Earlier this week, Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan were both feted at the Jack Kemp Foundation, and at the banquet, both attempted to distance themselves from the Republican Party's favorite talking point of 2012 -- that the problem with this America is
December 7, 2012

Earlier this week, Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan were both feted at the Jack Kemp Foundation, and at the banquet, both attempted to distance themselves from the Republican Party's favorite talking point of 2012 -- that the problem with this America is that the freeloading, moocher "takers" outnumber the noble, job-creating "makers."

Bobo, apparently really desperate to find any glimmer of hope these days, highlighted this passage from Rubio's speech.

As he was telling this story, Rubio motioned to some of the service staff at the Kemp dinner. They stopped to listen to him. “It all starts with our people,” Rubio continued. “In the kitchens of our hotels. In the landscaping crews that work in our neighborhoods. In the late-night janitorial shifts that clean our offices. There you will find the dreams America was built on. There you will find the promise of tomorrow. Their journey is our nation’s destiny. And if they can give their children what our parents gave us, the 21st-century America will be the single greatest nation that man has ever known.”

People at the dinner say that there was a hushed silence for a second as Rubio concluded with this refrain. Then a roaring ovation swelled and filled the room.

The Republican Party has a long way to go before it revives itself as a majority party. But that speech signifies a moment in that revival. And I would say the last month has marked a moment.

Yes, Rubio's failure to label the hotel wait staff a bunch of parasites in their presence is the new "Tear Down This Wall" speech.

But here's the funny part.

The wait staff at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel are union members. And Marco Rubio is one of the most anti-labor lawmakers in Congress.

He's said unions are un-American, sponsored the RAISE Act, which was an assault on collective bargaining and he's received a perfect 100%/A+ score from one of the leading union-busting organizations on the right.

The reality is, Rubio's wants to make it harder for these workers to give their children a better future. He and his party offer them absolutely nothing. Giving them a pat on the head and not calling them leeches hardly marks a new day for the GOP, no matter what Bobo says.

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