Marco "Roboto" Rubio's Crank Economics

The empty suit has some very interesting ideas.  pic.twitter.com/NjFVd6ykKM

— Bob Schooley (@Rschooley) February 22, 2016

Interesting ideas, indeed.  Paul Krugman writes today about the "crank economics" of easily- rattled lightweight gusano Sen. Marco "Roboto"* Rubio (R-Mattel), and who the real audience is for his ignorant economic proposals, starting with tax "reform":

What you may not know is that Mr. Rubio’s tax cuts would be almost twice as big as George W. Bush’s as a percentage of gross domestic product — despite the fact that federal debt is much higher than it was 15 years ago, and Republicans have spent the Obama years warning incessantly that budget deficits will destroy America, any day now.

But not to worry: Mr. Rubio insists that his tax cuts would pay for themselves, by unleashing incredible economic growth. Never mind the complete absence of any evidence for this claim — in fact, the last two Democratic presidents, both of whom raised taxes on the rich, both presided over better private-sector job growth than Mr. Bush did (and that’s even if you leave out the catastrophe of Mr. Bush’s last year in office).  [snip]

In short, Mr. Rubio is peddling crank economics. What’s interesting, however, is why. You see, he’s not pandering to ignorant voters; he’s pandering to an ignorant elite.  [snip]

So when Mr. Rubio genuflects at the altars of supply-side economics and hard money, he isn’t telling ordinary Republicans what they want to hear — by and large the party’s base couldn’t care less. He is, instead, pandering to the party’s elite, consisting mainly of big donors and the network of apparatchiks at think tanks, media organizations, and so on.

In the G.O.P., crank doctrines in economics and elsewhere aren’t bubbling up from below, they’re being imposed from the top down.  (our emphasis)

Please read Krugman's entire piece at the link.

One of the challenges in dealing with the gusano, as we and others have noted, is that he's the favorite pony of the Republican "establishment" (the "elite" noted above) and their cheerleading Beltway corporate media.  That's why every day you see descriptions like this (in the "liberal" once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle) that conflate a descriptor like "mainstream" to the very radical Roboto:

Rubio is hoping to run up his score with suburban and upwardly mobile, mainstream voters in metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Boston, Minneapolis and Nashville.  (our emphasis)

They're really, really dying to run with their narrative "21st Century Marco vs. old news Hillary/ Bernie," aren't they?!  Meanwhile, let's see if he ever wins a primary, shall we?
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*  Until something better comes along, we're changing Rubio's nickname from "Glug Glug" to "Roboto," even though we acknowledge his on- going need for hydration!

Today's Reading - The Real Marco Rubio

Brian Beutler has an article worth reading on the malleable, dangerous gusano, young Sen. Marco "Glug Glug" Rubio (R-MIAmi), beloved of the Republican- wired Beltway media.  Here's a sample:

He has landed near the sweet spot between Cruz-like extremism, Trump-like nativism, and Jeb Bush’s more principled rejection of both factions of the right. But to get there, he’s attached himself to policy proposals that are different in kind, and more extreme, than those of recent Republican nominees. Now Rubio threatens to smuggle them into the general election undetected by a press corps that has been fixated on Trump.  [snip]

• Recklessly suggested ethnically profiling Muslims through their mosques, community centers, businesses, and the web. He accused President Obama of pitting Americans against one another by visiting a mosque, seemingly articulating the principle that presidents shouldn’t visit mosques because the millions of Americans whose votes Rubio wants dislike Muslims.

• Professed, in what was possibly a moment of debate-stage panic, the view that abortion should be outlawed even in cases of rape, incest, or risk to the life of the mother. (Republicans see this in particular as a major liability.)

• Denied the fact that “human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it.”

• Promised to nominate Supreme Court justices who would rescind the constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

There's much more, so please read the entire piece if you can.

Buetler wonders, as we do, if Glug Glug will ever be held to account for his cynical maneuvering and extremist positions, starting at tonight's Republican "debate."  Regardless, Glug Glug has clearly emerged as the corporate media's darling, even at the "liberal" New York (Effing) Times, as Steve M. points out.

Coupled with their disdain, if not outright hatred, of Hillary Clinton and dismissal of Bernie Sanders, the corporate media is setting the stage for an election based on the most egregious narrative:  Marco "Glug Glug" Rubio is a likeable guy well within the "moderate conservative" tradition.  Don't ever fall for it.