Marco Rubio's Unintentional 'Blue Wave' Tweet Is Getting Mocked

On Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio posted a political metaphor that missed the mark and critics are [...]

By Michael Hein

On Tuesday, Sen. Marco Rubio posted a political metaphor that missed the mark and critics are still poking fun at him for it. In a tweet about Republican voter turn-out, Rubio used a GIF of an ocean wave cresting over the camera. However, to most viewers, this seemed at first glance to indicate an overwhelming Democrat victory.

"In 2016 Republicans ended with a 0.6% turnout advantage in #Florida," Rubio tweeted alongside the GIF. "Just wait until you see what it is this time." The image showed startling clear blue ocean water, which reminded viewers of the widely used metaphor of a "blue wave" to indicate increased Democrat turnout in the 2020 presidential election. Rubio may have meant it as a "red wave" or a "red tide" — a metaphor that many critics found unsavory — but either way that did not come across in his post.

According to the latest update from CBS News, President Donald Trump is the projected winner in the state of Florida, with 96 percent of the state's votes now accounted for. Trump has 51.2 percent of those votes, while former Vice President Joe Biden has 47.8 percent. However, there are widespread concerns about the voting process in Florida, which The Washington Post reports were the victim of "modern voter suppression."

Regardless, Twitter looked away from the polls and the developing results on Tuesday to poke fun at Rubio and his mixed metaphors. Here is a look at the responses he got.

'...A Blue Wave?'

Since Rubio's tweet ended without a punchline, many respondents tried their best to fill in the blank. Writer Dana Schwartz even added her own GIF, referencing Rubio's fraught history with water in general.

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Accidentally Left-Wing

Rubio's tweet caught the attention of the account "accidentally left-wing," which documents cases of right-leaning politicians and pundits seeming to advocate for their political opponents.

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Respect

Comedian Sarah Cooper called Rubio "an idiot" for his tweet on Tuesday, and many followers backed her up. Cooper has gained widespread acclaim for her TikTok impressions of Trump over the last year.

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Colors

Some answered Rubio with condescendingly patient explanations of colors, and how they represent the two major political parties in the U.S. They suggested that Rubio could have found a more apt visual metaphor if he wanted to.

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Corrections

Some users even responded with corrections, providing images, GIFs and videos of "red waves" to use instead. In most cases, these got nauseated comments of their own, as the image was unsettling to people. Critics included images like the infamous blood elevator from The Shining.

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Switch Parties

Some users guessed that this was Rubio's way of saying he wanted to switch parties, and they joked that he is not welcome on the other side.

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Results

When the projections for Florida were called on Wednesday morning, Rubio quote-tweeted his "blue wave" post as if to prove a point. Many commenters thought this was the wrong move, especially considering that Biden is still leading overall, though not in Florida.

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