Jon Stewart says Marco Rubio was chosen to give Republicans' response to the State of the Union address because "he's a young dynamic legislator with bold ideas and a rhetorical flair — and also because he's Hispanic."
Stewart accused Republicans of pandering to Hispanics because they turned out so strongly for President Obama in the last election.
Also read: Marco Rubio's Uncool Drink of Water (Video)
"Oh, I'm sorry — is that cynical? You don't think the Republican Party would pander to Hispanics that way?" he said on Wednesday's "Daily Show."
He then played two clips of Arizona Sen. John McCain, responding to Obama's call for immigration reform in his 2013 and 2012 State of the Union speeches. This year, McCain stood to applaud. In 2012, he remained seated and almost motionless.
McCain was a longtime supporter of immigration reform, but took a hardline stance against illegal immigration in 2010, as he tried to ward off a challenger within his party's primary. He memorably ran an ad calling on the federal government to "complete the danged fence" along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexican border.
Stewart also weighed in on what he called Rubio's "hydration disaster": The Florida Senator repeatedly wiped his face during his speech, and his abrupt, awkward reach for a glass of water became an instant Internet meme.
But the "Daily Show" host also offered a more substantive criticism, saying Republicans are taking on a "fictional image of Obama that they've created" rather than his actual proposals.
Watch the video: