Sen. Rubio says he was not equating Obama administration, Cuba

ABOARD THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN PLANE — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio denied Saturday that he was comparing President Obama’s policies to those of Cuba when he criticized the president at a campaign event for Mitt Romney.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, told supporters at a Pensacola, Fla., rally that Obama’s recently released plan for a second term was a “picture book.”

“Unfortunately there’s nothing really innovative in that picture book,” he told the audience. “They’re the ideas that have failed every time they’ve ever been tried. They’re expensive ideas. They’re the ideas of countries that people come here to get away from.”

Speaking to reporters on Romney’s campaign plane, Rubio said he was not referring to Cuba. He denied that Floridians would take it that way.

“I’m talking about big government. I’m talking about countries where the government dominates the economy,” he said. “When big government dominates an economy, people get stuck and they can’t climb.”

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Rubio’s introduction was part of Romney’s multi-stop Florida trip Saturday, which was intended to encourage Floridians to vote early — an option now open to them.

In Pensacola, Romney criticized pending defense cuts that will take place if a new budget deal is not reached. Romney blamed Obama for the proposed cuts, although they were approved by congressional Republicans, including Romney’s running mate Paul Ryan.

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seema.mehta@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSeema