New commercial fills Bill Nelson’s suit with scary things

Bill Nelson

The Republican political committee that brought Florida Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s “empty suit” commercials running constantly for weeks released a new ad that fills the suit with everything from tax increase votes to a confused mind.

The new 30-second spot, “Lining,” from New Republican Political Action Committee, the committee Republican Gov. Rick Scott set up to support his U.S. Senate campaign, brings up all the charges pushed earlier: Nelson voted to raise taxes; he’s been collecting government paychecks for 45 years, now totaling millions of dollars in pay; he voted to cut Medicare; and making up a story about Russian interference … all because he’s confused.

Nelson’s campaign has rebutted most of those charges repeatedly, stating, for example, that the Republican’s assertion that he voted 375 times for tax increases is inaccurate; and that the vote referenced as a Medicare cut was no such thing, but rather a vote in favor of the Affordable Care Act, which included reductions in the amounts that Medicare would reimburse to hospitals, not cuts in coverage for patients.

“Lining” doesn’t get into such detail.

“We know Bill Nelson is an empty suit. But look inside,” the narrator begins as an empty suit flips open to show lining and pockets.

“Forty-five years in office, Nelson has earned millions and a huge pension we’re paying for. Controlled by his party, Nelson has voted 89 percent of the time with them, even voting to raise taxes 375 times, and cutting our Medicare. A confused Nelson even made up stories about Russian election interference.

“Bill Nelson’s suit is empty. But it’s lined with danger and confusion that hurts Florida families,” the narrator concludes.

New Republican PAC has spent $15 million so far on the race, including on more than a half-dozen TV commercials attacking Nelson, almost all of them asserting that he’s been in office way too long, and that he is “confused.”

Scott Powers

Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected].


One comment

  • Jim Burkiewicz

    October 17, 2018 at 3:11 pm

    Not much difference between Nelson and Scott, Scott is a BIG spending corporate welfare whore who has raise the budget over 40% since being in office, violated the Second Amendment and loves to dole out corporate welfare!

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