Two Weeks Ago Marco Rubio Told Brody File: I Don't Do Personal Attacks Because My Kids Are Watching Me
The Brody File is going to rewrite the Simon and Garfunkel classic hit, “Mrs. Robinson,” Thanks to the 2016 presidential election, I’m now replacing the line, “Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?” with, “Where have you gone Marco Rubio?”
Folks, the Rubio extreme makeover is remarkable. He went from a campaign promoting a brighter, more hopeful future to auditioning for the World Wrestling Federation. Just two weeks ago on his campaign bus he told me he wouldn’t do the personal attacks because his kids are watching. Watch the video below along with a partial transcription:
MANDATORY COURTESY: CBN NEWS
David Brody: “You want to stay positive but others have gone negative. How hard has it been to strike that balance?
Marco Rubio: “It hasn’t been hard. Look, if it’s issue differences between us that’s legitimate.”
David Brody: “But some of it has gotten personal.”
Marco Rubio: "Well, I don’t do the personal stuff. I don’t do the personal attacks primarily because it’s not who I am, because I think it’s beneath the office that I’m seeking but also because I don’t want to embarrass my kids. My kids are watching this campaign. I don’t want to do things that will embarrass them now or in the future. I want to be an example to them."
Folks, this is a complete turnaround. Did he not believe what he just said at the time or was the strategy about setting an example for his kids just fine until he got desperate to win? Shouldn’t it apply no matter what the circumstance are even if you don’t become President of the United States? I guess the argument to the kids needs to be, “Kids, daddy isn’t normally like this but I don’t want Mr. Trump to be your president so I need to do what I need to do to win. I’m doing this for our country kids! Insulting Donald Trump’s spray tan is an act of patriotism!”
Look, I’m not stupid (though some on Twitter may disagree with that statement). I get it. The pundits say Rubio needs to do this to stop Trump and show he can throw a punch. Blah, blah, blah. Isn’t it more important to be true to yourself? Is stopping Trump, saving the republican party and winning the presidential nomination more important than looking in the mirror at the end of this campaign and say you’ve run it in an honorable way? Some folks will answer yes to that question. Clearly Rubio and his advisors are making the calculation that they have to get into the mud with Trump but there’s one inherent flaw in this approach and it has to do with authenticity. Trump enjoys poking his opponents and getting under their skin. That’s what he does. He’s from New York. He has his own disruptive style and so far, voters don’t seem to mind. Trump is being Trump and authenticity works with voters. For Rubio, the problem is that this insult-generating machine that he’s turned into just isn’t him. It doesn’t fit him. It’s not his core. Rubio isn’t being Rubio. While Trump is being authentically Trump, Rubio is being Don Rickles on the campaign trail (for those under 40, Google it). He’s not being authentic. It leads to a larger problem, which is this: if Rubio is putting on a “Don Rickles act” just to get the nomination, then what’s his next act? What we he morph into next? Is it all about winning an election? In this case, the Karl Rove’s and Mike Murphy’s of the world will say absolutely it’s about winning this presidential election and keeping Trump away from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But at what cost? Rubio is fond of saying that Ted Cruz is someone “who's willing to say or do anything to win an election.” But is Rubio now guilty of that as well?
Look, when this election is over, no matter what happens Trump is going to be able live with himself because he didn’t change who he was just to win the White House. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for Rubio.