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Scott, Nelson Take Off Gloves During First Debate
October 3, 2018
In a matchup mirroring the deep partisan divide engulfing the nation, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Florida Gov. Rick Scott bickered Tuesday about red tide, guns, immigration and a controversial Supreme Court nomination in their first debate before next month’s U.S. Senate election.
Nelson, a Democrat, and Scott, a Republican winding up his last year as governor, reached almost no consensus during the hour-long Telemundo debate, which was scheduled to air Tuesday night.
Instead, Nelson accused his opponent of lying, and Scott painted the incumbent as a partisan do-nothing who’s accomplished little in his nearly 20 years in the Senate.
Proposals backed by Nelson and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum will “kill the economy,” Scott said.
“They like high taxes,” he said.
“The governor keeps coming out with one whopper after another. Apparently, you never got your mouth washed out with soap after telling a lie because you keep on going on, on every part of my record,” Nelson shot back, according to a transcript released Tuesday afternoon by Telemundo.
The two also tangled about Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee who vehemently denies allegations by Christine Blasey Ford and at least two other women who have accused him of sexual misconduct while in high school or college.
Nelson said he intends to vote against Kavanaugh, adding that he tried repeatedly in vain to meet with the appellate judge.
Nelson praised Ford’s “compelling” testimony when she and Kavanaugh appeared separately before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week.
Ford “was expressing for millions of women in this country the ‘me too,’ that sexual assault has happened to them. And she was doing that in front of 11 Republican men that seemed to dismiss it,” Nelson said, referring to the Republicans on the committee.
Kavanaugh, who angrily criticized the confirmation process and what he viewed as a Democratic conspiracy to thwart his confirmation, lacks “the temperament that is needed of what you want to put someone on the highest court in this land,” Nelson said.
But Scott rebuked Nelson for having decided to vote against Kavanaugh even before the hearing, accusing Nelson of saying he would reject whoever was nominated.
“The way the U.S. Senate has handled this, it’s a circus. It’s more like a Jerry Springer show,” Scott scolded, calling Kavanaugh and Ford “just pawns in some political game.”
The testimony of both Kavanaugh and Ford were “convincing and raw, pure emotion,” Scott said.
But, he said, “if you take all of the evidence together and you look at Judge Kavanaugh’s record as a judge, I’m going to continue to support Judge Kavanaugh.”
Scott then assailed Nelson for failing to expose Congressman Alcee Hastings for settling a sexual assault claim for over $200,000.
“You know governor, you just can’t tell the truth,” Nelson punched back, adding that the state’s newspapers have branded Scott as “a walking conflict of interest.”
The senator cited an Orlando Sentinel story that Nelson said showed that “every election that you’ve ever run … you always blame the other guy.”
The two opponents also sparred over Puerto Rico.
Both campaigns have attempted to endear their candidates to the more than 1 million Puerto Ricans — and up to 50,000 more who moved here after Hurricane Maria — who call Florida home.
The day before the debate, Nelson secured the endorsement of Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, despite Scott’s repeated trips to the U.S. territory following last year’s massive storm, which wiped out electricity island-wide and resulted in 3,000 deaths. Trump has also been widely disparaged for accusing Democrats of inflating the number of fatalities.
“The president has treated its citizens as second-class citizens,” Nelson said, mocking Trump for throwing paper towels into the audience when he visited Puerto Rico shortly after Maria made landfall in September 2017.
“Now, my opponent has said when down there in Puerto Rico, what would you have done differently? And he said, quote, I would not have done anything differently. I think that pretty well tells you about the treatment of the people from Puerto Rico,” Nelson said.
Scott countered that he wanted “to do everything I can to help Puerto Ricans” after the storm.
“It was never about politics. It was about helping our fellow citizens,” he said, rattling off a list of the aid the state provided to the island and to migrants who fled to Florida.
In front of the Hispanic debate audience, Scott, who has close ties to Trump, sought to separate himself from the president on the issue of children whose parents illegally brought them into the country.
Scott again blamed Nelson for failing to address the problem in Washington, calling it “remarkable” that the senator would “talk about doing something.”
“He’s been there when his party controlled both chambers and the White House, and he did nothing,” Scott said.
The two candidates also pointed the finger at each other over recent outbreaks of toxic algae and red tide that are impacting waterways and beaches on both coasts.
“Red tide is something that’s naturally occurring. I’ve declared a state of emergency,” Scott said, saying the state has sent “millions” of dollars to the counties to deal with the crisis and committed $17 million for research projects.
But he blamed Nelson for the toxic algae outbreak, saying it was linked to the failure to improve the Herbert Hoover Dike around Lake Okeechobee.
“He has never done anything to get us the money to fix the dike at Lake Okeechobee, which is a 100 percent federal project,” Scott said.
Nelson called that “a whopper,” pointing to major cuts in environmental funding by Scott that affected water management districts and eliminated the Department of Community Affairs.
During his eight years as governor, Scott has “systematically disassembled the environmental agencies of this state,” Nelson said.
