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Marco Rubio Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 10, 2015 39 Comments
Marco Rubio is set to announce a run for President on Monday. We haven't talked a lot about Marco recently, ever since the immigration debacle, from which he has backed away.  (Like Scott Walker?) That event seemed to take him off the radar. But why? We remember Marco. The insurgent Tea Party candidate who defeated Charlie what's his name, the National Republican Senatorial Committee anointed candidate. Those were heady days, all the way back in 2010, as we recalled in Give Some Credit To “Not One Red Cent”:
There are many stories to tell about this election cycle, but one group of bloggers deserves special credit. In May 2009, a group of bloggers started a blog called Not One Red Cent in reaction to the attempt by the National Republican Senatorial Committee to anoint Charlie Crist as the Republican nominee in Florida, and to deprive Marco Rubio of a fair chance to compete for the nomination.... In those first few months they blogged like crazy, and they were voices in the wilderness. Over time Marco Rubio began to pick up recognition and support and went mainstream, and NORC posts dropped off as others picked up the cudgel elsewhere. The rest, as they say, is history. When that history is written, I hope people will recognize the impact a few bloggers had in the revolution of 2010.
Since those days, the liberal media, Democratic politicians and the Republican establishment sought to crush the Tea Party, with mixed results. The Tea Party changed the dialogue, the national focus, and both houses of Congress.

Posted by Mike LaChance on March 29, 2015 23 Comments
It looks as though senator Marco Rubio is preparing to announce a 2016 run for president in two weeks and his choice of venue may hold some symbolism. Alex Isenstadt and Marc Caputo of Politico:
Marco Rubio looks to April 13 Miami launch Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is strongly considering launching his presidential campaign April 13 at the Freedom Tower, a historic Miami landmark known as the “Ellis Island of the South,” according to Republicans familiar with his thinking. From its name to its history – it once served as a U.S. clearinghouse for Cuban exiles fleeing Fidel Castro – Miami’s Mediterranean-style Freedom Tower underscores the themes of Rubio’s political career and his likely campaign. He’s a first-generation son of immigrants who has sought to make the American Dream synonymous with his biography. Rubio’s possible April 13 launch date was first reported by The Tampa Bay Times. However, the Miami Heat plays against the Orlando Magic that evening at the American Airlines Arena, which sits right across Biscayne Boulevard — raising the prospect of a traffic nightmare. And the Freedom Tower hasn’t yet been secured by Rubio’s Washington-based team, which will inspect it this week to see if it’s the right venue.
Rubio faces the same challenge as Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. Will America get behind another first term senator?

Posted by Mike LaChance on March 20, 2015 15 Comments
Senator Marco Rubio gave one of the best speeches of his career yesterday when he took to the floor in defense of Israel while calling out its critics, including President Obama. Alyssa Canobbio of the Washington Free Beacon reported:
Rubio Delivers Blistering Speech on Obama’s Assault on Israel It has taken two days for Obama to call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and congratulate him on his reelection. Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have taken part in very sensitive talks with Iran about its nuclear program. Rubio began speaking on how Obama has always been among the first to call controversial leaders and congratulate them on winning their elections but has remained silent when it came to congratulating on the United States’ biggest ally in the Middle East. Rubio continued, making multiple points that the Obama administration has not stood with Israel.
Rubio cites a litany of examples of the unfair treatment of Israel by the Obama administration and its regional enemies such as Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. This video is 15 minutes long and well worth your time.

