Our national motto, “in God we trust”, reminding us that faith in our creator is the most important American value of them all.
Marco Rubio
Three predictions from this convention. Mitt Romney will be President of the United States, Paul Ryan will be President of the United States and Marco Rubio will be President of the United States. Here is the transcript of Senator Rubio’s introduction of Mitt Romney last evening:
RUBIO: Thank you. (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Thank you. I think I just drank Clint Eastwood’s water. Thank you. (LAUGHTER) Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me here today and thank you so much for doing this convention here in Florida. Before I begin — (APPLAUSE) Thank you. Before I begin this is such an important night for my country .
Thank you so much — thank you so much for having me here today, and thank you so much for doing this convention here in Florida. You know, before I begin — yes, thank you — before I being, this is such an important night for my country. I want to begin — with your permission — 80 seconds, to talk about another country. A country located just a few hundred miles away from this city, the country of my parents birth. There is no freedom or liberty in Cuba, and tonight, I ask for your prayers that soon freedom and liberty will be there as well. (APPLAUSE) It — this is a big honor for me. Not so long ago I was just a underdog candidate. The only people who thought I could win all live in my house. (LAUGHTER) Four of them were under the age of 10. (LAUGHTER) But this is incredible when I was asked to introduce Governor Romney, who will hear from in just a moment, he is backstage, ready to go. (APPLAUSE) So, I called a few people, and asked them, “What should I say?” And they had a lot of different opinions, but the one thing they all said was, “Don’t mess it up.” So, I thought the best way to introduce Mitt Romney tonight, the next president of the United States… (APPLAUSE) … is to talk about what this election is about. And I’m so honored to do this here in Florida at the Republican national convention in front of all you patriots. (APPLAUSE) I watched my first convention in 1980 with my grandfather. My grandfather was born to a farming family in rural Cuba. Childhood polio left him permanently disabled. Because he couldn’t work the farm, his family sent him to school. He was the only one in his family that knew how to read. He was a huge influence on the growing up. As a boy, I sat on the porch of my house and listen to his stories about history and politics and baseball, as he would talk on one of its three daily (inaudible) cigars. Now, I don’t remember, it has been three decades since we last sat on that porch. I don’t rember all the things he talked to me about. But the one thing I rember is the one thing he wanted me never to forget. That the dreams he had when he was young became impossible to achieve . But there was no limit to how far I could go, because I was an American. (APPLAUSE) Now for those of us — here’s why I say that — here’s why I say that. Because for those of us who were born and raised in this country, sometimes it becomes easy to forget how special America is. But my grandfather understood how different America was from the rest of the world because he knew life outside America. Tonight, you will hear from another man who understands what makes America exceptional. (APPLAUSE) Mitt Romney knows America’s prosperity did not happen because our government simply spent more money. It happened because our people use their own money to open a business. And when they succeed, they hire more people, who invest or spend their money in the economy, helping others start a business or create jobs. Now tonight, we have heard for a long time now about Mitt Romney’s success in business. It is well known. But we’ve also learned he is so much more than that. Mitt Romney is a devoted husband, a father, a grandfather, a generous member of his community and church, a role model for younger Americans like myself. Everywhere he has been, he has volunteered his time and talent to make things better for those around him. And we are blessed that a man like this will soon be the president of these United States. (APPLAUSE) Now, let me be clear so that no one misunderstands. Our problem with President Obama is not he is a bad person. By all accounts, he too is a good husband, a good father, and thanks to lots of practice, a good golfer. (APPLAUSE) Our problem is not that he is a bad person. Our problem is that he is a bad president. (APPLAUSE) Do you think he’s watching tonight? Because his new slogan is the word, forward. Forward. A government that spends $1 trillion more than it takes in? An $800 billion stimulus that treated more debt than jobs? A government intervention into healthcare paid for with higher taxes and cuts to Medicare, scores of new rules and regulations. These ideas to not move us forward. These ideas move us backwards. (APPLAUSE) These are tired and old big government ideas that have failed every time and everywhere they have been tried. These are ideas that people come to America to get away from. (APPLAUSE) These — these are ideas that threaten to make America more like the rest of the world instead of helping the rest of the world become more like America. (APPLAUSE) As for his old slogan, under Barack Obama, the only change is that hope is hard to find. (LAUGHTER) Now, sadly, millions of Americans are insecure about their future. Instead of inspiring us by reminding us of what makes a special, he divides us against each other. He tells Americans that they’re worse off because others are better off, that richer people got rich by making other people poor. Hope and change has become divide and conquer. (APPLAUSE) But in the end of this election, it doesn’t matter how you feel about President Obama. This election is about your future, not about his. (APPLAUSE) And — and this election is not simply a choice between a Democrat and Republican. It is a choice about what kind of country you want America to be. (APPLAUSE) And as we prepare to make this choice, we should remember what made a special. — remember what made us special . You see, for most of our human history, almost everybody was poor. Power and wealth only belonged to a few. Your rights are whatever your rulers allowed you to have, your future was determined by your past. If your parents were poor, so would you be. If you were born without opportunities, so were your children. But America was founded on the idea that every person has