# Marco Rubio presidential campaign discussion thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 14, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685 "2015-04-14T21:41:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/41 "2015-04-17T20:14:28Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > It seems Rubio in 2008 pushed an alternative to Obamacare that relies on “market based solutions” to expand coverage and lower costs. Seven years later, Obamacare enrollment in Florida is 1.6 million, and Rubiocare is 80. Not 80 million; That’s four-fifths of one hundred. > > [http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/marco-rubio-florida-insurance-market-117055.html](http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/marco-rubio-florida-insurance-market-117055.html) I didn’t even know that was a thing, and I live in Florida and both my wife and I work in the insurance industry. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/42 "2015-04-18T00:40:27Z")
THat’s why they had that commercial with that dude who used to sell a book about government programs where he’d say the people who know about the programs are the ones who get the money. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/43 "2015-04-18T13:18:43Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > THat’s why they had that commercial with that dude who used to sell a book about government programs where he’d say the people who know about the programs are the ones who get the money. You mean [Matthew Lesko](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Matthew_Lesko)? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/44 "2015-04-19T17:06:01Z")
[Rubio acknowledges that sexual preference is inborn](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marco-rubio-sexual-preference-something-people-born-with/), not a “lifestyle choice”. Stick a fork in him. ---
**Author:** ![Donald\_Rump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Donald\_Rump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donald_Rump)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/45 "2015-04-20T13:14:42Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > [Rubio acknowledges that sexual preference is inborn](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marco-rubio-sexual-preference-something-people-born-with/), not a “lifestyle choice”. > > Stick a fork in him. My guess is that he’ll thread this needle by still insisting that although sexual _preference_ is inborn, homosexual _behavior_ is a choice [that decent people ought not to make]. That will make his position more or less acceptable to social conservatives. In other Rubio news, the man continues to demonstrate what an [ignorant boob](http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/rubio-warns-on-iran-terror-threat-to-us-117105.html) he is in matters of foreign policy: > [@](#): > > The Middle East, “after\*\* 3,800 years of instability, is now more unstable than ever\*\*” because of an ascendant Iran and the growth of jihadist groups, the presidential candidate asserted during a speech that blamed President Barack Obama for a world in chaos. > > … > > Rubio is hoping that his focus on foreign policy since entering the Senate in 2011 will help differentiate him from the governors who are running for president. They often tout their executive experience, which Rubio lacks, but the senator believes he benefits from increasing public anxiety about world events. Either of the bolded clauses would be a ridiculous assertion in itself, but smashing the two together and presenting it as a coherent thought is… impressive. Fact-checkers are going to have a field day with Rubio once primary debate season gets going. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/46 "2015-04-20T13:22:15Z")
> [@](#): > > They often tout their executive experience, which Rubio lacks, but the senator believes he benefits from increasing public anxiety about world events. …and that’s why he’s working to increase it? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/47 "2015-04-20T14:29:35Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > THat’s why they had that commercial with that dude who used to sell a book about government programs where he’d say the people who know about the programs are the ones who get the money. Even from that lens, Obamacare is superior to Marcocare, because Obamacare at least has subsidies for poor people. Marcocare apparently uses the power of lemon peels… I mean, the power of the free market to make insurance affordable, which it doesn’t seem to have done. Perhaps the power of lemon peels would be more effective. I see Matthew Lesko every once in a while around DC. About two weeks ago while on a long run I saw a Cooper Mini with question marks all over it, which indicates either that he was on a Sunday drive or the Riddler is loose again. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/48 "2015-04-23T11:43:50Z")
