Opinion: Rubio scored cheap points at Boehner’s expense

By Lynn R. Mitchell

Donald Trump is the only Republican presidential candidate I have written against. Until now.

This pandering from Marco Rubio, who rushed to be the first to tell an anti-Boehner crowd that the Speaker had announced his resignation, resulting in cheers and celebrating, did not sit well with me:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) got a standing ovation when he broke the news House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation to the packed ballroom at the 2015 Values Voter Summit in Washington.

“Just a few moments ago, Speaker Boehner announced he is resigning,” Rubio started, and before he could finish the sentence, the ballroom erupted.

It’s sad to see one Republican score political points in this way at the expense of another Republican.

UPDATE #1: So I wasn’t the only one who felt that Marco Rubio’s cheap shot at Speaker Boehner was out of place (see Boehner allies furious at Rubio’s unprovoked shot at his resignation):

The first shot fired against US House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), in the wake of the stunning announcement of his resignation Friday, did not come from Donald Trump. It did not come from a presidential candidate outside Washington.

Rather, it came from US Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida). The presidential candidate and freshman senator, minutes after news leaked from the House Republican conference meeting, told a crowd at the Values Voter Summit in Washington that Boehner was resigning.

They cheered the news, and despite saying he was not there to “bash anyone,” many Boehner allies thought Rubio did just that with his next comment.

“The time has come to turn the page,” he said. “The time has come to turn the page and allow a new generation of leadership in this country.”

I suppose that was Rubio’s “not-bashing-anyone” kind of way of saying, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Not classy.

UPDATE #2: From The Hill: Furious Boehner allies lash out:

Boehner repeatedly saw conservatives vote against the GOP rules governing debate on legislation. Those votes are supposed to be tests of party loyalty.

[His allies] also argue Boehner repeatedly bent to conservative critics on spending issues, only to see them stab him in the back.