God given rights. (APPLAUSE) Founded on the belief that power belongs to the people, that government exists to protect our rights and serve our interests, and that no one should be trapped in the circumstances of their birth. We should be free to go as far as our talents and our work can take us. (APPLAUSE) And we’re special — we’re special because we are united — we’re united not as a common race or ethnicity, we are bound together by common values. The family is the most important institution in society. (APPLAUSE) And that almighty God is the source of all we have. (APPLAUSE) We are special. We are special because we have never made the mistake of believing we are so smart that we can rely solely on our leaders or on our government. Our national motto, “in God we trust”, reminding us that faith in our creator is the most important American value of them all. (APPLAUSE) And we are special — we’re special because we’ve always understood the scriptural admonition, that for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required. (APPLAUSE) Well, my fellow Americans, we are a uniquely blessed people, and we have honored those blessings with the enduring example of an exceptional America. (APPLAUSE) I know for many of you watching at home tonight, the last few years have tested your faith in the promise of America. Maybe you are at an age when you thought you would be entering retirement, but now because your savings and investments are wiped out your future is uncertain. Maybe after years of hard work this was the time you expected to be your prime earnings years, but instead, you’ve been laid off and your house is worth less than your mortgage. Maybe you did everything you were told to do to get ahead. You studied hard and finished school, but now you owe thousands of dollars in student loans, you can’t find a job in your field, and you’ve had to move back in with your parents. You want to believe we’re still that special place where anything is possible. You just do not seem — things not seen to be getting any better, and you wonder if things will ever be the same again. Yes, we live in a troubled time, but the story of those who came before us reminds us that America has always been about new beginnings, and Mitt Romney is running for president because he knows, if we are willing to do for our children what our parents did for us, life in America can be better than it has ever been. (APPLAUSE) My mother was one of seven girls who parents often went to bed hungry so their children wouldn’t. My father lost his mother when he was nine. He had to leave school and to go to work, and he would work for the next 70 years of his life. They immigrated to America with little more than the hope of a better life. My dad was a bartender. My mom was a cashier, a hotel maid, a stock clerk at Kmart. They never made it big. They were never rich, and yet they were successful, because just a few decades removed from hopelessness, they made possible for us all the things that have been impossible for them. Many nights growing up I would hear my father’s keys at the door as he came home after another 16-hour day. Many mornings, I woke up just as my mother got home from the overnight shift at Kmart. When you’re young and in a hurry, the meaning of moments like this escape you. Now, as my children get older, I understand it better. My dad used to tell us — (SPEAKING IN SPANISH) — in this country, you’ll be able to accomplish all the things we never could. A few years ago, I noticed a bartender behind the portable bar in the back of the ballroom. I remembered my father, who worked as many years as a banquet bartender. He was grateful for the work he had, but that’s not like he wanted for us. You see, he stood behind the ball all those years so that one day I could stand behind a podium, in the front of a room. (APPLAUSE) That journey — that journey, from behind that bar to behind this podium, goes to the essence of the American miracle. That we’re exceptional, not because we have more rich people here. We are special because dreams that are impossible anywhere else, they come true here. (APPLAUSE) But that is not just my story. That’s your story. That’s our story. That’s the story of your mothers, who struggled to give you what they never had. That’s the story of your father who worked two jobs so that the doors that had been closed to them will be open for you. That’s the story of that teacher or that coach who taught the lessons that may do for you are today. And it’s the story of a man who was born into an uncertain story in a foreign country, whose family came to escape revolution. They struggled through poverty and the Great Depression, and yet he rose to be an admired businessman and public servant. And in November, his son Mitt Romney, will be elected president of these United States. (APPLAUSE) In America, we are all just a generation or two removed from somebody who made our future the purpose of their lives. RUBIO: America is the story of everyday people who did extraordinary things, a story woven deep into the fabric of our society. Their stories may never be famous, but in the lives they lived, you will find the essence of America’s greatness. And to make sure that America is still a place where tomorrow is always better than yesterday, that is what our politics should be about. And that is what we are deciding in this election. (APPLAUSE) We decide, do we want our children to inherit our hopes and dreams? Or do we want to inherit our problems? Because if Mitt Romney believes, if we succeed in changing the direction of our country, our children and grandchildren will be the most prosperous generation ever, and their achievements will astonish the world. (APPLAUSE) The story of our time will be written by Americans who haven’t yet even been born. Let us make sure the right that we did our part. That, in the early years of this new century, we lived in an uncertain time, but we did not allow fear to make us abandon what made us special. We chose more government instead of more freedom. We chose the principles of our founding to solve the challenges of our time. We chose a special man to lead us In a special time. We chose Mitt Romney to lead our nation and, because we did, the American miracle lived on for another generation to inherit. (APPLAUSE) My fellow Republicans, my fellow Americans, I am proud to introduce to you, the next president of the united states of America, Mitt Romney. (APPLAUSE)
I agree, Don. And those aren’t the only convention speakers who may wind up in the White House some day.
