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Rubio Makes it Official
From the New York TimesMIAMI — Senator Marco Rubio of Florida told his top donors Monday that he was running for president in 2016, becoming the third Republican to officially enter the contest.
Mr. Rubio will make a formal announcement Monday evening here, when he is expected to present himself as the embodiment of generational change who can unite the Republican Party’s factions and offer economic solutions for the 21st century.
At 43, the youngest candidate in the rapidly growing 2016 presidential field, Mr. Rubio is expected to cast himself as a forward-looking, next-generation leader — and an implicit contrast with both Jeb Bush, 62, whose family has dominated Republican politics for nearly three decades, and Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67, the wife of a former president and the most likely Democratic nominee.
What say you, Ricochet? Where does Senator Rubio fall in your rankings of potential presidential candidates you’d be likely to support?
Published in Politics
I may just be swept up in the moment, but he’s high on my list currently. The guy can give a speech (provided he’s not parched), has a compelling story (not that “having a story” is any way a qualification for the nation’s chief executive), and he’s got that intangible that will, if given the chance, draw people to him. Does the left hate him? I find him hard to hate and hope that goes for the politically disconnected who cast the majority of votes.
Right up there with Scott Walker. The difference is executive experience. But I like Rubio a lot.
What everyone is going to dislike about Rubio is immigration. He seemed to flip flop, or get played, or something. But frankly, since I’m (excuse the expression) a little on the fence about immigration, I’m not sure that bothers me too much.
For me, this is kind of like watching Hagler-Hearns-Leonard-Duran; some great boxers in the tournament, all at the same time. Pop the popcorn, grab a beer, and enjoy the show.
He’s probably my 2nd (to Walker) most preferred candidate and I actually think he has the strongest chance of winning the general. My reasoning there is that he’s strong on all those superficial factors that shouldn’t matter so much but do, namely his youth, his attractiveness, his race, his likability, his public speaking skills, and the fact that he represents a vital swing state. Thankfully, he’s also a pretty strong conservative who I could see moving the country in a good direction.
He’s much more courageous on religious freedom and so has trumped Walker for me. Walker can redeem himself, but it’s going to have to be very pointed and overt. He’s trying to go all Mitch Daniels and that isn’t going to work.
His hair is a good deal more Presidential than Rand Paul’s, and he is not such a dull stick behind the podium as Scott Walker (just trying to view this thing through the lens of a low info voter — they will carry the day, after all).
So Rubio is probably our best shot.
Great candidate!
Yes he can give a speech, and say just want you want to hear and say it smoothly. The problem is, how much of it does he actually mean? I don’t trust him, and I’m tired of being strung-along and lied to by ambitious people.
I predict he’ll be another John McCain (once he gets some actual experience under his belt. Right now, I think he’s just a McCain understudy. The only question is, when is he going to cut the the ‘just build the dang fence’ commercial?)
O Happy Day!
I haven’t studied his record from Florida. I know he’s been lackluster in the Senate as the only thing he is known for is the immigration belly flop. The main thing is defeating the dems. I’ll take whoever we put up (even Christie) over sHrillary or whatever candidate takes her out in the primary.
I like Rubio. He’s got more tact than Cruz but still strikes me as a smart and serious conservative with a real policy agenda. Electable? I don’t know, but I’m prepared to be enthused.
I wish he had executive experience or even more time in the Senate, but in my opinion, he’s may be the single most impressive politician to come around in many years.
He had 12 years in the Florida legislature as Majority Leader and then Speaker and worked very closely with Jeb in Tallahassee. He has had enough executive experience to satisfy this Floridian resident.
A couple of years in the Senate is hardly enough experience to be Presid….
Oh wait…
#1 on my list by a solid margin. Here’s why:
1) He’s electable. A great personal story. Idealistic, but in a good way inspired by the American tradition. A compelling orator who inspires. Telegenic. It doesn’t hurt that he’s young and good looking, especially if his opponent is considerably older and can be buggy-eyed scary to look at, and cackle-voice snarly to listen to.
