I had no idea Cara Jennings was running against Governor Scott, or was so powerful and influential that she must be crushed, but I guess she is. Or maybe that public rebuke in a coffee shop was so painful that he had to relieve himself of some bile.
Here’s Rick Scott’s reply to a citizen:
I learned one thing from that ad.
Rick Scott is weak and afraid.
Good.
That video on YouTube has comments disabled and ratings invisible. Very brave.
Scott really wishes he could “disappear” Jennings, but saying nasty things about her will have to suffice. Typical bully punching down. Like PZ says, it makes him look scared, scared of the truth.
Florida has a two-term limit for governors, so Scott won’t be able to run for re-reelection in 2018.
At that point, incumbent Democratic Senator Bill Nelson will be ~76, so Gov. Voldemort’s next grab for power seems rather obvious.
Unless we can come up with a lot more Cara Jenningses to convince him to leave the quest for public office, be afraid, very afraid – because the Florida Democratic Party is too confused and corrupt to mount any effective opposition.
What sort of incompetent advisers does he have that they allowed him to release that?
Also noteworthy: The swears made it into the clip – presumably to further discredit Jennings – while none of her other grievances did. Has there ever been a politician who hasn’t ‘created jobs?’
It’s a terrible metric anyway. Compare stats before and after their term and see which number is bigger? Unless the economy chose that particular time to turn to ashes – again – and put everyone on the streets – again – it seems difficult to mess that up. I expect emperor Nero created quite a few jobs by setting Rome alight. Maybe Floridans should elect him instead.
In hopes of some equal time. Here is an interview with Cara Jennings the person who called Rick Scott an Asshole.
“So I have the governor of the state of Florida telling me which healthcare provider I should go to, in a coffee shop. Completely inappropriate. And basically where the video picks up is when I respond by saying, ‘You’re an asshole.’”
“The thing is…I’m like, really? This is the video that goes viral? I’ve been much more poised and articulate many other times. [laughs]”
The whole interview here. http://www.dailydot.com/lifestyle/cara-jennings-interview-story-behind-viral-rick-scott-vid/
Standard issue thug, probably borrowed from the KKK. Only considered incompetent if the total raked in by the thugs and their paymasters decreases.
Oooh, she refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Not an American then. Good that her name and face has been revealed.
Governor Scott is even more of an asshole than I thought.
A different arsehole, authoritarian, punching-down crook goes down for doing something similar, Portuguese minister resigns after threat to give journalists :
The attack ad Governor Scott put out does not address any of the issues brought up by that private citizen. Scott cut funds to Planned Parenthood, and he damaged instead of improved the job market in Florida. The type of clinic to which Scott referred Cara Jennings does not provide the same level/type of care available at Planned Parenthood.
Is it even legal for the governor to do that to a private citizen?
“Cursing at customers”? Don’t act dumb, she was cursing at one person in particular. Also, what a pathetic, snide, weak-ass response. Somehow I doubt this clip will go viral like the one they’re responding to did.
I’m sure probably many here at FTB feel like I do, but do many people here in the U.S. also find the pledge of allegiance super creepy? That it is often used as an attack towards people who don’t “recite” it makes me feel that most USians still see it as something virtuous or whatever.
Reminds me when someone brought up how creepy and horrific the images or torture were in catholic curches, me having been raised catholic in a catholic country, never even noticed until someone who wasn’t catholic pointed it out. Catholics even like that shit. I remember mentioning it to someone once about the pledge, and they were just baffled.
Did folks miss the closing line about “those who are sitting around in coffee shops, demanding public assistance”? Or was it so obvious that I’m the only one who got hung up on it?
The “public assistance” he’s talking about is either Medicaid or the funding cuts affecting Planned Parenthood (and any provider connected in any way with abortion services). It took me a bit to figure that out, because the line in the ad makes it sound like she’s on welfare (but able to afford a $4 cup of coffee). In other words, it was a dog-whistle, calling her a “welfare queen.” That’s coupled with the previous line, “Everyone else has great jobs.” In other words, she doesn’t, but not because the governor hasn’t made great jobs available to her. She clearly doesn’t want one–because she prefers sitting in Starbucks sipping $4 lattes while waiting for her CBT card to recharge.
Referring to an anarchist as a “liberal” is pretty funny. You’d think that politicians would have a better grasp of political ideas.
Re: andyo, #13:
I’m not from the US but wouldn’t consider the pledge creepy. Silly perhaps, pointless more likely. It think it’s a lot like the Lord’s prayer during mass, since you already brought up the catholic church. Go to mass and at some point everyone has to recite ‘Our father’ – and they do, automatically, unthinkingly. People who regularly attend functions where the pledge is part of the proceedings are probably much the same. So both turn into habits, which is what happens when you overuse things: they become meaningless rituals.
It’s another empty gesture of ‘My country is always right’-patriotism. Reciting the pledge of allegiance is just another way to signal you’re on board with that. It makes you part of the group, just like the Lord’s prayer does during mass. I certainly wouldn’t put it in the same category as the catholic artwork you mentioned – which, incidentally, I hadn’t really thought about either before. Thanks for that.
See, I agree with Andyo, personally. “My country is always right’-patriotism” is not a good thing, and the amount of weight that gets put on it makes me pretty creeped out. It’s not too many steps from harmless-but-annoying patriotism to nationalism.
Why is Rick’s video engaging in name-calling “Latte Liberal”, when ol’ Ricky himself is in there in the first place, getting himself one of those liberal lattes? Clearly, he was in such a hurry to demonize her that it is completely lost on him that he was in the very same place, doing the very same thing. The only difference is that she has balls enough to call him out in public, and he hides behind a PAC and closes his video to comments.
