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."
I don’t understand this..
When I heard this I thought he meant “no fooling around”
Why did they hear “black person”?
Do liberals think black people are monkeys? Or use the term monkey to refer to them?
Why else would they jump to that conclusion instead of the “monkey around” one?
Wonder I’d Gillum ever played “Monkey in the Middle”
Gillum: screw off, monkey.
It’s telling that the guy is already playing the race card.
People are so damn tired of that crap.
DeSantis is going to win in a walk.
Gillum is being financed by George Soros and Tom Steyer.
Under FBI investigation? Link?
I may be missing something but think this: The knee jerk left wants and needs to play that race card that doesn’t work anymore. DeSantis brings it out of them and they can’t talk about medicare for everyone. Reminds me of the Jerry Springer show. One quote and the drama comes out which takes no thought.
Not at all.
Let's be honest. They were going to call Ron DeSantis a racist no matter what he did or said so he might as well make them play that card early.
Personally, I laughed my ass off when I first heard this. In my best "angry black lady voice" I shouted...
I believe that Gillum may have just scored a politically fatal “own goal” with that remark.
I heard his comment and it didn’t even rise to the level of a stupid mistake.
The only person who would equate that comment to a black candidate is someone who equates blacks to monkeys and THAT, seemingly, are the Democrats and their mouthpieces in the media.
Any sane person knows there wasn’t a chance in hell he meant that statement as anything other than a synonym for “screwing around with” - but I guess if he said THAT the feminists would have been offended somehow.
I REFUSE to live my life in fear of offending a bunch of feces-headed dimwits, and I think, as a party, we should do the same. DeSantis should tell these people to take a nice long leap off the nearest bridge and be done with it.
“”But I think he’s got another thing coming to him.””
Thing??? And I THINK he THINKS he’s pretty smart by parroting what he THINKS he’s heard all his life - JERK!
What De Santia said beats what he COULD have said if he talked like the foulmouthed liberals we hear every day. I prefer - don’t monkey around!
This is like people who pronounce “supposedly” as “supposebly” and don’t have a clue....or even worse - “I could care less.”
Why is it that only leftists can hear these “dog whistles”?
Trying to turn it into a “Macaca” moment. It worked then.
You're hand-wringing seems quite ironic in light of your tag-line.
The only way this crap gets any traction is when our side falls for the trap.
Exactly - the libs are the ones who made ‘monkey’ an offensive word when applied to blacks. Why is that? Are they projecting their own thinking? Most certainly. Would they have preferred him to swear like a sailor? Most likely - that’s what they do. Would they have done it regardless of what he said or didn’t say? Ahhh, BINGO.
I guess we should ban the Barrel Full of Monkeys children’s game and Curious George while we’re at it.
He’ll treat this as a badge of honor, with BJ’s wife in tow.
Too bad he has to start his campaign in damage control mode.
All candidates who wear White shirts are obviously paying homage to the Klan.
I told you he should have used elephant or hippo instead.
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