Rubio is not likable. He is not even that popular in his own home state, Florida. He has no presence, no gravitas, no experience, even in the Senate where he never shows up to vote. He is a lightweight, much like Dan Quayle was. If he is nominated, Hillary Clinton will bury him in a landslide vote.
4
Funny. You must not have heard Rubio speak. He sounds like a 7th grader reading a book report.
His views are whatever his wealthy donors tell him to say.
Democrat or Republican, most people think it's a bad idea to spend money on luxuries you can't afford and to use your employer's money for personal expenses. Most people also think it's a good idea to show up for work.
His views are whatever his wealthy donors tell him to say.
Democrat or Republican, most people think it's a bad idea to spend money on luxuries you can't afford and to use your employer's money for personal expenses. Most people also think it's a good idea to show up for work.
4
We had an old bromide as new lawyers many years ago: When the facts are against you, argue the law. When the law is against you, argue the facts. When both the facts AND the law are against you, argue public policy.
Which brings us to Marco. We could re-cast the bromide for politicians: When policy is against you, argue experience. When experience is against you, argue policy. When BOTH are against you, argue that you're younger than your opponents. Pretty persuasive, huh? You've got my vote for JV cheerleader! Oh, you were running for something else?
Which brings us to Marco. We could re-cast the bromide for politicians: When policy is against you, argue experience. When experience is against you, argue policy. When BOTH are against you, argue that you're younger than your opponents. Pretty persuasive, huh? You've got my vote for JV cheerleader! Oh, you were running for something else?
6
Marco Rubio is a joke. His only work experience seems to have been in the Florida legislature. He can hardly be bothered to show up at his current job in the Senate. He has zero qualifications to be President.
7
Young or advanced in age, politicians will always support the monied establisment that payed for the propeganda that helped them win whatever elction that is up for grabs. In the end thier attitudes will be,"Screw" the "little" people!
1
Only Republicans would think of economic ideas that have failed repeatedly since, at least, the 1920s as somehow hip and fresh. No matter how young the delivery system of right wing zombie economics, it still cries out for a final burial.
4
Since at this remove from the first primary and caucus and certainly the party convention it’s all speculation, let me speculate wildly.
Marco Rubio’s biggest vulnerability at this time in history IS his relative youth; and efforts to evangelize youth with a Republican electorate that’s just seen the results of a nation supporting ANOTHER very young, rookie senator with nothing but statehouse politics in his background, in the teeth of what they regard as seven years of dreadful performance, isn’t going to be very compelling.
Rubio, at the top of the ticket, is going to be regarded as not ready for Prime Time.
However, he could be a compelling veep nominee for someone like Jeb Bush. There will be those who tut tut and argue that they can’t do this because they’re both from the same state, but that’s not an accurate reading of the Constitution, and it could be finessed anyway.
Rubio also could be very valuable to Bush with our rising Hispanic demographic. But an unlined face isn’t going to cut it this time out, with our current experience.
Marco Rubio’s biggest vulnerability at this time in history IS his relative youth; and efforts to evangelize youth with a Republican electorate that’s just seen the results of a nation supporting ANOTHER very young, rookie senator with nothing but statehouse politics in his background, in the teeth of what they regard as seven years of dreadful performance, isn’t going to be very compelling.
Rubio, at the top of the ticket, is going to be regarded as not ready for Prime Time.
However, he could be a compelling veep nominee for someone like Jeb Bush. There will be those who tut tut and argue that they can’t do this because they’re both from the same state, but that’s not an accurate reading of the Constitution, and it could be finessed anyway.
Rubio also could be very valuable to Bush with our rising Hispanic demographic. But an unlined face isn’t going to cut it this time out, with our current experience.
Rubio does not have an Hispanic base, he has a Cuban base, in Florida. He has no national presence; he barely has a presence in the U.S. Senate. I speak as a Democrat: welcome to the bench of Republican candidates who cannot win a national election. Jeb is only real known quantity, if you eliminate Trump, and Jeb will be forever haunted by his brother's tainted election and the Iraq war. His awful behavior in the Terry Schiavo case will not help him. This election is Hillary Clinton's to lose. I believe she will win. She has domestic experience, and she can certainly talk to other leaders in the world outside the U.S. The Republican Party has doubled down on Nixon's Southern strategy, hoping that gerrymandering will keep the House. It might do that. It will not win the White House.
3
Chris:
He can develop a Hispanic base -- a heck of a lot more convincingly than Ted Cruz. Even more convincingly than Jeb Bush, with a Mexican wife.
As to the rest of your analysis, I disagree with it. Bush remains the most compelling candidate on the right, despite his discomfort with aggressive personal campaigning. If anyone but Bush is nominated, Hillary will waltz into the White House -- she might win even WITH Bush contending. And a ton of people believe he dealt with the Terry Schiavo matter as well as anyone could have and support his decisions.
If you read the Upshot, here in the Times, you should have read the exploding of the whole gerrymandering fiction. You Dems are simply too concentrated in dense urban enclaves way beyond the need to elect your own representatives, but too thin on the ground elsewhere to compete effectively with Republicans -- you vitiate your strength by concentrating it too densely. That's not gerrymandering, that's our electoral system. But the basic hopelessness of your cause, made evident by those county vote maps we see every election that have America solid red except for islands of intense blue, seems to be assuaged by a talking point of "gerrymandering" -- if you need the crutch, I don't begrudge it to you.
He can develop a Hispanic base -- a heck of a lot more convincingly than Ted Cruz. Even more convincingly than Jeb Bush, with a Mexican wife.
As to the rest of your analysis, I disagree with it. Bush remains the most compelling candidate on the right, despite his discomfort with aggressive personal campaigning. If anyone but Bush is nominated, Hillary will waltz into the White House -- she might win even WITH Bush contending. And a ton of people believe he dealt with the Terry Schiavo matter as well as anyone could have and support his decisions.
If you read the Upshot, here in the Times, you should have read the exploding of the whole gerrymandering fiction. You Dems are simply too concentrated in dense urban enclaves way beyond the need to elect your own representatives, but too thin on the ground elsewhere to compete effectively with Republicans -- you vitiate your strength by concentrating it too densely. That's not gerrymandering, that's our electoral system. But the basic hopelessness of your cause, made evident by those county vote maps we see every election that have America solid red except for islands of intense blue, seems to be assuaged by a talking point of "gerrymandering" -- if you need the crutch, I don't begrudge it to you.
2
Richard Luettgen:
Agree that Rubio could easily develop an Hispanic base. Identity matters. Oh, the injustice of identity politics, eh?
Agree that Rubio could easily develop an Hispanic base. Identity matters. Oh, the injustice of identity politics, eh?
2
A few points--starting with the fact that any rational observer of the 2016 race would not be engaging in hyperbole to say that a sizable swath of the GOP appears to be ready embrace anybody willing to say anything--no matter how detached from reality--in order to get elected.
To say that the Grand Old Party is ready to embrace youth--in any form sort of rabid xenophobia is a stretch simply too far.
The truly odd thing in watching Rubio trying to seize the times is that I defy anyone to identify an example of new thinking on his part. His policy prescriptions--in virtually every significant are--are either retreads of Republican orthodoxy dating back at least to the days of Reagan; meaningless rhetorical pablum structured tp sound tough--or a souffle-like scramble--that looks big when first emerging from the oven before quickly collapsing.
To say that the Grand Old Party is ready to embrace youth--in any form sort of rabid xenophobia is a stretch simply too far.
The truly odd thing in watching Rubio trying to seize the times is that I defy anyone to identify an example of new thinking on his part. His policy prescriptions--in virtually every significant are--are either retreads of Republican orthodoxy dating back at least to the days of Reagan; meaningless rhetorical pablum structured tp sound tough--or a souffle-like scramble--that looks big when first emerging from the oven before quickly collapsing.
8
After almost 4 terms of FDR, a term and a half of Harry Truman, and the two-time candidacy of Adlai Stevenson, the Democrats were ready for youth. And JFK supplied that---charisma, intelligence, and charm. Rubio possesses none of those, just youth.
12
This man is precisely wrong for America. I don't care who you vote for, but don't vote for a guy whose mirror image is the young Obama—young, opinionated, inexperienced and self-involved.
1
The lie is that he is NOT the mirror image of the young Obama. He hasn't the intelligence and compassion and wit that our marvelous president possesses.
19
I can't believe Ted Cruz is only five months older than Rubio. Whoa.
7
I can't believe they are as old as they claim. I figured early juvenile..
3
As this campaign wears on the GOP Super Delegates will need to make the tough call on who they will support- not unlike what the Dems. Supers did in 2008 choosing BHO overt HRC. Unless Trump wins big in early primaries, the call will end up between Rubio and Cruz, and possibly Bush. My bet is they will choose Rubio and hope to beat HRC on a message of a new, fresher, spirited approach, and it may work.
2
I think that Trump will talk himself out of the campaign, Cruz and Bush will quit. The final two will be Carson and Rubio against Clinton. I pray that Rubio beats Clinton.
2
You are asking for trouble, then.
2
No, it won't work. The Democrats failed to get out the vote in the mid-terms and they now realize what that cost. They will get out the vote for Hillary.
1
A Rubio quote, NYT permitting, from the 11/30/15 issue of the The New Yorker in an article on the Senator entitled,"The Opportunist." He is clarifying his statement during the first debate that he opposed abortion even in cases of rape and incest:
"Look, I personally believe that all life is worthy of protection, and therefore I don't ever require, nor have I ever advocated that I won't support a law unless it has some exceptions."
And to make sure the above is perfectly clear, he follows up with this:
"My goal is to save as many lies as possible, and I'll support anything that does that. Even if it has exceptions."
This dovetails perfectly with his "family history" of parents forced into exile from Castro's Communist Cuba...more than two years prior to Castro's rise to power on the island.
So it's perfectly reasonable that paying for rocks to landscape his front yard with a Republican Party-owned credit card was purely a matter of pulling the wrong ace from the deck in his wallet.
Absolute clarity. Complete lack of equivocation. Impeccable command of history. Conscientious attention to detail during in-the-moment decision making. All desirable, admirable attributes of the leader of the Free World.
All absent from Rubio's portfolio.
"Look, I personally believe that all life is worthy of protection, and therefore I don't ever require, nor have I ever advocated that I won't support a law unless it has some exceptions."
And to make sure the above is perfectly clear, he follows up with this:
"My goal is to save as many lies as possible, and I'll support anything that does that. Even if it has exceptions."
This dovetails perfectly with his "family history" of parents forced into exile from Castro's Communist Cuba...more than two years prior to Castro's rise to power on the island.
So it's perfectly reasonable that paying for rocks to landscape his front yard with a Republican Party-owned credit card was purely a matter of pulling the wrong ace from the deck in his wallet.
Absolute clarity. Complete lack of equivocation. Impeccable command of history. Conscientious attention to detail during in-the-moment decision making. All desirable, admirable attributes of the leader of the Free World.
All absent from Rubio's portfolio.
16
Please make that "as many lives as possible," not "lies." Mea culpa.
4
You were probably more accurate the first time! (Excuse my cynicism.)
3
We just picked a seriously inexperienced minority president running on a platform of hope and change. I don't think the American people are ready to make that same mistake again.
1
And just how could that young president succeed in the face of opposition by the Republicans, starting with Mitch McConnell's vow on January, 2009 to thwart anything this president wanted. What the American people are tired of is the obstructive intent of the opposition. But we are not ready for a young president whose campaign is built on lies and distortions and fabrications of his personal history. Obama did none of that.
11
Not too sure one can clearly say picking the current 2 term reelected president who has presided over the restoration of the economy, hugely reduced our military combat death rate, risked his political career to get Bin Laden and forced progress on access to healthcare and more on every front was a mistake.
I would say, given the choices and the circumstances the American majority made no mistake both times they elected Obama and I am sure history will agree, whether today's GOP base beleives it or not.
So now we must again risk making a mistake or choosing a winner. At this point, given the pandering that Rubio, Bush et al must make to their aging, waspish, more intollerant and frankly, more racist, gun, crazy war loving base, to choose Rubio or any other of the current cast of rogue ellephants will be the mistake history will remember.
As it stands now, all 3 Democrats are far better, more positive, more pragmatic, and more in tune with both the majority of Americans and the mandates embodied in our Constitution's preamble.
I would say, given the choices and the circumstances the American majority made no mistake both times they elected Obama and I am sure history will agree, whether today's GOP base beleives it or not.
So now we must again risk making a mistake or choosing a winner. At this point, given the pandering that Rubio, Bush et al must make to their aging, waspish, more intollerant and frankly, more racist, gun, crazy war loving base, to choose Rubio or any other of the current cast of rogue ellephants will be the mistake history will remember.
As it stands now, all 3 Democrats are far better, more positive, more pragmatic, and more in tune with both the majority of Americans and the mandates embodied in our Constitution's preamble.
12
That is precisely why this republican has concerns about Rubio. I don't think I can stomach another talker who cannot do. If anything, Cruz has a resume very similar to Obama's, except under each job heading, Cruz has actual accomplishments and not just titles.
1
He alone, who "owns" the youth, gains the future. (Adolf Hitler)
The Key word would be "own". The results of this philosophy is written in history.
I would think instead nurturing them to be themselves and that while looking at them, acknowledge their presence. Allow them to grow and bring into this world their uniqueness. Allow them to feel their feelings and have their own thoughts. Teach them to make choices early on by giving them choices to make. Allow them to look at their past for those afraid to face their past are doomed to repeat it.
The Key word would be "own". The results of this philosophy is written in history.
I would think instead nurturing them to be themselves and that while looking at them, acknowledge their presence. Allow them to grow and bring into this world their uniqueness. Allow them to feel their feelings and have their own thoughts. Teach them to make choices early on by giving them choices to make. Allow them to look at their past for those afraid to face their past are doomed to repeat it.
1
Rubio's youth has yet to capture millennials who support social progress such a same-sex marriage, abortion right, voting rights, and immigration reform that is humane and progressive. His major support is from old white Floridians and Cuban ex-pats. Younger Cubans here do NOT support him.
10
Judge a man and a country by how it treats its children, pets, elderly, poor and sick. This country is an abysmal failure on all fronts.
Rubio wants to cull only a certain bracket of a youth that is influenced by the radical. The world above those considered to of "youth" have done such a horrendous job of running the world that the "youth" only have two options, fight or capitulate. This is the influence that Rubio will use to manipulate the true, sincere desire of the "youth" to want a better world to grow up in.
