Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Subscribe to Windermere Sun:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

(Please click on red links & note magenta)

If you have not been paying attention to the Florida gubernatorial race between  Democratic Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and former U.S. Rep. Republican Ron DeSantis , it is time to take a good look at these two candidates’ positions. Last night, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2018, at Bailey Hall of Broward College, Davie, Florida,  in their second and final meetup before the Nov. 6 election for Florida governor, these two candidates delivered what Miami Herald’s David Smiley and Joey Flechas described as a “bare-knuckle brawl of a debate so heated that a racial slur was spelled out letter by letter on live television“.

 

 

As indicated in Miami Herald, in italics, below:

Cool was lost. The moderator was not spared any venom. And in between daggers and accusations, when policy was actually discussed, two candidates firmly on the opposite ends of the political spectrum left little for the voters in the middle to chew on.

Moderator Todd McDermot of WPBF of West Palm Beach started the debate by asking the two candidates whether politics has crossed the line from divisive to reckless after some one sent pipe bombs and suspicious packages overnight to Clintons, Obamas, and offices of Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

To better understand some of the positions of these two candidates on topics of Floridians’ interests, from previous debate on Oct. 21, 2018, and various prior interviews below:

 

To better understand Andrew Gillum’s positions, below:

Further understanding of Ron DeSantis’ position on healthcare, education, and taxes, below:

 

More on these two candidates, in excerpt from wikipedia, in italics, below:

Andrew Gillum:

Andrew Demese Gillum (born July 26, 1979) is an American politician serving as Mayor of Tallahassee, Florida since 2014. He is the Democratic nominee for Governor of Florida in the 2018 election. He previously served on the Tallahassee City Commission from 2003 to 2014; first elected at age 23, he was the city’s youngest commissioner.^[1]

In 2018, Gillum became the Florida Democratic Party‘s nominee for Governor of Florida when he won the Democratic primary election over a field of five other candidates including former U.S. Representative Gwen Graham and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine. He will compete against Republican U.S. Representative Ron DeSantis in the general election.^[2][3]

Gillum has been classified as a progressive, and is considered to be a politician in the mold of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, the highest-ranking elected official to support his primary candidacy.^[4][5][6]

Gillum has been widely described as a progressive^[47] and, by some conservative sources, as a democratic socialist.^[48] During the 2018 gubernatorial campaign, DeSantis said that Gillum had a “far left socialist platform”; PolitiFact rated this assertion as false, noting that Gillum’s platform is similar to those of other Democrats and within the mainstream of public opinion.^[49]

Gillum supports the replacement of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with the U.S. Department of Justice. He seeks to expand Medicaid to cover “…700,000 people, who right now don’t have access to health care”.^[50] He supports the removal of Confederate monuments.^[51] Gillum wants to raise the Florida corporate tax rate to 7.75 percent, up from the current 5.5 percent, which he said would generate $1 billion in revenue which would be used on education funding.^[52] Gillum supports a $15 minimum wage.^[53] He is endorsed by Bernie Sanders and has received financial support from Tom Steyer and George Soros.^[54][55] Gillum has called for the impeachment of Donald Trump.^[56] Gillum accepts the scientific consensus on climate change, and has warned that climate change causes sea level rise with adverse effects for Florida.^[57][58] He opposed the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, and said that he would as Florida governor work with other states in a state-based climate alliance.^[59]

Gillum opposes Florida’s Stand-your-ground law.^[53] Gillum is in favor of a 2018 ballot proposition, Amendment 4, to restore the voting rights of most individuals who have completed felony convictions (excluding individuals guilty of murder or sexual offenses).^[60][53] Gillum said, “Floridians who have paid their debts deserve a second chance and they should have a voice in our state’s future. Our current system for rights restoration is a relic of Jim Crow that we should end for good.”^[61]

Ron DeSantis:

Ronald Dion DeSantis (born September 14, 1978) is an American politician and a former U.S. Representative for Florida’s 6th congressional district. After graduating from Yale University and Harvard Law School, DeSantis served as an attorney and as a JAG prosecutor in the Navy. A Republican, he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012.

DeSantis ran in Florida’s 2016 U.S. Senate election, but ended his campaign when incumbent Senator Marco Rubio announced that he would seek re-election.^[1][2] DeSantis then opted to run for re-election to his U.S. House seat and was re-elected in November 2016.^[3] Described as a “top Trump ally”, DeSantis drew increased attention in 2017 for his frequent criticisms of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.^[4][5]

On August 28, 2018, DeSantis won the Republican primary for Governor of Florida. On September 10, 2018, DeSantis resigned his seat in the House of Representatives to focus on his gubernatorial campaign.

DeSantis is a staunch conservative.^[51][52][53] DeSantis was endorsed by the socially conservative Family Research Council Action PAC in 2015.^{[54]  DeSantis supports the implementation of a medical marijuana program in Florida, but opposes the legalization of recreational marijuana.[55][56][57][58] He voted against the Veterans Equal Access Amendment that would give veterans access to medical marijuana if recommended by their Veterans Health Administration doctor and if it is legal for medicinal purposes in their state of residence.[59]}

DeSantis opposes abortion^[60] and has denounced Planned Parenthood.^[61]

DeSantis agreed with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., saying “This case does not concern the availability or legality of contraceptives, and individuals can obtain and use these as they see fit. The question is simply whether the government can force the owners of Hobby Lobby to pay for abortifacients in violation of their faith.”^[62]

DeSantis opposes federal education programs such as No Child Left Behind Act and Race to the Top, saying that education policy should be made at the local level.^[65]

In 2016, DeSantis introduced the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity Act, which would allow states to create their own accreditation systems. In an op-ed for the National Review, DeSantis said that his legislation would give students “access to federal loan money to put towards non-traditional educational opportunities, such as online learning courses, vocational schools, and apprenticeships in skilled trades.”^[77]

DeSantis opposes gun control. He received an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association.^[90] He is generally opposed to firearm regulation, saying, “Very rarely do firearms restrictions affect criminals. They really only affect law-abiding citizens.”^[91]

Following the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, DeSantis expressed his support for hiring retired law enforcement officers and military veterans as armed guards for schools.^[92] He disagrees with legislation signed into law by Florida Governor Rick Scott that banned bump stocks, added a mandatory three-day waiting period for gun purchases, and raised the legal age for purchases from 18 to 21.^[93] He has expressed support for measures to improve federal background checks for purchasing firearms and has said that there is a need to intervene with those who are exhibiting warning signs of committing violence instead of waiting until a crime has been committed.^[92]

DeSantis is opposed to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.^[94][95] He has called for the “full and complete repeal” of the act.^[94]

In March 2017, DeSantis said that he wasn’t ready to support the American Health Care Act, the House Republican effort to replace the Affordable Care Act.^[96]
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker

More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com

Any comments, suggestions, concerns regarding this post will be welcomed at info.WindermereSun@gmail.com

 

We Need Fair Value of Solar

 

~Let’s Help One Another~

Subscribe to Windermere Sun:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

Please also get into the habit of checking at these sites below for more on solar energy topics:

www.sunisthefuture.net

www.kiva.org/team/sunisthefuture

www.facebook.com/sunisthefuture

www.pinterest.com/sunisthefuture

www.youtube.com/user/sunisthefuture

www.cafepress.com/sunisthefuture

Google+