Democratic gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist and his running mate Karla Hernández are fighting back against Republicans’ trolling of the teachers union president as “Karla Marx.”
“I believe in democracy. I am anti-communism. I actually was out with pots and pans celebrating the death of Fidel Castro when he died,” Hernández said at an Orlando event. “It is a shame that they try to bully a teacher.”
Hernández is the daughter of Honduran immigrants. She’s the president of the United Teachers of Dade union in Miami and a former Teacher of the Year at Hialeah Middle School.
Ever since Republicans discovered a tweet Hernández posted in 2016 regarding the death of Fidel Castro, they’ve been disparaging her in campaign email and social media with the vilification #KarlaMarx, seeking to tie her to the 19th century socialist revolutionary philosopher.
Hernández deleted her 2016 tweet, tried to explain it as being about how Cubans were “forced” to mourn Castro’s death, and sought to reassure in her own anti-Castro bona fides. Yet the trolls are swarming, including from inside the campaign of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Crist characterized the Republicans’ tactic as an expression of fear.
“It shows that they’re afraid of her. She’s a strong woman. She’s Hispanic. She’s from Miami-Dade. She’s bilingual. She’s brilliant. She was a special ed teacher. That’s a lot of greatness for what she can do,” Crist said. “So they’re trying to poke holes in it. It’s all junk.”
Republicans have been coming after Hernández in a variety of ways, slamming her criticism of DeSantis’ plan to address teacher shortages by having military veterans to take teachers jobs, and trying to link her to a former member of her teachers union who is serving jail time for sexually assaulting students.
Hernández has been on the defensive for both, and has called the second allegation a lie. Now, she’s doing a bit of teacher-like scolding toward Republicans’ suggestion that she might support communism.
“My husband is a Russian Jew who fled the Soviet Union and communism,” she said. “So for them to act in this way, so childish and in this manner, says exactly what the Governor (Crist) is saying, that they’re scared of us and they’re trying to portray things that are unfactual, not true.”
Scott Powers is an Orlando-based political journalist with 30+ years’ experience, mostly at newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel and the Columbus Dispatch. He covers local, state and federal politics and space news across much of Central Florida. His career earned numerous journalism awards for stories ranging from the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster to presidential elections to misplaced nuclear waste. He and his wife Connie have three grown children. Besides them, he’s into mystery and suspense books and movies, rock, blues, basketball, baseball, writing unpublished novels, and being amused. Email him at [email protected]
Abysmal choice, chameleon crisp can’t live down selecting Matz. Between being deputy to the awful NEA president Weingarten, and protecting a sexual abuser, renting Hearst’s to scare families on schools being open, and losing her school board races, Matz is a awful choice. No clue, totally on the extremist side, not on the side of every day Floridians.
Matz lacks any substance bout state govt. let alone local govt. Chameleon owns this and as he will lose. Good riddance to both!
You gonna burn in hell for your lies buddy…
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‘It shows that they’re afraid of her,’ Crist said.
What it shows is that we do not understand how a local union boss has the administrative skills, multicultural background and wide reputation to command respect throughout the third largest state in America should Charlie keel over from the excitement of it all. Plus we do not miss an opportunity to show how rudderless, power-hungry pols like himself can make really poor judgments when given the opportunity, as well as the consequences of those misjudgments. I’m sure she is a nice person but there must have been at least one other member of the Hispanic community in this state with substantially more to bring to the table at this point in her career.
PolitiFact has denounced Charlie Christ’s ads against DeSantis saying they are false. Charlie has lost all integrity and credibility.
You have lost all credibility. You’ve lied so many times on this website that you’ve got no room to talk. After I’m elected, people like you will pay a price for misleading the American people with harmful lies.
Oh look! I confirmed liar calling other people liars! How sad
You are literally using a fake name and hiding behind it to attack others. What are you afraid of?
PolitiFact has labeled most of Desantis’s statements LIES, also.
All this suggests is that it’s time for a third party. In the meantime, electing Crist will stop the ENDLESS DESANTIS CULTURE WARS that are making the current gov so ineffective at his job.
