Marco Rubio’s Iowa problem
Washington (CNN) - Does Marco Rubio have an Iowa problem?
If Sam Clovis is any barometer, the answer is an unmitigated yes.
Clovis is a mustachioed, suspenders-wearing college professor from Sioux City who's running for Senate in Iowa, as a Republican. He’s not the favorite to win the nomination, but he’s no slouch either.
He also happens to be a popular conservative talk radio host who speaks the language of grassroots Republicans and has a keen sense of what motivates them.
So the fact that Clovis posted a low-budget web video Wednesday trashing Rubio for his work on the Senate immigration reform bill is an ominous sign for the Florida senator and would-be presidential candidate.
Despite recent hand-wringing about the flawed nature of the Iowa caucuses, the state is all but assured to keep its leadoff position in the 2016 nomination process. If Rubio runs, he'll have to make nice with Iowa conservatives. They just might not be nice to him.
“I might have expected this out of John McCain,” Clovis says of the immigration bill. “But we certainly didn’t expect this out of Marco Rubio. Marco Rubio was elected by conservatives in the state of Florida and he was supported by conservatives all over the United States. And there is nothing conservative in this bill.”
Like any self-styled member of the tea party movement, Clovis labels the bill “amnesty,” says it fails to adequately secure the border with Mexico and claims it will impose a heavy financial burden on state and local governments.
Clovis punctuates the video with a straightforward admonition: “Shame on Marco Rubio.”
Bottom line: If midterm Republican candidates in Iowa think they can score points with conservative voters by attacking Rubio and tying him to President Obama and reborn pragmatist John McCain, Rubio’s got some critical repair work to do on the right.
From CNN Politics
- Trump says he expects to be arrested Tuesday as New York law enforcement prepares for possible indictment
- 10 Cards Charging 0% Interest Until 2024
- Untitled
- Mike Pence calls potential Trump indictment 'not what the American people want to see'
- Republicans' views of the US have become more pessimistic, polling shows
- Trump and E. Jean Carroll agree to combine rape defamation trials
Far too much is made of Iowa. I think the only way to stop the stupidity, is for all candidates to simply ignore Iowa.
Both Jeb Bush and Chris Christie favor immigration reform as well. The Republican Right may be left with Rand Paul even though their militaristic wing won't like him.
You think Marco has problems now? Wait til the brain dead right wingnuts find out he is an anchor baby.
Senator Rubio isnt even going to run if Hillary does so we are jumping the gun a bit here.
The Rubio bill is labeled "amnesty" only because it is—no one who entered or is staying in, the US illegally should ever be granted citizenship. Permanent legal residency, maybe, but not citizenship.
Mario is not Presidential material! Don't even go there. The GOP will not let this happen, and I applaud them.
Boooyah!
Any Republican presidential candidate going forward, will have to move so far to the right to gain favor with Teapublicans and win the nomination, there is no way they can win the White House.
Expect the next Republican nomination race to be just as much of a circus as the last one.
Rand Paul will win Iowa and New Hampshire
Iowa problem? Really CNN? Really? Let's tell the truth....Rube Man couldn't win third place in a two horse race. This guy is just another entry/passenger for the world famous GOP Clown car that has ran off the road into the gutter of useless....Last year's RNC convention was a complete joke.......not brown face in the bunch. And Rube Man thinks he'll be on the podium accepting the nom...LOL...ROFLMAO Dude... they held their nose to vote for the Twitster...U, just another also ran brown guy
Marco Rubio is a dope. The Guns Over People tea potty hung him out to dry. He let them do it.
Rubio the clown will be lucky to be realected in his next election . He represents only the teaparty extremist and the Cuban anchor baby's . What about the rest of us????????