It’s being called the moment Rick Scott lost the Florida gubernatorial election. Welcome to #Fangate. You’ve got to see it to believe it.
Last night was the second of three scheduled debates between Florida Republican incumbent Governor Rick Scott, and former Governor Charlie Crist. But even before the cameras were live, it seemed the debate would not take place.
Gov. Scott refused to walk on stage because Crist had a small fan at the base of his podium. It was 90 degrees and humid in south Florida yesterday, but Scott claimed the rules of the debate stated no fans.
The rules reportedly stated no small electronics, according to some reports, and no small electrics, according to others. While rules are important, more important is the business of governing, and Gov. Scott, pardon the pun, blew it.
How bad was it?
Miami Herald political writer Marc Caputo sent this tweet:
Worse, perhaps, he later tweeted he had permission to do so:
Scott refused to debate for over seven minutes after the debate was scheduled to begin. Crist took full advantage of his opponent’s behavior.
“Are we really going to debate about a fan? Or are we going to talk about education, and the environment and the future of our state?â€Â Crist asked. “I mean, really.â€
After Scott finally showed up, moderators asked him why he had chosen to not show up for nearly eight minutes.
Watch:
MSNBC’s Steve Benen says Scott’s “explanation for his behavior was just as strange as his conduct.”
Here’s what voters saw as the stunning events unfolded, which really is worth watching:
And a few responses via Twitter:
Â
Image via YouTube