After an impressive and surprising showing in Iowa, Marco Rubio came into tonight’s Republican presidential debate in Manchester, New Hampshire, with the wind clearly behind him. But with higher visibility (or should I say viability) comes the proverbial bull’s-eye on your back. And Chris Christie was ready for some target practice.
After answering a moderator’s question about his accomplishments, Rubio went into one of his well-received, well-rehearsed attacks on Barack Obama.
“Let’s dispel once and for all with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing,” said Rubio. “He knows exactly what he’s doing. Barack Obama is undertaking a systematic effort to change this country, to make America more like the rest of the world.”
Just minutes later, when confronted by Chris Christie over his lack of executive experience and of not having done anything meaningful, Rubio slipped back into the same Obama attack line… verbatim!
Christie, looking directly into the camera, said “You see, everybody … the memorized 25-second speech that is exactly what his advisers gave him.”
Incredibly, Rubio answered Christie’s accusation that he is just reciting well-rehearsed rhetoric … with, well, the same well-rehearsed rhetoric – for the third time!
“There it is!” Christie interjected. “There it is. The memorized 25-second speech. There it is, everybody.” Rubio, to everyone’s amazement, continued on and incorporated the same Obama attack line into his answer – for the fourth time!
The Rubio-Christie exchanges could best be described as surreal – something, if you will, out of the mind of Rod Sterling and The Twilight Zone.
In just a few minutes, Rubio showed himself to be a candidate adept at reciting prepared talking points… over and over. He also showed he could not think on his feet when attacked. I doubt he was even aware of what he was saying. Robots seldom are.
What a difference a day makes! In Rubio’s case, the five days since the Iowa caucus.
Marco choked under the pressure of expectations. Here was a guy with the ball on the opponent’s ten-yard line, only needing a field goal to win, and he commits three consecutive personal fouls sending him back to his own forty-five.
If Rubio finishes New Hampshire in the top four, it would be a miracle. And, even so, most likely not enough. The damage is done. It appears he just may have punched his one-way ticket to the candidates’ graveyard. Look for Kasich, Christie and even Jeb, to do well in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.
Photo | consitutionrising.com
I felt the same way. I thought I was watching an episode of the Twilight Zone.
Yes. A good-looking robot that short circuits on a debate stage.
Since watching the first 2 Republican debates I refuse to listen to what this dangerous group of moronic fools and depraved demagogues has to say. Therefore I let others I trust tell me just a few tidbits. This news about Rubio is a little unnerving because I believe he is one of the less dangerous of the group.
I believe they are all dangerous except for perhaps Kasich. He should do well in New Hampshire but I doubt he will be the nominee.
Candidates like Rubio is basically what you get from the Republican Party now. Anybody with brains and substance left the GOP years ago. All that is left are the robot regurgitators who can’t come up with an original thought if their life depended on it.
But that’s the Republican base … voters without brains.
His poor performance shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that remembers his response to President Obama’s State of the Union address. It was only a matter of time before we noticed the man under the dunce cap.
Good point. Looks like his “surge” is over. But we will see on Tuesday.
I am expecting that a large portion of the population of New Hampshire will have watched last night’s debate, and that they are intelligent enough to perceive Rubio’s implosion for the disaster that it obviously is. A large segment of the people who will be selecting their candidate Tuesday are still undecided…and I don’t see how they could have viewed last night’s debate, and still conclude that Rubio would be a viable candidate for the Republican Party…what he did was utterly irrational, and a complete political debacle, by any standard that I can imagine.
I think he needs to finish second to have any continued viability. After last night’s performance, I doubt he will.
I didn’t see the debate. I was at a family Bar-Mitzvah, but based upon the “Best Comments of the nite” which was on NBCnews.com, I saw that Rubio imploded. Christie acted as the bully that he is and Trump kinda stood there and watched. Monday nite should be interesting. I did see how Carson, gentlemanly, gave Cruz a big Fuck you. Well done, Dr. Ben.
I hope you saw the replay of the candidates being announced to the stage. What a royal screwup! Funniest stuff of the night.