Rubio Aims for N.H. Victory

Claremont — At Sen. Marco Rubio’s Friday evening campaign stop at The Common Man Restaurant, Claremont resident Leonard Boulanger related his story of uncertain financial circumstances, a tale that could have been shared by any number of Americans.



Boulanger, 67, told Rubio he had just come from paying taxes at city hall. The retired widower said he lives on Social Security and his home has lost value. Much of his retirement savings, he said, was used to pay for his children’s college education.



“I’m scared. What am I going to live on?” Boulanger asked Rubio, whom he supports in the Republican presidential primary race. “It is very anxiety provoking.”



Rubio placed much of the blame for Boulanger’s problems on the Federal Reserve and the government.



“You got caught in game of musical chairs because the housing crisis left you poor,” said Rubio. “It wiped out your biggest investment. And you did nothing wrong. You got caught and it’s terrible. Why did that happen?



“Because the Federal Reserve kept the easy money policy going. Easy money. Easy money. The bubble kept growing. They knew the bubble was coming but they kept low interest rates, let more people buy and created this huge party, and someone had to clean up the next day.”



Rubio, who is running third in the Granite State polls behind Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, with three weeks until New Hamphsire’s Feb. 9 nominating contest, said it is happening all over again with the stock market, which has seen significant losses this month after years of steady growth.



“And you are caught a second time,” he said to Boulanger.



Rubio said the Federal Reserve is “not magical overlord of our economy. It is not their job. Their job is to stabilize monetary policy.”



“I’m sorry to hear what you are going through,” he said to Boulanger. “I know it is terrible and it’s bad. We are going to get this economy turned around so some of the factors you are facing will turn around.”



After the roughly one-hour event, Boulanger explained why he believes the Florida senator has the best ideas in the large Republican field for helping the country.



“Every time I saw him on the news take a position, I told myself, he is presidential material,” Boulanger said. “He knows what is going on. I like his unabashed faith. He is one of us.”



Rubio’s remarks to a standing room only crowd of several hundred drew strong applause, particularly when he criticized President Obama and then promised to reverse his executive orders.



“When I get to the Oval Office, the first thing I am going to do is I’m going to find that infamous pen and use it to undo every one of his unconstitutional executive orders,” Rubio said to loud applause.



Rubio also spoke about the second amendment, immigration, and promised to keep Social Security as is for current recipients with possible changes for those who won’t retire for decades. He also took a jab at two of his Republican opponents, Cruz and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whom he accused of aligning himself too closely with Obama.



Rubio pointed out that Christie backed Obama’s nomination of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.



“We cannot afford to have a president who is not deeply committed to undoing all that this president has done,” Rubio said, telling his audience the country needs more conservative justices like Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.



On immigration, Rubio said, the issue is now about the Islamic State and its effort to recruit terrorists to come to America.



“They are recruiting people to come into this country who are lawyers, who are doctors and students and engineers,” he said. “They are recruiting people from visa waiver countries who are tourists. I am not speculating. This is a fact. They are trying to get killers into our country.”



His immigration policy would more thoroughly review those seeking to come to the United States.



“If we don’t know who you are and we don’t know why you are coming here, you are not getting in,” he said. “It is that simple. We have to know who you are. The world is too dangerous.”



Rubio said he would cut taxes, including the corporate tax, and roll back regulations to reinvigorate the economy.



In his opening remarks, Rubio said the country is at a critical juncture.



“I want to make an argument to you that 2016 is a turning point in history,” Rubio said. “Are we going to continue on the road we are on, a nation in decline, or we are going to turn away from this road and embrace the things that made us great? That is the road I think we are going to choose. I believe it with all my heart.



“After seven year of Barack Obama, this country can’t afford to get this election wrong. There may be no turning back. This is a time for urgency, not a time for patience. That is why I chose to run. We can’t have another four years like the last eight.”



Rubio closed with some humor about the need for the career of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to end.



“I’m going to appoint that dude to my cabinet so he is going to have to quit football,” said Rubio to laughter, adding that his favored Miami Dolphins could benefit.



Pam Potter of Nelson, N.H., said Rubio is at the top of her list heading into the primary.



“He has good core values and a good moral compass,” Potter said. “He is a strong front-runner for me.”



Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.