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Rubio wants to cull only a certain bracket of a youth that is influenced by the radical. The world above those considered to of "youth" have done such a horrendous job of running the world that the "youth" only have two options, fight or capitulate. This is the influence that Rubio will use to manipulate the true, sincere desire of the "youth" to want a better world to grow up in.
The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.
Friedrich Nietzsche
8
I am 86 and have voted in every national election since 1952. I miss the US of the 30's through 80's that I grew up in, was educated and prospered in. That US no longer exists and won't return. New technology and world wide changes in political and religious systems guarantee that will not happen.
We all, young and old, have to live in the present and the future. We need the new thinking of the young and lets face it, if you are in the 20"s you have a long and difficult life ahead of you, We on the other hand have at best, 10 or 20 years left.
The young need a young thinking government for the sake of their future and their families. Marco Rubio is a young conservative with young ideas. I would prefer a young moderate myself but if the Democrats only have Hillery and Bernie to offer.
We all, young and old, have to live in the present and the future. We need the new thinking of the young and lets face it, if you are in the 20"s you have a long and difficult life ahead of you, We on the other hand have at best, 10 or 20 years left.
The young need a young thinking government for the sake of their future and their families. Marco Rubio is a young conservative with young ideas. I would prefer a young moderate myself but if the Democrats only have Hillery and Bernie to offer.
7
Name three of those young ideas. Rubio is just parroting what his elderly handlers tell him to say.
16
Rubio is a young grifter. He has no presence in the Senate where he holds an empty seat. He has no chance at the White House. I'm all for his splitting more votes in the Republican base.
4
Senator Marco Rubio may be young but his policy positions are extreme meeting those who have paid large sums to his funds. He is very ambitious and willing to do what his funders want. He has no new ideas.
19
Not all ideas which differ from yours are "extreme"--they are just different. Sanders' ideas not too long ago would have been called "extreme", but, today, many socialist U.S. politicians embrace them.
I'm not a Rubio fan, but, I would never call him extreme. Trump is the only one who is not beholden to "funders", none more than Bush and Hillary. The only one, IMHO, who will try his hardest to do what he has said should be done is Cruz.
I'm not a Rubio fan, but, I would never call him extreme. Trump is the only one who is not beholden to "funders", none more than Bush and Hillary. The only one, IMHO, who will try his hardest to do what he has said should be done is Cruz.
2
How to win friends and influence voters...tell a group of over-55 year olds (most a lot older than that) in the Villages that their leaders are "out of touch and have outdated ideas". Did he, and his speech writers, not realize that those leaders he talks about are the contemporaries of his audience and by association that he was inferring that his audience was old and out of date?
Why should they matter to him if their opinions aren't worth anything anyway? Nothing like a good slap in the face to wake someone up and get them to vote for you - NOT!
Why should they matter to him if their opinions aren't worth anything anyway? Nothing like a good slap in the face to wake someone up and get them to vote for you - NOT!
12
This is just plain silly! Marco Rubio offers absolutely nothing. What does it mean to have a young face without experience or wisdom? Jack Kennedy was a young man with a world of experience. Marco Rubio is a young man with no memory, no experience and no vision of how to govern our nation. He lacks the view point of having lived through and participating in world and national events. Mr. Rubio thinks he understands America and her place in the world but he can't. He's locked into his parents memory of Cuba and that brief collision between Cuba, Russia and the United States. It is a warped view.
An American president needs to be schooled in world history and the formation of nations including America. Mr. Rubio (and also the majority of other would be presidential candidates) has little knowledge of world history and less knowledge of American history.
We need more than a fresh, young face. We need a man with a vision of the American dream and the American future. We need bright ideas and a way to bring ideas to fruition. Offering only his youth is not an inspiration.
Jack Kennedy remembered WWII. He participated in it. His family and many other American families paid a dear price of war and remembrance. What does Mr. Rubio remember? What price has he paid?
America is a place where dreams can come true. We yearn for a leader who can visualize the future and help us build peace and prosperity and not just a warped Republican view of dismantling the American republic.
An American president needs to be schooled in world history and the formation of nations including America. Mr. Rubio (and also the majority of other would be presidential candidates) has little knowledge of world history and less knowledge of American history.
We need more than a fresh, young face. We need a man with a vision of the American dream and the American future. We need bright ideas and a way to bring ideas to fruition. Offering only his youth is not an inspiration.
Jack Kennedy remembered WWII. He participated in it. His family and many other American families paid a dear price of war and remembrance. What does Mr. Rubio remember? What price has he paid?
America is a place where dreams can come true. We yearn for a leader who can visualize the future and help us build peace and prosperity and not just a warped Republican view of dismantling the American republic.
22
Don't forget that he (and Bush) wants 200,000 troops on the ground and massive air attacks to kill the ISIS movement. He has never spent one second in service (he can't even show up for Senate votes) of his country. I and millions like me volunteered during the various wars since 1941, and the majority of us, if able, would gladly serve again. Bush-Rubio-et all = Cowardice.
10
I have a much better chance becoming the next Pope than either Cruz or Rubio getting the GOP nomination, and I am not even catholic. The Only Cruz and Rubio the majority (90%Whites) of GOP likes are those who clean their pools and mow their lawns.
9
A coronation is planned. Reality, first female, been around forever, Bills spouse. At least with the Clintons we know what to expect. That is more Boomer dysfunction. The Grand Old Party is in trouble. They represent the lesser half of our polarization.
3
Good sir! Take it one step further; the gop represents obstruction, misdirection, and certainly the willingness to let the other guy do what they think others should do. I.e. military service in hell holes half a planet away or taking voting rights away. Now there's a couple of starts.........
3
Marc Rubio is quick on his feet in terms of retorts or an answer to a question on the campaign trail. Being young as we all wish we were, Rubio certainly has a boyish look - lucky genes for sure. Mr Rubio will have to somehow have a breakthrough to leap past the current oldies acts of the Donald and Dr Carson. But could mean be a huge difference to Mr Rubio, is the Hispanic vote which clearly looking for the party that will sustain them the best. But they also will vote for one of their kind, Mr Rubio need to get out and lure Hispanics to vote for him in the primaries.
2
Here come the snarky remarks - "Senator Rubio - you're no Jack Kennedy" - sure, as if HRC is. But then, truth be told, (and we have learned a whole lot about Camelot in subsequent years) JFK was no "JFK" either. The "experienced" Kennedy, only months in office, was directly responsible for the Bay of Pigs disaster, and three years later the murder of South Vietnam's leaders. Also, it was Kennedy who jump-started the US military into the Vietnam war.
And let's not overlook Jack's White House indiscretions with women - including Marilyn - and a gangster moll too; all while serving as president and under the mind clouding effects of pain-lessening narcotics. Your right - Rubio is no Jack Kennedy - and let's all be grateful for that fact.
And let's not overlook Jack's White House indiscretions with women - including Marilyn - and a gangster moll too; all while serving as president and under the mind clouding effects of pain-lessening narcotics. Your right - Rubio is no Jack Kennedy - and let's all be grateful for that fact.
4
HRC has never claimed to be another JFK.
I'll never understand the idiocy of men who can't keep their pants zipped but that kind of idiocy doesn't do the kind of damage that Republicans have done with wars and recessions.
I'll never understand the idiocy of men who can't keep their pants zipped but that kind of idiocy doesn't do the kind of damage that Republicans have done with wars and recessions.
10
Let's not overlook the intelligent and clever back door diplomacy JFK accomplished with Russia via Turkey. He kept the Russians out of Cuba; he agreed to move off Turkey's borders; he compromised where it would produce a win. He kept WWIII off the table. He came from a smart political family, and they helped him. Eventually, the Kennedy family gave us Ted. And Ted gave us one of the best Senators we have ever had. Admired on both sides of the aisle. The Kennedys served in war and peace. We won't see another JFK or Ted for many years. Unfortunately, we are stuck with Mitch McConnell, Cruz, Rubio and others who preen and do nothing else.
2
More importantly, Rubio is no Bill Clinton. The thought of the Clintons, who lack ethics and integrity, back in the White House should make every American a little queazy.
1
America may be ready for an young President, but not for a babyfaced ignorant and unable himself to assess its inadequacy, which one of the few talents is to let fly his wisdom with unrepent iassurance which are acknowledged by his pootr intrllectual admirers and reporters.
It is super obvious that what he tells is what he understood incorrectly from his advisers, and worse what some ultraconservatives infiltrte easily in his mind
The comment preceding mime from Howard, Diana, Mariilynn soxared040713 and right are right to the point and I need not to repeat it here
especially being English my third language!!
AsI am 65 years old, I remember when more than 60 years ago ALBERT EINSTEIN gave a conference in a city near to my Engineering college and tried to explain gis two theries of relativity and a few days later explained to his classmates what he had understood. Factually, nearly all of the other assistant to the conferenceneither got it, but not tried to dissumulate it by uttering their ignrance as wisdom!!
It is super obvious that what he tells is what he understood incorrectly from his advisers, and worse what some ultraconservatives infiltrte easily in his mind
The comment preceding mime from Howard, Diana, Mariilynn soxared040713 and right are right to the point and I need not to repeat it here
especially being English my third language!!
AsI am 65 years old, I remember when more than 60 years ago ALBERT EINSTEIN gave a conference in a city near to my Engineering college and tried to explain gis two theries of relativity and a few days later explained to his classmates what he had understood. Factually, nearly all of the other assistant to the conferenceneither got it, but not tried to dissumulate it by uttering their ignrance as wisdom!!
3
If you can't explain it well enough to let a child understand then maybe you don't understand the subject very well, either. Come on, think about it!!
1
Could someone please tell me how Marco Rubio is "young"? As an 18 year old in high school, I fail to see how a balding, 44 year old man who opposes gay marriage/rights, man-made global warming, and abortion, even in cases of rape or incest, could ever represent "generational change".
31
It is nice to hear from the new generation of voters. America has always depended on her youth, and you are fine example of that.
3
It's a Dorian Gray situation. The GOP wants to focus on cosmetics while the country should be worried about the horrible picture hidden away in the attic. By the way, Rubio is plain wrong: Obama is doing fine. What you see is what you get.
10
Marco Rubio has about as much voter sustainability as a hula hoop in the 60s, speaking of the past.
As the nation focuses on racial and economic inequality, Rubio is off on his own quasi bipolar tangents, with goofy, impulsive attempts to garner the Republican vote, which tragically is not enough for a White House win. I know someone at Burger Barn who knows more about the human race than Marco Rubio. Weirdo Extraordinaire.
As the nation focuses on racial and economic inequality, Rubio is off on his own quasi bipolar tangents, with goofy, impulsive attempts to garner the Republican vote, which tragically is not enough for a White House win. I know someone at Burger Barn who knows more about the human race than Marco Rubio. Weirdo Extraordinaire.
9
People have been predicting for a long while that Trump and Carson would falter. That seems to be happening -- finally -- and Rubio seems to be the one who's benefitted the most from that. Bush has faded, probably for good. Cruz has risen, but his prospects are limited. It looks like Rubio's got it. The only question left -- for both parties -- is the VP choice, though historically that hasn't made much difference in the outcome. (Don't tell John Kasich that, however -- I'm sure he'll be promising Ohio's electoral votes to Rubio if he gets the VP nomination.)
"Rubio's a lightweight who would be challenged as President of the University of Florida Student Council."
Obama was a lightweight too, but I voted for him (in 2008 -- I tend not to vote for presidents a second time when they don't keep their campaign promises). Rubio may or may not be a lightweight, but he's never lost a race.
Obama was a lightweight too, but I voted for him (in 2008 -- I tend not to vote for presidents a second time when they don't keep their campaign promises). Rubio may or may not be a lightweight, but he's never lost a race.
3
I didn't vote for President Obama the first time but I did the second time because he had proven that he could do the job despite Republican obstruction.
Rubio is about to lose his first race.
Rubio is about to lose his first race.
7
He might have to get a real job. That ought to be fun..
3
"Don't underestimate Hillary, she didn't ascend to her political platitudes by playing nice. She is older, wiser and just as mean and dirty as the rest of them."
Rubio's already been skewered for his finances and his connections to Braman. He seems to have weathered those storms. Maybe the attacks came to early. He may be bullet-proof now. Besides, attacks on one's character don't seem to keep candidates from winning these days. Look at Bill Clinton, for example.
Rubio's already been skewered for his finances and his connections to Braman. He seems to have weathered those storms. Maybe the attacks came to early. He may be bullet-proof now. Besides, attacks on one's character don't seem to keep candidates from winning these days. Look at Bill Clinton, for example.
1
"But the worst deficit he faces is that he is just not presidential material."
That's been true of many candidates -- from both parties, winners and losers.
Was George W. Bush "presidential material?" Walter Mondale? Bob Dole? Franklin Pierce?
That's been true of many candidates -- from both parties, winners and losers.
Was George W. Bush "presidential material?" Walter Mondale? Bob Dole? Franklin Pierce?
2
Presidential "material" ? There are two things to consider, in my opinion, when voting for a President: leadership skills (of which there are many, including executive presence/articulateness; composure; flexibility, thoughtfulness; insight bot to self and others, empathy and more) and the proposed agenda or ideas. Age is irrelevant. Looks are irrelevant.
In Rubio's case, his "platform" is unfathomable to me and it is not even well-considered in terms of implications or history. It is not "fresh" and "young." His appearance and demeanor are pleasant enough but he lacks gravitas. Obama had and always had that.
GWB- no way - he was the guy people thought was a good beer buddy; and look what a mess he made; Mondale and Dole? - I don't see why either wasn't Presidential enough. Pierce - how the heck would I or anyone else know? I am not sure what your point is in this regard.
In Rubio's case, his "platform" is unfathomable to me and it is not even well-considered in terms of implications or history. It is not "fresh" and "young." His appearance and demeanor are pleasant enough but he lacks gravitas. Obama had and always had that.
GWB- no way - he was the guy people thought was a good beer buddy; and look what a mess he made; Mondale and Dole? - I don't see why either wasn't Presidential enough. Pierce - how the heck would I or anyone else know? I am not sure what your point is in this regard.
