Rubio's gaffe: how bad is it?

[Higgs]

He will still be the nominee

Here's a fiction you should probably dispel with...

This debate gaffe will be nowhere near as big as Atlas is making it out to be.

[Maxwell]

It does not even have to be that big in order for it to be devastating - he needed a good performance to keep his momentum going and he didn't get it.

[Higgs]

It does not even have to be that big in order for it to be devastating - he needed a good performance to keep his momentum going and he didn't get it.

He doesn't need to win New Hampshire, he just needs to do better than the other establishment candidates. If they perform poorly then they will drop out and that support will go to Rubio. This is all he needs. If this gaffe is bigger than I think it is and propels Christie to competitive levels with Rubio then that could be it, but I just don't see that happening.

[Why]

I don't think it is as bad as the Rick Perry moment but it not that far behind it. If Rubio had a lead he might be able to weather the criticism for a while and recover. However he is supposed to be making up ground not recovering, he needs extra voters, not to be fighting to keep the ones he has.

[Ljube]

Is this just a run-of-the-mill gaffe? Something that will hurt him in the short-term but ultimately be forgotten (e.g. Obama saying "you're likable enough" to Clinton in one of their primary debates, causing him to lose NH).

Or is this a career-ending gaffe, that will brand him in the same way Dan Quayle, Howard Dean or Rick Perry?

"You're likable enough" wasn't a gaffe. Obama knew exactly what he was doing.

[Senator Cris]

What's his gaffe?
Sorry, but I have not watched it.

[IceSpear]

What's his gaffe?
Sorry, but I have not watched it.

https://youtu.be/HNRNHgi1RzU

[Ogre Mage]

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being minor negligible damage and 10 being a career ending nuclear meltdown, I would put it at a 7.

[BM]

The gaffe is merely a reflection of his weakness, inexperience, and general stupidity as a candidate. The longer he lasts the more there will be, so if he's not finished now he will be soon enough.

[ZuWo]

The reactions to that gaffe are way overblown. Rubio will come in second in NH and cement his status as the establishment candidate.

[windjammer]

Is his candidacy doomed?
I dont think so. But his dynamic right now: he's.

[Lord of the Dome]

It does not even have to be that big in order for it to be devastating - he needed a good performance to keep his momentum going and he didn't get it.

He doesn't need to win New Hampshire, he just needs to do better than the other establishment candidates. If they perform poorly then they will drop out and that support will go to Rubio. This is all he needs. If this gaffe is bigger than I think it is and propels Christie to competitive levels with Rubio then that could be it, but I just don't see that happening.

Yeah finally someone else on this forum says it. I really don't think this is that bad and the idea that it is candidacy ending or even CAREER ENDING is total tripe. I will concede that one worrisome element for Rubio is that it helps Christie at his expense which like you say could hurt his chances if Christie pulled a miracle out in NH. But seriously guys, this was just another gaffe. It was a pretty bad one, put this is not gonna be a turning point in the campaign.

[Beezer]

You can pinpoint the exact moment when Christie rips Rubio's heart in half...

[Oakvale]

Bump!

It's now clear that Rubio is finished. Over. Done. If it wasn't for this meltdown he'd probably have come a strong second in New Hampshire, quickly consolidated support and be duking it out with TRUMP for the nomination right now.

Verdict: Career-ending.

[Maxwell]

It defined him and he never managed to break out of this characterization as a scripted candidate.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Let's dispel with this fiction that Rubio is a strong candidate, shall we?