Dan GelberWith the possibility of Charlie Crist entering the race for governor, Florida’s Republican Party is doing all they can to create silly contrasts between Rick Scott and Charlie Crist. They resort to childish name-calling, hyper-partisan and often downright personal attacks lifted right out of the Tea Party playbook.
Today, however, is actually the anniversary of a moment in history that I believe best makes the comparison between Scott and Crist.
On October 28, 2008, Florida was in the midst of early voting. A few years earlier the party of Lincoln had pushed through the legislature a law that was undeniably intended to suppress the early vote of African-Americans, Hispanics and young people.
And it worked as designed. Voting lines stretched for blocks and waits of 5-6 hours were commonplace at polls.
As the Democratic Leader in the Legislature at the time, I called Republican Governor Crist and told him it was un-American to keep citizens from voting. He told me he had seen the lines, heard of elderly Floridians fainting from the heat, and was horrified at the notion that any Floridian had to take a day off of work to vote.
He wondered out loud how many Floridians just gave up and went home.
Within minutes, and over the objection of his own staff, Charlie Crist signed Executive Order 08-217, extending the hours for early voting for all Floridians.
Many of his elected Republican colleagues were outraged that he made it easier for people to vote but he defended his action by stating firmly he was elected to represent all Floridians not just those of a particular political party.
Four years later, almost to the day, Florida found itself again in the midst of another election with identical circumstances. Florida’s Governor Scott had signed a law (and defended it in the courts) again intended to suppress the vote of minorities and young people. Lines were even longer this time around, some folks taking up to 8-9 hours to cast their franchise. It was a debacle and Florida was again a national punch line.
I, along with election supervisors and concerned officials across the state, again prevailed upon Florida’s governor to do something for his constituents. Scott was unmoved and indifferent, and rather than lift a finger to help Rick Scott callously looked away, declaring the “right thing” was happening.
The “right thing?”
One man acts against his own party’s interests because it is truly the right thing to do for people; the other perpetuates a terrible disenfranchisement of his own constituents.
Pretty sure the RPOF won’t be raising this point in history today.
