The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board, representing the moderate wing of the Republican Party, said late Sunday that Marco Rubio was completely unraveled by Chris Christie at Saturday’s GOP debate.
One of the most memorable moments from the debate was Christie calling out Rubio for repeating at least four times a line attacking President Obama. “There it is,” Christie said at one point. “The memorized 25-second speech.”
“A single debate rarely turns a presidential campaign, and for that Marco Rubio is fortunate because his gutting by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Saturday was as complete as any we’ve seen,” the Journal said Sunday night.
“Mr. Christie was able to use his debating skills to reinforce doubts that Mr. Rubio, for all of his rhetorical talents, may be a little too callow and a little too programmed to succeed as president,” said the paper.
The Journal said that Rubio’s repeated line came across “as if someone had plugged in a tape that stuck.”
“It may also make some voters wonder if that fluency is less about conviction than sound-bite memorization.”
Christie has been aggressively attacking Rubio over the last few days in response to Rubio’s better-than-expected third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. Christie is also hoping for a strong performance in New Hampshire on Tuesday, though current polls show him trailing in sixth place and with Rubio in second, more than 10 points behind frontrunner Donald Trump.
