Marco Rubio at CPAC: 'The Pendulum Is Swinging'

I’ve been a fan of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for years, so it was a thrill to hear him speak at CPAC 2022. In a short speech Friday morning, he painted an encouraging picture of how the current state of life in the U.S. is the sign of a pendulum swing back in the right direction.

Rubio was aware of his time limitations — “I only have 11 minutes,” he remarked — but he filled that short span of time with urgency. He began by talking about how America is unique in the world because a free nation is a rare thing.

“America is hard because America’s not normal,” he said. “Freedom hasn’t been normal throughout history.”

He reminded those in attendance that throughout history, the vast majority of people couldn’t choose their leaders and didn’t have rights. The concept of liberty is a modern phenomenon. He also talked about how the American Revolution was based on the truth that our rights come from God and not from leaders.

“Being an American is hard because it’s unusual,” he said.

He reiterated the importance of understanding the Bible and studying history, because, as he said, “nothing has changed in a thousand years except human nature.”

Rubio talked about his parents and how they know what tyranny looks like and appreciate freedom because of their lives in Cuba. He said his parents warned him years ago about what could happen when American leaders tried to assume too much power.

We’re at a unique moment in history, according to Rubio.

“Americans have come face to face with what it looks like when people use power to influence society,” he stated.

He reminded his audience that Marxism is more than an economic theory; it’s a viewpoint and philosophy that a handful of people in society knows what’s good and right and needs the power to enforce it. Marxism is everywhere in our society today, yet Marxists aren’t so upfront about who they are.

“Marxists lie because if they told you who they were you’d never let them get where they want to get,” he quipped.

Rubio pointed out that we’re seeing things we’ve never seen before in our nation’s history: speech codes and digital mobs ready to cancel someone at a moment’s notice. For the first time in American history, people have had to produce papers for access into various parts of society, thanks to vaccine requirements. Kids are learning untruths about American society and history.

“What’s happening now is what happens after 20 years of infusing Marxist thought processes into every area of our lives,” he said, adding that “When freedom is lost and eroded, it’s so hard to reclaim it and get it back.”

Rubio lamented that, if things don’t change, we could see the day when Judeo-Christian values will be considered hate speech.

But there’s hope.

Rubio pointed to Ukraine for inspiration. He recounted stories of old men and kids taking up arms to defend their freedoms and reminded the attendees that people once did that to secure our liberty. Here in the United States, we need to speak up and be courageous.

He takes heart in seeing people who may not agree with Republicans on tax policy or regulations standing arm in arm with them to stand up to school boards and local governments and to speak out for freedom. Everyday Americans aren’t taking ideological stands, but they’re making their voices heard in favor of parents’ rights, common sense, values, and liberty — and for what Rubio rightly calls “the greatest nation on earth.”

“I believe that for all the negativity we’ve heard, the pendulum is swinging,” he said, noting that we’re on the precipice of a rebirth of the American spirit.

Rubio’s right when he extols the exciting times we’re living in. Let’s keep up the good fight.