GOP surrogate attacks Dem candidate for "having babies" in office - suggests she cheated taxpayers

[nashville_brook]

A local DEMOCRAT, acting as a surrogate for a Republican appointed by Rick Scott accused the Democrat running for Clerk of Court of "doing nothing but having babies" while she served two terms on the County Commission. That's the top line. There's more. Much more.



Tiffany Moore Russell the Democrat running for Clerk of Court.

There's a LOT of moving parts here. The incumbent was appointed by Rick Scott to reach out to Central Florida's Latino population. The Democratic challenger is African American and the outrageous attack was made on an AA political talk radio show. The surrogate who made the misogynist slur is a gay activist who ironically has done philanthropic work for women’s issues via "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes." I shit you not.

It's a hot mess of intersectionality. Have fun with that.

I'm posting here to make one quick point. We've come a long way on many social issues but we've gone backwards on women's issues -- FAR backwards -- when women are attacked for "doing nothing but have babies." In context, he was trying to suggest that she was cheating taxpayers by taking "too much" maternity leave.

Do I have to post the map again?





We're right there with LIBERIA in our approach to maternity leave, and it splashes back way farther than just making life miserable for families. The fact that we don't have have mandated PAID, it's-your-unalienable-right maternity leave, you're going to have jackasses like this guy using our reproductive nature against us. As if we're unfit for office because we might get pregnant. As if having a child makes you less of a person; less of a professional; and FAIR GAME TO ATTACK POLITICALLY.


Here's the first article to report the dustup.
http://blogs.orlandoweekly.com/bloggytown/walk-mile-shoes-tiffany-moore-russell-office-make-babies-according-local-political-gadabout-randy-ross-audio/


Here's the interview that set off the firestorm -- the main accusation happens at 15:10:

[shenmue]

1. So much for being pro-life!

Who does she think she is, a human being or something?

[nashville_brook]

4. this is what makes me the most angry in the whole abortion debate

the religious right and business pigs want women to have children, but they're going to make as difficult as possible to do so and make damn sure you pay dearly for it for the rest of your life.

[DirkGently]

12. The entire burden of sex & children

... is forever being pushed onto women. We can see a cartoonish extreme of this in radical Islamic regimes, where women are threatened and punished for allowing men to even *see* them -- presumably because the men cannot be bothered to take the responsibility for not leaping on them sexually?

The undertones of the abortion debate in this country are similar, in my opinion. Huckabee and similar slime constantly insinuating that we must impede access to even birth control measures, lest women "get away with" having sex without producing a child, which of course is exactly the kind of sex most people have most of the time.

Just looks to me like a long-con burden shifting scheme. Male sexuality is the problem, but women need to bear all of the costs and all of the blame. It's been that way a long time -- ask Eve, who probably didn't want the damn apple in the first place.

[Gman]

2. All politics is still local.

[nashville_brook]

5. amen to that -- i'm a FIRM believer

[DirkGently]

9. That IS the truth. n/t

[DirkGently]

3. Unbelievable.

You'd think even a baby Republican player in Orlando, much less a supposed Dem in the throes of trying to "reach out" to the other side, would know better than to go after a woman for being a mother, for Pete's sake.

Everyone's got blind spots outside of their personal societal niche, but the fact this guy (and his partner) DOUBLED DOWN was just gobsmacking.

And yes, we need to get out of the very special "club" we are in with ... Sierra Leone?! in failing to provide adequate maternity leave. How can we possibly not be able to agree that the people who bear our children need to not be punished or denigrated or denied opportunity for doing that?

I find the comments in the Orlando Weekly post hilarious (and not just mine and yours).

[nashville_brook]

7. the doubling-down is subject for another post on *political suicide*

when you step in THIS bad, you need to acknowledge it and apologize in a convincing manner. the opposite happened.

[DirkGently]

8. It's almost more disturbing he can't / won't acknowledge it was wrong.

Have to wonder if that little misogynistic nugget was lodged during a "crossing the aisle" lunch with local Republicans. Popped out when he couldn't think of anything worthwhile to say?

No excuse, needless to say, and the unwillingness to recognize the "stepping in it" as you say makes it seem like he really believes it.

[nashville_brook]

10. that's what happens when our system sends the message that maternity leave is optional

you really are putting your career in danger by using it.

[DirkGently]

11. Another area our "We're #1!!!" chants fall rather

... flat.

[Scuba]

6. "... unfit for office because we might get pregnant." Shhhh ....

If Scott Wanker and Glenn Grothman hear that, it'll be in their next ads.

[DirkGently]

15. Dovetails nicely with restricting birth control

and abortion, doesn't it?

First we make the women have ALL the babeez.

Then we disqualify any babeez-having persons from office.

Step 4. - Profit?

[Stallion]

13. Republican's War on Babies!

nm

[DirkGently]

14. They do seem rather fetus-obsessed.

Certainly nothing any woman does regarding "babies" pleases Republicans. Birth control bad. Abortion bad. Babies-if-you're-not-sufficienty-white / rich bad.

Apparently the only Republican-approved baby-having activity is marrying a Romney and having a bunch of smooth-faced, clone-like male heirs on an orderly schedule between equestrian competitions and failed presidential runs.

[sakabatou]

16. Republicans are pro-life... until you're born.

[nashville_brook]

17. and don't reproduce if you're of the wrong race/ethnicity

and don't try to reproduce while holding office. or having a job.

[hifiguy]

18. That map is just mind-numbing.

[DirkGently]

19. Randy Ross' sexist "having babies" comment has gone national.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/10/gop-backer-attacks-florida-dems-work-ethic-for-having-babies-while-shes-in-office/comments/

GOP backer attacks Florida Dem’s ‘work ethic’ for ‘having babies’ while she’s in office

A local race for Clerk of the Courts in Orlando, Florida turned ugly recently when a supporter for the Republican candidate called in to a radio show to lash out at the Democratic candidate for “having babies” in while she was in office.

During a heated appearance on the Tez Figaro’s radio show, Randy Ross argued that Republican Eddie Fernandez should continue to do the job that Gov. Rick Scott (R) appointed him to do following the death of former clerk Lydia Gardner.

Ross, a well-known local activist who works as PR director the Orlando Museum of Art, had supported Democratic candidate Tiffany Moore Russell in the primary, but he said that he would be supporting Fernandez going forward. And according to Orlando Weekly, Ross had been prominently featured on the “Democrats for Eddie Fernandez” Facebook page.