Andrew Gillum Is the New World Champion of Devastating Political Ethers
Andrew Gillum, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Florida, is a staunch progressive who boasts a robust policy agenda that includes, among many other things, Medicaid expansion, marijuana legalization, corporate-tax increases, and fair pay for public-school teachers. He favors Medicare for all and debt-free public college, and as the campaign nears its end, he has articulated a powerful closing argument for why Americans should reject cynical, zero-sum Trumpian politics and be optimistic about this country's future again.
Andrew Gillum, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Florida, can also deliver the type of punchline that compels the souls of bigoted men to spontaneously abandon their frail human forms and flee headlong into the night.
On Wednesday, during the final debate between Gillum and leering Trump acolyte Ron DeSantis, the moderator listed off just a few of the many times that DeSantis, a man who insists that he is not a racist, either said racist things himself or cozied up to others who did the same. Before the moderator could actually ask a question, though, the Republican candidate lost it.
"How the hell am I supposed to know every single statement somebody makes?" he shouted, apparently unaware of the existence of the Internet. DeSantis then dithered for a while about his military deployments alongside people of color, as if his brief coexistence with minority service members somehow proved that he is not racist, and that those with whom he associates are not racists, either. "I am not going to bow down to the altar of political correctness," concluded the man who launched his campaign against a black man by urging voters not to "monkey up" the election.
By the time DeSantis finished spluttering, Gillum was smiling. "My grandmother used to say, 'A hit dog will holler,' " he began, prompting whoops from the audience. He continued.
Mr. DeSantis has neo-Nazis helping him out in this state. He has spoken at racist conferences. He's accepted a contribution—and would not return it—from someone who referred to the former president of the United States as a 'Muslim N-I-G-G-E-R.' When asked to return that money, he said no. He's using that money to now fund negative ads. Now, I'm not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist. I'm simply saying the racists believe he's a racist.
Behold, the face of a man who had indignantly professed his innocence in the country club pro shop theft, just seconds after being confronted with security-camera footage of him walking out the front door with a pitching wedge and a candy bar.
Gillum's expression immediately after DeSantis retorted, without explanation, that Gillum "always plays the victim" is also worth savoring, because these days it is rare to see a malevolent politician made to feel as stupid as they are while speaking on live television.
Polling shows the two men in a dead heat. With any luck, Andrew Gillum will get to move into the governor's residence in January, enabling Ron DeSantis to retire to a remote mountain hideaway where he'll never risk accidentally encountering this clip again.
