Why Marco Might Still Surprise Us

 

In the last couple of days, polls indicate that Marco Rubio has finally begun gaining ground in Iowa, climbing from single to double digits behind Ted Cruz and, of course, The Donald. Since Cruz has the better organization and Trump is dominating television and radio, what accounts for Rubio’s modest surge?

In part, at least, this video, which has gone viral in Iowa. Evangelicals find it compelling, apparently, but I’d make a larger claim on its behalf than that: In its sheer honesty and authenticity, any voter would find it compelling. Who knows what this video might accomplish in the next 72 hours?

UPDATE: I see now that Casey posted this clip a week ago — and that his post attracted a couple of hundred comments. Mea maxima culpa. I happened to be especially busy in the middle of last week, so I missed the discussion altogether. Ironic, no? I’m behind the news… because I failed to keep with my our very own Ricochet.

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  1. Casey Inactive
    Casey
    @Casey

    That looks familiar.

    • #1
  2. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Peter,

    Marco can really connect. Wouldn’t it be amazing if the country was tired of both inside the beltway arrogance and reality TV shallowness. Wouldn’t it be amazing if people stopped voting for who they think they should want to be and started voting for who they are.

    We shall see.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #2
  3. BThompson Inactive
    BThompson
    @BThompson

    Seriously, if only we could have a nearly 200 comment conversation about this video. I think that would be a great thing to do here on Ricochet.

    Oh, right. We did.

    • #3
  4. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    What he says at the end of his speech is something that has been bothering me throughout my lifetime watching the country lurch toward pure secularism: where outside the Judeo-Christian faith is there any reason to not push the guy in the wheelchair over the edge of the Achille Lauro?

    Atheist Communism, which values human beings only according to how much labor those human beings are able to perform, has the most miserable track record of any civilization in human history for its treatment of the disabled.

    We live in an era when even though it is impolitic to mention God in speeches, there is still a statue of Moses in the Capitol.

    I worry what it will all look like twenty and thirty years from, when we finally get rid of the troublesome images and trappings of religion.

    I’m glad Rubio talks so openly and often about his faith and how it directs him. (He sounds like GW sometimes.)

    • #4
  5. The Dowager Jojo Inactive
    The Dowager Jojo
    @TheDowagerJojo

    I wonder what terrible things have been done to the young questioner in the name of religion that he is so fearful of a “Pastor-in-Chief.”

    • #5
  6. David Sussman Member
    David Sussman
    @DaveSussman

    Rubio, while looking younger than his years, can be our generation’s JFK. He is articulate and right on message. His conservative bona fides are 90%+ and he is the most feared Republican candidate by the Democrats for a reason; he can win.

    Trumps tantrums will cost him. I believe Trumps losses will be Rubios gain.

    • #6
  7. Frozen Chosen Inactive
    Frozen Chosen
    @FrozenChosen

    Rubio’s path opens up when Bush, Kasich, Fiorina, Carson and Christy drop out and he picks up their supporters(I realize not all of those candidates will drop out but most of them should).  This probably won’t happen until after NH, maybe SC.  He needs to finish in the top 3 in those contests and then start winning in NV and FL.  If he can do that he has a good shot at the nomination.

    • #7
  8. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    David Sussman:Rubio, while looking younger than his years, can be our generation’s JFK. He is articulate and right on message. His conservative bona fides are 90%+ and he is the most feared Republican candidate by the Democrats for a reason; he can win.

    Trumps tantrums will cost him. I believe Trumps losses will be Rubios gain.

    I really like and, more importantly, respect Rubio. He is definitely at the top of my election card. :) :)

    • #8
  9. Brian McMenomy Inactive
    Brian McMenomy
    @BrianMcMenomy

    Isn’t it sad that truth in advertising is so rare that it needs to be spotlighted as remarkable rather than taken as a given?

    Let this side out more, Marco.  It just might turn this thing around.

    • #9
  10. Tom Meyer, Ed. Member
    Tom Meyer, Ed.
    @tommeyer

    As I said on the other thread, I think Rubio did well in this. That said, I think the questioner had a half-legitimate question, in that Rubio’s “Faith” ad lacks not only any mention of policy, but doesn’t really address values in any meaningful way.

    It’s probably the most benign example of identity politics, but it’s still identity politics.

    • #10
  11. Chuck Enfield Inactive
    Chuck Enfield
    @ChuckEnfield

    The Dowager Jojo:I wonder what terrible things have been done to the young questioner in the name of religion that he is so fearful of a “Pastor-in-Chief.”

