Rubio not only understands the importance of the American dream; he is living it. He believes in the uniqueness of America and is infused with a Reaganesque optimism which this country sorely needs now. Moreover, being of Cuban background, he has seen the damage that socialist policies can wreak on a nation. Liberalism is a serious threat not just to America, but to the western democracies in Europe as well, so it is critically important that our leaders understand this very real existential threat. Rubio feels it in his blood and family history. Too many politicians, including many Republicans, are beguiled by the liberal rhetoric of good-intentions and the slow, but steady, creep of liberalism to see the real danger. Rubio is different.
People do not comprehend what a great country we have. Americans have not traveled enough to realize what it is that we have here. They do not understand the poverty and misery that surrounds us in the world. We are the envy of the world and our own citizens are looking down on what we have. Civilization is very tenuous. We can easily lose what we have.
The founding fathers sought to create a country protecting the rights of the citizens from the government. The Constitution was predicated on this principle. For the liberals of today, like Obama, this is anathema. They do not like the Constitution, seeing it as a constraint on what the government can do. Their interest is in expanding the rights and powers of government to the detriment of citizens. The War of Independence and the Civil War as well as the two World Wars were fought to preserve our traditions and ideals, but liberalism is now surreptitiously taking them from us from within.
Liberals, like Obama, do not like this country. They want to change it. You would think that someone like Obama who has risen from nothing to become President of the United States would see the greatness of this country. You would think that he would appreciate that we are truly the land of opportunity where anyone can achieve their dreams. But he does not. He sees only unfairness and injustice. The contrast with Rubio could not be more stark.
Unfortunately, many of our leaders as well as our citizens have lost an appreciation for the greatness of this country. Sometimes it takes a foreigner or an immigrant to understand what long-time citizens have lost sight of. This is one of the things that makes Marco Rubio such a promising new political figure. As a young, Cuban-American, he is a classic example of what hard work can do for you in this country.
He recognizes and appreciates that only in a country like America could he have risen from nowhere to be considered as a possible Vice Presidential running mate for Romney. He understands who we are as a nation. He would like to build on our strengths, not transform us into a European type socialist state.
Sophistopia 
I couldn’t agree more that the politicians that are trying to turn America into a socialist state are doing serious damage, but the desire of the right to control people’s personal lives and to violate civil liberties in the name of the war on terrorism, the war on drugs, ect is equally disturbing to me.
I’ll be supporting Gary Johnson in 2012.
I symphathize with your libertarian philosophy. but the real threat to civil liberties comes from big government. As Alexis de Tocqueville said, “Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference; while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” The key is reducing the role of government from both the right and the left. A vote for Gary Johnson won’t stop the Obama juggernaut toward massive expansion of the State, not to mention the threat to our liberties resulting from an out of control increase in our national debt.
The election of Romney will do little to slow the growth of government in the economy. The Republican party will not change until the libertarian wing of the party refuses to vote for big government republicans like Romney.