The bosses thought (wrongly) that by trotting out this trio and having them act as front guys, that Conservatives would come around to the party way of thinking. Instead, the hapless three have pretty much killed their political careers, which is perhaps equally a win for the party bosses anyway.
You’ve probably summed up the situation better than anything I’ve read all week.
As far as Rubio and the “tea party,” for anyone paying careful attention, he was distancing himself from it ever since he was elected. All while cozying up to McCain, the GOP-E, and its northeastern moneymen. That’s why I wasn’t particularly startled when he began pushing this amnesty grotesquerie. I’d already figured this guy out. And it wasn’t a pretty picture.
Also of note is how Rubio had been getting the most jaw-droppingly positive press. FoxNews was pushing him like the second coming. It was downright unseemly. I knew the whole GOP beltway crowd was ‘up to something.’ They were all prepping Rubio to be their amnesty salesman.