Anthony Sabatini’s latest hateful rhetoric draws attack on Kerry Kriseman, cancer survivor

It’s a banner day for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. After years of planning, preparation and, to put it mildly, taking heat from everyone who hated the Pier just because it wasn’t the inverted pyramid, his day to celebrate is here.

It’s bad enough the city’s banner celebration had to be silenced from a roar to a whisper because of COVID-19, now Kriseman and his family have to deal with this heartless trolling.

A Twitter user by the name of FloridaGirl (@floridayys) commented on a picture of Kriseman and his lovely wife, Kerry Kriseman, with the vilest of comments.

“Why do liberal females hate themselves so much that they castrate their femininity with those nasty butch haircuts? Fugly.”

To be clear, Mrs. Kriseman is a cancer survivor. Her short hair is a display of heroism, over slaying the beast that is cancer.

This twitter user was commenting on a photo of the Kirsemans in Rep. Anthony Sabatini’s (R-Black Face) hometown of Howey-in-the-Hills for their son’s golf tournament.

Sabatini used a wholesome image of a Mayor and his wife enjoying something that had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the family values Sabatini claims to love so much.

But like so many things, Sabatini was triggered by the fact the couple were wearing face masks, a precaution meant to protect everyone, but especially those vulnerable … like someone overcoming cancer.

Sabatini may not be the one who commented on Mrs. Kriseman’s hair, but his disgusting rhetoric invites those who would.

In fairness, “FloridaGirl” has since deleted the offending tweet. The deletion came only after Mrs. Kriseman bravely stood up for herself.

“I happen to love myself, whether my hair is (passed) my shoulders as it was until Dec. 27, or just growing back after surviving major surgery treatment that also included two blood transfusions and other side effects,” she wrote.

In another, she pointed out that she loves her hair.

“Because until May I had no hair. Since December 2019, I had 6 chemotherapy treatments and 28 days of radiation.”

FloridaGirl deleting her offending tweet seems to suggest she didn’t know Mrs. Kriseman was a cancer survivor, but it doesn’t matter.

Even if Kerry Kriseman had short hair because she favored the no-nonsense style over longer styles, it was an ad hominem attack welcomed by people like Sabatini.

He’s taken on a Trump-style pattern that includes cutting down those with whom he disagrees by any means necessary.

There is no decorum.

He jokes about arming residents against protesters. He calls those who have differing political views names, inciting not policy, but insults that don’t further the conversation.

So it matters not that Sabatini was not the one to hurl a heartless insult *this time.*

Hate begets hate and Sabatini has shown himself a sultan of hate.

Plenty of conservatives reject the science behind mask-wearing, but most do so without resorting to trolling and name-calling.

Sabatini set the tone for this sort of hurtful rhetoric, for ad hominem attacks that do nothing for anyone.

He needs to keep his brand of neanderthal politics in Howey-in-the-Hills. Better, he needs to kick it to the curb altogether.

Play with dignity or get out of the game.

And to Mrs. Kriseman, you keep rocking your beautiful hair, whether it stays short or grows long. You are fierce, and you are lovely.