Following the lead of Tuesday’s Today show, NBC Nightly News continued its offensive against 2016 Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio for his attendance record in the U.S. Senate (despite previous precedent) and warned that his rise in the polls could result in Rubio suffering the same fate as failed candidate Scott Walker.
With the climb in the polls, anchor Lester Holt ruled that this has made Rubio “a bigger target for his rivals who are aiming their attacks at his record in the Senate.”
Correspondent Hallie Jackson first diagnosed that Rubio’s rise in the polls as a threat to front-runner Donald Trump and observed that the junior Senator from Florida has “[a] big upside, if he can capitalize on it.”
Turning to Rubio’s Senate attendance, Jackson mentioned that fellow candidate Jeb Bush is “proposing to dock pay for legislatures that miss votes” in a slight to Rubio before turning to the hard numbers:
[S]ince the start of his campaign, Rubio has missed 59, including one today as he campaigns in New Hampshire. In all, a no-show for 42 percent of Senate votes since announcing his candidacy, more than Rand Paul, who announced the same week, but less than John McCain in 2007.
What Jackson neglected to highlight in her story was how then-candidate Barack Obama missed numerous Senate Veterans Affairs Committee meetings to be on the campaign trail (which drew the ire of the far-left site Daily Kos). In addition, Senator Lindsey Graham has actually missed 48 percent of the Senate voters since he announced his presidential campaign on June 1.
With this in mind, Jackson hyped that Rubio is “now on the defense against multiple lines of attack” with questions about this attendance and continued criticism from candidates like Trump, who opined on CNN’s New Day that Rubio “is a lightweight” and “weak on immigration.”
In her conclusion, Jackson took a bizarre turn in comparing Rubio to Scott Walker (whom readers should recall dropped out of the GOP race on September 21):
Senator Rubio is seen as someone who can appeal to the GOP, both the base and the anti-establishment crowd, but remember: That’s similar to what a lot of folks said about Scott Walker over the summer. He’s out of the race, of course, Lester. A reminder, we still have many months to go.
As mentioned at the top, Rubio joined the set of NBC’s Today and squared off against co-host Matt Lauer, who wondered if he has decided to “plac[e] your own personal ambitions above your responsibilities to your constituents down in Florida.”
It should be noted that Rubio was not the only candidate to have cold water thrown in their direction on NBC Nightly News. National correspondent Peter Alexander reported in the subsequent segment on the Democratic side and threw caution to the wind of Vice President Joe Biden against running due to the lack of money raised compared to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders along with the “con” of “running against potentially the first female president.”
The transcript of the segment from October 6's NBC Nightly News can be found below.
NBC Nightly News
October 6, 2015
7:07 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Rubio’s Rise]
LESTER HOLT: On the Republican side of the race, Senator Marco Rubio’s star seems to be rising along with poll numbers, but that’s also making him a bigger target for his rivals who are aiming their attacks at his record in the Senate. NBC’s Hallie Jackson has more on that.
HALLIE JACKSON: This political prank isn't quite dry humor. Donald Trump's team sending bottled water and towels to Marco Rubio since they say he seems sweaty.
REPUBLICAN SENATOR MARCO RUBIO (Fl.) [on NBC’s Today, 10/06/15]: Apparently, the water is very high quality water. It’s top notch.
JACKSON: Rubio laughing it off but the stunt’s another sign Trump may be seriously concerned about this Marco moment with NBC News polls showing more Republicans can see themselves supporting Rubio than any other Republican candidate. A big upside, if he can capitalize on it.
MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST MICHAEL STEELE: As more light is placed on his campaign and on his message, more scrutiny will come with that.
JACKSON: Scrutiny, like from former mentor Jeb Bush taking jabs.
JEB BUSH [on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, 09/15]: Marco was a member of the House of the Representatives when I was governor and he followed my lead and I'm proud of that.
JACKSON: Bush proposing to dock pay for legislatures that miss votes and since the start of his campaign, Rubio has missed 59, including one today as he campaigns in New Hampshire. In all, a no-show for 42 percent of Senate votes since announcing his candidacy, more than Rand Paul, who announced the same week, but less than John McCain in 2007.
RUBIO [on NBC’s Today, 10/06/15]: The majority of the job of being a Senator is not walking onto the Senate floor and lifting your finger on a non-controversial issue and saying which way you will vote. The majority of the work of the Senator is constituent service.
JACKSON: But earlier this year –
RUBIO [on 04/29/15]: If you don’t want to vote on things, don’t run for office.
JACKSON: The Senator now on defense against multiple lines of attack.
DONALD TRUMP [on CNN’s New Day, 10/06/15]: He is a light weight. He is weak on immigration.
JACKSON: But it’s Rubio's rise that may leave the current front-runner sweating it out. Senator Rubio is seen as someone who can appeal to the GOP, both the base and the anti-establishment crowd, but remember: That’s similar to what a lot of folks said about Scott Walker over the summer. He’s out of the race, of course, Lester. A reminder, we still have many months to go.
HOLT: Alright, Hallie Jackson, thank you.
