before...

...On behalf of what she calls the Republican Party, Wall Street Journal columnist and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan bids adieu to the past decade and to the Bush Doctrine, to what she calls "un-Republican" conduct, aka "bullying dreaminess." But who defines what is "Republican conduct?" Calvin Coolidge? Dwight Eisenhower? Robert Taft? Or Theodore Roosevelt, the "bullying dreamer" himself?... ...Rubio's maiden speech talked of a world that needs an "American century" and an America that needs to defend humane aspiration. Sounds like a proper idea of "Republican conduct." Sounds like a bullying dreamer to me... Read more at the Washington...

At first he didn't want to do any national media, preferring to focus on Florida issues. He didn't make his maiden speech on the Senate floor until June 14, five months after being sworn-in. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) so gifted at age 40, combines passion for his conservative ideas with a humility that could easily spill over into arrogance, if he didn't have a strong sense of self. On the morning of our first meeting, I arrive early. He arrives before his staff and goes around turning on lights with no sense that such action is below his pay grade....

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) was very disappointed in President Obama’s class-warfare press conference yesterday… describing it on the floor of the Senate as “the kind of language that you would expect from the leader of a third-world country, not the President of the United States.” (Snip) Better yet, prove him wrong, President Obama! Get through a month without deploying a senseless class warfare argument, declaring any new enemies in the American private sector, or castigating citizens for doing the kind of thing prominent Democrats like “Air Claire” McCaskill do on a regular basis. She didn’t just enjoy a tax break

Earlier this month, Sen. Marco Rubio made an auspicious debut. Unlike so many first turns in the upper chamber, Rubio’s stirring remarks, which celebrated American exceptionalism, caught fire. The Florida Republican’s words were cited by Senate colleagues and championed by conservatives. To no one’s surprise, the push to put Rubio on the 2012 ticket only increased, even though the charismatic freshman continues to swat away the chatter. Look for the Rubio buzz to continue. In an interview with National Review Online, he says that he will take to the Senate floor for his second speech this week — and this...

Earlier this month, Sen. Marco Rubio made an auspicious debut. Unlike so many first turns in the upper chamber, Rubio’s stirring remarks, which celebrated American exceptionalism, caught fire. The Florida Republican’s words were cited by Senate colleagues and championed by conservatives. To no one’s surprise, the push to put Rubio on the 2012 ticket only increased, even though the charismatic freshman continues to swat away the chatter. Look for the Rubio buzz to continue. In an interview with National Review Online, he says that he will take to the Senate floor for his second speech this week — and this...

The GOP needs Marco Rubio on the Ticket in 2012 as VP. If we do not carry Florida and if we do not take some of the Hispanic vote away from Obama nation-wide, he might very well be reelected. We need enough votes to prevent the Chicago Thug-style Politics from stealing the Election. Don't think it can't happen. Remember how the Kennedys stole the 1960 Election from Nixon. The Question then arises: IS MARCO RUBIO CONSTITUTIONALLY ELIGIBLE? The answer is emphatically YES! So is Bobby Jindal. There are many authorities I could cite but I'll use one to conserve space...

My father suggested to me recently that it might be helpful to better explain what the term “neoconservative” means. “A lot of people don’t know,” he said. As usual, Dad was right. Though decades old, the mainstream use of the word neoconservative is relatively new. I mentally filed away my father’s suggestion agreeing that a layman’s explanation of “neoconservative” might be helpful when the time was right. The time is right—as the American intervention in Libya has drawn a clearer line between neoconservatives and conventional Republicans than any event in recent memory. The “neocons” believe American greatness is measured by...

In a presidential race there are few decisions more important than who the vice presidential nominee should be and it’s a decision that rests squarely in the hands of the presidential nominee. While very few voters vote for a ticket base solely on this decision it’s still seen by many as that first major judgment call by a nominee and oftentimes becomes a window into what that administration will look like and where the priorities truly lie. First and foremost the goal is to select someone that will do no harm to the ticket. Any amount of baggage, despite its...

