Sen. Marco Rubio’s supporters found their nemeses this week in the pages of the New York Times, which published a number of pieces critical of the presidential hopeful’s personal finance management and numerous traffic infractions. Rubio’s campaign quickly denounced the articles as “attacks” from liberal “elites,” successfully spinning the implications of alleged incompetence into the affirmative argument that Rubio is a relatable candidate. Who hasn’t lived beyond their means or run a stoplight? Many commenters and journalists observed that the New York Times articles increased Marco Rubio’s likeability.
“More people are going to feel a connection to Marco Rubio -- who is the son of a bartender who immigrated from cuba, who has put himself through school -- than are going to feel a connection with millionaire and multimillionaire candidates [Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush],” said Fox News’ Howard Kurtz on Wednesday.
“Have you seen our national debt? Rubio could invest his entire fortune in laserdisc futures and still have a sounder budget than the country does,” Bloomberg’s William Leitch wrote in an article entitled “Did the New York Times Just Make Marco Rubio a Lot More Relatable?”
In addition to a favorable media response, Rubio’s campaign was supported with a sizeable army of supporters on Twitter, marshaled by the retweets of Rubio Communications Director Alex Conant.
“If [Marco Rubio] was worth millions, The [New York Times] would then attack him for being too rich, like they did to Mitt Romney,” Conant tweeted
On Twitter, Rubio’s “Troubling Money Problems” were mocked by supporters using the ironic Rubio Spending Spree hashtag.
Rubio took his book windfall and splurged on the MLB package. *The premium one* #rubiospendingspree
— David Freddoso (@freddoso) June 9, 2015The most attacked was the assertion that his $80,000 dollar fishing boat -- which the Times says he bought when he couldn't really afford it -- can't be considered a "luxury" item.
Marco Rubio's Luxury Boat Can Fit In Hillary Clinton's Pool http://t.co/ygPZrNS95X pic.twitter.com/42ot7DTErG
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) June 10, 2015Rubio supporters rallied under a similar hashtag last week, as the New York Times reported on 4-count catalogue of Rubio’s traffic infractions: Rubio Crime Spree. Like his problems with debt, parking tickets and running red lights seem to have endeared supporters more than they’ve turned them off.
Refused to consult a doctor, even though it lasted more than four hours. #RubioCrimeSpree
— Charles Sykes (@SykesCharlie) June 6, 2015Ridiculous Reporting? Probably Not
Marco Rubio’s supporters have a good sense of humor, and his campaign team certainly made the bad press work for him. Yet his spin rests on the assumption that the New York Times articles are opposition work. In reality, as the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza points out, the New York Times “attacks” are the overdue media vetting of an yet-uninterrogated political candidate. With his short political resume and no major national policy work, Rubio’s life hasn’t been subjected to the same scrutiny as his rivals.
Want to see what a real attack looks like? Read what disapproving Republicans said about about his financial mismanagement during his 2010 Florida Senate campaign. Here’s an unsympathetic voice from an article published in the heat of his race against rival Republican Charlie Crist, “Marco Rubio's personal finances clash with call for fiscal discipline.”
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