I voted for Senator Marco Rubio at a time when my political identity was marred by the stringent conservative ideology that I had been raised with. I had hoped that he would make a difference and be the bold new face of the Republican Party. As it turns out, a bigger flop there couldn't be. Considered practically royal by conservatives, His Highness Marco Rubio has lost his imaginary castle - and himself along the way. Pandering to the right-wing of the Republican Party has caused a once promising young man to sound more like a spoiled Tudor than an astute politician. Marco Rubio is what I like to refer to as un-American by choice, ignoramus by virtue.
His recent stances on marriage equality, immigration reform, healthcare, and Cuba have shown us how ignorant, jingoistic and megalomaniac the Senator really is. Mr. Rubio embraces ideals that can easily be perceived as un-American. His views, which appear based on inequality, injustice, anti-progress, religious extremism, malefaction, and piousness, certainly would suggest that he doesn't truly believe in the America that our constitution guarantees. He believes in standing for anything that will appeal to the right-wing, all while forsaking the very reasons why our forefathers founded our great nation.
My blood boiled when I read his comments on Florida being forced, by the courts, to recognize same-sex marriage. His inability to grasp how the court system and our constitution works is baffling. Rubio seemed to have a meltdown while expressing his thoughts on the new mandate. "If they wanted to change that law, they should have gone to the legislature or back to the Constitution and try to change it," Rubio said. "I don't agree we should be trying to make those changes through the courts." In a separate interview, he finished with, "While I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman, while people want to change that law -- and a lot of people apparently do -- there is a way to do that. You go through the legislature, or you go on the ballot, but I don't agree the courts have the power to do this."
No Senator, you are wrong.
To suggest that the federal court system has no authority to rule on social issues is moronic at best. The court system creates a system of checks and balances, one which is extremely important considering the volatile political landscape and people like him. The opinion of the majority is sometimes wrong. With his mentality though, issues such as segregation, interracial marriage and voting rights should have been left for the states or voters to decide.
As a gay military veteran, I am seen as a second class citizen by the senator. I served in Afghanistan and have been part of the U.S. military for almost a decade -- but Mr. Rubio, by his own actions is literally saying, "Sorry son, marrying the person you love goes against what I believe in. Thank you though for protecting my free speech and for my mission to dictate your lifestyle." He is but one man and part of being a good elected official is understanding the dichotomy between what is just vs. what one's personal beliefs are. Your office is not a pulpit for religious dogma, Mr. Rubio -- the U.S. Constitution prohibits that. You should take note of it.
In a recent interview on the Cuban political situation, Rubio reiterated that he didn't "care" if 99 percent of Americans didn't agree with him, since his goal was "freedom and democracy"... That nonsensical statement showed me that neither popular opinion or court ruling matters to Mr. Rubio on issues that he is passionate about.
You can't have your cake and eat it too, senator. One can't favor rule by popular opinion or rule by court of law only when it's convenient for their cause. One would assume that a man like him -- who faced struggles, adversities, and is a minority himself, would understand the plight that millions of Americans face every day because of who they are and who they choose love. Sadly, he doesn't.
But fear not -- love is a force to be reckoned with. Love is what will win in the end. Although, when the end does come, Mr. Rubio will probably still be holding his golden scepter while continuing to spew his doctrine to his "kingdom" -- one that is fast deteriorating.