"MarcoMentum" is picking up, declares the political team supporting Republican candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, whose public service occurred as a West Miami city commissioner, then as a Florida state legislator who became majority whip, majority leader and speaker of the house; and most recently, as a U.S. Senator since 2011. He is the son of parents who came to America from Cuba in 1956.
Rubio's campaign theme has been "Are You Ready For A New American Century." But does everyone know and understand how this candidate would accomplish that feat, if elected as the next U.S. president?
Following is a summary of how he stands on 29 major issues, according to details provided on his presidential campaign website.
China: His goal would be to "stop China from undermining the United States." His three steps would be: to restore American strength to ensure the United States remains a Pacific power; protect the American economy; and stand on the side of freedom and human rights, both inside China and on its periphery.
Common Core: Halt federal common core initiative and place education decisions back at local levels.
Cuba: Fight communism and stand up for democracy. He would restore Cuba to the State Sponsor of Terrorism List, end diplomatic relations with the Castro Regime and modernize sanctions.
Debt: Restrain federal spending to protect taxpayers and fight for a balanced budget.
Eminent Domain: Fight to protect private property rights.
Energy: Optimize America's resources, minimize government bureaucracy and maximize private innovation.
Foreign Policy: Undo the damage caused by sequestration by returning to Secretary Gates' fiscal year 2012 budget baseline. Modernize U.S. forces to remain on the cutting edge of the land, sea, air, cyberspace, and outer space domains. Empower U.S. intelligence community by permanently extending Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). Oppose any violations of international waters, airspace, cyberspace or outer space. Demand that China allow true freedom for its 1.3 billion people. Call the source of atrocities in the Middle East by its real name: radical Islam.
Health Care: Repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Save, protect and place Medicare on a pathway to fiscal sustainability.
Higher Education: Simplify incentives, invest in student success and establish income-based repayment as the universal repayment method for federal student loans.
Immigration: Cancel President Obama's executive orders; eliminate federal funding for sanctuary cities; deport criminal illegal aliens; hire 20,000 new Border Patrol agents; finish all 700 miles of walls on U.S. southern border; implement an entry-exit visa tracking system; implement a mandatory eVerify system; and install $4 billion in new cameras and sensors on the border.
Internet: Defend Internet freedom; strengthen response to cyber attacks; reallocate spectrum controlled by the federal government for commercial wireless services and increase transparency.
Iran: Reimpose sanctions on Iran. Make Iran choose between having a nuclear weapons program and having an economy.
ISIS: Confront ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Stop the Spread of ISIS across the Middle East. Protect the Homeland.
Israel: Strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance and Israel's self-defense.
Jobs: Enact pro-growth, pro-family tax reform that cuts taxes for all businesses to 25 percent and allows all businesses to immediately expense every dollar that they invest in the economy. Put a ceiling on the amount U.S. regulations can cost our economy.
Judges: Nominate Supreme Court justices and lower-court judges who will apply the Constitution as originally written and understood.
K-12 Education: Promote local control and boost school choice reforms. Get federal Government out of K-12 decision-making.
Life: Support pro-life policies; overturn Roe v. Wade.
Military: Rebuild and modernize. Posture the force for the cyber era.
North Korea: Counter North Korean aggression and restore North Korea to the State Sponsor of Terrorism List.
Regulation: Impose a cap on each federal agency.
Russia: Defend and restore Ukrainian Sovereignty. Protect Europe from further Russian aggression. Reclaim leadership on Syria. Highlight Russian arms control violations. Advocate for Russian journalists, dissidents and democracy activists.
Sanctuary Cities: Cut off federal funding for sanctuary cities. Increase penalties for illegal immigrants who return to the U.S. after removal, and impose mandatory minimums for those who return after being convicted of an aggravated felony or being deported two or more times.
Second Amendment: Support right to bear arms as fundamental right that every American deserves.
Sharing Economy: Protect innovators from regulators.
Social Security and Medicare: Protect the programs and improve financial security of retirees.
Taxes: Supports pro-growth, pro-family tax reform and opposes a massive European-style Value Added Tax that some candidates for president have proposed.
Transportation: Cut outdated gas taxes. Empower states to innovate. Find common-sense savings.
Veterans Administration: Make sure those directly responsible for the terrible performance of the VA can be held accountable.
