Marco’s Moment?

For the last couple of weeks there’s been plenty of buzz about an imminent Marco Rubio “Moment.” As one non-affiliated GOP strategist remarked to me the other day, “Rubio is simply the best natural athlete on the field.” He’s great on the stump, comfortable on the trail and confident around the press. But, with another bi-lingual, pro-immigration reform Floridian in the race as well as plenty of other Tea Party types to compete with, Rubio lacks an obvious “lane” to himself. Moreover, where Walker’s reputation as a union-buster helps endear him to the GOP faithful, Rubio’s push for comprehensive immigration reform earned him plenty of scorn from conservatives. So, can Rubio get his moment? And, if he does, can he make it last? While many talk of the GOP race as a battle between the establishment and non-establishment forces, the winner of the nomination is ultimately the one who can prove to be acceptable to the four or five significant factions of the party: establishment, Tea Party/Libertarian, social conservative and internationalist/defense hawk. The winner is the “uniter,” not the divider.