Gaffes are only memorable when they feed into a popular narrative. For example, the Chevy Chase impression of Gerald Ford was completely unfair, but it was consistent with the widely-held opinion that the man was mentally slow, so it stuck. Similarly, the Rick Perry “oops” moment confirmed the popular opinion that Perry was a doofus, and thereby pushed a teetering campaign over the edge in 2012.
The argument against Rubio has always been that he is inexperienced and lacks fortitude: when the going gets tough, he runs for a water bottle. His New Hampshire talking point episode feeds right into that. As a result, he is going to wear this mistake for the rest of the campaign, and, frankly, he deserves it.
That said, I think it is worth examining the talking point itself in more detail. Basically, what Rubio is saying runs something like this:
- The greatness of America lies in the fact that even a bartender’s son, like me, can become President.
- Anyone who fails in this country, therefore, is completely responsible for his own fate.
- Therefore, anyone who proposes to use the government to redistribute wealth from hardworking people to help the poor is acting in a way that is fundamentally un-American, and is practically a traitor.
This is Sarah Palin territory, and I find it deeply offensive. If it is just a tactic designed to poach votes from Trump and Cruz, I think it will fail; why should anyone vote for Cruz Lite when you can have the real thing? If he really means it, on the other hand, he isn’t fit for service in government at any level, much less the Presidency.