Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks to potential voters at a house party, Friday, April 17, 2015, in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
That GOP cattle call in New Hampshire last weekend was really all about… Hillary? It sometimes seemed that way:
At the first major GOP event since Clinton became an official candidate, the candidates made a special effort to explain that they would measure up especially well against her.
In his last New Hampshire trip, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker wore a sweater he said he bought at the Kohl’s discount store for $1. This time, for a Saturday night dinner speech, he wore a suit he said that he got on sale at Jos. A. Bank. Walker told the crowd that Clinton has probably never been to a Kohl’s, and he wondered whether the former first lady has even gone shopping for herself in the past two decades. He argues his modest roots will make a great contrast to her status as a high-flying global celebrity.
Mike Huckabee, who will announce whether he’s running on May 5, argued that he benefits from the unique experience of running “against the Clinton political machine” in Arkansas. “I’ll show you some scars, because I’ve got quite a few,” the former governor said.
Leaving aside that Huckabee’s “scars” date back to the 1980s and ’90s, it’s refreshing to see the GOP hopefuls attacking the presumptive Democratic nominee instead of each other. Of course, we saw this exact same kind of thing in 2011 — for all the good it ended up doing Mitt Romney in 2012.
Because eventually the long knives will come out, as is already happening in Florida:
Ties between Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, political allies for more than a decade, are fraying as the Republican presidential campaign picks up.
In public, mentor Bush and protege Rubio have avoided criticizing each other since Rubio announced his candidacy.
But Bush allies have started quietly spreading negative information about Rubio’s record. Also, supporters of the two Miami politicians are drawing contrasts between Rubio, a 43-year-old son of Cuban immigrants, and 62-year-old Bush, a member of one of the nation’s most powerful political dynasties.
“Sparks are going to fly,” said Al Cardenas, a Bush adviser who is also close to Rubio. “For the first time in our country’s history you’ve got two guys from the same town in the same state from same party running in the same primary.”
He added: “You can bet that regardless of how nice Jeb or Marco wants to be, their staffs are going to do anything they can to win.”
I’ve said here before that Rubio needs more seasoning. Watching how, or perhaps even if, he takes on the Bush Machine will tell us how serious a contender he really is for 2016.
Despite their WASPy demeanor, the Bushes play hardball and always have. If Rubio can take out Jeb, he might just be the candidate to take on Hillary.
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