Posted by Mike LaChance on February 14, 2015 6 Comments
Some Democrats are planning to boycott Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress next month because they view John Boehner's invitation to Netanyahu as an insult to Obama. Senator Marco Rubio spoke out on Thursday, urging Democrats not to boycott the speech. The Washington Free Beacon reported:
Rubio Urges Democrats to Not Boycott Netanyahu Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) strongly urged his Democratic colleagues to stand with Israel during his floor speech Thursday, stating they should not boycott Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s March 3 address to Congress.
“Don’t do this to a people that are in the crosshairs of multiple terrorist groups with the capability of attacking them,” Rubio said. “Don’t do this to a nation whose civilians are terrorized by thousands of rockets launched against them at a moment’s notice. Don’t do this to a country that’s facing down the threat of a nuclear weapon annihilating them off the face of the Earth. Don’t do this to a people that are being stigmatized all over the world, even as we speak, who are being oppressed. Don’t do this to a country that in forum after forum has become the subject of de-legitimatization as people argue that somehow Israel’s right to exist is not real."
Here's the video: Rubio's sentiment has been echoed by Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 26, 2014 11 Comments
Ballotpedia lists the following Democrats (in alphabetical order) as potential 2016 presidential candidates: Joe Biden Hillary Clinton Andrew Cuomo Kirsten Gillibrand Amy Klobuchar Martin O'Malley Bernie Sanders Brian Schweitzer Party Mark Warner Elizabeth Warren Jim Webb My goodness.  Not much diversity there.  Actually, none. Mostly old white people, not that there's anything wrong with that, but considering the years of demagoguery from Democrats, it certainly is ironic. Republicans, by contrast have a diverse field, including four likely contenders who are "diverse" but eschew presenting themselves as hyphenated Americans or playing racial politics. Politico reports, Race and the race:
Bobby Jindal is Indian-American, but you’ll never hear him describe himself that way. Marco Rubio insists he’s an “American of Hispanic descent.” And Ted Cruz “certainly” identifies as Hispanic, but he didn’t run for office as “the Hispanic guy.” These Republican lawmakers, along with African-American conservative favorite Ben Carson, look poised to make the 2016 GOP presidential field the party’s most diverse ever. They are all mulling over White House runs as the GOP continues to struggle with minority voters and as racial tensions over police conduct have captivated the nation.

Posted by Amy Miller on December 21, 2014 11 Comments
Rand Paul may have drawn first blood in the War on the War on Obama's Cuba Policy©, but it's Marco Rubio who is set to finish this thing with his reputation intact. Today, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) appeared on ABC's This Week and nailed fellow Republican and Senate colleague Rand Paul (R-KY) to the wall over Paul's support for Obama's plan to open up relations with Cuba. From Mediaite:
“If he wants to become the chief cheerleader of Obama’s foreign policy, he certainly has a right to do that,” Rubio said on This Week. “I’ll continue to oppose the Obama foreign policy on Cuba because I know it won’t lead to freedom and liberty for the Cuban people, which is my sole interest here.” Paul and Rubio mixed it up this week after they came out on different sides of Obama’s surprise détente with Cuba. Rubio has been the most vocal opponent of Obama’s normalization of relations with the Castro-run island country, while Paul has suggested this was tantamount to isolationism. Host George Stephanopoulos asked Rubio he would support Paul if he became the GOP’s 2016 nominee. “I anticipate supporting whoever the Republican nominee is and I’m pretty confident that the Republican nominee for president will be someone who has a pretty forceful view of America’s role in the world as a defender of democracy and freedom,” Rubio replied.
Watch:

Posted by Mike LaChance on December 18, 2014 8 Comments
As the son of parents who left Cuba for a better life in America, this is a subject Rubio cares about deeply. He's also extremely well versed in the history of America's relationship with Cuba as you'll see in the videos below. Watching these videos, though, I can't help wonder whether Obama's new Cuba policy will be the spark that launches Rubio's presidential campaign. I've never seen him more impassioned and he now is the leader of the opposition in an area, foreign policy, for which he was not known. One of Rubio's main concerns is the precedent it sets for any government which might think it can use hostages as a bargaining point. Susan Jones of CNS News reports:
Rubio: Obama's New Cuba Policy 'Puts a Price on Every American Abroad' Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) says he's glad that American "hostage" Alan Gross has been released from a Cuban prison after five years, but he opposes the process by which his release was secured -- "because it puts a price on every American abroad." "Governments now know that if they can take an American hostage, they can get very significant concessions from the United States." As part of the deal to free Gross, the United States will release three Cuban spies: "They're not just benign Cuban spies," Rubio -- the son of Cuban exiles -- told Fox News on Wednesday. "These Cuban spies were involved in providing information to the Cuban government that led to the murder of U.S. citizens in the infamous shootdown of the Brothers to the Rescue aircraft back in 1996. "These were airplanes that used to patrol the Straits of Cuba to find people on rafts and save their lives. The Cuban government shot them down over international waters and they did so largely based on information that at least one of these spies provided them.
This video shows an appearance Rubio made on Fox yesterday morning:

