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News Friday, Dec 4 2015

Senatorial Hobbyist Marco Rubio Skips SC Field Hearing For NH Event

Dec 04, 2015

Be it so moved that we shall henceforth refer to Marco Rubio’s “jobs” both in the Senate and on the campaign trail as “hobbies” — because that’s a significantly more accurate characterization of his embarrassing lack of commitment to both.

The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship this morning held a field hearing in Columbia on “Strategies for Rebuilding: An Examination of Small Business Recovery Efforts in South Carolina” — but committee member Marco Rubio was nowhere to be found.

Where was Rubio? Heading to a “holiday luncheon” campaign event in Greenland, New Hampshire.

Not showing up for work is sadly nothing new for absentee Senator Marco Rubio. Since taking office in 2011, Rubio has what’s been described as “one of the worst” attendance records in the Senate. And it’s in only gotten worse over time: Rubio’s missed over a third of Senate votes this year, and that jumped to an abysmal 52% over the last three months.

But “hating” his job in the Senate is no excuse for senatorial hobbyist Marco Rubio to skip a hearing on small business development — especially when doing so is a direct affront to South Carolinians, whose support he’s vying for in the second of the GOP’s presidential primaries.

Background:

Rubio’s Missed Votes

2011 Session: Rubio Missed 21 Of 235 Votes In His First Session

Rubio Missed 21 Of 235 Votes In His First Session Of Congress. [Florida Times-Union, 12/29/11]

2011 – 2015: Rubio Had “One Of The Worst” Attendance Records In The Senate

Rubio Had “One Of The Worst” Attendance Records In The Senate. According to a blog by Alex Leary in the Tampa Bay Times, “Rubio’s attendance record has drawn notice before. He had one of the worst in the Senate as of last year and his office attributed it to family matters. He has an elderly mother and four children.” [Tampa Bay Times, 1/26/15]

 
2011 – 2015: Rubio Missed 8.3 Percent Of Votes Since Joining The Senate

2011 – 2015: Rubio Missed 8.3 Percent Of Votes Since Joining The Senate. According to a blog by Aaron Blake in the Washington Post, “Absenteeism isn’t nearly as much an issue on the Senate side, but the leading vote-misser is a familiar name with 2016 ambitions: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). He has missed 8.3 percent of votes since joining the Senate in 2011.” [Washington Post, 2/18/15]

  • Rubio Missed 99 Of 1,198 Votes Since Taking Office In 2011. According to Politico, “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) have been absent from the most votes in their respective chambers, according to a new analysis by Vocativ in partnership with GovTrack.us. Of 1,198 total votes, Rubio has missed 99, or 8.3 percent, since taking office in January 2011.” [Politico, 2/18/15]
  • 2011-2015: Rubio Missed 78 Of 1,171 (6.7%) Roll Call Votes. According to a blog by Alex Leary in the Tampa Bay Times, “According to Govtrack, “from Jan 2011 to Jan 2015, Rubio missed 78 of 1,171 roll call votes, which is 6.7%. This is worse than the median of 1.7% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving.’” [Tampa Bay Times, 1/26/15]
  • February, 2015: Rubio Missed 45 Percent Of The Votes Despite The Legislative Session Being Less Than A Month Old. According to the Bradenton Herald, “So far in the current session of Congress, Rubio has missed 45 percent of the votes. But the session is less than a month old, and nearly all the 49 votes-to-date were conducted in the past two weeks.” [Bradenton Herald, 2/2/15]

 
2015 – 2016 Presidential Candidates: Rubio’s Voting Record Made Him The “Worst Offender” Among Senate Presidential Contenders

Rubio Was The “Worst Offender” Among Senate Presidential Contenders, Who Missed Votes Since January, 2015. According to The Hill, “Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who are considering presidential bids, as well as presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R-Texas), have missed more votes than nearly every other senator so far this year, according to data from Govtrack.com. Out of the three, Rubio — expected to make his candidacy official on Monday — is the worst offender, according to Senate records, having missed 25, or 18.5 percent, of roll call votes since January. That puts him in the 98th percentile on votes skipped for the 114th Congress so far.” [The Hill, 4/12/15]

“Nearly One-Third Of The Votes Rubio Has Missed In 2015 Came Before He Launched His Campaign.” According to The Washington Post The Fix, “Nearly one-third of the votes Rubio has missed in 2015 came before he launched his campaign. Between Jan. 1 and April 12, the day before he announced, the Senate held 135 votes. Rubio missed 25 of them, meaning that even before his campaign began, he missed more votes than Paul or Sanders have all year. After his April 13 announcement, the Senate had 140 votes, of which Rubio missed 34.” [Washington Post The Fix, 10/8/15]


Published: Dec 4, 2015

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