Rubio brought with him Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, whose own presidential aspirations never really took flight, and former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn.

Jindal beat up on the Obama administration. Coburn said Rubio is “one of the greatest men I know.”

All three imparted a sense of urgency, that a vote for anyone other than Rubio would be a vote for Hillary Clinton, the Democrats and more of the same in the White House.

“The Donald Trump show has been entertaining,” said Jindal, “but, folks, the game is over.”

Rubio’s soft, sometimes lilting voice could be deceiving. It told an uplifting story about his immigrant parents and the optimism of Reaganism, but it also called Trump a con man and implied that Obama is a traitor. It promised an “Article V convention” to amend the Constitution, a measure endorsed by Coburn but viewed by many others as a dangerous form of playing with fire.

The conservative movement, Rubio said, should be about hope, opportunity and the American Dream. Neither the Democrats nor the more extreme elements of the Republican Party understood that, he said.

“Tomorrow,” Rubio said, “you’ll get to vote, … to determine what it means to be a Republican and a conservative in the 21st century and what kind of country we will be in the 21st century, as well.”

Randy Krehbiel 918-581-8365 randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld.com

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