My copy of Rubio’s American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone (Sentinel, $27.95, 212 pages) arrived a few weeks ago. Rubio, in his first term in the U.S. Senate, is also author of the New York Times bestseller An American Son.
Rubio, 43, spent eight years in the Florida House of Representatives, two years as Speaker of the Florida House. He is politically ambitious, perhaps too ambitious. A Cuban American, Rubio has been accused by the press for embellishing his family background by stating his family fled persecution by Fidel Castro when, in fact, his family left Cuba before Castro seized control.
As far as campaign books go, Rubio’s American Dreams is slim in several ways. It is a scant seven chapters on safe subjects like, well, the American Dream of opportunity-work-dignity, a good education, retirement security, and family values.
Rubio drops many names. For example, he mentions Nancy Pelosi once saying that she would “never” reform Social Security. Rubio also gives space to the oft-quoted Pelosi response to the Affordable Care Act, “We have to pass it to find out what is in it.”
Rubio paraphrases Democratic Senate colleague Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren. She said “the game right now in America is rigged” by the rich and powerful. Rubio says, “It is the government that is increasingly rigging the game against the working and middle classes.”
The author has precious little to say about his likely Democratic presidential opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, or her missing emails. He seems satisfied to call Mrs. Clinton a “liberal” and repeat one of her verbal gaffes. Why is Rubio holding back? Maybe he will pen another book if he becomes the GOP Presidential candidate.
Marriage is in need of defense Rubio writes. Rubio waits until page 169 to tell readers “I continue to believe marriage should be defined as one man and one woman.” He states a child needs a mother and a father as his reasoning for supporting marriage inequality.
Rubio writes marriage, between a man and a woman, “should hold a special status in our laws.” Why? “At a time when the American family is threatened as never before, redefining it away from the union of one man and one woman only promises to weaken it as a child-rearing, values-conveying institution.” Who or what threatens the family, Rubio does not say.
In other words, Rubio believes same-sex families cannot “properly” rear children and cannot effectively convey values to their children. This raises an important question: With all the same-sex families in Florida and in Washington D.C., why doesn’t Rubio talk to some about child rearing and conveying values? Maybe some same-sex families should visit his Washington office. He’s in Russell 284.
While Rubio doesn’t support marriage equality, he wants to make it clear he does not support discrimination. “I also oppose discrimination, harassment, and violence against anyone because of his or her sexual identity.” That ought to make same-sex couples wanting to marry happy.
“The trend that I will not accept … is the growing attitude that belief in traditional marriage equates to bigotry and hatred,” Rubio writes. He suggests California does this while Florida will not. Has he been to California lately? He needs to see that since Californians expanded marriage to more families, same-sex marriage and straight marriage are now just marriage.
Traditional has nothing to do with marriage, as it as an institution has been changing for decades due to laws regarding divorce, non-married couples, domestic partners, etc. Has, Rubio, a Catholic, been conditioned to condemn these relationships as well as same-sex relationships?
Rubio’s book contains no mention of his longstanding admiration for late rapper Tupac Shakur. Since 2010 Rubio has been singing Tupac’s praises. The senator told GQ that Tupac’s “Killuminati” was one of his favorite songs. He also likes “Changes.” I want to hear Rubio’s opinion on Biggie vs. Tupac during the GOP presidential nomination debate. Who knows? Maybe the other Republican presidential candidates, like Lindsey Graham and Dr. Ben Carson, are Tupac fans also.
In recent days, Rubio reportedly told supporters, “The Republican party, for the first time in a long time, has a chance in this election to be the party of the future.” But not the political party with a LGBTQ future unless Rubio evolves on our issues quickly.
Friends tell me Rubio is more anti-gay than the other 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls. I disagree. I have read some of the upcoming presidential campaign book from Tea Party Texas GOP Senator Ted Cruz. He is not holding back on his anti-LGBTQ views.
Human Rights Advocate Jim Patterson is a writer, speaker, and lifelong diplomat for dignity for all people. In a remarkable life spanning the civil rights movement to today’s human rights struggles, he stands as a voice for the voiceless. A prolific writer, he documents history’s wrongs and the struggle for dignity to provide a roadmap to a more humane future. Learn more at www.HumanRightsIssues.com
