Marco Rubio: A Conservative JFK
The scene was Kings Highway
in Brooklyn NY, just in front of Dubrow’s Cafeteria. The time was the fall of 1960. John F. Kennedy had come to my neighborhood
to campaign for president of the United States.
Although I could not yet vote, I was swept away by the enthusiasm of a
crowd that packed the street as far as one could see.
This was to be a new
frontier: the passing of the political baton from one generation to the
next. Instead of the ramblings of a
tired old general, a vibrant young man would lead us into a new era of
unprecedented accomplishment. Indeed,
Kennedy won his election and soon Camelot was upon us.
Today we have an opportunity
for another political upheaval. Another
young man is running for the presidency; one every bit as articulate and
potentially inspirational as JFK. That
candidate is Marco Rubio, but the big difference is that he is a conservative.
Conservatism is usually
regarded as stogy. It is thought of as
the wave of the past, rather than the future.
Instead of being interpreted as a defense of freedom and a clarion call
for innovation and social growth, it is viewed as heralding a retreat into
dogmatism and apathy.
This need not be the
case. The rising tide of which Kennedy
spoke can come flooding back in an era of personal responsibility, smaller
government, and a strong military defense.
All that is needed is a figure around which the nation can rally. That person may just be Rubio.
Some people think that Marco
is too young and inexperienced for the job.
In fact he is older and has a longer resume than did Kennedy. Actually, he is the same age as Ted
Cruz. The reason he gets tarred with the
immaturity brush is that he has a baby face.
Yet consider Rubio’s
advantages. He has a long legislative
history that provides him the skills to mobilize a cascade of statutory
achievements. Thus, he will be able to
roll back the Obama legacy and replace it with less restrictive programs. ObamaCare and the EPA hegemony will, as a
result, be relegated to an historical asterisk.
Rubio has also been tutoring
himself on foreign affairs. Of all the
candidates, he has developed the best understanding of the risks that we
confront. Steady and sensible in his
approach, there will be nothing resembling a missile gap on his watch.
The difficulty that worries
many people is his approach to immigration.
They fear that he will sponsor amnesty for illegal aliens. In this, however, they are mistaken. Rubio absorbed a vital lesson from his
initial exuberance in this area. He now
recognizes that the number one concern is gaining control of our borders.
In short, Rubio learns. This is an asset that should not be
discounted. In truth, this was one of
JFK’s greatest strengths. After the Bay
of Pigs fiasco, he gained crucial insights into the communist menace that
served him well during the missile crisis.
These enabled him to stand down the Russians.
There is also the problem of
Rubio’s blunder during the New Hampshire debate. Can he recover his balance? Barack Obama did after the Reverend Jeremiah
Wright incident. The real question is
will the target placed on his back by the other candidates prove too much of a
handicap.
And one more thing. After New Hampshire, Rubio took
responsibility for his gaffe. He did not
attempt to blame someone else, nor seek to downplay the impact of the
incident. Did Cruz do the same after
Iowa? Has Trump ever owned up to a
weakness? As for Hillary—well, you
figure it out!
I like honesty! I like sincerity! I like stable good sense! Just as importantly, I like the possibility
of resurrecting the promise of conservatism.
JFK’s appealing personality managed this for liberalism. Will we allow Rubio’s appealing personality
to do the same for a more balanced political agenda?
Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University
No comments:
Post a Comment