A.G. Gancarski
A Brevard County Republican who recently endorsed Donald Trump for President continues to explain how Ron DeSantis’ handling of the state’s neo-Nazis precipitated his decision.
In a new interview with the New Yorker, Rep. Randy Fine described a Florida Governor whose “quietness around the rise of Nazism” in the state led him to reverse his previous endorsement and back the former President.
“I had been very unhappy with the quietness around the rise of Nazism. And while I wasn’t beating the Governor up publicly over it, I was very vocal privately, asking why we were not using the laws that are in place. Why aren’t we taking this seriously? So were lots of his Jewish supporters,” Fine told Isaac Chotiner.
Fine objects particularly to DeSantis’ rhetorical position that the Nazis may be fake.
“I think he’s been very consistent. I don’t know if it’s the truth, but what he says is he doesn’t want to elevate them by talking about it. He questions whether they are real. He’ll call them fake, and he thinks that they’re doing it to make him look bad. And he has said that consistently for eighteen months.”
Fine also suggests Jewish Republicans have had disquiet with DeSantis for “two years because of the silence and the antisemitism.”
“The New York Times wrote a piece where they interviewed multiple donors of the Governor who said that they’d called him and said, ‘do something about it,’ and he wouldn’t do it,” Fine recounted.
The legislator’s comments follow the Governor defending his record on Meet the Press, saying he acted “swiftly and decisively” against neo-Nazis.
“Our record is second to none and we will continue to lead on these issues,” DeSantis previously told host Kristin Welker.
DeSantis also accused Fine of trying to achieve national prominence at his expense during the segment.
“He’s just trying to create a name for himself. So that’s all nonsense. Everybody knows that’s nonsense and don’t give somebody 15 minutes of fame just because they’re letting you try to, to do a preferred narrative just to hit me.”
“I mean, this guy was singing my praises a couple of months ago. He’s got his different reasons why he’s doing that,” DeSantis said, undercutting Fine’s personal experience, and reframing the discussion to his administration’s more aggressive response in the wake of Hamas’ attacks on Israel, which includes increased security around Jewish Day Schools and arrests of “people threatening to do harm to our Jewish community.”
15 comments
My Take
November 4, 2023 at 11:08 am
The Naźis are his suppoŕters and he needs every one.
But he also follows Trump. If someone says something nice about him, that person is OK, no matter how bad.
My Take
November 4, 2023 at 11:13 am
Fallout between foul fascists is fun to behold.
” ‘Roehm’ him, Ronnie!”
Pastor Pasta
November 4, 2023 at 11:34 am
SS Ronnie loves the Nazis! They hold the same values and they vote!
Michael K
November 4, 2023 at 12:09 pm
I certainly agree with Mr, Fine about Ron’s silent complicity with nazi sympathizers – and the despicable actions of the ultra-right wing of the MAGA party. But I’m equally, if not more upset with Mr. Fine and his quite vocal words and actions directing his vile and irrational hatred toward LGBTQ people.
Hate is hate, Mr, Fine. You also owe us an apology.
John Lentini
November 4, 2023 at 12:18 pm
Mr. Fine has a short memory. It was 2017 when Donald said “fine people on both sides” about the Charlottesville event.
Kathryn
November 5, 2023 at 2:51 am
C’mon, people, consider this. DeSantis panders to the “Moms for Liberty”, a conservative “parents’ rights” organization founded in Florida. They are considered to be an anti-government extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. DeSantis endorses this group and has spoken before them at their Annual Summit meetings. In fact, DeSantis’ wife, Casey, formed a subgroup under their auspices entitled “Mamas for DeSantis”.
Getting to the point, Mom’s for Liberty highlighted a quote from Hitler on the front page of their very first newsletter. And folks are worried that DeSantis didn’t crack down on NeoNazis. He blatantly supports them.
MH/Duuuval
November 5, 2023 at 11:11 am
The New Yorker article AG references needs to be read to get the full bouquet of Fine’s thinking. Especially the anecdote about J6 where Fine recalls being a page in the House years earlier and recognizing that his old desk was used to block the doors of the chamber from the hooligans outside. Brought tears to Fine’s eyes, he said. Oy!
Rick Whitaker
November 5, 2023 at 12:20 pm
fine, trump, desantis, all three are substandard people. i would never vote for creeps like them.
It's Complicated
November 8, 2023 at 5:53 pm
In the USA, there really is no downside to condemning Nazis and what they stand for. None whatsoever. You’d think all politicians would have figured this out by now.
The reality is in a nation of 320 million people, there are not very many white-nationalist or neo-Nazi identifying people out there. My guess is that law enforcement agencies have a pretty darn good idea of who the leaders and individual members are, much like they know the names, associates, and habits of many criminal gang members. There are FAR more Leftist radicals out there, as evidenced by the shear number of people they can turn out to riot, pillage, and shout down opposing views on very short notice.
Re Southern Poverty Law Center – they include many pro-family and pro-life ministries on their “hate group” list because they oppose abortion until birth and/or oppose the ‘gay agenda,’ not because they have a propensity towards violence, or because they actually teach hate. They have labeled anyone who opposes their political agenda as a hate group, which lowers their credibility considerably, IMHO.
Rick Whitaker
November 8, 2023 at 6:50 pm
you are so wrong, nearly everything you said was wrong. your comment did expose your bias and ignorance though. i’m a hardcore left wing radical and i don’t vandalize, pillage, or disrupt. the southern poverty law center you disparaged is a fine group that you obviously no nothing about. the non-violent pro-lifers you spoke of, are they the ones that murder, bomb, and terrorize. in my town, a man burnt a million dollar family planning center down. the local police knew who he was, but waited over a year doing nothing about it. he died shortly after that. you seem to be a white christian nationalist based on your pointed comment. shame on you for spreading such propaganda.
It's Complicated
November 9, 2023 at 11:41 am
LOL! Perfect examples of Straw Man and Red Herring responses, with an ad hominem attack and extremist labeling sprinkled in for good measure. Love it! Rebutting what I didn’t say and citing incredibly isolated examples as normative to the whole won’t make it any more true. The only part of the response that was intellectually honest was the opinion of SPLC, which we’ll just have to disagree on.
Pastor Pasta
November 13, 2023 at 4:45 pm
LOL indeed, look at you trying to point out logical fallacies while employing an anecdotal fallacy and a fallacy of omission in your original post.
My Take
November 11, 2023 at 3:18 pm
You coùld well cast Fine to play Goering couldn’t you.
Dale A Arnold
November 12, 2023 at 4:33 pm
Randy should read the poem “They first came” First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me
He was OK when they came for the lgbtq community heck he was one of the leaders!
Not so great now huh Randy?
My Take
November 15, 2023 at 10:36 pm
Except for a cultural sensitivity, Fine would probably be “fine” with neoNazis.
Historians tell us that early iin Nazi history–early 20s–there were rightwing German Jewish men who agreed with the politics and wished they could join, but . . . .
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