Did you see Senator Marco Rubio’s response to the State of the Union last night? What did you think? Did you like that “reaching for the water bottle moment?” Holy Moly! I’ve never seen anything quite like it. I just sat there laughing. My first thought was, “There’s an SNL sketch already written.”
And then a wave of sympathy rolled over me. I thought, “Poor guy. Been there, done that.”
Because being on camera is hard. Speaking to a few million people when your political future is on the line — well, that’s REALLY hard.
I can’t imagine.
Giving the response to the State of Anything is a losing proposition. (If offered, RUN! I mean FAST.) Why? You’re competing against a President or Governor, wrapped in pomp and circumstance, who just had a whole cheering audience to feed off. You, though, are locked in some small room with no energy whatsoever. Look, there are two types of speakers out there. Those who feed off an audience (I’m like that). And those who have the ability to talk to a camera or microphone and make it magic. Ronald Reagan had that gift. Marco Rubio apparently doesn’t. And to be fair, he’s a great speaker. He’s just used to having cheering supporters. Last night it was him and the camera.
And he looked scared.
I bet his political life flashed before his eyes. He had to be thinking of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s disasterous turn at giving the response a few years ago. Jindal came across like a nervous 18-year-old running for Senior class president. Rubio was better, but still — the water bottle episode was nothing short of bizarre. I mean, c’mon: You have a few minutes. You can live without a drink unless you are on fire or have swallowed a cat.
But that wasn’t what really bugged me about his speech. I think he missed a real opportunity to sell how his political philosophy would make America a better place. Sure, he told his parents’ story and his middle class upbringing. That was strong. But a good chunk of the speech was about how bad President Obama is. I know, I know — it’s an easy thing to do. I used to be in talk radio, I get it. But here’s a newsflash for you: The President ain’t running again. And people just voted for the guy. Saying how bad he stinks doesn’t offer people hope. Instead, you should offer a better alternative. That’s what Reagan did. He told us about the shining city on the hill. And he served two terms.
Americans know the problems. They have been living them since the Great Recession began.
They’re just looking for a better way. Give it to them. And then you can take your precious drink of water.