The new kid on the Republican Party block is one of the most likely contenders for the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. Marco Rubio, the junior senator from the swing state Florida, has been the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed candidate during the race for the nomination.
His parents fled Cuba right before the rise of Fidel Castro and became naturalized United States citizens almost 20 years later. Rubio’s Cuban American heritage has been highlighted throughout his campaign, especially when the issue of immigration comes up.
Rubio’s political career took off when he was elected into the Florida House of Representatives in 2000. He became the Speaker in 2005, and won a position in the U.S. Senate in 2010. After his heartfelt speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention, Rubio became the golden child of the Republican Party. The party elite sees Rubio’s heritage, young age and skyrocketing political career as huge indicator of his potential future as the president.
Rubio trails behind Trump, Carson and Fiorina at a polling average of 9.6. He recently surpassed Jeb Bush, and many political analysts believe Trump and Carson’s time at the top is almost over. So Rubio’s chances are looking pretty good.
Also, he sells polo shirts on his official website called “Marco’s Polo”. That is not really relevant to his political aspirations or positions, but I thought it was important to include.
Here is a breakdown of some of Marco’s positions on the major issues:
Budget: Balance the federal budget within 10 years by decreasing spending in all areas, except defense, to 2008 quantities.
Abortion: Wants to ban abortions after 20-weeks (5 months) since fertilization unless the life of the baby or the mother is in danger, or in the case of rape of incest. This is a fairly moderate position for a Republican leader.
Same-sex marriage: Rubio disagrees with the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all 50 states, but says that the public must accept their ruling. He has also said that some business (think: wedding photographers) should be allowed to turn down customers who don’t align with their religious beliefs, while others (think: hotels) should not. This is also a moderate stance for the Republican nominee.
Climate change: Accepts the reality of climate change, denies any link of it with human activity. Says that any legislation trying to limit human’s impact on the climate hurts the economy more than it helps the environment.
The Affordable Care Act: Repeal “Obamacare”. Replace it with a program that provides tax credits to help people purchase insurance, revises health insurance regulations and reforms Medicare/Medicaid.
Taxes: Decrease government regulation, especially on energy production and the Internet. Cut corporate taxes by allowing businesses to deduct their capital expenses to encourage investment. Reduce tax rates for most taxpayers and increase child tax credits. Individual tax rates would be simplified: 15 percent for earnings under $75,000 and 35 percent for earnings over.
Immigration: Supports a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. The nation’s borders must be strengthened before any new immigration system is enacted.
Cuba: Promised to stop any cooperation with Castro-led Cuba. Keep Cuba on list of state sponsors of terror.
Iran: Toughen sanctions in Iran and completely halt the proposed nuclear deal. Only make a deal when Iran completely abandons nuclear objectives.
ISIS: Wants a permanent U.S. presence in Iraq to combat ISIS and increase president’s powers to attack the terror group.
Legalization of marijuana: Open to the use of marijuana for medical uses only, does not approve of the recreational use of marijuana.
Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio are the most likely contenders to take on the Democratic nominee for president in 2016. He has been campaigning the longest for any Republican contender and recently surpassed his most formidable opponent, Bush, in the polls. Marco Rubio could be unpacking his Marco’s Polo collection in the White House come 2016.
Next week I’ll breakdown Bernie Sanders, Hillary’s biggest rival on the Democratic ticket!
