New York Times
By Nick Corasaniti
January 12, 2016
Right
to Rise, the “super PAC” supporting Jeb Bush, has released its third
advertisement criticizing Senator Marco Rubio, this time attacking him
over immigration. The
ad is called “Vane” — no doubt a deliberate homophone.
On Screen
The
ad opens on a picture-perfect scene of a rural barn, then zooms in on a
weather vane on the roof, in the form of a smiling Mr. Rubio, one hand
insouciantly in his
pocket, the other pointing west — or is it east? As a swirling wind
blows this way and that, Mr. Rubio reverses himself again and again.
Over the faint thump of a washtub bass and a guitar playing the blues, a
narrator mocks Mr. Rubio’s shifting stances on
immigration. “Marco Rubio ran for Senate saying he opposed amnesty.
Then he flipped, and worked with liberal Chuck Schumer to co-author the
path to citizenship.” (Here, an image of Mr. Schumer helpfully pops up.)
“He threatened to vote against it, and then
voted for it. He supported his own Dream Act, and then he abandoned
it.” The ad cuts to a speeding “Jeb 2016” locomotive, pulling a
flag-painted boxcar with a giant photograph of a resolute-looking Mr.
Bush.
The Message
The
attack over immigration aims to appeal to conservatives, who have
little love for Mr. Bush’s stance on the issue, by warning them that
they cannot trust Mr. Rubio’s
conversion to their point of view. But the overall effect of the ad is
to portray Mr. Rubio as a flip-flopping, untrustworthy “Washington
politician.” By contrast, it promises, Mr. Bush is “a leader, so you
always know where he stands” — just as a barreling
locomotive will not leave its track.
Fact Check
Mr.
Rubio’s record on immigration has been well documented and repeatedly
attacked. He was a part of the “Gang of Eight” senators who in 2013
worked on a bill for comprehensive
immigration reform that included a path to citizenship. He also
threatened to vote against it in a demand for better border security.
And in 2012, he did consider a Dream Act-style bill, but eventually
decided against it. But Mr. Bush also supported the immigration
reform in 2013, and he, like Mr. Rubio, supports a path to earned legal
status.
Where
In Iowa and South Carolina.
Takeaway
The
ad is an attempt to weaken Mr. Rubio before he goes to New Hampshire,
where Mr. Bush is hoping for a resurgence. But in criticizing Mr. Rubio
for breaking a promise
to oppose “amnesty” — an inflammatory term popular with conservatives —
the ad treads into rhetorical territory that Mr. Bush had avoided until
now.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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