Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) should do his job as senator or resign and stop cheating the state, the Sun-Sentinel argues in an editorial slamming Rubio, often addressing him directly.
“If you hate your job, senator, follow the honorable lead of House Speaker John Boehner and resign it,” the Florida paper instructed in an editorial published Tuesday night.
“Let us elect someone who wants to be there and earn an honest dollar for an honest day’s work. Don’t leave us without one of our two representatives in the Senate for the next 15 months or so,” the paper continued.
The paper’s beef with Rubio is his failure to show up for work, as the Sentinel points out he “has missed more votes than any other senator this year.”
“His seat is regularly empty for floor votes, committee meetings and intelligence briefings. He says he’s MIA from his J-O-B because he finds it frustrating and wants to be president, instead,” the editorial reads.
Rubio has been under fire in recent weeks for missing votes as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination. The Florida Republican argued in a recent interview that he is not on vacation but campaigning.
“That’s why I’m missing votes. Because I am leaving the Senate. I am not running for reelection,” Rubio noted in the last Republican debate.
As he fends off criticism for his lack of participation, recent articles have also highlighted the junior Florida senator’s distaste for the Senate.
A long-time Rubio friend told The Washington Post in a story published this week that the senator “hates it.” While Rubio in the same article pushed back against using the word “hate” he did voice frustration with his job to the Post.
Even so, according to the Sun-Sentinel, Rubio was elected —with an annually salary of $174,000 and $10,000 federal Obamacare subsidy — to be Florida’s senator.
“You are ripping us off, senator,” the paper charges.
The Sentinel compared Rubio to other candidates in the Senate running for the presidency, noting that while candidates like Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have only missed 10 votes, Rubio has missed 59 votes, according to Politico.
“By choosing to stay in the Senate and get the publicity, perks and pay that go with the position — without doing the work — you are taking advantage of us,” the paper reads.
The Sun Seninel concludes with an ultimatum for its senator.
“Your job is to represent Floridians in the Senate,” the editorial reads. “Either do your job, Sen. Rubio, or resign it.”
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