(© FlaglerLive)
Before the first partisan word is spoken by or about either Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor, or Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee and former congressman representing Flagler County and the rest of the 6th Congressional District, one difference between the two candidates is as indisputable as it is stark. It has nothing to do with politics, ideology, Trump, Obama, red or blue.
Gillum, the Tallahassee mayor since 2014, hadn’t taken more than a few steps outside the Palm Coast Community Center when he got there in late afternoon Sunday before he started hugging supporters, posing with them for selfie after selfie as if he had no other care in the world, talking to them like everyone’s prodigal son as he made his way to a hall filled with nearly 400 cheering voices.
It was his first trip as a candidate to Flagler. But in those few minutes, Gillum had a seemingly genuine rapport with local voters that DeSantis never managed in six years as Flagler’s congressman, going back to the evening of his coming out as a candidate at a February 2012 campaign event at this same community center’s older version: Back then, running against five Republicans in that year’s primary, DeSantis stood against a wall, inexpressive, waiting his turn to speak. He switched it on then. And then off.
With rare exceptions, his six years since have been similarly peripheral to the district or its people, exhibiting the same off-and-on relationship, never fostering the sort of constituent services John Mica, his GOP predecessor, was famous for.
Somebody must’ve told Gillum.
“Now I’ve got to tell you, I’ve got a particular amount of joy about this,” Gillum told the Community Center crowd about running against DeSantis, “because the person I’m running against on the Republican side I believe happens to be your member of Congress.” Boos cascaded across the room. “Well, the more I get to know him, the more I understand exactly what you all mean.” But that would prove to be one of only a few direct hits against DeSantis–as if to make him a no-show even in Gillum’s campaign speeches.
Landing Gillum for a barbecue was Flagler Democratic Party leader Stephanie Capehart’s latest coup: After drawing about 100 people for a “March For Our Lives” demonstration along Palm Coast Parkway in the wake of the Parkland school massacre, she drew Judy Mount, the vice chair of the state Democratic Party for a rally featuring other local Democrats in Flagler Beach. On Sunday, the barbecue featured Nancy Soderberg, the Democrat running for the congressional seat DeSantis gave up, Sean Shaw, the former state House member running for attorney general, and Gillum, along with the rare Democrats running locally (John Tipton and Jack Howell, for two open Palm Coast council seats, and Adam Morley for the House seat held by Paul Renner.)
“When I took over this position earlier this year, the most common statement I heard about Democrats in Flagler County is, Where are they?” Capehart said. “And if today is any indication of things to come, we have more energy, more volunteers, more people willing to engage and stay engaged, and I’m hoping that they’ll not only get engaged now through this race, but through 2020. That’s my goal.”
Gillum’s presence was a draw, of course. But no one had expected it to be that much of a draw. To Flagler County Republicans, big crowds are routine. They control a one-party county since Democrats lost their registration advantage after 2008, and lost it big. But no Democratic event had drawn that many people under the same roof in at least two decades, if not more: the crowd lapped him up with constellations of cell phones held aloft and set to video. Dozens lined the walls, the seats being all full.
“Rumor had it there were no Democrats here,” Gillum said. “They were wrong.”
Jim Manfre, the former two-time Flagler County sheriff (he won in 2000 and again in 2012) had been speaking with John Tipton at one point in the afternoon: “John,” he told the relative newcomer to Palm Coast, “you just happened to see the best day in Flagler County’s history since I’ve run in 20 years. This is it. I’ve never had this much enthusiasm, and people just having a cause.”
Manfre’s daughter Catherine had volunteered for the Hillary Clinton campaign in the district two years ago. “We couldn’t get that number of people out to save our lives until she came here to Daytona, we couldn’t. People either didn’t think it was going to happen,” Catherine Manfre said of Donald Trump’s election, “or they just didn’t care.”
“We need younger candidates like Andrew, we need these candidates that have different ideas and are unafraid to be unashamedly progressive,” she said.
Ralph Lightfoot, who headed the local Democratic Party before Capehart and is still immersed in the organization, said the enthusiasm has translated into more volunteers knocking on doors in the streets. The state Democratic Party hands out monthly $1,000 grants to counties that score high on door-knocking. Flagler won the small-county division two months in a row, Lightfoot said.
The higher energy, he said, “I attribute it to Donald Trump, the greatest motivator in the world. Negative motivation, I mean, people want to get rid of him. We’re trying to win the House. We must absolutely win the House, but that’s the primary factor.”
He then spoke in terms almost identical to those spoken at the last massive rally in Palm Coast–in 2010, by the then quite active Flagler County Tea Party, though back then instead of “Trump,” demonstrators said “Obama.” Instead of “fascism,” they said “socialism.” Everything else they said paralleled Lightfoot’s words.
“People are disenchanted because democracy is under attack, and if we don’t do something we could lose the whole country if people don’t rise up and do something,” Lightfoot said. “We could lose democracy to fascism. If Trump had his way, based on what you see, he wants to be a dictator, and if we don’t rise up, the Republicans aren’t doing anything to combat the guy, so our only recourse is to win the House, win the Senate, and then we can make some changes.” (The tea party movement helped Republicans retake the U.S. House in 2010.) “But I’ve never seen anything in Flagler like it is now. You know how we were six years ago. We started with negative seven dollars, and now we’re up to 20 grand in the bank, so it’s a big difference. ”
(© FlaglerLive)
Hardly anyone had known or seen Sean Shaw, the candidate for attorney general, when he took the stage just before Gillum and after Soderberg and the local candidates had spoken–and after everyone had consumed the afternoon’s barbecue and the tables were rolled out to make way for chairs in rows to accommodate two rooms combined for the main event.
The Attorney General’s office under his leadership, Shaw said, would do a 180 for gun control, a woman’s right to choose, protecting the environment and public education. It would be “the most action-oriented office,” Shaw said, unafraid to project himself as an activist attorney general. “Pam Bondi acts like she’s the general counsel for the Republican Party,” he said of the current attorney general.
“The first lawsuit I will drop is Florida’s participation in the lawsuit against Obamacare,” he said to applause. (Florida is party to litigation against the Affordable Care Act, including, currently, a lawsuit that attempts to end insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions.) “The second lawsuit I will join is against the president, because I also don’t believe that you should personally profit from the president, and the third one is the detention center policy lawsuit.” He added, “This is a scene that requires aggression.”
Shaw, too, remarked about the throng. “Look at this room. This is not normal. This is not normal, Democrats, we have to take advantage of this,” Shaw said. “This same room is happening in every county I go to.”
He was followed by the Blue Note Quartet, a group of singers who put a few well-known tunes to politicized lyrics–well-meaning if cringe-inducing riffs on “Living it up in GOP America” and “there ain’t no cure for the health care blues.”
It was the bridge to Gillum, who was just then arriving outside–and marveling over Anita Moeder’s black Mini-Cooper convertible, converted into a Gillum-mobile as well: she’d stencilled “Andrew Gillum for Governor” in large white letters on both sides of the car, drawing Gillum’s attention before and after the event, when he hopped in for a few pictures. “This commitment here is a whole other level,” he told Moeder. “I want to see this in the inauguration parade.”
He wasn’t exaggerating, at least not about the parade: two polls released last week had him widening his margin over DeSantis, by nine and five points. No poll has had him behind since polling started in August.
To the crowd, Gillum spoke for Soderberg, for renewable energy, for higher teacher pay, for the Affordable Care Act: “When we win this race you’re actually going to have a governor who actually believes that we ought to treat health care as a right and not a privilege,” he said, and to make Medicaid available to 800,000 Floridians currently denied it.
He rode the crowd’s enthusiasms to new highs: “When we win this race–not if, not if, but when we win this race–the NRA has another thing coming for them,” he said, words unheard out loud in gun-addled Flagler in years. “This is not anti Second Amendment. This is simply saying that if you want to carry the power of God on your waistband, you at least should have a background check. Shouldn’t be an extreme thing to ask for. It is saying that, you know what, if you’re a domestic violence abuser, you shouldn’t have access to a gun where you can take out the life of your loved one. It is simply saying that if you want to shoot a gun that can fire all 60 bullets in 60 seconds that you ought to join the military.” (Gillum was off by a zero: the U.S. military’s M-16 assault rifle can fire at a rate of 800 rounds per minute, the the AK-47 at a rate of 600 rounds. The Las Vegas massacre shooter retrofitted a semiautomatic weapon with a “bump stock” that gave him firepower at over 500 rounds per minute.)
And while Gillum echoed Michelle Obama’s advice–“when they go low we go high”–he said a different standard applies to the Democratic ranks in front of him: “When they go low you’ve got to go to the mat.” He later elaborated in a brief interview that Democrats should be past tolerating division based on skin color: “Unfortunately,” Gillum said, “my opponent began this race in the gutter, His comment was not lost on me, and frankly his comment was not lost on others, a few days after he made those comments, neo-Nazis were phone-banking into the state of Florida, using race and parodies of me, or claiming to be me, as a way to basically call my race into question, and to use it as a way to score political points.”