5
"Rubio is certainly not JFK,"
True, but those who remember when JFK was president also remember that "JFK was no JFK." De mortuis nil nisi bonum, and all that, but you who don't remember JFK's presidency should recognize that he became a legend only after he was killed. In real life, he barely beat Richard Nixon. In the week after he was shot, the stock market shot up and LBJ proceeded to get much of his Great Society legislation passed and signed. Kennedy hadn't accomplished much.
Again, de mortuis nil nisi bonum, but let's not forget that the legend of JFK is largely that -- a legend.
True, but those who remember when JFK was president also remember that "JFK was no JFK." De mortuis nil nisi bonum, and all that, but you who don't remember JFK's presidency should recognize that he became a legend only after he was killed. In real life, he barely beat Richard Nixon. In the week after he was shot, the stock market shot up and LBJ proceeded to get much of his Great Society legislation passed and signed. Kennedy hadn't accomplished much.
Again, de mortuis nil nisi bonum, but let's not forget that the legend of JFK is largely that -- a legend.
5
"Trump has become a bombastic, nasty, lying, racist, evil little man."
Become?
Did he used to be something different?
Become?
Did he used to be something different?
7
Great zinger from Bentsen -- but who won that election?
"Republican Dan Quayle had his words used against him during the 1988 vice presidential debates after he likened his political experience to that of John F. Kennedy. Democratic opponent Lloyd Bentsen's response: "I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.""
"Republican Dan Quayle had his words used against him during the 1988 vice presidential debates after he likened his political experience to that of John F. Kennedy. Democratic opponent Lloyd Bentsen's response: "I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.""
2
"You can site any poll you want ... but as it stands right now she will destroy him..."
Not sure what polls you're seeing. The last Rubio-Clinton matchup on RealClearPolitics showed Rubio beating Clinton by 8 points.
Not sure what polls you're seeing. The last Rubio-Clinton matchup on RealClearPolitics showed Rubio beating Clinton by 8 points.
2
First he has to explain whose future? What kind of future for our STEM grads who can't get jobs because of his ill-conceived I-Squared plans - plans to triple or more the number of H1b visas, because, you know, unemployed US STEM workers would have to be paid more. NO to Rubio.
7
This just highlighted for me what a bunch of old goats we have running for President. They won't live long enough for us to blame them for their mistakes.
I would guess the party machinery is full of old goats as well so what should we expect?
I would guess the party machinery is full of old goats as well so what should we expect?
1
By emphasizing his youth, Mr. Rubio is hoping that we will not notice the ages of his backers. Norman Braman and Sheldon Adelson are fine gentlemen but they are both aged 82.
3
I have long thought that Rubio will be the GOP nominee. My worry is that he will pick a young woman as his running mate (Vikki Haley might but they are both from the southeast) and really make that very message of ''we are the next generation and the future' mean something. Unfortunately the race to the lunatic fringe being led by Trump & Carson is making Rubio look almost reasonable by comparison.
2
You don't seem to know any young people or you would realize that young people aren't supporting Rubio.
5
I live in FL. Rubio, aka Dumbio, is an absent senator. His only communication to me was a letter which stated that all our problems could be solved with a $1 BILLION tax reduction, mainly for the wealthy and the big corporations, which would harken back to the Regan era.
6
A young man with out-of-date ideas. How novel.
40
The "Picture of Dorian Gray"comes to mind. The youthful, handsome exterior belies a horror.
33
Val in Brooklyn, NY to Diana in Centennial, Colorado
It's funny. I'm now 5 years older than Rubio and look far younger than he does. (His face has more lines than mine.) I'm not bragging. Trust me, sometimes looking younger than you are can feel like a curse.
I agree with you regarding the horror of Rubio. Handsome? You've a right to your opinion, of course, but I'd call him nondescript.
He is not eye candy--at all.
BTW, you do Oscar Wilde such an injustice with that comparison. Tee Hee!
Submitted 11-29-15@12:55 a.m. e.s.t.
It's funny. I'm now 5 years older than Rubio and look far younger than he does. (His face has more lines than mine.) I'm not bragging. Trust me, sometimes looking younger than you are can feel like a curse.
I agree with you regarding the horror of Rubio. Handsome? You've a right to your opinion, of course, but I'd call him nondescript.
He is not eye candy--at all.
BTW, you do Oscar Wilde such an injustice with that comparison. Tee Hee!
Submitted 11-29-15@12:55 a.m. e.s.t.
3
Maybe Marco will tell the American people that many of his advisors are former Cheney staffers, surely that will seal the deal?
33
Val in Brooklyn, NY to Marilynn
Former Cheney staffers? Cheney's people?? Really?? Bring on the nightmares!
Submitted 11/29/15@1:25 a.m. e.s.t.
Former Cheney staffers? Cheney's people?? Really?? Bring on the nightmares!
Submitted 11/29/15@1:25 a.m. e.s.t.
3
Senator Rubio's age was never an issue in this campaign. He simply has nothing new to offer America. He's more Janus figure than visionary; his face is set on a new presidency, but his views are decidedly backward-looking. The most obvious clue is his stridency over the President's Cuba initiative. Mr. Rubio is stuck in a time-warp. He lives in the Eisenhower 1950's. He harps on the Cuban people's repressive yoke. Why can't we be friends with Cuba? President Obama isn't afraid of the Castro brothers. The senator is fearful and doubtful of America's presence in the world. He wants a hard Cold War footing on which to wag his finger in the faces of Comrade Putin and other authoritarian regimes. They'd dismiss him as a laughable upstart and we'd be embarrassed for our country because a President Rubio would be humiliated on a public stage. How would he react? With bombs and boots to an affront to his dignity? He's young enough to be president but not wise enough by a wide margin. When he signed the famous Letter of 47 to Iran he demonstrated his willingness to follow an Arkansas senator, Tom Cotton, the merest amateur in international relations, in condemning the president's initiative with Iran. He promised, if elected, to overturn it. President Obama ran rings around the GOP/TP opposition and has in hand his greatest foreign policy achievement. It's not age Senator, it's smarts, and you don't have nearly enough for the world's toughest job.
37
V. in Bklyn, NY to soxared040713
Rubio and Janus. Precisely. Superb comparison.
Submitted 11/29/15@1:44 a.m. e.s.t.
Rubio and Janus. Precisely. Superb comparison.
Submitted 11/29/15@1:44 a.m. e.s.t.
4
Younger face, Grand OLD Party brain rooted in 1959 Cuban revolution geriatric Cold War mentality. Grow up into 2015 realities!
29
Marco Rubio. Fresh face, stale ideas.
33
It would be entertaining to say the least to watch a Trump-Rubio debate as the last two standing. How long could Rubio maintain his composure with all the insults and put-downs for an hour and a half?
14
I don't think Rubio would have the slightest problem with Trump. I'm sure he views him like most of the country, as a bombastic, old man.
1
Depressing to see these men tear the Country apart and cause this great divide among Americans.
2
The GOP tends to over reach and have a tin ear. Their appeal to a freaked out middle-aged white guy or trickle down oligarchs can never win the presidency. Rubio is like an old aunt, trying to sound hip, as though his boyishness & cultural allusions bestow special savvy on him. He's been coached to talk 'forcefully- loud & fast. This is a substitute for gravitas & real experience.
His only assets are political ambition, opportunism, and finding patrons.
He may develop true policy perspectives of his own and be credible in 2024. For now- he'll be lucky to get VP in 2016.
His only assets are political ambition, opportunism, and finding patrons.
He may develop true policy perspectives of his own and be credible in 2024. For now- he'll be lucky to get VP in 2016.
15
Others have said it best: Marco Rubio is an old person's idea of a young person.
42
Almost every recent poll shows Rubio beating Clinton by a largest margin of any of the Republicans.
5
You can site any poll you want ... but as it stands right now she will destroy him .. and Bernie Sanders could beat him too ...
27
Name the polls.
3
Senator Sanders will be lucky to win 4 states.
Mrs. Clinton will lose. Not just Rubio, but to a slew of other republicans.
Very tough to win 3 in a row.
And, she's got so much damaged baggage.
I the words of someone, maybe Trump, she's running
for POTUS in order to stay out of jail.
Mrs. Clinton will lose. Not just Rubio, but to a slew of other republicans.
Very tough to win 3 in a row.
And, she's got so much damaged baggage.
I the words of someone, maybe Trump, she's running
for POTUS in order to stay out of jail.
1
Rubio asserts that we must put God's laws,AKA Rubio's personal interpretation of the Bible, above those of the Supreme Court's judicial decisons or the United States Constitution. He preaches that a teenage girl violently raped must allow and nourish the assault on her body for 9 months. He preaches that women with serious medical issues during pregnancies should not be allowed to choose the best medical strategy for survival. I almost died giving birth to my daughter and had serious complications afterwards.
i don't care how old Rubio is but listening to him is chilling.
PS. His vision for Cuba is very 1959.
i don't care how old Rubio is but listening to him is chilling.
PS. His vision for Cuba is very 1959.
40
V. in Bklyn, NY to G.E. Morris
You're lucky to be here and we're lucky to have you here.
The gravity of what you've said here cannot be emphasized or stated enough. You've further underscored for me and everyone how personal the political truly is, and with potentially devastating, lethal consequences. This man is quite simply and very literally a danger to everything and everyone--everywhere.
Submitted 11/29/15@1:55 a.m. e.s.t.
You're lucky to be here and we're lucky to have you here.
The gravity of what you've said here cannot be emphasized or stated enough. You've further underscored for me and everyone how personal the political truly is, and with potentially devastating, lethal consequences. This man is quite simply and very literally a danger to everything and everyone--everywhere.
Submitted 11/29/15@1:55 a.m. e.s.t.
6
G.E. Morris
Awful to hear what this man is going on about. Glad you managed to pull through in giving birth to your child and I have no intention of listening to anything Rubio has to say. Call it instinct if you will, but having worked in the world of both measured and powerful Republican and Democrat politicians for nearly two decades, I can report with some certainty that this presidential hopeful is not going to last much longer in causing chills to run down one's spine.
Awful to hear what this man is going on about. Glad you managed to pull through in giving birth to your child and I have no intention of listening to anything Rubio has to say. Call it instinct if you will, but having worked in the world of both measured and powerful Republican and Democrat politicians for nearly two decades, I can report with some certainty that this presidential hopeful is not going to last much longer in causing chills to run down one's spine.
3
Republican Dan Quayle had his words used against him during the 1988 vice presidential debates after he likened his political experience to that of John F. Kennedy. Democratic opponent Lloyd Bentsen's response: "I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Quayle's miffed comeback — "That was really uncalled for, Senator" — had to wait until the laughter died down.
Senator (Part-time, at that) Rubio, you're no Jack Kennedy.
Can you visualize a debate between Jack Kennedy and Rubio? Or between Richard Nixon and Rubio? How about Rubio debating President Roosevelt or General of the Army Eisenhower?
Rubio's a lightweight who would be challenged as President of the University of Florida Student Council.
Senator (Part-time, at that) Rubio, you're no Jack Kennedy.
Can you visualize a debate between Jack Kennedy and Rubio? Or between Richard Nixon and Rubio? How about Rubio debating President Roosevelt or General of the Army Eisenhower?
Rubio's a lightweight who would be challenged as President of the University of Florida Student Council.
25
V. in Bklyn, NY to Phildo
Yep. You knew I was thinking of Dan Quayle, didn't you?
Submitted 11/29/15@1:41 a.m. e.s.t.
Yep. You knew I was thinking of Dan Quayle, didn't you?
Submitted 11/29/15@1:41 a.m. e.s.t.
2
It was quite funny and certainly memorable, one of those stunning moment in presidential elections and debates that one remembers. This American particularly enjoyed your last line.
3
The only craft Mr. Rubio has mastered is how to run to the right faster than other candidates. In that his youth is an advantage, it makes old stale position appear fresh to people who by now should be tired of hearing them. Furthermore he appears as a most reasonable fellow when compared to present front runners. The GOP establishment will let out a great sigh of relief if he ends up being the nominee, a vacuous youth being infinitely preferable to a bomb throwing blowhard or an extraterrestrial from a galaxy far far away.
13
Rubio is the youngest in the race and always talks about the future, but his ideas some of the oldest and most outdated, e.g.: relations with Cuba; abortion rights; the Cold War. It is a paradox. He is an old man trapped in a young man's body.
58
No "paradox", ignorance.
4
Why is it old fashion to stand up against a dictator who oppresses his people? The only people who will prosper under the new 'open Cuba', will be Miami business men selling Nike's and running tour shuttles. Perhaps Rubio believes the Cuban people have a right to free thought and speech.
2
Christine Lewis - Rubio doesn't believe that Americans should have the freedom to marry the person they love or make their own medical decisions. I'm sure he doesn't care at all about freedom in other countries.
3
The issue for Mr. Rubio is not his age, but his callowness.
30
If past is prologue, and those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it, it seems the best we might hope for from a Rubio administration is to wind up where we are at this moment. If things go well, that is.
There are better paths.
There are better paths.
14
Past IS prologue, and those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it,
3
My two millennial children will not vote for him over two topics at least Gay rights and Roe v WAde.
Here is a text conversation with one that I was trying to tell I was going to vote Trump in the primary and D in general:
Child: who are u voting 4
Me: this is a red state, so one has to vote in the primary to make your vote count.
Child: I don't care just give a name. I don't need a lecture
Me: if I vote in the primary for a democrat for Hillary or sanders it doesn't do a thing in this state. So I have to vote defensively. I have to vote against the Koch brothers.
Child: F stop giving me a lecture,
Child: shut up, why did I ask!
Me: who do you think I am voting for ?
Child: Bernie Sanders
Me: if he gets the democratic nod over Hillary then I will.
I showed my older daughter and she said I am going to tell her that you are voting for Trump in the Primary. Then she is going to call you a Bigot.
I said he is the best of all the R candidates. He is the only one not a Homophobic, Religious zealot, Koch brother puppet.
These millennialis won't vote R. They don't get voting the zealots out in the primary.
Rubio is a puppet that can't pay his mortgage. He wants to have a boat for the Maimi Vice lifestyle.
Here is a text conversation with one that I was trying to tell I was going to vote Trump in the primary and D in general:
Child: who are u voting 4
Me: this is a red state, so one has to vote in the primary to make your vote count.
Child: I don't care just give a name. I don't need a lecture
Me: if I vote in the primary for a democrat for Hillary or sanders it doesn't do a thing in this state. So I have to vote defensively. I have to vote against the Koch brothers.
Child: F stop giving me a lecture,
Child: shut up, why did I ask!
