Talk about setting someone up to fail . . . Heading into a contest, politicians traditionally like to lower expectations. But Joe Scarborough has raised expectations for Marco Rubio almost to the roof. On today's Morning Joe, Scarborough repeatedly cited talk that if Marco Rubio doesn't finish second in the South Carolina primary, "he has to get out of the race."
Chuckling through Joe's comments, Mark Halperin batted away talk of a less-than-second-place finish forcing Rubio out of the race: "with all due respect, that's one of the silliest things I've heard this cycle. Rubio needs to beat Bush here and that's it." Halperin added that should Rubio finish second [behind Trump], "it's a big problem for Ted Cruz."
Note: Joe mentioned that a National Review reporter friendly to Rubio has said that failing to finish second would force Rubio out of the race. When NR's Tim Alberta appeared in a subsequent segment, he said that failing to finish second would be "big trouble" for Rubio, though at least on the air did not say he would have to exit the race. Alberta did hold out the possibility that Rubio could even finish first in South Carolina.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Mark, set it up for us. If Marco Rubio -- the talk around here last night among South Carolina politicos was with Marco Rubio getting every single endorsement that he could have dreamed of, everything going his way, people are saying now if Marco Rubio doesn't finish in second place he has to get out of the race [Halperin chuckles]. What I had said before this week was all Rubio has to do is finish ahead of Jeb, the person who's behind the over needs to get out of the race. But now, expectations are so high even the National Review, and we're going to have the writer for the National Review who's sort of been an extension of the Rubio campaign for the better part of six months, is saying if he doesn't finish in second place he needs to get out. Is that the feeling among the Rubio camp?
MARK HALPERIN: No, with all due respect, that's one of the silliest things I've heard this cycle. Rubio needs to beat Bush here and that's it. Because he will consolidate the money and the endorsements and the political support and have a chance to be in a final, a three- or four-way final, Kasich will go on, too if he finishes ahead of Bush. He doesn't need to finish second. If he finishes second, it's a big problem for Ted Cruz and great for Marco Rubio but it's not essential for him at all.
MIKA: [after dead air] Okay.