Gillum was referring to DeSantis’s comment in a Fox News interview shortly after Gillum’s victory that Florida should build on Rick Scott’s record. “The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases, and bankrupting the state,” DeSantis said.
“I certainly felt that he was using a page from the Trump manual of campaigning, which is to divide based off of differences like race,” Gillum said, speaking with a trio of reporters after the rally. “He’s a Yale and a Harvard graduate, language is certainly not lost on him. He could have used plenty of ways to explain what he wanted to get across. I think he used his words strategically, and I think he used them as a bullhorn to a certain group of people. What I wanted him to know is that that would not be acceptable in this race.”
But speaking to the crowd Gillum had words about reaching across ideological chasms, too, when his humor showed most. “I know y’all in Flagler County. I know y’all got friends that you recreate with and you hang out with who may not believe like we believe.” The room grumbled. Flagler Republicans have an advantage of 8,000 more Republican registrations than Democrats, out of a total of 82,000 registered. “Well, let me tell you, we’ve got to talk to ‘em. We’ve got to tell them to vote their own interests.”
He was his own example: “I’m going to go everywhere. I’m going to talk to everybody. I even campaigned at the Villages,” he said to howls of recognition about Florida’s redoubt of wealthy retirees whose golden oldies rhyme with Barry Goldwater and John Welch’s Birchers. “I went to the Villages y’all for a meet and greet, thinking I might meet 50 or 100 people, when I got there the room was teeming with over 500 retirees.” An elderly white gentleman at that meet and greet then stood up and told him he’d help him to the governorship with a $20 donation.
Audio: Andrew Gillum Against “Weaponizing Race”
“Now, I thought, you know, we’re at the Villages, surely you got more than $20,” Gillum continued. “I didn’t say it y’all, but I thought it. And then he turned to the rest of the room and says, if anybody else believes that Gillum ought to be governor, I want you to give him., $5, $10, or $20, so he turned it into a fundraiser. When we left that meet-and-greet, now turned impromptu fundraiser, we walked out of there raising nearly $6,000. The point of that is, we’ve got to talk to everybody. We’ve got to stop treating the race for governor as if it’s the electoral college. You don’t win one county and lose another, pick up one and lose another. You win by getting one more vote than the next person, and that one vote may come throughout anywhere, throughout the length and breadth of this state.”
He even packed an auditorium in Palatka.
Soon after that it was back to the hugging and embraces and “I love you’s” as Gillum made his way back out.
Will any of this translate to votes come Nov. 6? “We absolutely, honestly believe we’re going to elect two councilmen, and for sure we absolutely believe we’re going to elect Gillum and Nelson. That’s our firm, firm belief,” Mike Cocchiola, the pugilist, ever-candid leader of the Flagler Democratic Club, said.
And Soderberg? “Yes, her race is going to be harder though. I forgot about Nancy and I forgot about–” he paused, looking for the name. Someone reminded him: Adam, as in Adam Morley, the Florida House candidate on his third run for that seat. “Adam,” Cocchiola said. “I mean, we expect to elect all of our candidates. Some have tougher races than others, but certainly Nancy’s race is a very important race, council races are very important races, but we know in Florida we have got to capture the governor’s seat and the senate if we’re going to turn America back toward the light instead of the darkness. Simply going to have to do that.”
Note: The New York Times, in a reference to Gillum’s Palm Coast rally, linked to this story in its Oct. 4 article on the DeSantis-Gillum race.
Veteran says
A vote for Gillum is a vote for socialism.
Michael Cocchiola says
Good report, as always, Flaglerlive. The energy and enthusiasm in that building were so mindboggling that I forgot to mention Nancy Soderberg and Adam Morley. Guess I was caught up in the Gillum sunami.
We have such a great lineup of candidates. From John Tipton and Jack Howell for the PC city council to Adam Morely for the 24th District FL House, Nancy Soderberg’s 6th District U.S. house race and on up through Nikki Fried’s Ag Commissioner and Shawn Shaw’s Attorney General races and to the two most important races in Florida, Andrew (Rock Star) Gillum for governor and Bill Nelson for U.S. Senate. When these fine candidates take office in January Florida’s, Flagler’s and Palm Coast’s worlds will completely rock. Goodbye, Rick (Red Tide) Scott and Ron (No Show) Desantis,
Vote your values. Vote for your best interests. Vote to protect your healthcare, your environment, your public schools. Vote Blue!!