Me: who do you think I am voting for ?
Child: Bernie Sanders
Me: if he gets the democratic nod over Hillary then I will.
I showed my older daughter and she said I am going to tell her that you are voting for Trump in the Primary. Then she is going to call you a Bigot.
I said he is the best of all the R candidates. He is the only one not a Homophobic, Religious zealot, Koch brother puppet.
These millennialis won't vote R. They don't get voting the zealots out in the primary.
Rubio is a puppet that can't pay his mortgage. He wants to have a boat for the Maimi Vice lifestyle.
8
This is what we are seeing, our Country, missing one powerful political party, The Republican one. Many of our young and middle-aged children are not interested in what is happening, according to a seasoned American, a staunch Republican and a man of honor.
If we keep this up, and George Bush may be acknowledged as our last Republican President, hard to digest early on a Sunday but not within the realm of possibilities where anything seems to go.
Imagine if someone who was respected and recognized among both political parties were to wake up from a long rest. You are the messenger. Who is running, he asks? Your voice lowers and you hesitate.
'Jeb Bush' you venture 'seems to be in the lead'. Silence. 'there is also Donald Trump' you manage to squeak. What! says this distinguished American, this is no time for jokes. There are others, of course, you hastily add, but they are considered as dangerous lightweights.
What is going on, pursues your interrogator? I don't know, Sir. I believe we are witnessing an American tragedy. Here you do not dare to add that life has a singular way of falling into place, or any other such platitude. Sir, you say firmly, Hillary Clinton is in the running as the Democrat hopeful and I am voting for her because of her long experience. She has more character than ever, the road is hard going, but I believe we will unite to get America back on its feet.
If we keep this up, and George Bush may be acknowledged as our last Republican President, hard to digest early on a Sunday but not within the realm of possibilities where anything seems to go.
Imagine if someone who was respected and recognized among both political parties were to wake up from a long rest. You are the messenger. Who is running, he asks? Your voice lowers and you hesitate.
'Jeb Bush' you venture 'seems to be in the lead'. Silence. 'there is also Donald Trump' you manage to squeak. What! says this distinguished American, this is no time for jokes. There are others, of course, you hastily add, but they are considered as dangerous lightweights.
What is going on, pursues your interrogator? I don't know, Sir. I believe we are witnessing an American tragedy. Here you do not dare to add that life has a singular way of falling into place, or any other such platitude. Sir, you say firmly, Hillary Clinton is in the running as the Democrat hopeful and I am voting for her because of her long experience. She has more character than ever, the road is hard going, but I believe we will unite to get America back on its feet.
2
Living in a very red state, even more so than Georgia, I get the idea behind voting for the other party's most repulsive and least electable in the primary as to make him a guaranteed loser in the general, but what I don't get is this:
"These millennialis won't vote R. They don't get voting the zealots out in the primary."
Trump is the poster child for zealotry, even if the object of it is himself.
"These millennialis won't vote R. They don't get voting the zealots out in the primary."
Trump is the poster child for zealotry, even if the object of it is himself.
2
He is trying to garner the youth vote by emphasizing his age. But two things are against him: 1) the youth vote does not and 2) demographics--the majority of voters are in the upper-age demographics. But the worst deficit he faces is that he is just not presidential material.
32
Never thought in a jillion years I would say this, but if forced to choose a Republican candidate, I would take Rubio, the worst of the crazies over Trump. Even Cruz, as my fingers burn typing this. Trump has become a bombastic, nasty, lying, racist, evil little man. His antics and lies are getting old. All candidates from both sides should be forced to take I.Q tests, have mental fitness tests and throw in a lie detector for Trump and crowd. Thank God he can never win the general election. Jesus told me so.
11
Mr. Rubio's problem is not his youth per se, but, as many here point out,and putting other matters aside, he seems without any knowledge of the post WWII past, particularly as regards foreign policy. And we all know where that leads.
20
We've tried a young and inexperienced president -- in fact, the experiment is still under way. I hope we don't blunder our way along that route again. Give me a record of experience, open-minded intelligence, comity, and statesmanship. As if that's even possible with the crop of potential candidates we're looking at now . . . .
4
Oh I see, Obama was the savior, rammed down everybody's throat.. and now it's oh oops.. let's not do that again. I left the Democratic Party 7 years ago.. I could no longer bear the hypocrisy.
1
You must not own a home or have a 401k or you would have a greater appreciation of what President Obama has done for our country.
Rubio has never been and will never be half the man that President Obama is.
Rubio has never been and will never be half the man that President Obama is.
5
DR:
People without jobs or working at minimum wage tend to not consider themselves fortunate. There are large swaths of the country wherein people have been exiting jobs at a greater rate than entering them. They're hardly clicking their heels over 401k's.
Obama's a decent man and wonderful father. We're not married to him, nor are we his children. He's the executive of a government. Therein lies the problem.
People without jobs or working at minimum wage tend to not consider themselves fortunate. There are large swaths of the country wherein people have been exiting jobs at a greater rate than entering them. They're hardly clicking their heels over 401k's.
Obama's a decent man and wonderful father. We're not married to him, nor are we his children. He's the executive of a government. Therein lies the problem.
Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy.
15
I'm a liberal, 60-something year-old Democrat, and I agree... age is an important factor, and youth does matter, although forty-something is a bit more than youthful.But when we discuss age, factor that it is, let's be real. You still need to think the candidate will forward what you believe. Rubio is not my type of candidate, no matter his age. For that matter, neither is O'Malley, a man of my party, but that has nothing to do with age. Still, eliminate those two, and you are faced with a bunch of sixty-something and even 70-ish candidates... Bernie, Trump would be 70 by the time, God help us, that he became prez, Hillary nearly there herself. For me, this is truly a year not to look at age and just try to latch onto the best candidate.
15
Running on his youth worked well for JFK.
4
I am howling! Rubio is certainly not JFk.
8
This is what happens when conservatives listen too long to their own echo chamber. They start to believe the foul lies and deceptions they've oozed out to muddy the political water.
No, liberals don't just blindly follow identity politics. We didn't vote for Obama just because he was black. We voted for him because he seemed, rightly or wrongly, to be the best candidate who represented our interests. That's why Herman Cain never got any traction and why Ben Carson is similarly DOA, even among African Americans. We aren't interested in Clinton just because she's a woman. Fiorina and Palin mean nothing to us. And Jindal didn't stir our hearts because he's Indian American.
Get the picture? Rubio's youth means nothing unless he actually represents the interests of the progressive youth. Old whine from new baddies is still old whine.
No, liberals don't just blindly follow identity politics. We didn't vote for Obama just because he was black. We voted for him because he seemed, rightly or wrongly, to be the best candidate who represented our interests. That's why Herman Cain never got any traction and why Ben Carson is similarly DOA, even among African Americans. We aren't interested in Clinton just because she's a woman. Fiorina and Palin mean nothing to us. And Jindal didn't stir our hearts because he's Indian American.
Get the picture? Rubio's youth means nothing unless he actually represents the interests of the progressive youth. Old whine from new baddies is still old whine.
37
Nice effort at re-writing history.
2
Amy,
Please elaborate, point-by-point. I'm with XigXag.
K
Please elaborate, point-by-point. I'm with XigXag.
K
10
Talking points and a jaw that can't stop flapping mated to the same old, Republican nonsense.
19
This guy is one of those slippery, fraternity guys who has a lot of skeletons in his closet and the Clinton campaign is just waiting patiently for his nomination so they can launch a full scale character assault on him and his family. Don't underestimate Hillary, she didn't ascend to her political platitudes by playing nice. She is older, wiser and just as mean and dirty as the rest of them..
15
Rubio being "too much like President Obama", may play well with the GOP base or others who reflexively hate our president, but to those of us who live in reality know better. President Obama successfully lead us through the Great Recession, passed universal health care, caught Osama Bin Laden, and ended two wars He will go down in history with Lincoln and FDR as one of our great presidents. Rubio on the other hand drinks from the well of the same bad old ideas that wound us up in the problems Obama had to save us from.
Listening to him and reading his policies on his website, it seems Rubio is right about one thing: he's no President Obama.
Listening to him and reading his policies on his website, it seems Rubio is right about one thing: he's no President Obama.
32
I will agree with most of what you've said, S.G., though President Obama is not quite the liberal he's blasphemed by the right as being, and that I had hoped for. However, he did not pass universal health care. Many millions are still without because in the end, this was written by and a bone for the insurance industry, as well as the fact that many R governors refused to expand Medicaid, even on the federal dime and none of their own state's.
1
Wants to enforce a no fly zone over Syria. In opposition to nuclearly armed Russia. And you thought the cold war was over. Rubio picking a fight with Putin could make 9/11 look trivial. The man is a clear and present danger.
15
Mr Rubio still has the "Water Boy" image in the minds of voters when Republicans put him on TV to offer the rebuttal to President Obama, which reinforces the impression of someone not ready for Prime Time and whose ambitions outweigh his accomplishments & abilities.
For all the nonsense about being young or Hispanic, the bottom line is he has aligned himself with policies & a party desperately out of step with where America is going. Instead of offering leadership within the Party on issues where they are leaning against the trends of population & demographics he has chosen to pander to the aging base of NeoConservatives.
I am not registered with any Party and have voted for members of both. I once felt closer to the Republicans because they once embraced change, challenged outdated orthodoxy, looked forward and embraced openness. The Republican Party today embraces a past that never was, fears the future, tries to deny voters their franchise, embraces secret and less open governance, supports the national security state, has yet to see a war it does not like, is willing to abandon the most vulnerable Americans and endlessly tries to undermine environmental and consumer regulations. Mr Rubio has not shown a willingness or intention to change that course.
I am willing to vote for any candidate that is smart, informed, open minded, considerate of opposing views and reasonably open. Marco Rubio is not that person.
For all the nonsense about being young or Hispanic, the bottom line is he has aligned himself with policies & a party desperately out of step with where America is going. Instead of offering leadership within the Party on issues where they are leaning against the trends of population & demographics he has chosen to pander to the aging base of NeoConservatives.
I am not registered with any Party and have voted for members of both. I once felt closer to the Republicans because they once embraced change, challenged outdated orthodoxy, looked forward and embraced openness. The Republican Party today embraces a past that never was, fears the future, tries to deny voters their franchise, embraces secret and less open governance, supports the national security state, has yet to see a war it does not like, is willing to abandon the most vulnerable Americans and endlessly tries to undermine environmental and consumer regulations. Mr Rubio has not shown a willingness or intention to change that course.
I am willing to vote for any candidate that is smart, informed, open minded, considerate of opposing views and reasonably open. Marco Rubio is not that person.
29
Has our national media determined whether Rubio's family lived under Dictator Batista enrichment and crime syndicate umbrella, and or what his father's political influences were to him as they did with Barack Obama Sr?
So far, information coming out of Florida, albeit from friends of Jeb's, Rubio is a grifter looking for that big pay day.
Insofar as an outline of his profile, which can readily be determined, he will be an Israeli War Hawk, already promising to tear up Iran nuke agreement. And as evidenced by favorable pieces from Charles Krauthammer's 'peaceniks' he is sought as Netanyahu's shotgun, therefore if elected we would be in for bumpy Middle East excursions.
Rubio might think to garner even more support from evangelicals,(especially from the 'end of timers') if he just reminds them of biblical quote that 'a child shall lead them.' Hallelujah!
So far, information coming out of Florida, albeit from friends of Jeb's, Rubio is a grifter looking for that big pay day.
Insofar as an outline of his profile, which can readily be determined, he will be an Israeli War Hawk, already promising to tear up Iran nuke agreement. And as evidenced by favorable pieces from Charles Krauthammer's 'peaceniks' he is sought as Netanyahu's shotgun, therefore if elected we would be in for bumpy Middle East excursions.
Rubio might think to garner even more support from evangelicals,(especially from the 'end of timers') if he just reminds them of biblical quote that 'a child shall lead them.' Hallelujah!
7
Electing an inexperience candidate like Marco Rubio who has a bad history with his finances will certainly guarantee the U.S. economy will be hurled into another deep recession. His policies and economic stance is no different than the other GOP candidates: cut taxes for the rich, trickle-down economics, repeal ObamaCare, less government, and more war in the Middle East. It's a huge gamble for America to elect Rubio into becoming president.
42
He sure ain't no scientist, that much is certain. Why is it that really smart people do not run for potus? The vetting of the most important person should include an IQ test. Non of these clowns would break 110.
13
Our friend, G.W. wasn't the first anti-intellectual to hold the office, but he rode that horse for all it was worth, citing God and his gut as the only deciders he needed, and firmly entrenched the idea that intelligence and education were not what murica wants in its leaders.
9
Young man. Old, old, old ideas. Give him the gate.
38
As a long term Floridian, I would never support Rubio. His record speaks for itself.....an arrogant individual who cannot keep his attention on whatever he does. He didn't like his law firm; he left. He didn't like the Florida state legislature; he left. He didn't like the US Senate, he wants to leave...unfortunately for the highest position in the land, the presidency. He has a history of personal debt and the inability to focus on his job. Good luck to those who think he's the answer....HE'S NOT.
71
Among the Republican candidates, Rubio is the emptiest of 15 empty suits.
19
Alas, not the case. A terrible bunch, every one of them.
15
It's not his age that concerns me. It's his extreme positions on social issues , his reckless positions on fiscal/economic issues, and his dangerous positions on foreign issues. Rubio is a Neocon. The picture says it all. '(Project) for A New American Century...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_for_the_New_American_Century
20
What is notable is the fact that nowhere in this artilce is it mentioned that Marc Rubio is a member of Generation. Those Americans born between 1965-1979.
The entire article discusses millnenials an baby boomers and pretty much everyone else but Gen X'ers. Ignoring, obscuring or just outright dismissing our generation (Generation X) seems to be pretty routine. We are often treated as the often overlooked middle child or distant cousin that we see once in a blue moon are often fail to acknowledge. The fact is the is is us Generation X'ers that are doing the quiet work behind the scenes that is making life easier for all of us as well as cleaning up the mess that baby boomers made and millennials are too inept or immature to handle.
The entire article discusses millnenials an baby boomers and pretty much everyone else but Gen X'ers. Ignoring, obscuring or just outright dismissing our generation (Generation X) seems to be pretty routine. We are often treated as the often overlooked middle child or distant cousin that we see once in a blue moon are often fail to acknowledge. The fact is the is is us Generation X'ers that are doing the quiet work behind the scenes that is making life easier for all of us as well as cleaning up the mess that baby boomers made and millennials are too inept or immature to handle.