What sweet poetic justice it would be if Marco Rubio or Bobby Jindal ended up in the #2 spot on the GOP Ticket in 2012. Neither of their parents were U.S. Citizens when Marco and Bobby were born. Therefore, the "Natural Born Citizen" question would come into play; although both were born in this country; on American soil. The Libs and the media would crap down both legs over this.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is returning to teaching politics at Florida International University — a gig that prompted some criticism during his 2010 election. The Miami Republican, who taught at the Miami school from 2008 to 2010, will teach when the Senate is out of session and he's in Miami, mostly Mondays and Fridays. The part-time position will pay $24,000 and was approved by the Senate Ethics Committee — which Rubio's office noted is overseen by Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California. "I enjoy teaching, I always have," Rubio told the Herald on Thursday as he lunched at The Morgans...

There are some Republicans who have cringed before the fearful political challenge of defending the Medicare reforms in Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” budget. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida is not one of them. Rubio published a strong editorial in the Miami Herald on the subject yesterday, and followed up with a short video presentation elaborating on the same themes: I continue to be surprised that anyone thinks defending the Ryan proposals is complicated. Rubio lays out a simple and powerful case in this editorial. “We need to save Medicare, not simply delay its bankruptcy,” he declares. “We need it...

As Joe Lieberman winds down his two-decade career in the Senate, the onetime Democratic vice presidential nominee is reaching out to an unlikely group to help seal his political legacy: freshman Republicans. Behind the scenes and in front of the cameras, the retiring foreign policy hawk is grooming, mentoring and partnering with a handful of GOP freshmen to ensure that, long after he’s left the Senate, his vision for America’s role abroad survives. Reaching across the aisle is nothing new for Lieberman, who stood on the stage at the 2008 Republican National Convention and endorsed John McCain, making his choice...

Rising stars of GOP in doubt because parents from overseas Are U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal natural-born citizens of the United States, and thus eligible for the presidency? Plotkin says Jindal's mother became a U.S. citizen Sept. 21, 1976, and his father was naturalized 10 years later on Dec. 4, 1986. It's a similar situation for Rubio, as his press secretary Alex Burgos said the senator's parents "were permanent legal residents of the U.S." at the time Marco was born in 1971. Then four years after Marco was born, "Mario and Oriales Rubio became...

Hasner, a former Florida House majority leader running for U.S. Senate, said: "Today, President Obama spoke of 'the world as it should be,' and made several valid points about supporting reform and democratic transitions. But his speech lacked moral clarity and was undermined by his call to return to the 1967 borders, his statement that Israel is an occupying force, and his continued hostility toward Israel's self-defense. "As one who has seen the region firsthand, the Jordan Rift Valley is key to the military defensibility of Israel's heartland. His demand to return to the 1967 borders undermines the ability of...

I think Pawlenty is probably going to be our best option. Rick Perry would probably be my favorite, but a) who knows if he’s jumping in, b) you can bet a 2-term evangelical governor of a blue state has been thoroughly vetted and has minimal, if any, baggage (whereas off the bat, I can already tell you Perry will have some “secession” explaining to do - that won’t play well in the swing states), c) he is the generic republican beating Obama in the Rasmussen poll, d) if he picks Rubio, Obama is sunk. He’ll force Obama to play defense...

MIAMI, Fla. – Are U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal natural-born citizens of the United States, and thus eligible for the presidency? It's a simple question, but the answer may not be so easy. The next national election is less than 18 months away, and both rising Republican stars have been touted as potential contenders for either the No. 1 or No. 2 spot on a presidential ticket. But their eligibility is in doubt since both men's parents were not U.S. citizens at the time their future political children were born, WND can reveal. That...

Original posted at http://jeffersonsrebels.blogspot.com/2011/05/native-born-citizen-yes-but-gov-bobby.html ~~~~~~~~ Gov. Bobby Jindahl is a good, conservative Governor for the State of Louisiana. Unfortunately, similar to Sen. Marco Rubio, Gov. Jindal cannot be classified as a natural-born citizen, and thus he also is not constitutionally eligible to run for President.  I know this is a sad thought for conservatives like myself, but if we wish to protect and uphold the Constitution, we must look to history for an explanation. Jindal was born in Louisiana, as his recently released birth certificate attests (below). However, at the time of his birth, both of his parents were recent...

WASHINGTON -- Arizona Sen. John McCain joined three other senators Wednesday in supporting President Barack Obama's decision to impose sanctions on Syrian leader Bashar al Assad and other top Syrian officials. McCain signed the statement along with fellow Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida and Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. "We applaud President Obama for imposing sanctions on Bashar al Assad and other top Syrian officials," the senators' statement said. "The President's strong and principled action today should send an unmistakable message that the United States stands in solidarity with the brave protesters in Syria...