    Precisely my question.  And I wish Rubio had asked it.  As an atheist who is very respectful of religious liberty, I can’t imagine what the questioner had in mind when he asked what would be done to protect his rights.  It does seem like the divide between church and state has narrowed slightly in the last two decades.  Perhaps it’s more like the Atlantic ocean now, when it used to be like the Pacific.  Could that possibly be what frightens him?

    • #11
  12. Petty Boozswha Inactive
    Petty Boozswha
    @PettyBoozswha

    I think this video could have the effect that John Kerry’s “rescued soldier” did in the last week of his Iowa campaign against Howard Dean.

    • #12
  13. Freeven Member
    Freeven
    @Freeven

    Peter Robinson:In part, at least, this video, which has gone viral in Iowa. Evangelicals find it compelling, apparently, but I’d make a larger claim on its behalf than that: In its sheer honesty and authenticity, any voter would find it compelling. Who knows what this video might accomplish in the next 72 hours?

    If I’m perfectly honest, as an agnostic who staunchly believes that if we lose our judeo-christian character we lose America , I don’t find this compelling. I like Rubio, and would have no problem voting for him, but if this moves the needle at all, it is (very slightly) away from him. I’m wary when he speaks of his presidency being informed by his faith’s instruction to help the needy and do good deeds for the downtrodden. It reminds me of GWB’s statement that when people are hurting, government has to move. I believe in, and try to practice, the acts of generosity he refers to. But they are personal acts, which ought have nothing to do with government. He says I should be comforted that these things will guide him as president. I am not. I’m all for a president who is kind and generous. But I’m wary of someone who hints at using the presidency/government as a vehicle for that kindness and generosity.

    • #13
  14. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    I’ve been a Marco Rubio supporter from the beginning. He reminds of Reagan in his optimistic view of what America could be. He doesn’t denigrate, he describes the problem as he sees it and wants to move forward from there. He is not afraid to speak of his faith in G-d. He acknowledges that there is someone greater than he is, unlike some candidates that tout themselves as the second coming of the Messiah, or at the very least the second coming of Ronald Reagan.

    • #14
  15. Franco Member
    Franco
    @Franco

    Freeven: I’m wary when he speaks of his presidency being informed by his faith’s instruction to help the needy and do good deeds for the downtrodden. It reminds me of GWB’s statement that when people are hurting, government has to move. I believe in, and try to practice, the acts of generosity he refers to. But they are personal acts, which ought have nothing to do with government. He says I should be comforted that these things will guide him as president. I am not. I’m all for a president who is kind and generous. But I’m wary of someone who hints at using the presidency/government as a vehicle for that kindness and generosity.

    Well said. Me too. He’s still better than any Democrat, but that’s scary. Sick of politicians using my money for their caring.

    • #15
  16. Arizona Patriot Member
    Arizona Patriot
    @ArizonaPatriot

    Chuck Enfield:

    The Dowager Jojo:I wonder what terrible things have been done to the young questioner in the name of religion that he is so fearful of a “Pastor-in-Chief.”

    Precisely my question. And I wish Rubio had asked it. As an atheist who is very respectful of religious liberty, I can’t imagine what the questioner had in mind when he asked what would be done to protect his rights. It does seem like the divide between church and state has narrowed slightly in the last two decades. Perhaps it’s more like the Atlantic ocean now, when it used to be like the Pacific. Could that possibly be what frightens him?

    I don’t know about this particular questioner, but I do know the answer for many who ask the same question.

    They have been convinced that any policies based on Christian values constitute “imposing religion” on them.  This has been a very effective demagogic device by the atheistic left, and many of our libertarian friends accept the same erroneous argument.

    They have no problem imposing their own values on the country, on issues ranging from non-discrimination, to welfare, to a variety of PC silliness, to the size of our sodas.  But if anyone tries to impose Christian values on them, they cry foul.

    Libertarians sometimes say “you can’t legislate morality,” but that is nonsense.  We legislate morality all the time.  Even the speed limit is a moral judgment.

    • #16
  17. Eric Hines Inactive
    Eric Hines
    @EricHines

    Tom Meyer, Ed.:As I said on the other thread, I think Rubio did well in this. That said, I think the questioner had a half-legitimate question, in that Rubio’s “Faith” ad lacks not only any mention of policy, but doesn’t really address values in any meaningful way.

    [snip]

    It’s probably the most benign example of identity politics, but it’s still identity politics.

    Of course it’s identity politics.  He’s talking about who he is, what his identity consists.  Want his policies?  Listen to the rest of his ads, the body of his speeches, what he does. All of it, not just selected onesies and twosies.

    Political ads are like Twitter or modern “debates.”  There’s only so much that can be said in 140 characters, a 30 sec ad, a 90 sec answer.  It makes no sense to single out a single example and take that as the whole thing.