9
This is a great post. Thank you.
1
Marco Rubio is claiming as a virtue what he is not: not middle aged, not experienced. His policy positions are also negative claims: not Obama, not bought, etc. And, he wants to be the nominee of the party defined in its current iteration by what it is not: not for choice, not for international negotiations, not for differentiating a human being from a corporation, not for government (except, of course, when it comes to intruding on your personal life.) Undoubtedly his favorite movie is Dr. No, (though Ben Carson may have bought the copyright to use the name.)
Youth is one thing. Inexperience is another. Both Bush II and Obama lacked experience, (though of different sorts.) America has not been served well by that. Rubio and most of the other Republican candidates are trying to make a virtue of their lack of experience, though described in other terms.
In the real world, rhetorical declarations of toughness and moral purity lose out to experience and the ability to adapt to a changing landscape. Imagining Rubio navigating a world being manipulated by Putin, Xi Jinping, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Assad, ISIS, Al Qaeda, etc. is beyond my otherwise fertile imagination.
Youth is one thing. Inexperience is another. Both Bush II and Obama lacked experience, (though of different sorts.) America has not been served well by that. Rubio and most of the other Republican candidates are trying to make a virtue of their lack of experience, though described in other terms.
In the real world, rhetorical declarations of toughness and moral purity lose out to experience and the ability to adapt to a changing landscape. Imagining Rubio navigating a world being manipulated by Putin, Xi Jinping, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Assad, ISIS, Al Qaeda, etc. is beyond my otherwise fertile imagination.
10
Rubio's transparently raw ambition is embarrassing. He was admittedly terrible in school (couldn't concentrate) and sloppy with finances which he blames on "having been poor." It's about attention to detail. I don't want an elected official with a short attention span who, out of frustration, boredom, whatever, doesn't show up to do the job he's elected to do. Imagine him sitting down with Putin. Or playing hardball with China. Compare the maturity, consistency, humility, and intellectual rigor of, say, a Bernie Sanders to Rubio. I see him as not much more than a brass-ring grabbing kid always looking for the next carnival.
40
Marco Rubio REALITY-CHECK= Everything he is "running on" is either an outright lie, or deceptive con-game
I couldn't care less about his age, what matters is his "agenda"
. . . and like everyone else in the GOP Primary, his agenda is 100% support for further wealth transfers from everyone else TO: the 1%
His secondary agenda is to pander to the ReligiousConservatives and the NRA, because without their backing, no GOP Politician will ever get their campaign off the ground and into the air.
His 3rd-level agenda is to try to sell his New-ideas agenda to anybody stupid enough to fall for it.
There is a 2 stage reality-check on this topic:
1) It isn't new ideas that our country needs, it is the old ideas, and our model should be Pres Eisenhower from the 1950s. His agenda was to respect the NewDeal SafetyNet programs, even though he, personally didn't agree with them 100%. Second, he thought we needed to live within our means as a country, and pay off our debts
To that end, he refused to go along with the majority position of his own party and cut taxes, because we still owed a massive amount of money that was borrowed to finance WWII
2) The voting public is too ignorant to support sound policies, since they have largely bought into the notion that money grows on trees. And along with this, we have a situation, where nobody can make it through either of the primaries without pandering to their bases
LASTLY, past 2yrs, Rubio has studied hard to become a 1st rate doubletalker
I couldn't care less about his age, what matters is his "agenda"
. . . and like everyone else in the GOP Primary, his agenda is 100% support for further wealth transfers from everyone else TO: the 1%
His secondary agenda is to pander to the ReligiousConservatives and the NRA, because without their backing, no GOP Politician will ever get their campaign off the ground and into the air.
His 3rd-level agenda is to try to sell his New-ideas agenda to anybody stupid enough to fall for it.
There is a 2 stage reality-check on this topic:
1) It isn't new ideas that our country needs, it is the old ideas, and our model should be Pres Eisenhower from the 1950s. His agenda was to respect the NewDeal SafetyNet programs, even though he, personally didn't agree with them 100%. Second, he thought we needed to live within our means as a country, and pay off our debts
To that end, he refused to go along with the majority position of his own party and cut taxes, because we still owed a massive amount of money that was borrowed to finance WWII
2) The voting public is too ignorant to support sound policies, since they have largely bought into the notion that money grows on trees. And along with this, we have a situation, where nobody can make it through either of the primaries without pandering to their bases
LASTLY, past 2yrs, Rubio has studied hard to become a 1st rate doubletalker
26
I suppose if it came down to Rubio versus Clinton, then the choice would indeed be difficult. On one hand, we have a candidate that has had trouble paying his credit cards. On the other, we have a candidate who has no record of credit cards.
4
So Cato prefers a neocon who wants to start another md east war on a credit card that the US or he cannot pay?
12
In today's complex world last thing we need is an inexperienced president with very little global knowledge and who cannot manage his own credit cards. Can you imagine what he would do with the US budget? Newbies need not apply for president.
19
Rubio maybe relatively young in years but very old in ideas.
His adherence to supply side economics is mired in the eighties , his Cuban , Iran policy in the fifties and his immigration policy or lack of it in the dark ages.
Just a few examples but none of this is surprising as his mentor is in his eighties
His adherence to supply side economics is mired in the eighties , his Cuban , Iran policy in the fifties and his immigration policy or lack of it in the dark ages.
Just a few examples but none of this is surprising as his mentor is in his eighties
26
I find adequate reason to dismiss Mr. Rubio precisely because he is being endorsed by Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-3).
I live in Washington's Third District and I find her judgment to be suspect in almost every action (and inaction) she perpetrates.
I can see why she supports him, though; he has a penchant for missing votes. Beutler has missed 10.9% (370 out of 3,379) of her votes...a little less than 5x the median lifetime votes missed by House members (2.2%). Rubio has a non-existent record of achievement in the Senate. Beutler has sponsored all of 7 bills in three terms...addressing vital issues like the Dungeness Crab catch off the Northwest Coast. Rubio parrots old, tired GOP ideas. Beutler has voted on party lines 89% of the time (why, that's almost 90%!). These votes include defunding Planned Parenthood, gutting SNAP (i.e., food stamps for women and infants) while increasing agricultural subsidies for corporate farming; defunding the Affordable Care Act (multiple times) while enjoying her gold-plated insurance policy courtesy of the taxpayers; denying the Executive Branch the right to manage foreign policy by limiting the application of sanctions against Iran.
If this is the kind of endorsements Marco Rubio is collecting, then I don't want him in the capital at all much less in the White House.
I live in Washington's Third District and I find her judgment to be suspect in almost every action (and inaction) she perpetrates.
I can see why she supports him, though; he has a penchant for missing votes. Beutler has missed 10.9% (370 out of 3,379) of her votes...a little less than 5x the median lifetime votes missed by House members (2.2%). Rubio has a non-existent record of achievement in the Senate. Beutler has sponsored all of 7 bills in three terms...addressing vital issues like the Dungeness Crab catch off the Northwest Coast. Rubio parrots old, tired GOP ideas. Beutler has voted on party lines 89% of the time (why, that's almost 90%!). These votes include defunding Planned Parenthood, gutting SNAP (i.e., food stamps for women and infants) while increasing agricultural subsidies for corporate farming; defunding the Affordable Care Act (multiple times) while enjoying her gold-plated insurance policy courtesy of the taxpayers; denying the Executive Branch the right to manage foreign policy by limiting the application of sanctions against Iran.
If this is the kind of endorsements Marco Rubio is collecting, then I don't want him in the capital at all much less in the White House.
15
Given everything you say about Beutler, why in the world have people in your district voted for her??? She must be as lazy and suspect as Rubio.
1
Sonora doc...good question. We have a rural, fundamentalist and not very curious electorate; when the more urbanized areas turn out the progressives do reasonably well. She is a distaff replica of Rubio...an attractive mouthpiece and complete empty suit.
5
No Neophytes need Apply.
9
Forgive me for not providing the appropriate data, but I would guess that young people are more likely to empathize with a candidate whose credit-card history has drawn scrutiny.
6
He has trouble paying his credit card because he lives way beyond his means. For example he paid for a $10,000 family reunion in Las Vegas using the Republican party credit card. How many young people are doing that?
But yet he will lecture us on how the federal government spends more than it takes in.
But yet he will lecture us on how the federal government spends more than it takes in.
27
They might empathize but they won't want that kind of person in charge of economic decisions that will impact them.
1
I still haven't figured out the connection between a face that still has dried pablum on it and a credible presence on the world stage. Can anyone help me with that?
19
obviously Mr. Rubio has not heard the saying "old age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill" I can almost guarantee the the Clintons know the saying
5
Take the "skill" out of that saying and you've got the situation pegged.
2
What's this? America, the Land of the Beautiful and Young and Short-Memory? Mr. Rubio is not aware that this card is stale, and that Dan Quayle has played this already?
When Dan Quayle compared himself to J.F.K. in a debate with Senator Lloyd Bentsen, the Nation stood still with its mouth open like a carp, when the seasoned Senator turned on him and told him 'I knew John Kennedy, and you are no Jack Kennedy' (or something equally to the point). Silence.
Not only does Marco Rubio have a fresh face, but he sounds fresh. He reminds this American of my young banker who laughed in my face in 2007 when I asked if we could ever have another Great Depression and he gave me a kindly pat on the head.
Keep on talking, Mr. Rubio, because American voters might want to know what is in your head, and not your date of birth. And some of us perhaps are not going to vote for you either on the basis that you know how to spell 'potato'.
A 'New American Century', and what is that supposed to mean? Perhaps Mr. Rubio is thinking of the American Dream and the Great Gadsby. All this brings to mind is a waste of time and a recent survey on why middle-aged men are suffering from depression.
Enough already with wasting our time and let us start getting serious
When Dan Quayle compared himself to J.F.K. in a debate with Senator Lloyd Bentsen, the Nation stood still with its mouth open like a carp, when the seasoned Senator turned on him and told him 'I knew John Kennedy, and you are no Jack Kennedy' (or something equally to the point). Silence.
Not only does Marco Rubio have a fresh face, but he sounds fresh. He reminds this American of my young banker who laughed in my face in 2007 when I asked if we could ever have another Great Depression and he gave me a kindly pat on the head.
Keep on talking, Mr. Rubio, because American voters might want to know what is in your head, and not your date of birth. And some of us perhaps are not going to vote for you either on the basis that you know how to spell 'potato'.
A 'New American Century', and what is that supposed to mean? Perhaps Mr. Rubio is thinking of the American Dream and the Great Gadsby. All this brings to mind is a waste of time and a recent survey on why middle-aged men are suffering from depression.
Enough already with wasting our time and let us start getting serious
20
Rubio is a freshman senator, as is Ted Cruz, with little actual political experience or credentials. While he is campaigning for president, his senate duties have been neglected and his job performance is less than satisfactory. I see Rubio as a glory-seeker, who has now become the political puppet of multiple special-interest groups, who are pouring millions of dollars into his campaign in exchange for a candidate they can control.
30
Sounds like our current Pres.
3
No. More like George W.
17
Republicans Wake up. You can gerrymander Representatives and Senators but for the Presidency, you actually have to have someone who, on a policy level, occupies the middle ground and can think, lead and make decisions on his, or her own. If Rubio becomes the Republican nominee, his utter lack of experience and uninformed world view will indeed condemn his campaign to the lost column. Perhaps Mr. Rubio will suggest that like G. Bush, he will surround himself with wisdom such as the kind that Dick and Don dispensed to their feckless leader.
27
How can you gerrymander a senate seat?
I'm in Marco. You are young, optimistic, idealistic, and remind me of JFK, and I was a big supporter of Camelot.
Hillary is ther usual dynastic politician, tolerating Bill only to "get her shot." Rubio's PAC monies' origins are nowhere near as obsure as the "Clinton Foundation." I do not believe a word Hillry says, and that was before Benghazi, being "shot at" in Bosnia, and the State Dept. emails." The woman has not yet met the truth, except her dislike of Bill, whom she tolerates so she can get her chance to lead. The whole thing is putrid, and I'm a Democrat, albeit from the old union Democrats who protected the working man.
Anyway, Marco, do not despair from the Posters here.plenty of us are with you. Vaya con dios y bueno suerte.
Hillary is ther usual dynastic politician, tolerating Bill only to "get her shot." Rubio's PAC monies' origins are nowhere near as obsure as the "Clinton Foundation." I do not believe a word Hillry says, and that was before Benghazi, being "shot at" in Bosnia, and the State Dept. emails." The woman has not yet met the truth, except her dislike of Bill, whom she tolerates so she can get her chance to lead. The whole thing is putrid, and I'm a Democrat, albeit from the old union Democrats who protected the working man.
Anyway, Marco, do not despair from the Posters here.plenty of us are with you. Vaya con dios y bueno suerte.
6
Seriously?
9
Notice how you have only the vaguest platitudes to say about Rubio, compared to how many words you spend disparaging Hillary, as if that hatred for Hillary somehow justifies your support for a Senator who hates his Senate job and is now running for president only so he can quit his job and move up?
15
But he and his backers are hardcore anti-union Jub. And against any legislation that can help the average working man, like raising the minimum wage.
Think it through brother...
Think it through brother...
31
Age aside, Rubio's a lightweight, and disingenuous to boot. And, no need to wait until he's up against the Democratic nominee for this to become clear. It's already obvious.
37
Wait a minute! We went from Bill Clinton and Bush Junior (both born in 1946), to Obama (born 1961) and skipped a 15-year period that gave us Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (both born in my birth year, 1955). OK, Mike Huckabee was also born in 1955, but we'll keep ignoring him!
7
I don't care how young or old he is. He believes that there should be no exception in the case of rape and incest (which is, of course, rape). In his opinion, young girls should bear their rapist's child. And their rapist can be their own father. Makes no difference to him. He would force her to bear it.
Unthinkable. Unconscionable. Horrific. I have no use for this 'young' man. And I hope the majority of Americans have no use for him either.
Unthinkable. Unconscionable. Horrific. I have no use for this 'young' man. And I hope the majority of Americans have no use for him either.
81
Same tired, old, liberal talking points.. "old" being the operative word. Only 1% of abortions are due to 'rape and incest'.
Rubio has never said he is against exceptions for rape or incest.. you must have gotten that off Hillary's website.