Agkistrodon says
Many Dems moved here from other high tax states. Now you come here and you want to elect this GUY, who when elected in Tallahassee Crime rates rose drastically? Go on and vote for him, those NO State taxes YOU moved here for will be LONG GONE. There’s an old saying that goes, “A fool and their monies are easily parted.”
beachcomberT says
Interesting atmospheric piece. You’re right, Gillum has star power and his ads seem to me more effective than DeSantis’s ads. But I wish the article had included any mention that any candidate made about the Kavanaugh case, and how the crowd reacted. I think that’s the issue that will pull conservatives to the poll,
OIF/OEF Vet says
Seems like a nice enough guy to chat sports with over a beer. But he is funded by Soros and doing his bidding. Nothing legit about this guy or the operatives (liberal leftist commies) trying to take over the country. Wouldn’t cast a single vote for this guy for any amount of money. Scott’s not the best either. Just sayin….
DLF says
What does this guy really stand for besides cleaner air, lower tax rate and free something? Just another promise the world do nothing political hag.
Lt Frank says
Yea, his chances are about as good as David Duke !
Nanci Whitley says
Read the Constitution of the State of Florida. State income tax is prohibited. It would take a 2/3 vote to change that. The Governor can not.
Realitycheck1 says
Looking forward to checking the box off next to his name.
Stanley Hardy says
HaHaHaHaHaHaHa
Edith Campins says
Obviously the commenters above have never listened to Mr. Gillum or done any research on him. In typical trumptard fashion when you don’t have anything factual to say, trot out Soros and Socialism.
Self says
Vote Blue, Vote Gillum, bring back the house.
Christina says
With red tide creeping around on three different Florida shores I can’t imagine anyone voting to keep Rick Scott et al in office. 83 million his net worth increased last year – lining his pockets with corporate money while selling our beautiful waterways off to Bullsugar polluters! Algae and Dead Sea life will hamper tourism and stagnate home values if we don’t turn the car around quick! The real question at the ballot for Florida is if we want a BLUE WAVE or a RED TIDE?
Richard says
Gillum speaks to a crowd of 400 Palm Coast people where there are almost 90,000 residents. He also packed an auditorium with 100 people in Palatka where there are 10,000+ people living. If that’s the “BLUE Wave” the dem’s have been boasting about I wonder what the affect will be when the RED tide Tsunami hits in November?
mausborn says
Could Desantis possibly make it any more clear how bad he wants to give trump a BJ? DeSantis would be another Rick Scott doing nothing for the people of Florida except the wealthiest 1% while the rest of us are covered in toxic slime…Ron DeSatanist is an absolute disgrace along with any other supporter of the ghoul currently residing in the oval office. i cannot wait for November!
Desantis is scared of Gillum. He knows he can’t go toe to toe against Guilum in debate on any issue that matters to Floridians..Surf the Blue Wave- Clean up the Red Tide!
Ramone says
Regardless of which side of the aisle you’re on, it never ceases to amaze me that the best we can do for the highest office in the state is a person under investigation with the FBI. And even if he’s innocent of a crime, he’s absolutely guilty of making sure there wasn’t any appearance of impropriety. Not having sound enough judgement to avoid this type of mess is a red flag. It’s sad that our political system makes it so difficult for normal, moral/ethical people to run for these powerful seats.
palmcoaster says
20 years of GOP control in Tallahassee and red tide and green algae is killing our marine life and mammals by the tons and we still have here these dudes tainting the FL Democrats as socialist stop the lies! Socialist/communist is your POTUS now that is giving away our national security to communist Putin for $$ helped by his minions in all Federal Departments.
Vote Gillium, Morley and Nelson if you do not want to have our Atlantic east coast polluted with oil rigs! https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/05/18/attention-florida-voters-do-you-know-who-this-man-i
palmcoaster says
Gillium running for Governor has not received a subpoena from the FBI and is fully cooperating. What about POTUS Rusia investigation and A justice Kavanaugh intended for confirmation just subpoena by FBI? Also all the others trump campaign VIP’s in jail already plus the ones investigated?
