Marco Rubio gives the same stump speech over and over.
Paraphrased, it goes something like this. America is Exceptional. America is better than any other country in the world. We need elected leaders who believe in that Exceptionalism and will adopt policies to promote American Exceptionalism.
In Marco's world, this means Smaller Government (so long as he is in it) and Free Markets, unbridled by government regulations. No taxes, no oversight, no environmental protection, no social safety nets.
Marco certainly talks the talk. The only problem is that Marco doesn't really walk the walk.
During his tenure as Speaker of the House in Florida, Marco sheparded through and promoted (as the Number 1 "Hero" in the Legislature who made it possible) the now infamous $48 Million Dollar lavish "Taj Mahal Courthouse" for the First District Court of Appeal.
Of course, when he is asked about it, Marco denies any involvement. His finger prints are all over the appropriation of the $48 Million Dollar expenditure, but Marco says, blame everyone else in the process EXCEPT MARCO.
When the GOP released its so-called "audit" of the AmEx Card spending spree, there was (for political purposes of not embarrassing Marco and others) no looking back to the spending records during the years that Marco was the Speaker, or any looking back to the years prior to that when he was really spending the party's money to solidify his power. You see, audits are for everyone else EXCEPT MARCO.
When reports surfaced last week about Marco charging $4,000 or more on his GOP issued credit card for new kitchen floors in his Miami home, and Repubicans started rightfully asking why their donations ended up improving Marco's kitchen instead of promoting Republican party candidates, Marco calls those questions "just the same old types of personal political attacks" that are keeping our Country from being Exceptional. I guess the accounting rules only apply to the rest of us, EXCEPT MARCO.
When questions arose as to how it was that Marco's income shot up exponentially after he became elected to the Florida House and was designated as Speaker, and reports ensued about how he garnered side Community College teaching jobs and hospital consulting jobs from recipients of large legislative appropriations, Marco miraculously always gives the "credit" for those appropriations to other Legislators (just as he's now doing with the Taj Mahal Courthouse). Or, even more amazingly, Marco tries to blame those excessive spending bills on Charlie Crist for signing and not vetoing all those stupid, wasteful spending bills that Marco championed and approved as Speaker of the House. You see, if there is criticism of wasteful spending, the blame always belongs to everyone else, EXCEPT MARCO.
I think I understand this EXCEPTIONALISM concept a lot clearer now. When it comes to Marco, it's not really about EXCEPTIONALISM, it's about applying standards to everyone else differently, EXCEPT MARCO.
Marco is a "champion" for "smaller government" (except when Marco is in it and benefitting from it). He's against government-supplied health care (except when he and his family are the recipients). Do you get the picture of how this list of Exceptions grows and grows so long as it benefits Marco in the end?
But, this guy is slick, really slick. And, unfortunately, people are falling for it. Of course, I can understand why--we all want to think that we are Number One. I'm surprised Marco hasn't used the big "We're Number 1 foam finger" in Red White and Blue as his campaign's symbol.
But, simply thinking that we are Exceptional when report after report comparing our country's standing to others around the globe in quality of life issues--health care, mortality, education, jobs, technological advances, and others --all show us slipping, is deceptive. Thinking that we are Exceptional when we are slipping, asks us to ignore the real problems facing our country.
Saying we are "Exceptional" in this context is like saying that Brownie was "doing a heck of a job...." We know it's not true. We have real problems to solve and we need to get our heads out of the clouds (and our noses out of the air), and roll up our sleeves like the Greatest Generation did.
While Marco's TV commercials are Exceptional, and his carefully-crafted messaging is Exceptional, his job performance as Speaker of the House and his personal and public spending track records show that Marco Rubio is anything but Exceptional, unless you count Exceptionally Bad.
For those who believe that Marco Rubio's policies and performance will make YOU (as a member of the middle class) or our Country Exceptional, I've got just one word for you.
DELUSIONAL.
Don't vote for snake oil salesmen who tell you what you want to hear. That goes doubly for you, too, Charlie Crist.
Start questioning what Marco Rubio has done (both in his private life and his public life) and ask him why that is 180 degrees from what his slick fiscal conservative messaging says today. Leopards don't change their spots overnight.
Don't vote to Take Our Country Back(wards). Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist's ideas (and their past "leadership") are more of the same failed policies that got us into this mess.
When Marco (and Charlie) say otherwise, I take Exception to that.
