Several moderate center-right pundits, most notably David Brooks, breathed a sigh of relief after the last debate, because they now view Marco, a supposed responsible establishment candidate, as the front-runner. It has to be said, however, that some center-left pundits have fallen under his spell, as well; I suppose that is no surprise, since Marco’s youth, back story, and occasional lucidity make him look more like a Democrat than a Republican. In other words, when the other GOP candidates bash him for looking like a new Obama, that only endears him to the left. But does the medium coincide with the message?
No. Consider the following:
- Marco indicated in the first debate that he supported a total ban on abortion, with no exceptions.
- His tax plan, memorably described as “puppies and rainbows” by Josh Barro, is heavily weighted towards the extremely wealthy.
- His energy plan can be described succinctly as “Drill, baby, drill.”
- He is not prepared to take any steps to ameliorate climate change.
- Other than Lindsey Graham, who is in a class by himself, he is the most hawkish of the GOP candidates.
- He has collaborated with Ted Cruz to try to shut down the government.
- His Obamacare replacement plan is intended to move workers out of employer plans and into individual policies. There is a case to be made for that, but it can’t be denied that it would be a major change.
Does that sound like a “moderate” to you?