A young, charismatic rising senator decides to launch a long-shot bid for the presidency. He promises to unite disparate wings of his party, while also forging a vision for America that seeks to bring change to Washington by uprooting an establishment that, to many, is the source of so many of the country’s ills. He must face down a titan in his own party for nomination — and there’s no guarantee.
To most Americans, this description might sound like then-Sen. Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign for president. Except the candidate in question is definitely gunning for the White House in 2016 — he’s just a Republican.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is running on the promise of ushering a “new American century” if he is elected to the Oval Office. The son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio is hinging that his story will resonate with the country and position him to be the Republican nominee that takes on Hillary Clinton, given she wins the Democratic nominee. Some people are beginning to pay serious attention.
Republican billionaire Paul Singer, a leading GOP donor, recently announced his support for Rubio, citing his chances in a general election and virtually guaranteeing the Florida senator will rake in millions to fund his campaign for the long haul, according to CNN.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is also paying attention.
Back in 2010, as Rubio decided whether to run for the U.S. Senate, he made his call after consulting with his political mentor and, in essence, asking if he himself wanted the job, according to the New York Times. After Jeb Bush declined, Rubio rode the Tea Party wave of 2010 into the senate and since has been one of the GOP’s rising stars.
His quick rise, however, has also given to allegation of naked ambition, sharp elbows and political backstabbing.
Bush’s campaign, in taking on his former protégé, is no longer holding back. In a PowerPoint presentation for donors in Houston, Bush advisers devoted a bullet point that read, “Marco is a GOP Obama,” according to CNN. The comparison — while considered slander in some conservative circles — gives far too much credit to Rubio despite the obvious comparisons.
People in the party believe Rubio’s youth, his Hispanic background and his appeal to both the grassroots and the establishment wings of the party will be enough to beat the Democratic nominee in the general election.
Yet superficial differences aren’t enough to hide the fact Rubio represents an out of touch Republican orthodoxy with a Tea Party twist. While he might share the youth and charisma then-Sen. Obama evoked in 2007, Rubio’s blatant opportunism and disregard for where the majority of the country stands politically isn’t enough to take him to the White House.
Rubio is no Obama, and never will be, because the coalition of Americans that elected the senator from Illinois to the White House will never support a man willing to take America backward as long as he’s the one at the helm doing so.
Rubio will never be Obama because he cannot be trusted with the fate of millions of people who want progress for the country and who only has to offer the same failed policies of yesterday packed in a new box.
He’d be lucky to achieve in a lifetime what President Obama has done in office on any given year.
edsalas@indiana.edu
