While listening closely to the Marco Rubio announced entrance into the presidential race, I couldn't help but notice one unmistakable truth. Rubio is the best message deliverer in the game, and Barack Obama would already be considered the best president ever if he had had Rubio to deliver his message over the years of his presidency.
Like a slick player of 3 card monte, Rubio can suck you into a game that you already know the outcome of and hustle you nonetheless. If given the chance, his advanced gift of gab will make him a formidable opponent for anyone. For example, when the question of why young Rubio would be a better selection than more seasoned Hillary Clinton or even Jeb Bush for that matter, Rubio posed the question and turned the question into a campaign declaration that "Yesterday Is Over".
When he followed up his announcement with a couple of interviews, his ability to spin every question in his favor proved that he wasn't using a speech writing trick as he maintained his deft slight of hand. Whatever your cause might be, Marco Rubio could be the best person to deliver the message in your favor. Rubio wrestled every known hurdle or potential blind spot with a reasonable response that will work sufficiently while on the stump, and he seems ready for the challenge of running to be president.
Disregard the message of Marco (if you can) and Mr. Rubio appears like gold. Take a moment to get past his dazzling image and delivery and you realize that Mr. Tomorrow's Child might not be the president to remind us that yesterday is truly over. In fact, if Marco Rubio were elected president tomorrow, he would have to undo yesterday's mess since today, president Obama just released Rubio's home of Cuba from the government sponsored terror list. Yesterday is over, but apparently yesterday's 50 year old agenda on Cuba will be just fine for Rubio.
If that's not confusing enough, Rubio is running from his natural ability to win the Hispanic vote by joining yesterday's message of blocking immigration. Republicans didn't always offer a vote on immigration, but now they will consider a vote if they can fix the border first. Fix the border (which will NEVER happen) and then republicans will consider voting to resolve America's immigration problem? Since this obstructionist posture forced the current president to make an executive action on immigration, president Rubio would likely re-write that action to resemble yesterday's policies towards immigration as well. As of yet, Rubio nor any other republican has offered a reasonable solution for the millions of Hispanics already living in America because they believe the steady trickle of South American immigrants are a more pressing matter? Although the future should offer this voting block to Rubio and the republican party, republicans seem resigned to continually reject today's Hispanic voters due to their stronger fear of tomorrow's Hispanic voters.
Would be president Rubio was among the group of republicans that signed their name to the "Open Letter To Iran" and he seems just as resigned against Iranian negotiations as he is against South American immigrants and the well being of the people from his family's Cuban homeland. When you are raised with Castro hatred, you can't quite rationalize the fact that America has never caused the Castro boys to miss a meal due to our sanctions- just those left behind friends and family of the Rubio's.
Rubio never said that he preferred the broken health insurance system of yesterday, but he seems none to please with the insurance system of today as he insists on being one of those people who wants to "REPEAL AND REPLACE" ObamaCare tomorrow, because modify and improve sounds too much like the offer that Obama already requested of congress. ObamaCare could use some obvious fixes that have arisen with the new law- like allowing interstate purchasing to drive pricing down even further. Rubio offered up that suggestion, but seemed oblivious how this idea only improves the strength of OUR new healthcare law- it does nothing towards repealing it. So long as Rubio needs to sell his plan to republicans that want someone to do something about all of the Change that Obama keeps Hoping to leave as his legacy, Rubio's message needs only to convince them. Some of the people who Rubio still thinks he'll need in his corner still need to hear someone carry the repeal and replace banner, and Rubio can sell a dead horse to a cowboy if you force him to.Rubio dazzled his way on and off of the stage and never offered any nuanced idea for tomorrow, but reminded us that yesterday is over nonetheless. He did prove his ability to deliver a message, but he still seems absent of a unique vision for America and of proper hydration (what's with the water dude?). Rubio will be challenged through several cases of water as he fights to win the republican primary which will toughen him up to give Hillary hell, or bruise him so bad that he will never rise to the level of his promise.
Is now too soon for Rubio?
Who knows if now is Rubio's time because Rubio is not clearly defined as a leader as much as he is a great spokesperson for the message of leadership. Rubio will easily avoid a growing flip flop label because he can flip and flop so well. He won't have the Christian conviction of Ted Cruz or the Libertarian resistance of Rand Paul, but he could be convinced to marry these ideologies and the republican party as well if his party trusted (or knew) his personal views enough to let him be their poster child. They don't- so he won't.
But he could.
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