Milbank: Continuing to play it safe may put Rubio’s bid in danger

Rival Chris Christie mocked Rubio on Tuesday as “the boy in the bubble” managed by his “handlers.” This criticism apparently smoked Rubio out, because he took a few questions from reporters before his event in Laconia, N.H., on Wednesday afternoon.

The first questioner noted that Rubio had poked other candidates, “but not Mr. Trump. Why?”

“Donald hasn’t really outlined any position on policies,” Rubio said. “So when the time comes and it’s appropriate, we’ll do so.”

“Why do you deliver the same speech wherever you go?” the second questioner asked.

“‘Cause it’s my message,” he said. “It’s the reason I’m running for president.”

Rubio’s determination not to be taken off of this bland message, or to engage Trump, may give the impression that he is above the fray. But it also can make him look weak and callow.

While other candidates, particularly Jeb Bush, have denounced Trump’s outrages, Rubio and allied groups have spent upward of $30 million on ads so far — some of them targeting Bush, Christie and Ted Cruz, but none targeting Trump. In debates, he has frequently deflected questions about the mogul.

After the December debate, in which Rubio declined a chance to take on Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the country, Fox News asked Rubio why he hadn’t gone after Trump. Rubio said he wasn’t “going to spend a valuable 75 seconds on a debate stage talking about something that’s never going to happen.”

On other occasions, Rubio declined to talk about Trump’s mosque-closing ideas (“well, I think we need to target radicalism”) and Trump’s plan for mass deportation of illegal immigrants (both sides “have points to make here that are valid”).

The boy in the bubble

It’s not as if Trump returns the politeness. Ann Coulter, warming up a Trump crowd Tuesday night, called Rubio a “Cuban boy” who “wears high heels” and has “big ears.” (Ever-cautious Rubio, ridiculed last month for wearing “booties” with thick heels, quickly retired the offending footwear.)

Rubio’s strong Iowa finish has brought new attention — and overcapacity crowds — in New Hampshire. But the would-be supporters are greeted by a robot.

The closest Rubio gets to Trump in his stump speech is observing, as he did in Bow, that “you have a right to be angry, but anger is not a plan. What exactly do you want to do?” Or, as he put it in Laconia: “Anger is not a plan. Frustration is not a plan. You have a right to be frustrated. You have a right to be angry. . . . But what exactly are you going to do about it?”

Voters’ questions, rather than spurring spontaneity, inspire more caution.

The logic behind Rubio’s candidacy, recited in his speeches, is that: “I give us the best chance to win, and if you don’t believe me, ask a Democrat. They do not want to run against me.”

If he keeps playing the boy in the bubble, they may reconsider.