Gillum ties DeSantis 'monkey' comment to Trump rhetoric (It Begins)

The Hill ^ | 08/29/18 | Aris Folley

[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."

[yesthatjallen]

We all know where investigations of Democrats end up, right?

[FlipWilson]

Let me ask everyone here a question:

Is there any doubt given the race of the democrat that sooner or later something DeSantis said now or in the past would be dragged out to paint him as being “racist?”

They are basically running this Gillum guy in an attempt to re-do the “you can’t criticize Obama or you are racist” play book.

Gillum’s message: Make Florida New Jersey again!!!

[livius]

The only people I know who think the word “monkey” refers to blacks are blacks themselves. Ridiculous.

[Drew68]

Trying to turn it into a “Macaca” moment. It worked then.

You know, I think after Joe Biden said that Mitt Romney was going to put black people back in chains, the race card was cashed out for good.

Anything goes now. Nobody cares anymore.

[Jane Long]

Or, Make Florida Illinois, again.

[John S Mosby]

The word monkey was used to describe the electorate, NOT the socialist mayor of Tallahassee. Who has quite a bit of scandal on his plate in his current miniscule office:
http://www.wctv.tv/content/news/Federal-authorities-launch-probe-into-city-of-Tallahassee-430164903.html

IF someone wanted to make this exchange a bigoted one it would be to ask Gillum rhetorically why his campaign (not him, mind you) interprets the word monkey to be describing their candidate in a usage that is a NOUN, and which was NOT the usage that was actually spoken. That WORDS mean things and then give the 2nd definition of the word MONKEY as a VERB. From Webster’s:

2
monkey
verb
Definition of monkey
monkeyed; monkeying
transitive verb
: mimic, mock
intransitive verb
1 : to act in a grotesque or mischievous manner
2 a : fool, trifle —often used with around

he likes to monkey around with engines

b : tamper —usually used with with

don’t monkey with the settings

DeSantis gets a twofer because the dumba@@ victim mentality Soros/Sanders candidate publicly accuses and self identifies with a monkey as a stereotype (showing he didn’t understand what was said and trying to make something out of it— hence, STUPID) ANNNNNND, reminds obliquely the simpler minded voters (bigots, non-blacks/hispanics, etc) of a very old metaphor for...stupid blacks.

DeSantis (his people)should stick to the exact words he used— repeat them over and over to the Press stressing context (who will still ignore the usage, but... the public won’t, and educate the Press) and let it go. There isn’t going to be debates, there’s no need. Gillum is corrupt, provably so, and the scuttlebutt radiating from Tallahassee should be enough.

It is amazing that Gwen Graham (Virginia Graham’s-former family owner of the Washington Post—granddaughter) could not beat this street life Soros supported crook and Sanders socialist.

[Political Junkie Too]

Tying this comment to Trump is not going to be a winning tactic.

-PJ

[yesthatjallen]

It works to take down their opposition.

Remember George Allen & Macaca?

[chiller]

...because no sane person would take this old saw and make it a racial slur. DeSantis clearly did not.

[FlipWilson]

Quote: “Or, Make Florida Illinois, again.”

Yep, insert your favorite blue state cesspool name here. That is what he is talking about. He is saying, “hey, do you miss that high tax state you moved from, well don’t bother moving back, I’ll bring it to your door.”

When all is said and done, that will be the deciding issue of the race.

I was just listening to Doug Schoen confidently declare the the house was as good as in democrat hands. I had to laugh when John McClauhlin asked Schoen to explain the discrepancies in voter turnout. Schoen, who is normally fairly honest, had no reply.

[grayboots]

<> Not sure if it will turn off his base regardless, but he needs to say "Look, what I said was in no way meant as racist. I was trying to say that the socialist way of doing things will just hurt Florida and throw it in turmoil." He doesn't need to apologize, just clarify. But who knows what the wimpy elite GOPers will talk him into doing.

[alstewartfan]

“He called me a monkey. He called me a monkey! Waaaaaaahhhhhhh!”

*Babies for Gillum paid for this ad.*

[Eddie01]

Democrats hate blacks like Nichole Simpson hates O.J.

[FirstFlaBn]

It’s not like he called his opponent Gorillum or anything like that.

I can chimp-athize with that.

[cynwoody]

Remember when Microsoft got sued for including a stock photo of monkey bars in Publisher 98?

[Buckeye McFrog]

Gillum is overplaying his hand here.
Trump had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with DeSantis’ gaffe.

[John S Mosby]

Five famous white guys whose entire career was repackaging black blues/rock into their songs and selling it back to white boys lost in the blues. How ironic.

Their whole lives trying to “sound” black. LOL.

There’s also this wonderful psychologically smart political commentary tune :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnVf1ZoCJSo

“SHOCK THE MONKEY” —Peter Gabriel
oddly appropriate in the first scene of the video.
Lyrics here: Cover me when I run
Cover me through the fire
Something knocked me out’ the trees
Now I’m on my knees
Cover me, darling please
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don’t you know when you’re going to shock the monkey

Fox the fox
Rat on the rat
You can ape the ape
I know about that
There is one thing you must be sure of
I can’t take any more
Darling, don’t you monkey with the monkey
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don’t you know you’re going to shock the monkey

Wheels keep turning
Something’s burning
Don’t like it but I guess I’m learning
Shock! - watch the monkey get hurt, monkey

Cover me, when I sleep
Cover me, when I breathe
You throw your pearls before the swine
Make the monkey blind
Cover me, darling please
Monkey, monkey, monkey
Don’t you know you’re going to shock the monkey

[Rodm]

I thought The Monkeys were a white rock band

[Alberta's Child]

Keep in mind that nearly 30% of Florida's population is Hispanic. They surpassed blacks as the largest minority group in Florida years ago.

Do you think THEY will buy into this "The word monkey is racist!" idiocy? Uh ... no.

[jyo19]

I don’t think a statement or anything is necessary. He just has to say, when anyone asks about it “only someone who is obsessed with race could see racism in that very true statement.”