# Marco Rubio presidential campaign discussion thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 14, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685 "2015-04-14T21:41:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [February 29, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/361 "2016-02-29T21:16:58Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > So if Trump uses Trump-like insults to insult Rubio, then the center of attention in that story is…Rubio? Nope, still on Trump. The point is that if its obvoius that Rubio is just copying Trump, then Trump and Trump’s antics still dominate the story. The opposite case wouldn’t be Trump insulting Rubio, but Trump trying to get ahead by adopting Rubio (or at least, establishment-friendly) tactics. This actually happened for a few weeks during the primary. Trump evidently felt it was in his interest to be accepted by the establishment. He went through a debate without insulting anyone. He released a “serious” tax plan (which is to say, insane, but insane in the same Jeb and Rubio’s tax plan is insane). He walked back a few of the more xenophobic lines he’d used. And then his dominance in the press coverage dropped, his poll numbers fell, and he quickly went back to his previous nuttiness. The moral of the story is that once campaigns have established an identity, trying to follow the other guy just makes the other guy look better. People that want an establishment friendly candidate are going to vote for Rubio. People that want a xenophobic insult-comic are going to vote for Turmp. Trying to mimic the other guy in an attempt to peel off some of his voters just reminds those voters of why they like the other guy. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/362 "2016-03-01T03:40:08Z")
Apparently, at a rally tonight, a man in the audience yelled “Donald Trump has small hands!” and Rubio responded with “I’m not talking about that tonight, I want this to be a serious election.” Seems a little late after rolling in the mud with the pig but I guess the narrative wasn’t going Rubio’s way. Less about Rubio being the new alpha and more about him being as bad as Trump (without the benefit of alpha status). ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/363 "2016-03-01T04:08:15Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Apparently, at a rally tonight, a man in the audience yelled “Donald Trump has small hands!” and Rubio responded with “I’m not talking about that tonight, I want this to be a serious election.” > > Seems a little late after rolling in the mud with the pig but I guess the narrative wasn’t going Rubio’s way. Less about Rubio being the new alpha and more about him being as bad as Trump (without the benefit of alpha status). Yeah, Rubio seemed like a desperate boy trying to get the crowd on his side via childish insults. I’m just surprised he didn’t devolve the final bit into, “Donald Trump’s mother is so fat…”. Ridiculous and very disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/364 "2016-03-02T04:14:37Z")
_On the Media_’s snarky, funny “second is the new first” take on Rubio: [Marco Rubio: Front-Runner In Second | On the Media | WNYC](http://www.onthemedia.org/story/marco-rubio-frontrunner-second/) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2016, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/365 "2016-03-02T07:53:50Z")
Well, he finally won his first state. Unfortunately for him, the Minnesota GOP is strictly proportional in the way it assigns delegates, so it won’t amount to much at all (I saw one estimate that he’d get just one more delegate than Ted Cruz), and certainly won’t make up for him possibly getting a goose egg in some more important southern states. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/366 "2016-03-03T22:23:18Z")
[No endorsement for Rubio from his home state Gov. > [@](#): > > Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he won’t endorse any Republican presidential candidate ahead of the state’s March 15 primary - a blow to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and to front runner Donald Trump. > > Scott posted a message on his Facebook page Thursday, where he says he would “trust the voters” to decide who should be the GOP nominee. Scott said he based his decision partly on the fact that the state’s Republican establishment opposed his bid for governor backed in 2010. Rubio campaigned for Scott in 2014. And some expected Scott to endorse Trump. > > Scott had previously written an opinion piece where he praised Donald Trump and said he had the pulse of the nation’s voters dissatisfied with President Barack Obama. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_CAMPAIGN\_2016\_THE\_LATEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-03-03-15-23-05](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CAMPAIGN_2016_THE_LATEST?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-03-03-15-23-05))That’s prolly gonna hurt Rubio a bit. I think Trump is gonna take Florida anyway, and I think that Rubio will suspend his campaign right after the 15 March primary, but without the endorsement of his Gov. it wouldn’t surprise me if he finished a distant 2nd. I still don’t see him finishing in Florida behind Cruz, but I doubt he’ll be far in front. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/367 "2016-03-03T22:35:23Z")
I have a suspicion that the news that Rick Scott was about to endorse Trump was a campaign trick to boost Trump votes on Super Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/368 "2016-03-03T23:08:56Z")
Scott is [desperately unpopular](http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2015/11/20/rick-scott-americas-eighth-least-popular-governor/76104172/) anyway, even among Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2016, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/369 "2016-03-04T02:37:03Z")
Yeah, his endorsement might’ve been the Sunshine State kiss of death. I wouldn’t want it if I were running for anything there. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/370 "2016-03-08T18:35:49Z")
I think Rubio suspends his campaign tonight if he’s badly beaten in Michigan. I think there’s enough smoke from yesterday’s rumor and Rubio really doesn’t want to get beaten in Florida. Plus, there’s another debate Thursday. Does he really want another two hours of taking insults from Trump? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/371 "2016-03-08T18:39:24Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Yeah, his endorsement might’ve been the Sunshine State kiss of death. I wouldn’t want it if I were running for anything there. No, Scott reserves the Sunshine State kiss of death for the babies whose souls he devours to maintain his compact with the dark powers. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/372 "2016-03-09T01:59:49Z")
He’s looking to come in 4th in Michigan and Mississippi, and win zero (0) delegates from either state. At one point he was behind non-candidate Ben Carson in Mississippi, although that was with very little of the vote in. Leightweight chocker indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/373 "2016-03-09T03:04:17Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Leightweight chocker indeed. Heh. _Chock_ artist. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/374 "2016-03-09T13:43:04Z")
Things changed quickly for him. Not long ago he was thrilled to win Minnesota. His parents were so happy, they let him stay up to watch the returns. But descending to Trump’s level in the last debate was the beginning of the end, coupled with Christie’s brutal exposure of him as Marcobot. All that remains is the final docking at Lakehurst, NJ followed by the final crash and burn. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/375 "2016-03-09T14:49:49Z")
Even if Rubio somehow manages to pull off a win in Florida, I don’t see how that does more for him than stave off the inevitable. He’s running third or fourth pretty much everywhere now. If he loses Florida, I presume he’s out. If he wins, there are fewer delegates being decided in the next month after Florida than were decided in the past five days, so he’d be in the race for a good while longer, since there wouldn’t really be anything happening to force him out. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/376 "2016-03-09T16:01:54Z")
It really is time for Rubio to go. Let Kasich carry the establishment torch and see how many delegates he can get. Rubio should hold on to his delegates though. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/377 "2016-03-09T16:20:18Z")
Rubio’s strategy should now be to try and get himself the VP spot. Traditionally, the VP is someone who shores up the presidential candidate’s weaknesses and/or someone who can bring home an important state. Florida’s probably the most important swing state. So perhaps Marco is staying in to try to win Florida, to prove that he can bring it home in the general? On the other hand, if he loses Florida he just lost a good chunk of the reason for picking him as VP. So the stakes for him there could be very high. If Rubio loses Florida, his political future is done - at least for an election cycle or two. If he can’t bring in his home state, he’s useless as a VP pick, and it bodes poorly for a future run at the governorship. He’s going to be out of the Senate, and he doesn’t seem to be cabinet material, so he may wind up completely out of politics. That would be a bad result for him, since he doesn’t have any other marketable skills I know of, and I don’t think he’s a wealthy guy. So the stakes for Rubio are really high in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/378 "2016-03-09T16:23:38Z")
[He may drop out even before Tuesday.](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/marco-rubios-future-in-the-2016-race-looks-cloudy/) > [@](#): > > A‎mong the questions Rubio advisers debated somberly after Tuesday’s results was what effect his poor showings would have in his home state of Florida. Another prominent question: how would a loss in Florida next Tuesday affect Rubio’s long-term political future, including a possible run for governor in 2018? It isn’t if, but when. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/379 "2016-03-09T16:24:07Z")
Rubio’s toast, yes. But even if Kasich wins Ohio he’s not in much better position. It’s the last state he’ll finish in the top 3, seeing as how he couldn’t beat Cruz in Michigan. It’s between Cruz and Trump at this point, which surprises me even as I type it. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685/380 "2016-03-09T16:28:52Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > It’s between Cruz and Trump at this point, which surprises me even as I type it. Do you mean “surprises” or “horrifies”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685.md?page=18) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marco-rubio-presidential-campaign-discussion-thread/717685.md?page=20)