How to Recognize a Cult Absolute authoritarianism without accountability. Zero tolerance for criticism or questions. Lack of meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget. Unreasonable fears about the outside world that often involve evil conspiracies and persecutions.
“All this suggests is that it’s time for a third party. ” Marylou, IIRC as of the last time I looked there are NINE recognized political parties in Florida. The Rs and the Ds are the big ones because most people want them that way. If you like another party, build it up until it is a viable 3rd party. I am sure you are young enough.
It is very sad that those who follow a Cult, knowing, but ignoring their leader, avoided the call of this Nation to serve in our military, instead had lied and suffered from ‘HEEL SPURS’ avoiding service to OUR Country, not his, while 58,000 Americans did answer the call and died for our true FREEDOM, not his freedumb!
It’s a cult of stupidity and crime. The GOP is like the nazi party…just no mass murder yet. This is the only difference.
Meanwhile, the blue party is pushing the fascist gun ban agenda. Get a clue!
@Billy: To the fascists..even wearing a seatbelt is declared fascist. Even measures taken to protect the country from a deadly disease was declared fascist. Nobody buying you people’s poop anymore. Anti fascism is not fascist.
Nobody believes you lying fascists. Same gun control, same double standards, same lies. Adolf was one of you, fool!
You pointed at yourself. Yes I agree you are Drunk on propaganda…doesn’t know his bung hole from his lips🍩💋😆
You can always expect this from the blue clowns
“Firearms banned at events with Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, who has argued ’gun-free’ zones are less safe!” —-Business Insider
They want gun bans to save their own lives, just not your child’s life. Vote out Republicans.
They did try to kidnap and kill a sitting Governor in Michigan, and turned their head when terror groups shouted kill Pence!
Who’s they? The guy who made videos with the red and black Antifa flag in the background? You clowns are funny.
^ Drunk on far right propaganda…doesn’t know his bung hole from his lips🍩💋😆
That clown just pointed at itself. Classic!
What in the hell are you talking about you idiot… gibberish and unintelligible nonsense.
So the party of KGB gun control is playing the victim card again. Chain gang Charlie Grifter Christ and his band of clowns are a laughingstock.
^ This guy is pro crime, pro terrorist..
Post your proof. No proof means you are a confirmed liar. Let me guess, Biden Voter?
Proof is everything you say! Just no insight buddy. Seek help for whatever in the hell is wrong with you.
Thanks for confirming you are a liar.
Trump 40,000 lies culminating in the big lie…many crimes..many arrests. Let’s talk about that. See just how far out of your mind that you are.
Guns and KGB? The NRA is the one who had to rely on Russian money to keep Rubio’s Scott’s, and GOP campaign money after their leader ran the GOP PAC like Mar-A-Lago and went bankrupt! The National Rifle Association acted as a “foreign asset” for Russia in the period leading up to the 2016 election, according to a new investigation unveiled Friday
More imaginary Russian nonsense. Have mommy check under your bed before naptime. There may be some hiding there, fool!
Trump was an unwitting Russian asset because he was so dumb and such a threat to American image worldwide. A clown and criminal basically… undermined the USA in many ways. Made stupid trendy…
10 percent for the big guy! You won’t get the virus if you take the vaccine! Vote for me or you ain’t black! LMAO
Good Billy, just bust his balls. He’s a complete fraud, multiple fake aliases. He’s Clueless.
“He” doesn’t have any. It’s a confirmed spam bot from China Impersonating Charlie Christ. I, on the other hand, have my own you tube channel and don’t need to hide like a coward.
China? Oh conspiracy theorist huh? Total whack job like Q-Shaman…seek help.
You pathetic swine wipes can’t defend this lackey, hackey Matz. She is abysmal choice.
Child abuse sympathizer, total lockdown Union hack, deputy to nea weingarten, rented Hearst’s to scare families on open schools, sued DeSantis and lost, got her ass kicked school bd, clueless on govt., locally or state.
Just a joke of a pick by loser chameleon.
By God this man Tom is roasted on right wing propaganda. Needs impatient hospitalization immediately…court ordered medication.
Rectum incest Elliot and corsin, How’s your mommas?
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