I was hoping I wouldn’t have to write this.
As his challengers depart the race and the spotlight intensifies on the remaining competitors for the Republican nomination, Marco Rubio is bleeding support. He’s bleeding because of self-inflicted wounds. He can’t hide himself.
I was more than willing to dismiss the water drinking thing.
I’ve done a boatload of public speaking and I know what it is to get dry while you’re speaking. Critics might try speaking for entire day in Albuquerque. I chalked it up to inexperience.
Two debates ago, Chris Christie struck a severe blow to Rubio, calling Rubio out for a canned speech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGWPo7GqA6w
Soon after Rubio was interviewed by George Stephanopoulos and repeated himself three more times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCq4z1FbrJA
Rubio appeared to right himself soon after the debate but it didn’t last long. Allegations that he is an amnesty proponent have dogged Rubio for some time. Back in September Rubio’s campaign seemed to reinforce the idea:
As record numbers of Muslim migrants enter the United States, and as a surge of Central Americans swamps our southern border, GOP presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)79%
is using his presidential campaign to promote citizenship for those who come here illegally and take American jobs, benefits and residency.In a September 21 interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Rubio said that within 10 or 12 years — which would be after the U.S. foreign-born population has swelled above 51 million on current trends — “you could have a broader debate about how has this worked out and should we allow some of them [the illegal foreign-born] to apply for green cards and eventually citizenship.”
In a quote provided yesterday to New York Magazine, Rubio’s spokesman made clear that Rubio’s position on citizenship for illegals has not changed since he worked with President Obama and Senator Schumer on the “Gang of Eight Bill.”
Rubio’s spokesman declared: “Marco has repeatedly stated — and did so again last night — that he is open to green cards after 10 years.”
Additionally:
A review of past Rubio comments shows that he is still using the same talking points now as he did in during the 2013 “Gang of Eight” effort to push his citizenship program for illegal entrants into U.S. society.
Even so, I wanted to give Rubio the benefit of the doubt. But then, he ran into O’Reilly and things got all too obvious. Once again, Rubio went robotic and repetitive but that wasn’t the worst of it:
O’REILLY: And, we assume anyone who wins the Republican nomination will do that, if they become president. But, I’m interested in your vision, OK? Because your father came here from Cuba, and he came legally because Cubans had the political component going for them after Castro took over in 1959.
Now, your vision, not the American people’s vision, your vision. You’ve got 12 million people living here, Trump says he’s going to round them up, use federal authorities, and federal power to force them to go back home. Some people say that’s not realistic, some people say that won’t happen because courts would block it.
But, your vision is to deal with illegal aliens here who have broken our laws how? What will you try to sell the voters?
RUBIO: Yeah, and first, just to set the record straight, my parents came in 1956 before Castro. They came through the regular green card process. They applied and they entered the country the normal immigration way. They didn’t have any sort of special status.
And, then as far as the 12 million that are here? Look, I don’t believe the American people support some sort of militaristic round-up of individuals, and I don’t think you could carry it out. The sort of tactics it would required would offend the American people.
The good news is that we don’t have to do it that way. If you secure our border — if you secure our border, if you put in place mandatory e-verify, you put in place a mandatory entry exit tracking system, if we prove to the American people that illegal immigration is finally under control, I think the American people will respond in a very rational, reasonable and responsible way...
O’REILLY: … But, what is that? Wait…
RUBIO: … about what do you do with someone that first certain criteria?
O’REILLY: … In your mind…
RUBIO: … Again, I don’t — it depends on what the....
O’REILLY: … OK…
RUBIO: … It depends on what the American people are willing to…
O’REILLY: … Alright, but let me give you an example. Alright. So, Tommy O’Malley has overstayed his visa from Counting Cork in Ireland.
RUBIO: Alright.
O’REILLY: Let’s take it out of the Mexican realm because there are a lot of non-Mexicans who are here illegally, alright? Let’s take that emotional component out of it.
So, Tommy O’Malley comes over, he overstays his visa. He’s got a job out on Long Island, he’s been here, he’s got two kids. Do you let him stay, do you give him American citizenship? What do you do with him?
RUBIO: Well, first of all, it depends on what the American people are willing to support because you’re not going to ram anything down their throat…
O’REILLY: … Alright, you’re not going to give me your vision…
RUBIO: … No, I’m going to give it to you. I’m going to give it to you, Bill.
O’REILLY: OK, go.
RUBIO: Let me finish my statement. It does depend on what the American people will support. Here’s what I’ve suggested in the past. If someone has been here for a defined period of time, they can pass a background check, if they’ve committed crimes they can’t stay. They have to pay a tax, they have to start paying taxes. They’re going to have to pay a substantial fine because they violated the law.
And, in exchange for all that, they can apply and receive a work permit, and that’s all they’re going to be allowed to have. A permit that allows them to work here and travel, and that’s it.
O’REILLY: OK.
RUBIO: That’s all they’ll be allowed to have for a very significant period of time. I think that’s something the american people might be open to…
O’REILLY: … They might be…
RUBIO: … But, only after our borders are secure.
O’REILLY: … They might be, but it would have to be very well defined to them.
Rubio is about amnesty, but only after convincing Americans that the border is secure. At least, that’s the current version of his story. This is disappointing to me. Rubio was my last best hope. The GOP establishment will likely continue to line up behind Rubio as its best chance to topple Trump. I saw Rubio as the one person who could beat Hillary, but unfortunately he is no match for Trump. Rubio seems to lock onto a meme du jour and can’t get off the carousel. Trump will know the buttons to push that will overload Rubio’s circuits. Once Rubio goes into his next robot routine Trump will have his lunch. Marco, if only we hardly knew ye.
