Rick Scott uses ‘dead dog’ analogy in response to critics

rick scott
Channeling Dale Carnegie: 'Nobody kicks a dead dog, right?'

On Wednesday morning, Sen. Rick Scott offered a variation on a familiar quote to explain why he seems to irk so many critics.

Asked by Jacksonville radio host Ed Dean on WBOB radio about why Scott gets such a strong reaction, the Senator offered a quip, laughing: “Nobody kicks a dead dog, right?”

“Here’s the deal,” Scott added. “If you go stand up for what we believe in, the other side’s mad.”

Scott seems to have borrowed the phrasing from 20th-century motivational speaker Dale Carnegie.

Carnegie posited that “no one ever kicks a dead dog,” offering a reminder that criticism “can often mean that you are accomplishing something and are worthy of attention.”

The Jacksonville radio host set up the quote by castigating “idiots” who have “bile” for the first-term Senator from Florida, who has become a lightning rod for criticism from President Joe Biden and the Democratic establishment in the wake of Scott’s controversial policy plan to “rescue America.”

Scott’s plan was a Biden target during remarks Tuesday at an AFL-CIO event, with the President asking attendees how they would “sleep at night” knowing that “ultra-MAGA Republicans are going to vote on whether you have Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.”

“Every five years, it would be put on the chopping block. Every five years. And if it’s not reinstated by a vote in the Senate of 60 or more, guess what? It automatically goes out of existence. That’s what they’re proposing,” Biden said.

Biden has struggled in popularity polls, but in targeting Scott, he may have a target with higher negatives. According to a national survey of 2,005 registered voters from Morning Consult and POLITICO conducted in May, Scott was underwater with virtually all demographics except self-identified conservatives and Republicans.

Independent voters were notably sour on the Senator. Just 12% of them approved of Scott, with 29% disapproving. Men particularly were opposed to Scott, with 36% of male independent voters regarding him unfavorably, a staggering -25 with the demographic.

In that context, it makes sense that the White House would try to define all Republicans by Rick Scott’s plan.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


11 comments

  • PeterH

    June 15, 2022 at 9:57 am

    Rick Scott is a national embarrassment.

  • YYep

    June 15, 2022 at 10:11 am

    I thought it was no one kicks a dead horse

  • Where Wolf?

    June 15, 2022 at 10:58 am

    That antique fool Biden was trying to criticize Rick Scott and he called him “Rick Scott of Wisconsin” Hah! I doubt FLAPOL reported that one!

    • JoJo

      June 15, 2022 at 6:09 pm

      Source for your claim, please?

    • Worth a look.

      June 17, 2022 at 3:20 pm

      Rick Scott is not from Wisconsin but since he lacks any hair he probably landed his spaceship there.

  • ScienceBLVR

    June 15, 2022 at 2:18 pm

    Can’t Rick come up with some original material? First it was the swiped McGregor comment about apologizing to no one, now this! He does have a habit of falling back on pleading the fifth and I don’t know, I cant recall from his days of being accused of government Medicare fraud when he was CEO. He must not be bright enough to come up with his own ideas.

  • JoJo

    June 15, 2022 at 6:15 pm

    Scott pled the Fifth 75 times in criminal proceedings regarding the largest Medicare fraud in history (at the time). His “platform” includes ending Social Security and Medicare within five years. Even#MoscowMitch has flipped out on this Bozo. #Republicon

    • Bill

      June 16, 2022 at 7:30 am

      He’s clearly in the entertainment wing of the party – every day another asinine comment and more bad press and then it’s the ‘look at me, I’m doing something’ crap. I wish we had better choices but all we get are these clowns.

      • ScienceBLVR

        June 16, 2022 at 8:23 pm

        Right on Bill..As they say, elect a clown expect a circus!n

  • Nancy

    June 16, 2022 at 3:20 pm

    I’m being paid with 88 dollars/hr to work part time from home. I’ve certainly not iil realized like it’d even achievable however one of my confidant friend was collecting $25,000 within six weeks by working this top job & she had influenced me to try…

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  • Beth

    June 18, 2022 at 6:06 am

    People actually wonder why Scott is criticized? He stole millions of dollars from Medicare. He’s devoted the rest of his life to collecting donations and avoiding paying taxes. Now he wants to steal the money we have contributed to social security and Medicare. The guy is a two bit criminal who will do anything to continue to line his pockets.

Comments are closed.


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