If I were the Democrats, the prospect of “President Romney” (as leftist Michael Moore has now told Democrats to get used to saying) is far less frightening than the fact that what the GOP convention primarily displayed was the depth of the Republican bench. AT LEAST 3 future Presidents spoke during the convention, and perhaps the first Latina President or Vice-President. Not to mention possible future Presidents of East Indian descent (male and female).
WHO do the Democrats have to put up to rival a Paul Ryan, a Marco Rubio, a Suzanna Martinez, a Bobby Jindal, a Nikki Haley, and a Rob Portman? (And I know I’ve left out some names, such as Condi Rice (yeah, I know) and that delightful and beautiful mayor from Utah, but these just seem to be the most promising.)
When you look at the Democrat Party’s scheduled line-up, all you’ll see is a bunch of has-beens and never-wases, wallowing in their “victim” status. Who is the “future” of the Democrat Party? Hillary Clinton !!! Talk about “Back to the ‘Future'”. After that, who do they have? Debbie Wassermann Schultz? Sandra Fluke?
Seriously, if the Democrats are smart (yeah, I know), THAT will be their take-away from this Convention. Be afraid of “President Romney” as Moore aptly warns. But be EVEN MORE afraid of what comes after, ’cause you got nothin’ to match it, and, what’s worse, you’re not even aware of it. And your strategy of going back to the “war on women” well yet again (it might’ve worked 20 years ago in ’92, but, again, we’re talking about the future) PROVES that you got nothin’ and that you’re not even trying to build a decent farm system with solid prospects for the future.
The disparity between the benches of the two political parties is shocking Jay. One of the problems for the Democrats is that so many of their members of Congress and Governors come from safe blue areas where they never have to develop the skills necessary to convince voters who might initially oppose them to switch to their side. Ryan and Rubio are typical of many elected Republicans, in that they have won races in areas where they needed to persuade and convert. Obama, launching his political career in an icy blue region of Chicago, is typical of the career path of a Democrat pol these days. Democrats that do come from red states, or red areas in blue states, are often not around long enough on the political scene to “rise to the top of the greasy pole”.
Gosh, I forgot to mention the GOP’s “keynote speaker”, which may or may not be a testament to the impression his “keynote speech” left on me. Nevertheless, suffice it to say that the Democrats don’t have anyone to match the heft of the Governor of New Jersey (pun only slightly intended). Christie could easily appear on a Presidential ticket some day, and would stand a better-than-even chance of winning election.
Indeed Jay, and underscores my point about Republicans running successfully in blue areas having to develop the political skills necessary to survive. Although he is too much of a Rino for my taste, Scot Brown in Massachusetts, who looks like he will keep “Ted Kennedy’s seat” is another prime example. If I were a Democrat strategist I would be greatly alarmed at the new crop of Republicans who can thrive in hostile territory, while Democrats are increasingly relying on areas that can give them an overwhelming advantage.
That would indeed be an example of God shedding his grace on America…
Totally agree! Great point. It seems the Democrat party is aging and there aren’t any young people rising up among them. Not the case with the Republicans.
