The raging debate
The race for House District 70 has been kind of a swim in the mud, especially between candidates CJ Czaia and Dan Fiorini, much of which has been reported on in this magazine, over the LGBT vote and the importance of endorsements. The other candidate Wengay Newton has been happy to sit sidelined while the other two tear into each other.
The attacks came full steam at an LGBT debate between the candidates held at the Manatee County Democratic Party Aug. 17. Fiorini confronted Czaia face-to-face on two subjects that he has raged about to several media outlets, including this one, the endorsement of Czaia by the Stonewall Democrats and Momma Tee. “Look at the company Czaia keeps!” and “Momma Tee is a known homophobe!” Fiorini yelled at the debate. Fiorini went on to tell Czaia that hiring Momma Tee was the same as hiring former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke. “You can be sure the black community would be screaming.” Fiorini points to this move on Czaia’s part as to why the Stonewall Democrats should withdraw their endorsement. Czaia called Fiorini’s attacks “low” and “despicable.”
The tempers flared all night between Czaia and Fiorini, and as for Newton? He mostly stayed out of it. “I don’t know what’s going on, this doesn’t make any sense,” Newton said.
For one night only
Comedian Amy Schumer is heading to Tampa in October, but ahead of her appearance in the bayside city, Schumer has released her new book, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo. Within the first few pages of she talks major smack about two cities; one of them is Fayetteville, North Carolina (and yes, we have our own issues with the state of North Carolina but we’re sure it’s not a terrible place, maybe) and the other is Tampa, wait… what! That’s right, Schumer calls Tampa and Fayetteville “horrendous” cities.
“I’m not scared about writing that and making those people mad, because I know for a fact that no one who lives there has ever read a book,” Schumer writes. “JKJKJKJKJK, but kind of not K.” The comments in the book are tied to a story of a one night stand she had with a man she met on the flight from Fayetteville to Tampa. “When you go between cities like those two, you get the pleasure of flying on the tiniest short bus in the sky, which for some reason is still called a plane,” she writes.
Tampa has not taken this lying down. Tampa’s Inkwood Books responded posting on the sign outside their store, “Dear Ms. Schumer, give us another chance? Love, the 3 people who read.” Even Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn got in on the conversation. “Amy, get to know us. You’re gonna love us,” he said. “This is a great city with great people. And if you thought you had a great one night stand, just think of a whole city full of people like that.”
Schumer has not responded as of yet, but if she does we say, careful Amy, you mess with the Bob, you may get the Buckhorn.
