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| Marco Rubio doubles down on debate repetition: 'I'm going to keep saying it' | Marco Rubio doubles down on debate repetition: 'I'm going to keep saying it' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his performance in Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate, in which he was widely panned for coming off as scripted in a tense exchange with Chris Christie. | Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his performance in Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate, in which he was widely panned for coming off as scripted in a tense exchange with Chris Christie. |
| Related: Rubio 'would pay to keep running that clip' despite New Hampshire debate disaster – campaign live | Related: Rubio 'would pay to keep running that clip' despite New Hampshire debate disaster – campaign live |
| In an interview with ABC’s This Week, the Florida senator was asked to explain why he repeated the same line – about Barack Obama intentionally weakening America – at least four times in the first hour of the debate, when pressed by the New Jersey governor on his relative inexperience. | In an interview with ABC’s This Week, the Florida senator was asked to explain why he repeated the same line – about Barack Obama intentionally weakening America – at least four times in the first hour of the debate, when pressed by the New Jersey governor on his relative inexperience. |
| Rubio, according to most observers, played directly into Christie’s attack line, that he is rehearsed and incapable of straying from the same set of talking points. | Rubio, according to most observers, played directly into Christie’s attack line, that he is rehearsed and incapable of straying from the same set of talking points. |
| “Actually, I would pay them to keep running that clip, because that’s what I believe passionately,” Rubio said, reiterating once more his point about Obama deliberately harming the country. | “Actually, I would pay them to keep running that clip, because that’s what I believe passionately,” Rubio said, reiterating once more his point about Obama deliberately harming the country. |
| Host George Stephanopoulos interjected, telling Rubio he was choosing to repeat himself despite “getting pounded” for having repeated himself. | |
| Rubio pushed back, noting, as his aides did the night before, that his campaign raised more money online in the first hour of the debate than any previous event. | Rubio pushed back, noting, as his aides did the night before, that his campaign raised more money online in the first hour of the debate than any previous event. |
| “As far as that message, I hope they keep running it and I’m going to keep saying it because it’s true,” Rubio said. | “As far as that message, I hope they keep running it and I’m going to keep saying it because it’s true,” Rubio said. |
| “It’s one of the reasons I’m running for president.” | “It’s one of the reasons I’m running for president.” |
| Obama was changing the country, he said, “in a way that is robbing us of everything that makes us special. | Obama was changing the country, he said, “in a way that is robbing us of everything that makes us special. |
| “I’m going to keep saying that,” he said, “because not only is it the truth, it is at the core of our campaign.” | “I’m going to keep saying that,” he said, “because not only is it the truth, it is at the core of our campaign.” |
| Pressed by Stephanopoulos again on his repetition, as Christie taunted him for that very attribute, Rubio again doubled down: “It’s what I believe and it’s what I’m going to continue to say. | |
| “This is the greatest country in the history of mankind because of a set of principles. Barack Obama wants us to abandon them.” | “This is the greatest country in the history of mankind because of a set of principles. Barack Obama wants us to abandon them.” |
| Speaking at a town hall in Londonderry shortly after his ABC interview, Rubio brought up the debate criticism before a packed crowd at a high school cafeteria. | Speaking at a town hall in Londonderry shortly after his ABC interview, Rubio brought up the debate criticism before a packed crowd at a high school cafeteria. |
| “People said, ‘Oh, you said the same thing,’” he said. “I’m going to say it again. | |
| “These things [Barack Obama’s] done to America are not accidents.” | “These things [Barack Obama’s] done to America are not accidents.” |