Marco Rubio’s an ambitious climber.
He first got his foot into politics in 1998 as a city commissioner and kept moving up. Only two years later, he was elected a state representative and rose to the post of Florida House Speaker by 2006. Then, in 2010, he took another leap and won a seat in the U.S. Senate. Now, after nearly five years in the Senate, he’s running for the Oval Office.
On the campaign trail, he promises to lead America into a “New American Century.” Many would agree — even Republican Party leaders — the GOP also needs to adapt to changing times and demographics. Rubio just might fit the bill in the party’s eyes to be that leader — he’s young, passionate, and has a considerable base of Hispanic supporters, the kind of voters Republicans are struggling to win over.
But the way up the Republican primary is narrow and treacherous, and Rubio is not polling well in key battlegrounds like Iowa. Don’t rule him out of the race just yet, though — some politicos and commentators say it’s possible for Rubio to join forces with the eventual nominee as vice president. If this is the case, the task at hand for Team Marco would be to prove he can give Republicans the fresh face they want and rally a new generation of voters.
Tell me more about his ideas for the “New Century.”
The last time a 40-something senator ran for president with the promise of a better future, he did so with a blue banner and a platform that included comprehensive health care reform. Although many compare Rubio’s bid to that of then-Sen. Barack Obama, the Floridian could not emphasize enough that he’s different.
In fact, Rubio accuses the president of not having good ideas and wants to wind back the clock. He wants to replace the Affordable Care Act, the hallmark policy of the Obama administration, with market-based insurance coverage. He’s rallied against same-sex marriage. He denies man-made climate change and decried regulations aimed at curbing pollution.
Rubio hasn’t shied away from promoting his membership in the Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees as foreign policy know-how and credentials behind his strongly-held positions. He adamantly opposes the president’s nuclear deal with Iran and says the U.S. must take a tougher stance with Ali Khamenei. He, like many conservatives, believes in more aggressive foreign policies and the U.S. exerting more influence around the world.
Okay … but how is he different from the other 16 guys and gal?
Sure, for the most part, Rubio’s become the darling of the party for being a team player on conservative policies, but there is one particular issue where he diverges from his peers: immigration.
He himself is a child of Cuban immigrants who worked as a bartender and a housekeeper in the U.S. In 2013, he backed a bipartisan bill that would’ve beefed up border security and allowed the 11 million undocumented workers in the U.S. to apply for citizenship if they met a set of criteria.
Rubio’s approach was in stark contrast to much of the far-right in Congress, who decried the bill as “amnesty” and stalled it from coming to life. However, all the criticism from his own party led him to align his position to that of his peers — that the border must be secured before talks could even begin about helping undocumented immigrants. He even wrote in his book that in hindsight, his reform bill was “not realistic,” and vowed to instead enact reform in smaller pieces.
How come he’s polling so low?
The simple reason: It’s becoming more difficult for candidates to stand out in the crowded Republican field, especially when the likes of Donald Trump shout much louder and steal all the spotlight. And much of Rubio’s ideas are run-of-the-mill conservative policies like a big defense budget, repealing the Affordable Care Act and restricting abortion.
But it’s also because some of Rubio’s biggest campaign pillars are actually pretty weak compared to his competitors’. Take his tax reform plan for example. While Rubio touts a comprehensive way to tax working families and businesses, his plan leaves the highest tax rate for the rich at 35 percent — a number that most Republicans say is not low enough. And he’s not the first candidate to propose a flat tax system.
In terms of promoting his idea, Rubio’s outgunned by the likes of Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who literally took a chainsaw to “kill the tax code” for a campaign video. After the first Republican debate, pundits praised Rubio for well-articulated remarks, yet he still didn’t see the bump in ratings he needs. Rubio might be onto something that people actually like, but he’s not very good at keeping it simple and he’s not being savvy enough to make his ideas go viral.
Hypothetically, why would someone pick Rubio for vice president?
One frontrunner has already been very public about the possibility of recruiting Rubio as his veep.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who came in third in a recent poll in Iowa, told Bloomberg: “I like Marco Rubio a lot,” and that many people have suggested a Walker-Rubio ticket. Rubio quipped back, saying: “A Walker-Rubio ticket may be fine, but it’s got to be in alphabetical order.”
Obviously, the No. 2 spot wouldn’t be anyone’s first pick, but if his chances of beating the likes of Jeb Bush get any slimmer, the vice presidency wouldn’t be a bad gig for Rubio. For Walker — or whomever wins the nomination — bringing Rubio on board could potentially attract more Hispanic voters and immigration activists to the campaign. Especially since Republicans have been trying desperately to woo Hispanic voters from the Democrats since 2012, when then-Republican nominee Mitt Romney only got 27 percent of the Hispanic votes.
Plus, Rubio is considerably more moderate than, say, Trump or Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and likely to be better received in the general election. He can also deliver support from his home state of Florida, which is considered to be one of the key states in U.S. presidential elections.
Keep in mind the primary’s still young and this is not even close to a certainty yet. Rubio may be on the decline now, but that could change as the worse-off candidates drop out of the race and if he can really draw more attention to himself at the next debate in September.
Contributed by Covey Son
More Info:
Face the Nation: Transcripts April 19, 2015: Rubio, Manchin, O’Malley
POLITICO: Marco Rubio: Gang of Eight’s Immigration Bill Can’t Pass the House
POLITICO: Marco Rubio Tax Plan Challenges GOP Orthodox
CNN: Rubio: Gay Marriage Proponents Pose ‘Danger’ to Christianity
LA Times: Marco Rubio Says Human Activity Isn’t Causing Climate Change
Council on Foreign Relations: Marco Rubio’s Foreign Policy Vision
The Hill: Rubio Rolls Out ObamaCare Alternative
