CNN Commentators Echo A Marco Rubio Fundraising Email To Defend His Debate Performance And Claim He's “Being Attacked” By Media

Written by Media Matters Staff

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CNN's S.E. Cupp and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt parroted language from Marco Rubio's campaign to defend his debate performance, which garnered criticism. Hewitt claimed that Rubio is “being attacked by mainstream media,” and Cupp echoed Hewitt, saying “the attention” is good for Rubio “going into New Hampshire and South Carolina.” NBC's Alexandra Jaffe tweeted an image of an email from Marco Rubio's campaign, which read “the media pounced” on him because they “know our campaign is building momentum.” From the February 8 edition of CNN Newsroom:

HUGH HEWITT: I think Marco Rubio is actually along with Ted Cruz, benefiting from media overkill, because there's nothing that conservatives rally to so much as a conservative being attacked by mainstream media. And I'd be interested to know if you and S.E. [Cupp] agree with me, that the pile-on on Cruz vis a vis Carson and Rubio vis a vis his repetition of his general election campaign themes isn't helping both of them?

CHRIS CUOMO (HOST): S.E., what's your take?

S.E. CUPP: Yeah, you know, look, what Marco Rubio is doing is very strategic. For one, he wants to be the candidate who can win and the numbers show that most Republicans coming out of Iowa who said winning was the most important priority for their candidate think that Marco Rubio is that guy. So he talks about President Obama because he talks as in a general election candidate. So he knows he's not actually running against Ted Cruz and Chris Christie and Jeb Bush and Donald Trump. He's running against four years of failed policy. So that's why he hammers that message over and over and over again. He also anticipates that Chris Christie, who also repeats himself on the campaign trail, was going to say just like Barack Obama, Marco Rubio, a one-term senator, comes in without the right experience. Anticipating that, he pivots that to say we thought Barack Obama was inexperienced. He knows exactly what he's doing. So all of this was planned. I don't think this was a mistake that Marco Rubio had that debate stage. And the fact that no one emerged a winner from the night means that he wasn't a loser, I don't think. I think he was exactly right that the attention on Marco now is good for him going into New Hampshire and South Carolina.