Posted by Amy Miller on August 01, 2014 30 Comments
On July 30, 2014, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) helped introduce the "Campus Accountability and Safety Act," a bipartisan initiative aimed at forcing universities to address and curb the problem of sexual assault on college campuses. During a press conference Wednesday, the coalition pushing the Act emphasized problems with existing policies, saying that current federal law actually encourages universities to under report sexual assaults that occur on campus. In a summary distributed to the press and public, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) said that "[t]he bipartisan Campus Accountability and Safety Act will create incentives for schools to take proactive steps to protect their students and rid their campuses of sexual predators." The full breakdown of the Act states several key goals:
  1. Establish new campus resources and support services for student survivors
  2. Ensure minimum training standards for on-campus personnel
  3. Create new historic transparency requirements
  4. Increase campus accountability and coordination with law enforcement
  5. Establish enforceable Title IX penalties and stiffer penalties for Clery Act violations

Posted by Mandy Nagy on September 24, 2013 65 Comments
Senator Ted Cruz is currently "filibustering" on the Senate floor to #MakeDCListen on defunding Obamacare.  According to various pundits and outlets, this is not technically a filibuster of course, but Professor Jacobson explains that a vote for cloture is a vote for Harry Reid. Live Twitter feed at bottom of post. Update: It's over. By Senate rule, the new Senate "day" started at noon, and Cruz lost the floor. He spoke for almost 22 hours. [caption id="attachment_65901" align="alignnone" width="503"](Ted Cruz concluding filibuster by Senate Rule at Noon, September 25, 2013) (Ted Cruz concluding filibuster by Senate Rule at Noon, September 25, 2013)[/caption] https://twitter.com/michellemalkin/statuses/382898126975025152 https://twitter.com/DanaBashCNN/status/382901983000027136

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 03, 2013 214 Comments

I believe Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal and Ted Cruz to be "natural born Citizens" and eligible to be President.  Here's why. 1. Summary There are few eligibility requirements to be President.  You don't have to be smart, wise, experienced, honest, educated, or a particular gender or race. Article II, Section...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 13, 2013 150 Comments

The analysis of the Natural Born Citizen clause in the Constitution as it applies to Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. I promised to do this long ago, and did the research with the assistance of a former student, but couldn't bring myself to actually write it...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 13, 2013 20 Comments

It was widely reported earlier this week that there was a mass coaching of Mexicans as to which phrases to use at the border to gain them temporary asylum, including lodging: A sudden influx of illegal immigrants from Mexico requesting asylum is overwhelming immigration agents in...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 18, 2013 45 Comments

Sure, I disagree with Marco Rubio on the Gang of 8 immigration bill, particularly the amnesty part. But what's most galling is that Rubio appears to have been played by Chuck Schumer on the Democratic side, and McCain/Graham on the Republican side, suckered into being the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 09, 2013 20 Comments

I've flagged the pathway to citizenship (even more so than other forms of legalization) as the critical issue in the immigration debate. Granting citizenship to adults who came here illegally is horrible policy which historically has proven a huge carrot to increased illegal immigration regardless of...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 30, 2013 46 Comments
It's fairly well known that prior to his role in the Gang of 8, Marco Rubio was opposed to an across the board amnesty, and was critical of the 1986 amnesty. In this October 2009 interview, uncovered by Morgen Richmond (formerly of Verum Serum), Rubio takes a particularly hard line, insisting that "you cannot grant amnesty," and going on to explain how amnesty undermines the entire immigration system going forward. The interview is pretty devastating to Rubio's role in the Gang of 8 immigration bill which puts legalization and a path to citizenship ahead of enforcement of current laws and securing both the borders and the visa system (starting at 0:38):
The problem is the American people have no trust in the federal government, and they're not going to have a trust in the federal government until the federal government deals with the issue of illegal immigration. Until the federal government gives people confidence that the law is being enforced, that the border is being secured, that our visa process is no longer being abused. So I think step one is to enforce our existing laws. Secure our borders, fix our visa entry problem…deal with the illegal immigration problem first. When the American people have confidence that the federal government has done that then we can move to step two. And step two is create a legal immigration that works, that once again is a positive for America. You cannot grant amnesty. If you grant amnesty you will send a message that all you have to do is come into America illegally, stay here long enough, and we will let you stay. Number 2, you will destroy any hopes you have of having a legal immigration system that works. If the American people see us grant amnesty they will never again believe in legal immigration, they will never again support it. And that's wrong for our country, bad for our future. In fact in '86 when Reagan created an amnesty program, about 3 million people were granted amnesty. The result was that you had a bunch of people standing in line to enter legally who all claimed to be illegal because it was easier

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 26, 2013 20 Comments

I'm going to let him explain. In full. https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/349965969613000706 Update: But not unrebutted: ...

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