Looks like little Marco may very well be the GOP's next John McCain. Even though he vowed that he was leaving politics before he decided to run for his seat again, I look for him to run again in 2020. He represents the establishment very well and you can bet that they will back him with all they've got.
With Rubio balking, future of Republican tax plan is in doubt..............The legislative arithmetic is straightforward: there are currently 52 Republican senators, which means the party can lose no more than two of its own members or the regressive and unpopular tax plan dies. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) already voted against the bill once, and it sounded yesterday like he isn’t changing his mind.
If Rubio joins him – a big “if,†to be sure – that would shrink the number of GOP votes for the still-unreleased plan to 50, which would be enough for passage, but would leave Republican leaders with no margin for error.
It’s against this backdrop that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who partnered with Rubio on the idea of an expanded child tax credit, said he’s also unsure about how he’ll vote. Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), meanwhile, haven’t yet committed to supporting the proposal, and two more GOP senators – Arizona’s John McCain and Mississippi’s Thad Cochran – are dealing with some health concerns.
This is, in other words, a fairly volatile dynamic, especially for a vote that’s expected on the Senate floor in four days.
So, what happens now? Among other things, there’s uncertainty as to how and whether Senate Republicans address Rubio’s concerns. Common sense suggests GOP leaders should simply give him what he wants – it’s a modest ask, which would make the legislation more popular with the pubic – but as things stand, there’s no reason to assume that they will.
Maybe Republican leaders are assuming they can pass the bill without Rubio; maybe they’re assuming the Floridian is bluffing and won’t follow through on his threat. Either way, the change he’s seeking may not come to fruition..............
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/rubio-balking-future-republican-tax-plan-doubt
