Dem strategist Steve McMahon prefaced his remarks with the standard tongue-in-cheek disclaimer about not intending to hurt, by praising him, the prospects of someone from the other party. On this evening's With All Due Respect, McMahon then proceeded to gush over Marco Rubio, saying that listening to him recount his life story as the son of immigrants "melts my heart." McMahon predicted that Rubio would be the Republican nominee.
So . . . does McMahon's praise mean anything? Is Rubio really the Republican the Dems fear, or is it a don't-throw-us-in-the-briar-patch pitch on McMahon's part?
In what conservatives might certainly take as an unkind cut, McMahon called Rubio "the Barack Obama of the Republican party right now." McMahon surely meant it as a compliment, though, presumably implying that Rubio was the young and exciting candidate in the field, with a sympathetic personal story.
MARK HALPERIN: A lot of nice things said about Marco Rubio in that [Iowa Republican] focus group. The Republican party has never in the modern era nominated someone his age, his relative inexperience. What is driving do you think based on that group and what else do you see, what is driving that attraction to Rubio?
STEVE MCMAHON: Well it is really interesting. I don't to -- I'll say this, I'm not trying to hurt Marco Rubio although it might have that effect. I would say that he is the Barack Obama of the Republican party right now. His life story is captivating to people. When he stands in front of a room and he talks about his immigrant parents and his father who came from Cuba and stood behind the bar in the back of the room so that Marco Rubio could stand in front of a podium on a stage in front of the room, that just melts your heart. It melts my heart. So, I mean, I think, he's got a very compelling story and people are drawn to him and I would say Marco Rubio is a rocket ship on the launch pad in Iowa and nationally.
HALPERIN: You know what impressed me --
MCMAHON: I think he's going to be the nominee.
