He came. He campaigned. But he failed to conquer. That’s the story of Marco Rubio, the Cuban-American senator once touted as Republican’s answer to Barack Obama.
On Tuesday night, he dropped out of the presidential race following a woeful primary performance in his home state of Florida.
When and where it matters the most he failed to match ratings with performance on the campaign trail. Like Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, Ben Carson and Governor Jeb Bush before him, Rubio was consumed by Donald Trump in an apocalyptic fashion, which in itself is surprising.
He bit the dust and his reputed resume now look stymied by the ill-fated presidential ambition that refused to fly outside the corridor of his heart, especially when the performance of Ohio State governor, John Kasich is put in view.
Though subpar a lot of times during Republican debates and town hall meetings, Kasich dominated Ohio primaries, garnering over 40% of votes. A glimmer of what he could offer was shown at the New Hampshire primary where he came a distant second after the usual winner Trump.
Now, Kasich looks like a poster boy for the Republican moderates, a position many hoped Rubio would have occupied for the Republican establishment and the Ultraconservative Tea Party Movement, on whose wings he rode to the Senate in 2011.
Maybe he should have listened to those who warned him against contesting. He confessed last April that he was told to hold off but his mind was made up.
“I believe our very identity as an exceptional nation is at stake, and I can make a difference as president,” he said at the time.
Rubio could be a smooth talker on his day – though he was badgered during the campaign for being almost robotic and repetitive – and he is also young and easy on the eyes. He has the backing of the establishment, so what happened to the golden boy?
source:The Guardian
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