Rubio’s boots were allegedly “high-heeled,” but you could say that about any pair of cowboy boots that Ted Cruz, Rick Perry—or any number of other pols—frequently sport. Were they just too stylish? Maybe if the boots were brown and he were wearing jeans it wouldn’t have evoked this response?

Even if his choice of cosmopolitan (read effete) footwear is what opened the door to mockery, the allegation now seems to be that he his “heightening“—which, anyone who has seen Seinfeld knows—is an unpardonable sin.

I don’t know if Rubio (who is probably about average height for any business outside of presidential politics) was trying to look taller or if he just likes the boots. But here’s the thing, attempting to look taller might be an obvious move for any man—no matter how vertically challenged. That’s because tall men make more money, women are more attracted to tall men, and taller men also tend to win elections.