Two fists: Trump and Rubio fight Florida election fraud united
President Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio haven't always been the best of political allies or even friends among Republicans, but for Florida's beleaguered voters, they're coming together to fight for the integrity of their ballots and it couldn't be a bigger relief.
Rubio, for his part, was right on it, fast, real fast, using his Twitter to sound the alarm when the first whiff of irregularities from the Broward and Palm Beach county precincts started wafting through the wake of the election result. This wasn't the tweeting of a mere activist making claims, but a Senator putting it on the line and openly calling fraud. That drew attention, it certainly drew mine. Go to Rubio's site to read ALL the tweets because they are a masterpiece of legal reasoning, sharp observation, and careful retorts to lefty strawmen.
Here are only a curated few. Look at that early timing and close reading of the Florida political scene, of which Rubio, a former Florida state assembly leader, is a master at recognizing:
After reading that, it was obvious that Rubio was mapping out with clarity the problem, and getting word out in precise and specific terms where the legal problems were. That gives Republicans a case - and the mental and legal weapons to fight back. And oh, it's done with such lucidity and detail.
President Trump noticed, and with his huge, huge, Twitter voice, openly thanked Rubio for his yeoman's work in defending democracy, a thing of beauty because the two men have never gotten along all that well up until now:
Thank you @marcorubio for helping to expose the potential corruption going on with respect to Election Theft in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. The WORLD is now watching closely!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2018
Trump did a pretty good tweetstorm of his own giving the circumstantial case for why this whole thing was starting to stink, citing his own experience with Florida politics. It rang true with these tweets, mocking Democrats as hypocrites, pointing out the pathetic appearance of the incompetence (which is what Broward County's vote counters are pleading) on the global stage, and most importantly, assured Republicans with a warning to the cheats that he is going to fight.
You mean they are just now finding votes in Florida and Georgia – but the Election was on Tuesday? Let’s blame the Russians and demand an immediate apology from President Putin!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2018
As soon as Democrats sent their best Election stealing lawyer, Marc Elias, to Broward County they miraculously started finding Democrat votes. Don’t worry, Florida - I am sending much better lawyers to expose the FRAUD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2018
Rick Scott was up by 50,000 votes on Election Day, now they “found” many votes and he is only up 15,000 votes. “The Broward Effect.” How come they never find Republican votes?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2018
Mayor Gillum conceded on Election Day and now Broward County has put him “back into play.” Bill Nelson conceded Election - now he’s back in play!? This is an embarrassment to our Country and to Democracy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2018
In the 2016 Election I was winning by so much in Florida that Broward County, which was very late with vote tabulation and probably getting ready to do a “number,” couldn’t do it because not enough people live in Broward for them to falsify a victory!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 9, 2018
Rubio's brainpower, clarity and swift striking response, combined with Trump's warning that he's coming down on the cheats, is a powerful combination. Both men's strengths are coming into the fore. Trump is putting up his classic fighting persona, the one that got him elected, and that's good, we always like to see him in top form. But Rubio's tweets also can arguably be called his Lindsey Graham moment, the moment when eyes shifted and perceptions altered as they did with Graham at the Kavanaugh hearings, his breakout making him a statesman. Rubio's coming out of this a statesman, too.
Let's see much much more of it as the coming tough years roll upon us. Nobody knows how this episode will turn out, whether Democrats will be able to "discover" new boxes of ballots every time a close election is called in the Republicans' favor, or if there really are sufficient checks and balances, via legal challenges, the existing law, or the willingness of the judges to read the law as the law, or what. But it's immensely assuring to know that we have a team of fighters giving it their best shot to correct the bad development. We see two fighters putting their all out there for us.