In Waterloo stop, Rubio lays out plan for first day in the White House

WATERLOO - Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio began laying out his general election pitch, drawing a clear contrast with Democrats and naming his day one actions, during a stop in Waterloo Tuesday afternoon.

Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, contrasted a 'radical left” that believes the United States is a 'flawed country in need of radical reform,” with his vision of free enterprise, a strong military and 'traditional values.”

'This is not a time for patience, after seven years of Barack Obama. If we don't get this election right, we may not be able to turn back,” Rubio said to a crowd of more than 200 people gathered at the Waterloo Center for the Arts. 'This is a time of extraordinary urgency, and that's what this election needs to be about.”

Asked to name his top three priorities as president, Rubio said there is 'really a top one,” which is national security.

'The most important obligation of the federal government is to keep us safe,” Rubio said. 'That's why we'll rebuild our military, and that's why we'll have a foreign policy designed not just to protect our interests around the world but to keep you safe here at home.”

Rubio said his first day in office would be aimed largely at undoing all that Democratic President Barack Obama has done over the last eight years - from a repeal of the federal health care reform act to canceling a nuclear power deal with Iran to rescinding his executive orders.

Rubio said he'd also call for a constitutional convention of the states on his first day in office to try to add constitutional amendments that call for term limits for both the legislative and judiciary branches and a balanced-budget amendment.

'In Florida, we have term limits and the sky didn't fall,” Rubio said. 'I left and somebody replaced me and the world didn't end.”

Rubio's day one plans were part of what wooed third term U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to support Rubio for president, the congressman told the Waterloo crowd. Gowdy is the chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi that is investigating the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Libya.

'I'm also looking for a candidate that does really the main thing the Constitution tells the president to do, which is faithfully execute the law,” Gowdy said in his introduction of Rubio. 'This lawlessness will be the demise of our republic, if we don't check it.”

Gowdy also praised Rubio as someone who reminds people that it's 'OK for our candidates to be hopeful.”

Mark Saxton, of La Crosse, Wis., said it wasn't just Rubio's message of hope, but also the way he conveyed it, that attracted him to the candidate.

'I was just very impressed with how articulate and well thought out his positions are and insightful,” Saxton said, pointing to Rubio's comments comparing border security to locking the doors to our homes.

Though Saxton leans toward Republican presidential hopeful Ted Cruz, he said Rubio currently is a close second for his support. He said he made the three-hour drive to be able to participate in the political process and hear how Rubio answered questions.

Wade Mitchell, of Buckingham, said he's looking for whichever candidate can best beat Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.

'Time will tell,” Mitchell said when asked if Rubio is that candidate. 'Things are changing all the time; it's a moving target. We like Marco Rubio, that's why we came up here today, but there are other candidates that look strong but sometimes people stumble and sometimes people pick up something strong.”