Posted on 07/17/2013 7:05:41 PM PDT by Hojczyk
Todd Harris, the usually gregarious consultant to Sen. Marco Rubio, uncharacteristically resisted eight days of calls and emails seeking his thoughts for this column. When he finally did reply, the answer was: “to be honest, another story about Marco and immigration is not high on Christmas list!!”
No wonder. The very issue Rubio (and Harris) thought would be a game-changing, legacy-builder looks like a big liability for the Florida senator, at least right now. In the process, the self-confident presidential hopeful suddenly looks wobbly, even a little weak, as he searches for what’s next.
Rubio spent six months working over Senate Republicans only to get stiffed by 70 percent of them. He has gone underground on the issue ever since, ducking reporters on Capitol Hill.
Some top conservatives are questioning Rubio’s judgment on immigration, arguing that he was “played” by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats in the Senate’s Gang of Eight immigration working group.
Rubio refused to be interviewed for this column. But POLITICO’s Senate specialist, Manu Raju, cornered him in the Capitol on Wednesday to get his take.
In background conversations, Rubio allies spin elaborate theories about how he might be threading the perfect political needle, getting credit for winning Senate passage without owning the responsibility for the complexities of implementation – and certain rage from some parts of the right — if it actually became law.
The adviser added that while the Senate bill “wasn’t what we would have produced if we’d written our own bill, it is a lot better than it would have been without Sen. Rubio’s involvement. Democrats made big concessions.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Immigration was a game changer for rubio. Now it’s game over.
Democrats made big concessions? NAME ONE!
Credibility? Marco, you’ve punked yourself, really. Got a little too big for your britches. I really think that you hoped to take over Harry Reid’s place in the Senate after the 2014 election. NO WAY! We’d like a true conservative, thank you very much! I know that is asking a lot, but you can look at Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Jeff Sessions, to name a few. These men are true conservatives. I think you’ve just been trying it on for a while, test the waters, then make a decision. Let me tell you this: We don’t want any more John McCains or Lindsay Grahams! Got that? You could find yourself out on your ears in 2016 if you don’t watch your step. You have some pledges you’ve fallen on, and you are still a little green around the ears.
If the House passes any type of immigration reform that ends up setting the stage for Rubio’s bill to get passed and signed in to law I will leave the republican party, never give them another dime, and never vote for another republocrat.
He can now join the "one hit wonders" club.
Rubio was not played, if he was he is an idiot and doesn’t deserve my vote, but he isn’t, he is a socialist just like Reid.
Now he is pushing abortion reform hoping we forget what he just did.
Yet another phoney, lying RINO that played the Fla Tea Party and conservatives.
Wake up conservatives and Tea Party folks...vet these people more seriously.
Looks like Paul Ryan is the next to go.
Just saw on Drudge the Headline: Dems Pin Hopes on Ryan. The kiss of death.
If they don’t get the millions of additional Dem voters that they are hoping for, at least they will have hamstrung their most charismatic potential opponents in the process.
They set deliberate traps for those that they can identify years out. Sudden risers (like Sarah Palin popping onto the ticket) have to be met with crude bashing, but likely candidates are targeted with sophisticated intelligence operations.
The Rats are in a win-win situation concerning Rubio. If they get immigration they bury the GOP forever & ruin Rubio. If they don’t get immigration they still get to ruin Rubio’s career. The fact that Rubio & ALL his people could NOT see this tells you what an idiot Rubio is & how worthless his team is. Total bush-league players who got rolled by Chuck & the gang of 8.
It's totally fair, the guy made his own bed by lying time after time, defending the most indefensible nonsense. He could have stopped at any time, instead he chose to lie about the bill, promoting a Reid/Schumer monster while they laughed at him behind his back. He finally woke up, looked in the mirror, and realized what he's become......
I hope Rubio had a really good romp in the hay. Because Amnesty is his mistress, and she is talking big time.
Given who he chose to jump into bed with, he needs to be checked for AIDS
Rubio's ducking the American people too, who are red hot with anger over his betrayal.
He may as well lie low for the balance of his one and only term in the Senate. We will never forget what he's done.
You give Rubio far too much credit for being hoodwinked or fooled by the Democrats. No such thing happened. He was all in for amnesty from the very beginning. No one twisted his arm to do this.
The only people who were fooled, were those conservatives who trusted him, or who gave him their money and votes.
Rubio was supposed to be the 'right-wing' front man for the treasonous Gang of 8. They (and he) were surprised as hell when the base reacted to his all-too-obvious treason against our mutually held convictions. In my mind, they were all so disconnected from reality, that they really believed we could be led by the nose by this charlatan.
Rubio knew full well that this was a blatant push for amnesty, and he danced like a two bit carney hustler to sell that back-stabbing plan to conservatives on talk radio for months.
Even after it became clear as day that this bill had NO real enforcement provisions in it, he still allowed his name to be used by 'American Progress' or whatever the hell that outfit was called, who ran those disgusting ads on radio.
I'm sorry, but I don't give Rubio ANY benefit of doubt here. He knew all along what was in this crap sandwich, and tried to get us to eat it anyway. The man is a 'rat in Republican clothing.
For what Rubio's done, there should be NO forgiveness. He wasn't 'fooled' by the Democrats and the RINOs. He gladly joined them in their heinous little treason.
The man needs to be fired in the next election, never to return to politics.
It’s really to bad we can’t tar and feather the traitor .
I really hope West runs against him next time .
There is no way in hell I would ever vote for him again . If I have to I will vote democrat for the first time in my life to help make sure he never serves another term again .
He wasn't played he was bought .
It's pretty typical for the county in Florida where he comes from
You get nothing done in that county without having to pay a bribe to one jerk after another .
Horse manure.
Filthy, lying horse manure.
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