Florida Sen. Marco Rubio says his ideas are nothing like those of President Barack Obama — and that’s what matters despite their similar resumes running for president.
The GOP candidate said on CNBC on Monday that he doesn’t think any of the Republicans running are “anything like” Obama when asked about a subtle comparison drawn between him and the President by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
Rubio said those types of analogies are usually a reference to Obama’s experience as a first-term senator when he ran for president, which Rubio also is. But he said the talk of lack of experience is unimportant compared to policy.
“He’s been President now for seven years, he has seven years of presidential experience, and I still disagree with the decisions he’s making,” Rubio said. “If he’d been in the Senate 50 years, I think he still would have met some of the failures he’s meeting because his ideas don’t work.”
Bush had made the veiled swipe at Rubio last week, when asked about his longtime friend.
“Look we had a president who came in and said the same kind of thing — new and improved, hope and change — and he didn’t have the leadership skills to fix things,” Bush told CNN.
Rubio also defended his voting record this year — he’s missed more votes than any other senators running for president — which has been a frequent critique lobbed at him by his competitors.
“Being a senator is more than just casting a vote,” Rubio said, saying while it’s the “fastest part” of being senator, constituent services are “deeper.”
He also said he makes the votes that matter — but he’ll miss the ones that don’t.
“If there is a vote where my vote is going to make a difference or an issue of major national significance and importance, we’d do everything possible to be there,” Rubio said. “But I am going to miss votes, I’m running for president. … When I miss a vote, it’s not because I’m out playing golf. We’re out campaigning for the future of America where I believe I can make more of a difference as president than I could as a senator.”