The immigration battle took a toll on Marco Rubio, so much so that he overcorrected by joining the quixotic defund ObamaCare scheme. To most observers, this was a transparent attempt to woo back the conservative base he had angered and alienated.
That’s what my latest column at The Week is about. Here’s an excerpt:
“He had expended much political capital on immigration reform. If he wanted to maintain his status as a conservative, he would need to mend some fences. And fast.
“It’s not uncommon for this sort of rebuke to cause politicians to reevaluate their image. Sometimes, this has historic implications. After losing a race in 1958, George Wallace declared he would never be ‘outniggered’ again. Twenty years later, after losing a Congressional bid, George W. Bush would reportedly declare that he would never be ‘outcountried’ again. After the immigration push, Marco Rubio seems to have decided he would never be ‘outconservatived’ again.