“You see the result. You put pollution in the water, it will grow the algae in the heat of summer. And then when that algae goes down the rivers and mixes with a bacteria known as red tide, it supercharges that,” he said.
But Scott said environmental funding has increased during his tenure, including a state commitment to spend $200 million a year on Everglades restoration. He also said he worked with Trump to secure funding for the dike repairs, which he said would be completed in 2022.
Also, the two candidates clashed over gun-control laws in the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting at a Parkland high school killed 14 students and three faculty members.
Nelson pointed to Fred Guttenberg, who was sitting in the audience and who lost his 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, in the attack.
“Fred wakes up every day and goes to the cemetery the first thing. He’ll never have another birthday for Jaime. My opponent has an A-plus rating with the NRA. He has passed more NRA-backed legislation than any other governor in the history of this state,” Nelson said. “I hope governor, that you will look Fred Guttenberg in the face, and tell him that you’re not going to support those kind of policies that you have with the NRA.”
Scott said his “heart goes out” to all the shooting victims and their families. And he said he worked with parents, like Guttenberg, in crafting a quick response to the shooting that includes more law-enforcement officers and more security measures for schools and more mental health counselors.
“And within three weeks after the Parkland shooting, we passed a comprehensive bill,” Scott said.
In contrast, Scott again said Nelson has “got nothing done.”
“He can talk like he cares about these things. Here’s the difference, Sen. Nelson is fine with taking away certain guns from law-abiding citizens,” Scott said.
Comments
29 Responses to “Scott, Nelson Take Off Gloves During First Debate”
Florida really needed Putnam to put our environment back on track. what a bummer. And Rick Scott will never be respected by Florida again.
Vote November 6 like your lives depend on it.
Some people on here claim that Ford kept changing her story but no one has said how her story changed. Perhaps if you listened to her words first hand and not someone else’s interpretation!
@NativeTongue….I’m having trouble in believing that you have been a sexual assault victim at all let alone multiple times. If you have been mistreated, I’m sorry, but I kind of expect someone who has had experienced such treatment would have more empathy. Perhaps you just don’t want to believe her and you have that right.
FYI . … Conservative Tree house is not a legitimate news source ..it is a conspiracy theory machine and a lot of their claims have been proven false. It will be better for you to stick with Fox News.
CAN WE PLEASE HAVE ANOTHER OPTION???? I CANT STAND EITHER ONE!!
LORD HELP US ALL!!! ITS ABOUT TIME WE HAVE BETTER OPTIONS TO BEGIN WITH, ACROSS THE BOARD!!!
PLEASE… RIGHT, LEFT, MIDDLE, EXTREME, CONSERVATIVE OR WHATEVER ….
PLEASE GIVE US MORE OPTIONS AND BETTER OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM IN THE NEXT ELECTIONS!!!!
ok, we all have a difference of opinions that’s about the same, so let’s go for who looks the most handsome in the photos.
Both are pieces of garbage.
Scott can take his “red flag” firearms law and shove it up his swamp area. How can a “conservative” dare try to implement a “law” removing firearm ownership by completely violating the 4th Amendment? In the famous word of Brigadier General Anthony Clement McAuliffein in response to a surrender demand from the German army …Nuts!
Nelson is even worse. Nuts as well.
I don’t want either 1.
I can certainly see who watches the Trump Network. Never hear the real truth but after all, I don’t think some can handle it. I’m a independent voter, not blinded by party lines.
Watch all news outlets and get the facts, be informed before voting.
NELSON GO TO GO, HE SHOULDN’T PLUG THE DRAIN LINES
“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
chilly willy, thank you for convincing me to vote for a great man the HONORABLE RICK SCOTT. GOVERNOR OF THE GREAT STATE OF FLORDIA TO BE OUR NEXT US SENATOR. He will support President Trump’s policies and continue to make AMERICA GREAT !!!!!!!. May God bless America again.
I will vote for anyone, no matter their views who runs against Scott, He will never get my vote for anything ever again!!! A worm could make better decisions than he could.
Oppose the crazy democrats.
No matter how corrupt Scott may or may not be, NOTHING compares to the outright insanity and corruption of the Democrat party and their leading senators, like Nelson.
Yes, Scott is corrupt, BUT, our President needs more Republicans in the Senate so that he can move forward helping us. As long as President Trump is our president, I will use my vote to help him.
Here is what the last Eight years has got us, Don’t be Fooled.Gov Scott signed legislation taking our beaches away, making private property owners property lines go down to the water line or wet sand. Taking care of his rich buddies.
State of Florida is covered in toxic algae, waterways and lake Okeechobee
is dying, Rick Scott abolished the state EPA and water management, Slashed funding and removed regulations for his corporate buddies.
Rick Scott please just go away. He Took the fifth amendment 75 times in a deposition in the largest Medicare Fraud case in history.
settled several million dollar law suits with our tax dollars for violating Florida Sunshine laws for open government, Google the firing of Gerald Bailey, former FDLE director
Total disgrace what he did to a man with a impeccable law enforcement career..Keeps all his assets hidden in a blind trust in his wife’s name.
