Sen. Marco Rubio’s delivery of the GOP response to the State of the Union shows he’s a force the Democrats must reckon with, says former White House advisor Van Jones.
The Florida Republican poses a “dangerous” political threat to Democrats because of his keen ability to emotionally connect with voters, Jones said.
The most talked-about point in Rubio’s speech has become his off-camera lunge for a bottle of water. But on CNN on Wednesday, Jones said, “People can chuckle today. But they’re going to be worried about him tomorrow.”
When asked by CNN anchor Carol Costello whether the only takeaway most viewers most viewers would have from Rubio was his stumble, Jones said he believed Democrats “dodged a bullet.”
“Rubio is dangerous for Democrats,” Jones said. “I’m so glad we’re talking about him and we’re joking about him because right when he reached for that water bottle, he was reaching an emotional part of the speech which he stepped on.”
Jones said the while Florida’s junior senator “has an extreme record,” Rubio’s political skill shone through in the last 90 seconds of his speech, which Jones said was “extremely powerful.”
“(Rubio) is to the heart what Paul Ryan is to the head,” Jones said. “This man can connect emotionally. Democrats dodged a bullet."
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