Rubio remains the best, and perhaps only, candidate who can unite all segments of the party around a smart, compelling and forward-looking message. He dug himself a hole, but in shoveling his way out he may demonstrate the sort of grit and authenticity voters are seeking.And here's Michael Graham from The Weekly Standard:
Marco's Moment Is NowAnd hope springs eternal, as a CNN reporter tweets this:
No, not Saturday night’s debate: This is Marco's moment.
Getting knocked-down in New Hampshire does not have to be the end of Rubio's run for the GOP nomination. It could be the real beginning. It's all up to the junior senator from Florida....
The fact is, Marco Rubio probably needed something like this....
If Rubio can fight his way through this defeat and find a way to win, he could emerge as a stronger candidate than if he hadn't blown a key debate on the eve of the New Hampshire primary.
Rubio hardly scripted, really let loose and relaxed today on his campaign plane. A possible sign of things to come. https://t.co/hWwL3UQfYa
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 10, 2016
That's a tease for this story, written by Raju and Tami Luhby:
Coming soon: Marco Rubio 2.0
The Republican candidate, who lost momentum this week after coming in fifth in New Hampshire, plans to take a more aggressive tone with some of his rivals -- especially if they attack him on the debate stage -- and is expected to showcase more of his affable personality in order to rebut criticism that he is a scripted candidate.
As one aide put it, "Let Marco be Marco."
Meanwhile, one of Rubio's best-known fans also weighs in, in despair:
Chris Christie, suicide bomber. Damages victim while blowing himself up!
— Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) February 10, 2016
Rubio may never rise from the dead, but if not, he will be mourned as a martyr.
(Graham link via Roy Edroso. Rubin link via Francis T.)
"Marco Rubio 2.0"?
ReplyDeleteThat's what you would call an updated version of software after you fixed a glitch...fixed a glitch...fixed a glitch...
"Let Marco be Marco" This is what supporters of losing campaigns ALWAYS say.
See: Let Sarah be Sarah, let Romney be Romney etc.
Not a good sign!
"He dug himself a hole, but in shoveling his way out..."
ReplyDelete----------------------
He shoveled himself out? {blinks}
Okay Jennifer. Sure.
You keep saying "MSM loves Rubio" BUT Rubin and all the others you quite are just Neocons. Murdoch? Please.
ReplyDeleteThere is no greater love, than the MSM's unrequited love.
ReplyDeleteOh Marco, if you are truly done, how little we know of thee.. how little we knew of thee... how little....
Nefer, she's paid Big Bucks to be skewful and deaf in mixing megaphones.
ReplyDeleteDaryle's other brother, I too felt sacked by that: with allies like those, who needs opponents?
There has a been a lot of speculation as to what the Romney campaign found in their 2012 vetting of Rubio for Vice President that disqualified him.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it could be something as simple as his anxiety glitch - he simply may not have the sort of personality to function well under pressure.
Steve, seriously, this is unhealthy. Ease down. Wait until Rubio actually does something new before you do another post on him.
ReplyDeleteNew Hampshire was for establishment Repubs like one of those horrible moments in GAME OF THRONES such as Eddard Stark's execution or the Red Wedding, when the people you're counting on to save everything wind up bleeding out on the ground. There are a lot of youtube videos of shocked fans reacting to such moments, and that's basically what you're seeing here from mainstream sources. Trump romping to a landslide win, with Kasich (of all people) in second, followed by Cruz and Bush, with Rubio in fifth? You really couldn't script a worse-case scenario for GOP establishmentarians. Of course they're squawking, and in denial. At this point, I can't promise Rubio won't win the nomination, but right now (to switch series), his situation is as desperate as Dan Dority of Deadwood before the infamous eye-gouge. Maybe he can pull off such a turnaround, but it won't be much prettier than that, nor will he in the aftermath.
ReplyDeleteDon't listen to Unknown, Steve: General Robert E. Lee freed the slaves - you can whack him if you want to!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Xft2Jczzk
I mean this, Unk. I've agreed with Steve M. Rubio's the most electable of the R contenders (Kasich second, but he's about to run into that threshing machine called Dixie), and Cruz - who I confess to overestimating both his capacity to at least fool GOPers into taking him for human, & the rate of flow of that creep fluid he oozes like a pervy wanker in a lingerie shop - would basically inherit the remains of the GOP nomination when Trump immolated or departed, then in the general would be reduced to over-reliance on election fraud. Right now Rubio's the single most intriguing story on the R side.
Rubio is a short guy without the attitude. Trust me, I've a lifetime of experience as a short guy, with an attitude.
ReplyDeleteQuayle is in fact more memorable.
Ten Bears, I readily concede that were Dan Quayle more age acceptable and running in this GOP field, he would and should be leading. I don't suggest that Rubio is OBJECTIVELY interesting; I'm putting out that his current situation, considered in context, is, right now, the single most compelling story in the Clown Car Race. By March 2, he may well be just a chapter in the next hacktacular 'Game Change' book.
ReplyDeleteSo Rubio is going to "hit harder" with his "more affable personality"?
ReplyDeleteRight.