Posted on 08/29/2018 1:30:44 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Democratic gubernatorial opponent Andrew Gillum on Wednesday tied controversial remarks made by his opponent Rep. Ron DeSantis (R) to President Trump's rhetoric while appearing on Fox News.
DeSantis earlier in the day in his own Fox News appearance warned Florida voters not to "monkey this up" by voting for Gillum, a comment that prompted fierce backlash.
During an interview with Fox News host Shep Smith, Gillum said DeSantis was taking a page “directly from the campaign manual of Donald Trump.”
“Yeah, that part wasn’t lost on me," Gillum said to Smith when asked about the remarks. "It’s very clear that Mr. DeSantis is taking a page directly from the campaign manual of Donald Trump. But I think he’s got another thing coming to him.”
“He thinks that in today’s day and age Florida’s voters are going to respond to that level of derision and division,” he continued. “They’re sick of it.”
"In the handbook of Donald Trump they no longer do whistle calls, they’re now using full bullhorns," Gillum continued when pressed by Smith whether he believed the congressman's remarks were racist or just a figure of speech.
"And what I’ve got to say about that is we got to make sure we stay focused, I think, on the issues that confront everyday people. I’m not going to get down in the gutter with DeSantis and Trump," he added.
DeSantis, who won the GOP primary Tuesday night, drew considerable pushback for the remarks that were perceived by many as racially charged.
In the interview, DeSantis initially referred to Gillum as "an articulate spokesman for those far-left views" and a "charismatic candidate" after Gillum's stunning Democratic primary victory Tuesday.
But he later launched into an attack on Gillum, a candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), accusing him of embracing a "socialist agenda."
“Let’s build off the success we’ve had on Gov. Scott. The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases bankrupting the state. That is not going to work," DeSantis said.
The Republican’s campaign said in a statement obtained by The Hill that it was "absurd" to claim that he was doing anything other than criticizing Gillum's agenda.
“Ron DeSantis was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace the socialist policies that Andrew Gillum espouses,” DeSantis communications director Stephen Lawson said in the statement.
“To characterize it as anything else is absurd,” Lawson added. “Florida’s economy has been on the move for the last eight years and the last thing we need is a far-left democrat trying to stop our success.”
Trump, who endorsed DeSantis in the GOP primary, said later on Wednesday that he had "not heard” DeSantis’s controversial remarks about his opponent but said the congressman is "extraordinary."
Donald Trump showed how that works.
“I have a feeling that all this feigned outrage about this comment will backfire on the Democrats.”
Believe it or not, even a lot of posters on Mediaite are saying how ridiculous this is.
Quote: “Tying this comment to Trump is not going to be a winning tactic.”
Nope, the logic dictates it won’t be. DeSantis was double digits down in the primary. Trump shows up, support him and DeSantis wins and wins with the GOP turnout the far outstrips the democrat primary turnout.
What does this tell us? It tells us that Trump drives turnout and enthusiasm. Gillum taking this tack tells us that the democrats are so deranged that they honesty and fully believe if they hate Trump, everyone else must too.
Tomorow’s headline today:
Gillum Delivers ‘Monkey’ Spanking
One of the pillars of Leftism is racism. Without conflict between citizens of different races or of economic status or of -- well, you name it -- the tyranny of Leftism cannot "progress" (hence, that's why they're "progressives")! ... See how it all fits together?
How racist of Gillum to think that the term “monkey” refers to blacks.
What gaffe? Who owns the language here? The American people or the lying, dishonest left?
That expression is as old as the hills. I know that’s age-ist of me but so be it.
DeSantis people should check every speech this idiot ever made for anything that might possibly be construed as anti-Hispanic, regatdless of how ridiculous, and hit him with it.
Yeah, for God’s sakes . . . stick to the issues
That POS can’t win on those
Be polite and mature and factual. The Dims can’t emulate that.
Stop monkeying around with words like “niggardly”!!!
:) :)
I could say you were just aping Gillum with commrnt!!
:)
There is a popular burger and beer joint in DFW called “Grease Monkey.” I guess that is a “dog whistle” for a place that is for “whites only.”
What a crock of bull. The faux outrage is disgusting.
http://thehill.com/author/aris-folley
Author of this ridiculous piece. Looks like she has something hiding on her hsirdo. Maybe it’s a capuchin.
Except he never said that, or anything of the sort.
George Allen called a person Macaca. Different than saying you don’t want to mess up and vote in a Socialist agenda—not a person specifically.
These kinds of unintentional “gaffes” will not take the toll they used to. Everyone is on the game of the leftist media.””Monkey with” is a perfectly fine expression. No one would misunderstand it except for the over-reaction of the rabid racists on the Left. And they deliberate turn it into something never intended because they can read minds, you know.
EXACTLY, JYO. NO APOLOGIES!
DeSantis should not be playing into their hands.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.