Rubio’s mismanagement of his money should be a super-colossal point of concern for everyone, especially those of us who endured the side effects of the Great Recession. Given how we’re only a few years outside of the recession, a candidate like Rubio shouldn’t be taken seriously as a contender for shepherding the American economy in a delicate post-recession world. The words “incompetent” and “dangerous” hardly begin to describe Rubio, but it’s a start.
Let’s recap what we know from the [New York Times] article:
- Until around 2012, Rubio was deeply in debt — mortgages (plural) and student debt totaling in the hundreds of thousands.
- An $800,000 book deal was supposed to resolve the debt for Rubio and his family. Rubio even spoke publicly about this (at the time) responsible course of action.
- Instead, Rubio purchased, among other things, an $80,000 boat. (The saying goes: Never buy a boat unless you can afford to buy 10 boats.)
- Rubio used a state GOP credit card for personal vacation (he called this “an accident”
, as well as a household renovation project (another “accident”?).
- He paid $24,000 in taxes and early penalties for prematurely liquidating his retirement account, valued at $68,000.
- Rubio sold a Tallahassee home, previously threatened with foreclosure, at a loss of $18,000.
- He leased a 2015 Audi Q7 for $50,000, in spite of “significant debts.” [sic, the NYT article valued the Audi at $50,000]
- Even when commanding greater income, he hardly set aside any money in savings.
- Rubio used his personal credit card to pay for campaign expenses.
- In his 2012 book, Rubio admits to his “lack of bookkeeping skills.” Wow. Ya think?
