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Rick Scott, Republicans Blast Jesse Jackson Comments
August 1, 2013
.Gov. Rick Scott and other Republican leaders slammed the Rev. Jesse Jackson on Wednesday after the civil-rights veteran called a sit-in protest at Scott’s office “the Selma of our time” while implicitly comparing the state to South Africa and Scott to George Wallace.
In a statement issued by his office, Scott took Jackson to task for the Selma comments made Tuesday and an earlier reported comment labeling Florida an “apartheid state.”
“Jesse Jackson owes every Floridian an apology for his reckless and divisive comments,” Scott said. “It is unfortunate that he would come to Florida to insult Floridians and divide our state at a time when we are striving for unity and healing.”
Appearing on the Rick Sanchez Radio Show a few hours later, Jackson dismissed the call for him to apologize as “absurd.”
Jackson also drew scorn from some Republicans for apparently comparing Scott to Wallace, an infamous, segregationist governor of Alabama, during remarks Tuesday.
Jackson spoke ahead of an overnight visit with the Dream Defenders, a group that has staged a sit-in at Scott’s office to demand a special legislative session to consider changes to the state’s self-defense laws, initiatives to end racial profiling and an end to zero-tolerance discipline policies in schools.
“We’ve seen Southern governors before have to change their minds,” Jackson said when asked about Scott’s insistence that he wouldn’t call a special session. Jackson mentioned Wallace as an example of someone who had to change his mind.
That drew the ire of other Republicans.
“With Jesse Jackson having a history of making offensive remarks, like calling New York City ‘Hymietown,’ it’s surprising to see that Democrats are not denouncing Jackson for what he said about Florida and Governor Rick Scott,” Republican Party of Florida Chairman Lenny Curry said in a statement. “Jesse Jackson’s attacks are offensive, inappropriate, divisive and ill-informed.”
Pensacola Rep. Mike Hill, the only black Republican in the Legislature, also blasted Jackson’s comments as “a disgrace” in a sharply-worded statement.
“When Jackson uses language that describes us as an apartheid state and compares our governor to one of history’s most notorious bigots, he is either hopelessly out of touch or purposefully dishonest,” Hill said.
The multipronged attack on Jackson came as the protests wore through a 16th day at the Capitol. Protesters have called their own “People’s Session,” and held a committee meeting in Scott’s office to take testimony on zero-tolerance policies in schools.
During that meeting, officials from local chapters of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida delivered a letter to Scott endorsing the protests. After being told Scott wasn’t at the Capitol and chief of staff Adam Hollingsworth was in a meeting, the group read the letter from Henry Crespo Sr., the organization’s president, before handing it to Scott’s receptionist.
“As governor of Florida, you have the power to calm the fears of thousands of Florida families, especially blacks and Latinos, who are questioning the ability of this state to protect their children from the gross deficiencies of the aforementioned laws,” the letter said.
Also Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, unveiled a new website — FloridaStandYourGround.org — to help push for changes to the “stand your ground” self-defense law that has spurred a large amount of the debate.
“The website is a one-stop information center for anyone who wants to know more about the law, what it does, how it’s being misused, and the proposed changes to fix its dangerous flaws,” Smith said.
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
25 Responses to “Rick Scott, Republicans Blast Jesse Jackson Comments”
Only in Obamas America can a brown man kill a black man and blame it on a white man.
Jesse Jackson?…….I would be shocked if the man ever said anything intelligent.
“When Reverend King and his men needed coffee, sandwiches and donuts, they sent Jesse”
Even if so, they also serve who only serve
When Reverend King and his men needed coffee, sandwiches and donuts, they sent Jesse. That is the only real job he has ever had. Unless shaking down Coca Cola is considered a job.
Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are the two biggest racist their is in this Country. PERIOD. Notice I used my whole name and I ain’t ashamed or scared to say it.
