The DC political press corps favorite GOPer (though this is not true of the Florida press corp who have generally tried to keep him honest), Florida Junior Senator Marco Rubio has reappeared as a national figure in the wake of this week’s tragic events.

After days of silence following an attempt by one of his constituents to send package bombs to former President Obama (whom he once accused publicly of sedition and blamed directly for the violence at Trump rallies in 2016) and his Florida Delegation colleague Debbie Wasserman Schultz among others, Rubio has weighed on the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting.

Why is it so hard to accept that a clearly deranged man carried out deranged acts? The “false flag” conspiracy theories on one side & the “it’s Trump’s fault” on the other shows how unhinged politics has become. This isn’t incivility. It’s a society that has lost common sense. https://t.co/qBN44H3Cmk

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) October 27, 2018

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The calls for common sense and civility are rich calling for Rubio who was muddying the waters and poisoning the discourse here in Florida long before Donald Trump was a thing. Rubio was also race-baiting before President Trump took his rhetoric to a fever pitch. Race-baiting, fear-mongering and anti-intellectualism have been the hallmarks of Rubio’s political career, one which might still land him in the White House sometime in the future. 

In March of 2016 he directly blamed President Obama for the violence at Trump rallies:

“President Obama has spent the last eight years dividing Americans among haves and have-nots, along ethnic lines, racial lines, gender lines in order to win elections. I think this has gone to the next level here, and we’re seeing the consequences of it.”

Rubio, in his time in the Florida Legislature constantly talked about the terms of “freedom” and “opportunity,” while accusing opponents of being “socialists” or “obstructionists” or pawns of trial lawyers and teachers unions. He also made common cause with some unsavory characters including one that used the N-word leading to his resignation from the State House.

Readers don’t have to take my word that Rubio lacks civility and has poisoned the well. Judge by his own statements, a sampling of which are listed below.

On President Obama “deliberately weakening America” (A direct charge of sedition and an implication of treason)

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

“He 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.”

“Happiest of all (due to Obama) have been America’s enemies.”

On President Obama empowering terrorists and mocking his emphasis on climate change (coming from a Senator whose home county is the most endangered heavily populated one in the nation – perhaps that’s why he lost his own home, Miami-Dade by double-digits in 2016?):

“Barack Obama released terrorists from Guantanamo, and now they are plotting to attack us. Instead of fighting to fund our troops, he fights to fund Planned Parenthood. He spies on Israel, and cut a deal with Iran. His plan after the attack in San Bernardino: take away our guns. While ISIS is beheading people, burning them in cages, he says climate change is our greatest threat. I’m Marco Rubio. I approve this message because America needs a real commander-in-chief and a president that will keep us safe.”

On President Obama speaking at a mosque:

“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. ” *

* On this issue it is worth noting Rubio allowed his campaign and independent allied groups to return to this theme to attack Democratic nominee Patrick Murphy in the dying days of the 2016 US Senate race without actually uttering a word himself. Like many neoconservatives, Muslim-baiting is convenient in domestic politics while claiming you want to empower Muslims in the Arab world when backing military interventions abroad. 

 

On President Obama’s “lack of class”:

“We already have a president now that has no class. I mean we have a president now that does selfie stick videos, that invites YouTube stars there, people that you know, eat cereal out of a bathtub that accuses his. You just saw the interview he did right now where he goes on comedy shows to talk about something as serious as Iran. The list goes on and on.”

On arming his family to fight ISIS (implying President Obama hadn’t effectively fought ISIS and reading between the lines Senator Rubio was making implications about our President’s commitment to the fight):

“I have a right to protect my family,”

“I think many Americans around the country feel the same way … If ISIS were to visit us, or our communities, at any moment, the last line of defense between ISIS and my family is the ability that I have to protect my family from them, or from a criminal, or anyone else who seeks to do us harm. Millions of Americans feel that way.”

On President Obama and Climate Change:

“This time, President Obama is discarding the Constitution and free enterprise system in the name of a job-killing environmental agenda. We must do everything we can to stand in his way.”