Residents in Ron DeSantis’ district rally against racism (Barf Alert)

Daytona Beach News Journal ^ | 08/30/18 | Mark Harper

[Jed Eckert]

PORT ORANGE — Despite Ron DeSantis’ claims he was signaling no message about race when he used the phrase “monkey this up” while sizing up his black opponent’s policies during a Fox News appearance this week, about 40 residents of his congressional district rallied in protest Thursday.

Waving signs, including one reading “DeSantis DeRacist,” the residents rallied for about 45 minutes outside one of the congressman’s offices in Port Orange City Hall.

Lynn Hendrickson, a Palm Coast retiree, said it wasn’t the first time DeSantis has disappointed her on matters of race. She recounted last October, when a batch of Ku Klux Klan fliers were left on driveways in Port Orange and Nancy Soderberg, the Democratic candidate for DeSantis’ congressional seat, called on him to speak out against hatred.

“His silence has been deafening until yesterday,” Hendrickson said Thursday. “Yesterday, he showed everybody in District 6 and in Florida exactly what he thought of the newly elected candidate Andrew Gillum and of the letters that had been distributed in our district with his wonderful statement, ‘monkey this up.’ Ron showed his true colors yesterday.”

“Ron DeSantis stands for hate, bigotry, prejudice and white supremacy,” she said. “This is not who we are as a nation. We are better than this.”

But DeSantis — a regular on Fox who rode the endorsement of President Trump to win his party primary Tuesday — told Sean Hannity his warning to voters not to “monkey this up” by electing Gillum, had “zero to do with race.”

The uproar over the remark continued Thursday and one longtime analyst of Florida political campaigns said she expects it could cloud the contest through Election Day on Nov. 6.

DeSantis’ original remark Wednesday morning during an interview on the Fox News channel was blasted as racist by Democratic critics and called an example of “gutter” politics by Gillum. The Democratic nominee, who also appeared on network news programs, said DeSantis was “taking a page directly from the campaign manual of Donald Trump.”

After responding with only a statement from a campaign spokesman during the day, DeSantis appeared on Wednesday evening with Hannity — who campaigned with DeSantis in July — to explain himself.

“Did you in any way, do you in any way think that was something that was misstated or racist in any way?” Hannity asked.

“It has zero to do with race, Sean. It has everything to do with whether we want Florida to continue to go in a good direction, building off the success or do we want to turn to left-wing, socialist policies, which will absolutely devastate our state?” DeSantis replied.

“And here’s the thing, I believe people should be judged based on their ability and character regardless of race. But it’s because of that that I know that socialism won’t work in Florida. It’s not good for any race, color or creed. So this is not about race. This is about ideas and principles. And I’m not going to let the Democrats and Andrew Gillum try to obscure a debate about whether his tax increases, his single-payer healthcare plan, his desire to abolish ICE — whether that is something that is acceptable for Florida. I don’t think it is and I don’t care what color you are.”

DeSantis didn’t express any regrets or say whether he recognized that the remark could be considered offensive, and Hannity didn’t press him on it.

“He’s following the Trump model to the Nth degree — never apologize for anything,” said University of South Florida political scientist Susan MacManus.

MacManus predicted DeSantis’ remark will remain an issue throughout the campaign. “It will be a get-out-the-vote tool for Democrats from now ’til Nov. 6,” MacManus said.

The appearance with Hannity on Fox News came after the network had earlier sought to distance itself from the remark.

Fox News host Sandra Smith said Wednesday afternoon that the network does “not condone this language and wanted to make our viewers aware that he has since clarified his statement.”

Florida Republicans reacted Thursday in different ways.

Carlos Curbelo, a South Florida congressman, told MSNBC he doesn’t know DeSantis as a racist.

“I’ve never heard him say anything disparaging about any ethnic group or any person for that matter,” Curbelo said. “But I’ll also say that that was just a stupid comment to make, one that was obviously offensive to a lot of people.”

Gov. Rick Scott, running for U.S. Senate, said DeSantis “could have said it more artfully” and: “Ron cares about the state and I know he didn’t mean any ill will.”

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who campaigned with DeSantis during the weeks leading up to the primary, posted a meme on Twitter with quotes using the word “monkey” attributed to President Obama, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The quotes were not used in the context of assessing Gillum’s policies and used the more familiar colloquialisms, “monkey around,” and “monkey wrench,” rather than DeSantis’ less common phrasing.

[Jed Eckert]

Photos at the link (local left wing bird cage liner). The usual assorted leftist oafs, dolts and churls protesting.

