POLITICO Screen grab Republicans: Water under the bridge

Sen. Marco Rubio’s inopportune case of cotton mouth during his State of the Union response may slow his rapidly rising stock, but will likely have little lingering impact on his 2016 prospects, Republican operatives said Wednesday.

“The water moment did not bother me,” said Republican strategist Bruce Haynes, of Purple Strategies. “I thought it made him human. Washington types will snort and buzz about it but it probably made the average voter smile. And for Republicans, making voters smile is a welcome change of pace.”


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Alex Castellanos, another Republican operative at Purple, said, “I think it was great first step for Marco Rubio and a great first step for the Republican party. I think he passed a very tough test… it’s like following Secretariat on the race track.”

Still, a number of operatives questioned the wisdom of Rubio giving the response in the first place, suggesting that while he showcased his political strengths, he also highlighted a weakness — that he is still young and relatively new to the national stage.

“Whatever they wanted out of it, I’m not sure they got,” said one Republican operative. He was among many who were privately calling the SOTU response the most over-hyped, and least rewarding, opportunity Republicans have (“It’s a hostage-tape,” said one).

( PHOTOS: Scenes from Obama State of the Union 2013)

“It’s kind of like the bad Clinton speech,” the operative said, referring to Bill Clinton’s Democratic National Convention bomb in 1988. “Do I think it’s lasting damage? No. Do I think it slowed down the Rubio hype a bit? Yes.”

To look at Twitter, Rubio’s parched performance and water-seeking squat were the biggest takeaways from a speech that focused otherwise on an aspirational, I’m-one-of-you message. GIFs popped up within minutes, showing Rubio taking a quick swig from a Poland Spring bottle, and allowing a seconds-long pause in his speech.

( PHOTOS: Marco Rubio’s career)

Among Democrats, comparisons quickly cropped up to another famous SOTU response during the Obama era, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s 2009 speech that prompted widespread mockery. (Jindal, on NBC News right after Rubio spoke, praised his potential 2016 rival’s performance.)

Rubio made the most of it on the morning shows. The Florida Senator brandished a water bottle and made light of his awkward moment, which his team hoped would counter the “weird” factor (a term that appeared mid-morning next to Rubio’s name on Yahoo).

Among Republicans, those who thought it was problematic mostly held their tongues. But there were plenty who defended him publicly – and cut him slack.

“Response to the State of the Union is always one of the most difficult speaking engagements an elected official faces, with the klieg lights hammering down and no ability to get a water break or a breath because there is no audience reaction to allow for a break in the action,” said conservative strategist Greg Mueller.

“While the reach for water might be fodder for some late night comedians to have some fun with as they do all key politicians, bottom line is the heart-warming delivery of the speech wins out,” Mueller added. “I think Rubio’s speech served its purpose in introducing him as a GOP visionary with a bright future who demonstrated, even with the water grab, he can connect with middle America. That is key for the GOP right now.”

To be sure, few Republicans suggested it was a well-polished moment. But operatives disagreed – many of them privately, for fear of offending Rubio’s team – about how it played.

In Jindal’s case, he was a barely-known political player at the time of his performance, a contrast to Rubio, who is already a well-known political commodity who’s ahead in most early (and meaningless) polls related to the next presidential race.

“I still love Marco for the party but last night was not good for him … especially with him also currently being on the cover of Time as the Republican savior,” said one operative who asked not to be identified. “Jindal had to take the risk on his response speech when he did because nobody knew him … everyone knows Marco so what’s to gain with so much at risk?”

Among the missing elements from a speech that focused a lot on biography and common purpose was an economic standpoint, Castellanos said.

“Did he lay out why the Republican approach to growing the economy is better than the Democratic approach? Not yet,” Castellano said. “And so, you know, is there more to do? Yes. But he’s gotten the process started.”

The Republican operative said the water sip amounts little more than a media-driven distraction. The bigger takeaway is “a new generation of Republican that walked out on the stage last night.”

Not everyone agreed.

“Rubio’s national introduction is now a punch line,” declared one veteran operative, adding that the issue had left the Twitterverse and entered real coverage, leaving the potential for real harm.

“For the Republican Party, it might be a net positive that a new face appeared on the stage. But for Rubio, a real setback.”

Scott Reed, Bob Dole’s campaign manager from 1996, called the discussion “silly” and said he thought Rubio did “very well.”

Castellanos said the frame for viewing his performance is not against Jindal or the president, but against “the next round of Democrats” running in 2014 and 2016.

“I think when you start making that comparison, Marco did pretty damn good,” he said.

“And next time Marco Rubio will know that lights get hot in a little office late at night,” Castellanos said. “It happens.”