Immigration was supposed to be FL Sen. Marco Rubio's "thing". But it looks kind of like it isn't something he wants
to be his "thing" anymore, because the GOP at large would prefer immigration reform actually not be anyone's "thing". Here's the problem: if Marco Rubio has thoughts about running for president in 2016, he probably needs a stand-out issue, and immigration looked like a good choice because it might make sense to not only do an issue that has some heft, but it counts as a possible "win", presumably, with the Hispanic demographic and helps sell the GOP as a more diverse party. It could have been "wins" all around, but somehow, there's a conservitive contingent of no small size that would rather listen to, say, a Tom Tancredo, than a Marco Rubio. Which leaves him a kind of sad set of options--
Of which, brushing up his Tea Party bona fides is probably the one that feels most natural to Rubio, who was one of the 22 Senators who
voted against VAWA and who has a
20 week gestation abortion ban in the hopper. As if a little misogyny will win him points with the Teahadists?
Meh. I don't want to say it was all over when he reached in a carpet-tongued panic for a very little bottle of water, but he's not really coming across as Mr. "Courage of his Convictions" but more like, Mr. "Pandering Misogynist".
All I'm saying is: the secret of being a candidate for president might be not wanting it enough to act like it's the thing you're thinking about. He doesn't seem to be cool enough to pull that off.
3 comments:
His problem is that Paul Ryan and Rand Paul are more appealing to the base. Without the base, he's sunk.
Even those two have some issues--Paul Ryan on closer inspection was good for making nonsensical budgets, and that's cute, but his stint as Romney sidekick revealed that behind blue eyes--ain't much. Rand Paul is going to be more interesting to watch, if the Paul v Cheney proxy war in WY Sen is a real thing in terms of the soul of the modern GOP--or something like that. But I think the neocons have an edge in at least, column inches in the mainstream press. Alas.
If any of these three are still left in 2016 it will be because the party knows it can't win. I assume Ryan, because Rubio's surname is too much for the base and Paul's weirdness is too much for the money people. Ryan's emptiness is no more of an impediment than Bush's.
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