A prohibition against using electronic devices during a political debate makes some sense, but no one in their right mind would think that such a prohibition was aimed at electronic devices that circulate air.
But Florida Governor Rick Scott is not in his right mind.
Maybe Scott can try to blame his horrid debate performance on the advantage Charlie Crist gained by having cool pant legs.
Someone also needs to teach Skeletor the difference between “electronic” devices and “electrical” devices.
I always thought Hank Paulson(remember him?!?) was more Skeletor and Rick Scott was more Lex Luthor.
Skeletor is Lex Luthor’s alter-ego. Or is it the other way around?
I was thinking that too, although I suppose it’s possible even a fan these days might have some electronics in it. Still, the whole thing is ridiculous. Unless it has a “notepad” app, or a wifi or phone connection in it, it wouldn’t seem to be what the rules had in mind.
Crist acknowledges Florida’s heat and does something about it. Scott, even now that he’s had his scientists’ briefing on climate change, can’t figure out how to address even a little fan or deny that it was friggin hot. Whether Crist brought the fan just to annoy Scott or not Scott played into Crist’s hands better than even the handlers could have dreamed.
Here’s hoping the Kochs have already committed to a Scott ad buy and can’t back out.
Yes, Scott looked like a spoiled child having a tantrum. “I’m taking my ball and going home”.
When the moderator told Crist he couldn’t talk because a debate takes two people he should have said, “I’m here on time and ready, it’s Scott that’s either not ready or sulking.”
A MAN would have come to the podium and complained that Crist was breaking the rules not hid pouting in the basement.
Their both Republicans, so I have no dog in that fight.
If Scott has this much trouble with a personal fan it’s likely he’ll run screaming from the state if ever faced with a hurricane!
Crist is running in this race as a Dem; it’s nice to see one Rep who sees the light and comes on over to the light.
It seems very sad that in three major races this cycle Democrats are reduced to supporting the less bad Republican. The Democratic Party lurches Right while the Right Wing takes ever stronger control of the Republican Party.
It was the new iFan air.
Well, I once had an individual knock on my office door and ask if it could be possible that his toaster is beaming microwaves into his brain, and spying on his thoughts. So you know, maybe a fan could do that too.
(I missed an opportunity: I simply told the individual no. I should have quickly picked up the phone and whispered “He’s on to us!”. )
The story actually is somewhat more delicious than it might first appear. Crist is well known for bringing a fan with him to events – there’s even someone on Twitter as the fan. Scott’s people apparently negotiated language in the debate agreement that treated fans as if they were electronic devices. (The agreement actually says “electronic devices (including fans)” in the relevant portion.) This was pretty obvious gamesmanship by Scott.
Crist’s people saw that and added an asterisk and a footnote that said, more or less, that a fan could be used for temperature control and then signed the agreement. Nobody told him that the change wasn’t accepted, so he used the fan. Even better, apparently nobody told Rick Scott’s people, either, hence the meltdown.
The bottom line is that Scott was completely wrong to say there was an agreement not to allow fans. Either the Crist change was accepted and there was an agreement, or it wasn’t accepted and there wasn’t any agreement for Crist to break. (If both sides don’t agree on all of the terms, there isn’t an agreement, after all.) Either way, the Crist people totally played Scott’s team.
As Thom Hartman pointed out, this is the 2nd time Scott has pulled this crap. The game is simple – if you can get the SCLM to focus on a shiny object (or a fan), they will ignore the entire debate.
If normal people know what Scott has done or what he stands for, he can’t win – OH LOOK – shiny object.
I think the game works only if the shiny object is not that you’re a complete tool, and this episode would seem to fail that test.
Rick Scott is a lousy debater. His grasp of facts (outside how to scam Medicare) is post-reality. He looks like a robot and Crist looks like a Governor.
Gamesmanship only matters when the opponent pays attention. I think Scott honestly believed that the stage audience would boo Crist off the stage with shouts (or whispers) of “cheat, cheat”. It’s called “believing your own press”.
Republicans do it all the time.
never underestimate the advantage of not having sweaty balls
History com
Nixon — always a victim.
It’s almost as if Rick Scott was trying to make the case that he’s a major league @$$hole, to use Dubya’s phrasing.
Worked/working for Christie and Cuomo.
If I was that unprepared for a serious debate, I would have tried any excuse to get out of it, too. The really sad part is that this was the best he could come up with.
TPM has a terrifying anecdote relating to Rick Scott’s style of management and Ebola preparedness. In short a lot of hospitals are totally unprepared and are openly lying about giving their people proper equipment and training.
So now the people running the debate are saying that they didn’t agree to the rule change the Crist people wanted, still not explaining why they felt compelled to include fans as electronic devices. Of course, what this means is that there wasn’t an agreement on the rules, not that Crist agreed to the no-fan rule.
As bad if not worse than his pathetic opening gambit was his closing remarks. Palinesque — although doubt she would even try to speak unintelligible Spanish.
How desperate is Corbett? Buzzfeed: Everyone In What Looks Like A Group Photo On GOP Governor’s Website Is Photoshopped
So inclusive that he could even get any real people to pose with him for a campaign photo.
Thanks for sharing that Corbett story. The whole thing is delightful, up to and including that desperate spin from the Gov’s campaign.