Elections in the US and Marco Rubio’s “miracle”

The “nobody and little” Marco Rubio, as his present protector Donald Trump once called him, managed to win over Democrat Val Demings for the seat both contended in the mid-term elections that concluded on Tuesday, November 8.

In a speech delivered in Miami in front of his followers of the Republican Party, after learning about his victory, in a euphoric tone, the now Senator for the third time confirmed he was committed "to working to maintain the world leadership of the United States."

"My commitment to the Senate with the Republican Party is first and foremost to put common sense and work hard so our children inherit the greatest country in the world," Rubio said in a winning tone, according to the EFE news agency.

To justify the greatness of the United States, Rubio once again resorted to the history of his family.

The United States, he said, is the greatest nation in the world and the one providing with more opportunities for people all over the world. A vivid example were his parents, who were humble workers while he could study laws and managed to become a Senator in his country for a third time.

However, he was quick to contradict himself when, referring to Democratic immigration policy, he asserted that "no country can allow 6,000 people to enter its borders every day."

"The Democrats just want us to have compassion for people —immigrants— who come from all over the world." In other words, according to the re-elected senator, "the greatest nation providing with more opportunities to people from all over the world" is no more than a mere advertising slogan.

This is proven by the great paradox that such nation, despite being the world’s richest country, has some of the worst poverty rates among the most developed countries, which is equivalent to nearly 40 million Americans living below the official poverty line.

And this is not a recent problem linked to the Democratic underperformance in the wake of a global pandemic and a war in Europe. The systemic problem that brings down the propaganda slogan of "land of opportunities" dates back to long before 1964 when then President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an "unconditional war on poverty."

However, during his speech, the Floridian senator did not hesitate to further state that: "Our job is to defend the equal rights of the United States," and to ensure that "America's history inspires the world."

In terms of inequality, the only example with which the United States serves as a paradigm to the world is that of being the country where inequality of income and wealth is greater than in any other developed country.

Marco Rubio, instead of Senator, should apply for a professorship at Florida International University to pass on to new generations the experience of how a son of some humble Cubans, emigrated to the United States in 1956, managed to win for the third time his term in the Senate.

As he well said in his celebration speech: "My parents worked in a hotel and my mother worked as a hotel maid, which is not bad, but my history of self-improvement is the same as the history of the United States."

In the narrative of the American history of the Senator there is no room, of course, for Orlando Cicilia, husband of Bárbara, his older sister, who was arrested for drug trafficking when Marco Rubio was 16 years old.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff