By Javier Manjarres
An interesting observation was made last night on Fox News’ ‘The Five’ when host Dan Perino noted that SOTU responses such as the one Senator Marco Rubio gave on Tuesday night are never really remembered unless something noteworthy occurs during the response- either a gaffe or in this instance a ‘sip of water’ would certainly qualify.
Perino’s point leads to an interesting question- was Rubio’s sip of water on camera planned in advance to draw as much attention away from the President’s address as possible? Rubio is a very clever guy and no doubt knew the import of attempting such a maneuver on television in front of a national audience- if it was indeed a ploy, it could very well turn out to have been a brilliant one in retrospect.
If the only takeaway from Rubio’s response is that he’s the guy who sipped from a bottle of water on national television months and years from now, what casual observer out there wouldn’t be able to relate to such an natural gesticulation–and also find it somewhat ridiculous that such a gesture was the source of so much foolish mockery? Wouldn’t that maneuver be perceived as “refreshing”- both literally and figuratively- in the minds of average Americans?
Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
Rubio has captured tremendous buzz as of late with his immigration reform ideas, his SOTU response, and he’s now firming up his base of support with his co-sponsorship of the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA) along with fellow Republican Senators Orrin Hatch, Mitch McConnell, Roy Blunt, Rand Paul and 13 others.
According to Rubio’s office, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen is spearheading a similar version of the bill on the House side.
Rubio’s office released the following statement about the bill-If enacted, this legislation give states the authority they need to properly enforce laws requiring a parent to be notified before their minor daughter receives an abortion.
Many states have adopted parental notification laws to protect minors and the rights of parents. These laws, however, are easily and often circumvented due to differing abortion laws in neighboring states. There is currently no federal framework in place to prevent a minor from traveling across state lines to undergo an abortion without parental knowledge or consent. CIANA would prohibit the act of transporting a minor to obtaining an abortion if this action evades the parental involvement law in her home state. In addition, it would require abortion providers to notify a parent of an out-of-state minor before performing an abortion.
Rubio’s pull quote accompanied the press release-
Rubio has always been a strong pro-life supporter- an issue that has always been close to Rubio’s heart and has kept him grounded throughout his hectic public life. As the father of four children, the pro-life issue is the furthest thing removed from a “vanity issue” for Rubio.“With the rights of parents and the safety of our nation’s daughters at risk, Congress must take action to prevent underage abortions by giving states the federal backing necessary to enforce their parental involvement laws. These laws allow teenagers to receive the advice and guidance of a loved one before undergoing a procedure for which they may not be medically or emotionally prepared. Under current law, minors are subject to the exploitation and safety risks that often come from an overzealous interstate abortion industry.”- Sen.Marco Rubio
As practically any parent will tell you, the moment you see your unborn child in a sonogram, your life changes when you see that little person with a heart beat and brain activity. As a father of four, Rubio knows this feeling very well.
While there will be naysayers who consider Rubio’s latest move as a politically expedient one, the truth is that the pro-life issue is one that Rubio will never waver on regardless of whether or not it helps him moving forward towards 2016.
