Political vulnerabilities in Sen. Rubio’s past?
MIAMI (AP) - For freshman Sen. Marco Rubio, a rising GOP figure seen as a possible Mitt Romney running mate, there are questions about whether potential vulnerabilities in his personal and political background might hold him back.
The 40-year-old Florida lawmaker has close ties to a colleague accused of questionable financial dealings. He once was enmeshed in a controversy over the use of the state party’s credit card for his personal expenses. Since emerging on the national political scene, he has faced increased personal scrutiny. There are conflicting details about his parents’ immigration from Cuba and his recently disclosed ties to the Mormon faith.
The effect of those issues on his political fortunes is the subject of debate in Republican circles in Washington, Florida and elsewhere as the Cuban-American senator with solid conservative credentials works to raise his profile beyond his home state and possibly position himself for a national role.
“Marco Rubio is a huge star in the Republican Party in much the same way that Barack Obama was in the Democratic Party between his convention speech in 2004 and his candidacy for the president,” said Steve Schmidt, a top adviser to GOP Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign. “There are a lot of pluses when you look at Marco Rubio as a potential vice presidential candidate, but there are also unknowns.”
Full Story Here:
Political vulnerabilities in Sen. Rubio’s past?
The GOP already has their work cut out for them trying to *sell* Mitt Romney to American voters, to attach Marco Rubio to the ticket makes it even harder for me to support, and vote for Mitt Romney.
The GOP has got to realize this, NO MORE RINOs is not just a pipe dream. Some of us really do mean it when we say those words, we want true Conservatives, not hyphenated Americans with *issues*. We got that in Barack Hussein Obama!
Marco Rubio is a RINO! A Republican In Name Only!
Why do I say that? Just think *The Dream Act*.
Marco Rubio has his own ideas of what a *Dream Act* should be, and it all starts with the words “allowing ILLEGALS to…”
When a sentence starts with the words *allowing ILLEGALS to…* do ANYTHING, unless it’s followed with the words *do time in jail*, the speaker of those words is NOT a Conservative.
They are ILLEGALS for crying out loud, they aren’t entitled to ANYTHING other than deportation. They have NO rights as U.S. citizens, they have no basis for being here and deserve NO education at the expense of LEGAL American taxpayers.
I have posted this before, there IS one part of Rubio’s *Dream Act* that I can agree on; if the person(s) serve a hitch in the U.S. military, serve honorably and are then discharged, they should have a right to some sort of *fast track* to citizenship, and as they have served this nation, they have also earned a right to an education as a part of their GI benefits.
That’s not a fast track for someone that just happens to be here, that is a fast track for someone that actually EARNED a place in the USA!
Both Rubio’s ties with U.S. Rep. David Rivera, a fellow GOP freshman who now is facing a federal probe into tax evasion, and the state party credit card matter surfaced during Rubio’s 2010 Senate campaign. While they didn’t have much effect, that doesn’t mean they would get a pass on the national stage.
Then there’s his family’s background.
Rubio long claimed his parents fled Fidel Castro’s rule. But it was recently disclosed that they arrived several years before Castro took power, although they quickly embraced the Cuban exile community as Castro turned toward communism. Rubio has said the dates he gave were based on his parents’ recollections.
There’s another part of Rubio’s upbringing that long had gone undisclosed, and the revelation is one that could turn off evangelicals who make up the base of the GOP.
Rubio was baptized as Mormon when his family lived for a few years in Las Vegas, thanks to the influence of cousins who belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rubio returned to the Catholic Church as a young teen, and as an adult he has also frequently attended Baptist services.
The stories about Rubio’s parents and the Cuban exile thing should have been vetted and dispelled long ago. I don’t know if Rubio refers to himself as a Cuban-American or if that is the name the press pawned off on him, but if Rubio DOES call himself Cuban-American, that is ALL the reason I need to say NO to Rubio!
Is Rubio highly *conflicted* where religion is concerned? I don’t know and personally, I just don’t care. Rubio can attend whatever church he wants. To me, that part is a non-issue.
The ISSUE is that Rubio is a wheeler-dealer, has played loose and fast with the money, has his own ideas about a pathway to citizenship for ILLEGALS, and there can only be one pathway, the LEGAL one, and the fact that Rubio is wet behind the ears.