I’ve made a few sarcastic comments lately about political predictions. Maybe it’s becaue I was convinced that George Allen would be president by now. But the thing is, parties need to constantly develop their minor league players, because a lot of them won’t make it to the majors. There’s always a word like “macaca”, or a sex scandal, or you just get unlucky and the party machine pits you against a popular incumbent. I look at the latest crop of rising stars and I see a lot of potential, though.
As a side note, I don’t think that either party has done a good job of grooming candidates in the executive branch. Bush I was the last president to put in the effort. You always want to have two or three cabinet members who are potential future presidents, and a lot of deputy assistant secretaries who could win a seat in the House. But lately the shift has been to policy experts (who may not have the interpersonal skills to manage a government agency anyway) and people nearing retirement. The president should also be generous to the congressmen in his party and let them get some camera time. The last few presidents haven’t put much attention into this.
Senator Rubio will be good to go in 2028 when Ryan is finishing his second term.
If the election goes the other way, there will be no America for Rubio or the rest of us. It recall a awfully hot day in July 1863 when Gen. Pickett said, “General, I have no division.”
I saw a post on Instapundit saying Hillary Rodham will flee the country the week of the DNC. Let’s see.
It will be interesting to see if the Democrats continue their plans to focus on their whinny, “you can’t do anything for yourself, we need abortion on demand and contraception for free” agenda for the DNC. I agree that our future presidents were featured this past week. It’s wonderful seeing such talent.
One thing that the Democrats have yet to realize is that when it comes to their absurd “war on women” meme, time is NOT on their side. I’m 32 and before I ever converted to Catholicism I became pro-life because of science and technological advances that allow us to see our babies at their most vulnerable, inside the womb. My husband would argue with me over abortion, that is until he got to see the very first ultrasound of our son- his little limbs, his precious little heart beating- at four weeks post-conception. From that moment on he has been pro-life.
An entire generation of women have been able to actually see inside their wombs and observe for themselves the great lie that “it’s only a clump of cells.” And as science advances, more and more women are seeing the devastating links between abortion and hormonal contraception and a myriad of health problems- both mental and physical- including cancer. It is not out of ignorance that the younger generations are becoming more and more pro-life by the year. And that will not work out in favor of the Democrat party so long as they continue to embrace the extreme “feminist” agenda.
And yes, they should be very, very afraid of Marco Rubio. I hitched myself to his wagon the minute he announced his run for Senate. He just GETS it.
Bit dubious about Mr. Rubio. He maintained a solo law practice on the side for a number of years but is close to a pure career politician. Mr. Ryan has the same problem: non-electoral and then electoral politics have been his whole life. Also, neither has held an executive position. I would hope Mr. Romney would put Mr. Ryan in charge of the Office or Management and Budget so he gets to be a boss for a while. Would much prefer someone about 60 who has had two or three careers.
“It seems the Democrat party is aging and there aren’t any young people rising up among them. Not the case with the Republicans.”
Hmm, let’s see… pro-choice… smaller families… not too many young Democrats. Whereas…
I watched most of the speaches, and I think Rubio was the most impressive. How old is he – 38? His speach was impeccably scripted, and masterfully delivered.
Could well be a log jam of candidates over the next couple of decades 😉
But I thought his brief introduction of Spanish when talking about his father was a touch of genius.
To me, it has been very enlightening how many of these people – men and women – who are only 1 or 2 generations removed from being immigrants, or are in fact immigrants when in their infancy.
“It seems the Democrat party is aging and there aren’t any young people rising up among them. Not the case with the Republicans.”
The sample size is too small to say much, but it does seem you have had a secular decline in the quality of the Democratic Party’s competitive presidential candidates. The trio of Obama, Clinton, and Edwards were just the sorriest bunch to compete in either major party in forever. The contrast between them and the quintets which competed in 1972 and 1988 is depressing.
In any endeavor, whoever is hyped to be the next great thing rarely lives up to the hype. So I would be careful in hyping Rubio as a future president.
The problem I see in most of your comments is not that you are supporting one corrupt, pro-corporation, irreligious phony political mob over another mob that is equally corrupt. The problem is that many Catholics, including much of the U.S.-based leadership of the Catholic church, mislead our people into believing in a warped “patriotism” and political ideology that is completely inconsistent with proper Catholic morals and values. Most of the contributors here are also kidding themselves: Ryan, Rubio and other young “rising stars” are simply puppets of strong corporate and financial interests. Your admiration should be for the puppet-masters, the organized corporate forces that controls the Republican Party, not B-grade actors in their employ.
