With many conservatives upset about his leading the fight for immigration reform, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, the junior senator from Florida and a possible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, was doing his best Wednesday to secure his right flank.
Responding in a Web video to a constituent letter regarding the recent disclosures that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) targeted conservative groups, Rubio went after the federal agency and took aim at the federal health-care law signed by President Barack Obama.
When you read a headline that a powerful government agency is targeting people because of their political views, thats the kind of headline you read from other countries, not here in America, Rubio said. So youre absolutely right when you state it that way. That is the concern that so many of us have.
He then turned his attention to the role the IRS has in implementing the federal health-care law.
Now as far as the IRSs role in Obamacare -- well, thats chilling, Rubio said. Because if you notice, the IRS is deeply involved in implementing Obamacare. Theyre on the front lines of it. The IRS is going to go through the country asking people, What kind of ... prove to us that you have health insurance. Prove to us that the health insurance you have is adequate and, if you dont have health insurance, pay us $2,000 or a similar fine or fee or tax as a result of failing to get health insurance. The IRS, this agency... that either is targeting people because of their political views or is incompetent ... this is the agency that is in charge of doing this."
Rubio, who has been a staunch opponent of the federal health-care law, called for its repeal on Wednesday.
You cant just move the IRS out of the way because if the IRS isnt doing it, then either some new government bureaucracy will have to be created or some existing government bureaucracy will go ahead and implement this, Rubio explained. So the only answer to this is to repeal Obamacare. Its just one more reason why this law is going to be a disaster for our country. And in the months to come, Im really going to focus on the issue of repealing Obamacare because in addition to the IRSs role, there is all sorts of other problems with regard to Obamacare that we need to answer.
I want you all to know how deeply committed I continue to be to this issue because to me its a fundamental issue of our constitutional rights, continued Rubio. One of the things that separates America from the rest of the world is that our founders knew from history, that no matter whos in charge of government, if that government gets too big and too powerful it will abuse that power.
"Well, were seeing evidence of that here now with the IRS. We need to remember our constitutional founding principles of limited government because they are the right thing to do for our country, they are a distinguishing feature of this land, and we can never afford to lose that. And I will be tireless in stating that case over and over again to anyone that will listen.
In slamming Obamas health-care law and the IRS for targeting tea party and conservative groups, Rubio can score political points with Republican primary voters. While he has had a narrow lead in the national polls,Rubio does not pull as strongly in Iowa, home of the first presidential caucus. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has his eye on making a White House bid in 2016, polls better than Rubio in that key state.
In the meantime, other Republican hopefuls continue to look at making presidential bids in 2016. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, for example, recently appeared in Iowa and won high marks for a speech to the state GOP.
Tallahassee political writer Jeff Henderson wrote this story exclusively for Sunshine State News.
