Scott Powers
Republican congressional candidate Wayne Liebnitzky called out Democratic U.S. Rep. Darren Soto by charging that a tweet the congressman sent using the hashtag “BananaRepublicans” is divisive and beneath the office.
On Wednesday, Soto, of Florida’s 9th Congressional District, covering parts of Orange, Osceola and Polk counties, tweeted criticism of President Donald Trump‘s firing of FBI Director James Comey that declared “#Trump & #BananaRepublicans are destroying our democracy. Need #IndependentProseuctor to investigate #RussianHacking.”
In a Facebook post responding, and then in an interview, Liebnitzky, who lost to Soto last November and is seeking a rematch in 2018, said he should be ashamed of using a reference insulting Republicans in the district.
“Is calling the Republican Party the ‘#BananaRepublic’ professional and the way that an elected official should be carrying himself? Last time I check U.S. Rep Darren Soto, some of your constituents are Republicans,” he wrote. He ended his own post with the hashtag #politicsasusual.
In an interview, Liebnitzky said the country needs someone who fights against partisan rancor, not someone who fosters it.
“Once you represent people, you’ve got to say this partisan politics is horrible,” Liebnitzky said. “It has gotten worse.”
Soto responded Thursday by explaining his reference was to those Republicans in power who are standing behind or staying silent on the controversial firing of Comey.
“President Trump firing someone investigating his office was akin to a dictator from a third world country,” Soto said. “And so that term was used specifically to highlight the outrageous nature of firing the man who is investigating you.”
5 comments
Allen R Hartman
May 11, 2017 at 12:01 pm
Such hypocracy from someone in the party that developed the political slur and divisive politics into their primary campaign tool. I seem to remember “Crooked Hillary”,”Libitards,” and a plethora of ad hominem attacks from the GOP during campaigns. From Christopher Hitchens’ the American Banana Republic — In economics, a banana republic is a country with an economy of state capitalism, by which economic model the country is operated as a private commercial enterprise for the exclusive profit of the ruling class. Such exploitation is effected by collusion between the State and favored economic monopolies, in which the profit derived from the private exploitation of public lands is private property, while the debts incurred thereby are the financial responsibility of the public treasury. Such an imbalanced economy remains limited by the uneven economic development of town and country, and usually reduces the national currency into devalued banknotes (paper money), thus rendering the country ineligible for international-development credit. — If the shoe fits, wear it.
Allen R Hartman
May 11, 2017 at 12:04 pm
To Mr. Liebnitzky, I have two comments — Crocodile tears and one of the GOP’s own favorite epithets “Snowflake.”
Bob Davis
May 11, 2017 at 8:55 pm
This is the kind of racism that is acceptable if you are a liberal, there are many residents right here in central Florida from central America who are defined as the banana republic, and for Mr Soto to refer his arch enemy to the likes of them must make them feel pretty bad about themselves and feel degraded as human beings. I say lets get them together and put him out of office……….
Christian Lloyd Suarez
May 12, 2017 at 1:31 am
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, did it make a sound? Mr. Liebnitzky is screaming into outer space with a meritless grip that doesn’t warrant this much attention. I haven’t heard his disappointment in partisanship until it became adventagious to his interests.
Dan DuBay
May 12, 2017 at 8:08 am
Darren Soto has proven himself to be too immature to hold elected office. He is a racist hypocrite of the highest order. Even though I live in his district he has done nothing to represent my interests. He is in this for the salary and perks, plain and simple. He is a follower, not a leader.
By the way I am an Independent.
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