PRIORITIES USA FRIDAY HOT TAKES
GOP ESTABLISHMENT “CHAOS” — ROBOTIC RUBIO IMPLODES — ROBOTIC RUBIO IMPLODES — ROBOTIC RUBIO IMPLODES — GOP FIELD BRACES FOR NASTY SC FIGHT — FUSE ADVERTISING JOINS PRIORITIES
Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Friday Hot Takes. This week it might be a little too hot for the GOP establishment, who has no idea what to do about Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. Politico’s Alex Isenstadt writes that “Far from winnowing the crowded field of mainstream GOP contenders and allowing it to unify around a standard-bearer, New Hampshire thrust it further into chaos.” MSNBC’s Benji Sarlin wrote that Trump’s victory had “plung[ed] the GOP race into chaos.” As Republicans head towards South Carolina and Nevada, they have no plan to beat Trump, seven candidates slugging it out, and no end in sight. Priorities released a new web ad called “Trump’s America” to underscore just how dangerous a Trump Presidency would be.
To the news…
ROBOTIC RUBIO IMPLODES. ROBOTIC RUBIO IMPLODES. Robotic Rubio implodes. Robotic — you get it. Oddly enough, this week was shaping up to be pretty bad for Marco because of this stuff:
Wall Street Journal: PAC Payments Raise Questions Over Rubio Campaign Finance
CNN: Bush, allies: Rubio’s abortion position would give Dems fodder
Buzzfeed: Two NYU Students Say They Were Racially Profiled At A Marco Rubio Event
Politico: Rubio surrogate blasts Christie: ‘He’s a lot overweight’
BUT THEN THIS HAPPENED:
And Marco may never be the same. His repeated refusal to say anything other than a single canned talking point no matter what was thrown at him brought him his worst week of the campaign by far.
Politico: GOP debate begins with introduction train wreck
Politico: Christie knocks Rubio off balance at GOP debate
The Hill: ‘Glitch’ Twitter bot mocks Rubio’s repetition
Buzzfeed: Under Attack, Marco Rubio Malfunctions — And Repeats The Same Line Four Times
New York Magazine: Rubio Implodes in New Hampshire Debate By Acting Like a Broken Robot
Politico: Insiders: Marco Rubio crashed and burned
Wall Street Journal: Marco Rubio’s Aides Strive for Positive Spin After Debate
Politico: Rubio chokes
Politico: Rubio’s problem: An excess of caution
Washington Post: Debate slip-up seems to halt Rubio’s momentum
Washington Post: Marco Rubio’s Achilles’ heel reveals itself. Marco Rubio’s Achilles’ heel reveals itself.
Talking Points Memo: Rubio Slams Media For Pointing Out He Repeated Himself 4 Times In Debate
Washington Post: The real problem with Marco Rubio’s scripted debate performance: His ideas
Huffington Post: Marco Rubio’s Struggle To Be More Than A Talking Point Machine
GQ: Why Did Marco Rubio Decide to Run as a Robot?
Politico: Rubio struggles to find his footing
Buzzfeed: The Anxiety Of Being Marco Rubio
It was brutal. And the whole country noticed. Earning a hat-trick of late night mocking, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and the Daily Show all took Marco to school for his tired, robotic performance. But Marco, refusing to admit his mistake, leaned into it and did it again!
New York Times: Marco Rubio, Lampooned for Repeating Himself, Does It Again
Huffington Post: WATCH: Marco Rubio Repeats Same Line — Again!
