Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy has rounded up the endorsements of the four big newspapers in Florida in his run to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio, but it's also true that little Marco has lost those endorsements. Really lost them. Consider the Miami Herald, which points out that as Rubio's hometown paper, they were bullish on his career but have decided "Rubio has been a disappointment." A craven one, at that: fighting Obamacare, "even though it has brought immeasurable relief to millions who previously had no healthcare"; joining the blockade of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court; and unilaterally blocking other nominees, including one that he recommended himself. But there's much more:
Beyond the political differences, there are issues of sincerity and character for voters to consider. First, he reneged on his unequivocal pledge not to run for re-election for a position he once openly disdained—but only after he lost his bid for the Republican presidential nomination to his nemesis, Donald Trump. Then he endorsed Mr. Trump, whom he called a con man during the campaign. And still at this late date, he continues to stand by that endorsement, even as the Republican candidate stumbles from gaffe to insult to outrage.
Mr. Trump’s candidacy is a test of character, and Sen. Rubio is failing that test. How can voters believe he’s sincere when he says he does not share Mr. Trump’s awful views on Mexicans, immigrants, Muslims, women, etc., yet — at the same time — stands by his endorsement of the New York billionaire? His act is unconvincing. It reeks of political convenience rather than political conviction.
Why yes, yes it does. So does the fact, as they point out, that he used the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando as his excuse to re-enter the race, despite the fact that "he has a disastrous record as far as LGBT issues are concerned, opposing marriage equality and adoption by gay parents, and voting against giving LGBT Americans workplace protections." Murphy, they conclude "will fight for the right issues, as he stated in his debate with Sen. Rubio on Monday."
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That's also the conclusion of the Sun Sentinel, whose editorial board wrote that in Rubio "we see a senator who too often adopted his party's most extreme positions […] who—for personal political convenience—abandons his own principles. […] While a Sen. Rubio primarily would serve Sen. Rubio, a Sen. Murphy would serve Floridians." And the Orlando Sentinel says "if Rubio is re-elected to the Senate, and decides to pivot for another run for the White House in a couple of years, Floridians won't be getting the full attention that they expect and deserve. They also are more likely to see him do things, like retreating on immigration reform, that make more sense for a GOP presidential candidate than a sitting Florida senator."
Finally, the Tampa Bay Times declares "Democrat Patrick Murphy of Jupiter has served just two terms in the House, but he is a centrist who is right on the issues and works in a bipartisan fashion. Incumbent Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Miami is on the wrong side of most every issue, and he changed his mind about seeking re-election after he was crushed by Donald Trump in the Florida presidential primary. A Senate seat should not be a consolation prize for a failed presidential candidate killing time until his next run for the White House."