I recognize some of them as the same protestors who crawled out from under their rocks when Trump was campaigning.

Cant't wait for the campaign to get into full swing. Let's get ready to rumble!

[DoughtyOne]

What racism?

I mean shouldn’t there be some racism to protest against?

[Road Warrior ‘04]

I sure wish these people would quit monkeying around!

[Bell Bouy II]

This too shall pass ......

Liberal mindless Dems needs issue to trumpet. This is the latest. No one gives a crap about their concerns.

What thy do give a crap about is their take home pay, taxes and health care along with keeping illegal scum from raping and mudering them and their kids.

[Da Coyote]

Racism - as defined by the low-T, no intelligence, marshmallow major, cannot do anything useful to civilization media.

Shove it up your computers, d*mbass journalists.

[rktman]

Too bad someone didn’t throw a “monkey wrench” into their “apish” activities. BOOM! Racis’ comment.

[FirstFlaBn]

Let’s come up with some more ‘De’ examples to help them out.

OK, I’ll start.

De Camptown ladies sing dis’ song, Do Dar, Do Dar,
Camptown racetrack five mile long, Oh De Do Dar Day.

[lodi90]

This too shall pass ......

Liberal mindless Dems needs issue to trumpet. This is the latest. No one gives a crap about their concerns.

---

I doubt it. The Trump hating GOP big donors were already looking of for a reason not to financially support DeSantis. Now they have it. I expect Scott to run as fast as he can away from DeSantis, too. The real problem here is that DeSantis won’t have any cover on his flanks now. This will be a close race and that could decide it.

[NutsOnYew]

"No monkey business, you two", said the mother. Does that mean "don't fool around" or "don't act like black people"?

"Not sure what's wrong, but I'll monkey around with it and see if I can get it to work", said the repairman, er, person. Does that mean "I'll try some random stuff and see what happens" or does it mean "don't act like black people"?

[italianquaker]

I live in Florida,Desantis wins by 10 pts, my opinion

[butlerweave]

These people think Monkeys and Blacks are the same thing ?

[DoughtyOne]

“Monkey” wrench, why I never...

[Road Warrior ‘04]

I can hear them singing that song in Blazing Saddles!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H2W1lK7P-I

[jeffersondem]

This article reads like it was written by the Daytona Beach News Journal.

[MtnClimber]

Monkeying something up or throwing a monkey wrench into the works is a common term and has nothing to do with race, but has something to do with the failures of communism in these comments.

[dead]

I counted them - 12 fat people. 12 fat people hold a rally and it makes the news.

They'll ignore 250,000 on the mall in Washington if it's a pro-life rally, but 12 fat people on some highway median, and they get news coverage.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

Keep this stuff up and Speed Weeks will have to be cancelled!

[Vlad The Inhaler]

Barack Obama in 2008: Both Parties ‘Have Monkeyed Around With Elections’

By Robert Kraychik - Breitbart.com
(Video at link)

Barack Obama warned supporters that politicians had “monkeyed around” with elections, during a campaign speech at Kent State University in New Philadelphia, Ohio, on September 3, 2008.

Then-Senator Obama (D-IL) said (0:29 in the video at the link): “I come from Chicago. It’s not as if it’s just Republicans who have monkeyed around with elections in the past. Sometimes Democrats have, too. You know, whenever people are in power, they have this tendency to try to tilt things in their direction.”

Obama called for establishing a “voting rights division” within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat “voter fraud” and what he said were efforts to “discourage people to vote.”

On Wednesday, Florida Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) advised Floridians not to “monkey this up” by selecting a “socialist agenda” via a Democrat governor.

News media outlets such as The Hill and CNN framed the comment as racial, given that DeSantis’s Democrat opponent, Andrew Gillum, is black. CNN published two articles headlined: “Florida’s GOP gubernatorial nominee says a vote for his black opponent would ‘monkey this up’,” and “GOP candidate accused of using racist term,” both casting DeSantis’s “monkey this up” remark as racist.

Gillum made the most of the narrative, saying Floridians’ “rich diversity” would compel the Sunshine State’s residents to reject “racists” and “misogynists.” And Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo tweeted, “It’s disgusting that Ron DeSantis is launching his general election campaign with racist dog whistles.”

DeSantis later expanded on his comments via his campaign’s communications director, who said, “Ron DeSantis was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace the socialist policies that Gillum espouses. … To characterize it as anything else is absurd. 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.”

[rktman]

I know right. If this was fakebook I’d probably be suspended. And I have been on FR. LOL!

[DoughtyOne]

Well quit monkeying around.

LOL