Rubio Sees ‘Political Advantage’ In Talking National Security After Paris (VIDEO)

Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) has found a silver lining in the Paris terror attacks that left 130 people dead: he said the violence prompted Americans to have a serious conversation about national security, and he suggested that conversation in turn has benefited his presidential campaign.

Rubio made the comment while discussing his rising poll numbers with “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace. When Wallace asked whether Rubio thought his foreign policy credentials gave him a polling boost in the wake of the Nov. 13 terror attacks, the Florida Republican replied that his team doesn’t put much stock in polls that were “going to fluctuate” this early in the primary race.

He went on to argue that the attacks led to a “positive” shift to national security in the political conversation, one he wanted to see continue “not just for political advantage.”

“I obviously am not happy about the events that happened last week in Paris,” Rubio told Wallace. “But I think it’s a positive development that it suddenly has forced Americans to confront more carefully the issue of national security because it is the most important thing a President will do and it is the most important function of the federal government.”

“I hope that we focus on that note more, not just for political advantage but because the world has become a very dangerous place,” he added.

Watch below at the 9:20 mark:

Latest Livewire

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for imkmu3 imkmu3 says:

    “I hope that we focus on that note more, not just for political advantage but because the world has become a very dangerous place,”

    But I am happy to use it for political advantage.

  2. Avatar for jsfox jsfox says:

    Translation: Fear mongering is how we win elections.

  3. Stacks of dead bodies always give these guys hardons.

    He already started with his version of “mushroom clouds here.” Pendejo.

  4. The world has been a dangerous place for a very long time. Amazingly, most Americans ignore that terrorism has existed for at least two hundred years and that Catholic terrorists waged a bloody war that resulted in the end of British rule over the majority of Ireland. The problem is that most Republicans want to treat terrorism like a small child may treat a thunder storm- hide under the blankets and hope it goes away.

  5. WELL it always helps to know IF a Presidential candidate has FASCIST ideas. It ALWAYS helps to know if a candidate has a notion that rounding up people, LIKE HITLER did is on his AGENDA. It’s for sure we want to feel safe and secure, even from the President of the United States. I’m not feeling to SECURE these days, who can trust a party who DOES nothing but threaten the RIGHTS of so many. FEARMONGERING is terrorist act.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

67 more replies

Participants

Avatar for doremus_jessup Avatar for dr_coyote Avatar for littlegirlblue Avatar for marby Avatar for feathered_head Avatar for artemisia Avatar for jep07 Avatar for navamske Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for fourlegsgood Avatar for daveyjones64 Avatar for clearwater Avatar for johnbarleycorn Avatar for sonsofares Avatar for geofu54 Avatar for addicted4444 Avatar for jcblues Avatar for zuch Avatar for hallam Avatar for dnl Avatar for emilianoelmexicano Avatar for earthquakeweather Avatar for AquaMadMan Avatar for edhedh

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: