So-called Republican activist calls fmr President Obama a “Muslim n——r” and is indignant about being called a racist. Just a reminder ppl still think being a labeled a racist is worse than actual racism https://t.co/H3s4EUGvIN
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) September 20, 2018
From the Washington Post, “‘The Obama excitement’”:
ORLANDO — Salandra Benton used to campaign so hard for Barack Obama that her feet would swell as she walked through nightclubs, hair salons, apartment buildings and church parking lots telling people they had to vote.
After Obama won Florida in 2008 and 2012, Benton hoped to step back from door-to-door campaigning. But then Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum shocked Florida last month by winning the Democratic nomination for governor, with the potential of becoming the state’s first African American chief executive.
Now, Benton has been drawn back into Florida’s political street fight on behalf of Gillum, who faces former congressman Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee, in the Nov. 6 election.
“I think this is even bigger than Obama, because this is even closer to home,” said Benton, 54, a union organizer who is African American. “The Obama excitement was, ‘We are finally going to get a black president.’ But now this is Florida’s son, in a state we feel black men have been attacked and not protected, so we are waking back up.”…
Gillum also is hoping he can do better among white voters than Obama did in 2012, when he carried 37 percent of the white vote, according to exit polls. The school shooting last year in Parkland, Fla., and concern about the ongoing “red tide” fish kill on the state’s western beaches may be loosening Florida Republicans’ hold on white voters, Democrats say.
“There is a swing-vote population, largely suburban white women in Tampa and Orlando, and I absolutely believe Gillum can do well with those voters,” said Steve Schale, a Florida political strategist who ran Obama’s state effort here in 2012…
Even before Gillum’s primary win, Florida activists said the state’s black community was more energized than in previous midterm elections, because of a host of local and national issues, including Trump’s battle with National Football League players as well as the state’s controversial “stand your ground” gun law.
“I think people are more aware of how much these races have consequences, and they are not going to deal with those consequences,” said Lydia Hudson, a Tampa resident and head of the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida, which claims it helped to double black turnout for Gillum during the primary compared with past off-year primary elections.
In the general election, activists say, African American turnout could be further boosted by a measure on the Florida ballot that would restore voting rights for some felons, something activists and church leaders have been aggressively campaigning for since the start of the year…
I think we can be sure the GOP will give these voters every possible reminder of how much is at stake.
Don’t think we have a dedicated ActBlue widget for Gillum yet, but here’s his campaign website.
You know how if you get in a lot of car accidents, even if they're not "your fault" your rates go up because the common denominator is you? Seems like the same logic would apply to those who habitually associate with racists. https://t.co/ZhedX9INJo
— Susan Hennessey (@Susan_Hennessey) September 20, 2018
Open Thread: Andrew Gillum, Looking Better and BetterPost + Comments (46)