Marco Rubio tears into Rand Paul over support for Cuba policy shift
Marco Rubio tears into Rand Paul over support for Cuba policy shift Subscribe My Channel! .Paul has placed himself at odds with several possible Republican presidential challengers, including...
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Marco Rubio tears into Rand Paul over support for Cuba policy shift - Video
From left to right, Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and Rand Paul, R-Kentucky Getty
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, fired back late Friday after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, criticized his stance on Cuba as "isolationist," accusing Paul of embracing President Obama's decision to normalize U.S.-Cuba relations after more than 50 years of disengagement.
"He just basically repeated the talking points of the president," Rubio said about Paul on Mark Levin's radio show. "And that's fine, he has every right to support the president's foreign policy if that's what he wants to line up with. But I'm telling you it isn't going to work. This notion that somehow by doing this there's going to be change in Cuba is just not true."
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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, says the changes to the U.S.-Cuba relationship announced by President Obama are a concession to tyranny.
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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, voices support for President Obama's decision to normalize relations with Cuba, saying the decades-old U.S. embargo a...
After Mr. Obama announced the resumption of diplomatic relations with Cuba Wednesday, Rubio, a son of Cuban immigrants, savaged the decision as a concession to tyranny, and he vowed to do everything he can in the Senate to block efforts to lift the Cuban embargo.
"Appeasing the Castro brothers will only cause other tyrants from Caracas to Tehran to Pyongyang to see that they can take advantage of President Obama's naivet during his final two years in office," Rubio said.
Paul, though, voiced support for the president's move, saying the move to normalize relations with Cuba "is probably a good idea."
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Rubio: Rand Paul taking his cues from Obama on Cuba
Washington Its the intramural D.C. squabble that blew up as quickly as an ocean rain squall: the Marco Rubio vs. Rand Paul Cuba Smackdown of 2014.
Why are two Republican senators, both probable presidential contenders, fighting over President Obamas decision to reopen relations with communist Cuba? Like lots of things in official Washington, its complicated. There are both personal and political reasons for the fight.
One thing is sure: Its bitter.
Kentucky Senator Paul doesnt know what hes talking about, says Senator Rubio.
Rubio is an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat, charges Paul.
Lets start with Rubios side of things. The Florida lawmaker and son of Cuban immigrants has been the face of GOP opposition to Mr. Obamas surprise Cuba move. Hes arguing that the United States will receive nothing for loosening travel restrictions and establishing other means of contact with Havana. The Castro regime will remain in place, its grip on power unaffected.
Its an issue that Rubio obviously cares deeply about. Its also historically very important to his state, where conservative Cuban-Americans have long been a powerful political bloc.
I dont care if the polls show that 99 percent of people believe we should normalize relations in Cuba. Id still believe that before we can normalize relations in Cuba, democracy has to come first, or at least significant steps towards democracy, Rubio said Wednesday.
Paul, for his part, is trying to carve out a niche as a Republican presidential contender with a different kind of foreign policy position. If theres a word that sums it up, its non-interventionist. Hes been skeptical of the virtue of deploying US power overseas in the past.
So he came out mildly in favor of the presidents actions. He said in a radio interview earlier this week that Obamas Cuba opening was probably a good idea and that the 60-year-old US embargo on trading with Cuba hasnt been effective.
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Marco Rubio vs. Rand Paul: Who's winning GOP Cuba policy smackdown? (+video)
Sen. Rand Paul took a shot at his colleague, Sen. Marco Rubio, on Twitter, slamming the Florida Republican for an isolationist view on Cuba.
Senator @marcorubio is acting like an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat. I reject this isolationism, Mr. Paul tweeted.
The two senators have traded a couple of barbs over differing views of President Obamas announced intent to normalize relations with Cuba. Mr. Rubio opposes the diplomatic outreach; Mr. Paul supports it.
SEE ALSO: Marco Rubio slams Rand Paul over Cuba: He has no idea what hes talking about
But after Mr. Paul came out in public support of smoothed relations, Mr. Rubio slammed his Kentucky colleague as having no idea what hes talking about, various media reported.
Mr. Paul then hit back, tweeting: Hey @marcorubio if the embargo doesnt hurt Cuba, why do you want to keep it?
He also called Mr. Rubio an isolationist in a separate Twitter message, and later tweeted: The United States trades and engages with other communist nations, such as China and Vietnam. So @marcorubio why not Cuba?
But Mr. Paul didnt end there. He also took to his Facebook page to criticize his Florida colleague.
He wrote, Talking Points Memo found: Senator Marco Rubio believes the embargo against Cuba has been ineffective, yet wants to continue perpetuating failed policies. After 50 years of conflict, why not try a new approach? The United States trades and engages with other communist nations, such as China and Vietnam. Why not Cuba? I am a proponent of peace through commerce and I believe engaging Cuba can lead to positive change.
He also put on his Facebook post similar hits that he tweeted: Seems to me, Senator Rubio is acting like an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat. I reject this isolationism. Finally, lets be clear that Senator Rubio does not speak for the majority of Cuban-Americans. A recent poll demonstrates that a large majority of Cuban-Americans actually support normalizing relations between our countries.
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Rand Paul trolls Marco Rubio on Twitter as Cuba feud turns nasty
Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said she'd challenge Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) if he attempted to run for both Senate and president in 2016.
"The law is clear," Grimes told WHAS. "You can't be on the ballot twice for two offices."
Kentucky's current law says "no candidate's name shall appear on any voting machine or absentee ballot more than once," except for certain special elections, according to the AP.
Paul announced in early December he would run for Senate again in 2016. He also said he will decide on a presidential run in "the March/April time frame."
But Grimes said she wouldn't hesitate to "look to the court" to keep Paul from running for both.
"I will not be bullied," Grimes said. "I think hopefully the people of Kentucky understand that over the course of this past year, and I will not hesitate to seek help and assistance in the opinion of a court."
In November, Paul and Kentucky Republicans were looking into turning the state's presidential primary into a caucus, which would keep Paul's name from appearing on the ballot twice should he decide to make a bid for the White House.
A poll done by SurveyUSA in August showed many in Kentucky opposed a change to the law that would allow Paul to run for both offices.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recently said it would be a "tough challenge" for Paul to run for both offices in 2016.
"It is one of the things Senator Paul has to grapple with in trying to figure out what the way forward is," McConnell said at a recent event hosted by Politico.
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Alison Lundergan Grimes: Rand Paul Can't Run For Senate ...