Here is what Rubio said,
"In an interview with The Associated Press, Rubio said he unequivocally backs abortion exceptions when the life of the mother is in danger. He said he also would back legislation with allowances for cases of rape and incest — even though he personally doesn't support those exceptions.
Rubio has never said he is against exceptions for rape or incest.. you must have gotten that off Hillary's website.
Here is what Rubio said,
"In an interview with The Associated Press, Rubio said he unequivocally backs abortion exceptions when the life of the mother is in danger. He said he also would back legislation with allowances for cases of rape and incest — even though he personally doesn't support those exceptions.
1
You're the one who's got it wrong. He said very clearly in one of the GOP debates that he's never supported ANY exception for abortions. And now in his weasly way he's saying well he'd support legislation with some exceptions because at least it would somewhat restrict abortions. It's the typical Rubio modus operandi of straddling as many positions as possible (see immigration reform).
But why even quibble about this? The bottom line is that he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, so is hardly Mr. "New American Century." All of his positions are retro and are anathema to young voters. He's older in spirit than both Sanders and Clinton, and that's what counts.
But why even quibble about this? The bottom line is that he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, so is hardly Mr. "New American Century." All of his positions are retro and are anathema to young voters. He's older in spirit than both Sanders and Clinton, and that's what counts.
11
I have watched every debate and never heard what you apparently did.
Nonetheless, Roe V Wade can only be overturned by the Supreme Court, which they won't do. Presidents don't make or change laws.. so it's a moot point. If Rubio is pro life that is his choice. I prefer a candidate who errs on the side of life. Abortion is one of the old, tired 'baby boomer' issues.. that few consider when voting.
Nonetheless, Roe V Wade can only be overturned by the Supreme Court, which they won't do. Presidents don't make or change laws.. so it's a moot point. If Rubio is pro life that is his choice. I prefer a candidate who errs on the side of life. Abortion is one of the old, tired 'baby boomer' issues.. that few consider when voting.
1
Many of us in Florida realize that Rubio has been a non-entity as US Senator. He has accomplished nothing while being in office--other than using his position to further is personal ambition. His positions seem to change with the political winds and now he is trying to out Trump, Trump in terms of his right wing credentials.
He is an dangerous candidate.
He is an dangerous candidate.
44
Marco Rubio wants to repeal Obamacare.
He wants to repeal the Iran nuclear treaty.
He wants to repeal diplomatic relations with Cuba.
He has doubts about evolution.
Rubio is staunchly anti-abortion and has said he personally opposes abortion in cases of rape and incest.
Marco Rubio gets a huge amount of political funding from 83-year-car-dealer-billionaire-war-hawk and Norman Braman 82-year-old casino-magnate-billionaire-war-hawk Sheldon Adelson.
Marco Rubio's youthful 'New American Century' looks a lot like the middle of last century run by a bunch of rich, old white men looking for war and misogyny and a good con man to dupe the masses with right-wing swill.
He wants to repeal the Iran nuclear treaty.
He wants to repeal diplomatic relations with Cuba.
He has doubts about evolution.
Rubio is staunchly anti-abortion and has said he personally opposes abortion in cases of rape and incest.
Marco Rubio gets a huge amount of political funding from 83-year-car-dealer-billionaire-war-hawk and Norman Braman 82-year-old casino-magnate-billionaire-war-hawk Sheldon Adelson.
Marco Rubio's youthful 'New American Century' looks a lot like the middle of last century run by a bunch of rich, old white men looking for war and misogyny and a good con man to dupe the masses with right-wing swill.
188
My sentiments exactly Socrates. That's why I got a laugh when Rubio says “Not only are our leaders out of touch, they’re outdated in their ideas”
I would only add that his "tax reform" plan, which benefits mostly the 1% while providing no relief to the middle class, would add almost 12 trillions dollars to the deficit. His plan is more of the failed trickle down economics that George W. Bush tried
"A Citizens for Tax Justice's analysis of Republican presidential contender Marco Rubio’s tax proposal found that the senator’s plan would give the biggest tax cut to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans and balloon the national debt by $11.8 trillion over a decade.
Rubio’s plan hugely favors the wealthy. And by reducing revenues by almost $12 billion over a decade, his plan will require draconian cuts to essential public services and likely wreck our economy.
The top 1 percent would receive an average tax cut of $223,783 under Rubio’s proposal. Lower income groups would also receive significant tax cuts under Rubio’s plan, but his campaign is already backtracking on its own claims of just how generous its cuts would be for the poor."
I would only add that his "tax reform" plan, which benefits mostly the 1% while providing no relief to the middle class, would add almost 12 trillions dollars to the deficit. His plan is more of the failed trickle down economics that George W. Bush tried
"A Citizens for Tax Justice's analysis of Republican presidential contender Marco Rubio’s tax proposal found that the senator’s plan would give the biggest tax cut to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans and balloon the national debt by $11.8 trillion over a decade.
Rubio’s plan hugely favors the wealthy. And by reducing revenues by almost $12 billion over a decade, his plan will require draconian cuts to essential public services and likely wreck our economy.
The top 1 percent would receive an average tax cut of $223,783 under Rubio’s proposal. Lower income groups would also receive significant tax cuts under Rubio’s plan, but his campaign is already backtracking on its own claims of just how generous its cuts would be for the poor."
23
Socrates;
Rubio should take his lead from the 9/11 patron Saint-aka Rudy Giuliani-who did not won a single vote in his doomed run in 2008.
Sounding like a robot parrot with 9/11 his 2nd word out of his mouth:
My 9/11 name 9/11 Rudy 9/11 running 9/11 for 9/11 president 9/11 of 9/11 United 9/11 States 9/11...9/11...9/11...9/11
The good citizens of Iowa said thanks Mr. Giuliani...but we pass
They will say the same for Rubio and Cruz
Rubio should take his lead from the 9/11 patron Saint-aka Rudy Giuliani-who did not won a single vote in his doomed run in 2008.
Sounding like a robot parrot with 9/11 his 2nd word out of his mouth:
My 9/11 name 9/11 Rudy 9/11 running 9/11 for 9/11 president 9/11 of 9/11 United 9/11 States 9/11...9/11...9/11...9/11
The good citizens of Iowa said thanks Mr. Giuliani...but we pass
They will say the same for Rubio and Cruz
2
Well said Socrates, well said.
3
Rubio is an interesting case. We should look to history for comparanda. Perhaps it is not just about age in biological years, but rather perception. JFK was perceived to be "young", of the moment and relevant, so too Tony Blair, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton have also benefited from being perceived as "young" or at least, in touch with the young (gen X, Y, millenials), not to say Bernie Sanders, whose popularity among young liberals, speaks to how issues can trump image to some extent (no pun intended).
If we look to ancient Rome, age hierarchies were firmly entrenched in politics, to the point that age requirements for office holding were enshrined in law and tradition. But this never stopped certain young individuals from circumventing these barriers to power. Augustus, however, was the only one to turn his youth from a disadvantage into a real advantage, as it allowed him to emphasize the "rejuventation" of the Roman state and a clean break from a period of civil wars, and so, to offer the promise of a new generation, a "new golden age" for Rome. In many ways, Rubio is simply taking a page out of this kind of playbook. To be sure, the circumstances of both men are vastly different (Augustus was, as the venerable Sir Ronald Syme once wrote, "a chill and mature terrorist", if not *the* historical model for Mussolini and his Facist Italy), but they highlight how youth is not necessarily an impediment to office and power, but rather, it can be an effective pathway.
If we look to ancient Rome, age hierarchies were firmly entrenched in politics, to the point that age requirements for office holding were enshrined in law and tradition. But this never stopped certain young individuals from circumventing these barriers to power. Augustus, however, was the only one to turn his youth from a disadvantage into a real advantage, as it allowed him to emphasize the "rejuventation" of the Roman state and a clean break from a period of civil wars, and so, to offer the promise of a new generation, a "new golden age" for Rome. In many ways, Rubio is simply taking a page out of this kind of playbook. To be sure, the circumstances of both men are vastly different (Augustus was, as the venerable Sir Ronald Syme once wrote, "a chill and mature terrorist", if not *the* historical model for Mussolini and his Facist Italy), but they highlight how youth is not necessarily an impediment to office and power, but rather, it can be an effective pathway.
3
The one benefit of being old or older is experience. You know what it's like to be a teenager, an adult, a parent, a soldier. Chances are you have experienced the death of close family, perhaps have been in combat. If you have worked you may know firsthand what it's like to be laid off or fired and the terrible fear of losing all you've worked for. If you've been in business, you learned to hold your tongue and how to work with others or else you were out on your bun. Perhaps you started a business. You probably know illness and have a perspective on the brevity of life, and often what seemed so important now with the perspective of time recedes to a more proper balance. Differences between people often seem less significant and what binds them more so.
Of course being older doesn't guarantee all those things, but some can only come with time and age. Some have hard lives and learned truths early, that doesn't seem to be the case with Rubio.
Of course being older doesn't guarantee all those things, but some can only come with time and age. Some have hard lives and learned truths early, that doesn't seem to be the case with Rubio.
21
Interesting facts, link included below.
While campaigning for the Democratic nomination in 2008, then-Sen. Obama of Illinois missed 64.3 percent of votes in calendar year 2008, according to the website GovTrack.us, which tracks missed votes by members of Congress.
Obama, who announced he was running for president in February 2007, missed 37.6 percent of votes that year. So, over the nearly two years that Obama was a candidate for president, he missed 46.3 percent of votes in the Senate.
John Kerry, who was the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, missed 89.8 percent of the votes that year, while he was still a U.S. senator for Massachusetts. Kerry also missed 64.1 percent of votes in 2003, but he didn’t formally announce he was seeking the Democratic nomination until September of that year.
Rubio, at 33.7 percent, has missed the most votes this year of the five senators currently seeking the presidency. And Sen. Bernie Sanders, at 3.4 percent, has missed the fewest.
http://www.factcheck.org/2015/11/senators-missing-votes/
While campaigning for the Democratic nomination in 2008, then-Sen. Obama of Illinois missed 64.3 percent of votes in calendar year 2008, according to the website GovTrack.us, which tracks missed votes by members of Congress.
Obama, who announced he was running for president in February 2007, missed 37.6 percent of votes that year. So, over the nearly two years that Obama was a candidate for president, he missed 46.3 percent of votes in the Senate.
John Kerry, who was the Democratic nominee for president in 2004, missed 89.8 percent of the votes that year, while he was still a U.S. senator for Massachusetts. Kerry also missed 64.1 percent of votes in 2003, but he didn’t formally announce he was seeking the Democratic nomination until September of that year.
Rubio, at 33.7 percent, has missed the most votes this year of the five senators currently seeking the presidency. And Sen. Bernie Sanders, at 3.4 percent, has missed the fewest.
http://www.factcheck.org/2015/11/senators-missing-votes/
2
Obama isn't running for president, genius.
11
There was an interesting article about the use of the Republican Amex credit card by Rubio. He by accident reached into his back pocket and pulled it out instead of his personal Amex credit card .
Which rose a bunch of questions for me.. if he had two credit cards
( Republican party and personal), why in the world did he ever put his personal expenses on the Republican card? Yes, he paid them off, but commingling the two .. not a good idea.
If you want to stand apart from Hillary ( and the use of her not for profit that seems like her own piggy bank), the Republican candidate needs to be squeaky clean.
Which rose a bunch of questions for me.. if he had two credit cards
( Republican party and personal), why in the world did he ever put his personal expenses on the Republican card? Yes, he paid them off, but commingling the two .. not a good idea.
If you want to stand apart from Hillary ( and the use of her not for profit that seems like her own piggy bank), the Republican candidate needs to be squeaky clean.
4
"Yesterday's over," Rubio likes to say? So are his utterly retro positions: anti-gay rights; favors denying women the right to an abortion even to save the woman's life; climate change denier; trickle-down economics; wants to roll back diplomatic relations with Cuba. All so yesterday, and all so over.
33
It is not how old Rubio is but rather how much independence, honesty, intelligence and common sense he has.
9
Yes, toom. That would be none.
12
Great moment for me! I have been waiting and waiting to comment on Rubio's candidacy. He is too young, too arrogant, and too clueless as to his responsibilities to be president. Who does that sound like, hmmmm? My own "legacy," I fear, is to put up yet another adolescent in the White House. (You too, you know.) Whatever became of presidents like TR, and maybe Truman and Reagan, who had a little juice?
5
I could never vote for Mr. Rubio for many reasons, but am glad he has addressed the issue of age. Age does(and should) matter. I fail to understand how the DNC can promote two old people rehashing old, failed ideas. With over three hundred million residents in this country, can't they find someone younger to take the country's leadership.? Electing Clinton or Sanders is really scary because one has to wonder if they'll last long enough to fill out the term. Also, with so many nations at loggerheads with each other, the position demands quick and accurate assessment and an ever-changing plan of action. Seventy somethings cannot fulfill this role.
3
I know plenty of people in their seventies who are very competent. I know plenty of people in their twenties through sixties who are, too. Your argument says more about you and your prejudices than it does about the candidates you disdain. I'm surprised the Times gave your comment a 'pick'.
15
I'm sixty eight years old. I know my limitations and those of us in this age group. Competency is one thing- the ability to focus and react is quite another. Whether it be as simple as operating a vehicle or making quick rational decisions, those of us in this age group are not going to be able to compete with those who are 55 and under. When (if) you attain this age level, hopefully you will understand this process.
3
And GWB could? Smh
4
I assume that Rubio will, in the end, be the GOP nominee. When I imagine him debating Hillary, I get the image of a callow little boy being given a dressing down by his mother who will see through his fibs. He thinks he's been vetted, but when prime time comes, it will all hang out.
36
What you are forgetting is that Rubio has shown himself to be fact more quick witted than Ms. Clinton, a strong asset in any debate.
4
"Quick-witted" matters naught in the debates, when he can't come up with a coherent answer. "Quick-witted" matters naught, when Rubio would spend four years in the Oval Office achieving nothing, and only undoing every rule and regulation his rich cronies consider inconvenient for their own business interests. If I want to find quick-witted personalities, Colbert is on Mon-Fri nights.
23
Every time I see Rubio the image of him surreptitiously, sweatily and repeatedly reaching for his water comes to mind. President? I don't think so.
