Keep Your Eye On This Guy

The beginning of a presidential campaign is still a year or so away, but you’ll observe lots of testing of the waters in the next few months as potential candidates position themselves to capture the spotlight. Here’s my prediction about the hot Republican who will be a serious candidate for that party’s top spot.
by Charlie Leck

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (Republican, Florida)
There’s a U.S. Senator down in Florida who is positioning himself, right now, for serious consideration as his party’s nominee for a run at the presidency. I claim no prophetic abilities nor any prescience here. I just observe how he is trying to look presidential; and how he is acting so bipartisan; and how he keeps flirting with the right wing within his party without giving up the center-ground that he has so carefully cultivated.

For instance, Senator Rubio appeared on six (yes, 6) different talk shows yesterday, including two that were Spanish speaking.

The Senator has the challenging task of holding the center of his party while not losing his appeal to that conservative element that has become so powerful. How will he win back the Latino population (nation wide) that wants serious immigration reforms and not, at the same time, lose the conservatives that opposes immigration reform?

Now, I’m not sayin’ – I’m just sayin’
A local radio personality likes to use the above silliness. Sometimes I’m trapped into using it also because it says everything. Keep your eye on Senator Rubio if you want to get a good clear picture of what your next president might look like. Examine him! Flip him over and look at both sides in the clear light of day and truth. Has he got what it takes? Is there more there than charm?

It won’t hurt anything to get an early jump on these questions. You can bet the Democrats are watching closely – looking for any little weaknesses they can find. You can also bet that the Tea Party has him under a microscope, trying to determine if he might not be a wolf (Democrat) in sheep’s clothing.

Examine Senator Rubio’s stances on gun control, tax reform, marriage reform, refreshing the middle class, international policy and global warming.

One of the reasons for the Republicans’ poor showing in the 2012 presidential election was its lack of appeal to the Latino population. It’s a problem that Rubio doesn’t want to have. He’s working hard to gain strong support among that portion of the population. How will he do with women? With African-Americans? With environmentalists?

Keep your eye on him. You might also have some fun along the way.

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