Saying America faces a generational choice" in the upcoming presidential election, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio jumped feet first Monday into the race for the highest office in the land.
Florida Republican Rubio made the run official, telling George Stephanopoulos from ABC News that he was entering the presidential race.
"I think this country's at a generational moment where it needs to decide not what party it wants in charge but what kind of country are we going to want to be moving forward," Rubio told Stephanopoulos. "I think the 21st century can be the American century, and I believe that I can lead this country in that direction. I can help lead it there from the Senate. I can lead it there as president.
Rubio joins U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; former IRS Commissioner Mark Everson; and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., as official candidates for the Republican nomination. Former U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton announced on Sunday she was seeking the Democratic nomination.
Later on Monday, Rubio spoke at an event at the Freedom Tower in Miami to kick off the campaign and returned to the themes of American exceptionalism.
"My parents achieved what came to be known as the American dream, Rubio said. But now, too many Americans are starting to doubt whether achieving that dream is still possible: Hard-working families living paycheck to paycheck, one unexpected expense away from disaster. Young Americans, unable to start a career, a business or a family, because they owe thousands in student loans for degrees that did not lead to jobs. And small-business owners, left to struggle under the weight of more taxes, more regulations and more government. Why is this happening in a country that for over two centuries has been defined by equality of opportunity? Because while our people and economy are pushing the boundaries of the 21st century, too many of our leaders and their ideas are stuck in the 20th century.
"At the turn of the 19th century, a generation of Americans harnessed the power of the Industrial Age and transformed this country into the leading economy in the world, Rubio added. And the 20th century became the American Century. Now, the time has come for our generation to lead the way toward a new American Century.
"This election is not just about what laws we will pass. It is a generational choice about what kind of country we will be, Rubio insisted before taking a subtle shot at Clinton. "Yesterday is over, and we are never going back. We Americans are proud of our history, but our country has always been about the future. Before us now is the opportunity to author the greatest chapter yet in the amazing story of America. We cant do that by going back to the leaders and ideas of the past. We must change the decisions we are making by changing the people who are making them."
Rubio also played up his background, contrasting it with his rivals connected to political dynasties like the Bushes, Clintons and Pauls.
"In many countries, the highest office in the land is reserved for the rich and powerful, Rubio said. But I live in an exceptional country where even the son of a bartender and a maid can have the same dreams and the same future as those who come from power and privilege."
After rising to serve as speaker of the Florida House, becoming a key ally to then-Gov. Jeb Bush, Rubio set his eyes on the U.S. Senate in 2010. An underdog at first, Rubio caught then-Gov. Charlie Crist in the Republican primary by running to his right and hammering him for his support of President Barack Obamas stimulus. Crist abandoned the GOP to continue his Senate run with no party affiliation but Rubio easily defeated him and Democratic candidate then-U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Fla., in the general election.
In his time in the Senate, Rubio was a leading conservative on most issues, hitting Obama on foreign policy and on his federal health-care law while embracing pro-life positions and tax reform. But Rubios high profile on immigration reform drew fire from conservatives. During his term in the Seate, Rubio rose to lead the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. Rubio has said he will not run for a second term in the Senate and the presidency.
Erick Erickson over at Red State urged his fellow conservatives not to underestimate Rubio, especially when compared to Cruz and Paul who are already off and running for the Republican presidential nomination.
He has been a voice for fiscal sanity, small government, and strong foreign policy, Erickson wrote of Rubio. He is also one of the kindest men approachable in Washington. He would rather talk football than politics. He would rather be with his wife and kids than at a fundraising event or Washington social party.
Today, Rubio will declare his candidacy for the presidency of the United States, Erickson continued. Cruz and Paul have gotten the attention so far. All three of these conservative senators, the grassroots revolutionaries, are announcing ahead of the smorgasbord of governors and other would-be Republican contenders. Rubios path to the stage in Miami today explains why he might be better positioned than Cruz or Paul to make some headway.
Rubio, however, is the original tea party candidate, Erickson insisted. His candidacy united the grass roots against the leadership and he won. The Washington crowd convinced themselves he could not win, but the grass roots proved they could pick a winner. Rubio was the first.
While Cruz and Paul began forging coalitions, Rubio worked to not undermine his relations with the grass roots while not antagonizing the establishment, Erickson added. His immigration compromise hurt him, but he seeks the nomination in a party that nominated both Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Mitt Romney, two men to the left of Rubio on immigration.
Today in Miami, Sen. Marco Rubio will declare his candidacy for the presidency and of the three conservative senators to run, he is most likely the Goldilocks of the bunch, Erickson concluded. He is not too tied to the grass roots to antagonize the establishment. He is not too tied to the civil libertarians to antagonize the conservatives. And he has not gone out of his way to reject the base of grassroots supporters who got him elected in order to curry favor with the leadership. He strikes the right balance. He has also been so sufficiently off the radar, by design, for so long that many donors and primary voters will want to listen again to the man who united the right to beat Charlie Crist and the establishment in 2010. They may like what they hear.
Cruz offered kind words for his new rival.
"Marco is a friend and colleague whom I greatly respect, Cruz said on Monday. We're both the sons of immigrants who escaped Cuba to build a better life in the United States, and we share a deep appreciation and understanding of what it means to work hard and achieve the American dream. Marco is a talented communicator and part of a new generation of Republicans stepping forward to promote conservative solutions to our pressing challenges. He is a strong addition to the Republican field, and he will undoubtedly elevate the debate for all of us."
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) took aim at the new candidate, insisting his tax plans favored upper earning Americans and comparing his foreign policy with that of President George W. Bush.
Marco Rubio is no new type of leader not when he's just pushing all of the same-old failed Republican policies that Americans have rejected time and time again, said Holly Shulman, a spokeswoman for the DNC, on Monday. Instead of doing whats best for his constituents and the country, Marco Rubio keeps peddling a tired Republican playbook. Nothing new to see here.
Rubio also drew fire from liberal group People for the American Way which is running a Spanish language radio ad against him in Miami and in Colorado.
From the get-go, our community needs to know how dangerous Marco Rubios platform is, said Dolores Huerta who is on the board of the liberal group. Just like the rest of the Republican Party, Rubio's wrong for working families: He supports getting rid of the minimum wage, cutting Medicare, and deporting DREAMers.
Frank Alcock, an associate professor of political science at New College, said Rubio had a good chance of either winning the nomination or stumbling badly.
"Marco Rubio is one of the more intriguing candidates in the GOP field, Alcock said on Monday. It's not hard to imagine him getting boxed out of the primary space by Bush vis-a-vis the establishment wing of the party and by one or more hard line conservatives with the party's base voters. So he could flop and it won't shock many people. However, it's also possible that his departure from conservative orthodoxy on a limited number of issues won't hurt him all that much as he makes inroads with a broader range of party constituencies. If he outperforms expectations in the early primaries he could very well gain momentum going into Florida's primary. And if he wins that, he could very well become the front-runner for the nomination."
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
