Senator Marco Rubio on Debt Solutions

Thanks for stopping by, Lorrie.  

Can you show me an instance where tax hikes and increased regulation created jobs or stimulated the economic engine ?  I am always open to facts or historical proof.  But as I have said on many occasions, you are entitled to your own opinion (and usually welcome to express it in comments to my blogs) but you may not be entitled to your own facts.  

If you want to disagree with me or with Senator Rubio - I welcome rational disagreement and the floor is yours to further our discussion.  But I am not sure I want to have you question his motives (or mine).  Is it beyond your experience for a Senator to disagree with the Senate Majority Leader or the President on honest principle?  And I believe we have some Republicans (few, I hope) who think that failure to raise the debt ceiling by August 2 is worse than caving into Democrat demands.

I believe that there are several paths open to the US government and we have an opportunity to choose between very different philosophies in 2012.  There are many who welcome big government and the entitlement society that comes with it.  Just send them their benefits check and don't ask them to do any heavy lifting.  There are also many who believe that the model of our Republic and our founding documents and the values of freedom, individual responsibility and capitalism are preferred and entrepeneurial innovation and effort are rewarded.  Those two approaches don't seem to be compatible and we will have to choose between them.  

The day of reckoning is coming where Americans will voice their choice at the ballot box on November 6, 2011.  It is my sincere wish that we will choose wisely.  I am concerned that the quote from ancient Greece will serve as an unfortunate prediction - that no Democracy can survive the discovery by the people that they can vote themselves benefits.  We are fifty years into that cycle and I am not sure the damage can be repaired.  But I know where I stand - I stand with Marco Rubio.

Marchel - I have been a Rubio supporter since the early days of his campaign when he was challenging a popular Governor (Charlie Crist) and was not considered to have any chance at all.  He and a staffer were driving around Florida by car and seeking out private homes to stay in to save money.  When Crist announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for Senator, the state party bosses endorsed him within minutes and the Washington Republicans and Senatorial committees endorsed him within minutes - even though Rubio was already an announced candidate.  Marco had an admirable record as a member of the State Legislature and had been Speaker of the Florida House.  But he had only been elected in his Florida House district in North Miami. Name recognition was an issue.  He campaigned in most of the Florida Counties - and found that the County Republican Executive Committees were offended by the State party that had tried to stuff Crist down their throats and were very open to his message.  Marco spoke to local events and charmed the socks off his audiences.  He told them that most of his supporters lived in his house and most were under the age of ten,  He is bright and articulate - has a great American story of his family fleeing Cuba when Castro took over and how his Mother and Father worked very hard to provide an opportunity for Marco and his siblings to rise to high levels of government service and leadership.  He has a mental image of American exceptionalism which you have to believe if you hear him speak in person.  My line in my blogs in the late summer of 2009 when I first started to attend his local appearances was that I was already a supporter - but that now I was a fan.  His campaign was flawless and was a true example of retail politics at the grass roots level.  He worked hard and ran a sitting Governor out of the Republican party.  

Do I think he could run for national ticket brass ring ? We would be lucky if he does.  I believe that he is the real deal.  But I hope that he does not run in 2012.  I believe that Marco needs to serve at least a full term as Senator to learn and to secure his full Senate pension for his family.  He is young and will have time in the future.  President Obama was elected part way through his first term and Mr Obama's lack of experience has, in my view, led to poor decision making and bad policies.  When he is properly seasoned, Marco Rubio will be a national candidate, I believe, and I will support him when he does.  

Marco Rubio is an asset for the Republican party now and is a natural effective leader.  I believe that he can speak at fundraising events for Senators and Congressmen and gather friends and office holders who can help him in the future.  He will be an effective spokeman for the party even if he is not on the ticket in the 2012 cycle.  

By the way, the audio of Marco on the Rush Limbaugh show (11 minutes) is available <here>