Politico: Rubio’s repeat glitch strikes again
USA Today: Marco Rubio repeats speech line amid attacks he’s too scripted
The Hill: Again repeating a line, Rubio draws more flak
This all led to Marco self-destructing in the New Hampshire primary and finishing an embarrassing fifth place after promising for weeks he would finish second. Post New Hampshire, it wasn’t pretty as Marco unsurprisingly blamed the media for his bad performance and is currently being followed around by robots from our good friends at American Bridge.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE. The slow motion train wreck that was Marco Rubio’s campaign this week could have ended, but CNN reported Marco Rubio has a plan to turn things around — and I don’t think anyone disagrees that he’s in desperate need of a reboot. The piece reports Marco “plans to take a more aggressive tone with some of his rivals — especially if they attack him on the debate stage — and is expected to showcase more of his affable personality in order to rebut criticism that he is a scripted candidate. As one aide put it, ‘Let Marco be Marco.’”
Cheesy West Wing rip-off, but OK, whatever. Except…
HERE”S WHAT A RUBIO AIDE SAID ABOUT HIM NEARLY 5 MONTHS AGO
Washington Examiner: “Marco had a terrific first debate in Cleveland, and he’s approaching the second debate the same way,” Rubio campaign spokesman Alex Conant said. “While other candidates are falling and need to mix things up tomorrow, we’re confident in our strategy and our campaign is on track. Don’t look for any big surprises from Marco tomorrow night. We’re just going to let Marco be Marco.”
GOP FIELD BRACES FOR NASTY SOUTH CAROLINA FIGHT. This week Republicans accused each other of needing “therapy,” being “the worst kind of Washington insider,” and Donald Trump actually called Ted Cruz the P word. I wish I was joking. As South Carolina approaches, a state known for its civility in politics, we’re sure things will calm down.
Politico: Jeb goes after Marco: ‘He’s never been challenged in his life’
CNN: Bush on Trump: ‘The guy needs therapy’
Huffington Post: Marco Rubio’s Super PAC Takes Aim At 90-Year-Old Barbara Bush In Provocative Mailer
Wall Street Journal: Kasich Piles On Rubio: ‘I Work Without a Net’
CNN: ‘Joyful warrior’ Bush laces into Trump, Rubio
Buzzfeed: A Woman Called Ted Cruz A “Pussy” And Then Donald Trump Repeated It Onstage
Politico: Kasich: ‘Jeb’s taken a very low road’
CNN: New Trump ad slams Cruz as the ‘worst kind of Washington insider’
Politico: Bush plans scorched-earth attack on Kasich, Rubio
Politico: Warning: The dirty tricks are about to start
Politico: Bush campaign accuses Rubio aides of ‘questionable tactics’
FUSE ADVERTISING JOINS PRIORITIES USA STRATEGIC TEAM. This week Priorities USA Action proudly announced the addition of FUSE Advertising, led by CEO Clifford Franklin, to our strategic team. FUSE will focus on African-American media while advising Priorities throughout the campaign.
Clifford Franklin is the CEO of FUSE, a full service integrated advertising agency based in St. Louis, MO with offices in Washington, DC and Cape Town, South Africa. FUSE managed African-American paid media for the Obama Campaign in 2008 and 2012. Their clients have included Charter Communications, CNN, Hyundai, Anheuser Busch, The Media Fund, National Education Association, SEIU, The Democratic National Committee, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
The Hill: Clinton super-PAC partners with African-American media firm
MINI-TAKES:
Politico: Sanders camp lawyers acknowledge ‘unintentional improper use’ of logo (whoops)
New York Times: Foreign Policy Questions Push Bernie Sanders Out of Comfort Zone (Which makes me uncomfortable)
MSNBC: Bernie Sanders a regular at luxurious DSCC fundraising retreats (Hmmm)
New York Times: Chris Christie Plans to Drop Out After New Hampshire Flop (Looks like Hillary will be allowed w/in a 10 mile radius of DC after all)
Washington Post: Fiorina suspends Republican presidential campaign (Finally)
Politico: Jay Carney: Obama wants Clinton to win (Hillary the only one who can build on what he accomplished)
TWEET OF THE WEEK: This week’s tweet of the week goes to Chrissy Teigen. Yes, you read that correctly.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: HOT TAKES VIDEO!
Have a great weekend.
Justin Barasky
@JustinBarasky |
Courtney Rice