Washington Post Steps Up Attacks on Marco Rubio

Washington Post Steps Up Attacks on Marco Rubio
by Erick Erickson
10/28/2011

Last week, the Washington Post attacked Marco Rubio for “misrepresenting” his family’s story. The Post got called out by other newspapers for the Post’s egregious truth stretching to make its story fit. In the quotes the Washington Post cited, the reporter misrepresented the context of Marco Rubio’s remarks. It was true that Rubio had gotten some details wrong. But it was also very clear that they were the innocent mistakes of a son retelling his parents’ story. It was also true the Washington Post got parts of its reporting wrong.

But the Washington Post has not stopped. Now the paper is back at it premising a new article on the last story without nothing the Washington Post itself got key elements of its story wrong. This time, the Washington Post wants to make the case that Marco Rubio could be a risky Vice Presidential pick for the GOP.

Seriously.

We have a President of the United States who, for twenty years, worshiped in Jeremiah Wright’s church, had his house paid for by Tony Rezko, claimed his uncle freed Jews at Auschwitz, snorted cocaine, and got other key biographical details wrong and the Washington Post never seemed to think he was too risky.

The other angle of attack in the Washington Post is defending Univision’s smear of Rubio’s family. Marco Rubio refused to do an interview with the very liberal leaning network. After Rubio refused to do the interview, Univision ran a report on Marco Rubio’s brother-in-law being arrested 24 years ago for drug trafficking. Univision denies a connection and argues about the time line.

But somehow, according to the Washington Post, these two incidents make Rubio risky. There really is more of a story here than the Washington Post lets on.

Everyone knows that despite Rubio’s denials he is every Republican’s first choice for Vice President. The left cannot abide the first Hispanic Vice Presidential candidate being a Republican. The Democrats expect to have the black vote locked up in 2012 and they want the Hispanic vote locked up too. That would be made more difficult with Rubio on the Republican ticket.

So the left is using the Washington Post to attack Rubio now, just as the Obama Administration has begun attacking Mitt Romney now. The calculus is that Romney will be the nominee and Rubio the veep pick. Consequently, the left is on the attack now trying to damage Rubio’s reputation as much as possible. CNN reports the Democrats even have a PAC run by a former Harry Reid staffer engaged in this.

The Democrats are deathly afraid of what Marco Rubio as the GOP’s Vice Presidential nominee could do to Obama’s re-election chances and the long term fortunes of the Democrats within the Hispanic community. The Washington Post is running the Democrats’ attacks for them as part of the left.

Each attack shows just how scared of Marco Rubio the Democrats really are.

And they should be.
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