Rubio gets it. Stewart struggles to keep up.

On Tuesday, Jon Stewart interviewed conservative senator Marco Rubio. This sketch from before the interview provides context for some of the banter that follows:

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/videos/dic6af/florida-haters

Here's the interview:

http://thedailyshow.cc.com/extended-interviews/d7iye4/marco-rubio-extended-interview

Rubio is working on bills that aren't just bipartisan alternatives to liberal proposals that Jon Stewart tries to inject into the conversation (like free community college and raising the minimum wage.) Rubio has actually done some homework and found smarter ideas. Two examples:

Turn EITC into Wage Enhancement

The Earned Income Tax Credit is a negative income tax. If you don't earn very much, and especially if you have kids, the US government will write you a check instead of taking your money. The amount you get decreases if you earn more money, but more slowly than your wages grow.

EITC is deeply flawed, but it is too popular for Congress to get rid of it, and it does put money right where our people and economy need it. Marco Rubio's wage enhancement strategy would make EITC more fair for people without children and split the benefit into monthly payments, which economists say will help people spend it more efficiently.

Recognize Acquired Learning

Rubio mentions some programs that package acquired learning such as work experience and free online classes into certifications. Rewarding acquired learning the way we reward credentials from accredited schools would help people move on from low-wage jobs and break into innovative new industries.

It would also push back against credential creep and "meritocracy" which rewards people who are good at jumping through hoops (usually those who were born a little richer than their competition) as opposed to seniority and practical knowledge.

Jon Stewart notes that these sound like the kind of policies a Democrat might come up with. It is true that Republicans in general haven't been keen on new policy ideas since Reagan and Thatcher tried, unsuccessfully, to make government smaller, but there is a distinctly conservative wisdom to Rubio's proposals. They challenge supposedly necessary evils of liberal consensus, like meritocracy, heavy-handed interventions and welfare that doesn't reward people for self-sufficiency.