We’re Not Getting Our Best People

Back in the ’80s, when Iran and Iraq were at war, someone quipped “If only they could both lose”.

Say hello to the congressional race in Florida’s 1st House district.

In this corner, Republican incumbent Matt Gaetz, who is a cartoon character come to life. Since he’s a self-grooming high-profile GOP guy, he’s drawn a…special challenger from the Democrats.

Remember Rebekah Jones? Ms. Jones is a conspiracy theorist who used to work for the state of Florida, curating COVID stats, until she got caught cooking the books, after accusing the state of doing the same to make the reopening policies of Ron DeSantis look good. They fired her.

She also cyberstalked a former student and tweeted out revenge porn on him. So, she seems nice.

Yes, this is the choice for these voters.

Gaetz’ most carefully cultivated position is his hair. He’s been caught witness-tampering and paying cronies for rental office space with taxpayer dollars.

Jones gives off what one columnist calls a “bunny-boiler” vibe (check out the Glenn Close character in “Fatal Attraction”). She repeatedly tried to break into the state offices from which she was fired.

The other day, the Gaetz people tweeted out two photos: one showing a crowded event for him, the other showing a forlorn looking Jones table at some health fair, with no one around, and someone with his head down, apparently sleeping.

That someone, claims Rebekah Jones, is her autistic teenage son, and she went after Gaetz in an obscenity-laced tirade.

Here’s where it gets interesting: the photo apparently was taken by the consulting firm her campaign uses, and somehow “shared” with the congressman’s people. Why? Who knows? A Gaetz sympathizer? A trap for Gaetz? Seems more likely the latter.

Her outrage was accompanied by an urgent fundraising appeal. Of course.

Can’t they do better than these two?