What would he be like if given the opportunity to learn at the hands of master crooks and liars?
I’m not too concerned about his Christianity. Catholic to Mormon back to Catholic to Baptist… At least he isn’t a Muslim in disguise (Obama) or a Catholic who believes the Church allows abortion and birth control (Biden and Pelosi). He was a young man searching for a Church.
I have friends who are in prison under RICO. Does that make me a member of the Mafia? No. I’ve known these guys since we were in diapers together. Guilt by friendship is not the same as conspiracy to commit fraud (or whatever).
I agree that those who honorably serve this nation should be “Fast Tracked” to citizenship. I also believe that the parents of those killed in action should be “Fast Tracked” also. A thank you from a grateful nation.
I could vote GOP. Looking at Obama, this couple looks better than Obama/Biden by a good country mile.
Then YOU are one of those that is willing to *settle* for the *lesser* rather than *demand* the best.. Interesting… Disappointing, but interesting none the less..
I’m for getting Obama out. Like it or not the GOP nominee is Romney. A third party is not going to do it, and Ron Paul is worse than both of them.
Give me a better option. One that can beat Obama. And you Fred did not run.
Katie, you missed the point…
I am well aware that Romney is going to be the one running, my issue is Rubio, and the baggage HE brings… Rubio doesn’t add nearly as much to a ticket as some people think he does, in fact, he is, in MY opinion, a detriment…
And Rubio would be one heartbeat from the Presidency… THAT is not good in MY opinion, and that is ALL I am saying…
SAY NO TO RUBIO!
The choice is up to Romney. Rubio is 100% better than Biden and Obama.
I don’t think Romney will chose Rubio. I would love to see Alan West as his running mate.
Look on the bright side Fred; if Rubio becomes VP, he’s off the Senate floor and can do harm.
Well, that is the truth! Didn’t think about it like that…
Fred: I agree.
You know my feelings on Romney, heck, the whole world knows! And the truth is — I have been worried sick that Romney will choose Rubio. While I think Romney needs to choose a southern conservative, I’d suggest that he choose from outside the state of Florida.
I am afraid Rubio is an accident seeking a place to happen.
J. D. Longstreet
There’s quite a bit about Rubio that bothers me, and I am damned certain I wouldn’t want a 40 year old CUBAN-American one heartbeat away from the Oval Office…
Look at the disaster we have now, Obama and Biden can’t come up with 3 brain cells between em, you would thing the GOP would take a hint…
My son enlisted last year in the USAF. Like any young man or woman enlisting in the military, there was mounds of paperwork that he needed to fill out before being sworn in. A lot of that paperwork dealt with his background but also his family; mother, siblings, and me. His brother was born in a foreign hospital overseas and he needed a copy of this UK birth certificate and the Certificate of Birth issued by the US Embassy. My question is how can an illegal or the child of an illegal enlist in the US Armed Forces? The amount of information required on their family would be like them holding up a neon sign stating they’re here in the US illegally.
I don’t think he wants the job but I believe Bobby Jindal would make a fine vice president. We need people with executive experience to get this country back on track. He’s a good Conservative and knows how to get things done. Senators don’t have executive experience. I would also say Allen West would be good too. He has the military background we need and he’s one of the few politicians who actually know the enemies of this nation and isn’t afraid of political correctness to shout them out
My guess is Romney will choose another northeastern moderate (read: RINO) as his running mate.
For about a week there, I thought we had a chance to win this thing. Now, it is looking dim again.
JDL
Well, I dunno. I’m not happy that Romney is going to be the GOP candidate.
But I do believe that Obama is worse than Romney.
As for Biden, I’m fully convinced that he’s neurologically damaged. I’m not antagonistic toward him because my husband had a devastating stroke in 2009, and I live with that neuro damage every day.
That said, Biden has no business whatsoever being a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
As for Rubio, I’ve heard him speak and was impressed. But that was all I knew until now as I’ve done no research on him. Thanks for the information, Fred.
Rubio, being the point of this post, does SAY some good things…
Barack Hussein Obama said some good things when in campaign mode too…