Opinion
by:
E. Eugene Webb PhD
Now that the midterms are behind us, it is time to look at what Floridians will be dealing with as they consider their ballots for the midterm elections. Let us start from the top of the ballot with the race for Florida's governor.
When it comes to Ron DeSantis and Charlie
Crist, there could hardly be a clearer contrast between two political
candidates.
DeSantis, very Trump like, has proven his
willingness to use the power and authority granted to him as governor of
Florida to move things in his way. Not necessarily in the way of the majority
of Floridians think.
If you think back to your grade school,
middle school, and even high school days, you will probably remember at least
one, if not several, bullies that you had to deal with.
Now look inside the Ron DeSantis press
package. What you see is what you get. Somebody who enjoys power and likes to
bully his way through the issues.
There is another thing to consider if
you're planning to vote for Ron DeSantis.
When you cast your vote for DeSantis this
November, you may very well be really voting for Jeanette Nunez for governor.
Nunez, a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, was Ron Desantis's
running mate for Lieutenant governor in the 2018 Florida gubernatorial
election.
Nunez has been the quintessential
Lieutenant Governor for Ron DeSantis. Her tenure can pretty much be summarized
in the statement, “out of sight out of mind.” Just exactly what the Florida Governor
likes. No competition for the spotlight.
DeSantis has made it perfectly clear he
would like to be on the ballot in the presidential election in 2024. Preferably
at the top of the ballot as the presidential nominee of the Republican Party.
At the very best if DeSantis is reelected,
he will be a part-time governor spending most of his working hours campaigning
for the Republican nomination.
Should DeSantis inadvertently succeed in
his Presidential bid, Florida’s new governor would be Jeanette Nunez.
Think about that when you vote.
The other contender in the race is Saint
Petersburg based Charlie Crist. In the interest of full disclosure, I have known
Charlie Crist for years and supported him in almost every election he's
participated in over the years.
The contrast between the two candidates
is striking to say the least. Crist is as far from being a bully and a power-hungry
politician as the East is from the West.
Charlie Crist is the real deal what you
see is what you get. I've been following politics in Florida for over a decade,
and I can honestly say I've never seen anybody walk the talk more closely than
Charlie Crist.
He will come to the statehouse with a new
view, and Florida needs a new view.
Florida needs some time to cool off
politically. To get beyond the wild rhetoric of the Trump era. The Florida
State government needs to begin once again to function like a government and
not the arm of a radical political party.
You are hearing a lot of talk right now
in the media about the cast of candidates at the Republicans are putting up
following the midterms and how unqualified the media thinks they are.
That's not an issue with Charlie Crist. I
encourage you to watch any debates that take place between Crist and DeSantis,
pay careful attention to the political ads, their tenor and the effort to
denigrate and demean the opposition. My hope is you won't see much of that from
the Chris campaign, although some defense against the DeSantis onslaught will
be necessary, all of that hate rhetoric is not who Charlie Crist is.
Charlie Crist will come to the governor's
office with plenty of experience both political and practical when it comes to
governing the state of Florida. He will turn down the pressure; he will not be
meddling in every local government from the school board to the County Sheriff,
and he will be moving to do what is best in this state for all Floridians.
The governor's race here is an important
one not just for political reasons but for the practical governing of one of
this country's largest states.
We don't need a governor with his own
private army. We need a governor who knows how to lead with courage and
compassion and not one who pushes his agenda as the bully an chief.
E-mail Doc at mail to: dr.gwebb@yahoo.com
or send me a Facebook (E.
Eugene Webb) Friend request. Like or share on Facebook,
follow me on TWITTER @DOC ON THE BAY.
See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos.
Disclosures:
No comments:
Post a Comment