{"id":1460,"date":"2016-03-03T21:50:41","date_gmt":"2016-03-04T02:50:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/?p=1460"},"modified":"2016-03-03T21:50:41","modified_gmt":"2016-03-04T02:50:41","slug":"marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html","title":{"rendered":"Marco Rubio: The Con-Artist of All Con-Artists"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sight of Marco Rubio knocking Donald Trump\u2014or anyone\u2014for allegedly being weak on illegal immigration is a sight to behold. Nor is it any less bemusing to hear Rubio (repeatedly) criticize Trump for being a \u201ccon-artist.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no one in this presidential race, save perhaps Hillary Clinton, with a stronger command of con-artistry than Rubio.<\/p>\n

Of course, everyone now knows that Rubio, via his enablers in \u201cconservative\u201d talk radio<\/a>, aggressively promoted a \u201cpathway to citizenship,\u201d i.e. amnesty, on behalf of the Gang of Eight. Even though Rubio denies that he ever favored amnesty (while self-contradictorily confessing to having learned his lesson on this score), his opponents\u2014those who know the truth about his past\u2014have succeeded in branding him with the \u201cA\u201d word.<\/p>\n

However, it is when we look at Rubio\u2019s history here that we see the depths of his dishonesty.<\/p>\n

Keli Carender, a self-described \u201c30-something Ditto Head\u201d and \u201cfounder of the modern day American Tea Party movement,\u201d authored an article<\/a> last month entitled: \u201cRush [Limbaugh], I Love You, But You\u2019re Dead Wrong About Marco Rubio.\u201d The latter she describes as a \u201csleazy snake\u201d whose \u201celectability is a myth.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2003, when he was a member of the Florida House of Representatives, Rubio co-sponsored<\/a> a version of the DREAM Act: The bill allowed illegal aliens to pay in-state tuition if they decided to attend college. Carender notes that Rubio stood by this position<\/a> as recently as this past January, remarking that it didn\u2019t \u201clegalize\u201d anyone and established specific eligibility standards.<\/p>\n

In 2006, when Rubio was Speaker of the Florida House, he blocked six immigration enforcement bills<\/a> from even being debated. The commonsense measures in the bills\u2014provisions \u201cdenying public benefits to illegal aliens, denying public jobs to illegal aliens, and a memorandum of understanding between local law enforcement and federal law enforcement to remove criminal aliens\u201d\u2014Rubio condemned as \u201cdraconian.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t until Rubio began his run for the state Senate against the pro-amnesty Charlie Crist that he began whistling a dramatically different tune. Carender notes that Rubio witnessed the massive voter pushback against Crist\u2019s position and recalibrated accordingly.<\/p>\n

On December 22, 2009, Rubio met with Floridians for Immigration Enforcement<\/a>, the leader of the Tea Party of Fort Lauderdale, and a local Tea Party activist. Carender recalls: \u201cHe looked them in the eyes and promised that he heard them; he would opposed any form of legalization, including the DREAM Act and amnesty, for anyone that was in the country illegally.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carender quotes Rubio\u2019s remarks from a Tampa Bay Times <\/em>article from 2009. Then, Rubio declared that \u201camnesty\u2026will destroy any hope of having a legal immigration system that works.\u201d He opposed the DREAM Act and even said\u2014wait for it!\u2014that an \u201cearned path to citizenship is basically code for amnesty<\/em>\u201d (emphases added).<\/p>\n

So Rubio admitted then that what he would co-sponsor a few years later was indeed amnesty. <\/em><\/p>\n

Yet Carender continues, alluding to another Youtube interview<\/a> in which Rubio insists that amnesty is indefensible. We can\u2019t, \u201cin essence\u2026say, \u2018Look, well you\u2019ve been here for so long that even though you broke the law we\u2019re going to let you stay,\u2019\u201d The problem with this is that \u201cit demoralizes the people that are going through the legal process [.]\u201d Moreover, \u201cit demoralizes the people enforcing the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

To those who may object that Rubio\u2019s Gang of Eight plan was not amnesty because it affixed penalties to law-breakers, Carender has a reply ready at hand: Rubio\u2019s own words from 2010. Six years ago, Rubio said that amnesty<\/a> \u201cin any form<\/em>, whether it\u2019s back of the line or so forth<\/em>,\u201d will \u201cdestroy any chance we will ever have of having a legal immigration system that works here in America\u201d (emphases added).<\/p>\n

