Obviously in crafting his Republican response, Senator Marco Rubio was keenly aware of his party’s dwindling oxygen. Rubio struggled to re-cast himself and his fellow conservatives as the defenders of working people and immigrants. But while Rubio repeatedly suggested Republicans agree with President Obama’s assessment of the problems we face as a nation, he repeatedly made clear Republicans remain opposed to any reasonable solutions. Meanwhile polls continue to show that the majority of Americans still believe the Republican Party is too invested in protecting the interests of the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us. One speech can’t change that. Even in Spanish.

The Republican Party should be less worried about its image and more worried about its substance. No party that dismantles the American Jobs Act, blocks the Violence Against Women Act and defeats the DREAM Act can expect to win the hearts and minds of mainstream America, let alone a governing majority.

For crying out loud, Republicans in the chamber couldn’t even manage to stand up and applaud for protecting voting rights and helping kids go to pre-school. Instead of continuing to oppose everything Democrats stand for, Republicans should explain to the American people why the only thing Republicans seem to consistently stand for --- more tax cuts for the rich --- didn’t create jobs and ward off our financial crisis when those cuts were in place.