I stand by my comment that the media has stirred this issue up and increased racial tensions. The media on all channels has been (and probably will continue) to be biased in one direction or another but they always repeat over and over whatever they think the message should be. Maybe we need to stick to the facts and not the opinions. If you look into this you will find that George Zimmerman is, in fact, hispanic. Travon Martin can be 5′11″ or 6′, but he is not a tiny 14 year old. I am not saying anything bad about either one, and I am sorry for both families, as this is something that should not have happened.
@hu & B.B., you havent a clue, Trayvon would be alive if he wouldn’t have attacked George. That is the real truth, I can follow you anywhere i want as long as i don’t trespass or violate a court order, but you can’t attack me for following you. That’s the reason George was aquitted, because he was within the law, The young man thought he was going to whoop up on a defenseless white man. Thats why he said to George ” you got me” when george shot him, he was surprised by his victims ability to defend himself. Trayvon made a fatal mistake. you can’t attack people without penalties and now both will pay, George is more a target now than ever before. Just sad. Thug life has 2 endings prison and death, no matter what race you are
Fact of the matter is, is that the MEDIA as they usually do chose to report only what they wanted the public to hear, which fueled the race card frenzy…this along with obama turning the death of Trayvon into a political agenda and pressuring law enforcement, further fuels the fire…
REGARDING:
“had mark zuckerberg, the founder of facebook, who is known for wearing hoodies, had been in martins shoes, zimmermzn never would have profiled him,”
And you know this because you simply know it?
All we know from the only living witness to the event was that the clothing was described when he was asked for a physical description. In fact, from the transcript, Z wasn’t sure of the race of the child he saw wandering around in the rain. He may not have even known he was a tiny child:
“Z: – - – there’s a real suspicious guy, uh, [near] Retreat View Circle, um, the best address I can give you is 111 Retreat View Circle. This guy looks like he’s up to no good, or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.
Dispatcher: OK, and this guy is he white, black, or Hispanic?
Zimmerman: He looks black.
Dispatcher: Did you see what he was wearing?
Zimmerman: Yeah. A dark hoodie, like a grey hoodie, and either jeans or sweatpants and white tennis shoes. He’s [unintelligible], he was just staring…
Dispatcher: OK, he’s just walking around the area…
Zimmerman: …looking at all the houses.”
Now, we can be prejudiced and decide he was targeting the child for race and clothing, but it isn’t in the transcript, so we aren’t getting it from him.
Brother Jesse is just mad he didn’t get the lynching of the Latino he wanted because he KNOWS it MUST have been murder.
David for less prejudice
fewer lynchings
To WM; I really didn’t want to give you the satisfaction of commenting on your sad sad statement, (but welfare eating “breeders”) I hope you are not feeding this crap to young people. So sad, you are speaking something that is not truth. My question is why would you speak on something you know nothing of? I hope that hatred you have within does not spill into no one else, because you seriously have issues.
By the way…..oppose the boycott…go visit the panhandle for lunch
“Wallace an infamous segregationist” calls to mind the lines from Shakespeare’s Julius Ceaser..”the evil that men do lives after them…the good is oft inturred with their bones,”……never mind the fact that Wallace in his last years employed more blacks in state positions than most northern states…he developed the modern community college system in Alabama and as a circuit judge had a very progressive record towards the poor and minorities. He was no worse than most men of his time.
Furthermore in his last term he garnered 90 percent of the black vote in Alabama. I’m all for calling things like I see them..to that end….people should be judge by ALL of their deeds in life…not by people seeking a political spring board from their past.
Jesse can take himself — and as many welfare eating “breeders” that want to go, and get the heck out of Florida. A boycott of the state by his ilk and supporters is just fine with me.
Florida citizens — through their elected legislators — have passed laws to protect the law-abiding and productive citizen. Because a teen with a thug attitude assaulted someone concerned with the welfare of his & his neighbors property — and paid for that assault with his life…Jesse, Al and the like see fit to try to errode protections of self defense to law abiding citizens so that it will be easier for others with a street thug attitude to prey on them as victims.
Leave Florida — boycott Florida — Please do so!
