Who is Marco Antonio Rubio?

Jeanette Rubio and husband,
Senator Marco Antonio  Rubio

The GOP presidential candidates have been drooling with delight at the possibility of having Marco Antonio Rubio as their vice-presidential running-mate.

And, why not? The young, handsome U.S. Senator has the two assets they need -- geography and ethnicity! Marco Rubio is a Cuban from Florida; and, if that is not enough, he is the darling of the Tea Party. If you were a potential GOP presidential nominee, you too would be drooling at the prospect of such a running-mate.

However, on January 27, Marco, told the New York Times: "I'm not going to be the vice-presidential nominee. There are many reasons, but one of them is because I'm focused on my job in the U.S. Senate." That sounds all too familiar. Should we believe that he will turn it down once it is offered? How many times have we heard pols say something similar, and then change their minds and "answer the call of God and country." Just like the football coaches who tell us one week they will not leave their present team and then a week later sign with another team, Marco feels required to reassure his constituents that he will fulfill his Senate commitment, but he may sing another tune when actually offered the VP spot on the Republican ticket.

Whether or not Marco Antonio Rubio ends up as the GOP vice-presidential nominee, he is "a person of interest" and worth a closer look.

1. Marco was born in Miami, FL, of Cuban immigrants. His father worked as a bartender and his mother a motel maid.

2. In his official biography, Marco claimed he was "the son of exiles," and frequently suggested his parents fled to Miami to escape the Fidel Castro regime. That was false. His parents had moved to Miami before Castro came to power. When his story was challenged, he blamed the mistake on misinformation from his family.

3. Marco's wife of Colombian descent, Jeanette, was a Miami Dolphin cheerleader in 1997. The Rubios have four children.

4. Like many Floridians, the Rubios are "underwater" homeowners -- owing more on their home than it is worth. (The homeowners John Boehner says should drown.)  In 2008 Rubio "failed to pay down the principal on his home." (Reuters) About the same time, he did not make payments on a $100,000 student loan. While not unusual, these circumstances are embarrassing for as Senator who repeatedly says, "We need a government that stops spending more money than it takes in." Unfortunately the good Senator has trouble following his own advice.

5. In 2006, as a bizarre sign of friendship, Governor Jeb Bush gave Florida House Speaker, Mario Rubio, a sword which Jeb labeled "the sword of Chang." The significance of the sword is not clear. perhaps it is to be used to behead his political enemies. Whatever the purpose, I for one am happy that it was a sword and not an a 32 clip Glock.

6. In 2006, Marco Rubio was elected to the U.S. Senate as the Tea Party/Republican candidate in a three-man race with an independent and Democrat splitting the anti-Rubio vote.

7. Although Marco is not among the top 1% financially, he is one of their boys and if he keeps kissing their behinds, he may end up there. His top corporate contributors are Koch Industries, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley. When they say "jump," Marco asks, "How high?"

8. An advocate of responsible government spending, Mr Rubio, in his 2010 campaign, had difficulty controlling his personal spending. He charged $14K to $16K of his personal expenses to his Republican Party American Express credit card. After an FBI investigation he reimbursed $16K. No harm, no foul for the good senator; on the other hand,  public employees who used government credit cards for personal expenses were prosecuted.

9. You thought "the sword of Chang" was bizarre? A member of Mr. Rubio's staff resigned after tying his wife up in a carpet. It is difficult to imagine a reasonable explanation for that, but perhaps Newt Gingrich understands.

10. In spite of his Hispanic background, as Marco has ascended the Tea Party/ Republican ladder, he has distanced himself from Hispanic causes. He opposes the Dream Act, the Affordable Health Care Act, voted against Hispanics, Sonia Sotomayor and Marie Carmen Aponte, and supports the harsh immigration law in Arizona. As Fernand Amandi has said, " He is on the wrong side on every issue that matters to Hispanics."

11. Most recently Marco co-sponsored PIPA, the senate bill which he touted as an internet anti-piracy bill. Unfortunately the bill was an attack on a free internet and freedom of expression. After President Obama indicated he would veto it, and millions of internet users bombarded Washington with their opposition, the good senator withdrew his support. Perhaps, the next time, the he will do a little reading before he co-sponsors a bill the lobbyists put on his desk.

12. The most ironic development of the last few days has been that Charles Kirchner and the "Birthers" are arguing that Marco Antonio Rubio is not "a natural born citizen." Marco was born in 1971, but his parents did not become citizens until 1975. The Birthers argue that he cannot be vice-president because he cannot become president because he is not a natural born citizen.The Birthers attacked President Obama on this same issue even though  in his case, at least one of his parents was an American citizen at the time of his birth. Why does anyone even pay attention to these jerks? The 14th Amendment to the Constitution reads: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States...." One has to think this whole Birther thing is nothing other than a xenophobic attempt to deny citizenship to the many Hispanics, who  like Marco Rubio were born in this country.

Senator Rubio is a United States citizen and eligible to be President.  The more important question is whether he would "promote the general Welfare" as required by the U.S. Constitution or be a puppet of the Tea Party.