Now that Carlos Curbelo’s first choice in the presidential race, Jeb Bush, has suspended his bid, Curbelo has thrown his support behind Marco Rubio. He is even doubling down on his tinfoil hat conspiracy theory that Republican frontrunner Donald Trump is a Democratic plant. Now that Curbelo is backing Rubio, he will have to answer for Rubio’s positions, especially on areas where Curbelo has attempted to moderate himself, including:
- Rubio’s claim that human activity was not responsible for climate change
- Rubio’s call to end DACA, allowing deportation of DREAMers
- Rubio’s support for banning abortion even in cases of rape and incest
- Rubio opposition to marriage equality, and his belief that any future Supreme Court can, and should change it
“Carlos Curbelo claims to be a moderate, but after his endorsement of right-wing Rubio, South Floridians deserve to know if Curbelo supports Rubio’s extremist positions,” said Jermaine House of the DCCC. “Already, we have seen Curbelo reverse course on oil drilling, when he filmed a video on an oil rig touting oil drilling. Can South Florida voters trust Curbelo on other important issues, now that he has backed Rubio?”
BACKGROUND
Rubio Claimed Human Activity Was Not Responsible For Climate Change. “Rubio took heat for a May 11, 2014, interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC’s This Week. ‘I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,’ he said. ‘And I do not believe that the laws that they propose we pass will do anything about it. Except it will destroy our economy.’” [Politifact, 5/14/14]
Rubio Called For Ending DACA, Allowing Deportation Of DREAMers. “GOP presidential candidate Marco Rubio said Wednesday in New Hampshire the deportation deferral program that has allowed hundreds of thousands of young immigrants to stay and work in the country has to end with or without immigration reform legislation. Rubio, a U.S. senator from Florida, made the comment about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA, program in response to a reporter’s question while campaigning in the early primary state. ‘DACA is going to end and the ideal way for it to end is that it’s replaced by a reform system that creates an alternative,’ Rubio said while in Manchester, N.H. ‘But if it doesn’t, it will end. It cannot be the permanent policy of the United States.’” [NBC News, 11/14/15]
Rubio Pledged To Sign Into Law Bill That Would Ban Abortion Even In Cases Of Rape And Incest. “On one side, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio broke with party orthodoxy and said he hoped to ban abortion as an option even in cases of rape and incest. ‘If I’m president and there’s a bill that’s passed that saves lives but it has exceptions, I’ll sign it,’ Rubio said. ‘But I do believe deeply that all human life is worthy of the protection of laws. I’ve already said, for me, the issue of life is not a political issue and I want to be frank. I would rather lose an election than be wrong on the issue of life.’” [TIME, 2/6/16]
Rubio Opposes Marriage Equality, Wants The Supreme Court To Overturn It.” After declaring marriage equality “bad law,” Rubio said: “What is wrong is that the Supreme Court has found this hidden constitutional right that 200 years of jurisprudence had not discovered and basically overturn the will of voters in Florida where over 60 percent passed a constitutional amendment that defined marriage in the state constitution as the union of one man and one woman.” Chuck Todd pressed, “So are you accepting the idea of same sex marriage in perpetuity?” Rubio responded: “It is the current law. I don’t believe any case law is settled law. Any future Supreme Court can change it. And ultimately, I will appoint Supreme Court justices that will interpret the Constitution as originally constructed.” [NBC, Meet The Press, 12/13/2015; VIDEO]