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U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) joined The Brian Mudd Show to discuss what is happening in Florida, his efforts to protect life, and his prediction for the Miami Dolphins’ win-loss record this year. See below for highlights and listen to the full interview here.
 
On public opinion in Florida:
 
“The first thing I point to is the school board. Many of these elections, like in Miami-Dade county, are non-partisan. But people certainly had opinions. And it’s interesting to see that school board races, which are traditionally a backwater of politics in terms of public attention—they just haven’t really gotten a lot of attention in the past—they really became prominent, which I think highlights the broader issue.
 
“There’s a feeling in Florida that the country is headed in the wrong direction, and Florida is set in a much better direction. And they want to see an America led by people that will make it more like Florida, not less like Florida. 
 
“Every day brings an example of the violent crime in Chicago. Literally, it’s a daily occurrence. Some of these things that are going on in some of these places—what’s happening at the border; the California energy meltdown, where they want to force everyone to buy electric cars, but now they’re telling everyone not to charge their electric cars—every day is a reminder of [these things.]
 
“Obviously we want the country to do well. But Florida has been sort of an oasis on all those failures.”
 
On what issues matter to voters right now:
 
“You have a country whose economy continues to dramatically underperform. I mean, I would not brag about the fact that gas prices are still substantially higher than they were the day they [the Democrats] took over. And, you know, it’s still really painful for everyday Americans. I think you’re still facing that challenge, still facing inflation across the board. I think you’re facing all those challenges to begin with.
 
“And then on top of that, you’re facing some of the repercussions of some of these crazy policies. You don’t put criminals in jail, you refuse to prosecute them, and you have crime surge. We have a catastrophe at the border, and Florida’s feeling the impact of it as well. Seven, eight thousand people a day go into the country. It’s an unprecedented mass migration event happening on a daily basis, right under his [President Biden’s] watch. 
 
“They [the Democrats] don’t care about it. They don’t want to talk about any of those things. So they’re going to try to find other issues to make the centerpiece of the campaign. And that’s why you see Biden out there, you know, calling every Republican a fascist. That’s why you see them sort of doing this series of events to try to stir up controversy and attention. They know the media is starved for ratings. So every day has to be about something new and outrageous. They want the debates to be about these other things and not about the core issues. 
 
“I think Republicans have to continue to remind people…that…[the Democrats tried to get] rid of the filibuster…. They would have spent $4 billion in wasteful deficit spending to pay for all kinds of work programs. They would have packed the Supreme Court. There’s all kinds of dramatic and permanent damage they would have done to the country. I think that’s a really important point for people to understand. You better have a check and balance on these people or they’ll destroy this country.”
 
On the importance of understanding how Democrat policies produced inflation:
 
“I think it’s important. I think voters on both sides understand that. For example, if you have less of something and as many or more people that want it, the price is going to go up. 
 
“And that’s been the case on energy, right? We’re not producing enough oil. And we’re not refining enough oil, because we have an administration that’s basically told the oil and gas industry, we’re going to put you out of business. And, of course, banks don’t lend the money and don’t invest in these programs. So why would an industry expand capacity if they’re being threatened that way and taken to court and prohibited? So you have less oil and natural gas, and the result is, the price is going to go up. 
 
“The same is true on the supply chain side, but it’s also the demand side of the equation. You pump a bunch of money into the economy, that money is going to be spent, and that money being spent means more dollars chasing fewer goods. The result is higher prices on everything. When energy prices go up, the price of everything goes up. But then on top of that, the price of everything else goes up that we’re paying for. 
“And it’s the basic necessities. We’re not talking about flat screen TVs here or third cars. What we’re talking about here is food, housing, clothing, all of these things. The price continues to go up on Joe Biden’s watch. 
 
“And it’s not just what the policies created or exacerbated. It’s that it’s not the focus…. So they’ve admitted that this is not their top concern. And you see it in the things they want to vote on and the things they want to focus on.”
 
On the issue of abortion in light of Dobbs:
 
“It’s a moral question. What is human life? When is it worthy of protection? And I believe human life is always worthy of protection. I don’t ever pretend that it’s an easy issue, because you get into some circumstances that are very, very difficult, and you understand it. But ultimately, the right of an unborn, innocent human being to live, is a fundamental one to me. And so I’ve never analyzed that too much as politics, and that’s how I was doing it. 
 
“But I also remind everybody what has changed in America on that issue over the last year is that the Supreme Court has returned it to the voters. The Supreme Court has basically said, you the voters, through your elected representatives at the state level, now decide which abortions are allowed and which ones are not, in your state…. 
 
“Democrats…effectively support abortion on demand paid for by taxpayers. They support no restrictions on abortion…. That’s an extreme position. That’s outside the mainstream of what most people, and many people who call themselves pro-choice, would say should be legal. 
 
“In Florida we have a four-month ban. That means…, sadly and tragically, today they’ll be abortions performed in Florida, because the overwhelming majority of them [abortions] occur within the first four months. After four months, you are now dealing with an unborn human being who is capable of feeling pain and all sorts of other things, and that’s why we have the law in Florida the way it is. It’s a very reasonable law, and the polling suggests that it’s a majority position. 
 
“That’s what the legislators in Florida decided. I would recognize that California and New York are probably going to have different abortion laws than Florida. So the only extremists on abortion are Democrats…, [who believe that abortion] should be legal at any time in the pregnancy, even the day the child’s due, and that taxpayers should have to pay for it.”
 
On Rubio’s prediction for the Dolphins record this year:
 
“10 and six. I don’t know why I’m setting myself up. This is probably the best offseason they’ve had in a decade, but it has to translate to the field. And, you know, the margin for error in the NFL is very, very small. You’re one injury, one mistake away from losing a bunch of games. I’m going to be very pessimistic so that I can be nothing but pleasantly surprised.”