Marco Rubio’s Big Night at the Republican Debate
“Well, it’s interesting,” Rubio began. “Over the last few weeks, I’ve listened to Jeb as he walked around the country and said that you’re modelling your campaign after John McCain, that you’re going to launch a furious comeback the way he did, by fighting hard in New Hampshire and places like that, carrying your own bag at the airport. You know how many votes John McCain missed when he was carrying out that furious comeback that you’re now modelling after?”
Rather than answering the question, or doing something else to knock Rubio off balance, Bush said that McCain wasn’t his senator. “Well, let me tell you,” Rubio said. “I don’t remember you ever complaining about John McCain’s vote record. The only reason why you’re doing it now is because we’re running for the same position, and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.” Bush mumbled something, but the applause for Rubio virtually drowned him out. “Here’s the bottom line,” Rubio went on. “My campaign is going to be about the future of America, it’s not going to be about attacking anyone else on this stage. I will continue to have tremendous admiration and respect for Governor Bush. I’m not running against Governor Bush, I’m not running against anyone on this stage. I’m running for President because there is no way we can elect Hillary Clinton to continue the policies of Barack Obama.”
I wrote all of this down at length, because it was what the political pros call “a moment”
.. Rubio said, “The Democrats have the ultimate super PAC. It is called the mainstream media.” With that, he went into a little spiel about the favorable coverage that Hillary Clinton’s appearance before the Benghazi committee received, claiming, “It was the week she got exposed as a liar”—a reference to public statements Clinton made linking the attack on U.S. installations in Libya with an anti-Muslim video. “But she has her super PAC helping her out, the American mainstream media.” Given the well-known antagonism between the Clinton campaign and parts of the mainstream media, including the New York Times, this was an outrageous charge, but it was one that will play well on conservative talk shows.