Associated Press
On ABC yesterday, George Stephanopoulos said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) seems to be "rising to the top" of the Republican heap right now. Former Bush/Cheney aide Nicole Wallace responded, "Yeah, look, he's everything we need and more. He's modern. He knows who Tupac is. He is on social media."
It's probably worth noting that Tupac Shakur died nearly 17 years ago, and knowing who he is doesn't necessarily make someone "modern." Neither is being "on social media," a step already taken by nearly every member of Congress and governor in America.
But the train has nevertheless apparently left the station. The far-right senator has been labeled the Republicans' "savior" by Time magazine; he'll deliver one of his party's State of the Union addresses tomorrow; and the Washington Post has a lengthy, front-page-above-the-fold feature on Rubio this morning, lauding the Republican as "a politician of unusual gifts."
The D.C. establishment wants a fresh Republican star and it has obviously made its choice.
I have a hunch I'm tilting at windmills, but I'd like to point out three simple truths that the Beltway crowd may want to at least consider before joining the Rubio fan club.
First, if the senator has "unusual gifts," they haven't translated into meaningful policy successes. As Rubio begins his third year on Capitol Hill, his most notable legislative accomplishment has been sponsoring "a resolution designating September 2011 as National Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month."
Second, though Rubio hasn't demonstrated any real depth of thought on any area of public policy, the Floridian appears to have taken an interest in one issue: immigration. On this issue, Rubio has already flip-flopped, fumbled his initial foray, and ended up adopting President Obama's immigration policy as his own.
And third, Rubio is unbelievably far to the right.
The senator has already adopted very conservative positions on global warming, contraception access, marriage equality, science, domestic violence, and social insurance programs like Medicare and Social Security, which he believes have "actually weakened us as a people."
For the political establishment, these are minor and inconvenient details that distract us from what really matters -- he's a young, handsome Latino Republican from a swing state who can deliver an effectively speech from a teleprompter -- but I'd like to think some segments of the political world might look for just a little more depth.
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If Rubio is the best the right has...they're in really big trouble.
He didn't even have to have the obligatory prefrontal lobotomy in order to qualify for membership in the Morons Club (the GOP), he was actually born without one.
Prick him with a pin and he'll zoom all around the room like the helium-filled balloon that he is.
Actually, Rubio is not the best they have. Jon Huntsman is far superior to any of the candidates they've trotted out to lead the parade. But he'd never get past the primary, because he's too smart and too reasonable, which is too bad.
JL agreed Jon Huntsman is what the GOP needs right now Rubio is what they want. I want chocolate for every meal but I know I need fruits and vegetables etc.
I just love that there are still two responses to the State of the Union, showing that the GOP is still divided. However both choices are pretty out there.
Yes, but he's got the right "name" recognition - Marco Rubio......Latino's are supposed to fall for that....
But...but....but....Rubio already passed the teapub test. He lied about his family history.
And TC, I almost fell out of my chair with the vision of Rubio zooming around the room with added sound effect of the little pffft/squeeing noise.
"some segments of the political world might look for just a little more depth."
Silly man, don't you know better by now after all these years? When was the last time that the political world even considered depth?
If Obama's lack of qualifications is the standard, Rubio is golden.
If Rubio's lack of qualifications is the standard, then Bachmann might as well run again.
Obama had the same number of years Senate experience when he started to run for president, true. During his time, though, he worked with former Senator Dick Lugar to pass nuclear non-proliferation measures (which is probably part of why the GOP threw him out last year). If Rubio has had legislative success on anything remotely as important, please let me know.
If Marco Rubio is the answer, I don't even care to hear the question.
Talk about setting the bar low...........it's on the ground and sinking in the mud.
He can't translate his ideas into policy because they cannot be translated into Spanish in anyway that Latino's will accept. Even his mother doesn't like his policies.
Or Spanish that Latinos can understand, since he speaks Cubano. If he had to depend on all the real Latinos in Florida, without the Gusanos, he couldn't get elected dog catcher
Maybe Marco' and Paul Ryan's moms should run for President together!
Oh, goodie. Here is just the man to make legislative decisions on women. Here is just the kind of straight guy to decide for gays. He's just the religious guy to decide for freedom of worship. He's just the right guy to decide for a diverse nation. Etc, etc, etc...
Rove's new endeavour should start with this one...
Rand Paul is doing Rubio no favor by staging his own SOTU response. The long knives are out for any Republican who dares to declare for 2016, which is a neat contrast to us having Biden and Clinton...
Rubio is a perfect example of Scott McCloud's "masking effect" in real life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masking_%28illustration%29
We should also remember that while Rubio constantly calls for fiscal responsibility, his own finances are shady at best, and a total trainwreck at worst. Having him giving us counsel on fiscal responsibility is like a crack dealer telling an addict how to get clean.
And since Romney set precedence for keeping personal finances secret when running for the highest seat in the land, as a Republican Rubio is perhaps banking on not having to disclose any of that?
"Tax returns? Tax returns??!! We don't need to show you no steenking tax returns, steenking lib'ruls!" (with a tip of the hat to John Huston, screenwriter of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre)
He doesn't have to disclose it---it's been out in the public eye for a while, so much so that many observers felt that they would be too much of a liability to make him the choice for Romney's VP. So Romney played it safe and picked Ryan. <snark>
The only reason Rubio is "The Savior" of the Republican Party, is because he's their best and only shot at regaining any of that Latino vote they lost last election. The part that is oblivious to the GOP is. Most Latino's who are not from Cuban decent, don't like Cubans.
Secondly exactly how does knowing who Tupac was, make one modern? My grandfather who died a few months back, was 92 and knew who Tupac was, but never seen one movie or listened to one song. Saying he knows who Tupac was is just pandering to African Americans. Which for one will not work, because we didn't/don't call Tupac...Tupac or 2 Pac, we just call/ed him Pac.
It means he doesn't really like Connie Francis, the way everyone else in the party going back to Nixon did.
Nicole Wallace just did what every lame-o Republican needing a crutch for her brain does, demonstrating the cultural irrelevance of the party. They're always 30 years late. The majority of white people who don't have computers yet are Republicans.
Don't forget, last year Michelle Bachmann, Donald Trump, Rick Santorum and Herman Cain were, at one time, considered the savior of the Republican Party. That's not setting the bar very high.
I'm not worried. Remember that they've been through a succession of idiots: Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, Rick Santorum--all of whom were going to save the day for the GOP. [yawn!] They're scraping the bottom of the barrel and coming up empty.
Perhaps if they allowed intelligence back into the party, maybe even some degree of freedom of thought....na, what am I thinking?
Tuesday night at 8:00 on Public TV there is a story about how congress has obstructed the president. I believe it is called Cliffhanger, and it looks really interesting.
You can record it and still watch all our MSNBC shows.
Actually, India, there are many shows on PBS that are available for on-demand viewing, Frontline being one of them. (Downton Abbey another. ;-) ) Just go to pbs.org and look for the Frontline series and you'll find it. May have to wait until after it airs on TV, though.
JL, #10.3
Thanks. I am grief stricken that next week (Sunday) will be the finale of Downton Abbey. That is a truly wonderful series. Just amazing. My husband and I have watched every single show and one was better than the next. I suppose we will buy it so we have it for keeps.
We loved Upstairs/Downstairs, but Downton Abbey is a real masterpiece.
He doesn't make a lot of stupid rape comments tho'
Yet.
FTFY
Just wait and see how quickly they turn on Rubio when he slips and says something stupid.
"says something stupid"
Or says something inteligent.
By which I mean something the middle sort of voter can really agree with.
In the words of Lloyd Bentsen. Senator Rubio, I know Barack Obama and you sir are no Barack Obama.
It's amazing how transparent the GOP motives are. Since Dems elected the first black president, they think they'll trump that with the first Hispanic. Hint: It takes more than race to be an attractive candidate, and Rubio doesn't have it.
I know I am preaching to the choir here , but when it comes time to vote on this in the senate ,screw ball Rubio will do what the gop always do , come out against what he just claimed he was FOR, they have done it on health care etc etc , but the msm will ignore that detail , and blame Obama and the dems for REFUSING TO WORK WITH THE GOP, because we will not allow Rubio to implement " Jan Brewer Arizona " immigration policies , that would actually be counter productive to Rubios own immigrant community
Benen left out maybe the most important policy issue that places Marco Rubio to the far right - foreign policy. Marco Rubio is a neoconservative, believing in a very interventionist, hawkish foreign policy.
Let me guess, defend Israel and "police" everyone else? That kind of foreign policy?
Republicans crying we don't have the funds to sustain social programs for our own people while we use the national credit card to sustain goverment contractors and armed security doing "reconstruction" overseas.
Coffee, I'd 'Like' that 15 times if I could. That hypocrisy, wringing their hands about the big, bad deficit while pouring money down the drain on for-profit wars, just kills me.
Coffee,
Don't you get it? The teapubs ban abortions and birth control, take away union rights and push the work for peanuts states and they will have a whole bunch of people that can't afford to live on their own, will join the military for sustenance and gladly die in wars to keep the rich richer.
Paul Ryan Redux...
Who is Tupac Rubio anyway?
This post also points to why I was so confused when I read about Sen. Paul's "Tea Party Republican" response to the SOTU. Sen. Rubio was the Tea Party candidate in 2010, but now, apparently, he's too mainstream for the Tea Party to accept his response to the SOTU as sufficiently right wing.
Go figure. We need a scorecard to keep up.
He voted against Sandy relief twice, coming from the state that has received more Hurricane relief in the last 40 years than all other states combined.
> ...he's a young, handsome Latino Republican from a swing state who can deliver an effectively speech from a teleprompter...
Basically, Rubio represents the establishment GOP's idea of what voters see in Obama, minus the swing state base. A pitchman with ethnic appeal for the policy they want.
> The D.C. establishment wants a fresh Republican star and it has obviously made its choice
Me, I'm wondering who the next Republican Savior-of-the-Month will be after Rubio flames out. We've gone through Christie, Romney, and various others flavors that no one besides the RNC and members of the political media seem to be particularly enthused about. They still haven't found their Obama- or Clinton-like political superstar and it looks like they're throwing candidates out there hoping one will (figuratively) catch fire.
The GOP still doesn't get it, 'tho. They're still stuck on trying to find a candidate that can represent their interests in the Latino/Hispanic community instead of just representing the interests of the Latino/Hispanic community.
It's the policy, not who a group of old white guys think will be the best snake oil salesmen for them.
I know Nicole Wallace is a 'friend of Rachel' but this was just inane. As a 'talking point' it just opened up the 'debate' to point and laugh at the GOP. C'mon Nicole. You're better than THIS.
Stupid people will vote for stupid people. It's a shame that lack of intelligence is being so well rewarded.
I'm sure he's a real social media guru, with one account on MySpace and another one on Friendster.