Anony says
The only ones doing any tainting are the right winger republicans who have increased the pollution of Florida waters, killing millions of fish, and thousands of endangered manatees and dolphins, and JOBS as well. Gillum is not a ‘socialist’ as the GOPers try to label him, unless they think FDR was a socialist (democratic socialist is much different from the communists republicans love to surround themselves with). Democrats have always had the public interest at heart, wheras these corrupt republicans like Scott and DeSantis don’t care who they screw over to keep power. DeSantis couldn’t care less about the tribulations of the people around him and is the biggest brownnoser of the sketchiest republicans around – don’t forget that he and Scott stumped for pedophile Roy Moore, as well as rapist/serial sexual assaulter/drunk Brett Kavanaugh.
Vote for Gillum for Gov, Nelson for Senate, Adam Morley for State Rep, Jack Howell for Palm Coast city council, and the accomplished Jane Gentile-Youd for Flagler County Commission! They will help Florida to heal and bring good jobs back.
Well says
Don’t expect people to actual educate themselves. They would rather spread lies and make up stories than report the factual truth.
Buy Local says
Gillum favors keeping pre existing insurance underwriting Desantos wants to do away with it.
That’s all I need to know
woodchuck says
Landon for governor .
Jersey girl says
A vote for Gillum will turn the state of frolics into a state just like California. Just start giving free everything and before you know, gee we need to raise taxes. Anyone who moved here from high tax states, better think about this
OIF/OEF Vet says says
All you need to know about this guy is he still believes Trayvon Martin was completely innocent. Obama sent his own racist DOJ, and every asset you can imagine, to Florida to ensure somehow, someway, they could prove Trayvon’s innocence. And, alas, they came up empty-handed.
Anyone who with two brain cells to rub together can do a simple review of his background and determine Gillum has zero credibility and is doing the bidding of the higher-level leftist-liberals.
This has nothing to do with Trump. It has everything to do with this clown. He is a joke and would not last two minutes answering common sense questions.
But then again, I do not know a single liberal who has any consistencies in their stances.
Larry says
Republicans call Gillum a socialist.
Most republicans have no idea what constitutes socialism. They’ve never lived in or even visited a real Socialist country.
If it’s Health Care for every citizen of Florida and the US, better funding for Public Education, Scientific studies on environmental issues instead of giving Big Sugar and other polluters their way, I’ll take all of that.\
Vote for Democrats across the board. I don’t like the spineless democrats either but they are the best of two evils.
Ramone says
I’d like Well to educate me please, since I can’t do it myself. My understanding his Gilliam stayed in Costa Rica, with his wife, at a resort luxury villa that cost $1,400 per night. He was accompanied by at least two or more lobbyists as well as some friends. They stayed 4 nights from May 4 to May 8. His only proof of paying was from an ATM receipt where he took out 400 bucks cash and supposedly paid for both he and his wife’s lodging with this cash. What a deal. Even doing basic math, given 5 bedrooms and a couple per bedroom, that’s 280 per night or 1,120. So 400 was quite the deal. He doesn’t know who he paid and his lobbyist buddy Corey said he didn’t pay him. Unfortunately when you’re a public official you can’t take these kinds of deals. He should have made sure that he couldn’t be perceived as taking a gift. So please correct me on the lies that i’m spreading. Thank you Well. I can’t wait until you can clear this up.
Jason Miller says
You have to be mentally challenged to vote Democrat
Laurie says
Vote NO to Gillum. Socialism is very bad, also, Gillum wants to RAISE taxes, and create a State Tax
Randy Jones says
ASSUME that liberals will vote for Gillum and conservatives and libertarians will vote for DeSantis.
ASSUME independents will vote their conscience.
KNOW that Republicans hold the majority in the Florida House with twenty-two seats; Democrats are in the minority with sixteen seats. Two seats are vacant, due to the resignation of Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater) following allegations of sexual harassment and public corruption, and the death of Dorothy Hukill (R-Port Orange).
KNOW that Republicans hold the majority in the Florida Senate with 23 seats; Democrats are in the minority with 16 seats. One seat is vacant, due to a resignation.
KNOW given the current numbers (and considering the resultant numbers after the November elections) that a victorious Gillum would be relegated to vetoing the will of the majority who would not have the “super majority” required to override his veto.
Considering the above would it be reasonable for a person conclude that if Gillum becomes Governor of Florida that Florida government would become as ineffective as the general government we currently have in Washington D.C.?
gmath55 says
If you want FREE stuff, food stamps (EBT), welfare, abolish ICE, open boarders, delay tactics, play games, MS-13 gangs, unsafe USA, illegal immigrants, sanctuary cities, higher taxes, then vote Democrat.
