Marco Rubio | Credit: Steve Martine

His maiden speech in the U.S. Senate behind him, rising Republican star Marco Rubio took off the gloves Wednesday, tearing into President Barack Obama’s record on the abysmal economy.

Since defeating then-Gov. Charlie Crist, who was running with no party affiliation and Democrat Kendrick Meek, Rubio has generally kept a low profile in his first months in Washington -- despite increasing buzz that he would be an excellent fit for the Republican presidential ticket in 2012.

Rubio took advantage of an appearance on the Laura Ingram show Wednesday to hammer Obama on the economy, offering savage words on the way the president has managed it.

“The problem with the president is, he doesn’t understand how jobs are created or he doesn’t want to accept how jobs are created,” said Rubio. “They’re not created by the president, they’re not created by United States senators. Jobs are created by Americans -- hard-working, everyday people who go out and start a business or expand an existing business. That’s how jobs are created. Government’s job is to create an environment where it’s easier to do that. And his policies are not making it easier to do that, and that’s why jobs aren’t being created.”

Rubio pointed to the president’s record in office, ranging from tax policy to the federal health-care law that the administration supported, and maintained that the nation was worse off under Obama.

“Because his tax policy is threatening class warfare and tax increases, the regulatory environment, the stuff going on with the labor issues and the unions, Obamacare -- the litany of things that are happening since he’s taken over as president is scaring job creators, and they’re deciding now’s not the time to create jobs,” said Rubio. “And he doesn’t understand it, and that’s why his presidency has made things worse here in America.”

The Florida Republican added that he does not think the president’s team has any faith in the American economic system.

“There’s no way you can look at the policies that this president has pursued and not reach the conclusion that at least people in his administration do not buy into the American free-enterprise system, that they feel that somehow maybe the way the other countries have done it is better,” said Rubio. “I don’t think history is on their side. As I just told a group a moment ago, give me an example of a country that embraced big government and found prosperity. Because there isn’t any, not in history, and not in modern times. The truth is that we should not be implementing the policies of countries that people come here to get away from. And if you look at the direction and expansion of government’s role in our economy, that this administration is pursuing, I think that’s the direction they’re taking us, pretty clearly.”

Having made his maiden speech, the Florida Republican seems to be starting to raise his profile. Besides his interview on the Ingram show, Rubio also made an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday night.



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