Conservative Activists Shower Praise on Cruz, Heckle Rubio

Conservative Activists Shower Praise on Cruz, Heckle Rubio

The same conservative activists who heckled Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) at an Orlando Americans For Prosperity event showered praise on Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the Palm Beach Post reports.

“For the second day in a row Saturday, a rising Republican star was interrupted while speaking to the crowd of conservative activists at the Americans For Prosperity conference here,” the Palm Beach Post‘s George Bennett wrote.

“But while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio had to contend with a few hecklers who criticized his immigration stance on Friday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz paused near the end of his remarks Saturday while the crowd of about 1,500 chanted, ‘Run, Ted, run!’ Cruz, one of four potential 2016 presidential candidates to speak to the two-day gathering, got by far the most enthusiastic response from the limited-government, free-market group. Walking the stage rather than standing behind a podium, Cruz railed against ‘career politicians in both parties’ who don’t listen to ordinary people outside of Washington.”

Cruz bashed the permanent political class that is so unpopular throughout America during his speech. “There is a grass-roots uprising that is sweeping this nation,” Cruz said, according to Bennett. “The American people are standing up and saying we want our freedom back. And I’m going to give the simplest and best advice for President Obama and for Republicans and Democrats in Congress: Listen to the people.”

The Washington Post‘s Matea Gold reported from the scene that there “was no question who was the favorite among the crop of possible 2016 Republican White House candidates who wooed conservative activists at a two-day conference here this weekend,” noting Cruz definitely takes the gold.

The event is a sign Rubio cannot even get close to repairing his image with the conservative base at this point after he helped push for amnesty for America’s at least 11 million illegal aliens by shepherding the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” immigration bill through the Senate. Rubio was heckled by Tea Partiers shouting him down during his speech that he used to tout his work to defund Obamacare in the upcoming Continuing Resolution (CR) that funds the government. It is especially telling that the reaction, and shouts of “no amnesty!” came at an event in Rubio’s own state during which he did not even mention his immigration efforts.

The Post‘s Gold quoted conservatives in the room who gushed about Cruz in the wake of Rubio’s lackluster performance. “Oh my God, everything he said was spot on,” Orlando conservative activist Jan Cummins said. “I’ve been hearing so much buzz about him, but I had never seen him in a full speech from start to finish. And I was terribly impressed. I would vote for him.”

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