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."
Being charged with racism doesn’t have the impact it had a few decades ago.
It once was the nuclear weapon of accusations.
Now it’s more like getting hit with a dud firecracker.
Except with foaming-at-the-mouth liberals - who already hate you anyway.
“”Do liberals think black people are monkeys?””
Not necessarily but apparently black people do!
Thanks for the link!
It was like the former president of Mexico publicly attacking President Trump over Trump's alleged 'sh!thole country' comment ... when Mexico wasn't even one of the countries included in Trump's list. LMAO.
It’s going to be ALL ABOUT RACE until Nov. 7, when the racists loot and burn like they did the last time they were “disappointed”.
They also know that Big Media will support them, and call them “protesters”, and will remember that none of them suffered any consequences two years earlier.
If it did refer to a person, it would refer to five famous white guys.
Mizaru, Kikazaru, and Iwazaru have yet to weigh in.
You know the irony here?
Him saying it likely proves he's not racist because he didn't even know his choice of words would be considered 'racist'.
I’d better call my dad..he used to tell my brother & I to stop monkeying around all the time! Who knew it was a racist dog whistle..
DeSantis could’ve used another term/phrase but give me break!
Makaka
It's possible.
It will depend on how he and his campaign handle it.
If he starts apologizing he's going be seen as weak for giving into political pressure. He will turn off his base.
His best bet is to do a Trump and not back down.
What in that statement is controversial? You never heard the phrase throw a monkey wrench into something? Gees a lot of people need to grow up!
After reading the full quote, it doesn’t look like DeSantis meant anything personally insulting by his statement. It’s not like he called his opponent Gorillum or anything like that.
Will find the link was all over Twitter yesterday how that schmuck is under investigation
Well said & that should be DeSantis exact reply to this nonsense.
For crying out loud, the Left has been pulli g this same outrage since (at least) Howard Cosell. Spare me.
It is really pretty simple. All the concocted “racial” slurs in the world won’t matter a damn in Florida’s gubentorial election. This guy’s policies are garbage and anathema with Florida’s prosperity.
I have a great motto for him:
Make Florida New Jersey Again!!!
LMAO.
Just ignore the democrat chattering crowd in the media and stay on message. Say there was nothing racist about it and move on.
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