A political action committee supporting Florida Gov. Rick Scott launched an online ad on Friday striking back against a woman who heckled and called him an “a–hole” at a Gainesville, Florida, Starbucks earlier this week.
On Tuesday during the confrontation that went viral, Cara Jennings vented her frustration at the Republican for approving legislation that would slash state funding to reproductive health clinics. She also knocked Scott for opposing Medicaid expansion in Florida.
“You cut Medicaid so I couldn’t get Obamacare. You’re an a–hole,” Jennings yelled. “You don’t care about working people. You should be ashamed to show your face around here.”
As Scott walked away, she added, “You stripped women of access to public health care. Shame on you, Rick Scott. We depend on those services. Rich people like you don’t know what to do when poor people like us need health services — you cut them.” Before leaving the coffee shop, Scott tried to defend himself by saying that the state has created 1 million jobs.
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Scott’s super PAC, Let’s Get to Work, made the governor’s statement into an attack ad calling Jennings “a terribly rude woman,” a “latte liberal” and someone who “clearly has a problem.” The PAC defended Scott’s record on job creation, which Jennings called into question. “Almost everybody [has a great job],” the ad says. “Except those who are sitting around coffee shops, demanding public assistance, surfing the internet and cursing at customers who come in.” The ad also said Jennings is a “former government official” who “refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance” and “calls herself an anarchist.” In response to the ad, Jennings told MSNBC’s Joy Reid on Saturday, “Gov. Scott is part of a corrupt system. It’s him and his PAC and a large part of the legislature in Florida that is pushing really conservative values in our state. To respond to one person’s criticism by putting out an attack ad — I think it shows their concern that so many people share the views that I expressed. So many people have told me they wish they could’ve been there and yelled that bleeped-out word at Mr. Scott.”
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