As goes Ken Cucinnelli, so goes the GOP, says Marco Rubio
This doesn't seem like the brightest thing in the world for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
to say:
Praising Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli’s crusade against Obamacare in the courts, Marco Rubio said Monday that the outcome of the Virginia governor’s race will send an important message to the rest of the nation.
“This is a precursor for what’s going to happen in 2014 and what’s going to happen after that in 2016,” the Republican Florida senator told 500 donors who each paid $50 to attend a luncheon at the Marriott a few blocks from the state Capitol. “We can’t wait until 2016 to start the work. We’ve got to start now. We’ve got to start in Virginia.”
This obviously isn't the biggest deal in the world, but if you're trying frame the outcome of Virginia's gubernatorial election as a sign of what's to come in 2014 and 2016, shouldn't you first make sure that the candidate you support is favored to win? Maybe Rubio will look clairvoyant if Cuccinelli wins, but if you had to bet, you'd bet on Cuccinelli losing, which means the odds are pretty good that Rubio just gave Democrats a pretty nice headstart when they make the same argument as he did—except in reverse.
Rubio isn't alone on the right in linking the GOP's 2016 prospects to Ken Cuccinelli's fate. The GOP's Stop Hillary PAC is making a play in Virginia because—in their words—"people across the country are concerned about the Hillary and Bill liberal machine." If anything, that makes less sense than what Rubio said, because win or lose, what happens in Virginia is going to have zero impact on Clinton's presidential prospects. Well, actually, there is one way their move makes sense: It gives them an opportunity to raise money so that the wheels of the conservative grift machine can continue to turn.
Perhaps there is one big upside to linking the Ken Cuccinelli's fate to 2016, however: It means they don't have to talk about Ken Cuccinelli.