In an interview with Human Events<\/em><\/a> from 2010, Rubio unequivocally rejected any<\/em> pathway to citizenship. \u201cWell,\u201d he remarked, \u201cwe have a path for citizenship. It\u2019s called coming legally into this country.\u201d As for those who have already entered illegally: \u201cYou can\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rubio even said that while \u201cit\u2019s gonna feel weird\u201d for \u201cyoung kids that were brought to this country at a very young age [and] who don\u2019t even speak Spanish\u2026to be sent back to Nicaragua or some other place,\u201d in order \u201cto have an immigration policy that works,\u201d deportations <\/em>there must be.<\/p>\n

Rubio added that if we \u201cprovide a path for people to enter this country illegally,\u201d people who \u2018stay[ed] here long enough and pa[id] enough in taxes,\u201d then \u201cwhy would anyone come in through the legal process?\u201d<\/p>\n

Conservative movement giant, the inimitable Phyllis Schafly, agrees<\/a> with Carender\u2019s assessment of Rubio.<\/p>\n

Schlafly claims to have been the first person to endorse Rubio when he ran against Crist for the Senate. She regrets her decision now. \u201cHe said he was against amnesty and against the establishment. And once he got in, right away, he became an agent of the establishment. And now, of course, he\u2019s big for amnesty and letting all the illegal immigrants in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schlafly\u2019s verdict is that Rubio \u201cbetrayed<\/em> us all\u2026a number of times\u201d on the issue of illegal immigration\/amnesty\u201d (emphasis added).<\/p>\n

And Schlafly is incredulous at how blatant\u2014\u201cso public\u201d\u2014Rubio\u2019s betrayal has been.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a lackey for the establishment now,\u201d she said, \u201can establishment agent.\u201d<\/p>\n

The next time we hear Rubio or any of his boosters accuse Trump of being a \u201ccon-artist,\u201d we\u2019d be well served to recall the depths to which Rubio himself has gone to advance his own interests.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The sight of Marco Rubio knocking Donald Trump\u2014or anyone\u2014for allegedly being weak on illegal immigration is a sight to behold. Nor is it any less bemusing to hear Rubio (repeatedly) criticize Trump for being a \u201ccon-artist.\u201d There is no one in this presidential race, save perhaps Hillary Clinton, with a stronger command of con-artistry than…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":399,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMarco Rubio: The Con-Artist of All Con-Artists<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Marco Rubio: The Con-Artist of All Con-Artists\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The sight of Marco Rubio knocking Donald Trump\u2014or anyone\u2014for allegedly being weak on illegal immigration is a sight to behold. Nor is it any less bemusing to hear Rubio (repeatedly) criticize Trump for being a \u201ccon-artist.\u201d There is no one in this presidential race, save perhaps Hillary Clinton, with a stronger command of con-artistry than…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"At the Intersection of Faith and Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-03-04T02:50:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jack Kerwick\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Marco Rubio: The Con-Artist of All Con-Artists","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Marco Rubio: The Con-Artist of All Con-Artists","og_description":"The sight of Marco Rubio knocking Donald Trump\u2014or anyone\u2014for allegedly being weak on illegal immigration is a sight to behold. Nor is it any less bemusing to hear Rubio (repeatedly) criticize Trump for being a \u201ccon-artist.\u201d There is no one in this presidential race, save perhaps Hillary Clinton, with a stronger command of con-artistry than…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html","og_site_name":"At the Intersection of Faith and Culture","article_published_time":"2016-03-04T02:50:41+00:00","author":"Jack Kerwick","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html","name":"Marco Rubio: The Con-Artist of All Con-Artists","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-03-04T02:50:41+00:00","dateModified":"2016-03-04T02:50:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/6832222998cc14717ded1849531201c5"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/2016\/03\/marco-rubio-the-con-artist-of-all-con-artists.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Marco Rubio: The Con-Artist of All Con-Artists"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/","name":"At the Intersection of Faith and Culture","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Jack Kerwick","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/6832222998cc14717ded1849531201c5","name":"Jack Kerwick","description":"I have a Ph.D. in philosophy from Temple University, a master's degree in philosophy from Baylor University, and a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religious studies from Wingate University. I teach philosophy at several colleges in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.jackkerwick.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/author\/jkerwick"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/399"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1460"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1461,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460\/revisions\/1461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/attheintersectionoffaithandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}