Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will deliver the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. (Associated Press file)
WASHINGTON?? Marco Rubio is taking center stage for the Republicans.
In the nearly 100 days since President Barack Obama won a second term, the Florida senator has made calculated, concrete steps to emerge as a next-generation leader of a rudderless party, put a 21st-century stamp on the conservative movement and potentially position himself for a presidential run.
The bilingual Cuban-American lawmaker has become Republicans' point person on immigration. He pitches economic solutions for middle-class workers. He is an evangelist for a modern, inclusive party that welcomes more Latinos and minorities but says Republicans must stay true to their principles.
"In a way, he's trying to save us from ourselves," said Al Cardenas, chairman of the American Conservative Union who gave Rubio his first job in politics, as a South Florida field staffer during Kansas Sen. Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign. "He gives us comfort against the naysayers who say we need to change our basic beliefs to attract a wider audience."
Rubio will give the Republican response to Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday. Rubio advisers say his rebuttal will offer economic prescriptions for a sluggish economy and try to counter what they call Obama's government-centered economic approach.
The speech comes as demand for the 41-year-old son of immigrants has soared. Call it the "it" factor. Time magazine just splashed Rubio on its cover, anointing him "The Republican Savior." Rubio, a Catholic, responded on Twitter: "There is only one savior, and it is not me. (hash)Jesus".
Like Obama did for the Democrats, Rubio evokes a new generation for Republicans. In a recent interview with the online news organization BuzzFeed, he discussed the rap music of Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G., something that would have been unimaginable coming from Romney.
"I really believe that if I do the best job I can in the Senate," Rubio told BuzzFeed, "then in a couple of years I'll be in a position to make a decision about whether I want to run for re-election, leave politics and give someone else a shot or run for some other position."
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