Hell yeah:
An ad produced by a California-based Democratic super PAC has its eye on Gov. Rick Scott’s political future as an elected official in Florida.
On Saturday, former U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer’s PAC For a Change began running digital ads that take a swipe at Scott’s pro-gun platform, as well as his affinity for one longtime campaign donor in particular, the National Rifle Association. In text over a black-and-white image of the Republican governor, the ad reads: "Florida Gov. Rick Scott offered only 'thoughts and prayers' after the latest tragic school shooting. No surprise."
"Isn’t a child’s life worth more than that?" the ad asks viewers, referring to Scott’s history of coasting on the NRA’s support. "Enough."
The ad – part of a digitally focused buy targeting voters in the Sunshine State – was produced in light of Scott’s likely attempt at a U.S. Senate campaign later this year due to Florida’s gubernatorial term limits. Although Scott has yet to announce his intentions to run, he would challenge Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson – whose re-election prospects have been deemed vulnerable in recent months – later this year in the 2018 mid-term elections.
Barbara Boxer isn’t the only targeting Scott:
Gov. Rick Scott hasn't declared he's running for the Senate this fall, but a gun control group is already hammering him over his record on guns.
Giffords, founded by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, is spending "a strong six figures" on a television ad attacking the governor for his defense of the 2011 "Glocks vs. docs" bill, the organization's executive director, Peter Ambler, said.
"Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Parkland. We need to stop dangerous people from getting guns, but Gov. Rick Scott made it illegal for a doctor to ask a patient if they owned a gun, even a mental health professional," the gravelly voice in the 30-second ad says. "This law was so dangerous that a court had to strike it down.
"Gov. Scott, we need more than your thoughts and prayers. Stop putting the gun lobby ahead of our safety."
The ad is running in the Tampa, Miami, Orlando and Palm Beach markets starting Tuesday, Ambler said.
Also, Rick Scott is a fucking coward:
This coming Wednesday, CNN will hold a televised town hall event on the recent horrific mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The live event, which will be held at BB&T Center, will include classmates of the victims, parents, and members of the community. CNN also invited prominent Florida lawmakers and politicians to take part in the town hall.
While Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) have all confirmed that they will attend the forum, the state’s Republican governor has told CNN he won’t be there.
“With only two weeks left of our annual legislative session, Governor Rick Scott will be in Tallahassee meeting with state leaders to work on ways to keep Florida students safe, including school safety improvements and keeping guns away from individuals struggling with mental illness,” Gov. Rick Scott’s office told CNN.
As he gets ready to run for the Senate, Scott’s love for the gun lobby could cost him financially:
A prominent Republican political donor demanded on Saturday that the party pass legislation to restrict access to guns, and vowed not to contribute to any candidates or electioneering groups that did not support a ban on the sale of military-style firearms to civilians.
Al Hoffman Jr., a Florida-based real estate developer who was a leading fund-raiser for George W. Bush’s campaigns, said he would seek to marshal support among other Republican political donors for a renewed assault weapons ban.
“For how many years now have we been doing this — having these experiences of terrorism, mass killings — and how many years has it been that nothing’s been done?” Mr. Hoffman said in an interview. “It’s the end of the road for me.”
Mr. Hoffman announced his ultimatum in an email to half a dozen Republican leaders, including Jeb Bush and Gov. Rick Scott of Florida. He wrote in the email that he would not give money to Mr. Scott, who is considering a campaign for the Senate in 2018, or other Florida Republicans he has backed in the past, including Representative Brian Mast, if they did not support new gun legislation.
“I will not write another check unless they all support a ban on assault weapons,” he wrote. “Enough is enough!”
And electorally:
But after one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history, Florida is now at the center of an intense national debate over guns, and Scott faces accusations that his pro-gun policies helped enable the horror at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland that took the lives of 14 students and three faculty members.
Scott has consistently opposed longer waiting periods for gun purchases, but even fellow Republicans were shocked to learn that accused mass murderer Nikolas Cruz, 19, legally bought a semi-automatic assault rifle and extended magazines over the counter — even though he’s not old enough to buy a beer.
“Why on earth is there no waiting period to purchase an assault weapon?” state Rep. Bill Hager, a Boca Raton Republican, tweeted Monday. “At the very least, there should be a 30-day waiting period on these weapons.”
Former Gov. Jeb Bush tweeted that 18-year-olds should not be able to buy semi-automatic weapons, but Scott has been silent on that question.
Suddenly, the NRA’s A-plus rating looks like an albatross, a potential drag on Scott’s expected run for the U.S. Senate.
“These people who are being funded by the NRA are not going to be allowed to remain in office when midterm elections roll around,” Emma Gonzalez, a Stoneman Douglas student, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press with Chuck Todd.”
“They’re going to be voted out of office.”
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D. FL) has called for action on gun control:
“This tragedy should never happen again,” Nelson, D-Fla., said during a news conference after meeting with federal and local officials at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
“The fact is that it’s a combination of a number of things that have to be dealt with," Nelson said. "Mental health is certainly one of them.
"But the fact that an 18-year-old can purchase at age 18 an AR-15, which is the kind of caliber of an AK-47. It’s an assault weapon. And when that 18-year-old turns 19 and he walks into a school with an assault weapon, then you have massacre.
"We’ve had too much of that in this state alone, not even to speak of the country.”
Nelson also lauded the students and parents for speaking out on national television.
“The kids are just terrific,” he said. “The fact that they are speaking up as boldly as they are, maybe that’s the turning point.”
And we have to make sure Nelson is ready to take on Scott and the NRA. Let’s get him ready for a nasty, expensive battle. Click here to donate and get involved with Nelson’s re-election campaign.