TAPPER: I want to ask you about another issue you are casting yourself as a candidate of a new generation. But there is an issue where you are very out of step with younger voters, even younger Republican voters according to a Pew poll, 61 percent of Republican voters under the age of 30 I believe support same-sex marriage. On that issue, same-sex marriage, senator, you're the candidate of yesterday.
RUBIO: Well, a couple of points, number one, that is an issue that will largely be determined at the state level since marriage laws have always been defined by the states. I'm not, for example, ever supported a federal constitutional amendment to define marriage, because I believe states define marriage in their laws. And if in fact people feel that way as that poll says, then they can petition their state legislature to change the law. The second point I would make is, I think there's still a significant number of Americans that believe that the definition of marriage should be that of one man and one woman as it has been for thousands of years. And that continues today.
TAPPER: But, they're a minority.
RUBIO: Well, they're a large minority. In essence still parts of this country that believe that way, but irrespective, we're in a republic. If you wanna change the marriage laws of your state, go to your state legislature and get your legislators to change it. I don't believe the court system is the appropriate way to do it and I don't believe Washington and the Supreme Court is the appropriate way to do that. Beyond it I would say when I talk about the future, what I'm really pointing to is not those issues necessarily but the fact we are living through a massive transition out into a post-industrial era where millions of people are being left behind because America is no longer globally competitive as it once was and because they do not have the skills required to succeed in the 21st century and we have political leaders in this town and across the country, they're still wedded to an outdated 20th century higher education model that no longer works.
