I had the same thought as Steve Bennen when he penned A generation later, Rubio flubs ‘Morning in America’:
Maybe the whole “morning” metaphor was a little too subtle for Marco Rubio. He’s not pitching Reagan’s message; he’s offering the literal opposite.
The point of “Morning in America” was that things had turned a corner and were getting better under the current President at the time (Reagan). The Gipper had vanquished darkness and we were headed into a glorious new American day. Things would only get better. Is that really the impression Rubio wants to make on current voters? That Barack Obama healed our wounds and improved our standing? (I happen to agree but it’s odd for Rubio to make that case.)
The ad itself is appropriately apocalyptic and more in keeping with the current GOP memes. I wonder if the Rubio campaign commissioned a more upbeat ad, then realized that Rubio as optimist wasn’t getting any traction, and thus called up the ad company and said “Make it completely different”, but all the contracts had been printed or something.
Or maybe they just got the name wrong. Maybe it’s a typo. Maybe the title was supposed to be, “Morning After in America”. Or “Morning … of DOOMSDAY in America!”
Odd and sloppy, no matter what. Well, at least the cognitive dissonance is getting them some free airplay, I suppose.