The Other Thing Marco Rubio Did

By now we’ve all seen the clip of Marco Rubio taking a drink of water during last night’s GOP response to the State of the Union Address. Given MSNBC’s habit of editing video to make Republicans look mean and stupid, I can just imagine what they’ll do with it. In fact, I made a video of my own with my prediction.

I’ll get to that in a minute. But first: Sen. Rubio did something else last night – he gave an excellent speech. It is unfortunate that the MSM’s attention to his water bottle has distracted the public from the many fine things he had to say. No doubt that was the intent. As Ellsworth Toohey said in The Fountainhead, don't try to understand nonsense - ask what it accomplishes.

Anyway, by way of antidote to the MSM, here’s an excerpt from Rubio's speech:

The State of the Union address is always a reminder of how unique America is. For much of human history, most people were trapped in stagnant societies, where a tiny minority always stayed on top, and no one else even had a chance. But America is exceptional because we believe that every life, at every stage, is precious, and that everyone everywhere has a God-given right to go as far as their talents and hard work will take them.... This opportunity – to make it to the middle class or beyond no matter where you start out in life – it isn't bestowed on us from Washington. It comes from a vibrant free economy where people can risk their own money to open a business. And when they succeed, they hire more people, who in turn invest or spend the money they make, helping others start a business and create jobs. Presidents in both parties – from John F. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan – have known that our free enterprise economy is the source of our middle class prosperity. But President Obama? He believes it's the cause of our problems. That the economic downturn happened because our government didn't tax enough, spend enough and control enough. And, therefore, as you heard tonight, his solution to virtually every problem we face is for Washington to tax more, borrow more and spend more. This idea – that our problems were caused by a government that was too small – it's just not true. In fact, a major cause of our recent downturn was a housing crisis created by reckless government policies. And the idea that more taxes and more government spending is the best way to help hardworking middle class taxpayers – that's an old idea that's failed every time it's been tried. More government isn't going to help you get ahead. It's going to hold you back. More government isn't going to create more opportunities. It's going to limit them. And more government isn't going to inspire new ideas, new businesses and new private sector jobs. It's going to create uncertainty. Because more government breeds complicated rules and laws that a small business can't afford to follow.

Now that you've read that, here is, as promised, the Marco Rubio Drink – MSNBC Style:

Michael Isenberg is the author of Full Asylum, a novel about politics, freedom, and hospital gowns. Check it out on Amazon.com