My Friends,
Much has been written in the media about my recent comments on the Zika Virus and I believe I owe it to the people of Florida, and all of my fellow U.S. citizens, to set the record straight.
Do I stand by my comment made a few months ago that the Zika Virus is very dangerous and that we should take all necessary precautions against it?
Yes I do.
Do I stand by my comments when I described the Zika Virus as "a harmful potential epidemic that will negatively impact all Americans if nothing is done?"
Yes I do.
Now, having cleared all that up, let me say the following:
I support and endorse the Zika Virus and believe it is the right virus for the people of Florida.
Some in the mainstream media will call this a flip-flop, or an act of political cowardice, but let's dispense with that fiction right now. The reality of the situation is that the Zika Virus is the virus that the mosquitos of Florida have chosen and it is my responsibility to respect and abide by their choice.
My past comments have not changed, but seeing the spread of the Zika Virus by mosquitos in South Florida has taught me that sometimes it is necessary for a politician to embrace a dangerous force in order to save himself. I believe that is what the people of Florida wanted when they elected me as their senator-- a strong, principled leader who will bend like a blade of grass in the Everglades to any prevailing political wind.
And let's dispense with some more fiction: this idea that Zika-infected mosquitos have made promises that I will be spared from this or any future Zika outbreaks. How would this even work? It's not like some professor at the University of Miami has discovered that the Zika virus increases mosquito brain activity and developed a method for communicating with them. That's just a bunch of fiction. Science-fiction, really. And we shall dispense with it.
The bottom line is that there are worse viruses out there: malaria, yellow fever, dengue, and our old friend West Nile virus. You should be more worried about these viruses, even though the Zika Virus is the more imminent threat -- an imminent threat I was vehemently opposed to just a few months ago.
This may all still sound confusing to you, but I assure you that is just because the mainstream media continues to twist the truth or outright lie to the American people, and not because I am engaged in some shameless rhetorical gymnastics in order to save my own hide.
It is pretty simple: I am going to support and endorse the Zika Virus today and for the rest of my life... up until the second it becomes personally advantageous for me to go back to opposing it.
Because that is what's best for the people of Florida, and for the people of this great nation.
Thank you!
- Marco Rubio
And let's dispense with this fiction that God doesn't bless America. He does, alright? - MR
