Asked tonight about his missed Senate votes while campaigning for president, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) used the question to attack the Sun Sentinel newspaper, which called on him to resign, for evincing no qualms about Democratic senators doing the same thing. Here’s that exchange:
QUINTANILLA: When some say Rubio should resign, when they Floridians sent you to Washington to do a job, when they say say you act like you hate your job, do you?
RUBIO: I read the Sun Sentinel editorial today with great amusement, it’s actually evidence of the bias that exists in the American media –”
QUINTANILLA: But do you hate your job?
RUBIO: Back in 2004, one of my predecessors to the Senate, by the name of Bob Graham, a Democrat, ran for president missing over 30 percent of his votes. I don’t recall them calling for his resignation. Later that year, in 2004, John Kerry ran for president, missed 60 to 70 percent of his votes. I don’t recall the Sun Sentinel, in fact the Sun Sentinel endorsed him. In 2008, Barack Obama missed 60 or 70 percent of his votes and the same newspaper endorsed him again. So this is another example of the double standard that exists in this country between the mainstream media and conservative movement.