Totally agree with Walnut Hill Roy. Where was the outrage when Christopher Cervini was shot to death? I’ll let you google his name and read the story for yourselves.
Where is the outrage over the young black male killed at the Warrington Apt complex on Navy Blvd this week? Why isn’t his family calling for justice?
I love the SYG law. George had his day in court and won, get over it, Jackson and Sharpton are in it to keep the race issue up. I agree with Bill O’reigly. on Fox, Should they decide to boycott this state that is fine, with me, And as usual , once again the spinless democrats want more gun control laws, well the law is fine, don’t commit a crime or attack any one and you will not get shot, see how simple it is? And we do not need or want outsiders coming to OUR state and telling us how to run it, don’t like what we do ? go home and stay there.
we may have had a half-black, half-white president for the last 5 years, but he had done NOTHING that i can tell to bring “unity” to our country- we are more of a divided country than ever!!! i would put $$ on it that he WILL go down in history as our worst president ever… EVER!…….there was a time, about a year ago, september 17th, that jesse jackson negotiated directly with the president of a west african country, (gambia) to release 2 Americans being held in prison and bring them back to the USA…..and, then…back in 1984 he was able to successfully negotiate with cuba for the release of 22 Americans being held captive…so, i cut him a little slack- however, i dont agree with most of his efforts to stirr up the masses and make ludicrous comparisons of our state and our governor…….but, the pseudo-”reverend” al sharpton is a vile race baiter!…the only thing hes done positive in the past years, is to loose about a 100 lbs….(wish he do something with that hair- doesnt fit his body/head anymore)
I wonder if all of the people who want the stand your ground law revoked are ok with being beaten, raped, kidnapped, mutilated, etc.? I bet if someone attacked Jesse and started beating his head into the concrete he or one of his posse would have no problem pulling out a gun and shooting the attacker. But thats different right … ? We are doomed as long as the media keeps giving these morons a stage.
Jane get your facts straight, the Medical examiner and others stated under oath that martin was 5″11. Myself, a white woman, and others that i know, see zimmermzn as a dark haired white man, and he is “passing”. I have black family members who have been racially profiled here in century and pensacola as well, at times, I was in the car withthem and for whatever reasons, it made it worse and I have seen this first hand. It is a race issue, had mark zuckerberg, the founder of facebook, who is known for wearing hoodies, had been in martins shoes, zimmermzn never would have profiled him, therefore, sit ins are needed, because this law gives people a license to kill and not be held responsible, just to cry wolf as well as self defense.
Had the Travon Martin case involved black on black crime or white on white crime it would not have become the media circus which it was. Yes it was a tragedy for both people involved in the incident, but it doesn’t warrant all of the controversy that now surrounds the law. The law is available to be used by blacks, whites and all races of people. Apartheid my butt!
People have turned a shooting into a racial issue. George Zimmerman is Hispanic and Travon Martin was not the small child they showed on TV…he was 6 ft+. The media just turned this whole thing into a circus to get more news and stir up trouble. The anti-gun people are using it to establish more for their side, and the gun rights are fighting it. This whole thing has been stirred up by the media. Research everything before you take sides on these issues! I am sorry for the Martin family and for the Zimmermans. This should never have happened.
Jackson is the biggest bigot there has ever been. Even more so than Wallace was. All he does is cause trouble between the races, cost the tax payers money, and line his pockets.
I guess Jacksons comments show an enduring ignorance and desire for turmoil……
To compare Governor Scott to George Wallace is the absurdity.
Everybody knows that he is a regular Niccolo Machiavelli.
Here’s to “hu”………Any governor of any state would have to respond to such outlandish statements. You should have taken the time to really think about just what Jackson said, and how ridiculous it was. What kind of governor would allow such dribble to be directed towards the citizens of a state and not respond? Here’s the deal, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are relics of a bygone era, they don’t get their way anymore because nobody’s interested in them and their truly tired worn out rhetoric. Its time for both of them to shut up.
…with the reaction from the capital, i guess the comments hit close and a soft spot in this administration…