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Governor’s Race Debate Blown Away By Crist, Scott Dispute Over Fan
October 16, 2014
After tens of millions of dollars worth of television commercials and the slinging of massive amounts of mud, could the Florida gubernatorial election come down to an electric fan?
In the latest strange chapter in the always-fascinating politics of Florida, Gov. Rick Scott skipped the first few minutes of a televised debate Wednesday with his Democratic challenger, former Gov. Charlie Crist, because of the presence of an electric fan at Crist’s feet.
Actually, debate organizers were unsure at first whether either of the candidates would be on stage, though Crist strode out as moderator Eliott Rodriguez tried to explain the situation to the audience.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have an extremely peculiar situation right now,” Rodriguez said.
Scott eventually came out as well, but the incident brought a whole new meaning to the “spin room,” where surrogates for the two candidates gathered and tried to make sense of a nonsensical turn of events.
The Crist camp’s description of events: They had learned that after an event last week featuring CNN anchor Candy Crowley, the stage at the remodeled venue, Bailey Hall at Broward College, was described as uncomfortably warm. Debate organizers promised to fix the problem — with fans if necessary.
“They said they were going to fix it,” said former state Sen. Dan Gelber, who signed the debate agreement on Crist’s behalf. “And they said … if they don’t, they’ll have something available.”
The Crist campaign quickly produced the copy of the rules they signed, where Gelber had written in “with understanding that the debate hosts will address any temperature issues with a fan if necessary.”
But Scott’s supporters countered that the fan violated the rules of the debate, and Rodriguez said in the opening moments of the debate that a copy of the rules showed to him by the incumbent’s campaign indicated the fan shouldn’t be on the stage.
In fact, Scott’s camp said, it was Crist who threatened to pull the plug on the event if the fan was not plugged in.
“When I got here today for this debate, I was told that Charlie Crist was going to cancel the debate, because unless there was a fan on that stage, he would not come out,” said U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. “So I think that Governor Scott was waiting to see if Charlie would actually pull that off or not.”
Scott and others said he didn’t immediately take the stage at the beginning of the debate because he wanted to make sure Crist did.
Crist’s nearly ubiquitous fan was already famous, memorialized by a Twitter account and obsessed over by MSNBC host Chris Matthews. Rubio said that “a similar incident” happened in a 2010 Senate debate between himself, former Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek and Crist, then running as an independent, when Meek complained about the fan.
Both campaigns tried to blow off the issue Wednesday night, but only after scoring a few political points from it.
“What looked bad was this bizarre incident tonight where Charlie Crist insisted on ignoring the rules of a debate, just like he’s ignored the rules time and again when it comes to telling the truth about what he stands for on issue after issue,” Rubio said.
“Charlie Crist can bring his fan, microwave, and toaster to debates — none of that will cover up how sad his record as governor was compared to the success of Rick Scott,” Scott campaign manager Melissa Sellers said in a statement issued after the debate, an apparent effort at damage control. “Crist should buy a fan for the 832,000 Floridians who lost their jobs while he was governor.”
Crist’s campaign said Scott was afraid to address issues.
“I think it’s outrageous that he’s worried about that when he’s not worried about a million Floridians without health insurance, he’s not worried about teachers, he’s not worried about my kid who goes to a public school,” said Annette Taddeo, Crist’s running mate. “That’s what he should be worried about, not about a fan.”
Both candidates addressed the fan flap near the end of the debate, with Crist defending having his cooling system on hand.
“Is there anything wrong with being comfortable?” Crist said. “I don’t think there is.”
Once the debate did begin, the candidates continued the squabbling that started in television commercials and carried through a debate last week at Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo.
“That’s not true,” Scott said at one point during a discussion of insurance rates.
“Oh, it’s true,” Crist shot back.
Crist once again brought up a years-old deposition in a civil case where Scott invoked his right not to incriminate himself 75 times.
“That is not the kind of leadership that Florida deserves,” Crist said.
In response to a question about gay marriage, Scott noted Crist’s evolving position on the issue — part of a narrative seeking to portray Crist as a habitual flip-flopper.
“We don’t actually know what Charlie believes on this issue, because he’s taken every side of this issue,” Scott said.
But most of the talk on social media and at the debate venue concerned the fan — and whether or not it will make any difference.