I am no Trump fan, but yesterday he gave me a reason to vote for him.
Trump: As president, I would prosecute Clinton
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 40 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 45 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter who is in the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
God Bless Him, but Rubio is an empty suit. Rush called him Reagan like. Cruz is the only choice. Winning with Jeb is like winning with Trump.
So Rubio is the only one that can beat Hillary…
Trump can beat Rubio…
But Hillary can beat Trump?
My head hurts trying to do that math.
But as pure political theater, Trump v Clinton might be the most riveting Presidential contest since …. (Fill in your choice).
LW/HB
@Larry Weisenthal: An interesting concept, this idea of political theatre, but Clinton, by default, will represent the Gestalt of everything that is corrupt and wrong with our system. She will be singing the epicedium over the corpse of Liberty. While Trump becomes a euphemism for enlightenment; at least, this will be his protasis.
Everyone anticipates Hillary’s peripeteia and over half the country is looking forward to her political demise and legal quagmire. It’s not just the emails and the Clinton Slush Fund or her husbands flights to Teenage Bimbo Island and boorish behavior with women who should know better, but the thought of listening to her turn the works of prolific speech writers into droning platitudes for four years, is asking too much of us, the simple serfs.
Yes, Hillary has created her own perfect typhoon and her ship is already listing and taking on water. Trump has mastered his own ship and is unafraid to navigate the storm waters. The American chorus is yelling, “Carpe diem,” and Trump is laughing while the winds of fate howl.
The periphrasis of days gone by will no longer save her. The persona of Hillary is failure and corruption. Trump represents a different option; he tapped into the anger and fears of everyday Americans and has become a modern day Achilles and Heracles all in one.
Current Vegas odds have Clinton at even money and Trump at +250. I shouldn’t have to instruct the players at Flopping Aces that the political prognosticators who play with their money rather than with their opinions have determined that Clinton is being given one chance in two to win, while Trump is 1 in 3.5. Rubio, by the way, is 1 in 5 and Sanders 1 in 9. Cruz is at 1 in 34. You all shall have survived 8 years of President Hussein; I’m sure you could manage another 4 of Madam President. As I wrote — great theater. And if it’s Trump v Hillary, it’ll be the Republican who is the more scathing critic of the Bush war in Iraq. Which goes to the origins of the very name of this blog. Strange developments indeed.
I look at the numbers and don’t see any Republicans walking away from Rubio.
The U.S. electorate is showing up in record numbers not to vote against Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, or previously Jeb Bush et al.
No, those internal republican ideologies -and the candidates who represent them- are getting the exact same number of historic raw votes.
The regular Romney-type republicans voted for Marco Rubio, as normal (17,940).
The regular social conservative-types voted for Ted Cruz, again as normal (16,079).
The traditional party voters came out and voted for their traditional party candidate just like they did in 2012, and just like they did in 2008 previously.
All comparables being historically comparable…. However, what was different in Nevada was the addition of 38,000 more primary voters (than 2012) who went to caucus specifically and almost exclusively for Donald J Trump.
When you watch any Trump rally you see a sign that reads, ”The Silent Majority Stands With Trump.”
That’s who won the primaries in NJ, SC, and now Nevada.
It wasn’t many of the old guard GOPe switching favorites.
But, I do think there is a bandwagon effect.
And, if there is, soon Trump will be winning by an even bigger margin that he has.
Has the GOP finally realized that Iraq was a mistake and that they were
bamboozled?
@Nanny G: Interesting analysis, Nan.
Take the dog……..+250 is easy money
@John: Have you finally realized you are a moron?
As long as Trump does not call Hillary a filthy whore or something like that, he can attack her and her record with impunity; the media will cover it extensively (they can’t help themselves) and, as they have contributed up till now, their attempts to destroy him have only made him more popular. More popular because he is saying what the VAST MAJORITY want to hear.
I predict this will be a record low turnout election, but anyone can beat Hillary; I just don’t think any but a few zealots truly support her and when she and the DNC are done screwing over Bonkers Bernie, many Democrats will sit out the election. Most of the support for Bernie is anti-Hillary anyway.
@Bill: Low turnout quite possible–Trump and HRC both unpopular with majority of American voters—Rubio/Kasich best bet to win in national election
Nan—I’d change that to “a loud minority stands with Trump.”
Larry–welcome back—Big Blue as close as an Aussies foot-er hands—-Harbaugh led great turn around–What odds can I get get on Kasich?–like this longshot maybe 35-1–also a buck on Rubio at 4-1
@Larry Weisenthal: Welcome back, Larry!
Hope we see a lot more comments from you.
Tonight is a big debate for Rubio.
Considering he has this tendency to repeat himself in memorized sound bites, he might look bad if that’s what he does again tonight.
Really, he wouldn’t have looked that bad doing so had not Chris Christie made everyone so aware of it.
Either Rubio has to make a strong case for being repetitive OR he better stop it tonight.
I agree re Rubio, Nan. Tonight’s debate should be epic. Best yet, in terms of importance.
@Larry Weisenthal: Notice Trump is ducking Megyn–maybe his bum foot will keep him out tonight.
Cruz needs a good night and a Texas win to stay in.
Rubio must win Fla–down double digits right now.
Kasich–continue to be the level headed statesman
Carson–stay awake—-I like the guy when he escapes the madmen.
@Larry Weisenthal: So, in your opinion, a person under FBI investigation for mishandling classified material and influence peddling, a person who if they win the White House could be impeached on their first day? Trump will win in a landslide. Probably the largest in history. Trump will destroy Clinton.