    Eric Hines

    • #17
  18. TempTime Member
    TempTime
    @TempTime

    Thanks for the video.   I am one of those who has a difficult time believing Rubio:  His willingness to make the hard choices relating to minimizing federal government’s role in our lives;  his willingness to reward illegal immigrants with the privilege, the law-following who also want to immigrate, have been denied or are still waiting in line to receive; and or that he was not a full participant in developing the legislative goals of the 2013 Gang of Eight.

    To change my mind completely will be difficult, but one thing he could do, is to include in any plan about illegal immigrants the immediate shut off  of the welfare spigot, yes all of it.  If we stopped the freebies, I believe a high percentage of the illegal immigrants would exit voluntarily.

    Although he has been on my no vote list a long time, much to my surprise, this video has moved me from an absolutely no vote to possibly back on the fence.  That is, so long as he recognizes the teachings of his faith relate to individuals, not to the government.

    Confusing the tenets of his faith with the the duties of government is one reason I would not vote for Kasich either.  I find attempts to use the Bible as supporting proof for socialism to be exceedingly disturbing.

    The Church has a role in society and the government has a role — let’s not confuse the two.

    • #18
  19. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Here’s another thing that might help Rubio surprise people. Or might have, before Trump pulled out of the debate.

    Bill Sammon, the Fox News exec who oversees the debates – Megyn Kelly, Chris Stirewalt, Chris Wallace and Bret Baier all report directly to him for all debate issues including question organization – has a daughter. She’s Rubio’s press secretary; in a way, so is Megyn Kelly. As a followup to a debate preview she and Stirewalt did on her show, Kelly tweeted “This race will look totally different, I promise, on Friday than it does today.”

    Bill Sammon’s ultimate boss Rupert Murdoch is a Rubio backer. David Axlerod wrote in his memoirs about talking with Murdoch at a 2010 dinner: 

    During the dinner, Murdoch, who was seated beside me, insisted that the president had to move on immigration reform. ….

    “But the solution has to be comprehensive,” I said. “We can’t just attack a piece of the immigration problem. And you know, there’s one big thing that you can do to help, and that is to keep your cable network from stoking the nativism that keeps us from solving this.” [Emphasis added] 

    Kaus goes on to outline how Fox News followed the plan and conspicuously avoided any mention of the crafting: “in the spring of 2013 when the “Gang of 8” amnesty bill snuck through the Senate“.  Mickey uses a historical timeline, day-by-day story leads, showing how Fox was intentionally NOT COVERING the story…

    • #19
  20. Eric Hines Inactive
    Eric Hines
    @EricHines

    Freeven: I’m wary when he speaks of his presidency being informed by his faith’s instruction to help the needy and do good deeds for the downtrodden. It reminds me of GWB’s statement that when people are hurting, government has to move.

    What Rubio said in the question/answer clip was quite similar to Christ’s injunction: that he was enjoined to help the less well off, not that government was moved to help.

    Of course that’s something that needs to be closely watched, but I’m not worried, at this point, about what Rubio’s faith might move him to try to get government to do.

    Eric Hines

    • #20
  21. Tom Meyer, Ed. Member
    Tom Meyer, Ed.
    @tommeyer

    Eric Hines:Of course it’s identity politics. He’s talking about who he is, what his identity consists. Want his policies? Listen to the rest of his ads, the body of his speeches, what he does. All of it, not just selected onesies and twosies.

    I’ve listened to a lot of Rubio’s stuff and I like it very much. Like others, he’s been my top choice since Walker and Perry dropped.

    That said, I just find an add that boils down to “Hi, I’m Marco Rubio and I’m totally a Christian” to be ever so slightly regrettable. Maybe it’s necessary, but that’s ever so slightly regrettable, too.

    • #21
  22. Pete Inactive
    Pete
    @petermdaniels

    I was turned by this video. It does feel that authentic, and he’s so unashamed to be faithful, not just to his religion, but to the ideals of our founding.
    I was waffling back and forth between him and Cruz, but this is real.

    Of course, Nancy Pelosi says her faith influences all her decisions, too.

    • #22
  23. Eric Hines Inactive
    Eric Hines
    @EricHines

    Tom Meyer, Ed.:

    Eric Hines:Of course it’s identity politics. He’s talking about who he is, what his identity consists. Want his policies? Listen to the rest of his ads, the body of his speeches, what he does. All of it, not just selected onesies and twosies.

    I’ve listened to a lot of Rubio’s stuff and I like it very much. Like others, he’s been my top choice since Walker and Perry dropped.

    That said, I just find an add that boils down to “Hi, I’m Marco Rubio and I’m totally a Christian” to be ever so slightly regrettable. Maybe it’s necessary, but that’s ever so slightly regrettable, too.

