Rubio’s No Good, Horrible, Florida Primary
In a winner take all Florida Primary on Tuesday, Donald Trump sent Marco Rubio packing after beating the Senator in his home state. The final blow to Rubio’s campaign did not come as a shock to Floridians. Rubio was down 20 points heading into Florida’s primary on Tuesday.
Watching Rubio give his concession speech, it was apparent 2016 is not the year of the establishment candidate. Voters are fed up with the establishment. They want someone who identifies with their frustrations, and is not afraid to say what they’re thinking. In other words, they want Donald Trump. Love him or hate him, there’s an increasing chance he will be the Republican presidential nominee.
None of this should come as a surprise. After Obama was elected and the financial crisis gripped the world, the populist movement known as the Tea Party broke onto the scene in 2009 and would go on to sweep the 2010 midterm elections turning America red and sending fellow Tea Party members to Washington. In 2012, the Tea Party lamented Mitt Romney was too moderate and instead focused on electing a conservative Senate to help Romney repeal Obamacare and address the nation’s economic and spending challenges. Fast forward two years later and the Tea Party was at it again, and ousted House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a primary election against Tea Party favorite Dave Brat.
When compared alongside the previous midterm elections, the 2016 election and Donald Trump’s candidacy fit nicely. The Tea Party tried to transform Washington by ousting Republican In Name Only (RINO) Congress members and now they’ve set their sights on the White House. On Tuesday night, the Tea Party sent a resounding message to Rubio, they had not forgiven him for his participation in the Gang of Eight immigration reform bill. Understanding Rubio’s fall from grace with the Tea Party can be traced back to September 2013 when he supported bi-partisan legislation on an immigration bill that would have granted a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States. Rubio’s support for this bill angered the Tea Party and caused them to turn their backs on him, vowing to never back him in another election again.
Rubio’s loss in Florida proved his luster with the Tea Party movement had worn off and they did not forgive him for the Gang of Eight. This however does not mean they are fully backing Donald Trump; what Florida’s primary election shows is candidates who have ties to the establishment will struggle in this presidential election.
After years of too much government, increasing regulations, and a growing partisan divide, America is fed up and, as a result, it has bred extreme candidates such as Donald Trump who speaks to the masses by not succumbing to political correctness. The Trump wave sweeping the nation is not shocking; it is a result of a country who is fed up with politics and is ready to take back the government starting with the Oval Office. It is Bastille Day in America, and when the stakes are this high, sitting home on Election Day is not an option.