Dems Greet Rubio's Bid With Cries of 'Pandering to GOP Base'

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, assailed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as he was about to declare for the Republican presidential nomination, calling him an opportunist and "flat-earth-society worshipper," the Sun-Sentinel reported.

The Florida congresswoman, who at one point reportedly considered running for Rubio's seat in 2016, had a range of disparaging things to say about him hours in advance of his announcement Monday.

"At every turn, Marco Rubio has pandered to the Republican base throughout his whole career, instead of looking out for his constituents and the country," Wasserman Schultz told a news conference in Miami, according to SaintPetersBlog (SPB).

She accused him of flirting with immigration reform only to be "yanked back by his right-wing tea party base."

The Democratic Party leader told reporters: "He's a follower, peddling the same tired Republican playbook. Marco Rubio has pandered to the Republican base throughout his whole career."

Rubio would "try and portray himself as a bold, new leader with fresh ideas," Wasserman Schultz said. "But the truth is — as those of us in Florida know all too well — he's simply peddling the same stale, harmful wares that the rest of the Republican Party is selling."

Wasserman Schultz also said that Rubio was wrong about same-sex marriage, had taken anti-gay positions and improperly criticized the courts when they ruled on behalf of gay rights, the SPB reported.

A Democratic National Committee statement accused Rubio of having "consistently sided against women, against seniors, and against Latinos on the issues that affect and matter to them most."

Meanwhile, the Democratic PAC American Bridge issued an attack video characterizing Rubio as corrupt, untrustworthy on the issues, and for purported absenteeism from the Senate.

Criticizing Rubio with the claim that he was opportunistic could backfire on Wasserman Schultz, given that the presumptive Democratic nominee is Hillary Clinton, according to Joel Gehrke writing in the National Review.

Related Stories:

• Debbie Wasserman Schultz May Be Considering 2016 Senate Bid
• Rubio to Donors: I am 'Uniquely Qualified' to Represent GOP in '16