Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was excoriated by his mentor former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush during Wednesday's GOP presidential debate when Bush told Rubio to do his job or quit.
"I'm a constituent of the senator, and I helped him, and I expected he would do constituent service, which means he shows up to work," Bush said in reference to the 60 or so Senate votes Rubio has missed while running for president.
"When you signed up for this, this is a six-year term. You should be showing up," Bush said. "Is it a French work week? You get three days to show up? Just resign and let somebody else take the job. There are a lot of people who are living paycheck to paycheck in Florida."
Rubio shot back that Bush has claimed to be modeling his campaign after Sen. John McCain, in which he would launch a comeback after falling in the polls.
"You know how many votes John McCain missed?" Rubio said. "Jeb, let me tell you, I don't remember you ever complaining about John McCain's vote record."
The only reason Bush is now attacking him is because both are running for the same job, Rubio said.
"Someone convinced you [that] attacking me is going to help you," Rubio said.
South Florida's Sun-Sentinel newspaper, which endorsed the freshman's senator's successful run,
said in an editorial Wednesday that Rubio is "ripping off" the state by missing so many votes – more than anyone else in the Senate.
"His seat is regularly empty for floor votes, committee meetings and intelligence briefings. He says he's MIA from his J-O-B because he finds it frustrating and wants to be president, instead," the paper wrote.
The Washington Post on Monday wrote that Rubio actually hates his Senate job because the body is so slow to take any action.
Asked whether he would even seek a second Senate term if he weren't running for president, Rubio gave the Post an unenthusiastic, "I don't know."
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