海角大神

Looks like Marco Rubio is going to run for president after all. The first-term Republican senator from Florida has begun to take 鈥渃oncrete steps鈥� toward a 2016 bid, ABC News reports Friday morning. He鈥檚 asked his top aides to lay out a plan, hired a well-known fundraiser, and booked travel to a bunch of early-voting states in coming weeks.

鈥淗e has told us to proceed as if he is running for president,鈥� a top Rubio aide .

This isn鈥檛 exactly a surprise, but it wasn鈥檛 a foregone conclusion, either. Some political pros had thought Rubio might decide to sit out this election cycle. He鈥檚 young enough to wait, he鈥檚 flopped around a bit on immigration policy, and there鈥檚 already a Floridian in the race 鈥� ex-governor Jeb Bush, who鈥檒l corral a lot of Sunshine State political talent and money.

But at a Monitor breakfast this week Senator Rubio indicated that Bush鈥檚 plans would not affect his own. He wasn鈥檛 considering whether he should run for Florida governor before running for US president as a means to bolster his credentials.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a 10-year plan for political progress,鈥� Rubio said at the CSM breakfast. 鈥淚 just deal with the opportunities as they emerge.鈥�

In the end, Rubio might still decide to pull back from an official candidacy. He badly needs to build name recognition and support; right now he鈥檚 only attracting 4.5 percent of the GOP vote in the of major 2016 polls.

But Friday's news turns up the dial on his effort and tells us a few things about the race in general, and Rubio鈥檚 2016 perceptions in particular.

First, Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney aren鈥檛 clearing the field. Bush has moved aggressively, announcing an exploratory committee and forming super PACs, while Romney鈥檚 evinced surprising interest in a race. That hasn鈥檛 scared off other candidates who might compete with them for the establishment and business wings of the GOP, however. Rubio鈥檚 moving. Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has scheduled trips to the early-voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Second, Rubio鈥檚 looking to President Obama for inspiration. Not in any ideological or policy sense, but in terms of baseline experience. Obama won the White House as a first-term Senate backbencher. If he could do it, why can鈥檛 Rubio? Many political strategists think voters might be looking for a governor with executive experience as their presidential choice in 2016, but political strategists say lots of stuff. Some of it is wrong.

Finally, the real divisions in the Republican primary field this time might be generational. Rubio isn鈥檛 a party outsider. He鈥檚 not a tea party favorite. He doesn鈥檛 have a support base among evangelicals, or Wall Street鈥檚 nod. But he hasn鈥檛 run for president twice before, like Mitt Romney. Or even once before, like Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. None of his relatives have been president, like Jeb Bush鈥檚 brother and Dad.

But if it turns out GOP primary voters are tired of the same-old, then Rubio can present himself as a fresh hat in the ring.

鈥淧olitics is often unpredictable. If Rubio can somehow come up with the $50M nut he鈥檒l need to make it through to next January, he may just surprise us,鈥� at the right-leaning Hot Air site.