Coburn Endorses Rubio, Says Trump ‘Lacks Character, Skills To Turn Promises Into Reality’

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 29, 2016

Former Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn Endorses Marco Rubio For President

Today, former Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn endorsed Marco Rubio for president. Former Senator Coburn is joining a strong group of conservative leaders in the state, including Senator Jim Inhofe and former Governor Frank Keating, in endorsing Marco ahead of tomorrow’s primary.

Former U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) issued the following statement today announcing his endorsement of U.S. Senator Marco Rubio:

“Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ‘Cowardice asks the question – is it safe? Expediency asks the question – is it politic? Vanity asks the question – is it popular? But conscience asks the question – is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular; but one must take it because it is right.’

“At a time when our republic, and the Republican Party, is at a crossroads I have no doubt that the right choice for America is Marco Rubio. America desperately needs a president who will appeal to people’s highest aspirations rather than their deepest fears; a president who will model servant leadership rather than self-promotion; and a president who will cast a vision and unite the country instead of denigrating dissenters as second-class citizens. Marco would be such a president. I urge voters in Oklahoma and across the country to take a stand for freedom and stand with Marco on Tuesday and throughout this campaign.

“Marco is the only candidate in this race who is in the mold of President Reagan. While some are offering a message of victimization and helplessness against Washington, Marco understands that ‘We the People’ are the establishment and the elites in American society.  We need a president who will reawaken our belief in the American idea and not merely complain about how things are but challenge us to dream of what could be.

“In Washington, Marco has been an extremely effective Tea Party senator. No candidate running for president has fought Obamacare more effectively than Marco and no one has a better grasp of foreign affairs and America’s place in the world.

“As a physician, business owner, member of the Class of 1994 and later as a U.S. Senator, I came to understand the depth of the American people’s frustration with the status quo. Voters are right to be upset with the direction of the country. And even though the ranks of conservatives in Washington have grown, the pace of change simply isn’t fast enough.

“The candidacy of Donald Trump, however, threatens to undo and reverse years of work that began with Goldwater and Reagan – work that future movements like the 1994 Republican Revolution and the Tea Party sought to preserve and perfect.

“Donald Trump’s campaign is a fabrication. He is perpetuating a fraud on the American people. His empty promises, bullying and bloviating rhetoric will only deepen the frustration and disillusionment that gave rise to his campaign. He simply lacks the character, skills and policy knowledge to turn his grandiose promises into reality.

“Put simply, Donald Trump has no plan to make America great again. He is a populist without portfolio.”

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