Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Rush Limbaugh defends Rubio’s debate answer: He’s absolutely right about Obama
Hotair ^ | 02/08/2016 | AllahPundit

Posted on 02/08/2016 12:40:30 PM PST by SeekAndFind

Via the Daily Rushbo, that’s the second time in a week that Rush has given Rubio a vote of confidence at a moment when the rest of the field (Ted Cruz very much included) is desperate to blow him up. That feels strange after so many months of Limbaugh mainstreaming Trump on the right — as I said in last week’s post, it’s hard to be pro-Trump and pro-Rubio — but it makes sense strategically. If Rubio collapses, conservatives are left with Cruz and … that’s pretty much it, given that the other remaining survivors in the field are apt to be Trump, Kasich, and/or Bush. Unless you want to (shudder) take a second look at Jeb, you need Rubio in there in case Cruz hits a wall after the SEC primary. For all his faults, from amnesty to hyper-interventionism to his inability to stray off-script even when he’s being mocked for staying relentlessly on script, Rubio would still be more conservative as president than the rest of his center-right competition. Rush is simply playing the long game here by declining to wreck him for his debate stumble.

As for the substance of Rubio’s answer, I wouldn’t go as far in claiming that “Obama knows what he’s doing.” Domestically, that’s true: ObamaCare wasn’t an accident. It’s true in some foreign policy matters too, like the Iran deal. O succeeded there in his goal of neutralizing the threat, if you define “the threat” as “American hawks willing to risk war with Iran to stop their nuclear program.” He took war off the table for the foreseeable future, even at the price of legitimizing uranium enrichment by Iran in 15 years’ time. He knew what he was doing. I’ll never buy that he knew what he was doing in Libya and Syria, though. There’s no strategic benefit to setting red lines for Assad on WMD and vowing that Assad must go and then failing to follow through on either of those threats later. It’s pure amateurism, a bluff with nothing behind it, and emblematic of Obama’s short-sighted approach in Syria of doing just enough so that hawks can’t claim he’s doing absolutely nothing while doing little enough that doves can’t claim we’re on our way to Vietnam 3.0. Rubio, I’m sure, does have some concrete ideas about what the commander-in-chief should be doing in Syria. Whether a McCain-ish ramping up of America’s presence in the Syrian maelstrom would be better than Obama’s “strategy du jour” approach, I leave for you to decide.

Anyway. It’s fine to say, as Rush and Andy McCarthy do, that Rubio was right on the merits of his “Obama knows what he’s doing” talking point. The problem, as McCarthy notes, was Rubio’s insistence on mindlessly repeating the point even while being mocked for mindless repetition, as though he couldn’t delve into the substance of it. The point of Christie’s jab was that a freshman senator is too inexperienced to successfully advance his agenda as president, which is really stupid considering that Obama’s actually done it. He got the stimulus through; he got ObamaCare through; he made a dubious deal with Iran and proclaimed a dubious mass amnesty via executive action. Claiming at this point that young legislators can’t move the ball for their team as president is like claiming that it’s scientifically impossible that the sky is blue. Just look up! But rather than say that, Rubio stuck to his script, and as Ace noted yesterday, once you’ve seen the 25-second speech exposed it’s hard not to see it in everything Rubio says. That’s unfair insofar as all of the candidates are giving canned speeches — Christie’s famous townhall passage on drug addiction is one he’s repeated many times — but Rubio’s dependence on it under fire, when he was practically being dared to say something spontaneous, created a filter through which he’ll be viewed going forward. Not fatal, I think, but it’s a problem now.

One more thing. Rush praises Rubio (and Cruz) here for correctly identifying that Obama has succeeded in moving his agenda whereas so much of the rest of the party, most notably Trump, dismiss Obama’s problem as incompetence and inexperience. Rush’s theory for that is that the establishmentarians have to pretend that Obama screwed up because they’re complicit in his successes. They’ve worked with him, after all. Okay, but … so has Rubio, first and foremost on the Obama-friendly Gang of Eight bill and to a lesser extent in lending rhetorical support for the disastrous intervention in Libya. (McCarthy notes both of those in his piece.) If Rubio knew all along that Obama had bad intentions with his policies, why did he cooperate with him on anything, let alone major initiatives? And why are we knocking Trump for believing that Obama’s an incompetent when the whole premise of his candidacy rests on that assumption? This goes back to what Rush said a few weeks ago about how Trump, in his own way, is making the case for smaller government by relentlessly attacking government as incompetent. Not so. Trump’s problem with government is that it’s run by morons, not that it’s too big and therefore destined to behave inefficiently. Obama’s just the head moron. Replace him with Trump and yuge improvements will be seen. If we’re going to boost Trump, let’s at least be clear-eyed about his message is.



TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida; US: New Jersey; US: New York; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: 2016election; allahpundit; cnsrvtvtreehouse; election2016; erickerickson; florida; glennbeck; hotair; hotwindoutofhisass; hotwindoutohisass; marcorubio; marklevin; megynkelly; obama; pinkstain; pinkstate; politico; redstate; redstategathering; rogerailes; rubio; rushlimbaugh; sundance
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-82 next last

1 posted on 02/08/2016 12:40:30 PM PST by SeekAndFind
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Being right is not the issue.


2 posted on 02/08/2016 12:42:11 PM PST by Calpublican
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Rush is blowing it.

This primary has really ripped off the veil.

3 posted on 02/08/2016 12:42:16 PM PST by skeeter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

It’s not the answer. It’s the fact that he kept regurgitating it like “Polly wants a cracker”


4 posted on 02/08/2016 12:42:24 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Rubio was right...obama is destroying on purpose, but that doesn’t change the fact that he got stuck in his memorized spiel.


5 posted on 02/08/2016 12:42:41 PM PST by pgkdan (The Silent Majority Stands With TRUMP!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Gotta agree with Rush about this. Crispy Creme just wanted to make some more whipped topping for himself in the debate.

Still won’t support either one of them.


6 posted on 02/08/2016 12:42:53 PM PST by Resettozero
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: skeeter
Rush is blowing it.

I don't know why Rush keeps pretending that Rubio is a dependable conservative. Unless maybe he's gotten word that Rubio's gonna be the guy once the dust settles and he's getting his audience ready for full throated support. If he does that Rush will lose a substantial portion of his audience.

7 posted on 02/08/2016 12:45:19 PM PST by pgkdan (The Silent Majority Stands With TRUMP!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: skeeter

My question which I posted on chat is, “How long has Rubio been right?” When did he make this discovery? Because I cuz not recall ONCE in the last four years when Rubio said anything like this.


8 posted on 02/08/2016 12:45:36 PM PST by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually" (Hendrix))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Nobody’s saying he’s wrong, though I’d go further — thank God for 0bama’s incompetence, or things would be even worse.

It’s that he keeps repeating it over and over, as if he has nothing else to say.


9 posted on 02/08/2016 12:46:09 PM PST by TBP (0bama lies, Granny dies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Nobody’s saying he’s wrong, though I’d go further — thank God for 0bama’s incompetence, or things would be even worse.

It’s that he keeps repeating it over and over, as if he has nothing else to say.


10 posted on 02/08/2016 12:46:11 PM PST by TBP (0bama lies, Granny dies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: pgkdan

Rubio is Cuban for broken record.


11 posted on 02/08/2016 12:46:44 PM PST by TBP (0bama lies, Granny dies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Boy those South Florida Boys stick together — and in some cases stick it to each other.


12 posted on 02/08/2016 12:47:29 PM PST by CharleysPride (Filter is with In-Laws, may be in frequent need of correction...(she made me write this))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Calpublican

I think Rush has gone “establishment” real bad on us here. I am getting tired of Rush. What does Rush now think of Rubio’s “Gang of Ocho” Amnesty with Schumer, Linsey Graham and McCain? Does Rush support this ?


13 posted on 02/08/2016 12:47:36 PM PST by WENDLE (Trump is not bought . He is no puppet.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

He’s absolutely right about Obama.

He’s absolutely right about Obama.

He’s absolutely right about Obama.

He’s absolute;y right about Obama.

He’s absolutely right about Obama.


14 posted on 02/08/2016 12:47:40 PM PST by beethovenfan (Islam is a cancer on civilization.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

For whatever reason, Rush does not understand that Rubio would destroy the US with amnesty


15 posted on 02/08/2016 12:47:44 PM PST by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: skeeter

Let me explain Rush. Rubio tanked more than Rush wanted him to tank. Rush is for Trump so he wants Rubio to take out Cruz. So he is trying to prop Rubio back up temporarily.


16 posted on 02/08/2016 12:47:53 PM PST by The Ghost of FReepers Past (Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light..... Isaiah 5:20)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

I’m done with Rush. And Levin.

They have thrown in with their financial and political interests, rather than the good of the country.


17 posted on 02/08/2016 12:49:27 PM PST by Dana1960 (KES)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Rubio campaigns as a conservative, but he legislates like a gang of 8.


18 posted on 02/08/2016 12:49:37 PM PST by GregoTX
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LS; pgkdan

It was obviously a focus tested response designed, as Christie pointed out, to allow him to take cheap shots then retreat to a crowd pleasing applause line.


19 posted on 02/08/2016 12:49:47 PM PST by skeeter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Rush really embarrassed himself today. The first caller who pointed out that Rubio was the ONE candidate who was guaranteed to continue carrying out Obama’s transformation through his support of amnesty had Rush back-pedalling and stammering about how yeah, ok, well “that’s something that Rubio has to have an answer for”.

No, Rush. You can’t fix it, you can just step in it and spread the stink around.

Nobody cares what the definition of a conservative is, either. THey care about whether the guy they vote for understands what the real problems are and whether he can be trusted to do the right things. Clearly Marco Robo does neither.


20 posted on 02/08/2016 12:49:49 PM PST by bigbob ("Victorious warriors win first and then go to war" Sun Tzu.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-82 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson