Only in Florida. Hypocritical, Hateful Tea Party Candidate Has a "Unique" Lifestyle...

Crossposted on DKos
#CVII of My Stupid State

My state is weird.

A 35-year old rightwing conservative, Jacob A. Rush, is running for Congress in FL-3. He is your typical tea party guy... family values, hates gays, a "practicing" Christian, preaches his love of the Constitution, and says he's a "straight shooter".

In announcing his candidacy, he wrote:

"Voters in North Central Florida are tired of being disappointed and embarrassed by their congressman.”

Amen.

So anyhoo....here's a forcible sodomy/cocaine fantasy he wrote as a Vampire and Founding Member of the Kindred of Gainesville:

At first I thought you were just stupid and I wanted to stick my dick in your mouth to shut you up while I snorted a line off my new machete that was blessed by Rui (sic) but then I remembered that you were typing so my dick would really have to be in your hands to keep you from typing but since you are walking in Omaha that’s not really realistic right now.

I’m sorry, I tried.

Rae tells me that you are a Maiden, and it’s your job to be kind of stupid and that I’m not supposed to have intercourse with Maidens.

You shouldn’t believe everything that people tell you or you’re going to end up naked and sore, tied to the floor of a van marked “Free Candy.”

And stop letting people torpor (sic) you.

I guess I should back up.

Jacob Rush, until late last year, was a member of Mind's Eye and a founding member of the Kindred of Gainesville, which:

takes on the personas of vampires and other supernatural beings (known as Kindred), dealing with night-to-night struggles “against their own bestial natures, hunters, and each other"

Members seem to take this group with varying degrees of seriousness. Some seem to be really into the occult, others seem to be just role-playing (which is what Jacob said its really all about since it was just discovered).

If that is the case, he was sure in a frenzy to delete photos from his account on the groups wiki page. He apparently didn't get to all of them in time. The St. Petersblog posted them, which included:

• Burning books
• Aiming shotguns at dogs
• Dressed as a vampire
• Dressed as a demon
• Satanic symbolism
• Being chained and gagged
• Bloody angel wings

One photo uploaded in 2009 and taken down recently was titled "Put on my Rape Face".

Here's the thing. Except for that last one, which is downright wrong, I'm not going to knock him for his nocturnal activities. Its America. People are free to engage in any stupid, bizarre crap they want. You think satanic symbolism is "cool"? Fine. Your lifestyle. Your freedom. I'm not your mom. (Although I'm sure I share her disappointment in your choices.)

And in this state, we elect criminals to high office-- people who literally steal from sick people and proactively pursue policies and laws that kill their citizenry. So dressing up like a devil-worshipper is insignificant to me considering our elected leaders actually worship the devil. Once you get elected, (and who are we kidding, this is Florida), I 'd like the opportunity to throw the picture of you in your black robes/black contacts in the face of one of my condescending "Christian" critics who is dumb enough to think he is doing God's work. (Voting for kids to starve and die from lack of healthcare? Why not just elect a satan worshipper? Oh right....ya did..)

In other words, go nuts Jacob.

But if you are running for Congress on a platform for denying civil rights to fellow Americans because of their supposed "immoral" lifestyle... you better be damn well-prepared to be called on your BS.

You got that, Jacob? (Sorry, the Forsaken "Archbishop Kettering"?)

UPDATE: Some are accusing me of hating on LARPing (live action role play). Most LARPing doesn't use occult themes, but whatever. Even if that's all this is, that's not my issue with the guy. As I replied, he decided to run a hypocritical campaign that says he should be in a position to make moral judgments on people's lives (i.e., deny women's access to birth control, deny people's access to health care, marriage equality, etc.) because he claims the religious and moral high ground. If you do that knowing you wrote about cocaine and rape fantasies, posted "putting on my rape face", and dressed up like an occult member, you're damn right I'm going to throw that back in your face.

Dark Lord Jacob is running to the right of birther Ted Yoho, who claimed that defaulting on our debt brings stability to world markets. Yoho is the current incumbent. The district is gerrymandered R+12, but he is a complete idiot on the Gohmert scale. The Florida Dems need to put up a candidate for every damn seat and make a real effort to not give the GOP any easy victory. Marihelen Wheeler ran a scrappy campaign last time and I hope she tries again. Our biggest enemy here, as always, is apathy.

A Week on Rick Scott's Facebook Page

As part of my continuing effort to improve my non-partisan list of reasons to dis-elect Rick Scott, I spent some time this past week engaging the crowd on his Facebook page. It's about what you'd expect. 85% of the comments there are mindless slogans devoid of content; 14% are mindless slogans intermingled with one or more of the standard 10 or so Scott falsehoods about job creation, state spending, and auto tax fees; the remaining 1% comes from supporters of opponents of Scott, some of whom (like me) are trying to bring some truth to the fore.

I asked Scott supporters to defend themselves a few times. Mostly I was ignored. Once or twice I got an answer of some sort, but it didn't amount to much. The most "content" I got was from one named MaryBeth, who described Scott as a "really good guy". Our exchange tells the story.

Indie:  A really good guy who cuts funds for rape crisis centers and disabled children -- from a balanced budget? A really good guy who wanted to disband the Florida Highway Patrol and put the costs on the counties? A really good guy who has had over a dozen staffers resign in disgrace? Beg pardon...maybe you should be around his RECORD more?

MB:  Obviously a lefty liberal.... the guy was looking to cut the budget where he saw wasteful spending... highway patrols actually could be overseen by the counties actually... as could many other departmental spending agencies like education, Trust me... obviously you are one that believes the idiocracies of the waste, taxing, and spending of the 
Democrats... so go take your little liberal self and vote for Crist as you would... SMH...

Indie:  Nope, not a liberal but an independent. And he didn't cut anything "wasteful" unless you think disabled children and rape victims are waste. Do you? As for counties overseeing FHP duties, sorry, no -- that would have compromised their quality of service while passing the costs on through local property taxes, so you would not have saved a dime, and might have even paid more.http://forums.leoaffairs.com/viewtopic.php?f=48&p=809221 Don't get so admiring of your man that you don't think through his decisions carefully. And I notice you skipped what I said about 1 million jobs by 2017 and disgraced staffers. Reality can be harsh, can't it?  While you shake your head, you can also explain why this "really nice guy" lied about things like Deutsche Bank not getting incentives to come to FL. http://www.politifact.com/.../gov-rick-scott-sidesteps.../ Or about Bill McCollum's pro-life credentials. http://www.politifact.com/.../bill-mccollum-and-his.../ Or about the cause of the recession in FL. http://www.politifact.com/.../rick-scott-blames-legacy.../ This inquiring lib...er, independent...would like to know, please.

Then there were a couple of questions I really wanted answered, but no one bit:

1) "Scott supporters, I have a question. Scott blames Crist because he "oversaw" the recession in Florida. So why shouldn't Scott be in jail because he "oversaw" the largest Medicare fraud in history up to that time?"

2) And, re the auto fee decrease: "Again, funny how this only came up in an ELECTION YEAR. Doesn't anyone bother to ask why we didn't have one of these in 2013, 2012, and 2011? Especially since it is 'OUR MONEY'? "

This second one is a good one to keep in mind, since word is Scott will be using this one as a main campaign talking point. His point requires us to understand that Crist raised those fees, even though he didn't have to. So if Crist didn't have to raise them for revenue, then there's also no reason Scott had to keep those fees up for the next three years. He just shot himself in the foot with a howitzer by using that one as a talking point.

So did I accomplish anything? Well, I found out (confirmed!) that there's not going to be any effort or ability of Scott supporters to defend his record. I also may have swayed a few lurkers, which is about the best that can be expected. I also found out that Scott supporters are so irritated by Common Core that they're planning to vote against Scott because of it. 

So, I may stick around there, since it won't be too hard on me. Scott keeps repeating the same lies over and over again, and there's never an answer from him when he's called down for it, although he (or his rep) DO answer when someone asks, "How can I volunteer for your campaign?" It's not just the news media he dodges questions from. 

100s of Patients Physically & Sexually Abused. Facility Owner? Hosting Rick Scott's Fundraiser

The company you keep:

The fundraiser in question is Mel Sembler, who founded Straight Inc. in 1976. Over 17 years the Straight Inc. drug treatment facilities were repeatedly accused of abuse. As Mother Jones notes, there was at least one Straight Inc. staffer accused of kidnapping adult patients and abusing them in mental, physical, and sexual ways. There were two state investigations that backed up that charge.

Mother Jones reported in 2006 that "hundreds" of patients said they had been abused at Straight Inc. facilities. Samantha Monroe said she had been raped and starved and locked in a closet.

Monroe also said that after she escaped from the program Straight Inc. staff put her in a "timeout room" and "hog-tied her," according to Mother Jones.

The story of his treatment facility is the story of MASSIVE abuse:

It is about depriving American kids of food and sleep; of beating them and painfully restraining them without cause. It's about making kids discuss their deepest, darkest sexual fantasies and activities in front of other kids; about making kids soil their pants; about watching kids while they defecate to make sure Straight hasn't made them so depressed they will commit suicide. It is about spitting in a child's face. Straight is about cajoling or scaring a kid into admitting to drug use or sexual activity he hasn't actually engaged in to frighten parents into paying; it is about showing parents pictures of dead kids in morgues to scare parents further into submission. It is about paying politicians to say nice things about Straight.

The house of horrors FINALLY shut down after the state investigations. Mel, being the bastard he is, never renounced the abuse. He's downright proud of it:

Sembler hasn’t renounced his sordid legacy with the STRAIGHT clinics. An online biography of Mel Sember posted by his nonprofit proudly touts his role in founding the scandal-plagued rehab centers. The biography cheerfully claims, that during “its 17 years of existence, STRAIGHT successfully graduated more than 12,000 young people nationwide from its remarkable program.” There is no mention of the child abuse scandals that led to its downfall.

Rick Scott doesn't care. The man stole from sick people for crying out loud. All he cares about is who helps him. And Mel has helped Rick Scott. He is raising funds for him and has already donated thousands to his campaign.

Don't worry about Mel, he is doing just fine. Although STRAIGHT shut down because of the abuse scandals, Mel just changed its name to "Drug Free America Foundation"-- where it is currently flourishing in St. Petersburg, Florida. This is mostly due to the GOP taking care of their own. We taxpayers gave this SOB and his horrible nonprofit a lot of money, including a quarter million to help promote "a drug-free work environment".

People like Mel and Rick should NEVER be allowed to "serve" the people.

The only thing they should serve is time.

News Flash: Scott's Voter Purge Deemed Illegal!

Notice I said "news flash" and not "surprise." Not even I can be that ironic. See the story here. 

I'll have a new post soon about my experiences on Rick Scott's Facebook page. It's been cause for more than a few howlers. 

Added: I should also note that my list is up to 200.  This illegal purge added one, and there was also a juicy quote from Politifact that was too good to pass up:

197) Rick Scott has touted what is only average job growth.

Kwame Donaldson, an economist at Moody’s who analyzes Florida, said that the creation of 540,000 private-sector jobs in the 38 months since December 2010 is not a particularly exceptional rate of job creation.

"The most private-sector jobs created during any 38-month interval is 753,100 (during the 38-month interval that ended in August 2006)," Donaldson said in an email to PolitiFact Florida. "The current record is even less remarkable considering Florida’s larger current population."

http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2014/apr/02/rick-scott/rick-scott-touts-private-sector-job-growth/

FOXNEWS: Florida Schoolgirl Ordered NOT TO PRAY! (except....)

#CX of My Stupid State

Todd Starnes of Fox New broke the story. A kindergartener in an Oviedo elementary school was ordered not to pray when she bowed her head at lunch.

“A teacher saw her and told her, ‘you’re not allowed to do that,’” he said.

Perez said his little girl replied, “But it’s good to pray.” The teacher alleged replied, “It’s not good.”

WOW! It appears there is an assault on Christianity in America afterall! Someone should really write a book about it... along with other stories of Christianity's frontline assault!

It's pretty damning. But just a few things that you might want to know about this Todd Starnes breaking story...

1. The school has no policy against private prayer. No school does. It would be illegal. Also, there never has been an issue with private prayer at this school or any other.

2. The school investigated. No one said they talked to the girl about praying and there were no witnesses. The girl, when she speaks, is a beautiful child and 5-year-olds can't lie.. but they can be coached. All I'll say is listen to the child's youtube.

3. The "reporter" who broke the story, Todd Starnes, has fabricated stories suggesting Obama might be gay and the Bible might be outlawed as "hate speech".

Oh, and did I mention he is also promoting a book entitled "Godless America: Real Stories from the Front Line of Attack on Traditional Values"?

4. The father of the girl? Marcos Perez. That might be somewhat relevant in that he is in charge of sales at the Christian book company, Charisma House, that publishes "Godless America". In other words, HE IS DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PROMOTING TODD STARNES' BOOK ON CHRISTIAN ASSAULT.

You know, the same guy who broke the story?

The initial report from Todd Starnes did not include the disclaimer (that has since been added) that the guy whose daughter this allegedly happened to has a direct interest in Todd Starnes. And why should it? Our local media ran with it without checking... along with other outlets now that this story has gone national. (Seriously, google it and you'll get a lot of stories.)

Quick note: If you have to resort to manipulating your child to do your job, get a new line of work. I feel for the poor kid.

I find it incredible that this incident, which has never happened to anyone else before, happened to the kid of the guy promoting Todd's book on Christian assault. But let's assume for a moment that through an extraordinary coincidence that is exactly what happened. The girl was told "its not good" to pray by some mystery rogue teacher, or cafeteria worker, or whomever. Here's the thing: That person DOES NOT represent the school! As a parent, I would tell the principle and expect the person to be schooled and even disciplined, and that would be that.

My first thought wouldn't be--LET'S MAKE A YOUTUBE VIDEO FEATURING MY KID. But that is what happened. (Notice the youtube description talks about an "assault" on "traditional values". Sound like a book you heard about? He also conveniently gives an link for "media inquiries">)

All of these dubious facts didn't stop the Liberty Institute from taking legal action against the school, nor the right-wing rage machine to kick in high gear.

Nor the sheeple followers to no doubt rush out to buy Todd's book.

NRA-owned Florida House approves bill to allow guns in schools

CVIX. of My Stupid State

Because that's what we need.

On the heels of the NRA pushing a bill (which just passed committee, by the way) that would allow Floridians to go gun crazy and suspend any permit regulation during an emergency, they decided more nuttery was in order.

They just passed a bill allowing guns in schools. The bill was strongly opposed by the Florida School Board Association and the Parent Teacher Association.

The bill (HB 753) approved Wednesday is sponsored by Greg Steube, a Republican from Sarasota.

Fox News Refuses to Acknowledge Ivy League Wunderkind is Black

Its been covered in every media outlet. A 17-year old high school senior has been accepted to every Ivy League school he applied--8 and counting. He scored in the 99th percentile on his SATs. He's wicked smart.

He is also a first generation African-American from Ghana.

Other outlets, such as HuffPo, or USAtoday, or abcnews or any number out there mentions his accomplishment but also says his family immigrated from Ghana, that he is African-American, and/or includes a picture of him.

Except Fox.

Their report took out any reference to where his family was from (except to say "Shirley, NY"). No reference to him being African-American, and the picture they used was of a Harvard building... even though all the other outlets found his profile, which is all over the internet.

They covered the story, I'm sure, to not be accused of failing to cover a very popular, positive story on a black kid, but at the same time, did what they could to hide the fact that he is black from their typical audience.

If you watch Faux news at all, you know they have a narrative about young, black African-Americans: They have a proclivity to violence and white people should fear them.

YOU CAN BET that if this kid had stabbed somebody, then they'd have no problem putting his mugshot on the front page with a scathing headline featuring his race. And then, as usual, bill o'reilly would be talking about the culture of what is wrong with THOSE people.

Who Runs the Florida National Guard? The NRA

108 of My Stupid State
Crossposted on DKos

There is a reason I chose the perverted Florida flag with a gun as the symbol of my blog. It represents the NRA's takeover of my state during the tea party occupation of 2010.

Since that time, Florida has essentially been run by the NRA. Marion Hammer, the head of Florida's NRA, is BY FAR the most powerful lobbyist in Tallahassee. Governor Rickster (like Jeb before him) pretty much does her bidding. The GOP legislature passes at least one ridiculous gun law a year, (and I DO MEAN RIDICULOUS as I've documented before).

This year, its Senate Bill 296.

This bill essentially allows people without a concealed weapons permit to forego that requirement during an emergency situation. I know I can't think of a better time to be prolific with weapons than during a statewide panic.

Now, the National Guard is supposed to respond during such an emergency, such as with a hurricane or a zombie apocalypse. But the Senate Bill allows people to grab guns, with no permit and no training, during the most stressful situations and take care of business themselves.

The attorney for Florida's National Guard, Terrence Gorman, testified that this probably isn't a good idea.

“They probably should not have a weapon shoved in the back of their pants,” he said. “You’re talking about thousands of people who need to be evacuated.”

What happened next highlights Hammer’s power in the state Capitol.

Long story short: Hammer met with Scott's chief of staff and top attorney. The next day, the Florida National Guard's top official NOT ONLY refuted his own lawyer's testimony but sent out a two sentence letter stating his support for it.

Scott even asked him to correct the official record, which the guy did.

The bill has stalled, but only temporarily. I'm sure it will become law by year's end. I only hope that by that time Florida will have a governor that isn't as awful as the one we have now.

In Florida, that's the best I can hope for.

Hey Fox, I can do this too!!

Fox News used one of their shady graphs to smear the ACA today.

I can do that too, based on figures for Rachel Maddow and Fox's Megyn Kelly:

GOP Starts Voter Suppression Assault

According to the NYT today, states controlled by Republicans are gearing up for an all out assault on voting. They are attempting to limit the time polls are open, cut or eliminate weekend voting, sharply reduce early voting days, eliminate same-day registration, exclude all kinds of IDs (like student and state-worker IDs), and now are trying to require proof of citizenship--which will pretty much require you bring your birth certificate or passport.

Florida already deleted Sunday before election day... although you can vote the day before or the day after. WHY SUNDAY? Because that's when black people vote. Churches organize "Souls to the polls" drives after Sunday services. This, they figure, will help the GOP.

They claim this is about voting fraud, but that is nonexistent for in-person voting, although there is some for absentee voting (which these laws don't touch. Rick Scott engaged in absentee voting fraud himself for his election).

If voting fraud was a real concern, there are ways to fight it that do not disenfranchise poor voters.

One method used by other countries is to have the government send a card to every registered voter a few weeks before the election saying where the polling place is. The voter is instructed to bring the card, which serves as proof that the voter is registered. In some places the cards contain high-tech anticounterfeiting technology, such as holograms. It is also possible to include on the card a digital photo of the voter, taken at the time the voter registered. To make this even more bulletproof, the card could contain a random number, different for each voter and each election and known to the poll workers, to make it harder to forge the cards. A scheme like this would make it virtually impossible for anyone to vote fraudulently and would not disadvantage people without government-issued ID. But, of course, the real purpose of the voter ID laws is precisely to make it harder for poor people, who disproportionately do not have drivers licenses or passports, to vote.

A recent study from Harvard and the University of Sydney confirms this. The U.S. ranked 26th in electoral integrity, a broad measure of flawed elections, including factors such as voter registration and campaign finance. An example of a flaw in the U.S. system that other countries don't have is the requirement in some states to present a voter ID card. The card is usually free but the birth certificate needed to get it is not free, so if you don't have a drivers license (expensive) or a passport (more expensive), you may have to effectively pay to vote. De facto, this is poll tax. For this and many other reasons, no Western country scored lower than the U.S. in the study.

Scott Supporters Don't Even Know Their Own Guy's Biography!

Here's a dose of hilarity. Over on Scott's Facebook page, I found one of his followers who said:

"Thank you Rick Scott for getting our state in top financial shape!!! Attorneys do not need to be in office anywhere! Let's put business owners and the working class in office! They at least know how to keep us out of debt!"

I replied:

 "Um, Rick Scott is an attorney. He has a law degree from Southern Methodist. So who do you plan to vote for now?"

They backpedaled by saying that their point was that they didn't want Crist and Morgan in office. But that's an obvious dodge for their mistake. Scott's supporters don't even know their own candidate's biography.  Is it any wonder they voted for him?

Fight the Kochs #myobamacarestory

Okay FL and Nat. Dems... the Kochs have spent literally millions and cannot find one legitimate person hurt by ACA. Maybe you should feature the literally millions helped?

I can't wait for the national party (and certainly not my state party) to act. So let's do this ourselves.

