Marco Rubio, the GOP's chosen one, still "has a long way to go" (but he's getting there)

Marco Rubio resists being called the GOP ?savior.?

But on Tuesday night, he?s the party?s chosen one.

The Florida senator was picked by Republican Party leaders to rebut President Barack Obama?s State of the Union address ? and Rubio will do it in English and Spanish.

Rubio?s speech will be the first of its kind delivered in two languages.

That alone speaks volumes about Rubio?s key role in attracting Hispanics to the GOP and leading its immigration-reform efforts. It earned him a spot on the cover of Time magazine, which called him ?the Republican Savior.?

?There is only one savior, and it?s not me,? Rubio responded on Twitter last week, closing his message with the hashtag ?#Jesus.?

Democrats want to paint Rubio as an insincere opportunist in a party that doesn?t appeal to Hispanics on an array of policies, not just immigration.

In a conference call Monday, Democratic National Committee chair and U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz criticized her fellow South Floridian, Rubio, for having ?extreme? positions on budget cuts that are bad for everyone.

Like Obama?s speech, Rubio?s will be wide-ranging. It won?t focus on immigration alone, and might only touch on the subject.

Rubio often tries to be counter-intuitive. The more pundits expect him to talk about immigration, the less inclined he?ll be to do it. He?ll try to present conservative ideas in a new-sounding way to appeal to the middle class.

Also, Rubio chafes at being typecast. He doesn?t want to be the token Hispanic, crusading for immigration reform. Yet he?ll use the issue to his advantage.

To party leaders, Rubio isn?t so much a savior as a Moses figure to lead them out of self-imposed electoral bondage when it comes to Hispanics, the electorate?s fastest-growing segment.

Many Hispanics have long been troubled by the tone as well as the policies of Republicans, including former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

But now, a Miami-born son of immigrants will be talking to many of them in their native tongue.

More here

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/02/11/3229019/sen-marco-rubio-the-chosen-one.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#storylink=cpy

Source: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2013/02/marco-rubio-the-gops-chosen-one-still-has-a-long-way-to-go-but-hes-getting-there.html

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