Maggie, this is essentially the same pitch that Donald Trump is making: “Trust me, I’ll have a plan for (insert issue). It’s gonna be great. It’ll be better than ever.” He’s betting on his brand.

I think Marco Rubio is betting his optimism will give Trump supporters another reason to look at him, using identity politics to effectively blunt Ted Cruz’s appeal to Trumpers. Sure, it’s poll-tested and honed, but it’s smart politics by opening a second front against Cruz (and possibly disaffected Carson supporters).

Kim Holmes had a smart piece in Public Discourse yesterday on Trump and the identity politics game he’s playing. It looks like Rubio may have learned the same game.

Clint Cline is the president of Design4, a national media and messaging firm based in Florida.