For those who don't know, I grew up in Lake County and know Alan Grayson's district quite well. I covered it for the Daily Commercial back when Republican Ric Keller held the seat. I must say I have been stunned as a Congressman attributed as D-Eustis has become the liberal superstar of the class of '08. I wasn't following this race, and was surprised when Keller lost so badly, but figured the whole time we'd get a moderate Democrat from this relatively conservative district.
And that is why these guys scare me. See this video, featured on the front page of Daily Kos today.
That's Dan Fanelli, one of the Republicans looking to take Grayson out. This ad would probably shake up most sensible independent voters, and certainly liberals. I honestly can't recall the last time I saw a video so blatantly racist. Maybe Willie Horton, but this is more overt in so many ways. Really shocking to me is that Fanelli paid to have this produced, and paid for time on TV. Also, whose the Arabic guy and why doesn't he have problems with this?
But I have a feeling this will play well to many voters in the rural portions of this district. When I would bring up racial profiling in Lake County and the problems I had with it, it wasn't uncommon for people to call my thoughts treasonous to my face. Even before 9-11, when I was growing up in the area, people would openly support profiling for blogs. That was in the 1990s.
Now let's talk George Metcalfe, who got the attention of the Rainbow Democratic Club. His issue is with the gays. His Liberty Counsel has fought hard against gay adoption even in some cases where the foster children faced grim alternatives. But what was really notable was when Metcalfe pulled ads in Florida Bar publications that used the word gay as a moderately offensive slur. When moderate right columnist Mike Thomas of the Orlando Sentinel tried to talk to him about this a year ago, Metcalfe wouldn't comment. We'll see how that works moving forward.
He also hails from Leesburg, my home town. MOST of the people I know there never had a problem using the word 'hate' to describe their feelings about homosexuals. I promise gay adoption isn't something that polls well there.
I truly enjoy hearing Grayson do spots on the Bill Maher show and get all this attention from the liberal blogs, but have always worried it would blow up in his face. My family still lives in the Leesburg-Eustis area and tells me he has more support than I realize. I hope that's true, not just because I enjoy him, but because the Republicans seem to have no problem putting up openly bigoted people as the only alternative.
I really hope my remaining colleagues at The Daily Commercial don't shy away from these characters, and from exploring whether these issues are about social conservatism or simple hatred. But I have a sinking feeling these folks will largely get a pass from the local press. Truth is, though, the angry resentment is so strong and vocal in that area, it not only scares reporters from certain subjects, it convinces them that these issues are a legitimate part of public discourse.
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