Since even before the nationwide protests against racist police brutality following the murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, Republicans have leapt to characterize protests as riots and Democrats as radicals.
Much of the party's 2020 election cycle was spent slamming even moderate Democrats like now-President Joe Biden as socialists who wanted to abolish the police.
A champion of that rhetoric has been Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who claimed "every socialist is a Democrat." He's up for reelection in 2022, and is once again claiming any Democrat running against him is a "far left extremist."
Challenging Rubio is Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings, who announced her run for Senator earlier this week. Demings became a household name when she served as a House Manager in Trump's first Senate impeachment trial.
In a bizarre tweet, Rubio posted a two minute video lambasting the Congresswoman as a "do-nothing House member" and a radical Democrat.
No matter who wins the democratic Senate primary in #Florida my opponent will be a far left extremist\n\n#Sayfie #flpolpic.twitter.com/quy0pMUHS6— Marco Rubio (@Marco Rubio) 1623240099
In the video, Rubio deployed the Republican talking point that Demings was hell-bent on defunding the police:
"While Congresswoman Demings was on TV calling plans to defund the police 'thoughtful' and describing a violent riot as a 'beautiful sight,' I was passing the VA Accountability Act to help our veterans."
Apparently Rubio forgot that Demings herself served as a police officer for more than two decades, and even became the chief of the Orlando Police Department.
Demings, however, reminded him with a single picture.
https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1402596752444768256\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/06iEZMpmfS— Val Demings (@Val Demings) 1623245151
Twitter users hailed the clapback.
i only approve of trolling that is top notch like thishttps://twitter.com/valdemings/status/1402617940411879434\u00a0\u2026— ehmkcee (@ehmkcee) 1623262057
This response blessed me. This is going to be a GREAT campaign!https://twitter.com/valdemings/status/1402617940411879434\u00a0\u2026— Michele Rayner-Goolsby (She/They) (@Michele Rayner-Goolsby (She/They)) 1623295798
#FLSen is gonna be this cyclehttps://twitter.com/valdemings/status/1402617940411879434\u00a0\u2026— Andrew Feinberg (@Andrew Feinberg) 1623273509
INJECT THIS INTO MY VEINShttps://twitter.com/valdemings/status/1402617940411879434\u00a0\u2026— Lara (she/her) (@Lara (she/her)) 1623328958
Go Val goooooo! https://twitter.com/valdemings/status/1402617940411879434\u00a0\u2026— amy \u2744\ufe0f\u264f\ufe0f\ud83c\udfb6\ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffd\ud83e\udda6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 (@amy \u2744\ufe0f\u264f\ufe0f\ud83c\udfb6\ud83d\udc83\ud83c\udffd\ud83e\udda6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6) 1623248445
I am screamingggg https://twitter.com/valdemings/status/1402617940411879434\u00a0\u2026— Black Women Matter (@Black Women Matter) 1623337296
They were less kind to Rubio.
\u201c...one bipartisan group named me the most effective Republican in the entire Senate.\u201d \n\nWow, congratulations on setting the lowest bar possible.https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1402596752444768256\u00a0\u2026— Valerie Ernat (@Valerie Ernat) 1623288699
This man is a liar.\nHe has the worst voting record in the Senatehttps://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1402596752444768256\u00a0\u2026— Old School Tom-Never give up-Antifa hates Fascist (@Old School Tom-Never give up-Antifa hates Fascist) 1623359900
Lol! It\u2019s over folks. The Val Demings Senate run announcement has done more to trigger lil Marco Rubio than \u201cTiny Hands\u201d ever could. Rubies made a video the same day! \n#ValTriggeredMarcohttps://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1402596752444768256\u00a0\u2026— Gerald Hampton (@Gerald Hampton) 1623303669
The election will be held November 8 of next year.
