But he's *our* great speaker

I have to admit that I took an instant liking to Marco Rubio after his successful election to the U.S. Senate in 2010. His personal story is compelling, having been raised by blue collar working, Cuban immigrant parents in Florida. Anytime he had an opportunity to speak over the past few years, Rubio would emphasize the notion that if he could accomplish what he has given his upbringing, so can you.

I recall the 2012 Republican National Convention and the incredible speech he gave just prior to Mitt Romney accepting the nomination as the GOP candidate for President. A popular sentiment among conservatives on Twitter that evening suggested that perhaps Rubio himself was ready to fulfill such a role. 

That time has come.

Having announced his candidacy for President this past Monday, Rubio effectively overshadowed the stale announcement of Dem candidate Hillary Clinton (a low bar, I realize) from the day before. While Mrs. Clinton will likely dodge any tough questions (the majority of the mainstream media will of course be willing accomplices in that endeavor), Rubio is primed to offer a stark contrast to the insufferable "progressive-ism" of the past 6+ years. 

So what do we have in Marco Rubio? We have a charismatic, inspiring speaker who has little to no substantive accomplishments in his time as a state legislator nor as a first term U.S. Senator. 

Sound familiar?

By early 2013, some polls suggested (Rubio) would be a favorite if he decided to seek the White House, and Beltway types began talking him up as a potential Republican version of Obama, a sharp-minded, silver-tongued first-term senator who doesn’t look like a traditional presidential candidate but could attract new voters to the cause.

I thought this tweet summed it up well

Romney was a good man & businessman, McCain a great warrior. Maybe it's time to try someone who's good at politics.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) April 13, 2015

Obama cast a vision that he would "fundamentally transform America" which we eventually learned was an attempt to force outcomes out of equal opportunity. Over the past 70 years or so, trillions of dollars in wealth has been transferred in the name of "equal outcomes" yet the poverty rate has not substantially changed in that time.

On the other hand, Rubio is sharing his own vision of an America that allows people to succeed to any level they desire. Indeed, if the desire is truly there (like it was with his Cuban born parents), America is one of the few countries still able to give a strong return on such an investment.

I can't say where I'd rank Rubio on my list of desired GOP presidential candidates but I absolutely can't dismiss his viability.

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