Got it GC. Everybody is corrupt except you.
Got it DRM: You apparently love to pretend that you are very clever. But this still does not explain why you so admire puppets of organized corporate interests, like Ryan and Rubio. Some would argue that David Koch and others, whose money and power orchestrate the direction of the Republican Party, is a far more significant player. I think as Catholics we should really love the very pious Christian David Koch!!!
“You apparently love to pretend that you are very clever.”
Glib certainly, clever occasionally.
“But this still does not explain why you so admire puppets of organized corporate interests, like Ryan and Rubio.”
Because they aren’t “puppets of organized corporate interests” but rather politicians who have the audacity to hold beliefs that obviously differ from your own.
“Some would argue that David Koch and others, whose money and power orchestrate the direction of the Republican Party, is a far more significant player. I think as Catholics we should really love the very pious Christian David Koch!!!”
Now don’t say a word against David Koch!
https://the-american-catholic.com/2012/08/24/don-theres-a-nut-on-the-phone/
You GC are a prime example of a paranoid style in American politics that has become commonplace on the Left in this country. Honest, intelligent people simply couldn’t come to different conclusions from you on policy issues. They must be controlled by evil puppet masters! You are the mirror image of the John Birch Society and some of the more “ardent” supporters of Ron Paul.
Once again, Mr. MCClarey, let me satisfy your need for self importance: You are SOOOOOOOOOOO clever!!!! However, a personal attack on me because you assume I have political views that are very different from yours is unwarranted.
I respect the U.S. political system for its resilience. The anti-Catholic English Protestants who originated and formed the United States are to be deeply admired for the institutional structures they constructed. This includes — of course — the U.S.’s enduring political system. However, it is a certainty that the U.S. political system was never designed to be a moral system, and a greater certainly that its politics and policies were never intended to correspond to Catholic morals and teachings. So, with that in mind, it is a stretch — I think, as I am free to do — to imply, as many people do, that to support this or that Republican person or policy makes you somehow a better Catholic.
To me, the Catholic Church has — or should have — a higher moral standard than secular, corporate-funded institutions and individuals.
And let’s stop the silly, groundless personal attacks, which reflect your own personal insecurities more than anything else.
“You are SOOOOOOOOOOO clever!!!!”
Clever enough not to believe that shadowy puppet masters control those who disagree with me politically.
“The anti-Catholic English Protestants who originated and formed the United States are to be deeply admired for the institutional structures they constructed.”
Some of the Founding Fathers were quite pro-Catholic, including the greatest of them all, George Washington. Of course one can never forget Catholic signer Charles Carroll of Carrollton.
“However, it is a certainty that the U.S. political system was never designed to be a moral system, and a greater certainly that its politics and policies were never intended to correspond to Catholic morals and teachings.”
Nope, it had quite enough to do establishing a frame work for ordered liberty and democratic self rule that has endured for more than two centuries.
“So, with that in mind, it is a stretch — I think, as I am free to do — to imply, as many people do, that to support this or that Republican person or policy makes you somehow a better Catholic.”
No, it is supporting politicians who vote for abortion on demand that puts someone in the status of a poor Catholic in my opinion.
“To me, the Catholic Church has — or should have — a higher moral standard than secular, corporate-funded institutions and individuals”
What that has to do with your original assertion about sinister corporations and the Koch brothers controlling the Republican party is beyond me, but I assume that you are in full retreat from that assertion now, since I reminded you of just how absurd that sounds to people not wearing tin foil caps.
“And let’s stop the silly, groundless personal attacks, which reflect your own personal insecurities more than anything else.”
My comments about you are not ad hominem GC, but merely descriptive based on your comments.
Mr. Cravins is a perfect example of another group within the “a pox on both your houses” camp – the paranoid, conspiracy mongers. Frankly they’re simply not interesting or original enough to merit coverage.
“Who is the “future” of the Democrat Party? Hillary Clinton !!! Talk about “Back to the ‘Future’”. After that, who do they have? Debbie Wassermann Schultz? Sandra Fluke?”
Very late for this thread, but it just occurred to me – Andrew Cuomo is on deck, not Hillary. If Mitt is elected, he’ll probably face Cuomo in 2016. And it won’t be easy, unless the economy gets a lot better by then (in which case, Cuomo might keep his powder dry for 2020).