“It’s funny, but in terms of pushing people, I doubt it,” said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida. “But it may make them watch the next one.”
by Brandon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Comments
24 Responses to “Governor’s Race Debate Blown Away By Crist, Scott Dispute Over Fan”
REGARDING:
” I’ll vote for the Liberal guy just to see that neither of these guys end up back in office again.”
Do you mean LIBERAL or LIBERTARIAN?
David for liberty
I told people not to vote for Scott last time but did then listen …. NO. Not that Crist is any better. I’ll vote for the Liberal guy just to see that neither of these guys end up back in office again.
A dang FAN!!!
Come on Rick Scott, grow up!!!
Is this how u have been running the state? Oh I’m sorry I’m sure u will take the 5th on that question!!!
Be a good boy, eat all ur dinner and u can have ice cream afterwords…
Give us a dang break!!!
They did the Libertarian guy a favor by not allowing him to participate. Wonder how many votes he will get now just because he is the only other option to these two acting like 5 year olds .
Just want to point out when Crist was in office last time, the US was in a recession. Not that they want to call it a recession. But that was what it was. I was employed and lost alot in my retirement. I had a job and felt that loss. And didn’t live in Florida. So…..since Floridians blame the high employment rate on Crist, we can blame him for the US being in a recession too. The last statement was a sarcastic statement.
Crist really went to work for us. He managed to get the federal government to help fund the monorail that the voters of Florida voted on a 1 cent tax over 20 years ago. Scott campaigned on the slogan”Lets get to work”. When he got into office the first thing he did was cut jobs. He’s quite the politician, running into the media’s eye every time a new company comes here, taking credit for new jobs that he had absolutely no participation what so ever. Crist lobbied Washington to get them to match us on the monorail system. Who gave Gov. Scott the authority to delete the project? The voters voted for it.
People criticize Scott for pleading the 5th, yet seem to think Lois Lerner doing it was perfectly acceptable.
To everyone moaning about how both candidates are terrible:
You are going to vote for one of them anyway aren’t you?
That’s what’s wrong with our country.
I already knew who I was voting for. If I had any doubt, the fan simplified it for me. Every voter should Google Scott pleading the 5th. If we do not start taking the rich out of office, we get what we deserve.
Well, if you can’t take the heat…
Almost speechless….
Both of these (hesitate to use word) men are so inappropriate for the highest office in the state.
@ Jeeperman….I would agree with you but feel the two candidates would see your ideal sarcasm as a positive statement and then argue over who should get credit.
I am, however, positive they are both idiots and other things not allowed to express here. I am going to write in Alfred E Newman.
Dear Lord, Please HELP us here in Florida….we sure need your Help.
Commenters are spot-on. Mr. Larrabee, clever use of the word “evolving.” Is that your bias showing?
Really, katie, how anyone can think that Crist is not also a liar. He has no personal convictions just what will get him elected. Most Democrats know they can not trust Crist to do anything but what is in his own best interest. If changing back to a Republican is what he thinks will help him then he will do it.
Our problem as voters is that we have two very poor candidates. Scott who we know will do the same thing he has been and Crist who will do whatever is best for him personally.
If you are outraged at Lois Lerner from the IRS taking the 5th once, how can you possibly vote for Rick Scott, who did so 75 times in one deposition?
I was amused by the media hoopla over this until I remembered something. Back in 1960, Richard Nixon debated JFK, and Nixon was sweating profusely the whole time. Many believed this was a major handicap to him, because it gave the impression that he was overly nervous and not believable (which, in light of Watergate, is reasonable). I think Mr. Crist didn’t want to stand there and sweat, and Mr. Scott probably felt that was an advantage that he didn’t want to see. Of course, this is all just conjecture on my part, but would seem to fit the situation.
Yes folks….These two third graders are your choices to run the state of Florida for the next 4 years.
If we only had a choice for Governor this time, no reason to vote.
I am sooooo proud to be a citizen of this state and vote.
For Adrian Wyllie.
Scott remains the small minded fellow he always was. Crist has a small fan so Scott will not debate? It’s hard to want to re-elect a liar like Scott with his millions of dollars.
Do men have hot flashes? Geeez
Now Don’t that just blow your skirt up!!!!
The toughest part is deciding who to vote against.
Because noone in their right mind would vote FOR either one.
He behaves like a child and takes money from GEO Group.
A fan? Really? With all of the issues that we face daily as a state, these men are worried about a stupid fan? Like children that get upset because one has something that the other doesn’t.
These are our top choices for the leader of Florida?
We are doomed, people…doomed