Marco Rubio

In the strange analyses that often follow the Iowa caucuses, Marco Rubio, third place finisher, is considered to have won a great victory.  The received knowledge is that Cruz is too mean, Trump’s support is too shallow, but Rubio, attractive younger generation Latino, is poised to be the Republican nominee.

OK, first of all, Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans together, make up less than 1/2 of one percent of all the registered voters in the U.S.  Most of them are white and Protestant.

But let’s talk about Rubio.  I have heard a number of Democrats express some positive statements about young Marco.  In the interests of dampening their enthusiasm, let me tell you a few things:

Rubio is anti-choice, even for victims of rape or incest.

Rubio, at one time “a committed union activist,” now opposes raising the minimum wage and wants to eliminate “rules that empower unions.”

Rubio would not only like to reduce the capital gains tax, he would like to eliminate it.  This, of course, is popular with the kind of PACs that support him.  I hope it isn’t popular with working people who will have to make up the difference.

Rubio in 2013 pushed for immigration reform.  As part of the”Gang of Eight,” he pushed for a path to citizenship. In 2016 he says he hates “amnesty.”

Rubio is a panderer on religious issues.  In one of his ads, he talked about “the free gift of salvation offered to us by Jesus Christ.”  He is so religious that sometimes he attends a Baptist service on Saturday nights and a Catholic Mass on Sunday.  

His personal finances are a mess, but luckily, he received an $800,000 advance for his memoir, and he has a billionaire benefactor who helped him find jobs for him and his wife to pay off loans.

In short, he makes Jeb Bush look like a real statesman.  Let’s hope the voters of New Hampshire see through his bullcrap.

I am indebted to columnist Gail Collins for much of this information on Rubio, although I must admit I have detested him for years.