Rand Paul is Going Off on Marco Rubio on Social Media Over Cuba

Barack Obama's announcement that the U.S. and Cuba are moving forward to improve diplomatic relations has gotten Marco Rubio all hot and bothered. Rubio has been the leading voice in speaking out and criticizing the president's decision to thaw relations with the island nation. He's called Obama the worst negotiator...

By Chris Joseph

December 19, 2014

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Barack Obama's announcement that the U.S. and Cuba are moving forward to improve diplomatic relations has gotten Marco Rubio all hot and bothered. Rubio has been the leading voice in speaking out and criticizing the president's decision to thaw relations with the island nation. He's called Obama the worst negotiator since President Carter, and accused the president of coddling tyrants.

Rubio even went after fellow senator Rand Paul after the Kentucky senator said Obama's plan was "probably a good idea."

In response to this, Rubio told FoxNews that Paul doesn't know what he's talking about. And then Paul took to social media and started blasting Rubio on his Facebook and Twitter pages.

"Senator Marco Rubio believes the embargo against Cuba has been ineffective, yet he wants to continue perpetuating failed policies," Paul wrote on his Facebook. "After 50 years of conflict, why not try a new approach? The United States trades and engages with other communist nations, such as China and Vietnam. Why not Cuba? I am a proponent of peace through commerce, and I believe engaging Cuba can lead to positive change."

He also called Rubio an isolationist, and that the senator from Florida doesn't speak for the majority of Cuban-Americans.

Post by Rand Paul.

But Paul wasn't done there.

He then took to Twitter to call Rubio out directly:

Hey @marcorubio if the embargo doesn't hurt Cuba, why do you want to keep it?
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 19, 2014

Senator @marcorubio is acting like an isolationist who wants to retreat to our borders and perhaps build a moat. I reject this isolationism.
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 19, 2014

The United States trades and engages with other communist nations, such as China and Vietnam. So @marcorubio why not Cuba?
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 19, 2014

.@marcorubio what about the majority of Cuban-Americans who now support normalizing relations between our countries? http://t.co/0qhSOeD9Va
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) December 19, 2014

Rubio, who is not the savviest of Twitterers, has yet to respond to Paul.

This is Rubio's last Tweet:

As we debate budget shouldnt lose sight of our biggest challenge #AmericanDream slipping away for millions of people. http://t.co/xNhqE0pRu9
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 13, 2014

On Wednesday, following the President's announcement, Rubio told reporters that he would do everything in his power to undo Obama's plans to thaw relations with Cuba, including opening a U.S. embassy in Havana.

"This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, based on a lie," Rubio told reporters gathered on Capitol Hill. "The White House has conceded everything and gained little."

Rubio also vowed to block whoever is eventually nominated to be a U.S. ambassador to Cuba.

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