2) He’s a Cuban-American. We need an anti-collectivist to hit the “undo” button forcefully on Obama’s socialistic agenda. Cuban-Americans with a sense of history are uniquely qualified in this regard. It’s not just a theory with Marco Rubio. The Communists took over his ancestral homeland, confiscating property (including all firearms, their secret to longevity) and imprisoning the people. Rubio doesn’t just know it. He feels it.
3) Excellent foreign policy instincts. He’s learned all about foreign policy because he’s truly personally interested. Others, not so much. Knowledge driven by personal passion and curiosity lasts (and renews itself) while information memorized when cramming vanishes after the exam.
Rubio was elected in 2010 and pls read #12. He’s had a total of 15 years experience at both the state and federal level.
You missed my sarcasm.
My fault I forgot the sarcasm button.
I thought Rubio hit it out of the ball park with his speech. I told Mrs. Pessimist as we were watching it live that it was Kennedy-esque and she agreed. As much as I would like politics to be a serious conversation about serious choices we face as a nation, it is never going to be that. Rubio can move that conversation in that direction more than any one else in the election.
I think that Marco Rubio has the best chance of winning in the general election of any Republican candidate. More importantly, I think he would crush Hillary Clinton.
Agreed, ET! I love this man!
He is.
The amnesty thing is a problem in the primary, but it’s hardly insurmountable given that Obama went off half-cocked with his Executive Orders. Consequently, Marco has room to separate himself from those “lawless” Dems.
He’s not my favorite (Walker is) but I think he is the favorite (though not by nearly as large a margin as Dubya in 2000, McCain in 2008, or Romney in 2012) to win the nomination.
Walker was actually pretty clear on the issue to Charlie Sykes — I think you’d be fine with what he actually said. I’ll give a point or two in comparison to Rubio though — he spoke sooner and doesn’t have the political cover of a unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court decision. Walker gets to say “even Shirley Abrahamson voted for this…”
But I expect to prefer Rubio’s rhetoric consistently throughout the campaign on most issues.
This guy is no empty suit. He has convictions and seems to connect to a basic set of beliefs about America.
He can appeal to low info, high info, base and libertarian.
If he can attract white blue collar in blue states, we have a contender.
The media will have a hard time trashing him.
If he can find a Lee Atwater type to play hardball, he can win.
I had a feeling this thread would coax out the real explanation behind the reactions to the other candidates. Rubio is probably my fourth choice, maybe third–it really depends on the day. I like him. I think he will do very well. But something seems to steer me toward caution with this guy. I might expand on this a little more later in the week.
Ann Coulter put her finger on something about Rubio. He’s running for Vice President. Fine with me if so. She also mentioned the number of Puerto Rican voters in FL. This is a big deal. And it’s not just Puerto Ricans. FL is very Latin American state – Hispanics from all over the Spanish speaking world. The Cubans are not necessarily the swing vote anymore. My thought is that there is no love lost between the non-Cubans and the Cubans. Besides, there is even division in the Cuban community on recognition of Castro. The non-Cuban Latinos don’t like what they consider favorable treatment on immigration (refugee status.) Add in just plain old jealousy for the success enjoyed and earned by the Cuban community. There are, I’m sure, other nationalistic factors at play; the point being a Cuban candidate can’t be counted on to deliver FL these days.
Obama made a smart move, politically speaking, when he recognized Cuba. He marginalized the old Miamenses who hate communism. Not to say that the younger Cuban Americans don’t, but the emotional contempt for Castro is not so strong or even non-existant. Still they would vote for Rubio. But that’s not the bigger issue. There is no shared loyalty from the Puerto Ricans or other Hispanic groups on the question of formal ties with Cuba. This is not just FL, but nationwide. La Raza won’t be in a Rubio camp,or any Republican block no matter how good their Spanish. The Gutierrez mentality is a far flung cheering section for the Castros. And so on.
To what extent the above applies to Jeb Bush is not my focus here.
Let me take this a step further. I’d be surprised if Senator Menendez got much support from the Latino Caucus. Draw your own conclusions.