The purpose of this video is to call down freelance thugs to harass Jennings. I expect they’re sending rape threats and waving guns at her house right now.
Real Americans™ give the Bellamy Salute when reciting the pledge.
Komarov, the Lord’s prayer is an excellent example of mindless droning. Funnily enough, Jesus comdemns rote prayers, and says for people to pray more like this, and gives out with a general example – which becomes the droned rote prayer of Christianity.
Does that coffee shop have free wifi for customers?
komarov,
More than “our father” I would compare it to the creed (we did the “apostle’s creed), which just thinking about it, I alsonow find kind of creepy as well. It does become mindless droning, but when you really look at it, just like the catholic “decorations” in churches, become something else.
By the way, by “creepy” I mostly meant that innocent children who don’t know better are made to “recite” it. It’s the image of children in schools standing and reciting it that makes my skin crawl a bit. I feel the same way about catechism and many of the songs we learned as children in preparation for First Communion.
Regarding the “pledge of allegiance,” perhaps it’s time for this video again:
Hi. I am also not American and I find the Pledge of Allegiance, as I have seen it used, not just creepy but rather quite dangerously indicative of fascism.
Also, there is no such thing as “harmless” patriotism.
Good grief! I see your point. It was … ah … well illustrated. Reclassified pledge as creepy, subcategory disturbing. Thanks.
chigau@ 22 Starbucks does indeed have free wi-fi. You need to have access to internet if you want to apply for a job these days and Starbucks is a place many people I know go to get free internet when they can’t afford it for themselves. A lot of students go there because it’s easier than going to the local library, as well.
Harmless patriotism: The ability to think that your nation is better than all other nations without thinking that all other nations are worse than your nation.
It seems Rick Scott subscribes to the same ideology as Trump. If someone “attacks” you, do something bigger and badder right back. I’m sure the video was his way to give Trump his resume.
The only solution left.
Hey! Cara Jennnings has as much right as anyone else to create her own ad to counter Governor Scott. Provided she has the thousands of dollars necessary to film the ad and purchase airtime. That shouldn’t be too hard for a coffeehouse barista. Maybe she can run a Kickstarter, or something.
Remember, folks, money is free speech and the more money you have the freer the speech!
this statement has a definition malfunction.
Don’t forget to let the governor know how you feel!
.
http://www.flgov.com/contact-gov-scott/email-the-governor/
.
Read the small print carefully! Use a throwaway email address and a fake name. I’m fond of F. Rick Scott, myself.
@ ec mix #31:
Hey, at least let me (and a few other commenters around here) get off before setting it free. Been trying for a bit now, but it’s hard to get everything together to move back out.
@29
Well, I mean, it’s one thing to be like “I like living in the US, and I think I could probably do worse”, and another to be like “WHOO AMERICA GOTTA BOMB US SOME TERRORISTS”
chigau (#22)
Exactly. And she could be a freelancer using the shop to meet with clients or whatever.
Julian Patel (#1) –
No doubt it was made by the sort of cowards who criticize Anita Sarkeesian and others for not allowing comments.
I love the little “nevermind” thrown in after the “anarchist who didn’t say pledge of allegiance”. Because you totally say things in an expensive video you don’t want people to pay any attention to, do you?
The narrator laughed as he said never mind. He was saying she’s beneath notice or contempt, despite the fact as you say that she apparently merited enough notice to make this video.
Love how the only actual thing of substance in the video, where it actually tries to answer her question, actually misstates it. She didn’t ask ‘who here has a job’, she asked ‘who here has a GREAT job?’ Of those 9,300 jobs mentioned, how many are, say, at minimum wage? Or part-time? Or both?
After her video went viral, I learned a lot of good things about Ms. Jennings and hope that she is not intimidated by Scott’s pettiness. I have never heard of a government official making an ad to go after a constituent before — especially on such a personal attack level. This really is a new low. Would be nice if Floridians stopped voting for politicians like Scott.
Did you notice how Scott accused Jennings of not having a job and demanding welfare? Her entire complaint was that Scott cut funding to an organization that provides birth control and other expensive medical services to women. Scott had exactly zero evidence that she was unemployed, he just tried to paint her like that to make her look bad. His only response to Jennings pointing out that he cut funding to an organization that makes reproductive health services affordable was to a) suggest she go to a clinic that didn’t provide the services that planned parenthood provided, and b) suggest indirectly that services like birth control and STD prevention are somehow handouts. Also, as has been pointed out before, he reverts to the “latte liberal” stereotype even though he was going to the same coffee shop as said liberal. I guess you’re only a latte liberal if you sit down at a table?
I shall NEVER forget when I was eleven my family had to move for six months from Canada to Burbank California US for work reasons. This was about 30 years ago. I was sent to the neighbourhood school.
The first morning I was there the class stood for the Pledge. I sat confused, as I had never heard of such a thing, and wasn’t going to pledge to another country,
The teacher strode over and demanded that I stand and pledge. I said I was a Canadian and was just there for six months. I was send out to stand in the hall while the other students did their pledge rite. Every single morning after that I was sent to the hall, and the word was spread that I was there because I refused the pledge. Taunting, bullying, and shunning followed for all the time I was at that school. The teachers did nothing.
However I did get one of my favourite examples of the American education system. One particular bully shouted one day that I was just a liar saying I was from “Canada” as that was not the name of any country. I came from “North America” as the country I was from was north of “America”.