    Understand.  But it’s part of who he is–and in today’s environment of gangs like Freedom from Religion, assaults on war memorials because they have Evil Crosses on them, threatened lawsuits because a high school athletic team wants to pray before a state championship contest, etc, that’s an important part.  How could he not say so out loud in such an environment without being misleading about his motivations to do this or that?  The only thing regrettable is your second–that saying so out loud is necessary.

    Eric Hines

    • #23
  24. Eric Hines Inactive
    Eric Hines
    @EricHines

    Peter Robinson: I’m behind the news… because I failed to keep with my our very own Ricochet.

    Your penance is to write a post for the Main Feed about why it’s so beneficial to join Ricochet.

    Eric Hines

    • #24
  25. Doug Watt Member
    Doug Watt
    @DougWatt

    Pete:I was turned by this video. It does feel that authentic, and he’s so unashamed to be faithful, not just to his religion, but to the ideals of our founding.
    I was waffling back and forth between him and Cruz, but this is real.

    Of course, Nancy Pelosi says her faith influences all her decisions, too.

    Nancy Pelosi is a wannabe Episcopalian. There was a photo of her washing feet at an Episcopalian Church on the Thursday before Good Friday. My first thought as a Catholic was we were finally rid of her. Alas it was not to be. I suggested a second collection at the next Mass to offer a financial incentive to the US Episcopal Church to keep her. I’m still waiting for a reply.

    • #25
  26. Freeven Member
    Freeven
    @Freeven

    Eric Hines:

    Freeven: I’m wary when he speaks of his presidency being informed by his faith’s instruction to help the needy and do good deeds for the downtrodden. It reminds me of GWB’s statement that when people are hurting, government has to move.

    What Rubio said in the question/answer clip was quite similar to Christ’s injunction: that he was enjoined to help the less well off, not that government was moved to help.

    It’s the context. Rubio said the questioner should feel comforted about a Rubio presidency because his faith compels him to help the less well off. It’s fair, in that context, to worry that he’s open to using taxpayer dollars on acts of kindness.

    • #26
  27. Eric Hines Inactive
    Eric Hines
    @EricHines

    Freeven:

    Eric Hines:

    Freeven: I’m wary when he speaks of his presidency being informed by his faith’s instruction to help the needy and do good deeds for the downtrodden. It reminds me of GWB’s statement that when people are hurting, government has to move.

    What Rubio said in the question/answer clip was quite similar to Christ’s injunction: that he was enjoined to help the less well off, not that government was moved to help.

    It’s the context. Rubio said the questioner should feel comforted about a Rubio presidency because his faith compels him to help the less well off. It’s fair, in that context, to worry that he’s open to using taxpayer dollars on acts of kindness.

    Sure.  But it’s also fair to listen to what he said and hold him to it: his faith compels him to help the less well off, not to get government to do that.

    Like I said, it bears watching.

    Eric Hines

    • #27
  28. Paul Dougherty Member
    Paul Dougherty
    @PaulDougherty

    David Sussman:Rubio, while looking younger than his years, can be our generation’s JFK. He is articulate and right on message. His conservative bona fides are 90%+ and he is the most feared Republican candidate by the Democrats for a reason; he can win.

    Trumps tantrums will cost him. I believe Trumps losses will be Rubios gain.

    The President visited our fair state last summer. My eight year old son was genuinely excited that President Obama was coming to see us. I spent a wonderful evening going on a hunt for the best vantage point to see the President, or even Air Force One. We tried to politely talk ourselves on base to see the plane (I knew the result but the boy needed to see the effort). We ended up driving high into the mountains above the city get the eagle’s view with a pair of binoculars. Looking into the setting sun, I convinced my boy that the glint he could see was, indeed, the President’s plane. He was enthusiastic and high of spirit. I was jealous.

    As naïve as it sounds, I believe that Sen. Rubio will be the kind of President that America will be justly proud. I have had it up to my top hairs with my own cynicism.

    • #28
  29. BastiatJunior Member
    BastiatJunior
    @BastiatJunior

    I know people who are whose faith and relationship with God are solid and genuine.  That includes one of my daughters.

    These people are very secure in their faith and I envy them.

    It’s obvious to me that Marco Rubio is one of them.

    It’s true that Rubio doesn’t score as high on the conservat-o-meter as Cruz, but Cruz has a higher score because of very careful planning and positioning.

    Perfect?  Nope.  But we can’t go too far wrong with someone like that in the White House.

    • #29
  30. John Hendrix Thatcher
    John Hendrix
    @JohnHendrix

    David Sussman: Rubio, while looking younger than his years, can be our generation’s JFK.

    Well, I hope Rubio is much better than JFK, who is the most overrated president in my lifetime.

    • #30
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