7
Excluding geniuses, no 30-year-old MD (or lawyer, biologist, teacher, etc.) has the experience of a 60-year-old MD (fill in the profession). The most important job in any country is head of government. To make very important decisions they need to have acquired the wisdom that only comes from having massive experience in politics, economics, national security, foreign affairs and social issues. Now, near the end of his term, Barack Obama has the experience he lacked when he was elected POTUS. Whomever his name (Marco Rubio, Justin Trudeau) voters should never elect heads of government because of how well they speak, how good-looking they are, or how charming, or any other nice but absolutely irrelevant personal quality. Voters should choose based on experience and I can’t recall any inexperienced 40-year-old head of government that turned out to be great.
11
John Kennedy certainly would have been had he not been murdered.
3
Severely restrict immigration, deport all illegals including DREAMERS, starve safety net and retirement programs, tax breaks for the rich, make gay marriage illegal, criminalize abortion, lackluster record as a government official, has been on the public payroll most of his adult life, he's been on the verge of bankruptcy despite a nice taxpayer funded salary, etc -- however, you should really vote for him because he has less wrinkles than the others. Makes sense to me!
56
Rubio assumes that voters are too stupid to realize that his ideas are the same old right-wing conservative ideas. He has no new ideas, regardless of his age.
65
He assumes correct when it comes to the GOP base.
1
Its not his age that bothers me - its everything he says. Wrong is wrong no matter how old you are.
143
Since he's the official spokesman for Norman Braman, age 83, Rubio's chronological age is entirely beside the point.
42
making old people (the gop) feel older doesn't seem like a winning strategy and calling their contemporary, hillary clinton, an old bat, much as they hate her, insults them as well.
17
The Project for a New American Century has a young front man, several old front men, and a woman too. They've covered the basis.
9
Talking about Rubio's youth reminds me of a nursery rhyme. I call Rubio the "Georgie Porgie" candidate. He got the Immigration Bill passed by the Senate. But when the ultra Right (Limbaugh, Hanity etc.) used the "amnesty" word and became highly critical of Rubio, he backed down. When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away.
27
Instead of his age, I think Rubio needs to be talking about why he's been in financial distress for years, as well as why he used Republican party money to renovate his office, stay at expensive hotels and dine extravagantly. I'm guessing more moderate Republican and Independent voters would be more interested in that, than how old he is.
34
Millennials maybe more Rubio's age, but as a father of one, they are much more tolerant than any Republican. It is a big leap to assume that age, religion, ethnicity or race will get people's vote.
19
@Daniel A. Greenburn. Religion, ethnicity or race are the very factors that the current Republican candidates are specific about. They all are holding on to the last vestiges of the white male and rural or small town voter.
6
I'm a baby boomer, and for one, think the government should be turned over to the next generation. I have had my eye on Rubio for 2 years.. and will be casting my vote him.
8
Christine.....look up his record....I'm from Florida....we think he's a jerk....he can't keeep his attention to any job he's had in the last 10 years
5
Unfortunately many Americans vote with their eyes and not their brains.
6
Thank you for that, but I'm still voting for Rubio.
1
The flaw in the "youth" pitch is that his politics are a throwback to the 1950s, with "Islamic Terrorist" substituted for "Communist." Listening to him, you'd think he was running for President of some country south of here, way back when, trying to out-Batista Batista. Or maybe that is meant to be the appeal: Rubio is Retro.
16
Rubio's age has never been an issue for me. Of course, I may change my mind when he starts shaving........
10
Marco Rubio is old enough to have had hair transplants, and young enough to believe this enhances his attractiveness as a candidate.
15
enough about youth. how about a fountain of smart
29
He lives in the 19th century, and want us to join him. Other than the 1% Robber Barons, who would be willing?
18
Mr. Rubio's age is meaningless if his ideas are from the 19th Century.
30
The GOP, desperate for quality candidates, may be ready for Marco Rubio, but the much of the rest of America is not. They will not vote for such a young, inexperienced candidate for the Presidency in sufficient numbers to get him elected. He has a strong, political future ahead of him, but not as President in this cycle. He might make a great Vice President, if he and Jeb could kiss and make up. The only problem there is that they are both from Florida, and it wouldn't broaden Bush's already faltering base enough. This cycle belongs to Hillary, all other things being equal.
8
Marco Rubio reminds me of the people on my high school debate team -- 16-year olds dressed up to look like we knew what we were doing. If you asked us a question that hadn't been covered in a recent Time magazine article, we would be out of our depth.
17
Great photo- looks like Rubio is performing at a comedy club, doing a really awful routine with no one laughing.
19
Here is a candidate Marco Rubio who walked away from plan to help legalize immigrants when he realized it would not play well with the hard right wing; here is the man Rubio who opposes abortion even in case of rape, incest, or risk to the mother's life. Here is a man, Marco, who cannot keep his finances straight and constantly mixes public money into his personal funds; Here is a candidate who wants to cut taxes for the very rich yet again and do nothing for the middle class - another trickle-down enthusiast… Here is a man whose second home was foreclosed on, and bailed out with funds from his shady business partner; Here is the clearly naive militarist who wants to solve the problems in Syria but not work with the Russians, His age is not the problem per se, his lack of knowledge and experience and backbone is what disqualifies him for the office of President of the United States.
39
I'm probably showing my own age by admitting I can recall a time when presidential wannabe Newt Gingrich was castigated for being a "deadbeat dad." Things have gotten simpler with Rubio, I suppose -- Reputedly, he's just a "deadbeat."
23
Trying using that youthful appeal to capture voters for whom same sex marriage has never been an issue, and who have never known a time when a women's right to choose has not been the law of the land. At the same time, though, Secretary Clinton or Sen. Sanders shouldn't necessarily assume they have the "youth vote" locked up either. My fear is that, rather than vote for Sen. Rubio, those voters will simply stay home, and there we'll be with a President Rubio, or Cruz, or...Trump. Heaven help us.
10
By emphasizing his younger age relative to other candidates, Rubio is asserting that he is the preferable candidate for that reason alone. This is a blatant manifestation of Ageism, a form of bigotry (of which he is, of course, densely unaware) and that should be challenged by other candidates.
Forty-four is not all that young - and Rubio's intellectual shallowness indicates not youthfulness, but perpetual immaturity. Perhaps he is not yet old enough to know the difference.
Mr. Rubio's political platform is not 'youthful' or 'foreword looking' but the same antiquated class-warfare politics catering to the greed of the 1%, and that has gotten so very, very old...
Forty-four is not all that young - and Rubio's intellectual shallowness indicates not youthfulness, but perpetual immaturity. Perhaps he is not yet old enough to know the difference.
Mr. Rubio's political platform is not 'youthful' or 'foreword looking' but the same antiquated class-warfare politics catering to the greed of the 1%, and that has gotten so very, very old...
37
This is vicious, and from Rush Limbaugh, but it is pretty clear: "Americans will not vote for a 68 year old woman." We must admit part of President Obama's appeal was his youth.
2
That would be pretty dumb and silly given Angela Merkel's long stewardship of Germany.
6
Like I said: Americans will not vote...
Things would be much different in this country if we acted and felt like Germans.
Things would be much different in this country if we acted and felt like Germans.
Bad idea. He is that kind of guy who looks 20 years older than he is, but reminding people that he is an inexperienced impetuous brash man-child who does not think things through is not exactly a winning stratgey....someone gives you a credit card for party business? BUY A BOAT! A billionaire pal gives you money for campaign uses? put an addition on the house and go for a vacation! While he is certainly not as loathesome as most of the Republican Apprentice contestants, he is by no means presidential material. Maybe he should try his hand at running a scout troop, you know, something more in line with his skill level.
66
Age hardly matters when the ideas ("all you need are tax cuts") have been discredited for the last three decades ... not that one would know that from the SCLM ("so-called liberal media").
20
Barack Obama was 47 when he was elected president. JFK was 43. Bill Clinton was 46. Marco Rubio would be 45. There is one big difference. Rubio appears to be sorely lacking in comparison to all three of the others in maturity. He may be "on his way" to becoming "presidential" but he's certainly not ready now. He would have been better advised to back either Jeb Bush or John Kasich this time around, then "think 2024."
24
he's on his way to fox news, he's done as a politician.
5
Every suburbanite is familiar with the dreary sight of tag sales on lawns, in garages, and on driveways. There is a pathos, a weariness, not only about the items for sale but about their middle age sellers as well who, standing in the shade, look on as if they know something that the innocent, greedy buyers will later learn.
Why do I take this holiday weekend for this makeshift analogy about the presidential nominees? I do it in defense of the tens of millions of us who are ready to throw up at the sight of those politicians who are eating up our time begging for our votes by offering us used clothes, cracked dishes, wagons with broken wheels, and unread Bibles with cracked covers signed
"Emily, Kansas City, 1923".
Why do I take this holiday weekend for this makeshift analogy about the presidential nominees? I do it in defense of the tens of millions of us who are ready to throw up at the sight of those politicians who are eating up our time begging for our votes by offering us used clothes, cracked dishes, wagons with broken wheels, and unread Bibles with cracked covers signed
"Emily, Kansas City, 1923".
4
So hope this statement proves to be true.
1
We Democrats at least are smart enough to distinguish between the age of a candidate and the quality of his or her ideas. We realize that age itself has little to do with what makes a good President.
Young jerks and old jerks; it doesn't matter. A jerk is a jerk. Fresh faced Rubio, who doesn't do his job and who can't manage his own finances, is just that: a jerk.
Young jerks and old jerks; it doesn't matter. A jerk is a jerk. Fresh faced Rubio, who doesn't do his job and who can't manage his own finances, is just that: a jerk.
90
Why is a young fraud owned by a billionaire better than an old fraud owned by a billionaire? The GOP has some real brain teasers to keep it occupied for months to come.
70
Rubio offers a young face, tainted by the same old, failed GOP ideas.
Bernie Sanders offers an older face, but he brings new ideas to the American political landscape. The ideas, though new to our political system, have been proven to be effective and beneficial as practiced in other, more civilized nations.
Compared to Sanders, Rubio has very little to offer.
Bernie Sanders offers an older face, but he brings new ideas to the American political landscape. The ideas, though new to our political system, have been proven to be effective and beneficial as practiced in other, more civilized nations.
Compared to Sanders, Rubio has very little to offer.
106
It's pretty clear the comments on this site are dominated by trolls and democrats. There isn't ANY Republican that would be acceptable to these liberals.
I also find it interesting that so many people are so worried about Marco Rubio. What are you afraid of ? Are you worried her would beat Hilary as the polls show?
I also find it interesting that so many people are so worried about Marco Rubio. What are you afraid of ? Are you worried her would beat Hilary as the polls show?
3
rubio has nothing positive to offer.
10
CWH - Name a Republican running for President that won't get us into another war or lead us into another recession. Name one that hasn't demonized people of color and gay people and behaved with disrespect and condescension towards women.
1
And what is Rubio going to run on 20 years from now when some whippersnapper says he's old?
24
Why would this immature neophyte remind anyone how young he is? He reminds me of little boy playing dress-up, wearing his daddy's suit. Like the job he seeks, it's too big for him.
122
Mr Rubio may be young, but his ideas appeal to the old. The young are for gay marriage, and rights for transgenders. Rubio is against both. His policies just do not appeal to young Americans. You can't just 'be young' and expect others to join your flock.
110
I love the irony of Rubio calling himself the face of the future standing under the words, "New American Century." That's just short of one of the GOP's most catastrophic works, the Project For The New American Century - which was worked out by old-school Republicans like William Kristol, Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, John Bolton, and (ahem) Jeb! PNAC was realized under George W. Bush's Presidency (now a third rail for obvious reasons) and turned stable MiddleEastern nations into killing fields and wasted American lives, limbs and billions of dollars for nothing. But Rubio's youthful memory may not stretch back far enough to appreciate the meaning.
151
It's not a matter of youth at all, it's a matter of talent and ability…neither of which Mr Rubio has no matter how old he may become, he will always be shallow and unable to think deeply about any matter. Young or old a hack is a hack.
2
Not only does Marco Rubio lack the experience and knowledge needed to be President, but the experience he has indicates that he would be a disaster for the country. He claimed that his greatest achievement as the head of the Florida legislature was to increase sales taxes (that disproportionately affect poor and lower income people) while decreasing real estate taxes paid by his state's richest residents. He fought for immigration reform, until it became more popular within the Republican Party to denounce immigrants. And he won't get better as he ages.
144
So if Rubio is so great in his youth, let us hear what he has done for his country, despite his youth. After all, he has served as a Senator, right? He's been given the opportunity to do great things while in office.
Ey, what was that? We're not hearing anything......
Ey, what was that? We're not hearing anything......
74
He has helped pass legislation to 'kill' Obamacare.. which to me is a positive. No bailouts for the insurance companies.
Unless you earn six figures.. health insurance is unaffordable. With United Health Care wanting to opt out of the exchange.. it's only a matter of time until the other big healthcare companies do the same. Obamacare is an unmitigated disaster.
Unless you earn six figures.. health insurance is unaffordable. With United Health Care wanting to opt out of the exchange.. it's only a matter of time until the other big healthcare companies do the same. Obamacare is an unmitigated disaster.
3
the same can be said of sanders.
Christine Lewis - You don't seem to have noticed that Rubio hasn't come up with any kind of valid alternative to the ACA.
1
Who cares about Rubio's supposed youthfulness when his policy positions read like those of an old conservative crank.
238
I kept clicking the "Recommend" button, but the number wouldn't go any higher :)
Sometimes, the best comments are the pithiest.
Sometimes, the best comments are the pithiest.
8
Wrong party, wrong issues, and wrong time Sen. Rubio.
You may be a youthful 45 but one of your biggest supporters/donors, Mr. Braman is 83. Nice try.
I'd rather take a 70 year old with heart, compassion and common sense than a stooge for any number of assorted right wing billionaires, no matter his or her youth or age.
And while we are at it, why does there seem to be absolute deafening silence from all the Republicans (those running for President and others who have egged their supporters on with falsehoods about Planned Parenthood) re. the Planned Parenthood shootings in Colorado?
Oh yes, per the NRA, it is disgraceful to bring politics into it at this time when the families are still grieving, yes the shooter had a mental illness, it is not guns etc.
We would be the biggest fools to vote for this pretty faced, silver tongued, vacuous puppet of the Citizens United enabled plutocrats trying to run our country into the ground. Or for that matter for any one of the folks running for the Republican nomination.
