In what will one day be known as the whir heard 'round the world, Florida Gov. Rick Scott's (R) campaign for re-election took a bizarre turn last night after he refused to take the debate stage with challenger Charlie Crist (D, formerly I, formerly R) because Crist had brought out a small electric fan to keep himself cool. Scott eventually joined the debate, but the damage was done. Fangate was born, dominating the Florida and national media's coverage of the debate.
Now Scott is trying to turn the tables on Crist, telling reporters this morning that the reason he didn't appear on stage was that Crist "was throwing a fit," which caused him to wait and see if Crist would "show up." This is apparently the politico version of asserting, a la Walter Sobchak, "Calmer than you are."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
The battle for 21st century naturism laid bareIn The Spotlight Nudist lifestyle falling out of favour in Germany but naked attraction is on the rise in the UK
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why do young people love ASMR?Podcast Plus can US football stamp out homophobia? And why is Scottish Gallic getting a TV boost?
-
Rep. Sylvester Turner dies, weeks after joining HouseSpeed Read The former Houston mayor and longtime state legislator left behind a final message for Trump: 'Don't mess with Medicaid'
-
Trump pauses Ukraine intelligence sharingSpeed Read The decision is intended to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin
-
Supreme Court rules against Trump on aid freezeSpeed Read The court rejected the president's request to freeze nearly $2 billion in payments for foreign humanitarian work
-
Trump touts early wins in partisan speech to CongressSpeed Read The president said he is 'just getting started' with his sweeping changes to immigration, the economy and foreign policy
-
Trudeau blasts Trump's 'very dumb' trade warSpeed Read Retaliatory measures have been announced by America's largest trading partners following Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China
-
Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after public spatSpeed Read Trump and J.D. Vance berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy for what they saw as insufficient gratitude
-
Trump's Mexico and Canada tariffs begin, roiling marketsSpeed Read Stocks plunged after Trump affirmed that the tariffs would take effect, sparking a likely trade war
-
Judge tells White House to stop ordering mass firingsspeed read The ruling is a complication in the Trump administration's plans to slash the federal workforce