Changed your automobile insurance, benefiting insurance companies so you only have 14 days after you have a accident. to file a medical claim, who does that benefit. Scott has already spent sixteen million on TV ads. Spent millions of our tax dollars building a sea wall around a golf course in south Florida.. Yet he vetoed most projects in our area. Scott has destroyed the department of health , department of corrections, remember when the tornadoes hit century , Scott was in Pensacola and would not even go to century to check on those folks. He privatized Silver Springs in Ocala Now looks like a dilapidated ghost
town. I was there. Tried to cut funding for in home care for disabled children and put them in senior nursing homes , thankfully a judge stepped in and stopped it. Rick Scott and his wife attend a special Olympics for disabled children and
the same day ,he goes back to his office and signs legislation cutting funding to disabled children, What kind of a man would do such a thing. need I say more. Please Vote. Oppose Criminals ., Oppose Dishonesty Oppose No Integrity ,
@Trey and @Me: Educate yourself: Got to Conservative Treehouse and read two recent articles exposing Ford and the CIA/FBI cabal of which she a part. It is deeper and wider than any of us can imagine.
@ trey
Really don’t care one way or the other. But her story has changed a lot and she did wait 30 years so for me it’s hard to believe any of it
Been an Independent for many years….don’t give Democrats or
Republicans a dime. Am conservative in generality regarding
debt,tax ,laws , and the normal human process of being fair and
and respectful to all . The Democrats comportment and
willingness to do anything to get their way regarding the Judge
Kavanaugh appointment has affected my thinking. From today
forward, I’ll immediately REJECT any candidate ( for any Office)
who calls themselves a Democrat . Keeping in mind….there’s
some Republicans that will get the same treatment for the same
reasons.
@Trey
I’m a female survivor of repeated sexual assault and I believe Dr. Ford is lying through her teeth.
You can be empathetic to sexual assault victims without being brainwashed to believe everyone who makes these claims is telling the truth.
I get what you’re saying about the current reactions causing victims to remain silent but when someone “cries wolf” it makes it that much harder for the actual victims to get someone to believe their claims.
Regardless of this current distraction, both Scott & Nelson are horrible garbage humans who have ruined the State of Florida for far too long.
The old saying, “we’re d***ed if we do, and D***ed if we don’t,” applies here! Nelson is a loser and votes the party line, (which at this point is on a witch hunt). He has done NOTHING to help the state of Florida.
Then there is Scott, who is a crook, Don’t believe me check into the J-pay tablets. Why are state worker doing the work that a private company should be doing and that private company is still getting paid?)The comptroller needs to be looking into this.)
My vote is going for Mickey Mouse, he’s a citizen of the state!
I fear for the people like np630ss who have been so brainwashed as to think that a sexual assault survivor would come forward like Dr. Ford and up-end her life just for some political maneuverings. It’s opinions like theirs that keep sexual assault victims from coming forward in the first place. How can you have any sort of soul and morals and not even give her a chance or the belief that she’s telling the truth, just as much as you want him to be innocent? I truly hope that you don’t ever have to deal with sexual assault or have anyone in your family deal with sexual assault, now or ever. Just step back for a moment and take off your MAGA hat and think about why she’d do what she did – truly – without your pro-Trump lens on. I know this posting won’t change your opinion or open your mind, but I hope that for someone it will make them step back and really question their reasons for attacking this woman.
Scott lost my vote by siding with drunken frat boy kavenaugh. At the end of the day the hearing was his job interview and he was ranting and raving like a madman. Plus he was disrespectful and smug. Not a good impression for a judge. He has no self control.
Bye bye, Billy.
Our whole political process is a Jerry Springer spin-off. As far as all these sexual harassment cases all of a sudden coming to light after 30 or 40 years – ridiculous. In Kavanaugh’s case two high school kids sneak away from a party and go upstairs. 30 years later, all of a sudden because it serves a political interest, we form committees and spend millions of dollars investigating what happened in that bedroom. Must be financially rewarding to stir up gossip – pathetic!
Bill Nelson does not represent the best interest of the State of Florida which by definition, is his job as a Senator. He mainly represents the Democratic Party. He votes with the D party 90 percent of the time with a few years in there on Obama’s presidency, voting 100 percent of the time.
It is simply time for him to retire.
Nelson is useless. Hhe is an example of whats wrong with congress. Doesnt show up for work.
MAGA vote RED vote out Nelson drain the swamp
Nelson just lost my vote. If he supports the unsubstantiated smear campaign against Judge Kavanaugh, he doesn’t have his feet on the ground. In America, we are INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty. Ford has no proof, no evidence and no supporting witnesses. She can’t even keep her stories straight. Now evidence is coming out how she “coached” someone to beat a polygraph test and Nelson SUPPORTS this?
Time for Nelson TO GO!
It don’t matter who wins..we lose