Marco Rubio’s campaign released a new television ad this afternoon hitting President Obama on two issues — guns and the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — that have dominated the news this week.
The 30-second spot, which a Rubio aide says will air in the early states as part of an “existing big buy,” features him speaking direct-to-camera about the threats facing America:
Barack Obama released terrorists from Guantanamo, and now they are plotting to attack us. Instead of fighting to fund our troops, he fights to fund Planned Parenthood. He spies on Israel, and cut a deal with Iran. His plan after the attack in San Bernardino: take away our guns. While ISIS is beheading people, burning them in cages, he says climate change is our greatest threat. I’m Marco Rubio. I approve this message because America needs a real commander-in-chief and a president that will keep us safe.
The ad offers a buffet of red meat for the Republican base — troop funding, Planned Parenthood, Israel, Iranian nuclear deal, climate change — but the two most topical subjects are guns and Guantanamo Bay.
Two of Obama’s longstanding goals — tougher gun restrictions, and shutting down the military prison also known as Gitmo – continue to face fierce opposition from Republican voters and legislators. And both are ripe issues for Rubio (and other Republicans) to exploit in light of recent news events: Obama on Tuesday announced executive orders to curb gun violence, and the Pentagon on Saturday confirmed that 17 detainees are being transferred this week from Gitmo.
While Rubio’s ads attack Obama (and, by extension, Hillary Clinton), the pro-Rubio Conservative Solutions PAC has begun airing contrast ads against his GOP rivals.