Video or narrative, share your story #myobamacarestory

PS. Originally, that hashtag was claimed by the right, but it only had like six posts. It would be deliciously awesome if this was used by even a tiny percentage of the millions ACA has helped.

Florida Legislature Not Over Civil War; Refuses Monument for American Union Soldiers

Crossposted on DKos

Nevermind the fact that the state park for the potential memorial already has THREE memorials for Confederate soldiers.

Nevermind the fact that this battle lost more than twice as many Union soldiers as Confederates.

Nevermind the fact that Confederates in this battle committed war crimes.

And nevermind the fact that these asshats in Tally always rail about government interference in local affairs.

When a group of residents tried to get a small memorial to honor fallen AMERICAN soldiers at Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park, Sons of the Confederacy member Rep. Dennis Baxley responded with a bill that just passed in committee on a 7-6 vote. The bill would strip park administrators the authority to place historical markers and give it to the right-wing Florida legislature!

As Michael Van Sickler pointed out in the Tampa Bay Times, the bill seems to "contradict" conservative principles by wedging in an extra layer of government to determine local affairs.

"I think it's a sad day," Lloyd Monroe, president of the Olustee Monument Commission for the Florida chapter of the Sons of Union Veterans, told the Ocala Star-Banner when the bill was filed. "It's unfortunate that [Baxley] wants the legislature to micromanage an executive department ... The park belongs to all the people of Florida. It doesn't belong to a particular sub-set of people."

All of this to keep from honoring fallen Union soldiers.

The Battle of Olustee had the highest casualty ratio in the Civil War and was the largest Civil War battle fought in Florida. The Union commander was able to liberate several slaves before the onset of the battle, which although was considered a Confederate victory did showcase the gallantry of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and the 35th United States Colored Troops, both composed of African-American soldiers. These men successfully repulsed the Confederate army's attack on the rear units which allowed the Union soldiers to escape and regroup in Jacksonville. The Confederate commander was reprimanded for his failure.

After the battle was over, against the norms of war, several wounded and captured black soldiers where clubbed to death or shot by the Confederate troops.

Yet we have three monuments honoring the people who committed these atrocities, and not one honoring those American soldiers who were killed.

Baxley's defense is that he is entitled to "a little sliver of diversity" to honor his descendants... but apparently not the ones who fought to preserve the Union as well as some damned decency for fellow human beings.

When I heard about this bill, I appropriately guessed it was Baxley who was behind it. He is Florida's notoriously racist state senator. He is the one responsible for our state's Stand Your Ground Law. He is also the staunchest supporter of our state's voter suppression laws. He has fought hard for the Confederate flag plates, and even harder against removing the term "darkies" from our state song:

"We're in a multicultural area and everyone's culture is celebrated but mine".

Yeah, rich, old white people are so f*&*ing oppressed.

I get that the Florida GOP, for all their rants about patriotism, wants the park to only support those who committed the biggest act of treason in the United States.

But don't put in my face ever again this mantra of local control when it means residents of the town can't put up their own monument to honor American soldiers because it may somehow interfere with several monuments of the traitor soldiers who killed--and in some cases, murdered--the American soldiers.

Florida state officials abruptly cancel springs talk by FSU prof after she criticizes Rick Scott

Florida officials have abruptly canceled a talk by a Florida State professor and writer who has been critical of the administration of Gov. Rick Scott.

Click to Read More

The Out of Touch Gang

As harmless as this article seems to be, it's the type of thing that ought to get those of us who have suffered because of Rick Scott foaming at the mouth angry. A posting I left there says it all:

* yacht club
* by invitation only
* they have to tell people WHY Scott is "good for Florida" (because obviously, a lot of people think he isn't)
This is the classic collection of people who are out of touch with the great harm Rick Scott has done to the everyday people of Florida. Not one of them has likely had to be unemployed, search the streets for a job, collect unemployment (especially via a malfunctioning website), find food for their children, etc. Or if they have, it's been decades (as with Ann Scott) since they did so.
No, ladies. You can't "tell the story better." We know the story. Rick Scott represents the selfish self-interest of the wealthy. Period.

My list of reasons to vote out this monster will soon reach 200. In the meantime I've set some things in motion to give it more exposure. That's coming soon. But kicking out Rick can't come soon enough.

Rick Scott Campaign Now Insulting Rich Hispanic Fundraiser But Defends the Bigoted Staffers

Crossposted as Rec on DKos
#CV. of My Stupid State

After a racist incident involving two high-level staffers mimicking a Mexican accent on the way to Chipotle, Miguel ("Mike") Hernandez, Rick Scott's finance co-chair and top fundraiser, fired off an angry email and then abruptly quit.

Rick Scott's campaign wasted no time in apologizing... I'm just kidding. I meant INSULTED their top fundraiser.

Rick Scott's campaign director, Curt Anderson, called him a "renegade donor", writing "bizarre emails", and slammed his resignation as "immaterial foolishness".

Then Scott's campaign manager, Melissa Sellers, essentially called him a liar:

"Mike was not in the van,” Scott’s campaign manager, Melissa Sellers, said in an email to the Herald.

“I spoke to every staffer in the van,” Sellers wrote. “If something was said in an accent, no one remembers what it was."

Really? Well, obviously somebody remembered something or why the hell would Mike have complained in the first place?

Let me ask you this, Melissa and Curt: Did a person who gave Rick Scott the largest single donation in Florida history, one MILLION dollars, and then raised 35 million more just make the whole thing up to make Rick Scott look bad?

Here is the ACTUAL email from Mike Fernandez. Doesn't exactly jibe with Melissa's story.

At least Rick Scott responded by cracking down on the behavior of the two senior staffers..... I'm just kidding. I meant he DEFENDED them by saying they are doing a "great job".

By the way, whenever Rick Scott says you are doing "a great job", watch out:

And as far as Mike goes, how does it feel?

You aren't one of "those" brown people who Rick Scott purged from voting, won't give a driver's license to, or asked for their papers. You were different. You are Republican, rich, and corrupt... you really thought you were one of them.

After all that money you gave and all that effort you put in, just to find out that in the end, Rick Scott stands by the white, snotty, Hispanic-mocking staffers--NOT you.

Lest you think this is an isolated incident, Mike, the Hispanic Outreach Director also quit the Florida GOP for their bigoted "culture of intolerance". And longtime GOP politician Ana Riveras Logan was tired of the bigotry as well and she just switched from being a Republican to a Democrat.

She also had a few words for Rick Scott as well:

"What is unbelievable to me is that instead of apologizing about these remarks and moving on, Rick Scott hasn’t said a word! That’s not leadership."

Minorities are insulted and shafted in this state all the time, Mike. In the case of SYG, they are even getting killed. None of that mattered to you. But now that they are personally insulting your character, maybe THAT will.

Crist's "Scott Free Florida" Page

I just got a note about this new website started by the Crist campaign. Even if you're planning to vote for Nan Rich in the primary, it looks like the kind of place you can get some good ammo.

Their first article is a list of 5 reasons why Scott is bad for Florida. Hey, I can give them at least 192 more right now...and maybe I will later!



 

Fact Check: Obamacare Driving 2.5 Million Out of Workforce?

Nope. Use Politifact's handy analysis to respond to this audacious claim in Rick Scott's new campaign smear...I mean, ad. They also cover the "300,000 cancelled policies" claim. Both get rated Mostly False.

This one made #196 on my list, by the way.

Really Good Spoof of Creepy New GOP Ads

Because I can't get enough of the GOP hipster wannabe, Scott Greenberg:

Rick Scott Says the Two Bigots on his Staff Are Doing a "Great Job"

Rick Scott's fellow Medicaid fraudster, top fundraiser and finance co-chair Mike Fernandez abruptly quit last week after a racist incident involving two of Rick Scott's staff.

Rick Scott, who is already struggling with Hispanics, got on top of this today--by having his Lt. Gov defend them!

Today's tweet (H/t Beachpeanuts for catching this)

I spoke with @FLGovScott earlier today and he told me that @justonjohnson and @tsgop were doing a "great job." #sayfie

Even if you give tacit approval to brown-people bigotry, you would cynically think a savvy politician might consider at the VERY LEAST condemnation of his lead staffers' behavior: mocking Mexicans and contributing to a hostile culture that caused his top fundraiser to quit.

But you don't know Rick Scott.

1:14 PM PT: Coincidentally, today is the launch of the Florida GOP's big outreach to the Hispanic community. I wonder if rick will ask these two knuckleheads to lead it.