“What did Senator Rubio get.”
He got significant national and largely favoable media exposure in the mainstream press not normally granted to freshman Senators. He got to rub shoulders in public and private with the Washington elite. He has likely been introduced to the wealthy and powerful who operate behind the scenes and really control the political class. He probably believes he has explicit promises from the GOP establishment and deep pocket contributors for support in 2014. No doubt he’s also gotten an inflated ego from all of the attention.
What Rubio doesn’t seem to understand is he is being used. He is shunning the Tea Party voters who put him in Washington in the mistaken belief his new establishment and media friends will give him the kind of power the inner circle wields. However, once amnesty passes he will have nothing that can benefit them as he will have lost his core voter support and he doesn’t possess any meaningful wealth or power that he alone controls. He will find that John McCain, Chuck Schumer, and others will no longer answer his phone calls. His new reporter friends will start running unfavorable stories about him to pave the way for a progressive Dem to take his seat in the next election. The Sunday talk shows will stop calling because McCain will return to being the featured back stabbing Republican.
When he finally turns to his original Tea Party base for support in his reelection campaign he will learn that conservative voters are fed up with supporting Republican candidates who love them on Election Day and then kick the voters in the teeth when they get to Washington. The days of campaigning for reelection by telling conservatives you deserve another term because you aren’t as bad as the Democrat alternative are over. We elected a Republican House in 2010 and we’ve seen it advance the progressive agenda since because Republicans have no fear of retaliation from their base. In 2014 the traitors will find the base either runs challengers in the primaries or stays home on Election Day. The only way to hold their politicians accountable is for conservatives to make them fear the consequences of continuous capitulation to the other side’s agenda.
Re 33, great post. It summarizes everything of importance in this fetid matter.
Great insights, with one minor correction. He’ll be running for reelection in 2016. There’ll be a totally different dynamic at work than the mid-term Tea Party fervor that propelled him to victory in 2010. 2016 will be Hillary’s year, especially in a state that is turning blue. Whether he survives the primary that year isn’t so much the issue as the general election. He very likely will be defeated.. rather soundly .. by a liberal dem.
Thanks for taking the time to write a spot on post.
He is shunning the Tea Party voters who put him in Washington
////////////
exac LEEEEE