Establishment Showers Praise on Rubio on Sunday Shows

Sen. Marco Rubio, elected to Congress in 2010 on a wave of Tea Party support, earned praise Sunday from prominent members of the Republican establishment for leading the party toward support for immigration reform. David Brooks, the New York Times‘ resident conservative, called Rubio “heroic” on NBC’s Meet the Press, while former George W. Bush aide Karl Rove praised Rubio’s leadership on Fox News Channel’s Fox News Sunday.

While some inside-the-Beltway Republican stalwarts appear to approve of Rubio’s gambit, others are more skeptical. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has led opposition to Rubio and his “Gang of Eight,” while conservative activists have battled the rush to pass legislation that has yet to be released and almost no one has read.