A.G. Gancarski
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott continued Monday to take aim at a popular proposal to “defund the police.”
Though some might suggest that it’s just a straw man canard given the lack of meaningful elected officials advocating for it, for the first-term Republican from Naples said it’s a very real call … and called the idea “lunacy.”
“The single most ridiculous and irresponsible policy idea that has been suggested in my lifetime can be summed up in three words: ‘Defund the police.’ And yet, it is actually being discussed and debated as if there are pros and cons to it by those on the Left. There are no ‘pros’ to defunding the police. There are no coherent arguments for this lunacy.” Scott wrote in the Washington Examiner Monday.
The Senator contends “people are right to call for reform and accountability to stop bad actors.”
“We must find ways to keep communities safe and protect black lives with the same zeal all lives are protected,” he wrote.
“But defunding or disarming the police is not the answer. Simply put, it is a dangerous proposal driven by the radical Left whose agenda of ‘Medicare for all,’ the Green New Deal, open borders, and defunding law enforcement is being increasingly embraced by the leaders of the Democratic Party,” Scott wrote.
“We actually need to do the opposite — we need to fund the police. Clearly, there is a need for better training in law enforcement. Clearly, there is a need for better oversight in law enforcement. I don’t know anything about the officer who decided to kneel on a man’s neck for nine minutes, but most rational people might suspect that this individual was a problem prior to that fateful and horrible day,” Scott added.
For the Senator, the op-ed continues messaging from last week.
“Let’s get rid of the bad apples. Let’s figure out if we need changes. But we cannot reduce funding for law enforcement. It’s the wrong thing to do,” Scott said Thursday.
10 comments
Frankie M.
June 15, 2020 at 11:57 am
Scott is an expert on lunacy. I really like some of the ideas he attributes to the left like open borders, medicare for all, & Green New Deal. I think they should be universal and not just partisan points that politicians like tricky ricky use to divide Americans. We are clearly past the bad apple stage and tricky Ricky is scared that people want to do more than just talk about it. We’ve given the police unlimited budgets but it hasn’t given us ROI. I thought Republicans like ricky were big on ROI?
gary lopez
June 16, 2020 at 1:26 pm
Frankie, nobody believes the demoRAT talking points anymore. Scott has proven himself to be a great Governor and is currently doing a great job in the senate. Free Free Free, is not an American value! It’s a communist one! That is why the demoRATS are losing power everywhere!
Tjb
June 15, 2020 at 1:04 pm
So Rick , are you saying it was ok for the officer to murder Floyd because he was a problem in the past?
jon
June 16, 2020 at 1:27 pm
It ain’t sanitary putting words in Rick’s mouth! Nice try though! #BUSTED
Ocean Joe
June 15, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Comparing Scott to Trump is like comparing bad apples to bad oranges.
Sonja Fitch
June 15, 2020 at 3:56 pm
Ricky know lunacy!!!
Kimmie In Kissimmee
June 15, 2020 at 4:42 pm
Rick Scott is a proven crook, and a very terrible looking man who resembles a sickly turtle.
He is also an embarrassment to this state. I find it rich that he feels so strongly about law enforcement when he banked his millions by stealing from Medicare.
He should be more concerned about Amendment 4 and what that means for Republicans in this state in 2022 and beyond. Voter suppression is not how you gain voters’ trust, and you don’t build your base by taking votes away from people.
However, I fear Desantis, who along with Trump stacked the 11th circuit with their own handpicked judges, may actually strike down Judge Hinkle’s decision, paving the way for the re-disenfranchisement of millions of Florida would-be voters–just in time for the November elections. An early election gift for their Lord and Savior, Trump.
But surely the Supreme Curt won’t allow these men to continue to pervert our democracy, having their way with our nation, disregarding our votes.
Biden 2020, Nikki Fried 2022
Dee
June 16, 2020 at 8:53 am
Just to clarify, Rick Scott does not represent Naples. He represents the South Florida area – in particular – Broward County.
As far as the call to “defund the police”, I believe the correct terminology that should be used is “comprehensive police reform”. This enables all citizens to see where changes should be and can be made to ensure that we do not diminish the effectiveness of law enforcement, while increasing their awareness and knowledge through anti-racism training and education.
PeterH
June 16, 2020 at 11:35 am
Defund the Police doesn’t equate to ending the police department. No one is calling for that …. this insinuation is a deceptive Trumpster canard. Rick Scott has the financial support of 55 police unions in the State of Florida.
Defund the police department means:
Fire the entire police force.
Rehire non-union qualified and quality officers.
Commence with Obama’s recommendations for proper policing behavior.
That’s how it’s done. Make it work in every community. America is DONE with business as usual.
As a side note …. I would suggest that every Floridian sign up for Rick Scott and Marco Rubio’s newsletters to find out what they are actually accomplishing for the State of Florida. To say either elected official can point to real legislative accomplishments is a joke. Let’s remember that the term “conservative” means that they’re not “progressive!” ….. As the world changes around them ……Republicans are the Party ‘backward thinking’ …… let’s not change a thing ….. let’s find answers in the past to solve today’s problems.
jon
June 16, 2020 at 1:29 pm
Retarded idea that will go nowhere!!
Comments are closed.