Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) freaked out on?Wednesday night during his scheduled debate with his opponent, former Gov. Charlie Crist (D). Scott initially refused to join Crist onstage because Crist had a small fan under his podium.
At the beginning of the debate, neither Scott nor Crist were onstage, prompting one of the moderators to say:
“Ladies and Gentleman, we have an extremely peculiar situation.”
At that point, Gov. Crist walked onto the stage alone, to the cheers of the crowd. He had this to say:
“Are we really going to debate about a fan? Or are we going to talk about education and the environment and the future of our state?” Crist asked. “I mean, really.”
The moderator explained. From Talking Points Memo:
“We have been told that Governor Scott will not be participating in this debate,” the moderator said. “Now, let me explain what this is all about. Governor Crist has asked to have a small fan placed underneath his podium. The rules of the debate that I was shown by the Scott campaign say that there should be no fan. Somehow there is a fan there, and for that reason ladies and gentlemen, I am being told that Governor Scott will not join us for this debate.”
Scott cited that he wouldn’t participate because the debate rules stated that no “electronic equipment” could be onstage.?The Crist campaign counters that Scott Walker never signed the agreement.
Gov. Crist had the best line of the night when he said:
“That’s the ultimate pleading of the fifth I’ve ever heard in my whole life.”
Scott joined Crist onstage after about six minutes, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
After the debate, the Crist campaign posted a copy of the rules the candidate signed that includes a note reading “with understanding that the debate hosts will address any temperature issues with a fan if necessary.”
The Scott campaign?claims that Scott didn’t refused to debate Charlie Crist.
“So, let’s get one thing clear: Rick Scott never refused to take the stage and debate. In fact, our campaign was not notified Charlie had even taken the stage because the last we heard, Crist was in an ’emergency meeting’ with debate organizers pleading for his precious fan,” campaign manager Melissa Sellers said in a news release. “But 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 Governor Rick Scott.”
And this from Scott’s campaign manager:
“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. Crist should buy a fan for the 832,000 Floridians who lost their jobs while he was governor.”
Visit TampaBay.com for all of the details about the debate. Watch the insane video below.
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Tiffany Willis is a fifth-generation Texan and the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