You may be a youthful 45 but one of your biggest supporters/donors, Mr. Braman is 83. Nice try.
I'd rather take a 70 year old with heart, compassion and common sense than a stooge for any number of assorted right wing billionaires, no matter his or her youth or age.
And while we are at it, why does there seem to be absolute deafening silence from all the Republicans (those running for President and others who have egged their supporters on with falsehoods about Planned Parenthood) re. the Planned Parenthood shootings in Colorado?
Oh yes, per the NRA, it is disgraceful to bring politics into it at this time when the families are still grieving, yes the shooter had a mental illness, it is not guns etc.
We would be the biggest fools to vote for this pretty faced, silver tongued, vacuous puppet of the Citizens United enabled plutocrats trying to run our country into the ground. Or for that matter for any one of the folks running for the Republican nomination.
191
Young and foolish. Not ready for prime time. Youth alone is not enough.
55
"And while he also likes to say he will end up feeling 55 when he is finished with his presidential campaign, he is asking voters to make him the third-youngest president ever, behind only Theodore Roosevelt (42) and John F. Kennedy (43).
From what I've seen of, and read about, Rubio he's no John Kennedy. Nor Theodore Roosevelt. Both former presidents had been tested in battle, and developed strong leadership skills. While Kennedy's elective experience was thin, he had a proven track record of achievement in the Senate--unlike Rubio who--as has been explored ad nauseam--has a lousy record of even attending votes.
But Rubio's problem is less his record than the record of who is funding him. He says he's full of fresh ideas, but his tax plan is one of the most generous to the super-wealthy according to the NY Times. What's new about that? His foreign policy ideas are straight out of W's cadre of neocon advisors. Yes, he's glib but he's simply a good parrot of what his donors want.
His numerous trips to beg at the hand of Sheldon Adelson are unseemly. As are his history of having rich men help him up the ladder, even to the tune of paying off student debt.
Moreover, I don't trust Rubio, and it's not the youth: it's his rank ambition to do anything, say anything, that will court him favor with the moneymen he's going to need should he gain the nomination. After all, as he himself loves to tell us, over and over, 'he wasn't born rich."
From what I've seen of, and read about, Rubio he's no John Kennedy. Nor Theodore Roosevelt. Both former presidents had been tested in battle, and developed strong leadership skills. While Kennedy's elective experience was thin, he had a proven track record of achievement in the Senate--unlike Rubio who--as has been explored ad nauseam--has a lousy record of even attending votes.
But Rubio's problem is less his record than the record of who is funding him. He says he's full of fresh ideas, but his tax plan is one of the most generous to the super-wealthy according to the NY Times. What's new about that? His foreign policy ideas are straight out of W's cadre of neocon advisors. Yes, he's glib but he's simply a good parrot of what his donors want.
His numerous trips to beg at the hand of Sheldon Adelson are unseemly. As are his history of having rich men help him up the ladder, even to the tune of paying off student debt.
Moreover, I don't trust Rubio, and it's not the youth: it's his rank ambition to do anything, say anything, that will court him favor with the moneymen he's going to need should he gain the nomination. After all, as he himself loves to tell us, over and over, 'he wasn't born rich."
262
Kennedy's elective experience was not "thin". Beginning in 1946 he served 6 years in the House and 6 years in the Senate before being elected President,
'
'
15
Thank you, Ms. McMorrow, insightful as usual.
Reading your last paragraph, I could not help but think of LBJ as portrayed in Robert Caro's books. Unlike Johnson, though, Rubio has shown a disdain for the poor and less privileged. To use Caro's phrase "power reveals". I shudder to think what giving power to Rubio and the Republican field would look like. Many would have LBJ's worse attributes without his skill and desire to help the needy and persecuted.
Reading your last paragraph, I could not help but think of LBJ as portrayed in Robert Caro's books. Unlike Johnson, though, Rubio has shown a disdain for the poor and less privileged. To use Caro's phrase "power reveals". I shudder to think what giving power to Rubio and the Republican field would look like. Many would have LBJ's worse attributes without his skill and desire to help the needy and persecuted.
7
In addition, Kennedy had considerable experience in WWII. He saw first hand what war can do to individuals and our country. Please do not even mentione the name R---o in the same sentence as Kennedy.
10
In the television age anytime there is a 20 year age difference between presidential candidates the younger candidate ALWAYS wins.
Clinton (46) versus Bush Sr. (68) - CLINTON wins
Dole (73) verus Clinton (50) - CLINTON wins
McCain (72) versus Obama (47) - OBAMA wins
On election day 2016 Hillary Clinton will be 69 years old. Marco Rubio will be 45 years old.
What makes it worse for Clinton is that she's not an "older fresh face" (like Bernie Sanders or even John McCain). She is an 'older old face" because she emerged politically a full 3 decades ago, in the PREVIOUS CENTURY.
That's quite a hurdle to overcome even if your opponent isn't that formidable. But Rubio is easily the most gifted politician we've seen since Bill Clinton.
This is why the Clinton campaign sees him as their biggest threat.
Clinton (46) versus Bush Sr. (68) - CLINTON wins
Dole (73) verus Clinton (50) - CLINTON wins
McCain (72) versus Obama (47) - OBAMA wins
On election day 2016 Hillary Clinton will be 69 years old. Marco Rubio will be 45 years old.
What makes it worse for Clinton is that she's not an "older fresh face" (like Bernie Sanders or even John McCain). She is an 'older old face" because she emerged politically a full 3 decades ago, in the PREVIOUS CENTURY.
That's quite a hurdle to overcome even if your opponent isn't that formidable. But Rubio is easily the most gifted politician we've seen since Bill Clinton.
This is why the Clinton campaign sees him as their biggest threat.
5
Age was not the deciding factor in any of those contests.
30
"But Rubio is easily the most gifted politician we've seen since Bill Clinton."
You must be watching a different Marco Rubio than I am. I see a feckless boy without a sensible idea in his head. He's not pretty enough to the a trophy "wife" and he's not smart enough to run the company. Only in a field of craven candidates would Marco Rubio even be acknowledged. In another election he'd be laughed off the stage.
You must be watching a different Marco Rubio than I am. I see a feckless boy without a sensible idea in his head. He's not pretty enough to the a trophy "wife" and he's not smart enough to run the company. Only in a field of craven candidates would Marco Rubio even be acknowledged. In another election he'd be laughed off the stage.
22
Lucky for the Clinton campaign that Rubio is the greatest threat to Rubio. Time will hold out my statement.
Another chapter of a career politician. And a not very good one at that.
Another chapter of a career politician. And a not very good one at that.
12
If the GOP "sugar daddy" elders feel they can buy and control Rubio, then his youth is just what the doctor ordered. Whether he attains the White House this time around or not, they know they have another paid for politician to play with for another 30 years.
31
there's youth, and there's rubio-style youth: Callow. Presumptuous. Bought-and-paid-for. Etc,etc
107
Youth is one thing. Inexperience is another. Both Bush II and Obama lacked experience, (though of different sorts.) America has not been served well by that. Rubio and most of the other Republican candidates are trying to make a virtue of their lack of experience, though described in other terms.
In the real world, rhetorical declarations of toughness and moral purity lose out to experience and the ability to adapt to a changing landscape. Imagining Rubio navigating a world being manipulated by Putin, Xi Jinping, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Assad, ISIS, Al Qaeda, etc. is beyond my otherwise fertile imagination.
In the real world, rhetorical declarations of toughness and moral purity lose out to experience and the ability to adapt to a changing landscape. Imagining Rubio navigating a world being manipulated by Putin, Xi Jinping, Erdogan, Netanyahu, Assad, ISIS, Al Qaeda, etc. is beyond my otherwise fertile imagination.
14
It's hard to come by the kind of experience that makes a good president. That's why judgment, intellect, empathy and strength of character are so important for candidates to have. Rubio has none of those things.
1
Marco Rubio's young face cannot conceal the fact that he is supported by his billionaire sugar daddy Norman Braman. It cannot hide his radical views about women. Senator Marco Rubio believes that many women get pregnant to have abortions in order to sell fetal tissue to Planned Parenthood. Here is the link to his own words in one particular interview in Iowa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4eTRiGpnx0&app=desktop
Rubio's age cannot conceal his lack of enthusiasm and energy for his current job. When their senate voting records are compared, Senator Bernie Sanders, who is 74, has missed only 3.4% votes during this primary, while Senator Rubio has missed 34%.
His young age cannot conceal his soaringly phony rhetoric which says a lot but means nothing. The only candidate in this entire primary who is authentic and means what he says and always has is Bernie Sanders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4eTRiGpnx0&app=desktop
Rubio's age cannot conceal his lack of enthusiasm and energy for his current job. When their senate voting records are compared, Senator Bernie Sanders, who is 74, has missed only 3.4% votes during this primary, while Senator Rubio has missed 34%.
His young age cannot conceal his soaringly phony rhetoric which says a lot but means nothing. The only candidate in this entire primary who is authentic and means what he says and always has is Bernie Sanders.
77
I think this is grandiosity talking, and would not agree that youth is a selling point for leader of the free world. At 40, I am acutely aware of how much more knowledge and experience people 10, 20, 30+ years older than I have, and would never believe that my 'youth' gives me an edge. If anything I'd be looking to learn what I don't know and don't want to be from older colleagues.
39
Not many agree that President Reagan was the best of all presidents, though. You would not agree that President Obama did worse than President George W. Bush, would you? There is no denying it is a problem that the Democratic Party does not field one younger candidate, indicating a series of problems as pointed out in a recent NYT op-ed and the many comments. Rubio and Cruz are both in their early 40s.
1
I think Obama has done a far better job than W. But, w/r/t St. Ronnie, I have no critical framework by which to gauge his presidency as I was between 5 and 13 during his terms and would have to rely on contemporary history books, or partisan talking heads, to tell me what to believe. I'll be voting for a candidate who has been politically aware through more administrations than I.
4
Well, Marco Rubio's youth shows in his adolescent financial dealings, his puerile dismissal of why he shouldn't play hooky from work, his sloppiness with an inaccurate autobiography, and an overly simplistic, uninformed worldview. Brash as he is when he calls Hillary Clinton "a leader from yesterday," his own platform predates this century. Senator Rubio leads the charge on returning to a decades-failed Cuba policy, on walking back the Iran accords, on reversing marriage equality, on taking away reproductive rights, on undoing healthcare reform, on skirting immigration reform when it's politically inconvenient. For Rubio, gun regulations today should match those during the Revolutionary War. And Marco "I'm not a Scientist" Rubio treats environmental protection as that-which-must-not-be-named. Rubio does not believe our planet deserves as bright of a future as he does.
133
Mr. Rubio says he is a leader, but what has he lead? What are his accomplishments?
57
What with all the lies floating around the Republican Candidates, this is as much true that Rubio is 44 going on 45. But then, "So What? " Rubio needs to come up with something more substantial than his youth. That is perhaps a minimal criterion in description of the JOB he is seeking. Just goes to show how empty-headed these Repubs are !!
31
He is just advertising to primary voters how he will confront Hilary Clinton and hoping that if he says it 1,000 times that message will be flawless and that Republicans will see it as the best arrow in the quiver to defeat Hillary.
Bet you that instead of waving flip-flops around at the Republican Convention they wave something related to Hilary's age compared to Rubios.
Bet you that instead of waving flip-flops around at the Republican Convention they wave something related to Hilary's age compared to Rubios.
1
Mr. Rubio will never get the nomination in a party that has an average age of 70. At this point he is less of a threat than Ben Carson or Ted Cruz. His knowledge and record are just slightly worse than those two gentleman combined.
Youth is not criteria for being President. If it were the college campuses wouldn't be holding rallies for Bernie Sanders.
Youth is not criteria for being President. If it were the college campuses wouldn't be holding rallies for Bernie Sanders.
5
Mr. Rubio is against abortion in all cases, even if having a child would kill the woman, or if it is a child victim of incest who is pregnant. Mr. Rubio wants to go back to an embargo against Cuba that was instituted 50 years ago. He thinks that evolution should be left to theologians, and he denies climate change. Rubio wants to raise the retirement age for Social Security and cut benefits. Rubio wants a kind of voucher program for Medicare similar to Ryan's plan, moving seniors into the private insurance sector. He wants to have students' financed for college through some kind of private investment plan where the student would keep paying the investor 4% for 10 years, possibly paying back more than the education cost. The Financial Times called this some "version of indentured servitude."
And that is not even considering his sugar daddy arrangement in Florida with his messy personal finances, and the Republican Party credit card he raked up $22,000 with inadvertently.
Hillary Clinton's experience and her strong support for the rights of women, minorities, immigrants, and others, as well as her probability of selected excellent Supreme Court nominees matter more than ever.
And that is not even considering his sugar daddy arrangement in Florida with his messy personal finances, and the Republican Party credit card he raked up $22,000 with inadvertently.
Hillary Clinton's experience and her strong support for the rights of women, minorities, immigrants, and others, as well as her probability of selected excellent Supreme Court nominees matter more than ever.
113
SMB, I agree with your assessment of Marco Rubio but think Bernie Sanders would do a much better job than Hillary Clinton and come to the Oval Offfice with close to no baggage! He has the same interest as HRC regarding the rights of women, minorities, immigratns and others, and would select excellent Supreme Court nominees without the burden of being beholden to Wall St. donors the Clintons have been beholden to for years and years and years.
9
As long as he is suggesting pregnant women need to be put into custody until delivery of a live baby I don't think he's going to be selling to actual young people, just old people who say "look, he doesn't even shave yet, you must want to vote for him!!"
54
Senator Rubio is very young indeed. And he so far has the bad judgment to prove it Rubio needs a few more trips to the rodeo before taking on the presidency and the legendary "3am phone calls" that come with the job.
39
I don't care how old he is - he is not a "President" just as he is not a
Senator. Can you imagine a President that does not show up to enace, vote or veto? Is this guy really serious and are his backers serious? Come ON!
Senator. Can you imagine a President that does not show up to enace, vote or veto? Is this guy really serious and are his backers serious? Come ON!
39
Americans just elected TWICE the person who was ridiculed in the 3am phone calls."
1
And has he missed one, JY?
2
In fact, Rubio would give Hillary a run for her money. He's likable. She's not. He's fresh-faced. She's stiff and awkward. His greatest liability is his finances (nothing much). Hers, well, too many to list. Bill, her supposed secret weapon, appears doddering.