OPINION:
The New York Times, which targeted its most feared Republican candidate last year when it tarred New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for a scandal he had nothing to do with, is now going after the new top opponent of the Grey Lady’s favorite candidate, Hillary Clinton.
In an expansive piece, nearly 800 words, the once-lofty paper details Marco’s and Jeanette’s traffic history, dating back to 1997. In 18 years, the pair has gotten 17 tickets “for incidents that included speeding, driving through red lights and careless driving.”
But hold onto your hats, people: The GOP candidate got four. His wife got the other 13. Explosive!
Working their incredible sources (strike that, two reporters just did “a search of the Miami-Dade and Duval County court dockets”), the paper detailed each of the infractions, and even linked to them so discerning politicos could see for themselves.
“Mr. Rubio’s troubles behind the wheel predate his days in politics. In 1997, when he was cited for careless driving by a Florida Highway Patrol officer, he was fined and took voluntary driving classes. A dozen years later, in 2009, he was ticketed for speeding on a highway in Duval County and found himself back in driver improvement school,” reporters Alan Rappeport and Steve Eder wrote.
It gets even worse! One time, his lawyer, Alex Hanna, “paid a $16 fee” to delay the suspension of Rubio’s license for acharge that was “eventually… dismissed.” Shocking!
“That was not the last time Mr. Rubio was ticketed. In 2012 he was caught failing to obey a stop sign, but the infraction was dismissed,” the intrepid reporters found. A smoking gun!
Then the paper moved on to Mrs. Rubio. In a revelation sure to shake the candidate’s run, “she was stopped for driving 23 mph in a school zone where the speed limit was 15 mph.” Surely that invalidates Rubio’s run for the White House, right?
And one time, she didn’t have proof of insurance. The affrontery! In all, nine of the tickets were dismissed.
The ridiculous piece drew scorn and mockery on Twitter.
Rubio and traffic tickets…Hillary and pay for play, destroyed emails, undisclosed donations…Yeah, try again
— DidSheSayThat (@SonnieJohnson) June 5, 2015
DEMOCRATS TERRIFIED OF GOP HISPANIC? @nyt reports @senmarcorubio 4 minor traffic violations in 18 yrs. https://t.co/GZdm4gav0L #gospeedracer
— Roger Simon (@rogerlsimon) June 5, 2015
“Let’s knock Rubio down a peg. Does he have traffic tickets?” “Just 4 in 18 years.” “Damn. How about his wife?” “13, but…” “Write it!”
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) June 5, 2015
I wonder how many tickets Teddy Kennedy got.
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) June 5, 2015
But remember this: Hillary has no record of getting a traffic ticket in years.
Then again, she hasn’t driven since 1996, hasn’t even made her own cup of morning coffee since she started sucking on the public teat in 1983.
What will the Times come up with next?
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