Rubio inspires, yet experience question lingers

Marco Rubio slammed President Obama on Wednesday for reaching out to Cuba, a country with “odious leaders” that continues to keep its citizens down with a failed socialist economy.

“I think there’s some significant difference between me and the occupant of the White House”, Rubio said, to lauhgter and applause. Rubio argued that Obama has been a “failure” not because he was a senator but because he’s a bad leader with bad ideas and a “divisive figure”.

The other story spotlighted Rubio’s student debt, mortgages, and purchase of a fishing boat, which the publication characterized as the Republican presidential candidate’s “financial struggles”. “It is unfortunate that, after taking a strong if hard moral stance for many years, we are now empowering those who deny the Cubans their wish to be free and prosperous”, Rubio concluded.

The op-ed comes after Rubio – as recently as Monday – criticized stories in the Times about his spending practices, past traffic tickets and popularity within Cuba.

Rubio then said that, in spite of the negative coverage, it “gives me comfort” that “people can see through that now”.

Rubio has always been outspoken about the Obama administration’s moves over recent months to open diplomatic relations with the Communist island country. Over 200 were crowded into The Machine Shed restaurant to hear Rubio speak. That was apparent on Tuesday when Rubio spoke to a younger crowd at a bar nearby in Des Moines.

“I told him that my son’s about his age and I go to my son for counseling”, Hassman said. “Ultimately, I trust greatly in the wisdom of the American voter to make up their decisions and in fact when a paper with an editorial policy such as the New York Times’ has made us their target, in some ways, it shows that we’re on to something very positive in our message”.

Bob Seeley has seen a number of the GOP candidates in person and he’s impressed by Rubio.

The comments built on Rubio’s strategy of addressing the Times articles head on, and attempting to spin them into advantages for his campaign.

“Marco Rubio could be a big one for me…” He’ll return to Iowa next week.