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When Democratic and Republican leaders get together and strike a deal on a major issue, Sen. Marco Rubio has a habit of rejecting the bipartisan agreements. With this in mind, no one was especially surprised when the Florida Republican sided with his far-right colleagues and opposed the security aid package endorsed by GOP leaders in both the House and Senate.
What was notable, however, was Rubio’s rationale. Roll Call reported:
[Rubio] complained that a border security package was missing from the bill, though Senate Republicans largely rejected a bipartisan compromise that had been agreed to earlier this year. “This is not compromise. This is legislative blackmail. And I will not vote for blackmail,” Rubio said.
The Floridian was apparently quite pleased with the “legislative blackmail” framing, promoting his comments via social media, and multiple YouTube videos. They all showed Rubio condemning those who expected him to drop his “demands.”
The senator went on to characterize proponents of the bipartisan legislation as engaging in “moral extortion.”
It’s worth asking whether the Republican lawmaker actually understands the meaning of any of these phrases.
Rubio is the former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He’s currently the panel’s vice chair, which means he’s a member of the “Gang of Eight,” giving him unique access to highly classified national security information. This context is highly relevant: Rubio, as much as any member of Congress, knew exactly how important this security aid was, and is, to U.S. allies abroad.
But the Florida Republican voted “no” anyway — even as every other member of the Gang of Eight, from both parties, supported the legislation.
Rubio’s explanation was that the bill’s supporters were engaged in “blackmail” and “extortion,” which is utterly bizarre. Consider the basic elements of the debate:
Security aid proponents from both parties: We need to pass the bill.
Rubio: Maybe so, but first you’ll have to meet my unrelated demands.
Security aid proponents from both parties: We tried that, and it didn’t work out, so now it’s time to pass the bill in order to prevent Russia from taking part of eastern Europe by force.
Rubio: If you expect me to “drop my demands,” then you’re engaging in “blackmail.”
I’m half-tempted to send the senator a dictionary, because he appears to have this entire dynamic backwards. Rubio’s position, in effect was, “Meet my demands or our allies will suffer.”
For him to then accuse his opponents of “blackmail” and “extortion” was bonkers.