Rubio jumps in front of the rest of the field in a national CNN poll. > **[Marco Rubio leads GOP field in new national poll | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/politics/marco-rubio-2016-election-poll/index.html)** > > Sen. Marco Rubio leads all Republican presidential hopefuls in a new poll released Thursday morning, capturing some momentum in the weeks after he became the third major Republican to announce his presidential campaign. He also trails Clinton by only 2 in that poll, better than any of the other candidates. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/49 "2015-04-23T11:53:56Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Rubio jumps in front of the rest of the field in a national CNN poll. > > [http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/politics/marco-rubio-2016-election-poll/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/23/politics/marco-rubio-2016-election-poll/index.html) > > He also trails Clinton by only 2 in that poll, better than any of the other candidates. You think it’s good that Hilary got more Republican votes than Rubio? > [@](#): > > The poll – surveying national Republicans ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/50 "2015-04-23T12:05:02Z")
That’s a reporting error, Quinnipiac polled registered voters for the general election question: [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest\_polls/](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/) One poll is an outlier. Two means that’s what’s going on right now. Actually, that’s now three straight registered voter polls showing Rubio within 4 since late March. CNN had one with Clinton up by 15, but that polled all Americans, which doesn’t even make any sense. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/51 "2015-04-23T14:17:54Z")
I would have thought you would know better than to ever post about polls again. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/52 "2015-04-23T14:27:48Z")
My feeling is that Rubio is really only testing the waters here and won’t be a serious contender in this election cycle. It will, however, get his name out there, give him a leg up on the VP nominations and give him a boost in the 2020 cycle. Unless he pulls a Bobby Jindahl and goes full blown Stupid over the next 4 years. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/53 "2015-06-06T07:05:19Z")
Rubio on nationbuilding in Iraq: “It’s not nation-building. We are assisting them in building their nation,” Rubio said of his vision for Iraq. Read more: [Marco Rubio's Confusing Comment About Iraq 'Nation-Building'](http://www.businessinsider.com/marco-rubios-confusing-comment-about-iraq-nation-building-2015-6#ixzz3cGNvP1ia) Ah, career politicians, gotta love 'em. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/54 "2015-06-06T07:06:51Z")
Rubio also seems to misunderstand US policy: “What happened in Iraq under this administration is they rallied around Maliki. Maliki was a Shia leader who used his power to go after Sunnis,” Rubio explained. “That created the environment that was conducive for ISIS to come back in and cause all these problems.” Read more: [Marco Rubio's Confusing Comment About Iraq 'Nation-Building'](http://www.businessinsider.com/marco-rubios-confusing-comment-about-iraq-nation-building-2015-6#ixzz3cGOHP9gi) Supporting Maliki has been US policy under two administrations. Were we not supposed to support Iraq’s elected government? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/55 "2015-06-06T07:09:41Z")
The New York Times tried to turn his driving record (his “troubles behind the wheel”) into a scandal. [It’s pretty lame.](http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/06/05/marco-rubio-and-his-wife-cited-17-times-for-traffic-infractions-2/) He has a whopping four tickets in nearly two decades, and two of them were dismissed, so they threw his wife in so they could have a “combined” number that was higher, as if traffic tickets are conjugal property. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/56 "2015-06-06T07:20:57Z")
The Times has a habit of printing stories that purport to show Republicans with a chance to win in a bad light. Remember the McCain affair scandal that only they reported and never followed up on? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/57 "2015-06-06T14:56:47Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > The New York Times tried to turn his driving record (his “troubles behind the wheel”) into a scandal. [It’s pretty lame.](http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/06/05/marco-rubio-and-his-wife-cited-17-times-for-traffic-infractions-2/) He has a whopping four tickets in nearly two decades, and two of them were dismissed, so they threw his wife in so they could have a “combined” number that was higher, as if traffic tickets are conjugal property. I saw that and did understand it at all (though his wife’s driving record will be cause for concern if she gets closer to being First Lady.) ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/58 "2015-06-07T02:12:23Z")
I think the fact that HIllary Clinton hasn’t driven a car in 20 years will be more of a concern. The story, along with another criticizing the fact that his net worth is negative, shows he’s one of us. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/59 "2015-06-07T02:25:15Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I saw that and did understand it at all (though his wife’s driving record will be cause for concern if she gets closer to being First Lady.) Laura Bush killing a guy with her car didn’t hurt them. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/60 "2015-06-07T03:02:24Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > I think the fact that HIllary Clinton hasn’t driven a car in 20 years will be more of a concern. The story, along with another criticizing the fact that his net worth is negative, shows he’s one of us. By “us” you mean financially irresponsible and reckless behind the wheel? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685.md?page=4)