Little Marco Flees The Interview. Again.
(Updated below)
Republicans are home on recess this week (again) which technically means they're working back home, so it's the perfect time to catch up with the concerns of their constituents.
Unfortunately their presidential candidate won the election with an assist from Russia and suddenly the self-proclaimed patriot party is looking the other way while Putin pulls his, and their, puppet strings. Adding to the problem, Trump is busy setting fire to the Constitution they used to love by banning Muslims, and conducting ICE raids in schools, hospitals, churches, and hunting down domestic violence victims in court in order to deport immigrants. Then there's the matter of the Republican goal of killing health care coverage for millions while giving the richest Americans yet another tax cut, stripping the rights away from transgender students, and making sure that big pollution can get back to the business of poisoning our air and water posthaste because Obama had put a stop to that.
So it makes perfect sense that a majority of the Republican's recess plans includes hiding from their voters, and no one in Florida should be surprised to hear that Marco Rubio is among the missing. Because just as word was getting out that Rubio would be accessible to their constituents, Little Marco suddenly had urgent business elsewhere and fled the interview all the way to Europe.
Rubio is away all week in France and Germany, according to his office.
"Senator Rubio is traveling overseas this week to attend multiple bilateral meetings with heads of state and senior government officials in Germany and France, two countries with upcoming elections who are facing concerns about Russian interference," Rubio's office explained.
A frustrated Rubio staffer dismissed the empty-chair event as "not a true or constructive dialogue."
"We have been fully accessible and responsive to constituents, and our staff has already met with dozens of these liberal activists at our offices across Florida. As their manual reveals, their goal is to stage a hostile atmosphere, record themselves booing no matter what is said, and refuse to give up the microphone. That is not a true or constructive dialogue."
Sure. Nothing says "Rubio cares" like his being unavailable and substituting stand-in staff who dismiss his constituents and their concerns by claiming they're really just angry liberal activists. It's what all the GOP kids are doing these days, beginning with the angry man-child in the White House himself.
Many of his colleagues have also tried, and failed, to march in lockstep with Trump's flimsy, dismissive excuse, and one need look no further to prove them wrong than watching the town halls where some of the Republicans actually had the guts to show up.
Spoiler alert: they didn't go well.
So rather than speak for himself, Rubio fled the country while using his staff as human shields. His chair remained empty as voters voiced their concerns anyway.
Wait until Republicans make their moves to privatize Social Security, end Medicare, and destroy what's left of the rest of the social safety net.
I'd be willing to bet Rubio's got the airlines on speed dial and his passport ready to go for his next recess.
Update: Turns out Marco Rubio is back from his apparently short little trip to Europe and was spotted in Florida this morning. Another town hall is being held in Miami tonight, but as you'll see in the video posted over at Miami New Times, Rubio is also fleeing the question of whether or not he'll be MIA for that one as well. I'll go out on a limb and guess he'll be a no-show once again.
(Photo: NARAL)
