Sen. Marco Rubio keeps putting conservatives into awkward places. He outlasted many of his rivals in the presidential primary, but his membership in the “Gang of Eight” was wildly unpopular compared to Donald Trump’s promise to build a border wall and get Mexico to pay for it.
Now, Rubio is praising the important work of Ivanka Trump, whom the media had sold as the progressive member of the Trump family, whispering all the right things into the president’s ear about climate change, for example. The backlash, then, when President Trump announced the U.S. was pulling out of the Paris Agreement was brutal … some “climate czar” Ivanka turned out to be.
The Paris Climate Accord is out, so what’s next on Ivanka Trump’s agenda? It looks like paid family leave, and Rubio is on board.
Tomorrow AEI-Brookings releases their Paid Family Leave report. It’s time to make America great for working families https://t.co/fCd2EHsYXd
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 5, 2017
That tweet from Monday night racked up thousands of likes, but we’d swear all those people at Trump’s campaign rallies were chanting, “Lock her up,” not “Paid family leave.” Rubio on Tuesday then gave Ivanka Trump props for doing important work:
In America, no family should be forced to put off having children due to economic insecurity. @IvankaTrump is doing important work. https://t.co/SZxs1wg95P
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 6, 2017
That sounds a lot like something Sen. Bernie Sanders or Sen. Elizabeth Warren might tweet. And the report to which Ivanka links in her tweet does admit that family leave is a hard sell for Republicans:
One reason is that it would be another large government program, which is difficult for lawmakers who are typically against big government to support. With a price tag that runs in the multi-billion dollars per year, it is also difficult for those who are concerned about the country’s debt. Paid leave is doubly problematic for those who see a government paid leave program as displacing benefits already provided in the private market.
There’s more to the report, obviously, but we’re still kind of hung up on families being “forced” to put off having children.
Um…no. If you can't yet afford a family, you need to put off having one until you can. It's called personal responsibility. https://t.co/LfLxVToOvR
— Ken Gardner (@KenGardner11) June 6, 2017
Dude, how old are you? Personal responsibility? We're at least two full generations removed from that ancient concept. #DDay
— Colorado (@Colorado_Right) June 6, 2017
We have millions on our welfare rolls who agree with you, marco.
— @DonInNY (@donnyEB) June 6, 2017
Let me get this straight, finances should not have a bearing on having children…how about personal responsibility, should that matter?
— HWDConservative (@HWDConservative) June 6, 2017
Great. Another entitlement. Who is going to pay for these people to not work?
— Ryan Crozier (@rcroz10214_ryan) June 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/NormalMerican/status/872173690883948544
https://twitter.com/ClarkeBtclarke/status/872178657938345985
Families absolutely should put off having kids until they can afford them. What the hell are you talking about?
— Old Man McGucket (@Thewbert3) June 6, 2017
No one is forcing anyone to do anything. It's life decisions that people have to make. It's not a businesses or taxpayers obligation.
— A Holt (@aholt429) June 6, 2017
but I don't want to pay for my coworker to have kids. I paid 4 my own & knew when to stop. Having kids is not a job
— tam (@chickLadey) June 6, 2017
Sorry I don't want to pay for someone else to get paid family leave. Do like has been done for previous generations and plan and save. I did
— KimSue Castner (@KimSue1966) June 6, 2017
So it takes a village? What happened to personal responsibility.
— Rhonda (@mlleodile1) June 6, 2017
In America, no business should be forced to provide benefits because a third party (Govt) says so.
— CheswickCharley (@CheswickCharley) June 6, 2017
Lower our taxes, cut regulations & repeal Obamacare! That is what we elected the GOP to do. Not to start a new entitlement program. ?
— penelope210 (@penelopesire) June 6, 2017
Ugh. What the fuck happened to you man?
— Jake “Brian” Renfro (@Renfroman) June 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/magannini/status/872171630566416384
* * *
Related:
Things get chilly between Obama speechwriter and media over coverage of ‘climate czar’ Ivanka Trump https://t.co/WqtfBkxccZ
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) June 2, 2017
Join the conversation as a VIP Member