By Diane Roberts
Why does Rick Scott hate America?
Last week he lurched out of wherever he’s been sulking and presented an 11-point action plan so reactionary, so dangerously stupid, so antithetical to American values, Vladimir Putin should write him a thank-you note.
Florida’s junior senator proposes to take us back to the 1950s, that glorious era when Black people were beaten and arrested for trying to vote, when women of all colors were expected to stay home and raise the children, when Christianity dominated the culture, when gay people had to stay in the closet, and we lived in mortal terror of socialism.
Now we’re just terrified of Russia (not quite the same thing), except in the Stalinist wing of the Republican Party, with Sen. Josh Hawley wanting to bar Ukraine from ever joining NATO, Donald Trump calling Putin’s invasion of a democratic nation “genius,” and Tucker Carlson proclaiming he’s rooting for Russia — though, to be fair, he has since walked that back an inch or two.
Scott’s full of bright ideas. Raising taxes, anyone? “All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount.”
He means the elderly, the working poor, people struggling — unlike him — to make a living.
Other Republicans, who prefer to keep their godawful plans to trash America under wraps, were not impressed. One Republican strategist said, “Tax increases — our voters don’t dig tax increases.”
Under Trump, guys like Scott got a huge tax cut, but that’s different. He’s rich. And amoral. His company had to pay $2 billion in fines for bilking Medicare and Medicaid, but he pleaded the Fifth Amendment 75 times, avoided criminal charges, and walked away with a nice little payout.
In the Republican Party, that translates into being a good businessman.
In the New Dawn of Crazy, the gubmint won’t be able to interfere so much with American oligarchs’ ability to rape and pillage. Scott also wants to cut the IRS workforce by 50 percent.
But most of Scott’s hateful roadmap to hell frantically pushes Culture War buttons.
Children will “say the Pledge of Allegiance, stand for the National Anthem, and honor the American Flag.”
Prayer will be back in schools, but teaching anything that might hurt white people’s feelings (you know: Native American genocide, the brutalities of slavery, the denial of full citizenship to women, Asians, and Blacks), the betrayal of democracy in Reconstruction, our imperial ventures in Latin America, Vietnam, and Iraq) will be verboten.
Police will be sacrosanct, even if they go around shooting unarmed folks: “We will bring back respect for people who put their lives on the line to keep us safe” — unless, of course, the “us” to which refers happen to be Black, Latino, or demonstrating in favor of equal justice under the law.
And as if that’s not backward enough for you, Scott goes on to declare, “The nuclear family is crucial to civilization, it is God’s design for humanity, and it must be protected and celebrated.”
Sigh.
As governor of Florida, Scott never displayed much in the way of brains. He screwed up the state’s unemployment system, he was hostile to higher education (all that dang thinking!), he cost taxpayers nearly $1 million defending unconstitutional laws, and got rid of the dog he briefly “adopted” to show he’s a “regular guy” because the dog (named “Reagan”) acted like, well, a dog.
If Scott ever cracked a book, he might discover that the “nuclear family” is a relatively recent invention, “designed” by a changing economy 200 years ago.
And as for God, well, the Bible suggests the Almighty has a history of embracing some pretty dubious domestic arrangements. King Solomon had 700 wives and concubines. Jacob was sleeping with four women — two wives and their two servants — and having kids with all of them.
Why did Rick Scott feel the need to inflict this absurd, paranoid, hysterical (and I don’t mean funny) manifesto upon us?
Why does your toddler throw his oatmeal at the wall?
Attention.
Ron DeSantis is the new White Nationalist star, Trumpier-than-Trump, hogging the good airtime on Fox “News.” He doesn’t even pretend to have policies that might address Florida’s actual problems, just attacks Democrats, scientists, teachers, gay people, and anyone else who looks at him crossways.
Scott and DeSantis despise each other. Florida’s Second Worst governor made it clear before the inauguration in 2019 that he can’t stand the guy who now holds the title of Absolutely the Worst governor.
They are also rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, along with Florida’s other senator, the Good Book-tweeting Marcocito Rubio, the General Jack D. Ripper acolytes Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and, of course, the criminal Trump himself who, if he runs, will probably see off the rest of the psychopaths.
But that doesn’t mean Rick Scott won’t be in there giving it the old Healthcare Fraud try, and he might able to convince some of the more mentally-unstable white people into supporting him.
His “Rescue America” plan is illustrated with glossy photos of the Constitution up in flames and a crumpled flag, and it parrots the MAGA delusion that Democrats somehow sabotage elections with their nefarious schemes to get more people to cast ballots: “In true Orwellian fashion, Democrats refer to their election rigging plans as ‘voting rights.’” Maybe that’s because Democrats believe in voting rights?
But then, Democrats (on the whole) also believe in tolerance, decency, and, most of all, reality.
Put simply, Rick Scott is an idiot, and this document proves it: “Humans are born male and female, there are two genders, and to deny that is to deny science;” “abortion stops a beating heart. To say otherwise is to deny science;” and “We will secure our border, finish the wall, and name it President Donald Trump.”
What he wants for this country is unconstitutional (school prayer? enforced patriotism?), irrational, hateful, and dangerous. It would be merely ridiculous if so many in his party didn’t believe so fervently dragging America back to when white men ruled. You would think that as we witness the overthrow of a fairly elected government in Ukraine because the despot next door dislikes how it came out, Republicans could connect the dots and see how their authoritarianism could destroy us all.
But this is the party of Jan. 6, the party of Donald Trump. Rick Scott knows that if he is to have a chance against the likes of Ron DeSantis, he will have to out-fascist him.
It won’t be easy.
Diane Roberts is an 8th-generation Floridian, born and bred in Tallahassee. Educated at Florida State University and Oxford University in England, she has been writing for newspapers since 1983, when she began producing columns on the legislature for the Florida Flambeau. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Times of London, the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Oxford American, and Flamingo. She has been a member of the Editorial Board of the St. Petersburg Times–back when that was the Tampa Bay Times’s name–and a long-time columnist for the paper in both its iterations. She was a commentator on NPR for 22 years and continues to contribute radio essays and opinion pieces to the BBC. Roberts is also the author of four books.
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Mark says
Tolerance abounds in this article.
Shelly says
Oh so then theyre no different than the Democrats who have their heads buried in the sand, because they ARE NOT addressing really issues and they don’t care about the American people.
Bailey’s Mom says
Just when you think things couldn’t possibly get worse….they can and will if We Don’t Vote Them Out!
Alonzo says
But, people continue to vote for Repubs, not me.
Tim McAuliffe says
The article didn’t address “Rick Scott “oversaw the largest Medicare fraud in the nation’s history.” It’s worth mentioning “Scott’s prior tenure as CEO of Columbia/HCA about a decade ago, when the hospital company was fined $1.7 billion for Medicare fraud”. Scott walked away with $300M that has been used to fund his political ambitions. If interested here’s the article. Seems like Florida could do better.
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2014/mar/03/florida-democratic-party/rick-scott-rick-scott-oversaw-largest-medicare-fra/
palmcoaster says
Thank you Tim for refreshing our memories! In spite the fact that been shown bt some of my red partisan buddies do not seem to care about it and keep voting him back in.
Old Guy says
The Medicare fraud issue has been publicized extensively at each election by political opponents and others. Unfortunately the majority of voters just didn’t care. Voters need to pay more attention to candidates qualifications and character.
Wow says
Rick Scott is a snake and a criminal and should be in jail.
Tim Mcauliffe says
It seems like all a Republican has to say is “If you elect a Democrat you are voting for a state income tax”. But there was an interesting story out of Kentucky today. The Ky teacher’s retirement fund invested in Sberbank of Russia. With our sanctions their position dropped 95% in value from $13MM to $778K.
Think it might be possible the state of Florida has similar investments?
Seems they do.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/politics/os-ne-house-russian-assets-20220303-djgul237qnfalidbywcya32fdm-story.html
Y says
Where have you been. Obviously your not very informed if you don’t realize President is actually doing something for Regular people. Not like Trump that only Helped Trump 🙄
Jackson1955 says
Question: Poor whites, when will you stop voting against your own interests?
Paul Johnson says
This article is the most ridiculous crap I have read on a long time.
palmcoaster says
Hey Paul looks like this editorial hit a fiber on you otherwise you would not be on fire for your crass remark. Thank God for people like Diane Roberts and for us all that elected Biden otherwise with the likes alone of you, DeSatan and tricky Ricky our nation soon will become a satellite of the war criminal Putin’s incoming USSR!
Bailey’s Mom says
And now we see why some people continue to vote for these people…they can’t see the facts & truth. The GOP is a self serving group that feeds on ignorance, hate, and lies to benefit themselves.
Join the 97% who want better for you & our neighbors….be better, want better!
Mark says
GOP, the party of crazy. How did Dick ever get elected here to begin with?
Dennis says
The 50’s and 60’s were pretty good years compared to what’s going on now. Racism was not an issue where we grew up. The gays were still in the closet. Trans men didnt play girls sports and most men made a living while the wife could stay home and care for the kids. The younger generation has no idea of this. Life was good back then. Not so good anymore.
Pierre Tristam says
Good for you and your spiked boots, maybe.
King says
Good for who?
can'tfoolme says
@ Dennis. I agree people were more civil and tolerant of each others’ space and beliefs, families were stronger, and people knew whether they were male or female 50 or so years ago. Neither did they settle a disagreement by shooting someone or by road rage.
palmcoaster says
Dennis in the 50’s and 60’s all maybe felt better for you, because not only gays were kept in the closet so did transmen and transwomen, but also ugly racism as well was kept hidden, as history proven young innocent men were linched by white bigot mobs just for being black. But there is one thing that I agree with you is wives could stay home caring for the children because most men were able to make a living then, how precious. Now thanks to the greedy and mostly GOP and the wealthy backed policies, that is not longer possible as in general and sadly most men can’t sustain a family unless the wife works as well. This is specially seeing more in our southern “Right to work states” that actualy should be called instead “Right to S…w the Workers State” While some of my GOP party buddies keep electing and hosting authocrats, bigots, white supremacist and theives, nothing will change for the better in FLduh, were the only thing kind of preserved is its beautiful geography if not destroyed by climate change in the near future.
JimBob says
Polio, Bull Conner, Joe McCarthy, birth control was outlawed, segregation was the rule, black churches bombed and burnt—those were the days my friend!
Been There says
If only you’d stay in the closet, Dennis. We can all dream.
DMFinFlorida says
Been There … standing ovation!
T says
Like shelly there cant think pass what she told to think and they say flaglerlive going left no they told the truth here so I say truth needs spoken #go Ukraine
Tim B says
If I hate Republicans, can I be a member of the party of tolerance and decency too?
Alexander says
Wouldn’t vote for either of them, I don’t vote for a party that supports communistic dictators.
James says
Gee, I’d forgotten all about Rick. Funny how he kept claiming Bill Nelson was a do nothing, MIA slacker senator. Yet this is one of the first times I’ve heard anything from him since his campaign… except perhaps when they interviewed him after the sacking of the capital.