August 29, 2018Gronda Morin

Florida’s GOP Candidate Starts Campaign Off With Dog Whistle Regarding Next Democratic Governor Gillum

On the 28th of August 2018, there was the news of a major upset when the progressive democratic candidate , the Tallahassee, FL. Mayor Andrew Gillum garnered the voters’ blessing to represent them to become the next Florida governor. This was not expected. The establishment candidate, Gwen Graham had been ahead in the polls for weeks and had outspent him by millions of dollars.

In the morning of the 29th of August 2018, Mr. Gillum was already appearing on TV morning news shows like MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ show.

Image result for photos of gillum and desantis

The republicans will be throwing the term ‘socialist’ in a toxic way to frame the person of Andrew Gillum and that’s to be expected.

If being a socialist means representing the decent hard working folks of Florida, so be it. If it means addressing the issues of medicaid expansion, climate change, top notch affordable education, sensible gun control measures, then so be it. What it really means is that he is hearing and committing to helping Floridians on issues that matter and make a difference to them.

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Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum celebrates his victory with supporters (R)

What is not to be expected…

What Mr. Gillum is not doing, is taking a page out of his republican Trumpian opponent, Ron Desantis who started off his campaign in an interview on FOX TV News with words about his democratic opponent like:

“The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state.”

Of course, the campaign staff of Mr. Desantis has been protesting and denying that it was not his intent to issue a statement with racist undertones in his interview on FOX TV.

Excuse me! Mr. Desantis is the the same candidate that the republican President Donald J. Trump promoted via his Florida rallies, tweets, and fund raising. His being a fan of President Trump does not give him the benefit of the doubt. It was exactly what he had intended.

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ANDREW GILLUM

Here is the rest of the story…

On August 29, 20198 Caroline Kenny of CNN News penned the following report, ‘Florida’s GOP gubernatorial nominee says a vote for his black opponent would ‘monkey this up’

Excerpts:

“Fresh off his victory in the Florida Republican gubernatorial primary, Rep. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that voters would “monkey this up” if they elected his African-American opponent, Andrew Gillum, to be governor, immediately drawing accusations of racism.”

“The remark provides a controversial beginning to what will be a closely watched general election for the Florida governorship, which pits DeSantis, who has closely aligned himself with President Donald Trump, against Gillum, a progressive backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders.”
“Calling him “an articulate spokesman” for the far left, DeSantis said during an interview on Fox News when asked about his opponent Gillum, “The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state.”
“Gillum would become the state’s first black governor if he were to win in November. Democrats quickly accused DeSantis of using racist dog whistles.”
“It’s disgusting that Ron DeSantis is launching his general election campaign with racist dog whistles,” Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo said in a statement, which was cited by the Gillum campaign when asked for a response.”
Image result for photos of gillum and desantis
“On the first day of the general election, Ron DeSantis showed Floridians who he really is,” Democratic Governors Association Deputy Communications Director David Turner said. “Resorting to dog whistle politics within hours of winning the GOP nomination shows a desperate candidate who will stoop to new lows in order to court and give voice to fringe elements of society. Floridians want a leader who will bring them together; Ron DeSantis has shown that he would only divide Florida.”
“A spokeswoman for Fox News reached out to CNN early Wednesday afternoon to distance the network from DeSantis’ remark, saying, “We do not condone this language and wanted to make our viewers aware that he has since clarified his statement.”
“Stephen Lawson, the communications director for the DeSantis campaign, said he was referring to Gillum’s policies in making the remark.”
“Ron DeSantis was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace the socialist policies that Andrew Gillum espouses.”

See: Get to Know Ron DeSantis, Republican Nominee for Florida Governor/ The New York Times

5 comments

  1. Once again Trumps minions are taking his lead for racist comments and dirty campaigning. Frankly I was startled by this nomination and becoming paranoid myself , as much as I like Mayor Gillum can he win in Nov in Fl. Or is this a gift to the Reps?

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Holly,

      I’ve met Andrew Gillum and I have heard him speak. I have also heard Gwen Graham and Mr. Levine speak at different events. Andrew Gillum connects well with people which is what I like best about him. I did vote for him and I’m not surprised by the so-called upset.

      I do believe Andrew Gillum can pull off a win in Florida.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Gronda, between Trump and DeDantis dog whistle comments, they are following an age old approach dating back to Nixon. The comments will sling innocent enough, but the choice of words is purposeful – crime, articulate and monkey – all three have been cleverly used. DeSantis and his followers will cry foul, but words matter. Trump knows this better than anyone. Keith

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Keith,

      You are right. President Trump is counting on racists to pull this election off but it’s not going to happen. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who’s an unabashed supporter of President Trump doesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. We’ve got a clear picture of what’s going on and we’re calling it the way we see it.

      Hugs, Gronda

      Like

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