GOP Presidential Debate: Highlight on Marco Rubio
I thought that Marco Rubio was well-spoken during his performance during the Republican Presidential debate.
During the brief introductory part of the debate, he tried making a joke about the drought in California, however, that I didn’t find very humorous. He said that since California was experiencing a drought, he brought his own water. He made an awkward chuckle and I don’t remember the audience laughing.
During the early part of the debate, Rubio wasn’t too involved but he slowly eased his way in as the debate progressed. Trump began to talk about how he is a business man, so he could get along with any leader of any nation in the world, including Putin. The question asked had to do with how we could stop Putin from propping up Syria. Rubio’s response was that he wanted to make sure that Egypt and Saudi Arabia remain on good/civil terms with America and he wouldn’t want to do anything that would hinder that relationship.
Moving on, illegal immigration and border control were brought up. While the other candidates on stage were talking about harsh punishments to deal with and prevent illegal immigration, Rubio instead gave a surprisingly relatable and brief but powerful anecdote that had to do with his beliefs. He talked about his grandfather who escaped Cuba and how he watched the news in Spanish and still became a conservative. He discussed how he grew up with the “right American principles,” though he came from a family that had a background from a different nation. He discussed how he understands that people escape different lives but there is a “right way” and a “wrong way” of coming into the country. Sharing this anecdote was a good way of connecting with the immigrants of America that are directly affected by the issue of immigration. It took him one moment to prove he had the best experience to deal with immigration; more than any other candidate on stage. He explained a plan in which he outlined his exact thoughts on the problems and how to solve it.
Video from the August GOP debate
He said that there are three problems with illegal immigration:
1. People come illegally into America,
2. Immigration into America is too easy, and
3. People overstay their welcome, as in staying past when their visa would allow.
The plan that he came up with had two points. The first was to secure the border and then see what each immigrant could provide economically for the country. Directly stating the issue and coming up with solutions made it seem that he knew what he was talking about, and I could see how the American people could be swayed by his way of speaking.
I think one of the strongest points Rubio made during the debate occurred when Trump’s knowledge on the global conflicts in the world were brought into question. He never directly attacked Trump, but instead he brought up that even though Trump plans on having a “team” who will be able to guide him in making choices, he needs to be ready to begin his presidency on the first day, and not wait six months into the first year of his term to start making changes.
He almost gave a brief current events lesson about what was going on in the world, talking about issues ranging from the nuclear capabilities of North Korea to how to deal with “Putin the gangster.” He urged that all the candidates be interrogated in detail about issues like this to see whether or not they had the proper knowledge to be president. He didn’t directly make stabs at Trump, but I feel as though he got his point across that a president can’t just be anyone without a good understanding of the issues that are occurring all over the world. Although I may personally not align with many of the stances Senator Marco Rubio has, I feel as though he made a strong case to why he would be the strongest candidate to run for presidency from the Republican side.
He was assertive, used specific examples to make points, and related to the American people. For the next debate, I think he should continue this strategy.