If you want a better economy, work for a living, keep ICE, a wall, safer USA, legal immigration, lower taxes, no sanctuary cities, eliminate MS-13 gangs, stronger military, US Constitution, conservative judges, then vote Republican.
palmcoaster says
Whats wrong with California. Joicy gir? Is a beautiful state with delicious food that I love to visit when I get a chance! Ohh forgot …is a blue state and they know how to live the good life too. If not for the earthquakes and affordability I would live there. Next hurricane that hits us here I will pack up and go west and may be like:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXF0RtxK7II
Shame you all that attack a beautiful state of the USA over politics and racism when is all our Land have you forgotten!
Dave says
Yes Randy Jones ,if we care anything for our beautiful state or country we need to push the brakes on this unpatriotic attempt to destroy democracy by Republicans and vote Democrat over and over till we can get things running correctly and compassionately.
Michael Cocchiola says
Don’t forget John Tipton for PC city council. John stands firmly for (1), fiscal accountability – no spending without a fully justified need; a people-oriented city council that listens to and acts for all citizens; (2), fixing our infrastructure including swales and streets before spending on big projects; (3), safety and security on our streets and in our homes including well-lighted streets, good sidewalks to walk on and an efficient law enforcement presence; and (4), a robust small business community to ensure future economic prosperity for our growing community.
John’s the real deal.
gmath55 says
@ Jason Miller – Intelligent comment with the fewest words and spots on. You can’t fix stupid, but you can vote them out.
Concerned Resident says
I’m very excited about Gillum and will be voting for him. I’m an independent and tired of some of the negativity. He seems like he cares for the people and not just the powerful.
jake says
Gillum is a career politician, living off the system, much like Bill Nelson has for decades, enough said.
@palmcoaster, so you think California is wonderful, why don’t you move there? That’s right, you said it’s too expensive, because of the HIGH TAXES. Something you don’t have to pay here.
@larry, you don’t have to jump off a bridge to know you might die, nor do you have to “visit, or live” in a socialist country to know it’s a failure. Let us know how much you are willing to donate to pay for all that “free” stuff.
Jason Miller says it all, “You have to be mentally challenged to vote Democrat”.
oldtimer says
where is the money going to come from to add 800,000 people to medicare and pay ALL teachers $50,000 as promised in his own ads? Someone else always pays for the FREE stuff
A Concerned Observer says
Does anyone remember Gillum’s initial extreme initial campaign promises before his recent political grooming toned his extreme over-the-top left wing rant down? Everyone line up at the trough for your Free Stuff. Ban all those horrible guns. Everyone deserves free education and medical care. Let’s not forget forcing insurance coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Can you purchase hurricane insurance to replace for your storm damaged home after a hurricane destroys it? Can you buy car insurance after an accident? How can any clear thinking person expect a business to stay in business if they are forced to cover pre-existing medical conditions? Okay, require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions but at a premium that will cover the costs they know will cover the cost of treatment. Yes, medical care is expensive. Why do hospitals charge so much? Maybe it is because they must provide no cost medical care to anyone that walks in their door with whatever ailment of affliction they have, forcing others who will pay or have insurance to bridge the gap. Buying insurance is a gambling event. You are betting you will become sick or have an accident. The insurance companies are betting they can collect more in premiums than they will have to pay out (actuary tables). Sorry folks, but selling insurance is a profit driven enterprise. How can anyone expect “The Government” to pay for it? The government cannot give anything to anyone without first taking it away from someone else. Your medical afflictions or accidents are sad, to be sure, but they are not my problem. If you are an abuser of narcotics it is now politically correct to call drug or alcohol addiction a disease to erase the stigma for those so afflicted. Sorry; cancer is a disease. Multiple Scurrilous is a disease. Abuse of alcohol, putting chemicals in your veins or up your nose to escape reality is not. They are unacceptable chosen behaviors. Seek help from family, friends or your church of choice but I feel no compelling need to pay for another’s poor planning or behavior and I will NOT support anyone who promises to force me to do so.
gmath55 says
Californians fed up with housing costs and taxes are fleeing state in big numbers.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/19/californians-fed-up-with-housing-costs-and-taxes-are-fleeing-state.html
Joan Buback says
A vote for Gillum is a vote for water you can actually drink, healthcare for sick children and the working poor, it is a vote for reasonable gun safety, and an ocean that does not reek. That is NOT socialism, it is
COMMON SENSE, and represents the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren.