The TV news media was in full frenzy all weekend rightly pilling on President Donald Trump (except for FOX News which in its role as “state television” booked guests that advocated the prosecution of President Obama after taking a pause Saturday morning no doubt to get on the same page as the White House) for his dangerous and slanderous comments. The most offensive of the tweets is below:

How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017

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President Trump has slandered President Obama and has lobbed an allegation at him publicly that is unconscionable and completely unbecoming of a statesman. This is a great danger to our nation as President Trump will clearly say or do anything to throw red meat toward his base. Trump has provided zero evidence to back up his claim and is rightly being taken to task for that.

However the media has not been consistent in calling out this sort of slanderous and irresponsible rhetoric from Republicans toward President Obama. Just last year, Florida’s Junior Senator lobbed an even greater charge at President Obama, essentially accusing him of sedition.

“It’s now abundantly clear: Barack Obama has deliberately weakened America”

Senator Rubio stated that President Obama has “deliberately weakened America” one must assume he had evidence of the then occupant of the Oval Office’s efforts to purposely weaken the nation he was elected twice to lead.

The word deliberately is critical here, as Rubio strongly implied Obama’s efforts were premeditated and intentional. If Rubio really believed this wass the case and our nation has been “deliberately” harmed by public official he had no choice but come forward with the evidence of such an act. This charge was serious enough that it demanded serious follow up from the media. But this comment was made in the heart of the New Hampshire Primary campaign and with the media obsessive about Trump at the time, and in some ways covertly aligned with Rubio, he was given a pass except on liberal blogs like ours.

Rubio elaborated on his comments at another campaign stop the same week saying:

“He (Obama) has made an intentional effort to humble us back to size as if to say ‘We no longer need to be so powerful because our power has done more harm than good,’” Rubio said. “America is in far greater danger today than it was eight years ago.”

Interestingly also at a time when President Trump is being blamed by many in media for inflaming racial rhetoric given the recent spat of attacks on Jewish community centers and three different killings of Indian-Americans, it was Marco Rubio who attempted to race-bait and blame Obama for dividing Americans in the very same quote:

“I’m tired of being divided against each other for political reasons like this president’s done. Always pitting people against each other. Always. Look at today—he gave a speech at a mosque. ”

Again, oddly Rubio has largely been given a pass for these comments. Can you imagine if Trump uttered these words?

The media has done well holding Donald Trump to account, but as Floridians we should hope in the future they do the same with Marco Rubio.